Category Archives: decaf
Drink Me: Republic of Tea, SuperHerb Teas for Women
A few weeks ago I was contacted by The Republic of Tea and asked if I would like to review some of their new SuperHerb Teas for Women. I was given a choice and I requested the Organic Raspberry Leaf and the Organic Nettle blends.
From the website, Organic Raspberry Leaf is targeted at women’s health. I am not in a position to verify the effects that Raspberry Leaf has on women’s health, but I am able to tell you a little bit about the tea. The ingredients include organic red raspberry (leaf), organic rosehips (fruit), organic raspberries (fruit), and natural raspberry and vanilla flavors.
I brewed this tea up hot, but I think it would also be delightful iced over the summer, perhaps with frozen raspberries? The tea itself tasted of raspberries with a hint of vanilla. I have reviewed raspberry teas in the past, and I have often found that they end up being a mixture of raspberry and blackberry. In this case, the taste was definitely pure raspberry. I would highly recommend this tea for raspberry lovers.
You can find Organic Raspberry Leaf in a tin of 36 teabags for $13.00.
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From the website, Organic Nettle is designed to reduce inflammation in women. Again, I am not in a position to verify the effects that the tea has, but I can review it on taste. Organic Nettle contains organic nettle (leaf), organic peppermint (leaf) and natural vanilla flavor.
I brewed this tea up hot as well, and was unsure what to expect in terms of flavor. This blend tasted almost exclusively of vanilla and mint, so I’m still not sure exactly what flavor the nettle lends to it. I enjoyed this one, but I think I preferred the raspberry. However, if you’re looking for mint and vanilla, this one definitely fits the bill.
You can find Organic Nettle in a tin of 36 teabags for $13.00.
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As a side note, I have been a lover of The Republic of Tea for many years now. I enjoy a variety of their teas, both loose leaf and in bags, and I’ve written about them quite frequently. I find them to be high quality teas, and the shipping times and customer service are excellent. If you’re interested in doing a little taste testing, you can sign up for their catalog which arrives every other month or so with a free sample inside! They also have a loyalty program where you can earn rewards to more tea.
A special thank you to the folks at The Republic of Tea who sent me both tins of tea (retail: $26.00) for free. I received no other compensation for this review. All opinions and photos are my own.
Drink Me: Capital Teas, Lemongrass Ginger Serenity
The final tea in my last order from Capital Teas was Lemongrass Ginger Serenity (Organic).
From the website, Lemongrass Ginger Serenity contains lemongrass, ginger, licorice and peppermint.
It is available in a variety of sizes including 2oz for $9.95, 4oz for $19.90, 8oz for $37.81, 1lb for $71.64 and 2lbs for $135.32.
When I first opened the package the smell of the lemongrass and ginger was overwhelming – I think I even sneezed. But as I prepared the tea and it brewed, I got more of the licorice and peppermint aromas. The tea was milder than I expected, though I made sure not to overdo the measurements nor to steep too long. I think a stronger brew of this would be wonderful during cold season. However, this was a really nice afternoon cup; fresh and full of herbs and just slightly sweet.
Drink Me: Arbor Teas, Holy Basil
Last week I wrote about an order I placed with Arbor Teas. Another tea I decided to try (having never heard of it before) is Holy Basil.
From the website, Holy Basil is organic Indian Holy Basil, also known as Tulsi.
Holy Basil is available in a variety of sizes: sample for $3.95, 1.5oz for $3.95 and 4oz for $6.50.
When I opened the package all I smelled was something like cloves. It was spicy and earthy. As it brewed this smell only intensified. The taste was definitely of cloves, but also of other flavors. Arbor Teas suggests flavors of mint, lemons, cardamom, rosemary and nutmeg. I added just a touch of sugar and it was dark and spicy, just as I would expect a masala chai to be. This is decaffeinated however. I really did like this one, and can imagine enjoying it quite a bit on cold winter days.
Drink Me: Teapigs, Liquorice and Mint
In my neverending quest to find a licorice tea that I love, another selection I added to my last Teapigs order was their Liquorice and Mint tea.
This blend contains liquorice root and peppermint leaves. That’s it. I love the simplicity of these teas.
Liquorice and Mint is available in a sample size for $2.50, 15 tea temples for $9.99 and a pack of 50 tea temples for $24.99.
When I opened this one, the smell of both mint and liquorice came through. When I tasted, I first got the mint flavor, but then I could feel the warm liquorice heat and spice almost at the back of my throat. I didn’t use any sugar for this one; it was sweet and perfect without. This might very well be my favorite liquorice tea that I’ve had – it might even beat out the discontinued David’s Tea, Licorice Twist, which I’m hoarding because there is no more.
Drink Me: Teapigs, Superfruit
A while ago, I placed an order with Teapigs and ordered sample sizes of a bunch of their teas. One of the ones I was eager to try was Superfruit.
From the label, the decaffeinated herbal blend contains hibiscus (49%), elderberries (25%), blackcurrants (10%), cranberries (1%), blueberries (1%) and other natural flavorings.
I purchased the sample size of 2 teabags for $2.50. There is also a package that contains 15 tea bags for $9.99, and one that contains 50 tea bags for $24.99.
When I opened the package I got a lovely berry smell. This was a tart tea with lots of hibiscus and berry flavor. I added a bit of sugar and it made it a bit sweeter without diminishing a bit of the tart flavor that I loved. I drank it hot, but I think it would also make a great pitcher of iced tea; I may have to order more and try it that way.
Drink Me: Republic of Tea, Hibiscus Sangria
The second iced tea that I ordered from Republic of Tea was Hibiscus Sangria.
Hibiscus Sangria contains hibiscus, apple bits, sweet blackberry leaves, orange peel, natural orange, lemon, lime and strawberry flavors.
It is available in a tin which contains 8 pouches (to make 8 quarts of tea) for $6.99.
The tea itself is refreshing. I can taste the sweet hibiscus but the orange peel with lemon and lime give it a bit of a citrus tang that makes it not too sweet. I’d be eager to add fruit and maybe a splash of wine to it and see how that jazzed it up, but I did enjoy drinking it plain as well.
Drink Me: Republic of Tea, Cardamom Cinnamon
When I ordered iced teas from Republic of Tea, I also couldn’t resist adding something warm and spicy to my card: Cardamom Cinnamon.
From the website, Cardamom Cinnamon contains cinnamon, ginger, carob, cardamom, chicory, pink peppercorns, star anise, cloves and cassia oil.
I ordered the Tasters Tin which was $4.50 for 1oz, but the blend is also available for $11.50 for a 5oz tin and $31.oo for a 1lb bag.
When I opened the tin I got a spicy smell that reminded me of the holidays. Once brewed I got the cinnamon and the pepper. The tea was mostly cinnamon flavored, and I found myself missing the body of a black tea underneath. I think this one would be a great substitute for those who would prefer herbal spice teas.
Drink Me: Teapigs, Rhubarb Ginger
I’ve been on a ginger kick lately, so when I decided to place an order with Teapigs I added one of their Rhubarb Ginger samples to my cart.
From the label, the decaffeinated herbal blend contains 50% rhubarb and 50% ginger.
I purchased the sample size of 2 teabags for $2.50. There is also a package that contains 15 tea bags for $9.99.
When I opened the package I was overwhelmed by the tangy ginger smell. Again this was a savory sweet. I added a bit of sugar and got the tangy sweet rhubarb taste along with the tangy ginger. It was a nice combination, and a pleasant afternoon drink, especially if you’re looking for something herbal and decaffeinated. I should also say that I do appreciate the simplicity in these teas – with only a few ingredients I really know what I’m getting.
Drink Me: Teapigs, Fennel & Liquorice
Almost two years ago, I purchase the Licorice Twist blend from David’s Tea and reviewed it here on the blog. Sadly, when I went to purchase more, I found it had been discontinued and I’ve been on the hunt for a good replacement ever since.
So when I decided to place an order with Teapigs for some samples, one of the first blends I put in my cart was the Fennel and Liquorice blend.
From the label, the decaffeinated herbal blend contains 80% fennel and 20% liquorice root.
I purchased the sample size of 2 teabags for $2.50. There is also a package that contains 15 tea bags for $9.99.
When I opened the package I could definitely smell the fennel. The tea definitely had a savory smell. I prepared it with just a bit of sugar. The tea was very light. I mostly got the taste of the fennel with a bit of a liquorice finish. It was quite good, but also not quite what I was looking for.
Drink Me: Shang Tea, Chai Matcha
As I posted a few weeks ago, late in the fall I got to go over to Shang Tea and I was enchanted with the tea shop. While we were there the staff was so kind and gave us all kinds of tea to sample. One of these was the Chai Matcha.
The spices are ground right in the shop, and don’t taste exactly like what I traditionally think of as Chai. In this blend I really taste the ginger and the star anise. While we were in the shop we actually got to try two versions. The first was mixed with honey and whole milk from Shatto, a local dairy. It was sweet and rich and amazing. The second was just mixed with a bit of honey, but no milk. It was fragrant and very clean and light tasting – I can see myself drinking a lot of it.
Chai Matcha is available from Shang Tea for $12 per ounce.
