Sometimes I can’t believe I haven’t tried a combination of some simple, favorite ingredients. Wildest Mints from the Story of My Tea blends peppermint, clove, and licorice into an herbal brew. Three simple, flavorful ingredients, no added flavoring, no caffeine. Wildest Mints is a great herbal blend to keep in your cabinet for soothing mint with little something extra.
Story of My Tea recommends this brew be iced. Drinking it cold enhances the already refreshing rush of brewed peppermint and is just the right flavor for an especially hot day. The licorice and cloves add some herbal sweetness and bring more texture to the feeling of this tea on your tongue and throat.
I also like this as a hot brew, maybe as an after dinner cup with plenty of peppermint to help with digestion. When warm, the peppermint brings a little creaminess to the cup along with its familiar cool, crispness. The cloves are more prominent in a warm brew, and I adore their dark and spicy aftertaste and buzzy mouthfeel. As always, the licorice is sweet and soothing.
Who knew there could be so much going on with just three classic ingredients? Story of My Tea clearly did!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Story of My Tea
Description:
The main ingredient of this calming blend is peppermint, this herb has several millennia of history. There are records that show Peppermint was used by the ancient Egyptians around 1,000 B.C. The Romans grew peppermint gardens for its use as a digestive aid they also used it as a grown cover between the stepping stone pathways. The Japanese valued it so highly that they carried peppermint in small silver boxes that hung from their belt. Peppermint was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as a hybrid between water mint and spearmint. Today this plant is cultivated in many regions of the world.
The second ingredient is licorice root, a plant native to southeast Europe and southwest Asia. It brings a natural sweetness to this blend and is valued by both eastern and western medicine for its anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and “harmonizing” properties.
Finally, the cloves. These aromatic dried flower buds used in Asian, African, Mexican, Near and Middle East cuisine add just the right spice balance to this blend.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Root Down Tisane from Swallowtail Teas
The colorful label for Root Down Tisane from Swallowtail Tea features a yellow and orange sun on the horizon. It must be a sunset, as this tea is perfect for after dinner or before bed.
This tisane is driven by licorice root. I’m a fan of licorice in all its forms, including as a root in herbal teas. Licorice root is a natural sweetener, adding a bit of spicy anise flavor along with its sugary perk. Licorice is also a throat soothing herb, so it brings a very smooth mouthfeel and soothing sensation.
Beyond the bold licorice, this blend features some cinnamon warmth and just a ghost of mint and orange peel. There are also dandelion root and nettle leaf in the blend, but they are more for color and health benefits than taste. I wish the mint and citrus were just a little bit bolder to add more flavor texture to the brew.
Root Down Tisane would be a great blend for those who are tired of herbal teas having ginger, chamomile, or even rooibos, as none of these ingredients are included. This blend is all licorice and herbs, and is a nice change of pace for a naturally caffeine free blend at bedtime. I’ll have to save the rest of my tea sample for when I need to set down some roots and snuggle in for the night.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Swallowtail Tea (Red Rooster Coffee)
Description:
This signature tisane was artfully crafted as a warming and supportive infusion. Perfect as an after dinner treat.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Peppermint from Ceremonie Tea
This tea sample came to me in an individually wrapped and sealed box featuring the beautiful Ceremonie tea logo on the outside and a jewelry-box-inspired light blue color on the inside. Easily one of the nicest tea sample packaging I’ve seen lately.
The tea itself is simple: pure peppermint. The flavor is cooling (“sparkling” as they put it), definitely the menthol-cold feeling of peppermint and not the sweeter green mint of spearmint. Though I should say that the peppermint has its own sweetness, a smooth almost-vanilla creaminess alongside all the icy herbal flavors.
Peppermint is one of those herbal teas that boasts all kinds of health benefits, from aiding digestion, to increasing mental focus, and more. Personally, I like to drink it on days when allergies or dry weather make my throat a little itchy. The sensory combination of warm tea and cooling peppermint are relaxing and soothing. Since it’s a caffeine-free herbal blend, it’s a great night time brew, perfect to help you ease into the evening.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Ceremonie Tea
Description:
This sparkling peppermint infusion is a refreshing treat that delights your senses, cleansing your palate. It’s caffeine-free, enjoyable day or night.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chocolate Hustle from Wise Ape Tea Company. . . . . .
Chocolate Hustle from Wise Ape wants to be your replacement for coffee or that afternoon energy drink, or any high caffeine beverage that you reach for when the going gets tough. The yerba mate in this blend certainly gives you some much-needed energy to fuel your day-to-day hustle.
Beyond the yerba mate, this tea has chocolate flavors to indulge your sweet tooth. The cacao notes also help edge the tea into a more coffee-inspired robustness. There is also mint included for some crispness, a perfectly brisk accent to help make this brew feel more uplifting. The mint offers cooling and calming sensations to help you with mental clarity and focus.
The dry grass or earthy-hay flavors of the yerba mate are still very much present in the brew, so it may not taste exactly like a coffee replacement. This is probably a great caffeine-replacer for someone who already likes mate teas.
This tea is flavorful on its own or the perfect partner for a latte or even a butter-filled bulletproof brew. Don’t let low-energy get you down, listen to the Wise Ape and brew up a cup of Chocolate Hustle to keep you going.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Mate
Where to Buy: Wise Ape Tea Co.
Description: A powerful blend of roasted yerba mate tea with hints of chocolate and mint, combined with adaptogenic super-herbs to support your brain naturally. This unique elixir is designed to heighten your focus, energy, and clarity.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Happy Tummy from Allegro Tea
After a big dinner or a stressful day, I tend to reach for an herbal tea to help me and my stomach relax. Recently, I tried Happy Tummy from AllegroTea.
From the scent of the dry leaf, I would have guessed that this was a pure-mint blend. The leaves were fragrant with icy cold peppermint, strongly reminding me of the mint flavor in classic candy canes.
I brewed this tea hot, which allowed the cinnamon and ginger to warm up the mint. With powerhouse ingredients like ginger and mint, this blend could have easily become overpowering. Instead, the spices and herbs occupy a delicate balance: not too spicy, and not too menthol-like.
Having this balance of herbal sweetness, warm spiciness, and cool mint makes drinking this tea a very pleasant sensation. I know its ingredients are designed to help calm a stomach ache, but they feel both soothing and invigorating in my throat and chest as well. I’ll have to stockpile some of this blend for the inevitable sick day to help me feel better.
A clean and simple herbal blend, that can help turn around just about any ailment. Warm you up, cool you down, settle your stomach, and make you smile.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Allegro Coffee and Tea
Description:
Organic peppermint, ginger, cinnamon, restorative dandelion root and spearmint have been calming tummies for centuries. We’ve blended them in just the right harmonious proportions in our Happy Tummy to gently soothe and balance your digestive system and calm your state of being.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!