Seven Seas Herbal Tea from Simple Loose Leaf

Seven_Seas_HerbalTisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Rooibos & Herbal

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.

Tisane Description:

This healthy and harmonious herbal tea blends peppermint, ginseng, cinnamon, echinacea, sarsaparilla, licorice, and organic South African rooibos. The cooling peppermint and warm cinnamon notes pair perfectly with the sweet, soothing finish provided by the other herbs. This special blend is an ideal and tasty way to stimulate your immune system.

Learn more about this tisane here.

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op program here.

Taster’s Review:

As I’ve said in the past, I’m not usually a big fan of ginseng, but this blend has enough going on that I barely notice that the ginseng is there!  I’m too busy enjoying the contrast between crisp, cool peppermint and zesty cinnamon and snappy licorice to focus on the ginseng.  The peppermint, cinnamon and licorice are the three strongest components of this cup.

This is a delightful tisane to sip on this cold winter’s night.  The combination of cinnamon and licorice are warming me from the inside out, while the peppermint adds a refreshing element.  As I said, I don’t taste much from the ginseng.  I also don’t taste a lot from the rooibos or the echinacea.

At first, I had trouble locating the sarsaparilla in this, but if I slurp the sip, I do pick up on a light root beer-ish flavor in the distance, and it’s quite an interesting note to be tasting along with the cinnamon.  Peppermint and licorice are both profiles that I’ve occasionally noticed in gourmet root beers, but not cinnamon.  The cinnamon and sarsaparilla are quite intriguing and this combination is keeping me sipping.

This is a tisane that was a sample in my last box from Simple Loose Leaf (when they switched from the selection club to the co-op plan), and I held on to it for a while because … well, because it’s a tisane.  That’s why.  I have admitted before that I’m often skittish when it comes to tisanes and this just goes to show what I mean by that.

But I’m glad I finally decided to try it because I enjoyed this.  It’s a wonderful medley of contrasts, and there’s a lot of health benefits in this too!

24 Days of Tea Holiday Countdown – Day 21 from Teanzo 1856

We’re getting there!  This 24 days has gone by so quickly – it’s already day 21!  Can you believe it?  This year is almost gone – a new one about to begin!

dominoornieFor today’s artistic inspiration, I sorted through some of my old photos online and I came across some altered dominoes that I created.  I altered a bunch of dominoes (the back of the domino is a really neat surface to use as a canvas for artwork) and I turned them into little ornaments and sold them one year at the Christmas Bazaar in Ridgefield, WA.  That was more years than I care to count at this point!  Wow!  I can’t believe how long ago that was.

Anyway, here is one of the dominoes that I altered.  I drilled a hole in the domino to be able to add a jump ring and a loop to the domino, then I added the star and swirl design, painted it, and then I added some rhinestones to the piece for some extra sparkle.  Then I protected the surface with a resin that adds a glass-like surface to it.  The final piece was bright, sparkly and shiny – just the kind of thing you want for your holiday tree!

I sold a bunch of these things – back then, I was also selling tea and that was my primary purpose at the bazaar, I wanted to sell my teas but I decided that since I was paying for the booth, that I’d take full advantage of it and sell some other stuff too.  I did pretty well, I managed to sell enough to pay for the cost of the booth plus buy a few holiday gifts for some of the more expensive people on my list.  It was a day well spent.

Tranquil Spa Blend

Tranquil-Spa-BlendTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Rooibos (Green)

Where to Buy:  Teanzo 1856

Tea Description:

Tranquil Spa Blend is a relaxing ginger mint orange herbal blend.  Rejuvenation at its tastiest.  We wanted to take you away to a spa with our teas, so we put together a brand new Spa Trio:  Dream Spa Blend, Tranquil Spa Blend, and Bliss Spa Blend.  Each of these is caffeine free and blended to perfection to give you a spa feeling and taste.  Each of our spa blends comes in a green latch tin with 2 oz of tea.  You can also purchase them as a Spa Trio.  Add a little spa to your day!

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Having already tried the Dream Spa Blend and the Bliss Spa Blend from the “Spa Trio” and really enjoying them, I was hopeful that I’d have a similar experience with this Tranquil Spa Blend.  Then I read the ingredients and saw that eucalyptus was in the blend and I’m hopeful that the eucalyptus wouldn’t ruin this blend for me.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed and go into it with an open mind!

To steep this tisane, I used my Kati tumbler.  12 ounces of water heated to 195°F, I poured the contents of the sampler pouch into the basket of the tumbler and then added the water.  I steeped this for 6 minutes.  Usually I would steep a tisane for a little longer but I was a little cautious this time with the eucalyptus.

Now it’s time for a sip!

OK, this isn’t bad!  It’s actually quite tasty.  Yes, I taste the eucalyptus, but, I am getting stronger notes of orange and ginger and the eucalyptus seems to enhance the ginger notes a little bit here.  Rather than causing the whole cup to turn to a bitter, medicinal mess, it is actually enhancing the blend.  That certainly is an unexpected turn of events!

The eucalyptus seems to soften the ginger a little bit.  Ginger usually has a lot of peppery bite to it, but the eucalyptus has soften the blow of the ginger bite here.  It’s still warm and ginger-y pleasant, but the ginger has a smoother flavor now.

I don’t taste a lot from the mint, but there is a background minty taste.  I like the way that peeks through.  The green rooibos is the perfect base because it adds a light, fruity sweetness to the cup.

Everything is balanced here.  The orange is bright and juicy.  The ginger is warm without being too spicy.  The eucalyptus isn’t overpowering (yay!) and the mint is a soft, subtle flavor.  It’s soothing without tasting medicinal.  It all works with the ‘tranquil’ vibe that the name of this tea suggests.

A SURPRISINGLY good tisane.  I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I am.

Ayurvedic Slimming Tea from Tea of Life

AyuvedicTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Learn more about Tea of Life and Amazon Teas here.

About Tea of Life Ayurvedic Collection:

The word “Ayurveda” is derived from two words – “Ayus” meaning life and “Veda” meaning ‘knowledge’ or ‘science’.  So the literal meaning of the word Ayurveda is ‘The Science of Life.’

Life or Ayus, according to Ayurveda, is a combination of senses, mind, body and soul.  So Ayurveda does not just limit itself to the body or physical symptoms, but also provides comprehensive knowledge about spiritual, mental and emotional health.  

The traditional healing system of Ayurveda is based on a theory of balance between the body (physical), the soul (spiritual) and the mind (psychological).  

Ingredients:

I am always confused by teas that claim to be “slimming.”

But I’m not here to talk about my feelings on the claims of “slimming” tea, and I’m not entering into a weight loss regime with this slimming tea from Tea of Life.  I’m here to tell you what I’m tasting, not on whether or not it works.

And I’m not real crazy about the taste.  I am not sure if it’s the Garcenia, Black Seed or Fenugreek that I’m not liking (or perhaps a combination of the three), but one redeeming quality of this tea (aside from the green tea) is the cumin.  I actually like tasting the warm, toasty notes of the cumin.

Garcenia is supposed to taste acidic and sour.  Black seed has more of a savory quality, like onions or garlic with black pepper and oregano.  Fenugreek is supposed to be lightly bitter.  So I suspect that what I’m not liking about this particular tea is the presence of garcenia and fenugreek.  Because I’m getting a bitter and sour taste that I’m not crazy about.

The green tea is light and buttery and adds a hint of sweetness.

So, this isn’t the greatest tasting drink.  It isn’t a tea that I’d drink just for the taste of it.  I hope that the “slimming” aspect of this tea is successful because from this taster’s perspective, I’ll just say that I’ve tasted a lot of tasty teas from Tea of Life but this one isn’t one of them.

Peppermint Herbal Tisane from Simple Loose Leaf

PeppermintHerbalTisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Herbal

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf here.

Tisane Description:

Enjoy the refreshing and cooling flavor of peppermint straight from the leaves. Peppermint can be enjoyed on its own or added to another tea blend. The soothing leaves lend well to any sweetener. We recommend a touch of honey and lemon when enjoying these herbal leaves hot or iced.

Ingredients:  Peppermint Leaves

Learn more about this tisane here.

Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op program here.

Taster’s Review:

Crisp and cool!

Yes, this is plain and simple pure dried peppermint leaves.  That doesn’t make them any less enjoyable!  The leaves produce a really invigorating yet soothing drink that is tasty served hot or cold.  It’s especially nice after a spicy meal because I like the way peppermint tames the tummy after eating my chili!  (And I love chili this time of year!)

The tisane tastes very refreshing.  It’s a very uplifting drink.  And mint is a big hit in this household – this is something I can brew and chill and know that my daughter will pour herself a cold glass of this rather than reach for a sugary soda.

To steep this tisane, I used below boiling water.  I generally do this with all herbs, because it’s been my experience that boiling water can scorch the herbs and they end up tasting bitter.  I don’t know if this is the case with all herbs, but I’ve noticed it with some herbs so I’ve just taken to the practice of using under boiling water for all herbals.  195°F ought to do it!  I steeped 1 bamboo scoop of leaf in 12 ounces of 195°F water for 10 minutes and this produced a very minty cup!

Peppermint isn’t something I can drink all day long because it is a very strong minty flavor and after a while, it does end up getting a little too much.  But like I said, I do like to have peppermint leaves on hand for after a spicy meal, and it’s also quite nice to sip on when I’m feeling a little under the weather (especially with an upset stomach) because it perks me right up.

It’s also nice when served with a little citrus.  The description above suggests lemon, but my personal favorite is lime!  I love the taste of lime with peppermint!  Also, if you want to give a boost to your favorite green or black tea, add a little bit of peppermint leaves to the loose leaf green or black tea before brewing to add a bright twist to your favorite tea.  It’s a good tisane to have on hand.

Ginger’s Island Fruit and Herb Tea from Good Life Tea

Ginger_s_IslandTisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Fruit/Herbal Tisane

Where to Buy:  Good Life Tea

Tisane Description:

Ginger spices up this tropical blend of dried apples, coconut, rose hip, hibiscus and lemongrass. Step aboard for your 3 hour tour and loose yourself in your own island bliss.

Learn more about this blend here.

Taster’s Review: 

More hibiscus.  Well, since this is another tisane from Good Life Tea and I had pretty good luck with the C of Tranquilitea tisane I hoped as I steeped this tea that my experience with this tisane would be as favorable as my experience with the C of Tranquilitea was.

This blend has a bit too much hibiscus for my liking, and that’s most of what I’m tasting.  If I can get past the tart, pungent taste of the hibiscus, I can taste subtle notes of ginger and lemon grass.

It is a rare occasion when I find ginger in a tea and it’s presented as a subtle spice, but here, the hibiscus is so strong that it obscures the flavor of the ginger unless I slurp the sip.  The aftertaste is tangy and there is some ginger heat to the aftertaste.  This warmth from the ginger gradually intensifies as I continue to sip the cup, but it never really becomes a strong flavor in the cup.

The same is true of the lemon grass and the other ingredients in this tisane.  I can taste them – very faintly – but most of their flavors are hidden behind the strong hibiscus notes.

Normally, I might blame this on over-steeping.  But I steeped this tisane for just five minutes in 195°F.  Usually, with a hibiscus blend, I steep for six minutes, but when I saw how robust the ruby color of the liquid was after five minutes, I decided to stop the steep process at five minutes.

In the note that I received from Good Life Tea, they indicate that this tisane is

…a fruit and herbal Tisane with Hibiscus, Rosehips, Coconut and Pineapple.  The tropical flavors are tempered and enhanced by ginger and lemongrass. 

I’m not getting much pineapple flavor from this tisane, nor am I getting much coconut.  Now that I am more than halfway finished with my cup and the cup has had some time to cool, I am starting to pick up more coconut and pineapple-y flavors (and I’m tasting more ginger now too), leading me to believe that this tisane is probably much tastier as an iced tea rather than a hot tea.

That said, I can’t help but think that this would be infinitely better without so much hibiscus in it.  If you’re a fan of hibiscus, you would probably find this tisane very much to your liking.

Not my favorite cup, but they can’t all be my favorite.  This one is better as it cools.  When it’s served hot, the tisane tastes strongly of hibiscus, but once it cools, the tropical flavors that are promised in the above description begin to shine through.