Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Tisane Description:
Tulsi with hints of lemony flavor makes a great combination. We chose 100% organic Australian Lemon Myrtle for the blend because it had the perfect strength to balance the brew. Complemented with the fragrant sweetness of calendula flowers.
Caffeine free.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh, what a pleasant cup. So gentle and relaxing … perfect for later in the evening (which it happens to be right now), it seems to instill a sense of serenity – I can feel the stress of the day melting away as I sip this.
It has a slight medicinal taste, but I don’t find it to be medicinal in an off-putting way. I think a better word to describe it would be herbaceous, although there are those who would say that herbaceous and medicinal are quite similar descriptive words. I don’t think so, though I can see how some might construe them as similar.
The slightly peppery, slightly minty tones of the tulsi meld beautifully with the light citrus-y tones of the lemon myrtle. I don’t usually notice too much flavor from marigold petals, but because the overall character of this tisane is rather subtle the sweet floral tones do present themselves in the flavor here.
A very enjoyable, naturally caffeine-free cup – perfect for those evenings when you want to unwind. This tea will calm your spirit and mind, and even help relieve your tension.
Very nice.
African Summer from Tea Licious
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Tea Licious
Tisane Description:
Honeybush, lemon grass, lemon myrtle, rosehips, eucalyptus, hibiscus, safflowers, marigold and orange.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Summer is almost here! Alas, summer is not my favorite time of year – I prefer autumn and winter … why? Because hot tea is so much better when it’s chilly outside! Yes, it’s all about the tea! However, I am certainly enjoying this African Summer tisane from Tea Licious!
The first thing I notice is the zesty flavor of lemongrass and lemon myrtle which gives it a delicious lemon taste without the pucker-y tartness. Then there is a tangy orange note that melds nicely with the lemony herbs. But even with the zesty and tangy flavors, the overall cup is pleasantly smooth, which has a lot to do with the honeybush, which gives it a sweet and nutty taste.
I was a little worried at first that it might be hibiscus-y, but really, the hibiscus only seems to contribute a little to the color of the cup while adding very little tartness or its syrupy texture to it. That being said, I do recommend exercising some caution when steeping this tea, as hibiscus can quickly overpower a cup when left to steep too long. I steeped my cup for six full minutes, and it turned out just perfect!
There is a soft mouthfeel to the cup, which I think is because of the hibiscus. This tells me that there is just the right amount of hibiscus in it … not too much, but enough so that the flavor and texture is not too thin. Kudos to Tea Licious for doing hibiscus the right way!
This is a very pleasant cup of tea, one that is tasty hot, and very refreshing served over ice! This is one that you can serve to kids as well as adults, because it is naturally caffeine free, and it has a pleasing flavor that everyone will love.
Cinnamon Lemon Bai Mu Dan from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Here’s our premium bai mu dan white tea blended with cinnamon, lemon myrtle, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemongrass, lemon peel and natural flavors. Pucker up for some deliciousness!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
WOW! The combination of cinnamon and lemon may seem ordinary but the flavor of this tea is anything but ordinary!
The lemon flavors are so complex in this – it’s not like a squeeze of fresh lemon, it’s like a squeeze of fresh lemon, plus some lemon zest, plus some liquefied lemon curd all in one. It isn’t as pucker-y as I expected it to be, instead, the lemon notes are rather smooth, lightly sweet, with only hints of tartness. It tastes more like the flavor of a lemon-head candy than the flavor you’d get if you were to suck on a wedge of lemon: sweet, almost candy-like, and very enjoyable.
The cinnamon is not as pronounced as I expected either. Instead, it is well-balanced with the lemon-y flavors. It doesn’t overwhelm the cup or come off as too spicy. It is a warm cinnamon taste that complements the citrus notes: the cinnamon curbs the sour flavor of the lemon just enough while the lemon softens the spicy blow of the cinnamon. It is a very lovely marriage of flavors.
And I am happy to report that the Bai Mu Dan isn’t lost in all this wonderful flavor. The white tea offers a light, fresh flavor. I taste notes of hay and a sweetness that melds beautifully with the buttery notes of the lemongrass in the blend.
As I write this, I see that there are still 7 pouches of this tea left! So, I wouldn’t be surprised if people were less than excited by the seemingly ordinary offering of a cinnamon and lemon flavored white tea.
Well, it’s time to get excited, because this tea is way better than I expected it to be. Don’t get me wrong, I expected it to be delicious (I can’t really recall any time when 52Teas has left me dissatisfied) but, I didn’t think it’d knock my socks off the way it has. The flavor is sweet and comforting; this is one of those teas that is perfect to cozy up to after a long, hard day!
I love this.
Lemolicious Ecuadorian Guayusa from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
I was debating what sort of blend we should create with this new ingredient [Guayusa], and Sheri kept insisting it needed to be a lemon blend. I thought lemon was kind of plain, but it did sound good. The problem I saw was that as bold as the guayusa is, it would take some serious doing to convince it to take on any other flavors. But that’s just what we did: I pulled out all the stops to give this bold guayusa a nice gentle (but noticeable) lemon nudge. We added lemon myrtle, lemon balm, lemongrass, lemon verbena, lemon peel and some sun-dried lemon slices along with natural lemon flavors.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had this blend for quite a while now (and unfortunately it has long since sold out and is no longer available from 52Teas), it managed to get itself hidden in my stash and as I was sorting through my collection of teas the other day I came across it and decided I must start drinking it!
And I’m glad I did rediscover this Guayusa blend because it really is tasty. As Guayusa is a rather bold tasting tisane anyway, it is not surprising that it is the strongest flavor of this cup. The citrus-y lemon notes are there, but they are subtle … until you get to the aftertaste and it is in the aftertaste when the lemon really seems to grab me. It never becomes a pucker-y type of lemon taste – it isn’t sour – but it is tart and that is what I experience in the aftertaste. A tickle-y, tingly lemon-y taste coming to life on my palate.
But throughout the sip, the lemon is subdued and sweet, adding just a little lemon-y twist to the unique flavor of the Guayusa, which is somewhat similar to Yerba Maté but without the bitterness of Maté. It is slightly vegetative, and a little earthy. It is incredibly smooth. There is no astringency to it.
Guayusa is a stimulating drink and I find that it has the same effects on me as coffee … with one notable difference: I don’t get sick a couple of hours later when I drink Guayusa. I get the boost of alertness without the sick effects afterward. That’s a win-win in my book!
Frankie Says RELAX from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush, Tulsi & Herbal Blend
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
It’s 102° in Wichita today, I’ve been stressing out like crazy lately over a bunch of personal stuff, but fortunately, I have the perfect remedy: a tall tumbler full of iced tea, specifically, our tea of the week for this week.
Frankie Says Relax (I just couldn’t resist), is a blend of caffeine-free organic African honeybush, organic Tulsi Rama, lemon myrtle (come to think of it, I think it’s organic too), and natural lemon and lime flavors.
The resulting blend is a bit spicy, a lot citrus-y, with a touch of natural sweetness from the honeybush, and ALL relaxing. It is an “Ahhhhh”-moment in a cup. And I can tell you firsthand, it is amazing hot or iced.
I fully expect this one is going to go fast, and I don’t have an unlimited supply of tulsi (or honeybush right now for that matter), so don’t drag your feet, get some now and enjoy this one-of-a-kind refreshment.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This tastes much better than I thought it would. Not that I doubted Frank’s artistry; however, I just thought that this blend seemed a little more “ordinary” … or is “tame” a better word? It’s not a “far out” blend like some of Frank’s other fantastically famous blends like Pancake Breakfast or Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha. In comparison, this lemon-lime Tulsi & Honeybush blend would seem a bit boring.
But it isn’t.
The flavor is very refreshing. The lemon and lime flavors meld wonderfully with the herbal-minty flavor of the Tulsi and the honey-nutty flavor of the honeybush. The Tulsi does give the cup a slightly medicine-y kind of taste … no… more like an herbal-health-food kind of taste in the background, but, it doesn’t offset the delicious sweetness of it.
The citrus notes hit the palate first. The citrus tastes tangy, juicy and just a little bit sweet. The citrus is crisp but not sharp, as I think that the sweetness from the Honeybush tempers the sharper tones well. Beneath these stronger flavors, the honeybush offers its sweet, nutty taste, while the mint-basil-y taste of the Tulsi sits back in the background.
I think that Frank describes it best when he says it’s “a bit spicy, a lot citrus-y, with a touch of natural sweetness from the honeybush, and ALL relaxing.” This is all that!