Tag: Herbal/Fruit Infusion

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Teatourist’s Crushes & Blushes Collection

Crushes & Blushes Collection (February 2018) by Teatourist
£11-15 for 1 box, plus shipping (+£3-5 per box)

Teatourist has provided me with the Crushes & Blushes Collection for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

I was super excited to receive the Crushes & Blushes Collection from Teatourist. Part of this box also included the announcement that they’re launching the Build-A-Box option on their website. It’s super neat for those who want to choose their own teas instead of getting one of the curated collections. You get to pick any six teas from Teatourist’s extensive catalogue of teas, and then they’ll package it all together and send it to you. No word yet on how much this will cost. I personally love getting the curated boxes, because a lot of the teas I get are ones that I probably wouldn’t pick for myself, but love getting the opportunity to try. So if you’re into surprises, the subscription box might be a great choice for you – but if you want to choose your own due to allergies or just personal preference, that’s an option! You could even gift a Build-A-Box to someone and put all that though and effort into a personalized tea box.

Now onto the Crushes & Blushes Collection! This box has a selection of six tea tasters: two herbal infusions, one white tea, one black tea, one rooibos, and one green tea. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on all six of them: Whole Rose Buds from The Tea Makers of London (herbal infusion), North Jetty Beach by Beach House Teas (herbal infusion), Sparkling White by Hoogly Tea (white tea), Honey Red Jade Tea by Golden Tea Leaf (black tea), Raspberry & Rhubarb by The Tea Experience (rooibos), and Cheeky Charlie by The Kettle Shed (green tea). Continue reading “Teatourist’s Crushes & Blushes Collection”

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Pluck’s Spa Day

Spa Day by Pluck
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$8.00 for 30g

Pluck’s Spa Day came to me as part of a subscription box from The Sugared Teacup.

First Impressions

Sometimes it’s nice to have a cuppa and unwind, and sometimes it’s also nice to have a cup of something that isn’t caffeinated before bedtime. I was really excited when I found Spa Day in my subscription box from Deb at The Sugared Teacup, because I’m always looking for new herbal infusions to try out to see if they’ll fit the bill for me. Spa Day comes in a resealable bag that’s see-through on the front so you can see all the ingredients. The aroma of this blend is primarily that of mint, mint, and more mint.

Spa Day consists of peppermint, spearmint, honeybush leaves, chamomile, hibiscus, calendula petals, osmanthus petals, rosebuds – all organic. It’s not surprising that the first (and last) aroma from this bag is minty. I think if I were to have been blindfolded when sniffing it, I would have thought it was a pure peppermint tisane!

Preparation

Pluck recommends steeping Spa Day in 100°C (212°F) water for 4 to 6 minutes. I did an initial steep of Spa Day for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Spa Day steeps to a beautiful almost ruby-red colour – I attribute a lot of the colour to the hibiscus in the blend. The aroma of the tea is primarily that of the mints – peppermint & spearmint, which I don’t find surprisingly considering those were the overwhelming fragrances coming from the dry leaf. On first sip, I found there was a tartness that gave way to sweet very quickly. The mint leaves a refreshing cool finish to each sip. Unfortunately, I found that the floral notes that should have been present were quite lost, but I think the tartness might be from the hibiscus – and possibly the sweet flavours from the flowers.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Spa Day and found the flavours to be quite muted compared to the initial steep. I would say that Spa Day is good for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Pluck’s Spa Day was just okay. I was anticipating something a bit more floral, considering there were five different floral ingredients in this blend. If you’re looking for a minty tea that has a touch of tart & sweet, I think this might be the blend for you! It does have some nice refreshing qualities to it, and the mint is so, so strong if you love mint flavours and enjoy a good mint tisane. I do like the sweetness to this tisane, I just wish the flower ingredients had a stronger presence.

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Wildwood Botanicals’ Good 4 U

Good 4 U by Wildwood Botanicals
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$9.00 for 50g

Wildwood Botanicals has provided me with Good 4 U for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

With a name like Good 4 U, it makes one think about a herbal tisane blend twice. Like with my first Wildwood Botanicals review (Lunar Cycle), Wildwood Botanicals puts together blends of herbal ingredients with all the reasons for each. Good 4 U came to me in a resealable kraft paper pouch, with the label on front, tied with twine with some foliage. The ingredients in this blend and said to help with nausea, insomnia, seasonal allergies, and improve digestion – amongst other benefits.

The aroma when I opened the page was that of lemongrass, I think that’s the strongest aroma that I can pick out from the blend. I think it’s the most aromatic ingredient there is in Good 4 U. Good 4 U is an herbal tisane that consists of: alfalfa leaf, lemongrass, dandelion leaf, and goldenrod. The product page for Good 4 U lists all of the ingredients as being organic, if such things matters to you.

Preparation

Wildwood Botanicals recommends steeping Good 4 U in 100°C (212°F) water for 7 to 10 minutes. I followed the steeping recommendations and did an initial steep for 8 minutes.

First Taste

Good 4 U steeps to a beautiful sunshiney yellow. The aroma from this tea is primarily that of lemongrass, although I do believe that to be the most aromatic ingredient in this tisane. I wish I knew what alfalfa leaf, dandelion leaf or goldenrod was supposed to smell or taste like. When I sip Good 4 U, I can definitely taste lemongrass, and there’s some grassy notes to it. There’s a sweetness to this blend that I wasn’t expecting, and a light grassy flavour to it that is quite pleasant – I’m just not quite sure which ingredients to attribute those flavours to.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Good 4 U, but found the flavour to be watery compared to the initial steep. The flavour I get most in the second steep was mostly that of lemongrass.

My Overall Impression

I liked Wildwood Botanicals’ Good 4 U. I love the aroma of the lemongrass, and the flavour is quite delicious. I wish I knew better what the other ingredients smelled or tasted like, but this was an herbal blend unlike any other that I had tried before. I’m not sure if the ingredients actually do what they’re meant to do, but the sweetness mingled with the grassy notes and lemongrass are a nice balance and go down smoothly.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.