Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Hari Tea
Tisane Description:
Sometimes it feels like the drawer is open and the file is right there, but the printing is in some other language. It is the persistence of memory that we count on.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah, I held off trying this one for a little while. I’m not a big fan of ginkgo, and since it’s one of the main ingredients in this Persistence of Memory Green Tea Blend from Hari Tea, I was hesitant to try it. But, this is alright! I like it.
Perhaps it’s the other ingredients in this tea – lemon grass, pepper and basil – together with the Sencha green tea that elevates this tea for me. I taste subtle notes of pepper and hints of citrus. I also taste the rose. The herbs together with the floral tones really turn this tea into something tasty.
The aroma of the dry leaf is herbaceous and sweet with floral tones. The brewed tea doesn’t have a strong aroma … it smells like Sencha green tea … but it’s a soft scent. There are whispers of herbal tones along with the green tea fragrance.
An enjoyable and soothing drink. A really good way to add ginkgo to your diet if you’re like me and don’t find it to be particularly enjoyable … this is a good way to get your ginkgo and enjoy it too!
In The Mood Herbal Tisane from Hari Tea (Shoti Maa)
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Hari Tea
Tisane Description:
We appreciate the magic of the moment and celebrate that what is gives us and the world.
This tea stimulates your senses from the first sip and awakens your awareness of how nice it is to be alive: Orange treats with sweet, Hibiscus promises romance, pepper makes you awake for the adventure of the moment.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
So, hibiscus is supposed to be an aphrodisiac? That’s what I’m getting from the above description (taken from the Hari Tea website). If so, this is something I did not know about the herb.
It doesn’t make me like hibiscus any better.
This In the Mood Herbal Tisane from Hari Tea (Shoti Maa) has a bit too much hibiscus for my liking. What saves it for me is the notes of orange and the spice. The spicy notes, especially, help keep the cup interesting and detracts the palate from feeling inundated by the thickness of the hibiscus infusion. The spice also keeps the cup from being too tart. As it is, it’s drinkable for me, but, I can’t say that this is my favorite beverage.
It’s alright though. The orange gives it a little bit of sweetness, and a juicy taste – it tastes almost like there’s a couple of drops of freshly squeezed orange in this. I like that. I am wishing I could taste more of the other spices that are in this blend, particularly, I’d love to taste more of the licorice (or liquorice) and the cardamom. Every once in a while, I’ll notice a note pass my palate that I’ll think … “oh there it is!” but, then it disappears as quickly as it appears.
Overall, this wasn’t horrible. But, I don’t think it put me in the mood for anything other than a desire for some black licorice.
New Sensation Tisane from Hari Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Hari Tea
Tea Description:
What adult doesn’t look back and wistfully remember a time when he or she had more plentiful energy? We spend enormous amounts of time and money trying to satisfy the longing for the feeling of newness – eagerness to take on life with no thought of limitation. We love the old feeling of a new sensation. And we certainly love the refreshing taste of hibiscus and mint.
Taster’s Review:
As I was reading the above description, I couldn’t help but think … no, I certainly do not love the taste of hibiscus. Sorry … but hibiscus is just one of those things that does not do it for me. So, I took on this New Sensation Tisane from Hari Tea with a bit of dread … feeling certain I would really dislike it.
And … even though I can’t sit here and say I love it … I don’t hate it either. It’s not bad.
This bagged tisane (a nifty little woven fabric bag, I like these because they don’t end up imparting a funky “paper” taste to the brewed liquid) isn’t something that I’m going to jump up and down and get all excited over … but, after steeping for five minutes, I like that the hibiscus and the mint are balanced enough so that I’m not tasting this overwhelming tart flavor nor do I get a heavy, syrupy-thick texture. It is thicker than say a pure mint tisane would be because the hibiscus does give the cup a slightly heavier consistency. But, after steeping for five minutes, it did not get too heavy, thick or syrupy.
And I like that the mint offsets some of the tart of the hibiscus too. This is neither too minty nor too hibiscus-y. It has a really nice balance between the two herbs. It is just a little bit tart, and a little bit zesty from the mint.
Overall, it’s a drinkable beverage. Not one that I’d probably want to drink every night or anything, but I would drink it again if it were offered to me. A nice surprise!
Talk To Me from Hari Tea (Shoti Maa)
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Hari Tea
Tisane Description:
It’s no secret that the mental stress of modern life affects us. How can we avoid this unwanted guest? Sometimes we can’t. But maybe with a little comfort, we can maintain calmness. Here is a big comfort – Shoti Maa Tea. Each of the varieties is formulated to comfort your senses in different ways. Traditional and not-so-traditional herbs and spices are blended to give you an experience of meditative well-being. And perhaps the biggest comfort of all: Shoti Maa teas are simply delicious. One sample of the heady aroma and taste tells the story.
Note: This tea is part of the Shoti Maa line of tisanes from Hari Tea.
Taster’s Review:
Well, after reading such a lovely description, I would have liked to have been as equally as eloquent and complimentary about this tisane as they are about the product. Unfortunately, I can’t.
That is not to say that this is a bad tisane, it’s not bad at all, but, it just doesn’t taste or smell – in the opinion of this taster – as good as the description sounds to me.
The aroma is herbal in a medicinal kind of way, which was a little disappointing as I had hoped for a stronger lavender scent. As it is, I can barely discern the lavender, smelling mostly the licorice. Now, I like licorice, as anyone who has read very many of my reviews can attest. It’s certainly a favorite flavor of mine. However, for some reason, it just isn’t working for me in this blend.
The taste is a strong licorice flavor, and something about the way that it unites with the cardamom and lavender just isn’t really knocking my socks off. It’s not a bad flavor, but, it is strongly spiced/herbaceous, again, in a medicinal sort of way. I find myself wishing that the flavor had a stronger mint note or even a stronger lavender note. Perhaps even a stronger cardamom flavor might work. But, as it is, the strong licorice really overwhelms just about everything else, and the supporting herbs and spices seem to accent the licorice in all the wrong places.
On the up side, I do find that sipping this is incredibly soothing to my throat – suggesting to me that this would be a good tisane to have on hand if one is feeling under the weather and wanted something to help relieve an itchy, achy sore throat. And I find it does help calm and relax me.
And it isn’t a terrible tisane, I just find myself wishing it could be so much more than it is. I find myself wanting more from it, and as it is, it just seems to fall short of the mark. I would love to hear other people’s thoughts on this herbal, so if you’ve tried it, please do comment and tell me what you thought!
Life in Balance (Black Tea & Chai Spices) from Hari Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Hari Tea
Tea Description:
What is your body made of? In the most elementary sense: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. You probably don’t think too much about them, but if they get out of balance, you feel it. How do you feel? Why it’s elementary, my dear. Enjoy life in balance with black tea and just the right exotic blend of chai spices.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this tea is delightful – I just love the scent of a well-blended chai! Spicy, heady, almost intoxicating! That’s what I’m getting from my teacup as the fragrance wafts from it.
The flavor is very nice. It is a nicely balanced spiced chai: it doesn’t taste too spicy, the spices taste warm and inviting, and the flavor of the black tea is present in each and every sip. It is well-rounded and has a spicy-sweet taste rather than the often overdone spicy-hot taste. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some zesty hot spices, but, I really admire how Hari Tea balanced the spices here so that they’d be warm and invigorating, but not too spicy. It allows for some of the natural earthy tones from the spices as well as the tea to express themselves – something that I don’t often experience with a spiced chai blend.
This tea also comes in the neatest little cotton muslin bags that appear to be hand sewn. Normally, I’m not a fan of bagged tea, but, I do like these bags. Because they’re made of fabric rather than paper, there is some “give” to the bag so that the tea can properly expand.
I find the tea to be quite soothing while it seems to restore me from the inside out. A very pleasant experience, indeed! I did not try this chai as a latte, mostly because I found it quite delicious served straight. A little milk or cream would give it a very pleasant creamy taste and make it almost dessert-like and I do enjoy a good chai latte! Perhaps next time!