Review - Brewla's The Lifeguard

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend in the United States. It's a time we remember those who have given their lives for our country while serving in the military. It's also the semi-official start of summer. Here in Western New York we're looking at very high temperatures and high humidity, with a chance of scattered thundershowers. In order to try to beat the heat I picked up a new treat, made with tea!

I was browsing in my local health food store when a package caught my eye - Brewla! I stopped, captivated by the name and the gorgeous photo of a red popsicle on the box. But this was not just any red popsicle. It was a Strawberry and Hibiscus Tea specialty brewed bar! I also saw a Cherry Pomegranate and Red Tea option, but I bought the strawberry, which had fewer calories, plus I love strawberries.

OK, anyone who has been reading my posts for a while knows that this tea is not actually a tea, but rather a hibiscus tisane.  When I opened my wrapper I noticed the lovely color as well as a lovely strawberry aroma. I quickly took a few pictures, but couldn't help myself and had a lick part way through. It was absolutely delicious!!!!

The main flavor is strawberry. Not a fake strawberry either, but more like a wild one, or the ones that grow here in WNY during our short strawberry season. I was concerned that it might be too floral for my taste-it is a hibiscus tisane, after all, but that was not the case at all. It had only slight floral notes and it wasn't sweet at all. I do recommend licking it, instead of biting, however. When you bite it the frozen bar becomes more icy and you lose the delightful flavors.

The Brewla Strawberry and Hibiscus Tea, also known as "The Lifeguard", has only 20 calories and is boosted with Vitamin C and zinc. It is caffeine free and there is no added sugar (they do have stevia leaf extract). This particular bar is also gluten free, vegan, and kosher!

I am absolutely delighted by this impulse buy. I'll be trying the other varieties as well. I didn't see all of them offered at my store-but I'll be looking for them. I'd really like to try The Lullaby: Peach Ginger with White Tea boosted with Chamomile and L-Theanine. You can check out more about this brother and sister company at their website, Brewlabars.com. If you can't find them near you, never fear, you can order the bars online!

Review - Chakra Balance Tea

Since I developed the idea for this blog I've become more aware of tea and all the ways it makes its appearance. Every time I go to a store I check to see if there's a tea section. If there is, there's a good chance I'll be coming out with something. Such was the case last week. A friend recommended an online shop for oils, Moon Goddess Magick Apothecary. While perusing some interesting blends I saw that the woman made teas too. Well, tisanes, really-no Camellia sinensis here. There were many interesting names that tempted me, but looking at the ingredients I was a bit concerned if I'd actually like any. I generally don't care for floral teas, and most of the blends sounded decidedly floral and sweet. Still, I was getting two oils so decided upon a tea as well. I went with the least floral one which happened to be Chakra Balance Tea.

As I said, Chakra Balance Tea is actually a tisane, an infusion of herbs and spices. The packaging is utterly delightful; a resealable insulated bag with a gorgeous illustration, and the cherry on top was the wax seal! So what's in it? Chakra Balance Blend consists of calendula, gotu kola, lavender, ginko, red clover, dandelion root, nettle leaf, meadowsweet, chamomile and stevia.

When I opened the bag I could see the various leaves and blossoms. The aroma was grass and floral. After steeping I admit, it looked like lawn clippings!

LIQUID: The liquid is a lovely yellow with a slight greenish tinge. The aroma is floral and musty, yet pleasant. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. It had a buttery feel at first, but finished clean. It was very lightly floral in taste and I got the flavor of mint. It was slightly malty. It was naturally sweet, but not overly so.





ICED: This tisane was just as lovely iced. It was refreshing and hit basically the same notes as well I drank it hot.

I was worried I'd find this blend too floral and sweet, but it was definitely not the case. I really enjoyed it. So, what exactly are chakras? Chakra is the Sanskrit word for wheel or disc. In a simplistic nutshell, the body has seven energy centers along the spine, running from head to toe. Each center, or chakra, correlates to different levels of consciousness, body function, color, and more. When chakras are blocked or out of alignment, energy flow is interupted and illness or other problems may occur.I don't know if my chakras were out of wack, and I don't know if this tea got them back in line. But, I found Chakra Balance Tea by Moon Goddess Magickal Apothecary to be a delightful beverage.

Be sure to check out the Etsy store Moon Goddess Magickal Apothecary to check out this and other tisanes.

Review - Keemun Mao Feng

Keemun Mao Feng is a Chinese black tea. The tea I enjoyed is a Summer 2013 from Anhui, China. It's a staple in my tea cabinet.

 KEEMUN MAO FENG

The Dry Leaf: See how the leaves are rolled? There is a warm, slightly smoky aroma here.

The Wet Leaf (After Steeping): The aroma is quite warm. I got a scent of caramel and some boiled veggies.

I actually took this photo after my third steep. 

Liquid: Isn't that a gorgeous color?! The taste is slightly smoky with dark fruit and caramel. There's a slight astringency at the finish.

Iced: Lighter in color, but still a glorious chestnut amber color.

Scent: The smokiness is there, but dark fruits hit the nose more.

Taste: The smokiness is more pronounced here, as is the astringency. While good iced, this tea loses some of the nuances of its flavor. I prefer it hot.

Review - Trader Joe's Organic Ginger Pear White Tea

Oftentimes I'll stop at Trader Joe's after visiting my folks. Recently, I saw a tea that intrigued me: Trader Joe's Organic Ginger Pear White Tea. I love ginger and thought pairing it with pear was a neat idea.

This tea is bagged, so I can't tell you what the leaves looked like. Sorry, not going to split the back open and look. In any case, before steeping the bag had a delightful pear aroma.

Iced: When I first saw the tea I immediately thought "Iced!" and that's how I first prepared it.  As an iced tea it was light and refreshing. The taste of pear was forefront and I really couldn't detect the ginger. There was a possible slight bite from the ginger in the aftertaste. Pear was prominent. I can see guzzling this tea down on a hot day after working in the garden.

Hot: I then made it as a regular hot tea. The aroma was quite muddled. It was somewhat spicy. The taste was more of a "tea" taste, then a bit of pear hits. Again, I couldn't really detect the ginger.

I much prefer Trader Joe's Organic Ginger Pear White Tea as an iced tea.

Review - Lapsang Souchong

Lapsang Souchong is one of those very distinctive teas you generally either love or hate. I happen to love it! One evening I was sitting with my friend Niraj and his wife in his tea studio. A customer came in and talked about using Lapsang Souchong as a dry meat rub, to impart a smoky flavor. What a great idea I thought. Then the man continued, "I can't imagine anyone actually drinking it." Niraj and Mary turned to look at me, "She does."

What exactly is Lapsang Souchong and what makes it so unique? Lapsang Souchong is a traditional smoked tea made in the Fujian Province of China by drying a robust black tea over pine wood smoke thus imparting its famous smoky flavor. There's a fascinating story as to how this ancient tea originated...but I'll leave that for another time.

I adore iced tea and generally drink iced tea over hot, even in winter. I make my iced teas using a Salton Iced Tea Maker. Therefore I will review teas in both forms, hot and iced.


Lapsang Souchong

The Dry Leaf: Strong smoky scent reminiscent of a campfire in the forest.

The Wet Leaf (After Steeping): Less strong, but still very smoky and sultry.

Liquid: Gorgeous deep amber, almost chestnut red in color.
Scent: Lightly smoky, rich, warm.
Taste: Full bodied, smoky and rich. There's a slight nuttiness and a subtle soft sweetness. Yet the finish is crisp, slightly astringent, leaving you ready for your next sip! This tea brings to mind curling up inside under a blanket with a good book on a crisp fall evening or a winter's night with the snow falling outside.

Iced: Lighter in color, but still a gorgeous amber-no real trace of the red found when served hot.

Scent: The smokiness is intensified.

Taste: The juxtaposition of heat and cold is amazing. The beverage itself is cold, but the flavor is hot smoke! Imagine an icy stream yet you jump in and it's actually a hot geyser. There is a slight astringency with a hint of menthol. It's delightfully refreshing and completely surprising!

I honestly did not think that Lapsang Souchong would make a good iced tea. I happily proved myself wrong!




In short, Lapsang Souchong is a woodsy campfire for your palette.