Tea Type:
Guayusa
Where To Buy:
Stash Tea Company
Product Description:
GUAYUSA (gwhy-you-sa) is a rare herbal tea produced from the leaves of a holly tree (ilex guayusa) native to the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. Guayusa is naturally caffeinated and has an awakening effect similar to coffee and yerba mate. For this signature blend, Guayusa is paired with peppermint and spearmint for a refreshing, rejuvenating blend.
Tasters Review:
Many of you know I LOVE Mint! The MORE Mint the Merrier for me! With this Guayusa with mint from Stash it has more mint than Guayusa and I am totally fine with that! The mint is strong but refreshing! I like this a lot!!! It’s Crisp, clean, helps clear the senses, too! This is a wonderfully flavored Guayusa! NICELY DONE Stash!!
Guayusa Tea with Chocolate from Stash Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Tisane Description:
GUAYUSA (gwhy-you-sa) is a rare herbal tea produced from the leaves of a holly tree (ilex guayusa) native to the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. Guayusa is naturally caffeinated and has an awakening effect similar to coffee and yerba mate. For this signature blend, we’ve combined Guayusa with velvety cocoa for a dessert-like tea that’s rich and stimulating.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! Chocolate!
I have tried a few different Guayusa blends now, but I think that this may be my first chocolate flavored Guayusa. It is delicious!
The Guayusa produces an earthy-tasting infusion with herbaceous notes. I often liken it to the flavor of Yerba Maté and it is also often compared to coffee, not just for it’s stimulating properties but also for its flavor. It is rich in flavor but a bit thinner than a cup of coffee (or should I say, what I remember coffee to taste like, as it has been YEARS since I’ve had a cup). But where Guayusa stands out is that there is no bitterness to this herb. Where coffee has a bitterness to it, as does yerba maté, Guayusa finishes very smooth and even a little sweet with no notable bitterness.
The chocolate in this particular blend is a strong flavor – and I like it like that! This chocoholic approves! The chocolate flavors are derived from cocoa shells and chocolate fudge powder. This combination of ingredients has created a rich, chocolate-y flavor that is a bittersweet, dark chocolate taste, but with a hint of creaminess to it too. I kind of expected the chocolate fudge powder to impart a cloudy appearance or thicker consistency to the cup, but it hasn’t. The infusion is dark (as Guayusa tends to be) but it is not opaque or cloudy.
This Guayusa blend is one of the best I’ve tried yet. And I am sure that has everything to do with the chocolate! Stash Tea has made this chocoholic a very happy chocoholic! And with the caffeinated power of Guayusa, a happy chocoholic in the early hours of the day is a GOOD thing, indeed!
Traditional Guayusa from Runa
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: Runa
Tisane Description:
Known for its stimulating effects, indigenous hunters drink guayusa to sharpen their instincts. They call it the “Night Watchman” because it helps them stay awake and alert all night.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second tea/tisane that I’ve tried from the April Steepster Select box – themed “New Frontiers” – and while I did express my disappointment previously with this box, I have to admit that I am enjoying this Guayusa. It is nothing spectacular, but, it is enjoyable.
Since I previously reviewed Traditional Guayusa from Runa, and really, the only big difference between this cup of Guayusa and the one that I’ve already reviewed is that the previous cup was prepared with a sachet of Guayusa, while this is loose leaf. Since it’s been almost a year since I had that cup, though, I can’t really tell you if the cups are significantly different, and in what ways they differ.
What I can say, though, is that this is a tasty cup of Guayusa – rich, flavorful, and it has a very energetic quality to it that I’d expect from Guayusa. It tastes a bit like a slightly thin cup of coffee, but without the bitterness. It’s very smooth.
So, instead of going into depth about this tisane again, I thought I’d share with you the information on the New Frontiers theme card. I always enjoy these writings from the minds at Steepster:
Classical tea drinkers hold fast to the idea that “tea” only includes leaves from the camellia sinensis plant. Our vision of tea encompasses a wide variety of non-camellia sinensis plants – better known as tisanes – prepared, consumed and enjoyed in the same way as traditional tea.
So we venture forward, tastebuds first, to explore the ever expanding tea world.
Our quest introduces us to new lands and new species, but unlike previous explorers who feared the precipice at the end of the earth, we know our voyage will bring us full circle, back home and enriched with a deeper love for our favorite drink.
Raise the anchor! Hoist the sail! Join us as we set forth to explore these unique teas from non-traditional homes.
When I first opened the box and saw that it included two unflavored tisanes, I was very surprised and as I mentioned, disappointed. But, I do understand the inspiration behind these choices after reading the theme card. And while I do understand … it doesn’t keep me from hoping that next month’s theme will allow for more exciting choices!
Guayusa Tea with Chai from Stash Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Tea Description:
GUAYUSA (gwhy-you-sa) is a rare herbal tea produced from the leaves of a holly tree (ilex guayusa) native to the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. Guayusa is naturally caffeinated and has an awakening effect similar to coffee and yerba mate. For this signature blend, we’ve combined Guayusa with Chai spices for an aromatic, spicy, and invigorating tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
On those mornings when I have a difficult time keeping my eyes open and I can’t crawl back into bed, Guayusa is often my choice for that all-important first cup of the day. It wakes me up the way coffee used to, but without the late morning nausea that I’d get after drinking coffee. And Guayusa even tastes quite a bit like coffee, except that it has less bitterness.
And with the chai spices that are used in this blend, it makes for a lovely, warming cup on this wet and rainy morning. The Guayusa makes a nice base for the blend of masala spices, different from the typical black tea base, but, still quite tasty.
The cinnamon is a little overwhelming with this particular chai. It is not a bad thing – I like cinnamon just fine – but, I find it a little difficult to pick out the other spices as the cinnamon seems to be stealing the spotlight a bit. This actually tastes a bit more like a cinnamon flavored guayusa than a chai guayusa, because the cinnamon stands front and center while the other spices are a bit in the background, providing more of a accent to the cinnamon than standing on their own.
I am enjoying this very much, as I said, I like cinnamon … but, I had expected the spices to be a little more in balance. By the time I reach the bottom of the cup, the ginger starts to emerge. I notice a bit of a prickly, peppery note on the back of my palate from the ginger. The cloves and cardamom still seem content to be off in the background, but their flavors do become more pronounced by the end of the cup.
Overall, though, a very enjoyable tea, and a great way to wake up!
Guayusa Tea with Yerba Maté and Ginseng from Stash Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa and Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Tea Description:
GUAYUSA (gwhy-you-sa) is a rare herbal tea produced from the leaves of a holly tree (ilex guayusa) native to the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. Guayusa is naturally caffeinated and has an awakening effect similar to coffee and yerba mate. For this signature blend, Guayusa is paired with yerba mate and ginseng for an invigorating brew that is sure to awaken your senses.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This blend really surprised me. It doesn’t really taste at all like what I expected, which was a very earthy and vegetative/herbaceous kind of taste. I didn’t really get that at all. This tastes more like a very smooth, sweet coffee.
It has a warm, nutty kind of taste: rich, slightly earthy and sweet. I taste very little of the ginseng. I also taste very little of the yerba maté … or at least, what I’ve come to recognize as yerba maté. I taste Guayusa, but, it tastes sweeter than the Guayusa I’ve tasted in the past … perhaps a result of the combination of the other components. It’s really quite tasty!
It’s invigorating, too. I woke up much too early this morning, and found myself unable to get back to sleep. So I was very drowsy when I started this cup … but not any more! I’m awake and ready to go!
I am really glad I got the opportunity to try this blend. When I received this sample, I wasn’t all that excited about it … but the taste has won me over! This is really good!