Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
Thymus in Greek means ‘perfume’. Our friend thyme took its name in the pure sense. Not for him the discretion! Wherever he goes, he makes his presence felt, with a hint of camphor to assert its explosive character. Like any clear-cut personality, we love or hate. No half measures! For those who can appreciate it will be the friend you expected. Its natural mover will take care of clutter. His explosive side waltz send your sworn enemies of winter. A superhero among plants.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Thym tisane smells like my spice cabinet! It smells like what I smell when I open the door to my spice cabinet. And that makes sense, since this is 100% thyme.
And while I can’t recall having a tea with thyme in it (I may have, it’s just that none come to mind), as I sip this, I’m really digging it! I’m liking it a lot more than I expected to. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it as a tisane.
I mean, I like thyme as a spice, and it’s an herb I turn to every Thanksgiving to add just the right flavor to my turkey. It’s great in meatloaf and I also add it to the crock pot when I’m cooking a pork roast. But, I never really thought to steep it and drink it in a tisane, and to drink a tisane that is 100% thyme, nope, I can’t say that I’ve ever really considered it until I received this sampling from Les 2 Marmottes.
But I like this! I like it a lot! It has notes of mint and clove with a pleasant woodsy flavor that I’d describe as something between pine and cedar. It’s a little sweet and it’s savory and it’s definitely different.
It’s really tasty!
Casablanca Twist Green Tea Blend from Nuovo Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Darjeeling
Where to Buy: Nuovo Tea
Tea Description:
An interesting twist on classic Moroccan Mint tea, which traditionally combines Gunpowder green tea from China with fresh mint. We kept the latter, and replaced the smoky notes of Gunpowder with the muscatel highlights of a Darjeeling from India. The result is very a refreshing cup, with bold, cool minty notes, smooth and relaxing texture and flavor. Very intriguing cup.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! I’m really liking this Casablanca Twist Green Tea Blend from Nuovo Tea! I don’t usually get all “wow-ed” by a mint tea like this one, but, this one is pretty darned good. Oh, sure, I like mint, and I do enjoy a minty tea every now and again. But I don’t often take a sip of a minty tea and exclaim “Wow!” like I did with this tea.
And what makes this more surprising is the mint level in this tea. This is very minty. I might even go so far as to say it’s too minty had it been with any other tea blend. But, because I am liking the way the peppermint marries with the Darjeeling base, where I can taste subtle tones of muscatel behind the strong mint notes … I have to admit that I like this blend just the way it is! I like the way the lighter, crisper Darjeeling notes play in the background as the cool, refreshing mint struts its stuff in the foreground. I like the change up here, using a Darjeeling tea.
Although, here is where I hit a wall of confusion: this tea is categorized as a “green” tea, but from what I could learn about this blend, the Sungma Summer Darjeeling is used for this blend and to my knowledge, that is considered a “black” Darjeeling.
However, since I steeped it as I would a green tea (180°F for 3 minutes), I find the flavor of the Darjeeling tasting even lighter than it probably would had I brewed it at a higher temperature. I don’t know.
What I do know is this: I like the way the fruity notes of the Darjeeling tea and the crisp peppermint taste together. I think that a tad less peppermint could make this even better, because some of the nuanced flavors of the Darjeeling could make their way forward. As it is though, this is an enjoyable blend – it tastes amazing with a thin slice of lemon!
Hawaiian Mamaki Tea from Mama-Kii
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Mama-Kii
Tisane Description:
Rejuvenate and renew with a soothing cup of Mama-Kii tea directly from the Big Island of Hawaii. Our delicious, caffeine-free and all natural mamaki is a perfect way to start your day as a natural pick me up. In the middle of the day a cup of mamaki hot or cold can reduce stress and improve mental acuity. The ancient Hawaiians also discovered mamaki is an excellent rejuvenator at the end of the day promoting general health and well-being. Mamaki is Hawaii’s gift to the rest of the world shared with aloha.
Learn more about Mamaki Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened the box that my Hawaiian Mamaki Tea from Mama-Kii was shipped in, I found a hand-written note from Gabrielle at Mama-Kii, and this note promised me a treat for the senses! So far, she hasn’t disappointed me.
The first sense that has been delighted? Sight! The “Deluxe Mamaki Tea Tin” is lovely! It’s a fairly simple design: purple and off-white with a grey silhouette of a Hawaiian island. The tin is nicely sealed. But what appealed to me most about this tin is the pearlescent quality of the label! It shimmers so beautifully. Yeah, maybe that stuff isn’t really important when it comes right down to the tea that one is consuming, but, I know that if I saw this tin in the store, I would have been prompted to buy it based on the label … I’m a sucker for that kind of thing, what can I say?
Once I opened the tin, I found a large, muslin drawstring bag. I took out the bag, and tucked inside was a cellophane bag that houses the pyramid sachets filled with the Mamaki herb.
So, after a quick sniff of the dry leaf – it smells sweet and herbaceous – I decided to do just a little bit of research about this herb. The Mama-Kii website does offer quite a bit of information about this herb, including about where the herb is grown, the growing conditions of the herb, as well as the health benefits of the herb. Beyond the Mama-Kii website, I found relatively little about the herb on Wikipedia, and there is a website that I did find interesting that tells of the Native Plants of Hawaii. On this website, I found information about the Mamaki herb, but really, nothing more informative than the website itself. It’s a very comprehensive website … if you’re curious about Mamaki … the Mama-Kii website is the place to start!
The brewed tea has a faint aroma, but it smells fresh and still has that sweet, herbaceous scent of the dry leaf. The color of the liquid is that of a light green tea – it’s a pale, yellowish green color.
Where this herb tea really wins me over is the flavor. I didn’t know exactly what to expect from the flavor of this tea as I had never tasted Hawaiian Mamaki before today, but, I’m really enjoying what I’m tasting.
The flavor is delicate and sweet. It tastes a little bit like a thin green tea with its vegetative tones and hints of buttery notes. I like that I taste a buttery taste, but it doesn’t feel buttery or thick. The texture is like that of a thin broth … smooth and pleasant. There is no astringency or bitterness to this. It’s really quite a joy to drink this tea, and I feel myself relax with each sip.
I am really glad that I had this opportunity to try Hawaiian Mamaki Tea – it’s similar enough to a green tea and I think that those who enjoy green tea could find that the flavor here is really quite enjoyable … and there are so many benefits to drinking this herb … I recommend giving it a try! It is something that I’m going to enjoy drinking now and again!
Peppermint Patty Herbal Tisane from Butiki Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tisane Description:
What better way to wind down the day than with chocolate and mint? Our Peppermint Patty pairs organic marshmallow leaf, a naturally sweet caffeine-free herb, with sweet organic peppermint, and mellow milk chocolate. This light and refreshing herbal works well as an after dinner treat. With each sip, the flavor grows stronger and lingers longer. Add a little sugar to intensify the chocolate flavor.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really cool looking herbal tisane with the itty bitty chocolate chips in it! Yeah, I know … I shouldn’t get all excited by something as simple as chocolate chips. But I’m a chocoholic, what can I say? And when I saw that this Peppermint Patty Herbal Tisane from Butiki Teas is a peppermint tisane with chocolate AND marshmallow root … I got really excited about trying it!
And OH yum! This is tasty!
It’s minty, of course, and the mint is strong … but it isn’t overpowering the chocolate-y notes and the creamy, sweet notes of the marshmallow come through so deliciously! The mint doesn’t come off tasting like mouthwash … with the fluffy marshmallow and decadent chocolate notes … these flavors bring out the sweeter essence of the mint so that it tastes sweet not medicinal or too herbaceous.
What I’m liking most about this is that this herbal tisane is that it really delivers just what the name seems to imply. The name … sounds like a candy bar (I know, duh! right?) and this has a very yummy, sweet, dessert-y taste to it. This is the perfect way to enjoy a sweet treat after a meal without too many calories. Sure, there’s going to be some calories in this … but, it’s not going to have as many calories as that candy bar you might be craving!
It’s sweet, minty, chocolate-y, creamy deliciousness! And it is delightfully satisfying to my chocoholic sweet tooth!
Organic Lavender Cream Oolong Tea from The Rabbit Hole
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Tea Description:
Creamy oolong tea marries with lavender and vanilla to create this heavenly liquor. A guilty pleasure for those who don’t do guilt!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! What an absolutely DREAMY blend this Organic Lavender Cream Oolong Tea from The Rabbit Hole is! So delightfully sweet, smooth and creamy. I’m loving every sip of this.
I like that the lavender hasn’t been overdone … or underdone! Lavender is one of those herbs that when there is too much of it in a tea, the tea ends up tasting a bit like soap or perfume … and when there isn’t enough lavender, it becomes so subtle that it’s barely distinguishable and when it’s that subtle, as a taster I can’t help but wonder, what’s the point in adding lavender at all … you know?
But, with this blend, the lavender is just right. It is balanced well with the Oolong and the vanilla tones so that I can taste the sweet floral notes without tasting like I’m sipping on body spray. The vanilla softens and sweetens the cup, creating a very luscious, creamy taste and texture.
And these two flavors are blended with a lovely Oolong that enhances both the creaminess of the vanilla and the floral notes of the lavender. These three ingredients play so well together, working in a synergistic way to bring out the best in each. This is something that I could drink again and again. I found it very soothing and comforting to sip on this rainy day!