Things have been unique as of late with my family. We are currently experiencing some life changing news and are working on addressing and processing all of this new info we’ve been given. Except for me- who has decided to go on this mad teaware and tea buying spree, which is not necessarily a bad thing- I just have not had the mind set to sit down and actually enjoy what I’ve been buying as of late.
Until this beauty showed up at my door. Empa-Tea is a simple blend of ginger and lemongrass that we’ve seen a few different versions of. Sometimes there is a bit of rose or lavender in the blend but an herbal ginger lemongrass blend is pretty common. This particular blend only has ginger and lemongrass listed in the ingredients on the label (on the website the ingredients also list lime peel, lemon verbena, lime leaves, red peppercorns and sunflower petals) but I am spying some peppercorn along with possibly some citrus peel as well. The name struck me and it seemed like the perfect time to check this blend out.
I prepped this blend a few different ways but my absolute favorite way was to cold brew this blend over night in sparkling water from my Soda Stream. I can’t seem to get enough of it. Bright pops of the ginger and lemongrass really blend well with the citrus undertones and the fresh bubbles of the sparkling water. Our lovely VariaTea creates unique tea concoctions all the time and I thought I’d try my hand with this blend. And so happy I did. Bubbly sweet, spicy, with a citrus note. . .you can’t go wrong. Completely puts the sparkling water flavors you can pick up at the local grocery store to shame or at least a bit.
I did try this blend as both a regular cold brew and brewed hot and all were lovely. The prominent notes that came across with each brewing was the ginger and the lemongrass. The citrus notes were more muted when hot brewed but cold brewed you were able to pick up on those.
Versatile blend and classic flavors, you really can’t go wrong with a solid fresh ginger lemongrass blend like Empa-Tea no matter how you prep it.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Miss TeaSmith
Description
ingredients – Ginger, Lemongrass, Lemon Verbena, Lemon peel, Lime Leaves, Red Peppercorns, Sunflower Petals
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
**This tea was sent to the SororiTea Sisters in exchange for a review**
Morning Booster/Immerse
Starting my day off with an herbal blend is not how I usually go about my day, but recently the SororiTea Sisters received a generous sampling of Immerse tea bags and I was eager to try these. Immerse only produces organic herbal blends so let’s see how this one goes.
The first one I grabbed was Morning Booster- an herbal blend of roselle (hibiscus) and ginger. This is not a combination I would have ever thought to put together but I was really intrigued. Per the recommended steeping parameters on the box and the tea bag tag itself- this tea should be prepared with freshly boiled water and steeped for 4.51 minutes. .. yep! 4.51.. .I’m not going to lie, that extra 51 second note is making me chuckle this morning.
After my water was prepped, I went to add in my tea bag. The first thing I noticed was how dusty the tea bag is. Not like dirt dusty but herbal dusty. The tea bag has quite the natural organic feel.
The tea bag may have steeped more than the recommended 4.51 minutes but I am quite delighted in this delicious mix of ginger and roselle. The tart and spicy combination with a touch of sweetness really provides this lovely contrast and I found myself already draining this cup and setting out to have another. The ginger is spicy so be warned but it is a good spicy and not a I can’t breathe sort of spicy. The tart/sweet tones that the roselle is bringing in really helps to balance out the tea.
Overall, I’m really impressed with this tea. The packaging is gorgeous, the attention to detail is spot on, and the price is right. I’m not sure that I would replace my morning caffeine with this blend but I could see myself drinking this after lunch to get over what I call the lunch wall.
Thank you Immerse for the samples! I will be sending these off soon to my fellow Sisters but before I do that, I’m off for another cuppa!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Immerse Tea
Description
- Organic Roselle
- Organic Ginger
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sleep/The Virginia Tea Company. . . .
This tisane is going to be a bit difficult for me to describe because there are things in this blend that I have never tasted on their own. What I have tasted on its own is chamomile, and I find that this is the predominant flavor here. I do pick up on the spearmint but it isn’t terribly strong. I like the inclusion of spearmint because I find mint tisanes to be very relaxing and I prefer spearmint to peppermint.
I do not recall having skullcap or passionflower before, though I know several people who use passionflower supplements to combat anxiety or to improve sleep with success. An article on skullcap says that it is in the mint family but has a slightly bitter taste. I do taste something unfamiliar in this, but I do not find this hard to drink or bitter.
I went to bed after drinking it and slept well, but since I generally do rest well I can not say for certain that the tisane had an effect. I will say that if I were having trouble sleeping or felt anxious and this worked, it would not be a chore to drink it for relief. As something to drink for pure enjoyment, it isn’t something I would reach for first. It tastes much like many chamomile blends I have tried, so if you like chamomile and need soothing or some help going to sleep, I think this is worth a try.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The Virginia Tea Company
Description
After a long day, the best thing we can do is allow our bodies and minds to relax. The ingredients in this tea help do just that. They create a beautifully relaxing tea to help you unwind and focus on what matters most: you. Ingredients: Organic St John’s Wort, Organic Lemon Balm, Organic Lavender, Organic Passion Flower, Ginkgo, Organic Eleuthero Root, Organic Peppermint Brewing Instructions: Bring fresh water to a boil. Then pour over tea. Steep 10 minutes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon Mango from Urbal Tea. . . .
Urbal Tea is one of the many companies introduced to me through the Sips By Subscription Box. It’s amazing how letting someone else pick your teas sometimes can lead you to a whole new world of companies and flavors. This Lemon Mango tea by Urbal is no exception. It is not something I believe I have seen before and yet the flavors seem like such a great combination in theory that I am surprised this is one of the first times I came across it.
The package for this tea advertises sweet lemon and mango which combine to make a tropical, refreshing blend and with a description like that, I couldn’t help but feel like this tea should be iced. I steeped about a tablespoon of leaf in boiling water for 5 minutes, per the company’s recommendation and then added ice.
The tea is definitely sweet and has a distinct lemon flavor at the tailend of the sip. It is refreshing because it is crisp and then that lemon zip sets in, coming off more as a lemonade inspired tea with just the slightest bit of mango sweetness. I am not surprised though given this has several lemon ingredients including lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon peel, and lemon myrtle. In addition to the lemon ingredients, this tea is comprised of mango, orange, apple, pineapple, red clover blossom, raspberry leaf, blue violet leaf, rosehip, and dried mango. There is a lot going on but very little of it comes through other than as a generic fruity sweetness preceding the vibrant lemon flavor.
All in all, this is a bright tea that has great refreshing flavors for a hot summer day. Is it the best tea I ever had? No. Is it a tea I would drink again? Probably, if someone offered it to me or if I needed to reach free shipping on an Urbal Tea cart. It’s nice but not a must have in my books. Still, it was fun to try and it got me curious about the tea company and their other offerings.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Urbal Tea
Description
Sweet mango and lemon combine to make this tropical, refreshing blend.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Headache Begone! A Tea Mistress Herbal Blend. . . .
I love herbal blends and drink them all day longer regardless of what time it is. Chamomile has never had that sleepy affect on me and I’ve yet to find an evening blend that relaxes me because of what is in the cuppa, not just the act of drinking tea. (Drinking tea is therapeutic to me overall.)
Enter Headache Begone! A Tea Mistress Herbal Blend. Brewed with water at boiling and allowed to steep for about 7 minutes, this tea may not have cleared up the headache I had, but did something else. This tea literally relaxed me from head to toe. One serving of this tea had me droopy eyed and ready to call it a night. I couldn’t believe it. One serving of this tea had me droopy eyed and ready to call it a night. I couldn’t believe it. Wasn’t sure if it was the combo of chamomile, passionflower, and peppermint, but this tea was my hero for helping me get a solid night’s sleep.
Besides the affect the tea had on me, the herbal blend had a great taste as well. Minty, citrusy, with a herbaceous tone. Really easy to sip for an herbal blend. Sometimes the herb blends just go to far for me and the taste isn’t smooth. This blend was just about as perfect as you can get with an herbal blend that as a wellness factor to it. I actually ended up placing an order for more of this blend.
I have a pretty stressful job, am a mom, and am the admin for SororiTea Sisters along with having my own tea business. To say I’m a busy cat is an understatement. At night it seems like my mind turns forever in trying to think if I have everything I need done or set for the next day. With this tea, I’ve been able to enjoy a more restful sleep and even more relaxing evening. I used to grab for a cup of wine and still will but it sure is nice to have an herbal blend ready for those nights where I might need a bit more comforting. Can’t confirm whether or not the tea helps with headaches, but this tea sure relaxes me!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The Tea Mistress
Description
Organic ingredients: feverfew, chamomile, passionflower, meadowsweet, peppermint, lemon balm, white willow bark, linden, corriander
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!