Guayusa is a non-traditional type of tea, like mate. Both guayusa and mate come from a type of holly bush and not the traditional tea plant. While technically herbal teas, guayusa and mate both pack a big punch of caffeine so brew this tea when you’re looking to get hyped.
Fresa Guayusa from Fava Tea Company adds sweet strawberries to the guayusa base. I think this is a great combination for tea. I find mate and guayusa to be a bit too plain on their own. They have a pleasant dry grass scent and flavor, like standing in a field at the end of the summer with everything feeling fresh but a bit dry and toasty. But after a whole cup of this flavor, I find myself wanting a little something else.
Adding strawberries makes this bright and happy, with natural pink fruitiness it livens up the blend. Besides, if you’re reaching for a blend with as much caffeine as this guayusa has, you could probably use a little perky sweetness in your cup too.
This would be a great iced tea to kick off hot summer days, or a nice alternative to black tea on an afternoon where you need something sweet and highly caffeinated to get you going.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: Fava Tea
Description:
This tea has been shown to reduce physical and mental stress allowing for stronger mental strength and courage.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey from Zest Tea
“Mombie” Noun; a parent who is so overcome by sleep deprivation that their appearance looks more and more like a zombie each day.
Oh how I wish this Zest Tea were around when I had a 6-month-old with jetlag. 150 mg of caffeine per cup. Oh how that would have prevented my choking down overpriced coffees. Oh how I would’ve cherished those early mornings easier with a hearty cuppa. If only my local store carried it then, as it does now.
Fortunately now all I have to deal with is the daily grind of a toddler, and this power packed Earl Grey is a perfect mid-day bolster. And who needs a seista when there’s never-ending muddy laundry to be done??
With Sherlock Holmes gracing the teabag’s packet, I know I’ll be ready to go at a moments notice, but still come across refined… or crazy… either works. I imagine Prince William with his 3 kids now, still having to attend royal functions but maybe with those glazed over eyes and a bit of nodding. (Please tell me I’m not the only one reading those tabloids) Perhaps the Duke would’ve benefitted from this nice cuppa Earl, eh!
Real talk, you need to be careful brewing this one — The excess caffeine can easily create a bitterness if over brewed. And the wonderful floral, bergamot aftertaste just won’t cover up a sloppy steep. I propose an overnight cold brew – two birds, one stone!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: flavored Black Tea bags
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Earl grey has been a popular blend since it was introduced to the British Earl, Charles “Chaz” Grey, in the 1830’s. Most Earl Greys are made with low-quality base teas, but not ours. Zest’s Earl is made with premium Nilgiri Indian black tea blended with a delicious bergamot essential oil. Don’t thank us. Thank Chaz.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Climber’s High from The Tea Spot. . .
Though working out isn’t my favorite activity, I can understand the uplifting physical feeling that comes with good old-fashioned exercise. With a name that refers to an athletic euphoria, it’s no surprise to me that Climber’s High tea from the Tea Spot has yerba mate in the blend. Yerba mate is technically an herbal tisane, not made from the same stuff as black tea, but it contains a high amount of caffeine and is often cited as a better caffeination choice than coffee, with fewer jitters and crashes.
Yerba mate on its own has a dry hay, fresh-mowed-field fragrance, and a gently earthy taste. This blend is no exception, with the dried grass scents mellowing out as smooth and earthy in flavor.
This blend also has its fair share of chai spices like licorice root, black pepper, fennel, tulsi, and cardamom. I love spicy chai teas so I made sure to scoop a big cardamom pod into my cup. That said, the spices are understated, very gentle and unassuming. Personally I would have liked a little more pop, but I understand that spicy teas aren’t for everyone. Don’t be discouraged by this ingredients list if you aren’t into chai teas, this might just be the right blend for you.
I don’t always need the caffeine kick that yerba mate provides, but if you’re looking for a powerful alternative to coffee or black tea, Climber’s High is a great blend to check out.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate/Herbal (caffeine)
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Description:
A super-charged blend of teas, spices and herbs formulated to provide a refreshing daily lift for people with active, high-energy lifestyles. Climber’s High is a high-powered way to increase your intake of beneficial antioxidants such as flavonoids and catechins, as well as a host of healthy vitamins, trace minerals, beneficial phyto-constituents, and caffeine. It was originally conceived to assist people in adjusting to higher altitudes. This spiced yerba mate chai tea is both good for you and a pleasure to drink.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jump Start You Day with This Blend from Adagio Teas
Jump start your car with a blast of electricity. Jump start your brain and your day with this high caffeine cuppa! For tea lovers everywhere, it’s no secret that mate tea is a powerful pick-me-up, and often cited as a great alternative to coffee. Well Jump Start blend from Adagio teas has toasted mate and so much more.
There’s not just mate, there’s traditional black tea in the blend as well, a staple of every breakfast blend around. But let’s take this caffeine level a step further: kola nuts. Kola nuts are caffeine-containing tree nuts, previously used as an ingredient in sodas, hence where we get the term “cola.” So there’s caffeine from the mate, from the black tea, and even from the kola nut inclusion. This tea should come with a warning, like roller coasters: don’t brew this tea if you have a heart condition. You’ll be rocketing out of your socks in no time!
So how do all of these ingredients taste? The toasted mate brings roasty, earthy, dry hay notes, which serve as a compliment to the more traditional boldness of the black tea. With additions like smooth, sweet cocoa nibs, and warm, spicy cinnamon bark, it’s hard not to imagine the kola nuts adding their own kind of cola sweetness. I brewed this blend black, how I take most of my tea, but it is bold enough to hold up its flavor, even if softened with a bit of milk.
This will be an amazing tea for those of you who just can’t seem to get enough caffeine. Skip your espresso-laced red-eye cold brew coffee, and just brew a cup of Jump Start instead!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black/Herbal
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description: Mate, Kola, and Black tea make up this well-caffeinated blend to make your mornings deliciously efficient.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pomegranate Mojito Green from Zest Tea. . . .
Zest Tea, a new company to me and one that is apparently focused on getting the caffeine levels of coffee into a cup of tea. As a non-coffee drinker myself, I can get behind that since it would be nice to have a pick-me-up that I would enjoy for those days I am feeling extra sluggish.
I brewed this hot first for 2 minutes at 175 degrees. The flavor is mild but distinctly pomegranate and mint with one following after another as opposed to blending together to create the mojito. The base is hidden beneath the flavors which is my personal preference but may be a downfall for some. Lime is also fleeting, which I am more sad about because I think it would have been a nice component to round out the flavors and bring them together.
Given this is a mojito tea, I figured I should try it iced. Since the flavor of the hot tea was so mild, I decided to brew this cup just a bit longer, 2.5 minutes at 175 degrees. Though that might have added more pomegranate sweetness, it did not add more flavor. Instead, the base came out a bit more making for a sweet grass iced tea with a more generic fruit note. A touch bitter too, though that didn’t show up in the hot cup so my guess was the increased timing threw this off. Mint is more harmoniously blended with the other ingredients here but somehow that adds an earthiness to make this more grassy/medicinal.
I was surprised that this was better hot than iced since the flavors are inspired by a beverage best served over ice. It has a nice enough flavor but I don’t think I will personally be seeking this tea out again. It was fun to try though and I certainly am intrigued to investigate Zest Tea a bit more.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zest Tea
Description
At Zest, we start every morning with a Mojito. This aromatic blend of young hyson green tea, peppermint, lime, and pomegranate will bring back memories of lounging on a beach, or maybe whatever memories you have left of college. Either way, our Pomegranate Mojito Green Tea is an amazingly refreshing blend, great for any time of day.
