I love herbal blends and drink them all day longer regardless of what time it is. Chamomile has never had that sleepy affect on me and I’ve yet to find an evening blend that relaxes me because of what is in the cuppa, not just the act of drinking tea. (Drinking tea is therapeutic to me overall.)
Enter Headache Begone! A Tea Mistress Herbal Blend. Brewed with water at boiling and allowed to steep for about 7 minutes, this tea may not have cleared up the headache I had, but did something else. This tea literally relaxed me from head to toe. One serving of this tea had me droopy eyed and ready to call it a night. I couldn’t believe it. One serving of this tea had me droopy eyed and ready to call it a night. I couldn’t believe it. Wasn’t sure if it was the combo of chamomile, passionflower, and peppermint, but this tea was my hero for helping me get a solid night’s sleep.
Besides the affect the tea had on me, the herbal blend had a great taste as well. Minty, citrusy, with a herbaceous tone. Really easy to sip for an herbal blend. Sometimes the herb blends just go to far for me and the taste isn’t smooth. This blend was just about as perfect as you can get with an herbal blend that as a wellness factor to it. I actually ended up placing an order for more of this blend.
I have a pretty stressful job, am a mom, and am the admin for SororiTea Sisters along with having my own tea business. To say I’m a busy cat is an understatement. At night it seems like my mind turns forever in trying to think if I have everything I need done or set for the next day. With this tea, I’ve been able to enjoy a more restful sleep and even more relaxing evening. I used to grab for a cup of wine and still will but it sure is nice to have an herbal blend ready for those nights where I might need a bit more comforting. Can’t confirm whether or not the tea helps with headaches, but this tea sure relaxes me!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The Tea Mistress
Description
Organic ingredients: feverfew, chamomile, passionflower, meadowsweet, peppermint, lemon balm, white willow bark, linden, corriander
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sereni-tea from Because UR Priceless. . . . .
I was never an herbal tisane person…until I realized that my trouble sleeping might be coming from the copious amounts of late night tea. I need something nice and cozy with good flavor that won’t keep me up, so I am enjoying checking out some caffeine free options.
There are a lot of herbal blends that are not just free from caffeine, they actually help promote relaxation.
I turned on a playlist of spa/sleep music and made a small pot of this tisane. A couple of cups later, here is my impression. Use a strainer meant for very fine particles if you mind bits in your cup. I don’t mind them at all. The chamomile is a good one, either lacking the tongue twister some can have or being smoothed by the other ingredients, and the peppermint is very relaxing. It leaves a tingle long after the sip and I do find it refreshing without being stimulating. Peppermint by itself doesn’t thrill me, but in blends I like it. In fact, I am finding it a little difficult to stay up long enough to finish this review.
This was out of stock on the etsy shop at the time of this writing, but may be back in time for publication! May you have Sereni-tea as you sip today! (Or tonight!)
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Because UR Priceless
Description:
Take a few moments to sit quietly and enjoy the ultra-soothing taste of SERENI-TEA.
Go ahead, the world won’t end if you take a break. (Unless of course, you are guarding zombies. In that case, please wait for your replacement first.)
Release the tension and bring on the calm.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sabriel Fandom Blend from Adagio Teas
Full disclosure, this is one of the blends I made on Adagio Teas. Their create-a-blend tools are just too much fun, and their fandom tea community is active and engaging. I wanted to review my Sabriel blend because I had been stewing over the idea for a long time, and it was so satisfying to have it finally come together.
Sabriel is one of the main characters from the Old Kingdom book series by Garth Nix. I won’t go into too much detail about the books, except to say that the series essentially follows the lives of “good” necromancers who help fight dead creatures or put the dead to rest. The stories are beautiful, imaginative, and just a little spooky.
For my Sabriel tea blend I wanted something impactful but nuanced; her work managing the magic of the dead takes steadiness and subtlety. The body of the tea is made up of two types of green tea. The gunpowder tea is robust without being astringent, and adds a whiff of smokiness that compliments the crackling, toasted notes of the hojicha tea.
The rest of the ingredients are all fragrant and sensory-inspiring. Peppermint brings a cooling creepiness, like fog in a graveyard, or a settling peacefulness like still water. Rose and lavender can have the morbid interpretation of flowers at a funeral, but can also being nostalgic, like remembering a favorite bouquet or garden memory. Cardamom adds some spirit and peppery spice, and feels a bit unexpected without its usual partners of cinnamon and ginger. The scent of cardamom always makes me think of opening the kitchen spice cabinet, and all the cooking possibilities within.
I have not come across a blend quite like this in my tea drinking experience, so I was more than happy to have the opportunity to make it myself. It was also great fun to honor one of my favorite characters and book series in tea form.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Please Not Tonight from Oh You Tease
I have a soft spot for a nice cup of peppermint tea so I was more than happy to try Please Not Tonight from Oh You Tease. Mint tea is said to provide all kinds of health benefits like help with digestion and mental focus. I reach for a cup of mint tea when I want something crisp and refreshing and decaf.
Please Not Tonight is a perfectly named minty brew. Anytime you’re not up to whatever the night throws at you, brew a cup of this tea to soothe what ails you. Feel a migraine coming on? Let the creamy peppermint cool your head. Have an unsettled stomach? Drink a mug of crisp freshness. And this blend has chamomile to boot, to help encourage relaxation and sleep.
The real treat is the Oh You Tease shop itself. Their teas come in cheery, patterned envelopes with sweet or cheeky names. You also get the satisfaction of supporting a small business, a small business that brings more tea into the world. If that doesn’t make you feel better, maybe you need to brew another cup!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Oh You Tease
Description:
Naturally caffeine-free tea blend of peppermint leaves and chamomile flowers – natural stomach soothers
A fascinating and refreshing herbal infusion with an amazing minty peppermint and uplifting aroma of chamomile extracts. The whole aromatherapy in a teapot. Naturally caffeine free
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Christmas in September: Winter Cheer from Virginia Tea Company
I’m a bit out of season to review Winter Cheer from Virginia Tea Company, but today is a grey and dreary day so a cup of tea with “cheer” in the name feels like a good fit.
This blend features black tea, peppermint, and cinnamon. Even in the dry leaf you can smell all three distinct flavors.
Having peppermint and cinnamon in the same blend is like sitting in a snowbank next to a campfire: there are both cooling and warming elements happening at the same time. I enjoy blends that make use of these flavors. Beyond their flavor profiles, both peppermint and cinnamon bring their own type of sweetness.
Peppermint has a creaminess beneath all its icy mint, almost tasting like vanilla. Cinnamon has a more earthy, herbal sweetness, more in line with cloves or licorice.
With both of these flavors set against the robust backdrop of black tea, you get a full-bodied brew with a very tactile mouthfeel, both cooling and warming. This is a fresh take on the “spiced black tea” trend that pops up every fall and winter. The mint and cinnamon together really make this unique and festive.
I’m feeling full of cheer already!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Virginia Tea Co.
Description:
Sit back and relax with your family this holiday season while sharing this delicious, guilt-free tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!