Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: MarketSpice
Tea Description:
A tangy yet fruity blend of herbs. This old time favorite tea contains Lemon Grass, Rosehips, Hibiscus, Peppermint, Orange Peel and Wild Cherry Bark. Caffeine free.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yet another tea that I held on to because the herbal content scared me a bit. Hibiscus! Yikes! Run for the hills!
But now that I’m finally tasting it, the hibiscus really isn’t a very strong flavor. It does offer a slight tangy note to the overall cup, as well as some texture and a pretty pinkish hue. However, the other herbs in this blend manage to keep the hibiscus in check, and keep it from getting too tart or syrupy. Of course, being diligent on the steep time is important too, I steeped this for six minutes using water at 195°F, and I really wouldn’t recommend steeping it any longer than that.
Really, despite all my trepidation, this really is quite a tasty tisane. Tangy, yes, but not overly so. It also has some sweet citrus-y notes that meld nicely with the tangy notes to give it a light sweet-tart kind of flavor that I find rather enjoyable as well as soothing. And the peppermint – which is another sometimes aggressive herb – manages to stay in check too. I like how the minty note really freshens up the cup, providing a crisp, cool note to contrast with the sweet and tangy flavors.
A nice herbal that both kids and adults can enjoy any time of day.
Tulsi Signature Blend from Davidson’s Organics
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: Davidson’s Organics
Tisane Description:
Davidson`s Signature Blend blends three varieties of Tulsi (Krishna, Rama and Vana) with Peppermint (mild stimulating properties, aids digestion & calms an upset stomach)*, Pepper (mild stimulant & digestive aid)*, Ginger (helps with motion sickness & nausea)* and Cinnamon (recommended for balancing blood sugar levels).
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice!
I love the combination of flavors here … a quick glance of the ingredients, and one might think of this as a chai-like tisane, but, it really isn’t. The flavors of pepper, ginger and cinnamon are very calm – not at all spicy.
Everything in this blend is nicely balanced. It has a minty overtone, but the peppermint (as well as the natural minty notes of the tulsi) does not overpower the cup. Peppermint can sometimes be an aggressive herb, but here, it seems to even out the also sometimes aggressive flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and pepper. Everything seems to work together to create a gentle, even flavor that is actually quite soothing.
I love that I taste everything here but it is all in a smooth and calm way. Bravo to Davidson’s Organics for creating a Signature Blend that allows the beauty of tulsi to come through.
Guayusa Tea with Mint from Stash Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Tea Description:
GUAYUSA (gwhy-you-sa) is a rare herbal tea produced from the leaves of a holly tree (ilex guayusa) native to the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. Guayusa is naturally caffeinated and has an awakening effect similar to coffee and yerba mate. For this signature blend, Guayusa is paired with peppermint and spearmint for a refreshing, rejuvenating blend.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I really like this blend. The Guayusa is very invigorating (and I really needed it to help me wake up this morning!) and the mint flavor gives it a very refreshing, crisp taste.
I’ve reviewed a few Guayusa blends now, and I really like this herb. It has a rich, earthy flavor that is neither too vegetal nor too earthy. It reminds me a bit of a light roast coffee. It also reminds me a little of yerba maté, although if given the choice, I’d choose Guayusa over yerba maté, because I like the smooth flavor of Guayusa better than the rather strong (and sometimes a little bitter) taste of yerba maté. Don’t get me wrong, I like yerba maté too, but, I just prefer Guayusa. Guayusa has never been bitter or astringent any time I’ve tasted it – it’s always just been smooth and energizing.
This blend combines the delicious flavor of Guayusa with mint … peppermint and spearmint, to be exact. And the flavor is very minty. It tastes cool and leaves my mouth feeling very clean and fresh. But because of the Guayusa it doesn’t taste too minty. It doesn’t taste like a mouth full of toothpaste, it just tastes refreshing!
While I am drinking this hot at the moment (I prefer my morning teas to be hot), I think it would be very delicious iced too. However, it isn’t a tea that I’d recommend drinking too late in the evening (which I tend to do with iced teas), because it is a highly caffeinated beverage.
Instead, this is the kind of tea you’d want to drink early in the day when you need a super-charged boost of energy. This tea will do that for you, and without all the sugar of the typical energy drink in a can!
Lapsang Souchong from Dr. Tea’s Tea Garden
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Dr. Tea’s Tea Garden
About This Tea:
The story goes that Lapsang Souchong was first created when the Wuyi region’s annual tea drying process was interrupted by army movement. To compensate for the missed drying period, tea farmers hung their tea over pinewood fires, consequently imparting a distinctive smoky flavor and aroma. Our Lapsang Souchong is sourced by Mark Ukra, co-owner of Dr. Tea’s Tea Garden, who comes from a family of Middle Eastern tea merchants dating back 400 years. Drink Lapsang Souchong plain or try it as a spice or rub for cooking.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
January’s Steepster Select box brought teas that to help warm us up from Winter’s Chill. The first tea that I tried from the box was this Lapsang Souchong, which is a little unusual for me since it’s one of my least favorite teas (well, not this Lapsang Souchong, but Lapsang Souchong in general is one of my least favorite teas).
But this is no ordinary Lapsang Souchong. This is easily the best that I’ve ever tried. Now, I can’t say that I’ve tried a lot of Lapsang Souchong teas, as it is one of those teas that I tend to avoid, but I have tried a few, and I’ve even managed to – slowly – get my palate more accustomed to the unique flavor experience of Lapsang Souchong. While I am slowly gaining an appreciation for this strong, smoky tea, it is still sometimes difficult for me to get past it.
This Lapsang Souchong from Dr. Tea’s Tea Garden has been a real eye-opening experience for me. I am not just “appreciating” this tea … I’m LOVING it!
The first couple of sips are quite smoky. But once I get past those first sips, I find wonderful flavors await me. I can actually taste the pine here, and that is something that I didn’t really experience in previous Lapsang Souchong tastings. I may have tasted mere hints of pine in the distance, but, mostly what I tasted was smoke and the caramel undertone. Here, the pine is quite distinct and it is lovely.
The caramel undertones are there as well, giving a very pleasant sweetness to the smoky overtones. But what I find especially enjoyable is the way that the caramel undertones meld with the pine notes. The flavors here are deep and intriguing.
A very unique Lapsang Souchong, and I have Steepster Select for bringing it to me!
Go Green from Karma Blends
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Karma Blends
Tea Description:
In a world where everything is going green, why not your tea. This absolutely delightful blend of green tea, peppermint, lemon peel granules and lemon thyme will bring out the green in you! Even better when shared with a friend.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is nice!
I think what catches my attention about this tea most is its gentle approach. The peppermint – which can often be a rather aggressive flavor in tea – is crisp and cool but without ever becoming too strong. It’s minty, but not too minty.
The lemon flavor – another flavor that can be overwhelming in other blends that I’ve tried – here is quite smooth and even a little sweet. Not incredibly tart, but just enough to offer contrast.
The green tea is not outdone by these flavors, instead, the three notes work together quite harmoniously to create a flavor that is delicious and energizing in a way that is soothing and relaxing. It is delicious and restorative served hot, and refreshingly tasty served over ice.
This is just the kind of tea I would expect from a company called Karma Blends: it is so delicious and well balanced!