Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Les 2 Marmottes
Tisane Description:
Created in 1976, this is the first composition of two marmots. This herbal tea to ruby and tangy taste is the sweetest and most mysterious of all. Seven plants were found, but the dosage is one that will remain well buried in a hidden family secret terrier gallery . . .
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I think that this is the blend that started the company (or so I’ve been led to believe by the above description). It is a combination of linden, verbena, peppermint, hibiscus, chamomile, rosehip and orange blossoms.
To steep this blend, I heated the kettle to 195°F and used about 6 ounces of water to 1 teabag and left it to steep for 8 minutes. It’s a little longer than I typically steep a blend with hibiscus in it (usually I steep it for 6 minutes, tops!) but because I didn’t see a lot of ruby colored leaves through the teabag, I hoped that I wouldn’t be left with a cup of tisane where the hibiscus completely took over.
Fortunately for me, there doesn’t seem to be a heavy amount of hibiscus to this blend. The color of the brewed liquid is lightly “rosy” but not ruby red the way that heavily hibiscus-ed blends often are. It also doesn’t have the thick texture (or pucker-y tartness) of a heavily hibiscus-ed blend.
This is a surprisingly balanced combination of the eight ingredients. The two ingredients that I expected to overpower the others – the aforementioned hibiscus and the peppermint – do not knock out the other components of this blend. Peppermint can often be a rather strong presence in a blend when added with too heavy a hand. Here, the peppermint tastes light. It is crisp and adds a cool flavor to the cup without overwhelming the other flavors of the cup.
The linden, chamomile and orange blossom add just a whisper of floral essence to the cup while the verbena adds a hint of citrus.
The overall flavor of the cup is subtle and herbaceous. Do I like it? It’s alright. Not the best tisane I’ve ever tasted but certainly not the worst either. I think I rather prefer some of the other tisanes that I’ve tried from Les 2 Marmottes, but this isn’t terrible. It’s a gentle cuppa, nice for later in the evening when you’re wanting to wind down and relax. I think it’s best served with a little drizzle of honey to the cup – it makes this a very soothing and calming drink.
Cool Coconut Rooibos Chai from Big Tea House
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Big Tea House
Chai Description:
Enjoy the fun and spiced infusion of chai gourmet loose leaf tea infused with the exotic flavor of coconut!
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! The name of this tea led me to believe that I’d be enjoying a somewhat tame version of a masala spice chai but this tisane has got some kick to it! Sure, it’s got the sweet, creamy coconut notes to soften the flavors a little but I’m still getting a lot of zesty flavor from this chai blend.
I love the coconut’s role in this blend. It’s a creamy note and together with the spices, it evokes thoughts of a chai latte without the addition of dairy. The coconut adds a pleasant sweetness too and I like the way the sweetness contrasts with the spices.
The spices are lively. The ginger and pepper are the most prominent of the spices and the heat seems to bring out the spicy side of the cinnamon, making it more of a ‘hot’ cinnamon than a sweet cinnamon. The cloves and cardamom add depth to the flavor.
The flavor of the rooibos is not easy to discern here, but I’m alright with that. I do taste a very delicate earthiness from the rooibos and this complements the earthiness of the spices.
To steep: I used 195°F water and steeped the leaves for 10 minutes. I usually use a little extra leaf with a chai, so I used a scoop and a half for a 12 ounce cup. A warm and flavorful chai. If you want to go latte, use a little more leaf and a little less water so that the infusion is strong and doesn’t become to diluted by the addition of milk or cream. But I found that with the coconut flavor, this doesn’t really need milk or cream to taste latte-ish! A little bit of raw sugar does enhance the flavor of the spices nicely though, so I recommend adding just a half teaspoon of sugar to your cup!
Banana Coconut Tisane from The Persimmon Tree
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Herbal Tisane
Where To Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tisane Description:
Our Banana Coconut herbal tea is a smooth and scrumptious herbal blend of rooibos, chamomile and lemongrass with notes of ripe banana, sweet coconut, graham cracker and a hint of caramel. This caffeine-free tropical blend will put a smile on anyone’s face. Try it iced and lightly sweetened for an extra refreshing summer beverage.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t always say “yummy” when I’m tasting a chamomile blend. I don’t always say “yummy” when I’m tasting a blend made with rooibos. So to have a blend with both these herbals in front of me and to have me say “yummy” after taking a sip seems pretty remarkable to me. But this is indeed yummy!
And that yumminess factor has less to do with the rooibos and chamomile and more to do with the other flavors going on in this cup: banana, coconut, caramel and even a little bit of graham cracker.
This is an interesting cup because there is a lot going on but it works. When I read the description and saw the flavors of banana, coconut, graham cracker and caramel” I thought … oh, ok, that sounds like a yummy pie. But then you see ingredients like lemongrass and chamomile and you think … what? Why are those ingredients in there?
But somehow, it all works together in a very flavorful way, and without any one flavor or ingredient becoming overwhelmed by any of the others. I taste each component of the tisane and it all tastes really good together.
The chamomile offers a very light apple-y flavor. The chamomile works harmoniously with the honey notes of the rooibos, because I taste a hint of pollen-ish flavor from the chamomile and this melds with the rooibos to bring out the nutty, honey sweet flavor of the South African herb. And the lemongrass is subtle here, offering a smooth, buttery note with a hint of citrus-y brightness.
Each component seems to unite with other components of the cup to bring out the best in each ingredient. And really, that’s what you want from a tea blend – that’s the thing that makes blends so appealing is the way that each ingredient adds to the combination so that the sum is greater than the individual parts. And this blend really succeeded in that quest!
This is a naturally caffeine-free (and guilt free!) treat that makes a perfect bedtime treat for those nights when you’re craving something sweet before you tuck in to bed. Served warm, it’s so soothing, comforting and a delightful sweet-tooth indulgence. It’s also tasty iced!
Mountain Of Mango Tisane from Inca Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Blend
Where to Buy: Inca Tea
Tea Description:
Mango has always been a favorite fruit of the founder so he decided to add a little twist to the original blend. Its a refreshing blend of mango, sweet herbs, and citrus.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve said (many times!) before, I’m not always thrilled when it comes to trying fruit and/or herbal tisanes. But because I’ve come to realize that I need to lighten up on the caffeine intake later in the evening, I’ve begun to embrace the tisane even though I’d much rather partake of Camellia Sinensis. So, when I opened the pouch for this Mountain of Mango tisane, I wasn’t exactly excited about it.
But … wow! I can definitely smell the mango in the dry leaf. No other tea/tisane immediately comes to mind where I smelled such a strong, distinct mango aroma. All of the sudden, my dismay over trying yet another tisane disappeared and I got excited about trying this!
I steeped the silky pyramid sachet in 8 ounces of 195°F water for 6 minutes. The brewed tisane is a light ruby color (a good sign, it doesn’t look like there’s too much hibiscus in this!) and it offers a light fruity fragrance. The mango notes are less distinct than in the dry leaf, but they’re still there.
This is pretty good. The mango isn’t as strong as I hoped for, but, it’s a clear and focused flavor. It is an obvious mango flavor. The apple offers subtle hints of sweetness but not a strong apple-y flavor. I think it’s probably present in this cup mostly to provide some sweet, juicy flavor to the cup without it adding too much to the flavor profile, and that’s what it seems to do here.
The ingredient list does not show any citrus-y ingredients that would provide the citrus that’s suggested in the above description, but I can taste a hint of tangy citrus toward the tail and this flavor lingers into the aftertaste. I’m not sure where this flavor is coming from unless it’s one of the “natural flavors.”
In the Peruvian Spiced Berry Tisane, I could taste the notes of purple corn, but I’m finding that flavor to be a little less distinct here. If I slurp the cup, I can pick up on a slight corn-like taste, but it’s much softer than in the Spiced Berry blend. I kind of liked that purple corn taste, it made that tisane significantly different from any other that I’ve tried, so I was kind of hoping for a little more purple corn flavor in this tisane as well.
That said, I really enjoyed this. The mango flavor is delicious and authentic and strong, and the hibiscus is not strong. Two big bonus points for these attributes. It’s a very tasty served hot, and it’s awesome iced!
Relax Ayurvedic Rooibos Tisane from TeaVeda
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Veda Company
Tea Description:
Sweet, romantic and warming flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, rooibos and spices entice and entitle you to “Relax.”
Learn more about the teas from TeaVeda here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve said it more than once here on this blog, but I’m a sucker for packaging. I’m also really into presentation. And I have to say that I really like the presentation – and the packaging! – from this new-to-me company, The Veda Company, and their line of teas called TeaVeda.
The Veda Company sells not just an intriguing line of teas, but also candles, body care and home décor. And I love the presentation of their TeaVeda line. The tins are GORGEOUS and isn’t the teapot and teacup (in the photo above) absolutely beautiful? The teacup is also called “Relax” and each of the teacups in the TeaVeda line has an inspiring message printed on the inside of the cup. For the Relax cup, the message is:
“A happy family is but an earlier heaven.” ~George Bernard Shaw
I love it all: the teapot, the teacup, and the gorgeous tins that the teas are packaged in. Beautifully ornate with a very tight fitting, double lid system to help keep your tea protected from the elements.
But wait, there’s more! There’s TEA!
Tonight, I’m in need of a soothing, relaxing cup of tea so I’m sipping on “Relax” from TeaVeda, which is a chai-like blend of spices, vanilla and rooibos. This chai has the “usual” chai ingredients: ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Plus it also has some black pepper to spice it up even more and some vanilla to sweeten it.
This blend is a lovely spicy-sweet blend that teases my taste buds! At first I think that the cloves are the most prominent flavor of the cup, but then the pepper and ginger come through strongly. Then the cinnamon and cardamom come shining through.
The vanilla is a subtle flavor to this cup, adding a creamy flavor to the drink without softening the spices. There is a warm, nutty flavor from the rooibos that complements the spices well. And, even though the spices are vibrant, the beverage has a calming overall effect.
A nice, soothing cup of “Relax”!
When I first encountered The Veda Company, I found that their website is not an e-commerce/shopping cart type of site. Instead, to place your order, you need to utilize their inquiry page and place the order via this system. Not quite as convenient as the shopping cart, I realize, and they realize it too, so until they do get the shopping cart up and running, they are offering a 20% discount on retail orders made through the inquiry page! I love saving money!