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!
