Product Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Marley Beverages
About Marley’s Mellow Mood:
Marley’s Mellow Mood is a new line of 100% natural relaxation beverages created in partnership with the family of legendary musical prophet, Bob Marley.
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
I was a little hesitant to try this one, mostly because when I see the word “lite” on a beverage, I worry that it contains aspartame to which I’m allergic. Having suffered one too many reactions because of this artificial sweetener, I tend to avoid “lite” products all together.
So, I read the ingredients:
water, sugar, erythritol, pear juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, black tea, sodium citrate, reb A (stevia leaf extract), natural flavor.
No aspartame. But what was this erythritol? It is a sugar alcohol which is safe … at least, safer for me to consume than aspartame. So, I waited until late evening (as it does say it can make you drowsy), and opened the bottle and started sipping.
The pros: This is pretty tasty. The first few sips had a sort of artificial sweetener sweetness to it, and I suspect that this is the stevia. However, once the other flavors started to emerge, I didn’t taste that funky sweetness anymore, and just enjoyed a very pleasant combination of sweet-tart lemonade and black tea.
The Cons: Because the black tea is sharing center-stage with the lemonade, it is a less distinct (although still quite distinguishable) flavor. And it is sweet. A bit sweeter than I usually would want my iced tea to be.
Overall: I am enjoying it, even though it’s a bit on the sweet side and even though the tea is not as prominent as I’d like it to be. And… the mellow part works. I’m already starting to feel drowsy, and before opening the bottle I probably would have been awake for at least a couple more hours.
So, even with the drawbacks of this beverage, I’d still give it two thumbs up because it does deliver what it promises, which is a mellow mood!
I tried this recently too! I liked it and I need to convince my mom to get the family a case of it.
The taste of the tea is good but you didn’t mention the important ingredient Valerian root. It is used not only for anxiety but more for sleeping difficulties. I am a nurse and I know that despite I love natural products this can be very dangerous. My first experience with the tea as I did not read the label…innocent tea right? I staggered out of my daughters car to my door laid down on the couch late afternoon and slept for 8 hours. Woke up groggy and slept for 3 more. This product is dangerous for diabetics (because of the erithritol), dangerous for those with liver disease, pregnant women, nursing women, you shouldn’t drive or operate heavy machinery while taking this Valerian root. It can adversely react with any statin drug for cholesterol, and even adversely react with something as simple as cough syrup. Anyone on anxiety medication could become so groggy to fall asleep perhaps at the wheel? Or lose the quick reaction reflexes to that “feeling of being relaxed’? This product is in my professional opinion and from my own experience is very dangerous and should be taken with extreme precaution. You should be sure to protect people reading your review by telling them it has Valerian root in it and it is listed on the bottle as an ingredient. Who knows someone could be reading your review, trusting you and the ingredients you printed, drink it and be severely allergic to Valerian root and lose their life. Very important to list it.
First of all, thank you for your very well thought out comment, and I want you to know that I do understand and appreciate where you are coming from. However, I am only a reviewer of teas. I am not a doctor, I am not a nurse, nor am I a natural foods expert. I am not knowledgeable of the effects of every ingredient of every tea that I drink.
That being said, I do happen to know my own body and what ingredients I can and cannot ingest. For example, I mentioned aspartame in this particular review because that is something I cannot ingest. It makes me very sick. It was important for me not to consume aspartame, so I checked the ingredients to make sure that it wasn’t listed. Seeing that it wasn’t, and that there were not other ingredients on there that I know to be problematic for me, I consumed it. I did the research first, and that is what others need to do too.
Aspartame does not affect everyone the same way it affects me. I do not know all of my readers’ allergies and/or health needs, concerns and requirements, nor am I responsible for those needs/concerns/requirements. I can only be responsible for my own. It is the reader’s responsibility to know whether they can or cannot ingest certain ingredients in a product, and if they do have special health concerns such as these it is their responsibility to do the research to make sure a product is safe for their consumption.
Valerian Root does not have adverse effects on me. It relaxes me, induces a great feeling of calm … and when I am in that state, I know better than to attempt to operate heavy machinery or attempt to drive a car. It is my own responsibility to know what I should or should not do when I’m in such a state, just as it is the responsibility of those that read my reviews and make purchases as a result of them to know what they can or cannot handle if they are in a state of great relaxation.
Not everyone has special health concerns. I cannot possibly know what every reader can and cannot ingest, nor should I be held responsible for their ingesting a product that they might ingest as a result of reading my review. I do not usually include a listing of ingredients in my reviews unless it’s part of the description of the tea and if a person has certain needs or are on special medications, they should know what they can and cannot ingest.
For example, if they are allergic to Valerian Root and they know it, they should take the time to research a tea that is designed to promote a sense of relaxation to make sure that there is no Valerian Root… it isn’t my job to list all allergy alerts. I just drink the tea and tell others what I think, how the tea affected me, and whether or not I think that other tea drinkers will enjoy it. I am not a health care professional, I’m a tea reviewer. If a tea drinker is one who has certain health concerns, they need to do the checking to make sure that they do not consume something potentially harmful to them.
There are many people with nut allergies, and some of the teas that I’ve consumed contain nuts. I do not contact each and every tea company I drink tea from to make sure that their teas are not processed in a facility that processes nuts, because I am fortunate that this is not a health concern of mine. If it were a health concern of mine, however, I would take that time to contact the tea companies and make sure that the tea I was consuming was safe for me. That is my job as a consumer to make sure that something is safe for me. It is not my job as a reviewer to make mention of every potential hazard of every ingredient that may or may not affect those that consume it.
As consumers, we need to take responsibility for our own health and well-being.