Tea Ramblings

While it's rainy on the west coast for Karen, it's still scorching hot on the east coast for me. I'm beyond ready for autumn and the cooler temperatures that it brings.

I have been drinking a variety of tea. Yesterday I enjoyed some hot tea at the soft opening of my friend Niraj's new Tea Bar, Leaf: Himalayan Imperial Second Flush. When I returned home I had some of the iced tea I had made the other day: Raspberry Rendezvous by London Fruit & Herb Company. It's actually a tisane of hibiscus, apple pomace, blackberry leaves, raspberry juice, raspberries, rosehips and more. Today I went for dinner with a friend and had the house made iced tea. I'm not sure what it was other than unsweetened black tea, but it was cold and tasty. And now I think I'm going to have a tea popsicle. I got another variety of the Brewla tea popsicles. This time I found The Hero: cherry pomegranate and red tea. This is another tisane and tastes more of cherry than anything else, but tasty and only 45 calories, so a nice snack, especially on a hot day.

What about you? Do you mix up your teas, or tend to stick with one type for a period of time? What have you been drinking lately?

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.