Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Shanti Tea
Tea Description:
A simple blend, adding some noted of lemon to a sweet and calming infusion of chamomile. A nice variation for those chamomile lovers out there.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing I notice when I open my packet of Lemomila Tisane from Shanti Tea is the scent of Chamomile. Peeking inside the package, I can see big chamomile blossoms. While I’ve never made any big secret that I’m not particularly fond of chamomile, I don’t hate it and I find that the larger the chamomile blossoms, the more I like the tisane. In other words: crushed blossoms = not so great, while big, whole blossoms = much better.
And in this tisane, I didn’t see any crushed blossoms at all. These were big, whole chamomile blossoms mixed with the sweet, citrus-y flavor of lemongrass.
The lemongrass adds a nice brightness to this cup. The citrus tones are sweet with a tart note that hits the palate towards the end of the sip and lingers on through the aftertaste. It’s not a strong sour note, though, just a hint of citrus-y tart. Mostly what the lemongrass provides is a nice contrast to the sweet, apple-like notes of the chamomile. Notes of honey can also be tasted.
Overall, a very enjoyable way to relax, this Lemomila Tisane from Shanti Tea!
Tulsi Infusion Black Tea from Teatulia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teatulia
Tea Description:
Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), or “Holy Basil” is native to the Old World tropics and is cultivated for religious and medicinal purposes as well as its essential oil.
Invigorating black tea blend with a rich, full-bodied spiciness. Excellent on ice.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tasted and previously reviewed this Tulsi Infusion Black Tea from Teatulia for another blog, but when the opportunity arose for me to try it again, I took advantage of that opportunity to see how my thoughts for this tea may have changed. After all, when I first tried this tea, I was still fairly new to the herb tulsi. I had tried a few at that point, but, since then, I’ve tried a few more and my liking for tulsi has grown.
The flavor of this blend is very balanced. I can taste the tulsi and the black tea pretty evenly. The black tea is a strong, robust tea. In my previous review of this tea I mentioned that there was a “fair amount of astringency,” but, I’m not noticing a whole lot of astringency to this cup. I am not sure why that is, but I suspect that my brewing parameters are slightly different for this cup.
Over the course of the last couple of years, I’ve come to realize the importance of lowering the water temperature for teas and tisanes that contain herbs in them, because the boiling water seems to scorch the herbs and create a little bit of bitterness that I’d rather not be there. By brewing my teas and tisanes that have herbs in the blend at a temperature of 195°F rather than boiling water, I experience less of a bitter bite from my herbal infused teas – including this tea.
An unexpected side affect of this change in temperature might also be less astringency from the brewed cup of tea. This is much smoother and more delicious than I remember the tea being in the past. So, if you’ve been experiencing the same type of issue, try turning the temperature down just a bit and you might find that you’re able to enjoy the herbal blends more.
The tulsi gives this cup a warmth that is just a wee bit spicy (don’t think “chai spicy” … think savory spice) and a crisp flavor that is a little reminiscent of mint, but a more savory tasting mint than peppermint or spearmint. When united with the flavor of the black tea, I get a cup that offers a rich, earthy, savory flavor that tastes of both black tea and warm spice, and mid-sip, I’m greeted with a crisp, invigorating note.
A really good tea – I find that it soothes, calms and gently restores me, especially nice after a hectic day of holiday shopping!
White Chrysanthemum Tea from Teasenz
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Flower
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Tisane Description:
Soothing, calming and refreshing. You may have sampled chrysanthemum tea in Chinese restaurants. Now, Teasenz brings you the highest grade of chrysanthemum tea available in China. Our white chrysanthemum tea is a truly lovely flower tea that just can’t be resisted.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
The picture above shows you exactly what I saw when I opened the package of this White Chrysanthemum Tea from Teasenz. Lots of big, dry white chrysanthemum blossoms! They’re whole blossoms, not dust or particles, and they range in size from about the size of a dime to the size of a quarter in diameter.
The aroma isn’t as pleasant to my nose as say, a jasmine or a rose tea. Then again, I’d much rather smell a bouquet of fresh roses or jasmine flowers to a bouquet of chrysanthemums. I just happen to prefer the fragrance of roses and/or jasmine blossoms.
But the tea produced from steeping these chrysanthemums is absolutely lovely! It’s a pale yellow-ish color liquid, and the flavor is quite pleasant. It has a sweet taste, almost honey-esque in flavor. It’s quite soothing to sip. The flavor is (obviously!) floral, but it’s kind of an herbaceous flowery taste. If I were to compare it to more “popular’ flower teas, I would say that this tastes more like a chamomile tea than a rose tea.
That said, I’d much prefer to sip a chrysanthemum tea over a chamomile, as I do find the flavor of the chrysanthemum more to my liking. The herbaceous tones remind me vaguely of straw. Like dried straw. And there is a slight earthiness that goes along with the straw-like flavor.
Overall, I found this to be a very refreshing, tasty cup of tea. A really pleasant change of pace!
Vanilla Cacao Tea from Herbal Infusions
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Herbal Infusions
Tisane Description:
An exotic and spicy blend of ancient Mexican vanilla, forest garden cinnamon, spices using a base of authentic Mayan cacao shells – truly medicine for your soul.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh my goodness. This Vanilla Cacao Tea from Herbal Infusions is incredible! When I was perusing their website and saw that they had authentic Mayan cacao shells in this blend, I knew I had to try it. I’ve tried a tisane of pure cacao shells before and I loved it, and so I was really excited to try this blend that is cacao shells, vanilla and cinnamon.
YUM! This tastes a lot like a “Mexican” hot chocolate. The chocolate is rich and decadent tasting and the vanilla adds a sweet, creamy element to the cup, while the cinnamon adds just a touch of spice. It’s not overtly spicy or hot. The three components in this tisane work in a synergistic way to deliver a flavor that is warm, sweet, and deliciously chocolate-y.
The best way I can describe this is that it’s like a really good hot chocolate, except that it’s a little thinner in body than a hot cocoa. It’s not milky,although I suppose you could steep this in a combination of hot milk and water like stove top prepared chai. I prepared this the way I would prepare most tisanes, using 195°F water, and instead of steeping it for 6 minutes (my usual time for a tisane with hibiscus) or 10 minutes (my usual time for rooibos or honeybush blends), I went with a 15 minute steep for this. And it’s perfect!
Rich with chocolate flavor. Just enough cinnamon and vanilla to add some interesting contrasts to the cacao flavor. If you’ve ever had an authentic Mexican hot chocolate, this tastes a lot like what you might have tasted … although I find that this is not quite as spicy as some of the Mexican hot chocolate drinks that I’ve had (I think that they also sometimes use cayenne pepper in them.)
This is a tisane for chocolate lovers. Like I said before, it doesn’t have that heavy, milky body. But, I personally prefer it this way. I rarely fix myself a cup of hot chocolate/hot cocoa because I find it to be too heavy and too sweet for my liking, but, this is just right. It’s a little thinner, and not quite as cloying. It’s just right!
Hawaiian Mamaki Tea from Mama-Kii
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Mama-Kii
Tisane Description:
Rejuvenate and renew with a soothing cup of Mama-Kii tea directly from the Big Island of Hawaii. Our delicious, caffeine-free and all natural mamaki is a perfect way to start your day as a natural pick me up. In the middle of the day a cup of mamaki hot or cold can reduce stress and improve mental acuity. The ancient Hawaiians also discovered mamaki is an excellent rejuvenator at the end of the day promoting general health and well-being. Mamaki is Hawaii’s gift to the rest of the world shared with aloha.
Learn more about Mamaki Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened the box that my Hawaiian Mamaki Tea from Mama-Kii was shipped in, I found a hand-written note from Gabrielle at Mama-Kii, and this note promised me a treat for the senses! So far, she hasn’t disappointed me.
The first sense that has been delighted? Sight! The “Deluxe Mamaki Tea Tin” is lovely! It’s a fairly simple design: purple and off-white with a grey silhouette of a Hawaiian island. The tin is nicely sealed. But what appealed to me most about this tin is the pearlescent quality of the label! It shimmers so beautifully. Yeah, maybe that stuff isn’t really important when it comes right down to the tea that one is consuming, but, I know that if I saw this tin in the store, I would have been prompted to buy it based on the label … I’m a sucker for that kind of thing, what can I say?
Once I opened the tin, I found a large, muslin drawstring bag. I took out the bag, and tucked inside was a cellophane bag that houses the pyramid sachets filled with the Mamaki herb.
So, after a quick sniff of the dry leaf – it smells sweet and herbaceous – I decided to do just a little bit of research about this herb. The Mama-Kii website does offer quite a bit of information about this herb, including about where the herb is grown, the growing conditions of the herb, as well as the health benefits of the herb. Beyond the Mama-Kii website, I found relatively little about the herb on Wikipedia, and there is a website that I did find interesting that tells of the Native Plants of Hawaii. On this website, I found information about the Mamaki herb, but really, nothing more informative than the website itself. It’s a very comprehensive website … if you’re curious about Mamaki … the Mama-Kii website is the place to start!
The brewed tea has a faint aroma, but it smells fresh and still has that sweet, herbaceous scent of the dry leaf. The color of the liquid is that of a light green tea – it’s a pale, yellowish green color.
Where this herb tea really wins me over is the flavor. I didn’t know exactly what to expect from the flavor of this tea as I had never tasted Hawaiian Mamaki before today, but, I’m really enjoying what I’m tasting.
The flavor is delicate and sweet. It tastes a little bit like a thin green tea with its vegetative tones and hints of buttery notes. I like that I taste a buttery taste, but it doesn’t feel buttery or thick. The texture is like that of a thin broth … smooth and pleasant. There is no astringency or bitterness to this. It’s really quite a joy to drink this tea, and I feel myself relax with each sip.
I am really glad that I had this opportunity to try Hawaiian Mamaki Tea – it’s similar enough to a green tea and I think that those who enjoy green tea could find that the flavor here is really quite enjoyable … and there are so many benefits to drinking this herb … I recommend giving it a try! It is something that I’m going to enjoy drinking now and again!