Country Chai Spice from The Cozy Leaf already made me feel warm and relaxed just from the name. Makes me think of being under a quilt out at a cabin, maybe beside a warm fire. Beyond the name, this tea had a surprisingly pleasant long list of spices in its ingredients list. Cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, I expect, but not all chai teas comes with cloves and anise, and the never seem to come with fennel. What a lovely change of pace.
Brewed, this is a sweeter chai, thanks to a hearty serving of anise and cinnamon. The anise isn’t strong enough to make this a black jelly bean chai, but it does add its token throat-soothing, candy-like properties.
Much to my surprise, the ginger and clove take a back seat in this tea, subtle enough that you might miss them if you’re not paying attention. The fennel and cardamom are gentle and earthy, and add a much needed almost-savory pairing to the anise and cinnamon.
Just when I’ve thought that I’ve tried every chai tea I can think of, I find something new. I look forward to getting cozy with another cup of Country Chai Spice from the Cozy Leaf sometime soon.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Cozy Leaf
Description:
Full-bodied black tea chai made with real chai spices of rich cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, and sweet anise and clove for a healthy and delicious treat.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Happy Tummy from Allegro Tea
After a big dinner or a stressful day, I tend to reach for an herbal tea to help me and my stomach relax. Recently, I tried Happy Tummy from AllegroTea.
From the scent of the dry leaf, I would have guessed that this was a pure-mint blend. The leaves were fragrant with icy cold peppermint, strongly reminding me of the mint flavor in classic candy canes.
I brewed this tea hot, which allowed the cinnamon and ginger to warm up the mint. With powerhouse ingredients like ginger and mint, this blend could have easily become overpowering. Instead, the spices and herbs occupy a delicate balance: not too spicy, and not too menthol-like.
Having this balance of herbal sweetness, warm spiciness, and cool mint makes drinking this tea a very pleasant sensation. I know its ingredients are designed to help calm a stomach ache, but they feel both soothing and invigorating in my throat and chest as well. I’ll have to stockpile some of this blend for the inevitable sick day to help me feel better.
A clean and simple herbal blend, that can help turn around just about any ailment. Warm you up, cool you down, settle your stomach, and make you smile.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Allegro Coffee and Tea
Description:
Organic peppermint, ginger, cinnamon, restorative dandelion root and spearmint have been calming tummies for centuries. We’ve blended them in just the right harmonious proportions in our Happy Tummy to gently soothe and balance your digestive system and calm your state of being.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Cold and Flu Relief from Virginia Tea Company
Sometimes you need an herbal tea with lots of roots and leaves and ingredients to make you feel like you’re brewing up a cup of healthiness. With peppermint, yarrow flower, ginger, echinacea, and elderberry this Cold & Flu Relief blend from Virginia Tea Company really fits the bill. I’m not a doctor, but if you buy into this kind of thing, these herbal ingredients promote all kinds of benefits like aiding in digestion (mint), settling a nauseous stomach (ginger), and boosting your immune system (echinacea). There’s also a little pop of vitamin c from the tart elderberries.
This naturally decaf blend is good to drink any time of day, especially if you’re feeling under-the-weather and are getting ready for a midday nap. The overall flavor is smooth and minty, cooling on an itchy throat, with a slight sweet, licorice root undertone from the yarrow flower. Though there is ginger in this blend, the spice is very mild. You’re not drinking this tea for a kicked-up spicy chai. This is the perfect cup to drink when you need something soothing and gentle, or need a warm beverage to mix with honey to soothe a sore throat.
Whether you aren’t feeling well or are just having a hard day, this blend will help you find some relief and comfort.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Virginia Tea Company
Description: Mother always said the best thing for the flue is to drink something hot! Even better, this hot liquid also includes healing herbs to help your immune system fight your illness.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Spicy Turmeric Tonic from MEM Tea. . . .
A new specialty shop opened up nearby, and when I poked my head inside I discovered they also served coffee and tea. On a blustery, cold day I ordered a cup of Spicy Turmeric Tonic from MEM Tea to warm my body and spirit.
This tea was listed as having flavors of cacao, ginger, and cinnamon, all long-time favorites of mine. Oddly, the turmeric in the name wasn’t listed as a main flavor. I had this blend brewed hot without milk or sweetener.
As a lover of chai teas, this was a delicious new blend filled with familiar spices. The cinnamon and ginger were very forward, warming and gently spicy. The cacao shells gave the blend more body, almost fooling me into thinking it was a black tea instead of an herbal. The cacao brought its usual sweet-and-savory cocoa notes to balance out the sweet-and-hot ginger.
The turmeric was subtle, appearing as just a touch of earthy spice behind the brighter flavors. The turmeric does show up in the color of the brew, with its trademark bright yellow ochre color.
Full disclosure, cacao shells don’t have caffeine, but they are stimulants, so this might not be a true decaf blend. Either way, it was a wonderful new take on an herbal chai and I will definitely plan to brew another a cup of Spicy Turmeric Tonic sometime soon.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: MEM Tea
Description:
This unique and healthful blend of Turmeric, Ginger, Cinnamon and Cacao is rich and smooth, with warm spicy flavors and a zesty finish.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Daily Support from Lipton Teas . . . . .
Lipton, yes that Lipton with the red tagged black tea bags. Lipton has a series of new wellness teas and the SororiTea Sisters are checking them out. This time, I’m tasting Daily Support blend. This blend features turmeric, echinacea, ginger, and green tea.
Turmeric seems to be everywhere when the new year rolls around and people make new resolutions about living healthier and cleaner for the new year. Turmeric comes up as one of those spices with lots of healthy properties like reducing inflammation and boosting antioxidants. I’m not a doctor, but I like trying new tea flavors so I took the plunge and brewed a cup.
Tumeric on its own can be a bit too strong and bitter. It is spicy, but more reminiscent of curry powder than chai spices. I find I like tumeric best when paired with ginger, like it is in this Daily Support blend. Their spiciness compliments each other, bringing out the sweet heat in the ginger and the earthier spice of the turmeric.
I’m a spice-lover when it comes to tea, so I would say that this blend could use more ginger and turmeric to suit my tastes. However, if you’re not into a hot-spiced blend, this might be a nice surprise. The ginger is at its sweetest, with gentle honey and lemon undertones, and just a hint of the more savory turmeric in the aftertaste. The green tea itself gets lost under these two powerhouses, but you don’t miss it.
I’ve had great success with tumeric ginger lattes at my local coffee shop. I’ll have to try this tea with some frothy milk next time for a cozy, creamy cup of spice. No matter how you brew it, this is a perfect warming cup for turning over a new leaf and giving your body and mind some Daily Support.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green tea
Where to Buy: Lipton Teas
Description:
Conquer the day with new Lipton Daily Support Herbal Supplement with Green Tea, which contains Turmeric, Echinacea, and Ginger. As an excellent source of Vitamin C, this herbal infusion helps support your body’s natural defenses*. Carefully selected botanicals are blended with green tea and orange essential oil that make every cup delicious. Enjoy a cup of Lipton Daily Support to supplement your varied, balanced diet.