Sometimes you need a clean and fresh cup of tea to help you relax or clear your mind. When I needed something like that, I reached for Peppermint Roobios from Rishi Tea. This was a new tea for me, though it didn’t feel out of my comfort zone. Peppermint and roobios: I know both of these ingredients and I know they make a fine combination.
When I brewed this tea, I read the packaging and noticed that there was another flavor in the blend as well: bergamot oil. Bergamot is what provides the citrus flavor in earl grey blends. This little citrus pop is what makes this blend appealing for me. It adds a brightness to the earthy red rooibos and a nice counterpoint to the cool peppermint.
This is a great naturally caffeine-free flavor for a day when you need something soothing. The citrus-mint combination makes this much more complex and enjoyable, with lots mouthfeel sensations from the sharp citrus, cool mint, and sour rooibos. This is a great all-purpose blend to brighten a grey day or help bring some cooling inspiration to a busy day.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Description:
Peppermint Rooibos makes a deep red infusion with a smooth, rich mouthfeel and fresh minty sweetness that underlines the finer points of peppermint. The slightest touch of bergamot harmonizes these herbs, highlighting the soothing aroma of peppermint with the sweet and silky character of rooibos.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
You Glow Bro or You Glow Girl from BlendBee. . . .
BlendBee is a tea shop that gives you the tools and tea staff to help blend a perfect custom brew. But beyond their customer tea blending services, they have plenty of standard blends ready to go in their shop. You Glow Bro (or You Glow Girl) is one such blend.
This rooibos blend boasts lots of complexion-aiding herbs and berries, meant to be consumed before bed and help you wake up glowing. I ordered this blend with fresh new year’s resolutions in mind, looking for a more glowing tea and skin experience. I can’t say that I noticed a different in my skin, but drinking more herbal tea is always good for the hydration and relaxation that come along with it.
This blend is driven by the bold red rooibos and sweet honey extracts. There was a bit too much honey for my tastes, but the rooibos might be too sour without it. I think I would have rather added my own honey next time, rather than have it pre-flavored. There are hints of other spices in the blend like cinnamon or licorice root, but they are hidden beneath the rooibos.
This is a great blend for when you’re on a cleanse and want to feel clearer in skin, body, and mind. The bold rooibos will be the perfect taste to help you feel the herbs working their magic and helping you glow!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: BlendBee
Description:
This earthy blend was expertly crafted to give you that youthful glow. Best to drink before bed. Wind down & let it work it’s magic.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sweet Peppermint in the Shape of a Heart from Tea Drops. . .
I got a sample of Sweet Peppermint from Tea Drops in some teamail from a friend. Most of the tea I drink for fun or for reviews are loose leaf teas, with the occasional bagged tea as well. I personally haven’t tried many instant teas, so at first I was a bit baffled with the right way to brew this sample from Tea Drops. Simply put the tea-cake into hot water and stir. How easy is that?
Let me draw attention to the adorable fact that this Sweet Peppermint sample came pressed into the shape of a heart. The cuteness of this tea-cake is the essential detail here, and is what makes these Tea Drops teas such cute gift ideas. They have other shapes like stars and flowers as well as the heart shape I tried.
Brewed this tea is mildly minty, very sugar and sweet, with some creamy vanilla tones. The little compressed tea-cakes might be an easy solution to brewing tea on the go. Consider stashing a few of these in your desk at work for when the going gets tough and you only have a mug around for tea-brewing.
As a tea, this blend is okay. The cuteness of the presentation is its true benefit and enjoyment. Definitely worth a try for the novelty of their super-cute tea-cakes.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Tea Drops
Description:
A fuller bodied Peppermint tea experience that’s refreshing to the senses with a kick of genuine spearmint. Naturally caffeine-free, this is the perfect anytime tea – morning, day, or night.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic “Latvian Sun” Sampler from Lauku Teas
I recently tried the organic “Latvian Sun” sampler from the Lauku Tea company. The set came with a honey rooster on a stick, carved apple wood spoon, cute postcards and more. The three teas included are Anna’s Brigita’s Daylight blend, Anna’s Afternoon blend, and Evita’s Evening blend, all are herbal and naturally caffeine free.
The blends are truly handmade, with the leaves, berries, and roots very chunky and visible in the brew. I appreciated their beautiful online guide to the ingredients used in their tea. For the best flavor profile and a consistent brew, be sure to try and mix up the bag and put a balanced scoop of leaves and berries into your cup. Too much of one or the other ingredient doesn’t show off the true blended flavor of the teas.
Brigita’s Daylight blend was the original blend that inspired the company. It was a unique herbal with fermented apples leaves. This was a great departure from the sweet apple-pie-with-cinnamon teas I’ve tried over the years. Brigita’s Daylight blend was still sweet with apple flavors, but had a more subtle, natural taste, coupled with the gently fruity and floral notes of accompanying black currant leaves, lemon balm, and clover flowers.
Anna’s Afternoon blend might be my favorite of the bunch. This tea was driven by smooth berries, earthy herbs like oregano, and topped off with fresh and lemony chamomile. There was also a nice taste of mint in the blend, not as cold or sharp as peppermint, but sweeter almost like the wintergreen taste from a birch tree cutting.
Last is Evita’s Twilight, which is definitely meant as a bedtime tea with relaxing valerian root in the blend. This tea was a little less focused on the sweet green notes of berries and leaves, and featured more herbs like thyme and heather. The valerian root brought a different kind of sweetness, not quite like licorice, a bit brighter almost like non-spicy ginger or crushed pine needles. The grounded flavors suited the low-key bedtime brew.
All of these teas went incredibly well with a splash of honey, which helped the flavors pop and made the teas all the more comforting and soothing. Maybe that’s why the sampler set comes with a honey rooster, though that guy is almost too cute to brew. I’ll have to save him for my next cup.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Lauku Tea
Description: Brigita’s Organic Daylight Blend is sunny and stimulating, when you need a clear head and good spirits.
Anna’s Organic Afternoon Blend is uplifting and indulgent, for when you need a reminder that all is good.
Evita’s Organic Twilight Blend is elegant and calming, when it’s time for rest and reflection.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Woodland Trek by Beach House Tea Company. . . . .
I steeped this tea for 8 minutes at 212 degrees with 1.5 teaspoons of leaf in about 6-8 ounces of water.
After steeping, the tea is an interesting peachy color-pinkish-orangeish-amber. It smells mostly of honeybush and a little of hops. The flavor combinations available here are quite intriguing!
First sip: SUPER sweet. It has a light, airy quality to the flavor. It’s not as “earthy” as I’d expect with so much honeybush in it (honeybush and rooibos usually ground a flavor pretty well in my estimation).
The flavor is also much more complex than the fragrance, rather than being dominated by the honeybush and hops flavors. It has the sweetness and woodiness of honeybush, but also a touch of lemony/citrus flavor (which brightens it considerably), just a hint of minty or piney freshness maybe, and some other difficult-to-describe notes.
After consulting the list of ingredients (it’s a relatively long one for a tea blend, although not super-long like a processed food or something) I’ve worked out that the sweetness is probably boosted by the marshmallow leaf (although honeybush is sweet on its own too) and the licorice; the bee pollen is probably what I see dancing in the tea liquid, giving it this peachy color; and the cedar is probably what I was mistaking for minty/piney freshness. All taken together, these notes make a fascinating flavor that’s worth exploring!
I’m really glad I got to try this tea–the dried leaf didn’t smell nearly as appetizing as the tea liquid turned out to be, and I’m glad I gave it the chance to bloom (figuratively speaking, that is–this wasn’t what they call a “blooming tea”).
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honeybush/Rooibos
Where to Buy: Beach House Tea Company
Description
Woodland Trek 100% organic loose leaf tea is crafted with honeybush tea with a rich undertone of licorice and sage and snap of organic Oregon hops and a hint of sweetness from bee pollen. This outdoor-rich blend with organic cedar tips invites you to reminisce memories of evenings spent camping or hiking the cascades.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
