Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
Guarana, ginseng, ginger: a trio 100% plant explosive vitality! In addition, these pêchus ingredients are not the only stars. We have put together a stunning blend of subtlety by slipping rosehips for its fruity taste, lemon balm for its sweet and aromatic flavor and tangy hibiscus note and its beautiful ruby color. A lively and rich in aromas tea for a day full of pep.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have enjoyed the adventure of these teas and tisanes from Les 2 Marmottes. Since I can’t read most of the packaging, I have to turn to the website and Chrome’s ability to translate the French language to know what the tea is all about. It makes for an interesting tea moment.
When I grabbed this Boost Et Moi … I visited the website to see what ingredients I would be encountering with this blend. Here’s what the translated website lists:
- Hibiscus Flower
- Rosehip
- Melissa
- Guarana
- Ginseng
- Ginger
I wish that there wasn’t hibiscus in this. Fortunately the hibiscus imparts very little of its tart flavor, mostly it seems it is there for a berry like flavor and the vivid ruby color and a bit of texture. I’m glad that it’s not a syrupy texture.
There is an interesting contrast of flavors in this blend: a distinct herbaceous note with a slight earthy character from the ginseng. There is a touch of lemon-y taste from the Melissa, and the Guarana adds a slight bitter note. I like the peppery zing of ginger.
This is the third tea/tisane that I’ve tasted from Les 2 Marmottes, and it’s probably my least favorite of the three. I would rather the hibiscus not be in there, and I’m not wild about ginseng. That said, this is not an unpleasant functional tea, but I don’t know that it’s one that I’d reach for to drink every day. I do like the burst of energy that this tea provides, though.
Overall, this is alright, but not my favorite of these little adventures that Les 2 Marmottes has taken me on.
Ginger Twist Herbal Tisane from Mighty Leaf
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Mighty Leaf
Tisane Description:
Our Ginger Twist herbal tea is a harmonious mix of lemongrass, tropical fruits, and mint fueled with a touch of ginger and ginseng. A lush and magical herb and fruited infusion, Ginger Twist herbal tea helps promote calm, focus and good health.
Learn more about this tisane here.
I received a sample of this tea in my November Love with Food Box.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried a few teas from Mighty Leaf, but I can’t recall ever trying this Ginger Twist Herbal Tisane from this company, so I was happy to receive a sampling of it in my November Love with Food Box. I would have been happier if it was actually tea and not a tisane, of course. However, this is pretty good, even if it is a tisane.
Right off the bat, I can think of one thing that earns this tisane bonus points and that is: NO hibiscus! Yay! It does have ginseng, and ginseng isn’t a favorite herb of mine, but I’d prefer ginseng over hibiscus in most cases, so long as there are other ingredients to offset the rather earthy taste of the ginseng.
And this tisane is plentiful in the ingredients department: ginger, lemongrass, mint, and some tasty fruit notes. The lemongrass adds a light, citrus-y taste to the cup that is a little bit tangy but not overly tart. The mint offers a crisp, cool note to the cup, sort of like the cooling effect of opening a freezer door on a hot afternoon. Just that quick wisp of a cooling sensation.
The fruit has a tropical taste to it, although I find myself having trouble pinpointing exactly what I’m tasting. It has an almost papaya-ish and mango-ish type of flavor going on. It’s sweet and brings a compelling contrast to the peppery notes of the ginger, which adds a zesty zing to the cup, but the heat of the ginger is toned down a bit thanks to the sweetness of the fruit flavor, and the cooling note of the mint and the smooth, buttery notes of the lemongrass.
I can taste some of the ginseng in this too, and it adds a sort of herbaceous medicinal quality to the cup that I would rather not be there, but, overall, it isn’t the strongest flavor that I taste, so I am appreciative of that.
An enjoyable cup – this is a tisane I’d like to have on hand when I’m feeling under the weather because it would be ideal with a dollop of honey to help soothe sore throat and an upset tummy.
Ginseng Vitality Oolong Tea from Teasenz
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Tea Description:
Invigorating and deliciously sweet. This oolong tea has a taste resembling tie guan yin, but with the sweet and refreshing aroma of ginseng. Our Ginseng Vitality Oolong is produced using superior oolong tea mixed with ginseng roots, resulting in a healthy drink that nourishes the body and enriches the soul. A perfect cup to start the day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this Ginseng Vitality Oolong Tea from Teasenz has a strong vegetal/herbaceous kind of scent. I can definitely smell the ginseng!
Now, as some of you might know from past reviews, ginseng is not one of my favorite things, but, I do try to give it a fair shake when I encounter ginseng in a tea and honestly, of the teas that I’ve tried with ginseng in them … I’ve enjoyed more than I’ve disliked. So, I’m optimistic about this one from Teasenz, especially since I’ve not been disappointed with any teas that I’ve tried from them thus far.
And I can chalk this Ginseng Vitality Oolong Tea from Teasenz up with one of those ginseng teas that I enjoy, because this is actually really quite nice. I am picking up on some toasty notes, some sweet nutty tones, and a light vegetative note. There are some earthy notes, too. It has an enjoyable, honey-esque undertone.
My first cup (infusions 1 & 2) was a bit lighter than the subsequent cups, but even though it was a little lighter in flavor, it was still very flavorful! The second cup (infusions 3 & 4) was a little more vegetative than the first, and it was in this cup that the toasty notes really came through very nicely. I am surprised that I don’t taste a lot of ginseng flavor here at all, because I expected more of an earthy flavor from it, but I’m not getting that! (And this makes me smile!)
My third cup (infusions 5 & 6) was a little softer in flavor than the second cup, and the flavors were not quite as focused as they were with the second cup. I found the flavors starting to become more of a seamless note. I also started to notice more of a herbaceous, earthy tone with this third cup than in the first two.
Overall, a pretty enjoyable cuppa. Ginseng will never become a favorite thing of mine, but, I like it when I can find ways to enjoy it like I have with this tea.
Energy Green Tea Blend from Byron Bay Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Byron Bay Tea Company
Product Description:
Brighten your day with this clean, balanced and lively infusion of Green tea, Siberian Ginseng, Gotu Kola and mixed berries. A perky and delightful tea to pick you up in the morning, inspire your afternoon, or energise your evening. A healthy alternative to coffee. Enjoy!
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I am liking this Energy Green Tea Blend from Byron Bay Tea Company, even though I really didn’t think I would like it. It’s got two strikes against it right at the start: hibiscus – yikes! ginseng – ugh! But I’m enjoying it … it would seem that it’s a hit even though it started out with a lot going against it.
The berry flavor is strong. I can taste the currants and the strawberries and hints of blackberry. And yes, I do taste the hibiscus, but somehow, when paired with berries, hibiscus is less … difficult for me to drink. Hibiscus seems to highlight the tart notes of the berry and somehow make the berries taste a little more like berries.
The green tea is tasted in there too, although I will say that the flavor is slightly obscured by the rest of the ingredients. I taste the fresh vegetal tones of the green tea though, and I like the way all these ingredients work together – yes, even those ingredients that I’m less than enthused about!
Overall, this is a refreshing drink, and it lives up to its promise as stated in its name – it’s an energizing beverage that will help get you going when you need that snap of vitality.
Ginseng Oolong (Lan Gui Ren) Tea Cubed from Lu-Lin Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Lu-Lin Teas
Tea Description:
8 Tea Cubes containing our bestselling Single Estate Ginseng Oolong. It is made by rolling Oolong leaves into tight balls and coating them in a thin layer of ginseng and liquorice grass. When brewed it is fairly sweet and has a hint of liquorice.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have been a long-time advocate for loose leaf tea, and while I do occasionally drink tea made with bagged tea leaves, I rarely find a bagged tea that offers as good a tea as loose leaf. The reason is that the bag or sachet seldom offers enough room for the tea leaves to expand fully, so that the leaves can release their full flavor. The tea leaves need lots of room … and this is especially true with Oolong teas which I have found often expand up to six or seven times their dry volume. If an Oolong tea is confined to a bag or sachet, it simply does not have the room it needs to offer you – the drinker – the best flavor possible.
Well, this is the FIRST bagged tea I can stand behind with confidence. It is a “cubed” bag, and these sachets offer more room that the tea needs to expand fully. Now that’s what I’m talking about! If you MUST have a bagged tea because the convenience is important to you … this is the bagged tea that offers you BOTH convenience and the full flavor of loose leaf.
This Ginseng Oolong from Lu-Lin Teas a pleasant enough Oolong. I don’t usually get excited over Ginseng, it isn’t my favorite herb … but, I am not hating it when it’s brought together with the smooth, sweet flavor of Oolong tea. The overall cup tastes sweet, earthy, and there is a hint of spicy licorice. Pleasant … not something I’d drink everyday, but, something that I’d find enjoyable on occasion.
And if Ginseng Oolong doesn’t make you jump through hoops, there are many other teas that Lu-Lin Teas offers in their cubed sachets. These cubed sachets are the perfect option while traveling or at the office. They offer the convenience of a bagged tea and the flavor of loose leaf. A win-win!