Serene Herbal Tisane from The Honest Leaf

SereneTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Herbal Tisane

This tea is available from Amoda Tea.

Tea Description:

This tea does exactly what its name promises – brings serenity to your day. Ingredients like chamomile, jasmine and lavender really do have that affect. We taste the apple-like flavours of chamomile, a perfect lemon squeeze and smooth mint. There’s tart and sweet florals playing off one another and hints of relaxing lavender that come out mid-sip.

Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.

Taster’s Review:

After my first few sips of this Serene Herbal Tisane from The Honest Leaf, I found myself contemplating whether or not I actually liked it.  I didn’t dislike it but I wasn’t too sure whether or not I was enjoying what I was tasting.

That is to say, it’s quite unlike other teas I’ve tried.

Now that I’m about halfway through the cup, I can say that yes, I do like this.  It’s different, it’s tasty and I like it.

The flavor starts out quite subtle.  I notice a soft lemon-y note from the lemon peel and flavoring.  This flavor develops over the course of the sip – starting off with a delicate whisper of lemon.  The finish is bright with lemon notes and the aftertaste is quite lemon-y, as if I had just taken a sip of lemonade.  The aftertaste lingers a while.

After the subtle introduction of lemon, I pick up on flowery notes of jasmine, lavender and passion flower just before mid-sip.  These floral notes are also quite subdued.  They don’t develop the way the lemon does, but I do pick up on a few more floral notes mingling with the lemon notes in the aftertaste.

Just after mid-sip, I notice the crisp peppermint.  I like that the peppermint follows the example set by the flowers and lemon and is understated.  The cool peppermint is a nice contrast to the lemon-y flavor, but the mint doesn’t slap you in the mouth with it’s minty presence.  It’s just a slight ‘peppy’ sort of flavor that perks up the flavors of the tea without tasting like someone spilled a little bit of mouthwash in my teacup.

I didn’t really notice the chamomile until I reached mid-cup.  The chamomile is more of an undertone, offering a indistinct apple note and hint of honey.  I can smell more chamomile in this than I can taste.  After the mid-cup point, the chamomile notes develop somewhat, but they never become a strong, prominent profile to the cup.

Happily, I notice no hibiscus in this, unless the hibiscus acts as a ‘tart’ agent to help amplify the tartness of the lemon, because the aftertaste does have a tartness to it.  Not too puckery, though, but as I said, I do get a lemonade-y sort of experience in the aftertaste.

Overall, I found this to be a relaxing, enjoyable cup.  It’s certainly different than the typical ‘nighttime’ type of tisanes, and different is good!

Lemomila Tisane from Shanti Tea

lemomilaTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Herbal Tisane

Where to Buy:  Shanti Tea

Tea Description:

A simple blend, adding some noted of lemon to a sweet and calming infusion of chamomile. A nice variation for those chamomile lovers out there.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

The first thing I notice when I open my packet of Lemomila Tisane from Shanti Tea is the scent of Chamomile.  Peeking inside the package, I can see big chamomile blossoms.  While I’ve never made any big secret that I’m not particularly fond of chamomile, I don’t hate it and I find that the larger the chamomile blossoms, the more I like the tisane.  In other words:  crushed blossoms = not so great, while big, whole blossoms = much better.

And in this tisane, I didn’t see any crushed blossoms at all.  These were big, whole chamomile blossoms mixed with the sweet, citrus-y flavor of lemongrass.

The lemongrass adds a nice brightness to this cup.  The citrus tones are sweet with a tart note that hits the palate towards the end of the sip and lingers on through the aftertaste.  It’s not a strong sour note, though, just a hint of citrus-y tart.  Mostly what the lemongrass provides is a nice contrast to the sweet, apple-like notes of the chamomile.  Notes of honey can also be tasted.

Overall, a very enjoyable way to relax, this Lemomila Tisane from Shanti Tea!