Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Our Mint Chamomile tea will put a smile on your face regardless of the day you are having. Brew a cup of this floral, sweet and soothing tea and enjoy a wonderfully fresh finish of this beautiful cup of tea.
Chamomile Flowers, Roobius Tea, Peppermint Leaves, Natural Vanilla Flavor
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
What a happy day! I was so thrilled to find a box from Simple Loose Leaf in my mailbox today! So happy, in fact, that I decided to go against my “usual” approach when it comes to teas and I grabbed the tea I would normally ‘put off’ trying: this Mint Chamomile Rooibus Blend!
Tonight seems the perfect night for such a blend too. I’m up a little later than usual and I’m not really feeling all that sleepy yet. I’m hopeful that the chamomile in this tisane will help inspire a sense of calm and relaxation so that I can start thinking about catching some Zzz’s.
To brew this tisane, I grabbed my Kati tumbler and measured a heaping bamboo scoop into the basket. Then I poured 12 ounces of 195°F water into the tumbler and let it steep for 8 minutes.
I’ve come to realize that I’d really rather not steep chamomile blends in my Breville One Touch. The chamomile is a bit more ‘resistant’ to being removed from any infuser basket, and while I do scrub out my infuser basket in between every tea that I brew in my Breville One Touch, chamomile proves to be rather challenging to scrub out of the basket. I find it easier to clean the Kati Tumbler infuser basket than it is to clean the basket of the tea maker!
Even though I am often quick to say that I’m not crazy about chamomile or rooibos, I’m really enjoying this! I think it’s the combination of the peppermint and the vanilla flavor that I’m liking. The soft, creamy notes of the vanilla soften the crisper edges of the peppermint just enough so that the herb isn’t as invigorating as it often is. I’m not getting that exhilarating feeling after sipping this. The mint is cool and sweet and the vanilla adds a softness to it that is quite nice.
The rooibos adds a little bit of nutty flavor and a touch of honey-like (that honeyed flavor coming not just from the rooibos but also the chamomile) sweetness to the cup. I like that while the rooibos doesn’t present a strong flavor to this tea, what I can taste of the rooibos is a pleasant contribution to the overall cup. That is to say that it plays well with the other flavors!
Of the four ingredients of this tea, the chamomile is the one that I taste least. As I already mentioned, I do taste a light ‘honey-like’ flavor from it, but I’m not tasting much else from it. Maybe a hint of ‘chamomile apple taste’ every now and then, but it’s very obscure.
But I don’t mind that at all. I’m not big on chamomile, as I said, but I do like the flavors of mint and vanilla and since those are the two strongest flavors of this cup, I’m quite happy with what I’m tasting.
This is a soothing, comforting cuppa – relaxing? Yes. A really nice bedtime drink.
This tea came in this month’s Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op Membership box, along with four other teas. This program is great for someone who likes to taste before they commit to a large quantity of tea – the five tea packages were sample sized, just enough to have several cups of tea to decide if you like it enough to buy more and when you do buy more, you get a discount on full-sized purchases! This Co-Op program is a win-win!
Rooibos Cinnamon Vanilla Tisane from Tea of Life
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Tisane Description:
Pronounced “roy-boss” and means “red bush” in Afrkaans, studies have shown this tea is comparable to green tea in the amounts of EGCG it contains. Rooibos is totally pure and natural. It contains no colorants or preservatives.
And Rooibos tastes divine! It is less bitter than most teas.
Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
I confess that the first time I had a cup of this tisane, I accidentally oversteeped it. I had started it brewing and walked away and forgot about it. Some twenty to twenty five minutes later, I remembered it. Fortunately, it’s a rooibos blend and rooibos doesn’t get bitter the way a tea (Camellia Sinensis) would.
However, I didn’t figure it would be a fair assessment to write this review based upon that steeping, so I waited until the next evening (tonight!) to try brewing it for my usual steep time for a rooibos tisane (ten minutes) and this time actually setting a timer for it.
And while this review will be based upon my cup from the 10 minute steep, I will also add some thoughts on the cup that steeped longer. (Both cups were steeped with 195°F water.)
This is a very flavorful rooibos blend. It seems a simple enough combination: rooibos, vanilla and cinnamon. This combination makes me think “Snickerdoodle” and well, it does have a snickerdoodle-ish taste to it. The rooibos has a sweet, nutty flavor to it, and when combined with the vanilla and cinnamon, the result is a taste that’s a lot like the classic cookie.
The cinnamon is a warm but not spicy cinnamon taste, and one that marries well with the sweet, creamy notes of vanilla as well as the warm, honey-like sweetness of the rooibos. It’s a pleasant cup of tea that’s not too sweet, but makes a nice late-night snack if you’re craving something just a little sweet but don’t want to wreck your diet by indulging in a real snickerdoodle cookie. This tea makes a tasty and healthier substitute.
C of Tranquilitea Herbal Tisane from Good Life Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Good Life Tea
Tisane Description:
Luscious hibiscus flowers join with subtle citrus notes of lemongrass and tart rose hips. Add the superfruits and chamomile and you’ve got one bedtime immune system booster!
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, you’re probably well aware of my lack of enthusiasm for herbal tisanes that contain hibiscus and chamomile. Well, this blend has both of them. So as you can probably imagine, I wasn’t dancing the happy dance while I was brewing this.
But, it’s actually quite tasty! A lot nicer than I expected it to be, for sure, and much tastier than I would have imagined.
This is the first tea that I’m trying from this “new-to-me” company, and along with the teas that they sent to me, they sent a letter. In it, they described this blend this way:
This is a fruit and herbal blend. It has a nice blueberry base with Chamomile and Lemon Grass. The name is from a place on the moon where the Apollo landed – Sea of Tranquility. The name is a play on words. C is for the Vitamin C which the hibiscus and rosehips offer. Tranquilitea is the chamomile. It’s a great flower that promotes calmness and helps with sleep. This is our second most popular tea. The lemon grass is to give a nice, bright finish. This mix contains a little bit of Amber sugar to mellow it out.
While I’m generally not crazy about teas that include sugar or sweetener, I have to admit that I’m kind of glad that the Amber sugar is there, because I think that this would be a bit too tart without it. I’m not one who usually sweetens a tisane like this, and I know that if the sugar wasn’t there, I would have probably wanted to add a pinch of sugar to it to tame down the tartness.
That said, I do prefer to decide how much sugar I’m adding to my cup. So, I’m kind of finding myself unsure of how I feel about this addition. I’m glad that this wasn’t too tart when I took my first sip, but, at the same time, I’m not thrilled that sugar was added to the tisane. But without dwelling on the subject too long, I’ll tell you about the rest of what I’m tasting…
This tisane is pleasantly sweet and fruity. I’m liking the blueberry, and as much as I am not fond of hibiscus, I have to admit that hibiscus DOES enhance berry flavors. And it does enhance the blueberry nicely. I am getting the sweet blueberry flavor with a touch of berry tartness. The lemongrass adds just a hint of citrus flavor and perks up the flavors.
I can barely taste the chamomile. In fact, this would be the ideal blend for someone who doesn’t like chamomile but wants to drink chamomile teas for their restful/healthful properties, because like I said, the chamomile is barely noticeable as far as taste goes.
To brew this, I went with my go-to temperature of 195°F for herbals and steeped it for six minutes. I find that six minutes was a good time – it delivered a really delicious blueberry flavor with light citrus-y notes without too much hibiscus-y taste or texture.
Overall, this is a pleasant cup of tea. It’s soothing and sweet, with just the right level of tartness to it. And to my surprise, as I’m typing this, I find myself becoming slightly drowsy from the tea! That’s a big bonus in my book.
Just Tulsi with a Twist from Just.Organic.Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: Just.Organic.Tea
Tisane Description:
Tulsi, Lemon Myrtle, Ginger, Peppermint, Cinnamon & Pepper
Learn more about Just.Organic.Tea’s stance on Social Responsibility here.
Taster’s Review:
Just Tulsi with a Twist is a blend that isn’t currently available on the Just.Organic.Tea.’s website, but I really like this company, and since they did send me this sample, I figured I’d try it and tell you what I think about it.
Here’s why I like this company: I like that they are a company that isn’t just “talking” about making this planet a better place for us and for future generations, they’re doing something about it and their products prove that. They strive toward selecting organic and sustainable products, and they choose those products that are Fair Trade certified. Sure, it’s easy to find products that are less expensive, but, I like that this is a company that won’t compromise like that. I appreciate that.
And I’m really enjoying this Tulsi blend! It’s sweet, lemon-y, and with just enough of a warm spice kick to keep the taste buds happy. I’m a little surprised that I’m not tasting more from the peppermint than I am, usually, peppermint is a very assertive flavor. But the blenders at Just.Organic.Tea. have blended this in such a way that it has a gentle minty note that plays well with the other flavors in this blend.
I like that I’m tasting each component in this blend. I taste the basil-like notes of the tulsi. The slight “minty” note of the tulsi is accentuated my the soft peppermint-y flavors. It tastes herbaceous but not overly so. I can taste the cinnamon and the ginger and the pepper, and these give the cup a pleasing, soothing warmth.
What I taste most is the Lemon Myrtle, and it gives a really lovely lemon-y note without the pucker. It’s like that sweet-tart lemon flavor you’d find in a lemon curd.
A really nice blend from Just.Organic.Tea. I hope that this will eventually return to their collection of teas that they offer, because it’s one that I think that many tea drinkers would enjoy. It’s a tasty caffeine-free alternative, especially nice after dinner. I found it to have a calming effect on the tummy after a meal … bonus!
Cinnamon Peach & Apricot Honeybush from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Here’s a blend of caffeine-free honeybush with freeze-dried peaches and apricots and cinnamon chips. This is one of those blends that is bound to make you happy inside whether you prepare it hot or iced.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I usually approach the tisanes from 52Teas with a certain amount of tired disinterest. Not because I haven’t enjoyed the tisanes from 52Teas, but because that’s my general attitude when it comes to tisanes (and not just those from this company!) I – quite simply – prefer blends with camellia sinensis in them. That’s just me.
And even though I tend to find myself sort of bored with tisanes, I usually enjoy them once I get around to actually brewing them.
And that’s true of this Cinnamon Peach & Apricot Honeybush from 52Teas. This is actually quite good, much better than I expected it to be. The peach and apricot are a naturally delicious combination. For example, I love peach cobbler, and I love apricot cobbler … but even better is a peach-apricot cobbler! The two fruits just taste better together.
And this tisane – when served warm – tastes a little bit like a peach and apricot cobbler. The naturally nutty, sweet notes of the honeybush offer a “crust” sort of flavor to the cup, while the cinnamon offers just the right touch of spice.
But where this tisane really shines is as an iced drink. It is fruity and sweet, with just enough zesty cinnamon to offset that sweetness and give the cup some balance. The nutty flavors of the honeybush seem to subdue as the tisane cools, and I taste mostly fruit and spice. It’s a refreshing, tasty beverage that both my daughter and I enjoy.
This tisane doesn’t really need any sweetener to enhance it, but if you do decide you want a little extra sweetness to it, try adding a little brown sugar to it. This really amplifies that peach-apricot cobbler taste I mentioned earlier. And a splash of milk or cream will give it a really decadent, creamy flavor that is absolutely YUM!
So even though I started out kind of feeling lackadaisical about this tisane, it proved to be a really tasty treat.