Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Herbal tea

All Reviews for Herbal tea

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Preparing to try out this herbal blend, the first thing that I notice in the smell of the dry leaves is “Hmmm, hibiscus.” After boiling some water, I steep one pyramid infuser in a cup of water for five minutes to prepare to taste the “nectar”! The steeping brew still smells a lot like hibiscus, but the raspberry and orange peel smells are noticeable as…

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In 1942, coffee was rationed–one pound every five weeks, thanks to German U-boat interruption of Brazilian shipping routes. Government ration stamps weren’t product-specific, so you had to read the paper every week to find out if your java was going to cost you one airplane and three flags, or two tanks and four stalks of…

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Dry smell is vegetal. Brewed smell is a roasted, nutty smell. Prowling through my tea cupboard and found this tea waiting to be drank and reviewed. The glance in the tin reminds me of a green tea. I could not find brewing directions, so I just brewed up like a green tea. 2 minutes later I am enjoying  a cup of roasted goodness…

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Medicinal tisanes usually fall into one of two flavor profiles: lemony-minty, or barky-rooty (valerian and ginseng fall into this category). This chock-full-of-stuff blend is a welcome exception to both. The pepper, fennel, and cardamom give this a tasty, spicy chai kick, even on a second steep….

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This review is on one of the coffee substitutes on the market – Ersatz Coffee. First of all, what does Ersatz mean? I can only guess that the makers of this were going by the German translation of the word which is “substitute” or “replacement” because in other languages such as Russian and English…

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There is some merit to it, as far as I’m concerned. People – in general – can be placed into three body categories or “doshas” – Kapha, Pitta, and Vata. I happen to fall into the Kapha category…er…with Pitta tendencies. In Ayurvedic practices people can be split doshas. Kaphas…

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According to Tula Teas, a tisane made of steeped mulberry leaves (from genus Morus alba) is popular for those seeking green tea grassiness without the caffeine kick. Health properties associated with mulberry leaf infusions are alleviation of hyperuricemia, gout, as well as a treatment for leukemia…

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SpecialTea Brew is an online outfit out of my neck of the woods – the Pacific Northwest (of the U.S.). According to their origin story, the op was inspired by tea with a grandmother. This is the third “tea with grandma” foundation tale I’d heard, and – you know what? – it works on me every damn time…

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Valerian root is the one thing I recommend to people that complain about insomnia. Perhaps I’m sensitive to herbal effects, but relaxants knock me the “eff” out. Valerian, especially. The stuff is like NyQuil in leaf form. Kiss the next twelve hours of your life good-bye. Too bad it smells wretched. Other herbs

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Teekanne is an outfit out of Dusseldorf (a name that always makes me laugh), Germany. The company has been involved in the tea trade – in one fashion or another – since 1882. One of their biggest claims to fame is the fact that most of the teabags sold commercially in the U.S. are made using…

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Ah, the pleasure of a good smelling tea. Often the dry leaves, as-of-yet un-infused, reveal a lot about the tea that is to come. The spicy and sweet notes of the dry leaves of this herbal tisane blend in an attractive melody that promises a deep and possibly heavy…

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7 minute brew time with boiling water. Very pretty blend. Green and yellow “grass” like cuttings are sprinkled throughout this lemony blend. Champagne colored brew.

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So this is an interesting herbal tisane. Of course I’ve heard of a mulberry bush but I’ve never seen one and had no idea people used it for tea. A bit of research and I found that it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Most notably, used in the treatment on Diabetes…

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As I peered into the sample bag, I was struck at the beauty of this blend. It needs to be stored in a glass container just to admire the tapestry of colors. Think miniature potpourri…

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This tea is a dream.  But I don’t mean that in the standard “yay – happy – life is great” meaning of dream.  I mean the actually discordant random chaining of events your brain comes up with late at night, possibly after eating too much late-night pizza.  Let me explain…

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Inspection of dried leaf shows tiny bits of ginseng, berries, rosehips, peppermint, and dandelion. Steeping instructions are to steep the tea for 5 minutes in 8oz. of boiling water. Dried leaf smells of ginseng and steeped infusion was a dark brownish-yellow colour with more of a dandelion aroma…

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The smell from the dry teabag is medicinal. Brewed for 2 minutes, lifted out the tea bag, took a sip and immediately slipped the teabag back into my cup. I left the teabag in my cup as I drank this herbal tea. I could taste the ginger more predominately…

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I have a confession.  I consider myself an herbal tea fan.  Yet, I hate chamomile. And a lot of teas, especially ones designed to soothe and relax, like to focus on chamomile.   So I used to convince myself  (on those nights where I’ve had a horrible long day and want a nice, mellow…

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Not being much of a mint fan, in whatever form, be it candy, ice cream, or chocolates, Tea Forte has a tough job at hand to try to convince me that mint – yes, in the form of a tea is good. Well, I like citrus fruits so at least they have that going for them. Anyway…

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So, I’m a geek.  It took me a long time to accept it, but as I’ve been a medieval re-enactor since before I could drive, cut my teeth playing video games on my TRS-80 and used the campus role playing gaming groups as potential dating pools, it’s pretty clear…

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I did a double-take as I was typing up the ingredient list for this review: it isn’t a typo or an omission on the part of my new bifocals; I’m not seeing “pear” anything, are you? It doesn’t matter: whatever mix of blending mojo, culinary science, and olfactory…

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If I am to believe even a fraction of the claims I just read online about the health benefits of black walnut bark and taheebo (AKA Pau D’Arco), this tea should chase out impurities, bad blood, intestinal gunk, tooth decay, any possible threat of rheumatoid arthritis…

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Alright, so I spent some time in the hospital and, as a parting gift, I woke up this morning with a nasty (hopefully not the flu) infection. Thankfully, I have one more cup of GingerLove Tea left and there could not be a better time…

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I love the way that Tea Forte does herbal blends and this one is looking like it’s not going to be an exception.  It smells beautifully tart and minty, perfect for a chilly bedtime brew.  The tea bag is looks to be filled mostly with peppermint leaves but I can…

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There’s a smell that you get from cold lemonade on a hot day. It’s the smell of sweet refreshement, a tang of sour and a scoop of sweet. It’s a smell of people outside at a country fair, sweating in unison, but happy to be there because of the gorgeous day, the riot of color and activity…

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As much as I love discovering new teas from lesser known companies, it’s nice to have a company that I’m know will not disappoint. This blend however, isn’t one that I would think of when I thought of Rishi. Just when I thought I knew the company they surprise…

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The dry leaves seemed to be more powder than leaves. The smell reminded me of cut grass. I poured the contents of the package into my infuser basket, boiled my water and poured 8 ounces of water in my cup/infuser. I waited 5 minutes…

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I picked out a couple different Rishi herbal blends to try because I’ve discovered that the only non-caffeinated teas in my cupboard were pretty much exclusively rooibos and honeybush. A little variety wouldn’t hurt. The dry tea smells liked Christmas dinner in a field of peppermint…

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Lapacho goes by many names – taheebo, trumpet bush, Ipe, and (my favorite) Pau D’Arco. The latter name seems to be the most common one used in herb shops I’ve frequented. Why this is, I don’t know; perhaps because it sounds less “Latin”. Personally, I prefer…

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am waiting for the world to invent a tension taming tea that has the flavor of a stiff, stout Irish Breakfast and the sedative clout of two Tylenol P.M.’s. That hasn’t happened yet.  So until then, I’m stuck experimenting with the lighter flavor of traditional herbal concoctions…

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First things first: turmeric is pronounced TUR-mer-ick, and if I’m to believe the claims I’m reading, it’ll cure what ails ya, be it Alzheimer’s, prostate trouble, arthritis, obesity, or skin conditions. It also appears to be useful in zazzing up roast lamb, pickles, and chicken…

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Wow, what a delicious medley of fruit scents that is being held in the dry leaf of this rooibos blend. Sweet and juicy notes mix together with a slightly tart undertone. Steeped, it remains fruity in smell, with some nutty scents mixed in. The liquor is bright and clear…

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Organic herbal blend, caffeine free. 5 Minute infusion reveals a medium brown brew. The package is really neat, a silk pyramid filled with cacao, cinnamon, fennel, licorice root, cardamom, ginger, cloves, black pepper. After the 5 minutes, the…

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First glance at the sample had me doing a double take…what is that chunk? Hmmm, a soft chocolate square has my hopes soaring for this tea. The smell is all chocolate and the taste is chocolaty too! I am not getting much spice from this blend, but the overall taste is so pleasantly…

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Loose tea blend of lemongrass and ginger. The ginger was a bit mild for my liking. The lemon seemed to take a back seat to the other flavors in this blend. As I sipped this tea, I was continually hit with the sensation…

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Many lemon-mint based herbal blends are pretty nondescript. It can be difficult to tell where one ingredient ends and the other begins. On the other hand, the ingredient line-up for Chamomile Citron is like a bunch of feisty schoolkids competing for your attention…

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The Sage Bergamot tea is one of Rishi’s new teas, an organic “botanical blend” containing lemon thyme, sage, mint, lemon verbena and oil of bergamot. I could see chopped green leaves through the sample package but no discernable bits. When I inhaled the essence…

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Holy giant rose-buds Batman! That’s the first thing I see when I opened the tin – these large, well-formed rose buds that haven’t lost their colour or their scent – proving that they’re relatively fresh. They’re so big that at first the tea seems to be all roses…

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Life being what it is lately, in the quest of a full and totally unconscious night’s sleep, I’ve been popping Tylenol PM’s like they were Tic Tacs. Knowing that’s not a healthy habit, I continue to search for the optimum herbal relaxation routine. Last night, I hoped that Serene Dream…

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Hmm another amazingly retro package from Blue Q Tea. The back of the box poses an interesting question: “Are you thinking of running away from home?” If you’re a parent or if you were ever someone’s child, you will, at the very least, get a chuckle…

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When I opened this golden package, I smelled the spice notes of the turmeric, citrus from lemon grass and the exotic warmth of ginger. The golden colour of turmeric is amazing, like a brilliant yellow autumn leaf. The texture of this tea consists of bits of ground ginger…

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I grew up drinking Celestial Seasonings teas and it was (and still is) a staple in my mom’s cupboard.  But for some reason I never got around to trying this particular one even though ‘SleepyTime’ is one of the standard CS blends. As it turns out, for once CS…

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Recently we received a shipment of teas from Distinctly Tea, a company in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. I exchanged several emails with Distinctly Tea, the net effect being a very interesting assortment of samples being sent for review. Among these, one caught my eye personally…

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Caffeine free herbal blend with Saskatoon berries, apple pieces, peach pieces, raspberry pieces, strawberry pieces, linden flowers…

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Have a bit of an unsettled stomach today, digging through my tea cupboard looking for a cure and I found this lovely ginger and lemon balm blend. Normally I just make my own ginger tea…

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oday I’m reviewing to herbal teas from Mighty Leaf and I’m excited because they are one of the few companies I know of who offer high quality in sachets.  Perfect to have in a pinch if I’ve forgotten my finum because they tea pouches are large enough to let the tea infuse properly…

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Even though the instructions say to use boiling water I’ve heard that maté can get scalded and become bitter like green teas, so I kept the steeping temperature at 90ºC. The tea smelled so incredibly chocolatey when I opened the package…

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This scent of the un-brewed tea is amazing. I almost want to eat it straight. Or pack my pillow full of it and smell it all night long as I sleep. It’s AMAZING. It’s full of sweetness and floral-ness and is just made of yum…

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Today I’m reviewing to herbal teas from Mighty Leaf and I’m excited because they are one of the few companies I know of who offer high quality in sachets.  Perfect to have in a pinch if I’ve forgotten my finum because they tea pouches are large enough to let the tea infuse properly…

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Teafrog has brought a lot of really unique blends to the table so I shouldn’t be surprised by this one. But still, Mango and yogurt? Hmm…

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As my husband handed me the box from Mike, I could smell this tea! And I have to admit my comment was “something really smells in there!” The fear in the back of my mind was Rooibos. Had I requested another Rooibos? The fear was subsided when I opened the box to reveal this silver tin of Honeybush tea. I have only had honeybush tea once…

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It’s rare for me to have bagged teas but this is Celestial Seasonings so I’m open to it. When I was small, this is the only tea that we had in the house so it makes me feel a bit nostalgic. It says it’s a blend of green tea, Bai Mu Dan and ginseng root, with honey and lemon. It smells like a Chinese green tea, can’t smell anything else. Opened a bag…

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ome teas should just have songs written about them!  This is one of those teas…

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I was recently contacted by Zhi Tea about sampling one of their teas as an iced tea, part of a campaign they are running this summer. Being that I never turn down any kind of tea anytime, I was of course, more than happy to participate! I had the choice of 4 teas that they chose as capable of making great iced tea…

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Sweet treat time!  Opening a Coco Truffle pyramid, can tell why it was recommended to me just by the smell.  Yum in a bag! Almost smells like a chai. It is a pure herbal blend, naturally caffeine-free, beautiful as a dessert tea…

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This has been a week fraught with multiple incidents of hamster-heart, battery-acid-in-the-veins panic. In deep need of a tea to soothe my frazzled nerves, I pawed through my stash of samples and decided Red Leaf’s Eight Herb tea might do the trick…

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African Summer is a very pleasant herbal tisane from Red Leaf Tea it is a blend of Honeybush, Lemongrass, Lemon Myrtle, Rose Hips, Eucalyptus, Hibiscus, Safflower, and Marigolds. I was intrigued by the description on Red Leaf’s website…

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This rooibos blend from Tea Frog Tea is well named – I LOVE this tea!! According to Tea Frog: “Our most popular Rooibos blend, the Love blend is an aromatic delight that you will not be able to resist! This tea is so good, we sample it at every show, and sell out at every show! The scent and flavor are simply to die for!”….

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“Luscious, succulent raspberries highlight this ruby red hibiscus flower infusion. Pleasantly tart and extraordinarily sweet.” Well, that about says it all! Tea Forte has become one of my favorite go-to tea companies for robust tasting teas. So far, they have not disappointed…

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This is a herbal blend from Tea forte who describe it as “a rich, chocolate reward, nearly as gratifying as a velvety truffle”. Well, I don’t know if it’s all that but it is very good. Being a chocoholic I prefer the real thing – dark and melting on your fingers. I’ve been disappointed many times by teas that promise a real chocolate taste and deliver only a hint. I was pleasantly surprised by Coco Truffle…

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Africana is one of the Rooibos blends from Red Leaf Tea. It combines a rich red Rooibos leaf with bright blue malva flowers and purple cornflowers creating a very attractive loose tea that smells mildly of vanilla…

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Let me start with the statement that I do NOT consider myself a tea snob. My philosophy is, any tea, any time, any way. However, it was with some trepidation that I approached the Celestial Seasoning Sleepytime Vanilla Tea…

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Chamomile Citrus is a Mighty Leaf signature blend of rosehips, orange peel, Egyptian chamomile, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, nana mint, hibiscus flowers and various other flowers and flavors that are only identified as “citrus” and/or “natural”…

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I was very excited to receive a shipment of samples from Tea Forte. I have seen them in our local Chapters stores (bookstores along the lines of Barns and Nobel), and despite the high price, I was always intrigued by the different pyramid design of the tea-bags…

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