Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
Created in 1976, this is the first composition of two marmots. This herbal tea to ruby and tangy taste is the sweetest and most mysterious of all. Seven plants were found, but the dosage is one that will remain well buried in a hidden family secret terrier gallery . . .
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I think that this is the blend that started the company (or so I’ve been led to believe by the above description). It is a combination of linden, verbena, peppermint, hibiscus, chamomile, rosehip and orange blossoms.
To steep this blend, I heated the kettle to 195°F and used about 6 ounces of water to 1 teabag and left it to steep for 8 minutes. It’s a little longer than I typically steep a blend with hibiscus in it (usually I steep it for 6 minutes, tops!) but because I didn’t see a lot of ruby colored leaves through the teabag, I hoped that I wouldn’t be left with a cup of tisane where the hibiscus completely took over.
Fortunately for me, there doesn’t seem to be a heavy amount of hibiscus to this blend. The color of the brewed liquid is lightly “rosy” but not ruby red the way that heavily hibiscus-ed blends often are. It also doesn’t have the thick texture (or pucker-y tartness) of a heavily hibiscus-ed blend.
This is a surprisingly balanced combination of the eight ingredients. The two ingredients that I expected to overpower the others – the aforementioned hibiscus and the peppermint – do not knock out the other components of this blend. Peppermint can often be a rather strong presence in a blend when added with too heavy a hand. Here, the peppermint tastes light. It is crisp and adds a cool flavor to the cup without overwhelming the other flavors of the cup.
The linden, chamomile and orange blossom add just a whisper of floral essence to the cup while the verbena adds a hint of citrus.
The overall flavor of the cup is subtle and herbaceous. Do I like it? It’s alright. Not the best tisane I’ve ever tasted but certainly not the worst either. I think I rather prefer some of the other tisanes that I’ve tried from Les 2 Marmottes, but this isn’t terrible. It’s a gentle cuppa, nice for later in the evening when you’re wanting to wind down and relax. I think it’s best served with a little drizzle of honey to the cup – it makes this a very soothing and calming drink.
Fenouil Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
Fennel, magical blend of flavors! Who can resist its sweet anise, its sweet and sugary notes? It is a symphony of flavors of the South, who said at first sip and do not easily forget. This is indeed the mark of a great deceiver.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I absolutely LOVE the aroma of this tea. Licorice! Love! The dry leaf has a stronger fragrance than the brewed liquid (not surprising) but they both smell absolutely amazing.
I steeped the bag at 195°F for 8 minutes and while it was steeping, I enjoyed the delightful licorice aroma that filled the kitchen. Fennel is not an herb that I usually keep in the kitchen, mostly because I’m the only person in this household that enjoys its sweet, licorice-y taste. I used to keep it on hand back when I was blending my own tea blends (it was one of the ingredients of my Masterpiece Chai blends), but since I closed my business, I haven’t had much need to keep it around anymore since, as I said, I’m the only one who really likes it here, and when I’m cooking, I’m cooking for more than just me.
So, it was a real treat to have this tea and enjoy the smell of fennel in the house again! Although, I have to admit that I have never actually had a cup of infused, 100% fennel before. I’ve had it in teas and tisanes as part of a blend before, but never have I consumed a 100% fennel infusion before.
But it’s really tasty! It tastes like black licorice, and since I’m a huge fan of black licorice, I’m loving every sip of this Fenouil Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes. It’s sweet – almost sugary sweet – and it doesn’t have quite as much sharpness or snap as the black licorice that I’m fond of generally has. This is a “softer” version of black licorice … black licorice’s sweeter younger sibling.
But it is very enjoyable. I found it to be very soothing – this would make a great tisane to reach for if you’ve an upset stomach. If you’re not particularly fond of the taste of black licorice, you probably won’t enjoy this either. But if you like black licorice, you’d really enjoy this tisane.
Verveine Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
When stress plays tricks on you, verbena takes you by the hand. Let us guide you, it will take you to a quiet and peaceful place. At the end of a meal, ask him his note. She will present weightless and far from salt.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love the smell of verbena. That light, bright, lemon-y aroma that smells so fresh and lively. And that’s the fragrance that greeted me when I tore into the packet of this Verveine Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes.
It’s a scent that reminds me of summer. My grandmother had a very prolific lemon tree in her backyard, which meant a summertime full of freshly squeezed lemonade, lemon meringue pies and other yummy lemon-y treats.
As much as I love an ice-cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade, I think I prefer the taste of a cup of brewed verbena over lemonade. I can get a smooth, sweet lemon-curd like taste from a cup of verbena without the tartness and without all that sugar that I’d get from a glass of lemonade.
And this Verveine from Les 2 Marmottes is very refreshing and relaxing to drink! It would taste great iced (and I like to add some verbena to my pure Ceylon tea when I brew it for iced tea for a nice little touch of citrus), but tonight, I’m enjoying a cup of hot Verveine and it’s quite soothing. I feel it calming me with each sip I take.
The flavor is delicately sweet and bright with lemon-y notes. It doesn’t have that tart pucker that I’d get from lemon, though, this is a smooth, gentle lemon note with a touch of butter, similar to what I might taste if I were to eat the sweet, creamy filling of a lemon meringue pie. There are some subtle herbaceous tones to this as well, but I like that they don’t disrupt the lovely lemon notes.
A really nice cup of pure verbena!