Things have been unique as of late with my family. We are currently experiencing some life changing news and are working on addressing and processing all of this new info we’ve been given. Except for me- who has decided to go on this mad teaware and tea buying spree, which is not necessarily a bad thing- I just have not had the mind set to sit down and actually enjoy what I’ve been buying as of late.
Until this beauty showed up at my door. Empa-Tea is a simple blend of ginger and lemongrass that we’ve seen a few different versions of. Sometimes there is a bit of rose or lavender in the blend but an herbal ginger lemongrass blend is pretty common. This particular blend only has ginger and lemongrass listed in the ingredients on the label (on the website the ingredients also list lime peel, lemon verbena, lime leaves, red peppercorns and sunflower petals) but I am spying some peppercorn along with possibly some citrus peel as well. The name struck me and it seemed like the perfect time to check this blend out.
I prepped this blend a few different ways but my absolute favorite way was to cold brew this blend over night in sparkling water from my Soda Stream. I can’t seem to get enough of it. Bright pops of the ginger and lemongrass really blend well with the citrus undertones and the fresh bubbles of the sparkling water. Our lovely VariaTea creates unique tea concoctions all the time and I thought I’d try my hand with this blend. And so happy I did. Bubbly sweet, spicy, with a citrus note. . .you can’t go wrong. Completely puts the sparkling water flavors you can pick up at the local grocery store to shame or at least a bit.
I did try this blend as both a regular cold brew and brewed hot and all were lovely. The prominent notes that came across with each brewing was the ginger and the lemongrass. The citrus notes were more muted when hot brewed but cold brewed you were able to pick up on those.
Versatile blend and classic flavors, you really can’t go wrong with a solid fresh ginger lemongrass blend like Empa-Tea no matter how you prep it.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Miss TeaSmith
Description
ingredients – Ginger, Lemongrass, Lemon Verbena, Lemon peel, Lime Leaves, Red Peppercorns, Sunflower Petals
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
**This tea was sent to the SororiTea Sisters in exchange for a review**
Morning Booster/Immerse
Starting my day off with an herbal blend is not how I usually go about my day, but recently the SororiTea Sisters received a generous sampling of Immerse tea bags and I was eager to try these. Immerse only produces organic herbal blends so let’s see how this one goes.
The first one I grabbed was Morning Booster- an herbal blend of roselle (hibiscus) and ginger. This is not a combination I would have ever thought to put together but I was really intrigued. Per the recommended steeping parameters on the box and the tea bag tag itself- this tea should be prepared with freshly boiled water and steeped for 4.51 minutes. .. yep! 4.51.. .I’m not going to lie, that extra 51 second note is making me chuckle this morning.
After my water was prepped, I went to add in my tea bag. The first thing I noticed was how dusty the tea bag is. Not like dirt dusty but herbal dusty. The tea bag has quite the natural organic feel.
The tea bag may have steeped more than the recommended 4.51 minutes but I am quite delighted in this delicious mix of ginger and roselle. The tart and spicy combination with a touch of sweetness really provides this lovely contrast and I found myself already draining this cup and setting out to have another. The ginger is spicy so be warned but it is a good spicy and not a I can’t breathe sort of spicy. The tart/sweet tones that the roselle is bringing in really helps to balance out the tea.
Overall, I’m really impressed with this tea. The packaging is gorgeous, the attention to detail is spot on, and the price is right. I’m not sure that I would replace my morning caffeine with this blend but I could see myself drinking this after lunch to get over what I call the lunch wall.
Thank you Immerse for the samples! I will be sending these off soon to my fellow Sisters but before I do that, I’m off for another cuppa!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Immerse Tea
Description
- Organic Roselle
- Organic Ginger
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
CTRL+ALT+DEL from Pluck Teas. . . .
I had this once before, hot and hated it. Let’s see how it is iced…
Well, first thing I noticed is this iced cup has less sediment than the original hot cup had. It brewed up a cloudy but light golden yellow but less cloudy than the hot brew. Hopefully both these things will result in a cleaner taste than what I recall.
The smell is strongly of ginger but with lemon in the background as well as a touch of musk that I am thinking is probably from a mix of this tea and some scent remaining from the mint tea that was in the press previously. Luckily, it is not transferring over to the flavor.
Instead, this has a strong ginger flavor with a bright lemon aftertaste. I wish I got more from the cranberries since they were the reason I was drawn to this blend in the first place alas they are hiding underneath all the other components. Nonetheless, the iced tea flavor is really quite natural and rich. To me, it is as if someone took fresh ginger and lemon and steeped that…and then maybe muddled it with some other ingredients. The lemongrass is maybe a bit more herbal tasting than I would like but this could be a nice caffeine free option for those who like this sort of tea.
Personally I am more of a dessert tea kind of girl so I don’t see myself reaching for this in the future but I am happy to report the the iced cup is much improved from the hot tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal Tea
Where to Buy: Pluck Teas
Description
Hit the reset button – with this refreshing lemon and ginger infusion featuring Muskoka cranberries. Caffeine-free and delicious hot or iced, this tisane packs a lot of flavour.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tulsi Orange Cranberry Ginger Organic Tea from Simpson and Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Tea Description:
This Tulsi tea blend is caffeine-free and combines herbs that have vitamins and anti-oxidants. This organic herbal blend of Tulsi, orange peel, hibiscus, rosehips and ginger root brews to a reddish amber cup with a mellow minty, fruity taste and light, sweet ginger notes. A well rounded brew that’s great for afternoon or evening enjoyment.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been on a herbal kick as of late and loving it. Herbals are something that I think you either love or hate depending on the ingredients. I know chamomile and hibiscus blends are sometimes referred to as vile, but I love them. About the only tea I don’t care for is red rooibos blends, but beyond that I’ll try anything.
Work has been nuts lately and I wanted something to be refreshing yet soothing so I grabbed my sample of this Tulsi blend from Simpson & Vail. I was crazy impressed with their Cozy Comfort blend that I tried the other day (tasted like monkey bread!) I had high expectations but once I took in the fragrance from the dry leaf mix, I had my hesitations. The ginger smelled like it was going to be strong.
Brewed this up in my Sei Sei Tumbler and allowed it to steep for about 5 minutes in boiling water. Poured the brew into my cuppa and sat down to go over what I needed to to for the day. As I took my first sip, I literally thought, nope, I will not be reviewing what I need to do today. I am going to sit right here with my feet propped up on my desk and enjoy my tea. And that is exactly what I did!
This tea hit the spot in so many ways. I wanted a soothing blend that touched the soul, so to speak. Once that would refresh and calm me but also be vibrant enough to deliver that kick I would need to keep going. This tea did all of that. No, I’m not going to say it will cure what will ail you, but in that moment of time, this tea delivered everything I needed.
What I loved the most was the citrus flavor that had a tart twist at the end of the sip with the ginger floating in and out. The ginger wasn’t overwhelming like I was worried about and actually became the flavor I was seeking each sip I took. Which is very surprising to me. I am not a huge ginger fan. This tea had such a cozy charming feel to it with the tart and sweet contrast that I found myself wanting more of this tea right after the cuppa was gone. I ended up drinking this tea for the remainder of the day, letting the flavors really give me that cozy feeling I was wanting with that kick I desperately needed.
Tea #2 that I have tried from Simpson & Vail and another tea I am adoring!