Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
Feverfew chamomile is a small and simple plant without chi chis. With its flower fragrance, it offers a fresh and comforting tea, breathing the fresh air. A very light yellow color, almost transparent and a light, honeyed flavor: chamomile, it is nature in all simplicity, that where lies happiness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was a little apprehensive about this chamomile because when I opened the packet, I could see that the blossoms have been crushed and it looked a little more like chamomile dust rather than chamomile flowers. It looked a lot like what you’d find if you opened a grocery store offering of bagged chamomile tisane.
And that’s the stuff I’m not crazy about. I’ve come to a point where I enjoy whole blossom chamomile, but the dust in most tea bags that you can buy in the grocery store? No thank you.
But I decided to go into this experience with an open mind. I mean, who knows? Maybe I’ll like it. I won’t know though, until I try it. (That’s what I keep telling my daughter when it comes to trying new foods, anyway.)
I steeped the tea bag in 6 ounces of water that had been heated to 195°F for eight minutes. Normally, I’d go ahead and steep it for 10 minutes, but because this had been crushed to a powder, I decided to go with just 8 minutes.
I’m glad I did. The flavor is strong and I don’t know that I’d like it much if the flavor were any stronger. As it is, this is alright. It has a light, apple-y flavor and sweet nectar-y, honey-like flavor. It’s soothing. It’s pleasant.
Let’s face it, chamomile will never be my favorite. It just won’t. But I like it better than I used to. This at least tastes fresher than what I’d get from the supermarket. (Who knows how long that stuff has been sitting on the shelves!) And as far as chamomile goes, this isn’t too bad. It’s relaxing me and that’s what I needed it to do because I have to get up early in the morning and as it is, it’s pretty late. I needed something that was going to help me unwind and catch those zzz’s so that I can be bright-eyed tomorrow.
Not a bad cup and effective at relaxation.
Fenouil Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
Fennel, magical blend of flavors! Who can resist its sweet anise, its sweet and sugary notes? It is a symphony of flavors of the South, who said at first sip and do not easily forget. This is indeed the mark of a great deceiver.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I absolutely LOVE the aroma of this tea. Licorice! Love! The dry leaf has a stronger fragrance than the brewed liquid (not surprising) but they both smell absolutely amazing.
I steeped the bag at 195°F for 8 minutes and while it was steeping, I enjoyed the delightful licorice aroma that filled the kitchen. Fennel is not an herb that I usually keep in the kitchen, mostly because I’m the only person in this household that enjoys its sweet, licorice-y taste. I used to keep it on hand back when I was blending my own tea blends (it was one of the ingredients of my Masterpiece Chai blends), but since I closed my business, I haven’t had much need to keep it around anymore since, as I said, I’m the only one who really likes it here, and when I’m cooking, I’m cooking for more than just me.
So, it was a real treat to have this tea and enjoy the smell of fennel in the house again! Although, I have to admit that I have never actually had a cup of infused, 100% fennel before. I’ve had it in teas and tisanes as part of a blend before, but never have I consumed a 100% fennel infusion before.
But it’s really tasty! It tastes like black licorice, and since I’m a huge fan of black licorice, I’m loving every sip of this Fenouil Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes. It’s sweet – almost sugary sweet – and it doesn’t have quite as much sharpness or snap as the black licorice that I’m fond of generally has. This is a “softer” version of black licorice … black licorice’s sweeter younger sibling.
But it is very enjoyable. I found it to be very soothing – this would make a great tisane to reach for if you’ve an upset stomach. If you’re not particularly fond of the taste of black licorice, you probably won’t enjoy this either. But if you like black licorice, you’d really enjoy this tisane.
Verveine Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
When stress plays tricks on you, verbena takes you by the hand. Let us guide you, it will take you to a quiet and peaceful place. At the end of a meal, ask him his note. She will present weightless and far from salt.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love the smell of verbena. That light, bright, lemon-y aroma that smells so fresh and lively. And that’s the fragrance that greeted me when I tore into the packet of this Verveine Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes.
It’s a scent that reminds me of summer. My grandmother had a very prolific lemon tree in her backyard, which meant a summertime full of freshly squeezed lemonade, lemon meringue pies and other yummy lemon-y treats.
As much as I love an ice-cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade, I think I prefer the taste of a cup of brewed verbena over lemonade. I can get a smooth, sweet lemon-curd like taste from a cup of verbena without the tartness and without all that sugar that I’d get from a glass of lemonade.
And this Verveine from Les 2 Marmottes is very refreshing and relaxing to drink! It would taste great iced (and I like to add some verbena to my pure Ceylon tea when I brew it for iced tea for a nice little touch of citrus), but tonight, I’m enjoying a cup of hot Verveine and it’s quite soothing. I feel it calming me with each sip I take.
The flavor is delicately sweet and bright with lemon-y notes. It doesn’t have that tart pucker that I’d get from lemon, though, this is a smooth, gentle lemon note with a touch of butter, similar to what I might taste if I were to eat the sweet, creamy filling of a lemon meringue pie. There are some subtle herbaceous tones to this as well, but I like that they don’t disrupt the lovely lemon notes.
A really nice cup of pure verbena!
Retour a La Ligne Green Tea Blend from Les 2 Marmottes
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tea Description:
This Tea will be your partner throughout the day as part of your weight loss mission. Flexible, it adapts to any situation. It is hot, warm or even cold, it is always delicious. Temptations no longer have control. You’re all set!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It was exciting to receive this box of samples – all the way from France! This Retour a La Ligne Green Tea Blend is the first that I’m trying from this new-to-me company, Les 2 Marmottes.
When you visit the Les 2 Marmottes website, you’ll find that you need to translate the website … unless you are able to read French. Alas … I am not, thankfully Google Chrome will translate it for me.
The dry leaf smells strongly of mint. Of course, this could be not only because of the spearmint but because of the meadowsweet. It’s a very fresh and uplifting fragrance. The brewed tea has a slightly softer mint aroma and I can detect the notes of the green tea and verbena now.
The flavor is much more subdued than I expected it to be, given the strong minty fragrance. The mint notes here are subtle but refreshing. The green tea has a sweet, buttery taste. There is a herbaceous overtone to this, tasting a bit more like an herbal tisane made of green herbals rather than a green tea.
I taste distant notes of fruit too, but they are a little difficult to discern because they’re off in the distance somewhere behind the stronger herbal notes. It’s a calming drink to sip, I find myself relaxing more with each sip I take.
Overall, this is a pleasant, mild tasting beverage. I don’t know if I taste anything from the tail cherries (or cherry stems), then again, I can’t recall ever having a tea with tail cherries in the list of ingredients so I don’t know what kind of contribution this ingredient makes to the overall flavor of the tea. I do taste spearmint and I do taste green tea. I taste notes of verbena and a slight sharp note from the meadowsweet.
It’s an interesting cuppa! With my first few sips, I was a little unsure if I was liking it, but now that I’ve nearly finished the cup, I find myself wanting a little more, so that’s gotta tell you something, right?
Earl Grey Heaven Black Tea from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where To Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
A delicious fusion of organic black loose-leaf tea leaves, fragrant oil of bergamot and a touch of French vanilla, this divine black tea will fill your room with an aroma most heavenly! This creamy Earl Grey tea is rich and robust with refreshing citrus notes that will awaken your senses and put a spring in your step.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I brewed this tea before reading the above description, and as I was brewing it, I could tell it was an Earl Grey creme type tea. I could smell the vanilla with the bergamot as it was brewing – and it smelled so good!
And while it’s true that I do prefer a well-crafted Earl Grey over the creamy varieties of the bergamot infused tea, I do appreciate a really good Earl Grey creme now and then too. And this Earl Grey Heaven from The Persimmon Tree is a really good Earl Grey creme!
The strong bergamot notes are softened by sweet, creamy vanilla notes. The combination of the Italian orange and the French vanilla together create an almost “caramel-y” taste that is quite delectable.
The black tea base is a little on the mellow side, but, that’s alright. It provides a smooth, flavorful backdrop for the flavors of bergamot and vanilla but it’s not so mild that it becomes lost. It holds its own, but without being overly aggressive. It’s not bitter nor is it overly astringent, there’s nothing there that really detracts from the softly tangy-sweet combination of bergamot and vanilla cream.
A really nice Earl Grey creme – this Earl Grey Heaven from The Persimmon Tree. It makes a nice afternoon tea, or perhaps an indulgent morning cuppa!