Ever since I was a kid I’ve had throat issues. I got strep throat almost every year. My mother is a nurse and she is really into organic and natural products. One day she came home with this tea and she told me to drink it before bed when my throat was bothering me this one time. The next morning I swear that I felt so much better. Ever since, I have always kept this tea on hand for when my throat started acting up. It works every time. If the issue is strep, it may not rid it completely of course (you need to see a doctor and get antibiotics) but it will definitely ease the pain and make it a little more bearable. This tea is very soothing and it tastes delicious.
This is a blend that comes in a pre-packaged tea bag. Although I am not usually a fan of anything in a tea bag, I prefer loose leaf, but this tea brews strong enough that I truly wouldn’t know the difference. This blend is absolutely delicious, seriously it is! Not only is it soothing on a sore throat or just great for overall throat health, it is tasty and not the stereotypical “medicine tasting” herbal tea. I can taste the marshmallow and licorice the most, followed by the medley of herbs. It doesn’t even need to be sweetened because the marshmallow and licorice root do the job. I think that this could even satisfy a sweet tooth, that’s how yummy it is!
Every household needs to have this in their cabinet. Drink it at night before bed when you feel a sore throat coming on (or daily, for ultimate throat help and protection!) and you will feel so much better in the morning! So many times I have felt a sore throat starting and the morning after I drink this, I feel so much better. Not to mention it’s marshmallow-y goodness is delicious!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Traditional Medicinals
Description
Slippery elm or Ulmus rubra (Latin for “red elm,” so called for its lovely reddish bark) is a beautiful, native North American elm tree. It’s the inner bark of this tree that is actually called “slippery elm” due to its, yes, slippery, smooth, and slimy-in-a-good-way properties. Combined with licorice and marshmallow root, we think this tea blend is like taking your voice to the spa—because we all need a little comfort sometimes so we can get back to being our best.
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Monkey King Jasmine Green Tea from Numi. . . . .
Steeping specs: 170° with one teabag in one cup of water for about 2 to 3 minutes
This green tea is a great responsible option for travelers who need the convenience of a teabag but don’t want to go with a low-quality commercialized option. This one has fair trade certified ingredients (tea leaves infused with jasmine that is also certified organic) and a biodegradable teabag. So there’s some social responsibility for you.
The tea water while steeping turns a yellowish color and immediately gives off a very very floral scent from all that jasmine. Jasmine is actually quite a piercing sent, unlike the green tea flavor in the tea (which I can’t smell at all due to the heady flower fragrance). This particular batch of jasmine flavor, though, is actually much more approachable than some that I’ve tried recently. It’s not so penetrating that you want to run and hide, and it doesn’t make you feel like a perfume shop. It just lingers around the tea and makes everything sweeter.
I should probably also mention that I am almost unable to taste any green tea flavor over the jasmine once I start drinking it. Not quite unable, though. I am finding a bit of astringency that could only come from the tea itself, and there are a couple of other notes that may be tea-related, although it’s a little hard to tell this point. In addition, the Jasmine actually makes this tea really really sweet, which means it doesn’t need sugar (making it even healthier to drink and even more convenient for traveling).
Overall I’d say this is a very exceptional option considering that it came from a tea bag (I try not to be too much of a loose leaf snob, but some teabags make it so easy). The leaves in the teabag are chopped up pretty finely but still manage to deliver excellent flavor, especially excellent Jasmine flavor.
I would be careful with the directions given on the packet though, since they’re a little unspecific. It says to boil your water and then allow to cool slightly before steeping. What you really need to do is allow to cool significantly to about 170-180° or you’re likely to end up with bitter tea. My tea was steeped at about 170F and is almost verging on bitter already. Of course you can always add sugar if it starts to get bitter too.
So as mentioned above, I think this is a great option for traveling, what with its socially responsible packaging and convenience of use (and higher-quality ingredients than other conveniently packaged teas), or you could even keep it around the house for a great flowery-tasting option when you’re in a hurry or don’t want to bother with loose leaves.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Numi Tea
Description
This tea is not currently on the website but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Amber Black Maple from Embrew.. . . . .
I usually drink loose leaf tea so I pulled out this sample teabag with low expectations…until I had the bag in my hands. It felt fat and crunchy! I could tell the leaves were big and whole, and decided to steep this in an infuser so I could have a good look at it. I tore it open and that’s when I saw that there was more than just tea in the bag! There were also coarse grains of sugar. Looking up the company online, I saw that they specialize in teas blended with handcrafted sweeteners and mine just happens to be a maple sugar. SUH-WEET! (Literally and figuratively.) What a great choice to go with brekkie today!
It brews up to a hearty cup. I was concerned it might be too sweet for me since I don’t usually add any sugar to my tea, but it wasn’t. The sugar doesn’t take away from the delicious flavor of the tea at all, and this is a good quality tea right here! It makes a 10-12 ounce cup or mug of tea, whereas most teabags only promise you a decent six ounces.
I often resteep my leaves so I gave that a try. The second steep of these leaves had about as much color and flavor as the first, with just a drop in the sweetness level. You could easily combine the two steeps and have a fantastic pot of breakfast tea for two, and the sugar level would still be enough for folks like me.
I am impressed by the quality of these leaves. It is a great on-the-go tea if you want a little sugar in your cup but the convenience of a teabag without sacrificing quality of the leaf. The black tea itself is hearty with fruity notes, certainly a bold enough flavor for a good wake up.
Great job, Embrew!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Embrew
Description
This sweet, robust black tea from Nepal is double-roasted resulting in sophisticated cocoa and molasses flavors. We’ve added pure granulated maple syrup from a family farm at the base of Mount Mansfield, Vermont to round out the cup.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rich Assam Black Tea Signature Collection from Wissotzky Tea. . . . .
Sometimes I’m Lazy. Yes. That is a complete sentence. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have to explain myself on that because I think no matter how driven or inspired anyone can be – anyone can still be lazy every once and a while.
Rich Assam Black Tea Signature Collection from Wissotzky Tea has been my lazy tea as of late. I purchased it prior to Christmas while shopping for someone else. It was on sale for $1.99 at a local TJ Maxx. I see on the company website that it sells for $4.99. I feel I got a great bargain. Even at $4.99 for 16 silky pyramid tea bags I was totally ok with the price tag. WHY? Because it was one of the stronger black teas I have had in a tea bag in a great while.
It stands up to it’s name – RICH ASSAM. It’s powerful, bold, rich, smooth, fairly malty, a bit brash, and a tad astringent – but all in good ways!
Regardless if you are in a rush and don’t have time to infused loose leaf tea leaves or if you are feeling lazy THIS tea is one I would keep on hand as often as possible. It’s a good old stand by in a bag. Rich Assam Black Tea Signature Collection from Wissotzky Tea is a winner in my book!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Wissotzky Tea
Description
Our choice “Rich Assam” is a smooth, full bodied black tea carrying a distinctive malty aroma that is unique to India’s highland tea plantations of Assam. An ideal morning tea to get you going. Enjoy with or without milk.
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Thai Lemongrass- A Vegetable Sipping Broth from Millie’s Savory Teas. . .
Today is one of those days where I have to fast because of a medical test I’m having done tomorrow. So when I found out I was going to have this test, I instantly went to Millie’s Savory Teas site and bought 3 of their 5 Flavor Snack packs. Since my fasting will be over 24 hours, I knew that I would need something more than chicken broth to keep me in check.
So let me break this sipping broth down a bit. This sipping broth has a range of different seasonings and spices along with green tea. Basically what they have created is a savory green tea which I am all about. I had their Spicy Tortilla flavor a few months ago so I was more than ready to try their other flavors.
In the 5 Flavor Snack Pack, you receive 3 broth bags of a variety of their flavors. The ones I received are Thai Lemongrass, Delight Pho, Spicy Tortilla, and Tomato Basil. They all sounded amazing but the Thai Lemongrass grabbed my attention first.
The aromas that emit from the broth bag are mouth watering. The only comparison that comes to mind is the spice packaging you find in ramen noodles. That may sound like a dig, but it really isn’t. I adore that intense spice smell. And to be honest, the spice package is my favorite part of ramen soup. I’ve even been known to use the mix in my homemade chicken noodle soup.
I prepped my water around 190F and poured the water into my cup with 1 broth bag. Again, those familiar mouth watering aromas just making me happy. I allowed the bag to steep for a tad longer than the recommendation said mainly because I was multi-tasking and didn’t hear my alarm go off.
Before gulping this tea down because I’m several hours into my fasting by now, I did allow the tea to settle and cool for close to 3 minutes. First sip in and my tastebuds were in savory heaven.
This tea delivers on a thai lemongrass savory tea flavor. I can’t say that I’m picking up a distinct green tea flavor but I am definitely picking up the overall green tea buttery feel. The Thai Lemongrass flavors are quite nice and well balanced. Not to spicy and there is a gentle citrus twist towards the end of the sip that elevates the flavor. What I’m really enjoying is this melody of vegetables-I’m thinking carrot, celery, and onion- that really drive home the savory portion of the tea.
The more this tea cools, the spicier the notes are becoming, which I’m loving. All in all, this tea is incredibly comforting and I could honestly say this would be a great savory treat for the afternoons or if you aren’t able to get to your lunch, a great way to tide you over until you have time to eat.
I couldn’t ask for a better tea to fast with. My cup is empty and I’m ready for more. I’m excited to try the rest of the blends now. Thank you Millie’s Savory Teas for making my fasting a bit more bearable.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Millie’s Savory Teas
Description
This Thai Lemongrass Sipping Broth is a citrusy blend of lemongrass, spices & green tea. This first-of-its-kind savory single serve hot beverage delivers an amazing taste using the highest quality vegan, natural, wild harvest, organic and gluten-free ingredients – NO MSG. It really is Comfort Food in a Broth™.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
