Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Functional Tisane
Where to Buy: Naked Teas Galore
Tisane Description:
This is crafted ever so carefully to ensure that no one ingredient overpowers another. Wow! What a blend. Balanced spice, herbaceous nettle and a subtle apple-like flavour brought by the chamomile. Soothing mint and sweet liquorice to finish.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
I wasn’t all that excited to try this Detox Tea from Naked Teas Galore. For one thing, it’s an herbal tisane, and for another it’s a functional herbal tisane. Two strikes against it right from the start, and then it’s a chamomile blend too. Yikes!
But I tried to remain positive and give it a try. After all, Amoda Tea has been pretty good at selecting teas and even tisanes that make me happy that I’m a subscriber. I mean, hey, if I wasn’t happy as a subscriber, I would have cancelled the subscription a long time ago. (Speaking of subscribing, I highly recommend signing up for December’s box … it sounds like it’s going to be a winner!)
But, let’s get back to this Detox Tea, shall we?
This is actually a lot tastier than I thought it would be. Normally, when I think “Detox Tea” or even “Functional Tisane,” I think that I’m in for a medicinal, herbaceous tasting drink. Fortunately, this tastes neither medicinal or herbaceous to me. The spices here are in the foreground, tasting more like cinnamon, cardamom, cinnamon and licorice than it does nettle or chamomile.
Oh sure, I can taste notes of the chamomile, and even hints of the herbaceous character of nettle and peppermint and dandelion root. I taste notes of citrus from the lemongrass. And all the flavors meld together in a way that is very tasty and not at all medicinal.
I like that the apple-y notes of the chamomile marry with the citrus tones of the lemongrass and the bright goji berry to create more of a “fruity” quality than distinct individual notes of each of these. The same is true of the spices. It doesn’t taste too much like any one of the spices, instead, I taste a medley of warm, zesty spice.
One of the nicer Detox tisanes that I’ve tasted … this is a detox I can stand behind, because this tastes really nice!
Herbal Immune Booster from Teas & Botanicals
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Functional Tea/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Teas and Botanicals
Tisane Description:
A great herbal tea blend boosting the body’s immune system. Its natural antibiotic and virucidal properties eases symptoms and discomforts associated with colds and mild fever. A good detox for the entire body, a great herbal drink for people with diabetes, ulcers, bronchitis, and various sickness and disease. Rich in vitamin C and has the ability to reduce high blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels.
Learn more about this functional tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
OK, I’m not a huge fan of functional teas … I mean, flavor wise, they leave a little to be desired, you know what I’m saying? But as far as the function they serve, I’m all for turning to herbal remedies in the form of tea if it helps promote health. So it is with this Herbal Immune Booster from Teas & Botanicals – it isn’t the tastiest thing I’ve had recently, but, it isn’t horrible either. And if it boosts the immune system, well, I’m all for that.
The ingredient list is short: just three ingredients:
Ingredients: Pau D’Arco, Astralagus, Hibiscus.
Pau D’Arco is a bark, and it looks like bark. It actually looks a bit like lapacho and so I did a quick check and found out that Pau D’Arco actually IS lapacho. You learn something new everyday. Although I doubt that my intake of lapacho will ever be such that I would ever need to know this again, but, hey … who am I to knock knowledge? Lapacho is supposed to help infections, fever, and stomach issues. Astragalus is supposed to help the immune system, and hibiscus is a diuretic and is rich in vitamin C as well and some minerals.
As far as taste … what I taste primarily is the hibiscus. I’m glad that the hibiscus does not have a syrupy or thick consistency, and it doesn’t taste too tart here. Perhaps the other ingredients thin the hibiscus enough to allow it to just give off an agreeable berry-tarty kind of taste without coming off as TOO hibiscus-y.
This tastes medicinal … as many functional teas do. I’m not about to sit here and try to convince you that this is the best tasting herbal tea I’ve ever tried because it isn’t. However, as far as functional teas that help promote health and boost the immune system … this ain’t bad. I think this does taste better as it cools, so if you’re going to drink it … I’d recommend trying it iced.
Relax from Jennifer’s Tea Garden
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Jennifer’s Tea Garden
Product Description:
Relax the mind, body and soul with this blend of soothing botanicals. Chamomile, St. John’s Wort and Ginko help to relieve the stress and tension of daily life while lifting your spirits. Naturally Caffeine Free.
Ingredients: mistletoe, bean peels, chamomile, organic honeybush, organic lemon myrtle, St. John’s Wort, lemongrass, gingko, anise, nettle, birch leaves, natural flavors, stevia leaf.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This tastes really good!
I really wasn’t expecting it to taste so good. A quick glance at the list of ingredients told me that this would be an herbal blend, and my mind immediately envisioned a medicinal tasting liquid. But, this really doesn’t taste medicinal at all. It doesn’t even taste like a typical herbal blend. It tastes sweet and fruity and could make just as nice a dessert tea as it would a tisane to promote relaxation.
Back in my tea blending days, I created an herbal relaxation blend, and if I am to be honest … even it didn’t taste this good. Sure, I enjoyed the flavor of my own creation, and up until now, it had been the best relaxation blend I had tasted. But this one is even better.
The flavor is sweet, fruit-like (it tastes like apricots to me) and there is almost a creamy vanilla-y taste in the background. I don’t taste a strong presence from the chamomile. The lemongrass and lemon myrtle offer soft citrus tones that compliment the apricot notes that I’m tasting. The anise provides a sweet, licorice-like tone that isn’t sharp like I usually find anise to be. This tastes subtle and sweet. I’m not even getting that disagreeable taste from the stevia!
This is HANDS DOWN the best relaxation tisane I’ve yet to encounter.
Be Well Blend from Tea Chai Té
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Tea Chai Té
Product Description:
Medicinal elixir with rooibos, cardamom, cherry bark, slippery elm, licorice root & clove to relieve sore throats and stuffy sinuses. A terrific evening tea as well. Organic.
Taster’s Review:
As I mentioned in another recent review, I am trying to avoid catching the flu. This is another tea that I’m drinking a lot of lately to help in that quest.
This blend is a little on the medicinal side, but I don’t find it brackish at all. On the contrary, it’s actually rather tasty! The licorice root is sharp and sweet without overwhelming the cup. And, I can barely taste the rooibos – just a slight woodsy tone in the background. In fact, had I not seen the rooibos in the blend (and of course, read the above description), I would not have known that this was a rooibos blend.
The real stars of this cup are the cardamom and clove. I like how they invigorate the flavor of this cup with their warm spicy tone. As a result, this comes across a little like a spice melangé rather than a functional tea. It’s really quite pleasant, with the medicinal taste being more of a background characteristic rather than something that hits you right up front.
This tisane has an agreeable sweetness to it that I choose to augment with a little raw honey. This seems to emphasize the nutty tone to this cup, and makes it even more enjoyable to sip.
Flu Fighter from CaryTown Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: CaryTown Teas
Product Description:
Organic Flu Fighter Blend is a soothing medicinal blend that is designed to help your body fight infection.
Reputed ingredient properties: Ginger root and Lemon Verbena to calm an upset stomach, Elder berries & flower, Cardamom, Chrysanthemum and Holy Basil to boost your immune system and fight infection and reduce fever, Chamomile to sooth an aching body, Linden flower for nasal congestion and Hibiscus, which is extremely high in vitamin C.
Taster’s Review:
My husband has been sick for a few days; he has the flu. I don’t want the flu; but I don’t like needles, so I avoid shots whenever possible. Flu shots are optional so I don’t get them. I think I’d rather risk the flu than get a shot. That being said, I still don’t want to get the flu, so I am hoping that this tea will help out!
The first time I brewed a cup, I steeped it for only five minutes, which is my usual maximum steep time when it comes to teas with hibiscus. However, after those five minutes, I can barely taste the hibiscus. There is a hint of tartness that accents the elderberry flavor. This tisane has a very light taste and texture – and usually with a hibiscus blend, the texture is quite thick.
Which leads me to think that this tisane is safe for a longer steep time! For my second cup, I steeped it for a full eight minutes, and the flavor is much stronger. Even so, the flavor of the hibiscus is not the most dominate flavor here. There is – of course – some tartness from the hibiscus, and a little more thickness to the body than with the first cup, but the hibiscus did not overpower the cup the way I thought it might! What a delightful surprise, this tisane!
There is a bright, lemony flavor in the background of this tisane, and a sweet-tart berry taste in the foreground. I can taste hints of a minty-like taste from the tulsi (holy basil) that sort of weaves its way in and out of the sip. There is a slight warmth from the ginger and cardamom – not much! – and it gives it a very soothing effect. Adding to that sense of calm is the chamomile. The ginger and cardamom flavors develop as I make my way down the cup, but even by the end of the cup, the taste is not strongly spiced.
Before I tasted this, I expected it to taste quite medicinal, but it doesn’t. It does have a herbal-y taste to it, which is to be expected, but, it doesn’t come off as medicine-y, it is more like a pleasing chamomile tea that one might enjoy at the end of a long day to encourage a feeling of tranquility.
I do recommend a little drizzle of honey with this blend – honey is not only loaded with antioxidants, but it also enhances the flavor as well, which is a little bland without the honey. But with just a little honey, I am finding this to be a really enjoyable drink.