Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Tulsi
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
If you liked our Graveyard Mist from a few weeks back, I think you are going to love this one. We’ve combined Rooibos and Tulsi Rama with cacao nibs and fresh cut peppermint for an unearthly, caffeine-free Halloween treat. The rooibos, tulsi rama and chocolate smooth out the peppermint and make it more rounded, less sharp, more soothing and less jolting. the mint is most prominent, but it’s a subdued mint tamed by this blend of tisanes and chocolate.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh … YUM! This is some seriously delicious minty chocolate goodness in a teacup!
The rooibos and tulsi together offer a bit of an unusual base, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. It it actually quite good. I think that the tulsi helps to soften the rooibos’ sometimes weird woody taste just a bit, and it also adds some definition to the mint, giving the overall cup a more of an herbal-y/earthy kind of taste rather than the typical woody/nutty rooibos flavor, which is, if you think about it, very in keeping with the “witchy” kind of theme. The bit of herbal taste makes it seem as though this might have been freshly ladled from a witches caldron!
But, if it were a potion, I don’t think it’s an evil potion, because an evil witch wouldn’t put chocolate in her potion! This was a potion concocted by a very good witch (or a brilliant, mad, Zoomdweebie of a genius named Frank!)
I like the balance in this cup. I taste the chocolate (and OK, I’ll be honest, more chocolate is always better), and I taste the mint, but, the mint isn’t overpowering. It tastes crisp and smooth at the same time. There is a slight nutty flavor from the rooibos, but as I mentioned before, I find that the taste of the rooibos seems to be tapered somewhat by the tulsi. Everything just seems to work together very harmoniously to create a very soothing, calming, easy to sip tisane.
What a perfectly enchanting brew!
Tusli Ginger Tea from Happy Earth Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tisane Description:
This tea is beam of golden sunlight . It is a vitalizing blend of holy basil and ginger, fragrant with spicy, floral and sweet notes. The pungency of the ginger blends with spicy-floral nature of the basil for an invigorating cup.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I chose to drink this after consuming some rather spicy, homemade chili (I do love my chili!) in the hopes that it would help soothe my tummy after such a spicy meal. Yes, I do love my spice, but, I often suffer for it afterward (heartburn!) and while there are many over the counter products that help with such problems, rather than turning to something like that, I prefer to take the more natural approach, and choose a tisane with ginger (or peppermint) to help with the problem.
And as I chose to compose this review a few hours later, I can say with complete confidence that this tea certainly helped in the stomach discomfort area. I did not have any heartburn last night, and my tummy felt very calm and soothed … it even felt as though it had been lovingly comforted, which I realize sounds kind of weird, but I don’t know how else to describe it, other than to say I didn’t feel anything that remotely suggested that I would suffer from heartburn.
There is a whole lot of ginger to this tisane … so if you’re one who doesn’t care for ginger, I can’t say that this would be the right tisane for you. But, I do like the way the Tulsi sort of softens the peppery bite of the ginger. Yes, there is still a lot of warming, peppery ginger to it, but, the gentle touch of Tulsi smooths out the ginger just enough to make it easier to drink than a pure ginger infusion would be.
The Tulsi gives a slightly earthy, herbaceous taste to the cup, while the ginger tastes, well, like ginger. Spicy! A hint of mint is in the background … like the mint taste you’d get from basil. On Steepster, I described the contrast between the Tulsi and the Ginger as a sort of good cop/bad cop kind of action on my taste buds. The Tulsi is gentle and mild, while the ginger is spicy and strong. But both are soothing in their own way.
I like this a lot more than I thought I would. It would be nice to have this on hand for the times I need some gingery comfort and relief.
Awake from Bird’s Eye Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté & Tulsi
Where to Buy: Bird’s Eye Tea
Tisane Description:
This energizing blend will brighten your mornings! This is a really fun blend that I hope will invigorate and keep you focused during this cool dark season we are entering.
Ingredients: Yerba mate, Tulsi, Bacopa (brahmi), Spearmint, and Currant
To learn more about this tisane, click here.
To learn more about subscribing to Bird’s Eye Tea, click here.
Taster’s Review:
I had a hard time waking up this morning. I just didn’t want to. I was all warm and snuggled in my bed, so comfortable … but I had to get up. Too many things to do today!
This is exactly the kind of tisane that I need on a day like this. Awake from Bird’s Eye Tea is a Yerba Maté blend that was included in their November subscription box.
Yerba Maté – as many of you probably already know – is super-charged with caffeine for an eye-opening experience, but, what I like about this tisane isn’t the earthy/vegetal taste of the Maté (although I don’t dislike that), I’m liking the hint of mint that I taste from spearmint and tulsi – it isn’t a strong MINTY taste, but it is a nice touch. I find mint to be an invigorating taste, and tulsi has a sort of calming effect … which allows me to become alert but not jittery.
I don’t have much experience with brahmi … in fact, I cant tell you with certainty that I’ve ever had this herb in a tea … or in anything else, for that matter. The Bird’s Eye Tea Newsletter for November says that brahmi is an adaptogenic herb, which is supposed to help the body adapt to stress.
OK, so what I’m deriving from that is that this tisane helps you wake up and face the day, stress free! Heck yeah! I certainly could use a little of that!
My one complaint about this tisane is that I wish I could taste more of the currant. I taste the mint, I taste the herbaceous, earthy flavor of the Maté (and of course the other herbs contribute to this herbaceous note as well), but I don’t really taste a whole lot of berry, except in the aftertaste. Not even in the immediate aftertaste, but, after I’ve finished the sip, about a minute or so afterward, then I notice a hint of berry flavor come through – just a wee hint of tingly, tart-yet-sweet currant. I like that … but I’d like there to be a little more.
Overall, though, I found this to be a very enjoyable herbal tisane. It is energizing, as I am just over the halfway point with my cup here, and I am already feeling invigorated. A really pleasant blend – I’m really liking Bird’s Eye Tea!
Climber’s High from The Tea Spot
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Roasted Yerba Mate, Black Tea, Green Tea, White Tea, Pu’erh,
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Tea Description:
A super-charged blend of teas, spices and herbs formulated to provide a refreshing daily lift for people with active, high-energy lifestyles. Climber’s High is a high-powered way to increase your intake of beneficial antioxidants such as flavonoids and catechins, as well as a host of healthy vitamins, trace minerals, beneficial phyto-constituents, and caffeine. It was originally conceived to assist people in adjusting to higher altitudes. This spiced yerba mate chai tea is both good for you and a pleasure to drink.
Ingredients: roasted yerba mate, black tea, green tea, white tea, pu’erh, ginger root, cinnamon, green cardamom, licorice root, ginseng root, saffron, black pepper, clove, fennel, safflowers, peppermint, tulsi, and cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla flavoring.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Chai is on my mind lately with the change in seasons where I live, yet honestly chai was not on my mind at all when I reached for this sample from one of my SororiTea Sisters! I simply wanted something that would set well with my upset tummy I have had for the last couple of days, also something minty as I have not been really able to taste much either. Last night I was drinking some vanilla mint tea after trying unsuccessfully to enjoy some other samples. Today I grabbed for this and even though I am still a little stuffy I could smell such yummy aromas and I knew in that moment I could stomach it! So it got steeped.
This is not your typical chai yet it has many chai elements. One may think that they threw everything in here but the kitchen sink and thus may not really end up tasting like anything favorable but surprisingly it is wonderful. You don’t need to be sick, or needing to adjust to altitude sickness to enjoy this savory cup! They even put a little chocolate in there for the sweet tooth and the chocolate does come through nicely but is not over done. This is not a “chocolate tea” it is savory yet every now and then I get a little bit of sweet on the lips and a subtle chocolate taste on the palate.
The yerba mate gives you a nice kick start to your day without leaving you jittery or nervous, while the pu-erh is grounding and centering. I tasted the black pepper notes, which I always enjoy in a tea, the cinnamon, clove, ginger and other savory elements are all quite present but the mint is what seems to linger the longest in a minty sweet manner, as if I had just had a light candy mint. I also do pick up the vanilla as well. Truly this tea has it all and then some and yes at times the flavors get muddled a little as a true blend should but it is quite easy to pick out singular flavor elements as well.
If I was not aware that there were so many types of tea in this blend and I had to tell someone from taste alone what the base tea was I would admittedly be confused, but if pressed I would say mate, pu-erh, then black in that order.
For me, the best part of this discovery is that I have a new favorite chai. I have about three chai now that I absolutely love and will rotate in my stash all winter long.
Tulsi Green Tea from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea & Tulsi
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
This is a delicious and soothing blend of Indian green tea and Tulsi, also known as holy basil. The sweet, spicy and floral notes of the basil overlay the mellow astringency of green tea to produce an unexpectedly calming result. A few sharp notes – almost peppery – will be felt at the start, but it rounds off to an undertone of fresh straw that fuses nicely with the rest.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tasty blend that seems to be primarily focused on the combination of tulsi leaves (this blend uses three different varietals of the herb), rather than the green tea, as I found myself noticing more tulsi than green tea in the dry loose leaf blend before I infused the tea, and tasting more of the tulsi than green tea post infusion.
Not a complaint really – just an observation. The tulsi provides a pleasant herbaceous note that is warm and zesty, with a hint of sweetness and a cooling sensation that is almost mint-like. It gives this drinker a sense of calm as I drink the tea, and as I’ve been dealing with a bit of a cough these last couple of days, I find it rather soothing to the throat as well. (It’s allergy time!)
The green tea flavor seems to be only barely there. It is most noticeable in the texture of the tea, providing a slight broth/soup like consistency to the brew. It is also noticeable in the astringency, which is light but develops as I continue to sip.
I would have liked the green tea to be a bit more prominent in this, I think, but, overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable cup of tea. It is a very gentle, calming and soothing tea to drink. I drank it later in the evening and I found that it didn’t stimulate me the way most green teas would, instead, the tulsi started working toward instilling a sense of relaxation. I liked that quite a bit.