Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Veda Company
Tea Description:
Mildly caffeinated with green tea, one of the nature’s antioxidant wonders. Boost your “Energy” with energizing, tasteful and exotic blends of lemongrass, mint and hibiscus.
Learn more about the teas from TeaVeda here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I really do like the concept of the Teaveda teas. I love the beautiful tins and the matching tea ware. I just kind of wish that the Veda Company paid as much attention to this blend in particular as they paid to the packaging and tea ware, because this tea is really quite average. 
While I’m enjoying this blend, I’m not really getting a sense of “Energy” from it. The flavors are very subtle and the overall cup is just sort of “ho-hum”.
The mint, which is normally a rather assertive herb, is quite subdued here. The lemongrass is bright and has a lemon-lime sort of flavor to it that I find enjoyable.
As for the hibiscus … well, it’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of hibiscus. I’m happy to say that the hibiscus is a gentle flavor here – I’m not getting an overly tart flavor from it nor am I getting the syrupy thickness from it. Then again, I did only steep the tea for 2 1/2 minutes so I didn’t expect to get a thick texture from the hibiscus.
I think that maybe the hibiscus helps to emphasize the lemon-y notes of the lemongrass just a bit, but other than that, I can’t say that there’s a really distinct hibiscus note here.
The green tea is pleasant. It’s smooth and buttery. It’s not bitter and it’s not astringent. (Bonus points for that!) Overall, this tea is alright. It’s not my favorite tea that I tried from Teaveda and I guess I just expected more from a tea that calls itself “Energy.”
Serenity Ayurvedic Tea from TeaVeda
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Decaffeinated)
Where to Buy: The Veda Company
Tea Description:
Delicious and intriguing blends of peach, pineapple, organic decaffeinated black tea and passion fruit make our “Serenity” tea a welcoming treat to sip slowly and enjoy.
Learn more about the teas from TeaVeda here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice! Of the various TeaVeda Ayurvedic teas that I’ve tried thus far, I think that this Serenity Tea is my favorite. I love the fruit flavors of this blend. I also appreciate that I taste black tea here, but I don’t taste that “off” taste that I sort of expect (and dread) when it comes to decaffeinated teas. This tastes like black tea. It doesn’t taste like decaffeinated black tea even though this IS a decaffeinated black tea. So, like I said. NICE!
While the fruit flavors are strong, the decaffeinated black tea base is a solid flavor – it doesn’t taste or feel thin the way some decaf black teas do. Nor does it have that chemical aftertaste that some decaf teas do. This tastes like a rich, malty black tea. And it’s a robust black tea, strong enough to hold its own against the plentiful flavors of peach, pineapple and passion fruit!
These tropical fruit flavors are tasty! The peach is the strongest of the three fruit flavors and it tastes sweet and juicy. The pineapple adds a bright flavor to the cup. And the flavor that ties it all together is the passion fruit. It adds a sweet, luscious flavor that makes the peach taste a little more “tropical” and the pineapple a little more like a fruit from an orchard in Georgia. This medley of fruit is summery and refreshing and evokes thoughts of laying out on a hammock on a tropical island, watching the sun as it sets over the horizon. A very serene scene, indeed!
This is a very aptly named tea – sure to inspire Serenity from the inside out.
Balancing Ayurvedic Tea from TeaVeda
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Veda Company
Tea Description:
Organic decaffeinated black tea lovingly mixed with delicate flavors of jasmine and bergamot blissfully soothe and stimulate with our “Balancing” tea.
Learn more about the teas from TeaVeda here.
Taster’s Review:
Of the different teas that I received from The Veda Company, this was the one I was timid to try. I mean, you know that I love bergamot and jasmine, however, I can recall a couple of bergamot/jasmine blends that have been less than successful as far as I’m concerned. And this blend has a decaffeinated black tea base and I’ve had a few decaffeinated black teas that I’ve not been crazy about. So, a few of my ‘red flags’ popped up when I read the description for this tea.
But it’s actually alright. Maybe even a little better than alright. Yeah, this is definitely better than alright. It isn’t the best tea that I’ve ever tried but I am enjoying it.
The bergamot here is on the subtle side. It’s a little citrus-y, but not really a distinctly crisp, tangy bergamot note that I’d usually expect from a typical Earl Grey. Perhaps the presence of jasmine softens it a little. The jasmine offers a delicate floral note to the cup.
I am noticing a slightly ‘thinner’ flavor from the black tea which is a typical “side effect” from the process that decaffeinates the tea. It doesn’t taste as rich or robust as a typical black tea would. But I don’t taste that “chemical” aftertaste from the decaffeinated tea and that earns this tea big points.
It’s not my favorite from TeaVeda/The Veda Company, but I enjoyed it. It’s a tea that I’d drink again if it were offered to me. It’s pleasant and has a nice balance of flavors. It tastes good served hot and it’s also nice as it cools.
Revitalize Ayurvedic Tea from TeaVeda
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Veda Company
Tea Description:
“Revitalize” your mind, body and spirit with refreshing and rejuvenating essences of wild mint, cinnamon and traditional Ayurvedic Indian Gooseberry. Each blend is mildly caffeinated with green tea, one of nature’s antioxidant wonders.
Learn more about the teas from TeaVeda here.
Taster’s Review:
Indian Gooseberry is not something that I’m well acquainted with, so I googled it to learn more. Based on the information that I could find, it is high in vitamin C, it is an antioxidant and does all kinds of other good for you things like enhances brain function, heart support and it’s good for your skin and hair among many other benefits.
OK, sounds good to me.
The berry is supposed to offer a very strong sour and bitter taste. Bitter and sour are not two of my favorite words when it comes to describing tea.
So maybe the Indian Gooseberry is starting to sound less good to me.
But, hey, there are other ingredients in this tea too. Not just the gooseberry. Cinnamon and wild mint. I like them. And I like green tea. So, maybe these other ingredients will help make the Indian Gooseberry more palatable.
So, I’ll try it. Hey! That’s what I do. That’s why I’m here. And that’s why you’re here. You’re here to read about what I’m drinking. And I’m about to drink this tea.
To brew it, I heated freshly filtered water to 175°F and I got out my favorite teacup. Unfortunately, it isn’t the gorgeous Revitalize teacup from the TeaVeda collection. But I like my sunflower teacup anyway!
I let the tea sachet steep for 2 minutes. The aroma has a strong fruity essence with light background notes of cinnamon and a whisper of mint.
The flavor is strong. It has a strong, berry like flavor that is indeed both bitter and sour. The cinnamon and mint do balance this strong flavor out though. I’m finding the flavor a little surprising because cinnamon and mint tend to be very strong, aggressive flavors and it surprises me that the Indian Gooseberry is a stronger flavor than the other ingredients. The gooseberry is what I taste – front and center – while the other flavors seem to temper the bitterness and tart character of the gooseberry.
That said, I find the flavor to be enjoyable. I am not a big fan of bitter and sour flavors, but, because of the presence of the mint and cinnamon, these two flavors are much more acceptable to my palate … not just acceptable, but actually enjoyable.
I don’t taste a lot of green tea here and if I’m to offer a complaint about this tea, that would be it. I would like to have a stronger green tea presence. After all, I’m drinking tea. I want to taste the tea.
I found this tea to be quite interesting, and I could notice myself feeling revitalized after I finished it. I would certainly drink this again if the opportunity presented itself.
Harmony Ayurvedic Tea from TeaVeda
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Veda Company
Tea Description:
Find your bliss and indulge with the herbal mix of mint, licorice and Indian pennywort (said to enhance longevity) in our “Harmony” tea. Each blend is mildly caffeinated with green tea, one of nature’s antioxidant wonders.
Learn more about the teas from TeaVeda here.
Taster’s Review:
I can really smell the licorice here. It has a warm, sweet smell. The pennywort might add to some of the sweetness in the aroma, although I’m not really sure because pennywort is one of those herbs that I’m just not all that familiar with. I’m surprised that I’m not picking up more of the minty fragrance since mint can be a very dominant herb.
I wish I could taste the licorice as distinctly as I can smell it. I am not really familiar with the flavor of pennywort, so I suspect that is what I’m tasting because I taste a sweet, vaguely earthy taste that doesn’t taste like mint or licorice or green tea. So I’m guessing this flavor I’m experiencing is pennywort, or more accurately, what pennywort tastes like when it’s blended with licorice, mint and green tea.
It is kind of an odd taste but not unpleasant. It just tastes really different from anything I’ve tasted before, so I’m having a difficult time describing what I’m experiencing. What comes to mind as I sip it is the liquid that might result after having steamed spinach. The greenish liquor that would be in the water vessel of my steamer – I haven’t ever drank that liquid, but I’ve often guessed that it tastes earthy and vegetal. Now imagine combining that liquid with the steamer liquid after cooking asparagus and broccoli. Again, I’ve never consumed either of these liquids, but I have imagined them to taste earthy, vegetal and possibly a bit bittersweet. That’s kind of what I’m tasting now.
Now that I’m past the mid-cup mark, I’m starting to pick up on an aftertaste that is both minty and licorice-like. These flavors are starting to develop in the sip too, although the aforementioned steamer liquid taste remains the strongest flavor of the cup.
I can’t say I’m loving this tea, but I don’t hate it either. It’s just … odd. Different from what I’ve tasted in the past. Not a familiar flavor. But at the same time, it’s not unpleasant. It’s sort of like trying a new vegetable for the first time. Veggies aren’t always everyone’s favorite side dish on the plate, but we eat them and while we’re more likely to enjoy something more familiar, the new veggie isn’t so bad once you get used to it. That’s how I’d describe this tea experience.