Thoughts on Masculin / Lupicia. . .

If tea were a man this would be him.

Mix him with Lapsang Souchong and you’d get a real outdoors gentleman.

For once the rooibos isn’t the star of the show. Generally, rooibos takes over whatever is put in the tea bag with it. Even the ginseng is somewhat undertoned by this woody flavor.

I’m assuming it must be the maca.

With a name like MASCULIN I’m sure no one knew quite what to expect with this one. To be honest I really thought it was going to be a Lapsang Souchong.

Either way I don’t think this one is my cup of tea nor is the later mentioned tea. But I’m going to drink it all because we could all use a bit more vitality in our lives.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy:  Lupicia
Description:

Four vital herbs (Maca, ginseng root, cinnamon, and ginger) blended with rooibos. Great for boosting your energy.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Lavender Ginger Mint from Yerba Buena Tea. . . . .

Well, friends, the plague has hit our home. It feels like we’ve been sick for a thousand years, but it’s probably closer to three weeks. After having no taste for tea (WHO AM I) for the first two weeks, and drowning my coughing sorrows in all the throat coat tea in the tri-city area, I was finally feeling like branching out. This herbal blend from Yerba Buena was everything I was craving.

While all three of these particular herbals have a tendency to be overpowering, in this blend, they work PERFECTLY. Maybe it’s the softer, sweeter spearmint, or the gentle hint of lavender and ginger in the background, this cuppa is just as appropriate for an omg-get-me-some-sick-day tea variety as it would be for a bedtime wind-down. Mmm. Just the ticket.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Herbal
Where to Buy:  Yerba Buena Tea
Description

You’re a butterfly, floating gently above the French countryside, hills of purple lavender rolling for miles in the sun. The minty fresh ginger goodness from a cup of steeping herbal brew wafts up and wakes you from a daydream so joyful you can hardly believe it’s true. Could it be that this is only tea?

 

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Antivirus from TeaTaxi. . . . .

One thing I never realized until I started drinking tea is that when I get sick, my tastebuds stop working. Sometimes when I’m sick, my food still tastes the same but with tea there is almost a void in my tastebuds. It is like some of my tastebuds work and some are muted so everything is just off and it is all too clear that something is missing. It’s at these times I either try to drink teas I didn’t really love to being with or sick teas such as this Antivirus tea by TeaTaxi.

Made with peppermint, spearmint, rosehips, almonds, apples, ginger, rose, sunflower, calendula, osmanthus, hibiscus, and natural flavors, this is not something I would ever care to drink under normal circumstances. However, the collection of ingredients is tolerable and even nice when sick.

I brewed this both hot and iced, steeping both for 7 minutes in 200F degree water. Then I got suckered into going grocery shopping with my mother so both teas were left on the counter in their respective thermoses for a couple hours.

Starting with the iced tea, I am getting mint…mint and maybe ginger. That void is still present so the flavors are all lost for the most part but the tea feels good on my throat as I sip. Hot (well…warm), this tea has a lot more mint flavor. While the iced tea was more smooth and peppermint-like, hot it is more medicinal/spearmint tasting. Ginger is also more noticeable in the hot tea but as a soothing ginger tingle at the back of my throat. Other than that, everything else is M.I.A.

I don’t mind the lack of flavor because the tea is doing what I want and that’s soothing my sore throat and cough and hydrating me when I am not feeling 100%, especially the hot tea. If I am being honest, my preferred cold tea is probably Cold 911 by DAVIDsTEA but this is not a bad alternative.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy:  Tea Taxi
Description

An infusion of peppermint, spearmint, apples and ginger to help you make it through the winter. It’ll warm you from the inside out.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Daily Support from Lipton . . . .

Dear Lipton, I’m sorry.

Wait, let me back up. I’m sorry that I mostly just kind of ignore you. I’m sorry that I have relegated you to the back of my brain where you barely register as tea (for the most part. DON’T HATE ME, sweet tea lovers!). Listen– it’s true that you’ve been pretty dusty and weak for most of my life. But I’m a woman who can admit when she’s been wrong: your new wellness teas are LEGIT.

I’ve tried a few of these bagged beauties before (I particularly like the green tea with grapefruit one), but the daily support tea was new to me. Supposedly a green tea base with turmeric, Echinacea, and ginger, this little blend has ALL of the things I love so much in a great herbal blend, with just a tiny kick of caffeination from the green tea.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m still not seeing ANY full leaves in this bag– it’s also kind of like tea dust. BUT– the flavors here are so on point. It’s got just a hint of earthy spice from the turmeric and ginger, but a lingering hint of something almost-lemony is just a delightful balance to the brew.

I’ve admitted before that I love to keep bagged tea at my desk at work just for ease of brew (I don’t always have the time or ability to pull out all the loose-leaf stops here), and this is yet another tea that perfectly fits into this category. A great mid-day pick-me-up with fantastic flavors, portable and surprisingly complex for a company I’d previously, um, well– ignored.

I’m sorry, Lipton. Let’s start again. Preferably with another cup of this tea.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  Lipton 
Description

An excellent source of vitamin C, this herbal infusion helps support your body’s natural defenses*. Features turmeric, Echinacea and ginger.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sunny Orange Ginger from Stash Tea . . . .

Cold and flu season has been upon us and I was hit not once, not twice, but thrice with a cold! I love citrus teas to open my eyes and make me feel better when I am flagging. I don’t have a cold right now, but I am looking for a new tea to keep on hand for sore throats and stuffy noses and grumpy eyes that are too tired to open.

Ginger and I have an uneasy relationship. In small amounts, it can add sparkle to other flavors. In large amounts, it is so hot I could cry! When I first steeped this, I thought I would be crying. And when I saw hibiscus in the ingredients (Now where did that come from? This was supposed to orange and ginger!) I was especially distressed.

Pleasantly surprised, I am! Ginger is the dominant flavor here, and it is hot enough to warm my throat up very nicely without burning. The orange is more laid back and stays in the background, just present. I wish it were a little stronger, but maybe I could add a little fresh squeezed juice to this. The hibiscus…well… I am happy to say that I wouldn’t even know it was there!

I think this is a good candidate for my feel better tea, but perhaps more so for tummy trouble than colds. I bet it would be good iced and sweetened, as well.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Herbal
Where to Buy:  Stash Tea
Description

Each sip of this tangy, aromatic herbal tea is a delight for the senses. Zesty orange combines with fruity hibiscus and the sharp, lively flavor of ginger, creating a tea that is perfect for all-day sipping. Delicious with a touch of sugar and refreshing iced.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!