Nettle makes me think of ancient forests, fantasy novels, or fairy tales. I imagine a character moving through the woods getting stung by nettle, or collecting herbs like nettle for a tea or potion. The herb’s prickly reputation is featured in folk tales where the hero needs to grasp a bunch of stinging nettles, or make a cloak of nettles to fend of some malicious force or break a spell. (As a side note, apparently there is a world nettle eating championship. Who knew?)
All that magic in mind, how does nettle taste as a tea? The Nettle blend from Republic of Tea tastes slightly green with a strong flavor of creamy vanilla, and just a hint of mint. It’s unclear to me if the creaminess if from the vanilla flavoring or part of the nettle. This brew has a smooth and buttery mouthfeel like certain green teas.
I did a little research and the internet tells me that nettle leaves should taste reminiscent of spinach or cucumber, green and mineral in flavor. I’m not picking up on anything strongly like that in this blend, the vanilla clearly takes over. Maybe I’m in luck, as a spinach tea doesn’t sound all that appetizing.
On its own merits, the Nettle blend from Republic of Tea is a easygoing herbal vanilla brew, with a hint of something green and minty. I’m glad such a prickly herb was transformed into something so soft and comforting.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Republic of Tea
Description:
Nettle leaves have been known to support the body in a variety of ways. Studies have shown that it can help reduce joint inflammation and can help support kidney function.* Nettle tea has also been popular as a tonic for centuries to help women through all phases of life- from menstruation, through pregnancy and breastfeeding, to menopause. A touch of mint and vanilla makes this tea a joy to sip.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ashwagandha Root in Atman Tea Co. . .
When it comes to trying new flavors, sometimes ignorance is bliss, but once you have a strong mental image of something associated with a flavor, you’re done for. If you’d like to pretend you were with me during this mystery tasting, imagine Mr. Bean, but with more eyebrow wiggles and puckered lips, and that would be an appropriate approximation.
Upon receiving this pyramid tea bag (just the perfect blend of fancy and convenient) from Atman Tea Co, I was ready to test those taste buds. After a 2 minute brew at 160F, this pyramid really surprised me for a number of reasons! First and foremost, these tea leaves are FLA-VOR-FUL (sorry for caps yelling, but that’s how my mouth felt). I can’t imagine I over-brewed this with such a low temp and time. Follow-up tests with an “independent” second party (ok,ok my Dad) supported my initial findings.
Then I wondered where this smoky taste was coming from. Was this a Puerh? A mate? I’ve never known those to end with an astringent apple flavor. The dry leaves were so innocuous. And it can’t be from sweetener, because I added none. Really loving my wonderful new year’s resolution right about now. Hmmmm, internet sleuthing we go…
Hello, hello Gunpowder green tea, (BOOM! Found it), and ashwagandha root (aka Indian ginseng). So this has some medicinal value to it, and I’m sure if you weren’t feeling 100%, this would have just-enough taste to it, but for me right now its overwhelming.
Hmmm ashwaganda, haven’t heard that one yet, what’s its etymology? Oh, **SPOILER ALERT** , it literally translates as …. “horse smell”… Well great, now my one militant vegan friend is going to harangue me for enjoying a tea that smells like animals. Uh oh and now that I sip more, I’m envisioning Seabiscuit rather than Jasmine and Gunpowder green…. aaaand I’m done for, gotta put it down. But at least I’ve consumed an anti-stress drink while the haters gonna hate hate hate hate. **SPOILERS OVER**
What have your experiences with ashwagandha root been?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green/Herb
Where to Buy: Atman Tea Co.
This expertly crafted custom blend consists of Ashwagandha Root and Jasmine Green Tea. Ashwagandha reduces stress while combating fatigue. Jasmine Green Tea eases anxiety, calms the mind, and boosts mood. The resulting flavor is subtly sweet with a tasty undertone, which emanates a beautiful aroma. Together they make the most delicious and relaxing herbal tea one could ever brew.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Sage Superherb by Republic of Tea. . . .
I steeped this tea five minutes with one tea bag in about one cup of 190 degree water. Although I do normally use loose leaf tea, the convenience of pre-bagged tea is tempting too! Especially when it’s high-quality tea.
After steeping, it’s become a yellowish color and smells a bit pineapple-ish with an undertone of sage. The sage isn’t too overpowering, at least judging by the fragrance.
First sip: Yes, the pineapple may actually be stronger than the sage here. It’s also quite sweet. It has a bit of a stevia flavor, almost. The pineapple flavor blends with the flavor of the sage leaves and, according to the ingredients list, orange leaves as well to create a pleasantly fruity drink. It’s much more palatable than drinking an infusion of straight sage, which is important if you’re going to be drinking this on a regular basis. Yet the woodsy, flowery flavor of the sage does come through as well.
This is listed as an herbal tea for hot flashes, although I wouldn’t know anything about how effective it would be for such a complaint. It’s probably good for colds/sore throats as well; it’s comforting, soothing, and relaxing. Or if you’re looking for a more culinary use it would probably go well with cookies for a snack, although I’m not a tea pairing expert either.
It’s definitely sweet and seems well-balanced in flavor, and whether you end up drinking it on a daily basis or just as an occasional novelty, I hope you’ll be glad you tried it too!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Republic of Tea
Description
As women, we have the power to create and nurture life, all while juggling hormonal changes and external stresses. For centuries, women have relied upon the same powerful herbs found in our organic SuperHerb Teas to keep them balanced, and now they can easily be part of your daily life as well.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Yerba Mate Mint by Choice Organic Teas . . .
I steeped this tea for 4 minutes at 175 degrees with one bag in about one cup of water.
The packet says to steep for 4-6 minutes but it smells plenty strong enough at 4 so I stopped there. Plus, since mint can get bitter if oversteeped, I didn’t want to wait too long.
It smells nice and minty while brewing. I can’t really distinguish it from plain peppermint tea by the smell. After steeping is over, the tea is a yellowish cedar-like color and not noticeably viscous.
First sip: Surprise! It tastes just like mint herbal tea–to me, anyway. Or at least not different enough that you would be positive there’s something else in there rather than just a variation on the minty flavor. (Maybe if I had prepared a cup of plain mint tea at the same time to compare against, that would have helped me pick out any differences, but alas–I didn’t think of that until it was too late.)
What that means is that this could be a clever way to have something caffeinated in the morning if you’re an herbal tea drinker and don’t care for green or black tea or coffee! Or if you only drink black tea with milk (like me) and are avoiding milk because you have a cold, but still need that caffeine boost. (I know that sounds oddly specific but it happens to me more often than you’d think!)
The mate isn’t roasted, I’m guessing, so maybe that’s why it doesn’t have a strong enough flavor to dominate this tea blend (after all, peppermint is a very powerful flavor and it’s hard to overcome that). So if you like peppermint tea, you’ll probably like this!
With sugar: It’s still good and minty, nice and easy on the throat (which means that it’s both good for colds and for vocal health if you’re trying to relax your voice and stay hydrated, although I guess caffeine is a little bit controversial where vocal health is concerned).
Overall this blend is both useful and enjoyable when prepared as a hot tea beverage, and it seems to have plenty of potential as a cold brew as well, although I didn’t try it that way.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Choice Organic Tea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Downton Abbey English Rose Herbal from The Republic of Tea
I sipped this last night as an accompaniment to this dessert . The flavor is a vivid magenta berry-rose-hibiscus blend. Its sweetness complimented the chocolate nicely.
This tea packed a ton of flavor without requiring a black tea base. A lot of herbal teas seem to be lacking something to me, like they’re watery or sad somehow. They’re like children, floating around Disney World, looking for their parents. Incomplete; a little desperate.
Not here, though. This is a very robust little number. It Keeps Calm And Carries On, undaunted by the challenges facing herbals.
The flavor is part of a Downton Abbey collection, and I wish I could say something intelligent about the show here to tie in the tea. But alas, I’ve never seen this British mega-hit. It’s on my huge pile of TV Shows To Maybe See Someday.
And that pile is daunting. I miss the days when people would say things like “Have you read [book x] or seen [movie z]? YOU SHOULD.” Now it’s TV shows. Entire series of TV shows. “You should watch the 8 seasons of Once Upon A Time!” or “Have you seen Doctor Who? YOU. WOULD. LOVE. IT.”
I could easily chug through a book or dedicate an evening to a movie. But shows are a challenge. They’re easily 10 hours per season. And, of course, most shows get more than a season.* So you’re in it for 20-100 hours of your life.
*(Note: this does not include Firefly. Firefly’s short life is both wonderful and manageable. I would recommend Firefly to you, except I don’t want to burden YOUR TV list. That would fly in the face of this entire digression).
I’m just going to recommend this tea to you on its own merits. It’s tasty. It does exactly the job you want it to. A cup will take 5-10 minutes to consume. This will not burden your time in any way.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The Republic of Tea
Description
This vibrant, ruby-red infusion of rose, raspberry and hibiscus has fruity, floral notes and a touch of sweetness. Inspired by traditional British desserts, this caffeine-free, luscious tea is perfect as an afternoon treat. Enjoy hot or cooled over a tall glass of ice.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
