I love to reach for a straight chamomile tisane or chamomile blend when I need to relax, so I was happy to try out this sample. The dry leaf smells like floral chamomile and mint.
The brewed tea smells of apple-like chamomile (losing some of that floral quality but gaining sweetness) and a touch of mint. The flavor itself is a solid chamomile tea that’s on the naturally sweeter side, though I’m not getting much of the “blend” part of it except for some gentle mint in the aftertaste.
Looking at the ingredients, there’s also lemon myrtle, lemongrass, and lavender in here, but I’d be lying if I said that I tasted any of that. I’m not missing it either, though. This hits the spot as a relaxing chamomile-forward tisane, which is exactly what I wanted it to be.
Score!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Storehouse Tea
Description
Organic Chamomile with lemon myrtle, spearmint and lavender is a sweet, tranquil, 100% Organic, caffeine-free tea. Perfect for countering PMS, easing stress, relieving headaches or enhancing a peaceful night’s sleep.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Canadian Berries from Siplicious. . . .
Hello precious teacups! Are you cold? I’m cold. I’m always cold, but I’m really cold now because it is winter where I am and so brutal outside that I half expect to see an AT-AT Walker wander past my window. Inside, though, inside is where the tea is and that will warm you up with much less work than a less-than-lively tauntaun.
The saving grace of weather like this is that it’s the perfect time to enjoy a good cuppa. I brewed this particular blend for 5 minutes using boiling water. It brews up the vibrant red you would expect from something containing hibiscus. The flavor is tart and juicy and overwhelmingly hibiscus and cranberry. I like this but I’m not picking up on any of the other ingredients.
I did get three solid steeps out of this tea. I abandoned the third cup and it was cold by the time I got back to it. Turns out this blend isn’t bad hot but it is miles better as an iced tea! It is a fantastic berry explosion in my mouth, much more nuanced than the hot brew. I might have known this if I had paid attention to the website categorizing this as a summer tea!
This blend makes an excellent base for a modified version of Lu Ann’s tea-infused hot chocolate recipe . I brewed the tea like normal, stirred in three heaping teaspoons of Cadbury Drinking Chocolate, added almond milk (maybe a shotglass’s worth, I was eyeballing it), and topped it off with vegan marshmallows. So good! The chocolate and sweetness tone down the hibiscus, allowing the cranberry, raspberry, peach, and strawberry notes to come out by turns.
So the lesson here is a) read instructions and b) don’t be afraid to experiment! This is a delicious herbal berry blend but I would have written it off as a hibiscus-heavy cup of boring if I had only had it as a plain cup of hot brew. Stay warm out there!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Siplicious
Description
This award winning “All-Canadian”, berry-delicious infusion is packed full of native berries bursting with the flavors of our True North Strong and Free.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmine Rose/Calabash Tea & Tonic. . . .
We’re in that seasonal stage now where it’s technically spring and everyone wants to act like it’s already warm outside, but it just isn’t yet. I am not immune from that urge. The long slog of winter has made me dream of sunshine and singing birds. I’m still waiting for springtime to hit the air, but in the meantime I can brew it up in my mug.
This blend is perfectly spring in a cup. Calabash lists the ingredients as jasmine flowers, Turkish roses, and first-pluck sencha green tea. First-pluck sencha usually comes out in April or May, so this is literally a spring tea. Plus I always think of flowers as a sign of spring (although I looked it up and it seems jasmine primarily blooms in summer and most but not all types of roses bloom in spring).
I like the choice of sencha as a base tea here. Its lightness allows the florals to shine. Rose is definitely the prominent flavor here, with jasmine playing a supporting role. It doesn’t have that chemically, artificial taste that some floral teas do and it’s not over-the-top. I also like that it’s only two flowers, so it’s not too busy. I get two solid steeps out of the leaf before it loses flavor.
This tea is the perfect way to tide me over until springtime arrives for real.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Calabash Tea & Tonic
Description
Hand-plucked jasmine flowers and Turkish roses compliment our exclusive first pluck sencha green tea & Love
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Chai Houjicha from 52Teas. . . .
I like me a mellow chai. I like roasted green teas. And I often enjoy 52teas’ blends. So I was very pleased to receive a generous taster pouch sample of this blend. It has not disappointed!
The dry leaf smells of clove, cinnamon, and a hint of pepper. Brewed up, it smells of clove and cinnamon. The dominant flavor is the roastiness of the hojicha, with a hint of cinnamon and the lingering bite of clove. Adding rice milk really makes this dreamy. It adds a sweetness and touch of creaminess that just perfectly complements the mellow spices, highlights the roasted note, and smooths out the clove. I tried adding honey for the sake of being comprehensive, but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. This blend consistently delivers a solid second steep. I have also found that the caffeine kick here seems to be pretty mild, so I can have it later in the day than most other caffeinated teas. Overall, this is a mild but flavorful chai that is perfect for a chilly afternoon.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Lemonade from Love Tea Co. . . .
I pulled out this sample in optimistic anticipation of warmer weather.
Steeped up hot, it tastes like green tea with lemon, but not lemonade. It’s lacking the sweetness of lemonade; the mild smokiness of the gunpowder green further undermines the promise of the name. But it is delicious! This blend is equal parts juicy lemon and gently smoky green tea. As it cools, the lemon flavor becomes more dominant and some sweetness does come out, which made me want to try a cold brew.
On the second steep, the lemon flavor takes on more of a candy note. That doesn’t necessarily sound like it would work but it does.
I also tried this as a cold brew. My first impression is that this turned out tart! Lemon juice tart! I can’t make out much sweetness except for a smidgen that lingers on the tongue. The lemon flavor overwhelms the tea but that’s ok. This tastes like lemon water. I’m actually fine with that. There is a place in my tea heart for refreshing caffeinated lemon water. I can see this being a great cold steep for summer. If I had more, I would experiment with doing a half-and-half cold steep of these leaves with some moderately roasted oolong. Basically a loose-leaf cold-steeped unsweetened Arnold Palmer.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Love Tea Co.
Description
This Brilliant Blend is a fan favorite. It combines the best of green tea with the best of a lemon, with lemon bits and wedges you’ll get the full “lemon-y” affect. Low in caffeine and easy on the pallet, it goes down like a smooth summer day (without the humidity). Brew a pot of this fine blend and serve hot or cold year ’round. It never hurts to add a fresh lemon slice to anything! Be sure to #sharethelove on this one.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!