This week, my Health points were hit with a triple whammy: day-after sore muscles from kickboxing, monthlies, and I caught the cold going around, waaaaaaaaaah. Needless to say I busted out my favorite treatments – acetaminophen, zinc and herbal tea lol.
Ordinarily I prefer loose leaf teas, but I do like that this is Bigelow Benefits – lemon echinacea is bagged for convenience on the go. Also, if the herbs are broken up, they’ll release their goodness (or placebo effect) to me faster… right?!?! The brew tasted like a Chord of flavor, Lemongrass provides the main note, then sweet mallow and finally a hint of herbaceousness from the echinacea (which lessens the severity/duration of colds).
Also included: a bit of fennel for tummy relief, Sage as a decongestant, Elderflower for crunchy mom powers, and lemon balm for mental ease. This is still drinkable medicine when brewed with my other go-to tea bag for colds, traditional medicinals “throat coat”.
I’d recommend for cold season and in travel bags, Bring on the wellness!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Bigelow Teas
Looking to Stay Well every day! Authentic Echinacea and crisp lemon with a smooth relaxing herbal end note. All of us know how important it is to put good things in our bodies to help us stay strong. That desire was the inspiration for the Bigelow Benefits line, everyday teas that fuel your body with good for you ingredients. But of course, flavor is everything to the Bigelow family, so we designed this line to taste fabulous and help support your well-being. We believe our Benefits teas, as part of your everyday routine, can help you define the life you want to live! Caffeine free.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Spice Autumn Spiced Tea from Bigelow
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bigelow
Also available at Goodies Company
Tea Description:
Fall in love with Bigelow® Pumpkin Spice Tea. The harvest moon brings bountiful blessings for us to enjoy, not the least of which is Bigelow Pumpkin Spice Tea. Smooth and satisfying, its rich, round flavor is a masterful blend of the finest, mountain-grown teas. Pumpkin Spice Tea has no calories – just sweeten to taste for an Autumn treat that is sure to warm the hearts of family, friends and all who gather ’round.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received this individually wrapped bagged tea in my November Goodies Box, and while I review most of the items that I receive in my tasting boxes on my foodie blog, since this is tea, I felt that I should review this right here.
While I’m not thrilled about bagged tea in general, I was happy to find tea in my Goodies box. (But hey, Goodies Co., how about some LOOSE LEAF tea?) I mean, whenever these kinds of boxes showcase tea, it feels like a win for tea lovers. Even if it is a bagged tea.
And for a bagged tea, this isn’t all that bad. The black tea base tastes strong and pleasant, with a slight astringency but no bitterness. It is smooth and has a nice earthy quality to it that offers a good background for the warm spices in this blend.
I can taste the pumpkin, which is always a plus when it comes to pumpkin flavored teas as I’ve come across a few where the pumpkin flavor was lacking. That is not the case here, it has a sweet, pumpkin-y flavor that is complemented very nicely with the cinnamon, clove and ginger. I also taste a hint of licorice in this, and at first I thought maybe my taste buds were playing tricks on me, but I checked the list of ingredients, and sure enough – there’s licorice in this! Nice!
Overall, this is a satisfying tea. I do wish it wasn’t bagged because perhaps I’m becoming even more snobbish these days, but I have gotten to the point where the taste of paper often accompanies these bagged teas, and I don’t like to drink paper flavored teas. Call me crazy. Fortunately, the intended flavors of spice, pumpkin and tea are strong enough here that the paper is not a dominating component in this cup, but I do taste faint paper-y notes and I’d really rather they not be there.
So, I’ll summarize by saying as a bagged tea this is alright. If it were a loose leaf tea, I think I would categorize it as better than alright … it would be very good!
Cozy Chamomile from Bigelow
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Bigelow
Product Description:
As soothing as a field of daisies, Cozy Chamomile® Herbal Tea is a wonderful way to unwind and relax any time of day.
Ingredients: chamomile flowers
Taster’s Review:
I’ve never made any secret of my apprehension when it comes to chamomile. This hesitancy stems from the fact that I’ve encountered several chamomile teas that were nothing but pollen-like dust and, when brewed, the flavor is quite … gross.
Since those horrible encounters with chamomile, I have come to realize that not ALL chamomile tea tastes like that. There are many chamomile teas are quite tasty, in fact, although I will admit that my preference for chamomile is still when it is blended with other ingredients and I am still rather hesitant when it comes to chamomile-only tisanes. So, it should come as no surprise that it took months for me to finally muster up the courage to try this Cozy Chamomile from Bigelow. I was certain… just CERTAIN that what I would be tasting would be a dusty, pollen-esque cup of chamomile. Boy, was I wrong!
This is really quite delicious. The chamomile in the tea bag is finely chopped (not whole flowers), BUT the tisane does not brew up to a murky consistency (indicative of the dusty chamomile I mentioned earlier), and, even more importantly, it doesn’t taste like the dusty chamomile that horrified me some years ago.
The flavor is light and apple-sweet. It has such a tranquil taste to it – gentle and soothing. It’s kind of like a lullaby! I find I prefer the tisane with a little drizzle of honey or agave nectar to bring out the apple tones to the chamomile.
I have often spoken out against tea bags, but, Bigelow is a company that never ceases to impress me! Yes, IMPRESS me! I find myself expecting very little from them because it is a bagged tea, but, every time I’ve tasted one of their teas, I’ve not only had my expectations surpassed, but I end up becoming quite fond of the tea that I’ve tasted from them. This tisane is no exception to that.
This is really good.
Earl Grey from Bigelow Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bigelow Tea
Company Description:
A really fine cup of tea is one of life’s true pleasures. We heartily recommend Earl Grey for the enjoyment it will bring to your tea drinking. This delicately scented, aristocratic blend is an international favorite.
Taster’s Review:
To be honest, I wasn’t really excited to try this Earl Grey. This is weird, because I love most Earl Grey teas that I’ve tasted with a few exceptions. What I guess scared me a little was that this might be one of those exceptions.
You see, as fond as I am of Earl Grey tea, every once in a while I encounter one that just isn’t good. We’re talking … bad … like nasty bad. Soapy, perfume-y tasting tea that has no business calling itself tea, much less does it deserve the honor of being called an Earl Grey tea.
Fortunately, this tea is not one of those exceptions – this is REALLY good! Surprisingly good, even. It has a strong bergamot scent upon opening the pouch, but this aroma softens significantly when it is brewed, although I can still smell that delightful bergamot fragrance when I lift the cup to take a sip. That moment of experiencing the aroma of the brewed Earl Grey is a euphoric one, and one I don’t want to miss so I’m grateful it was there.
The flavor is very smooth… quite a bit smoother than some Earl Grey teas that I’ve tasted. It doesn’t possess that usual sharp, floral edge to it – this is neither good nor bad, it is just … different and makes for a smoother cup of Earl Grey. The black tea is also smooth and very even tasting – a very pleasant cuppa.
The bergamot here is fruitier than it is floral, and I can taste a pleasant citrus sweetness. There are hints of flower in the cup as well; they just aren’t as strong as the notes of fruit.
I have really enjoyed my cup of Earl Grey from Bigelow, and I found that this is really delightful as an iced tea – adding just a pinch of sugar to make those flavors pop with the cold tea. This is one that would also one (as a hot tea) that would take milk well too.
A delicious tea – even though it’s bagged! One that I can see myself buying again, it’s nice to have a bagged black tea for those mornings that I need tea but I don’t have time for loose leaf! Nice!