I brewed it in freshly boiled water (~8-10 oz) for 3 minutes as suggested. I love loose leaf tea, but the pyramid sachets this tea comes in are super cute and convenient. It’s just one less step (putting the tea into the brew basket) but can make a big difference, especially if you’re in a hurry.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a Thyme tea before, so this was new and exciting to me. This tea doesn’t seem to have any other herbs/spices besides thyme (the ingredients are black tea, thyme, and vanilla) but the flavor is pretty strong and the vanilla gives it more depth and richness. It’s a nice medium-dark, transparent honey-brown when steeped and smells both Thymey and sweet.
First sip: There’s a bit of cognitive dissonance here because I’ve only ever had Thyme in savory dishes so my brain is expecting this tea to be savory rather than sweet. It is sweet, though. I can identify the tannic astringency of the tea base, along the sides of my tongue, while the Thymey bouquet invades my nose. The astringency transitions into a sweetness on the top and back of the tongue that somehow connects it to the flowery herbal fragrance, keeping the whole thing somewhat coherent. So although the black tea flavor is mostly subsumed and the astringent component is the only part of it that really sticks out to me, it still contributes to the overall taste profile.
I next added a bit of sugar (only a little, since it’s so sweet already), which helped the various flavors flow together even better. I then added milk, which worked out great. It made the tea taste warm and strengthening (I mean, it technically already tasted warm, but still) and helped my taste buds get over the funky “no really, this should be savory because it has thyme in it” idea. I think I like it best with milk, but then I usually do with chais and other strong black teas.
This is a very different sort of chai, with a Mediterranean rather than a South Asian inspiration, but I really enjoyed it and I think I could add it to my rotation with great success.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Balcony Teas
Description
This is what my papa called “a signature tea”: refreshing in summer and protective in winter. We love the distinctly herbaceous, yet sweet and comforting taste of this black tea.
Ingredients:
Black Tea – The finest Ceylon tea. Fortifying, yet refreshing.Wild Thyme – Our thyme is wild-harvested in the Mediterranean to ensure its intense aroma and taste. The Romans believed Thyme to be a mood enhancer. My family used to drink it whenever we were feeling under the weather.Vanilla Pieces & Flavour – Smooth, sweet and luxurious.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Thyme Chai From Balcony Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Chai (Black Tea)
Where to Buy: Balcony Tea
Tea Description:
This is what my papa called “a signature tea”: refreshing in summer and protective in winter. We love the distinctly herbaceous, yet sweet and comforting taste of this black tea.
Ingredients:
Black Tea – The finest Ceylon tea. Fortifying, yet refreshing.Wild Thyme – Our thyme is wild-harvested in the Mediterranean to ensure its intense aroma and taste. The Romans believed Thyme to be a mood enhancer. My family used to drink it whenever we were feeling under the weather.Vanilla Pieces & Flavour – Smooth, sweet and luxurious.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Thyme Chai From Balcony Tea is unlike anything I have had before and that is a GOOD thing! It does take a while for the tea water to fully infuse to a dark brown that you would expect from a black based tea but it’s worth the wait. I actually went the full 5 minutes. The loose leaf mixture is gently placed in a silk sachet so I wasn’t able to do my usual double dosage at half the time for a stronger black tea. I wanted to try is straight up as Balcony Teas attended first. It was a success!
I was trying to figure out how Thyme Chai From Balcony Tea was supposed to TASTE like a chai when all it had in it was Black Tea, Wild Thyme, and Vanilla. I don’t know how they did it but they did! It was very Chai-esque! That Wild Thyme must be some potent stuff! The vanilla gives it a hint of smooth on the end sip, too! The Black Tea base was impressively strong for something in a sachet!
Thyme Chai From Balcony Tea was pleasing to each of my senses! The ingredients used were of good quality. I enjoy the labeling and stories that go along with these teas, too! Well done!
Thym Tisane from Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
Thymus in Greek means ‘perfume’. Our friend thyme took its name in the pure sense. Not for him the discretion! Wherever he goes, he makes his presence felt, with a hint of camphor to assert its explosive character. Like any clear-cut personality, we love or hate. No half measures! For those who can appreciate it will be the friend you expected. Its natural mover will take care of clutter. His explosive side waltz send your sworn enemies of winter. A superhero among plants.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Thym tisane smells like my spice cabinet! It smells like what I smell when I open the door to my spice cabinet. And that makes sense, since this is 100% thyme.
And while I can’t recall having a tea with thyme in it (I may have, it’s just that none come to mind), as I sip this, I’m really digging it! I’m liking it a lot more than I expected to. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it as a tisane.
I mean, I like thyme as a spice, and it’s an herb I turn to every Thanksgiving to add just the right flavor to my turkey. It’s great in meatloaf and I also add it to the crock pot when I’m cooking a pork roast. But, I never really thought to steep it and drink it in a tisane, and to drink a tisane that is 100% thyme, nope, I can’t say that I’ve ever really considered it until I received this sampling from Les 2 Marmottes.
But I like this! I like it a lot! It has notes of mint and clove with a pleasant woodsy flavor that I’d describe as something between pine and cedar. It’s a little sweet and it’s savory and it’s definitely different.
It’s really tasty!
Bergamot Sage from Rishi Tea
Tea Type: Herbal
Where To Buy: Rishi Tea
Product Description:
Bergamot Sage, Organic Botanical Blend
The sublime character of sage is wonderfully balanced and masterfully combined with the citrus notes of lemon thyme and bergamot, which play beautifully with overtones of fresh pine, wintergreen and peppermint. Bergamot Sage is an original mood boosting and mentally clarifying blend, fit for anytime of day.
Water: 212°F / Boiling / Leaves: 1 tablespoon per 8 oz / Infusion Time: 5 minutes / Ingredients: Organic lemon thyme, organic sage leaf, organic peppermint, organic lemon verbena and natural essential oil of bergamot. Origin: Rishi blend.
Tasters Review:
This one really surprised me. I went into this thinking it was going to be all about the sage for some reason but there is a lot of other flavors going on here. It’s pretty good! I’m sure the peppermint had something to do with it. Many of you know how much I like Peppermint!
I can taste the peppermint, sage, and bergamot. The Lemon is noticeable but blends in with the bergamot mostly. There is a slight sage aftertaste a little bit more sage than peppermint. This is very different but pretty good.