When Arctic Mood teas reached out to us for review, I couldn’t have been more excited. Their teas are created in Iceland, and feature Icelandic moss in all of the blends I tried. The moss actually turns a bright, pastel green while steeping, and I loved watching it do so.
The Earl of Westfjords comes in a grey box with English on one side, and Icelandic on the other. Each box has illustrations of tea pots, bears, and flowers or herbs drawn by Solvi Helgason, a famous 19th century Icelandic artist.
Contained in the blend is earl grey, Angelica, Iceland moss and Bergamot. The tea bags are contained in cellophane, and smell of a mellow earl grey with bergamot and slight hints of Angelica.
I steeped the bag in a mug of 200 degree water for 4 minutes and added milk. I wouldn’t steep much longer than five minutes unless you enjoy a strong and bitter cup. The flavor is mild and balanced, a typical earl grey flavor profile, with herbal, earthy notes of angelica.
I added milk to mine, but lemon would be a nice addition as well. The tea doesn’t need sweetener. I took this tea with me on vacation, and friends would pass around the box every morning, excited to drink what they were calling “moss tea”.
