Mountain Rose Herbs

This is another that JacquelineM sent a while back for hubby when he was having problems sleeping. She uses Fidnemed to sleep but her husband likes this one. I have had a head/chest cold and since this was formerly named lung tea I thought it might do me good.

We went to a movie tonight and I kept hard candy in my mouth the whole time and barely coughed. Then I had a Coke float when I got home since it is family night and we get an ice cream dessert. Apparently, the cold triggered spasms of coughing and my muscles felt like they were being ripped right off my bones. If cold set it off, maybe heat would stop it.

I actually like this! No honey or anything, just the tisane, and definitely licorice root saying “HERE I AM!” There is a momentary taste that makes me think of…laundry detergent? Some scent I am familiar with but it isn’t coming to me right now. The coughing has stopped, probably just due to the fact that I switched from a super cold beverage that was no doubt constricting my airways/throat to a nice, soothing hot one. I don’t think the ingredients in the tea would work this fast.

So this is the tea I meant to drink two nights ago but I made Dream Tea instead. I remembered that the tea I had heard would knock you out was also called “Sleeps on Rocks” so I dug in my samples box until I found this.

This is the most unusual tea I have ever had. Some of the leaves were huge, others were so fine. I used a large basket with fine mesh. When I lifted the basket out of the cup there was a yellow liquor with a single hovering spot of red, like blood in the bathwater when you cut yourself shaving your legs. The red spot expanded until it slowly stained the whole cup. Wow.

From what I could smell, it was going to be a savory tasting brew. I almost added a bit of honey but then decided to treat it like a savory broth and not even try to pretend it was “tea”. I had no trouble drinking it down. I did have trouble functioning after that. My fingers felt a little….alien and clumsy as I ever so carefully carried the cup back to the kitchen. Hubby had fallen asleep on the sofa citing a headache, so I resteeped the leaves and carried him a cup. I told Mr. Picky not to sniff it, taste it, or say anything about it, just throw it down and go to bed. I don’t want him to get sick, too! He dutifully obeyed.

I went to bed and while I did not fall asleep right away I did utterly and completely relax and could indeed have slept on rocks without moving. Hubby’s head hit the pillow and the snoring commenced.

Is this stuff legal? You bet I am giving some of this to friends in stressful situations who desperately need sleep (bestie works hard and has a special needs son who now has seizures added) and could use a little safe help now and then. My hubby has a lot of trouble shaking a cough when he gets one, but what really throws him under the train is the sleep he misses. That part almost kills him. (Literally, he was hospitalized nine days with pneumonia years ago and got it again six months later.) I think with this in the cabinet, he won’t miss any sleep again.

Still suffering through this cold/upper respiratory thing. Was craving a Jamocha from Arby’s and sweet hubby picked one up for me. Are they caffeinated? I mean, is that real coffee with real “keep you awake” power? I could not fall sleep. I got up and made a cup of this and it was very pleasant to drink. It is light and sweet, with minty floral springlike notes. I taste a lot of the herbs I taste in RoT’s Get Some Zzz’s, I think.

What did not happen was I did not get sleepy. Once I fell asleep I woke up every one and a half hours. Maybe from the cough, cold, caffeine, triple whammy. But I did dream about silver teapots, so that’s something!

A decent tea for the money, but as Jason noted, the astringency and bitterness can be very strong. Being careful with the steeping time helps, but really, I never managed to make this tea without it turning out at least a bit bitter. Some days I didn’t mind this at all, but other times it really bothered me. Overall I’d say it’s a tea to use sparingly, and not recommended for delicate palettes or stomachs. On the other hand, I haven’t had that many gunpowder teas, so I’m not sure whether this strong, one-note sort of flavor is typical for this kind of tea.

This is my ‘go to’ tea. I enjoy the rich, hearty bouquet and using the rooiboos as base is a nice touch. While steeping in a French press, I add 1/3 teaspoon of green powdered stevia to the cup. My compliments to Mountain Rose Herbs on a splendid blend. This is my standard for chai.

I just received my tea order last week and, after first enjoying some of the delicious Indian black teas I have been craving from Mountain Rose Herbs, decided to have a refreshing cup of my favorite white tea. As soon as I opened the bag, I was disappointed. I couldn’t believe my eyes. My precious White Peony, which I have ordered before many times, was no longer whole leaf!! I was so shocked to find all those lovely leaves and buds all chopped up to smithereens, my beautiful baby hacked to oblivion…! Why, why, why??? I can’t believe they would do that to this wonderful tea, which was so perfect when it was whole! Why couldn’t they have left it as it was?

Trying not to panic, I proceeded to make my cup of tea (using less leaf than I used to when it was whole—I used to use a large heaping tablespoon but figured because it’s broken leaf I would need only the standard teaspoonful), hoping against all hope that perhaps it would still taste the same as I remember it: sweet and slightly floral, like honey and flowers… So I held my breath and waited for the infusion to finish steeping.
and poured it into the cup. It was darker in color, like a darker brownish yellow (unlike the lovely golden honey-color I fondly remember). I took a sip. It was not the same. My worse fears had been confirmed. Something in this tea had been lost—the delicate taste was gone, replaced by a stronger, more bold and flat vegetal flavor. I wanted to cry. (And then I somehow managed to keep it together, reminding myself that I am an adult, and that there really are worse things in life than a disappointing cup of tea! Ah, perspective.)

Anyhow, I am now left with an 8 oz bag of the Shredded White Peony. What to do, what to do? I knew I could make this tea for my husband, who is most definitely NOT a tea snob like me and who gasp! thinks all tea “tastes basically the same”, and therefore is my typical go-to person for disposing of sub-par tea so as not to waste it. But I felt I should not give up on my poor peony so easily. It used to be too good of a tea to waste on my husband. So…

As with all things, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I decided that this tea could possibly be blended with something else and produce a decent cup. Fortunately I had also just bought a bunch of MRH’s peppermint leaf (I will have a separate tasting note on that because it is SO good!) and thought the flavor of the white peony would actually work well with some nice crisp, refreshing mint. I resolved to try it and made 3 cups of an infusion from 2 teaspoons white tea + 1 teaspoon peppermint leaf. The result: VERY GOOD! It was light, minty, slightly vegetal but not too strong, the white tea flavor came through and was not overpowered by the mint, and overall I would say it made a fine blend. I call this tea, “Winter’s Breath” as its taste brings to mind that moment when you step outside on a snowy winter day and inhale the crisp clean air. It should provide the perfect drink for Christmas morning, or on any winter day when the snow is falling outside. As I seem to always get in the mood for mint around the holidays, this should be good for all my intents and purposes this year.

As to why MRH decided to cut up their white tea, I have no idea and am curious to find out. I might call the company and just ask about it, because I do miss how it was sold before. I love MRH, they have excellent teas and this is the first time I have ever been disappointed with their product. I’m sure they must have a good reason for not selling it whole leaf. Oh well. Don’t cry over spilt milk. Or in this case, broken leaf.

Because this tea was always good before, and the essential taste is still there (although it is much stronger and less complex than before) I will hold off rating this for now. I am going to experiment a little and try steeping it at different temps, for different times, and see if I can’t get closer to the taste I love and remember before.

Tea #3 from HHTTB2

Nettle is such a dinstinctive taste. It’s one of the ingredients in the Migraine Relief tea I drink too. And it has this kind of savory earthy flavor that almost overwhelms everything else here (and unfortunately not in my Migraine tea). There’s also a subtle sweetness here that peaks at the tail of the sip. And something in here that makes my tongue tingle — but only slightly.

A very solid herbal tea that definitely helped me wind down. Now all I need is a massage and things would be pretty awesome.

I usually like black teas to get me going in the morning, but occasionally I will be in the mood for something lighter to start my day. This morning I got out my Dao Ren green tea—which is what I like to think of as my “breakfast green tea” because it fuller-bodied than other green teas and thus makes for a perfect breakfast cup. It is smooth, thick, nutty, and sweet, but not strong or astringent, and has a “gentleness” about it that makes it quite comforting. It brews up a slightly cloudy golden-green color, with a nice warm vegetal scent. It is a pleasant way to wake up and ease into the day, suitable for when you don’t need to be jolted awake (as when drinking a brisk, black tea). It is very satisfying and holds its own for breakfast—but also serves for the afternoon too.

I was surprised that one person had commented they steep it for only 1-2 minutes, although I know that is the case typically for green teas. I just can’t understand how that is long enough to taste anything though! Maybe my water is hard and that is interfering with my ability to taste the subtle notes? (I use regular tap water, usually filtered although I need to change the filter on our purifier so maybe that’s the problem?) but any tea flavor is barely detectable for me at 1-2 minutes, and I’ve tried different water temperatures. This goes for virtually all my teas. If it is not a water issue, then perhaps it’s simply that my palate just isn’t sensitive enough (and thus why I tend to prefer black teas over green in general). Perhaps I need to try more green and white teas and work on developing my tastebuds to pick up on their subtleties! I don’t know. Does anyone else have this problem?

A hearty, warm, delicious, and satisfying Assam. I drink this tea regularly in the morning and it is an excellent way to start the day.

This is the first and only Lapsang I have tried. After first tasting it, I decided I need not look elsewhere, as this tea seems just right. It is not overpoweringly smoky and has a nice lingering sweet aftertaste. To sum up, it is a lightly smoky, piney, sweet, and satisfying brew—perfect on a chilly fall day!

Tea #2 from Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox

First, a little story:

I used to buy essential oils regularly from Mountain Rose Herbs. When I first started ordering from their website some, i dunno, 5 or 6 years ago maybe, I noticed the loose leaf tea section. At this time I was a heavy coffee drinker, though I did have the occasional bagged green tea. Mountain rose herbs was the company that put the first tea-spark in me. I thought, “wow, loose tea. . how natural and exotic!” But something about it also intimidated me, like I wasn’t good enough for that fancy realm. I frequently browsed the tea section on the website and even went so far as to purchase two tea infusers, but I never purchased tea.

Fast forward years later, I purchased my first loose tea, but not from Mountain rose herbs. I looked around frantically for the tea infusers that I knew I still had in their original packaging, but couldn’t find them. Incidentally, I found them, finally, a couple weeks ago ^^

So, anyway, here I am presented with a tea (or rather, tisane. .but lets not get all nit-picky now) from the company that should have been my first, so I had to try it (thanks Tea Sipper for leaving it in the box ;) )

I was skeptical because of the ginger root (strong ginger makes me nauseous, ironically enough), but I’ve come across several ginger-containing teas along the way that haven’t put me off. The ginger in this one is stronger than I’d like, but it’s alright. The tea as a whole is very soupy/broth-like as someone else already noted. And certainly herbaceous, with a slight sweetness on the way down.

I don’t know if I’ll order this specific blend, but it has inspired me consider checking out Mountain Rose’s tea collection again :)

One of the last remaining I want to try from the HH teabox (that I’m not taking out completely). This was actually quite delicious for a herbal tea! First the dry leaves are amazingly pretty and fresh looking! A lot of pinks and greens. After steeping with boiling water for a few minutes, the flavor is sweet, minty, and a bit like the chrysanthemum tea I had the other day. I’m itching to keep the little bit left of this out of the teabox but I want to share it with others… maybe they will also see how nice herbal teas can be!

This is an interesting Chai tea, I say that because it is quite weak when not grounded, yes this tea’s flavor opens up once you send it through a coffee grinder for a second or two and break up the ingredients. This is a perfect tea with any type of desert, super spicy though so be warned, really nice cardamom flavor, everything seems perfectly even spice wise, I do suggest adding in some regular black tea of your choice if that parts to weak, I think that helps it personally.

Well it’s the kind of day where a little lapsong found it’s way into my celestial seasonings cherry berry. I felt a bit warm and to keep it warm and toasty I brewed the lapsong first, then added only one bag of the cc. lovely little drink

This is the best tasting of the health tisanes I have purchased recently. Herbaceous, for sure, but there is something light and sweet about it. It tastes plant-y and alive! This one is supposed to aid the immune system and help you from feeling overwhelmed and run down. Oh, I can sure use this! I regret I didn’t try it sooner – I was so worried about how it was going to taste that it’s been sitting in my cupboard for a month! Silly!

I would like to move more toward these herbal helpers in the evenings – they make me feel so relaxed and good!

First, let me say this tea works. It’s a different feeling than chamomile – I actually felt fuzzy and slow after drinking it! I slept deeply and was not restless. I found the taste herby and not too bad – the smell of the dry tea is more offputting than the brewed flavor (the valerian – if you’ve smelled it before, you know of what I speak! FEET!).

My husband, on the other hand, did not feel sleepy from it! He is the guy who can take prescription sleeping pills and not feel sleepy, though. What is going on there, I don’t know! He’s been this way since a baby.

It works out though – he swears by the Forests tea for sleeping well with his allergies (so much so I’m almost out of the 4oz I just purchased, and just ordered a pound!), so I make him a cup of that before bed, and I drink this.

I broke the precious Beehouse teapot that Doulton gave me as I was making this tea! I just wanted to cry to you all little (cry, cry, cry)! It just slipped off of the counter and smashed into a million pieces.

My husband has some breathing issues — allergies? asthma? and this tea helps. I drink it, too — I figure the herbs in it like Echinacea purpurea root are good for the immune system. The taste. Well. It is certainly acquired. It tastes like incense to me, but I think that’s the cinnamon mixing with the fennel. A little honey helps. The more you drink it, the more you think it’s interesting instead of nasty :) I’m just glad it makes my husband breathe easier.

I’ve been drinking this one a lot in the evening. The stress of the end of semester times two (I both work at a University and attend a University!) can get to me, and I have a bit of trouble sleeping. Luckily this is very easy to drink — some nights I even have two cups. Lightly minty, and apple-y from the chamomile, and herbaceous in a good way from the mugwort et al. Honey makes it even nicer.

Do I have wild dreams? No! But I do feel very dreamy when I drink it, and slip right into dreamland.

P.S. Now that gmathis received her Lady Grey Green card (I really did paint one after our conversation about Harney’s Canton Green tea) I can show you all a snap of it!

https://twitter.com/i/#!/jackiemania/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FdCvd83RM

I was really curious about this particular Lapsang in the box o’ lapsangs that Hesper June sent! I wondered how the quality would be since this isn’t a company dedicated to tea, but rather herbs in general. Several of their teas get great reviews, though, so we gave it a go, and were not disappointed. Youngest thought it was good, and she is a Lapsang lover. It has a bright, sweet base that I am thinking may be largely Ceylon. This went very nicely with our lunch of chicken soup and cheese toast! Thank you, Hesper June!

This tea was wonderfully delicate. The jasmine scenting was there but I loved that the tea itself was still able to shine through. The leaves were absolutely beautiful to watch as they unfurled. I made this iced as well and it was fantastic.

It seems like every time I write one of these ‘Hey, let’s try different ingredients!’ reviews, I walk in with some level of expectation that needs to be beaten with a stick. Inevitably, I write some version of “I expected this, but got that”.

Without further ado, I bring you Juniper.

Missy and I spent a little bit discussing how strong to brew this for a 12 oz glass. Originally, I was thinking we should go a little light. This is what I would refer to as ‘being scared’. I didn’t want to down a cup of Pine-Sol. We settled on full strength. At least then I would know exactly what kind of impact the berries would have on any future blends.

At one point during the steeping process, Missy hesitantly asked me whether she really should go with the full 8 minutes that we normally brew herbals at, but we carried forward.

So, after a prolonged period of anticipation, Missy sets a cup down next to me… and…

and…

It looks like water. Honestly, it’s only a shade or two of yellow off from perfectly crystal clear. If it was in anything other than a clear glass mug, you might think that you had a cup of water.

It does have an aroma, a somewhat sweet pine spicy fruity-ness to it. It’s actually a really interesting and pleasant scent. I’m growing more fond of it by the minute.

So how does it taste? Well, still kind of like water. It has an extremely subtle-but-apparent flavor to it, that may or may not actually just be the scent working it’s way across my tongue. You feel the almost tangy pine flavor in your jaw more than you really taste it on your tongue. There’s a light sweetness to it as well.

It really seems like a lot of work for a flavor that would be eclipsed by ice-water-with-lemon. What I definitely do know now, is that I don’t have to shy away from the juniper berries in any mix I might toss together. They’ll add more to aesthetic value than they would detract from flavor.

So, all in all – I expected a purple cup of pine-death, but ended up with a faint but pleasant scented water. I’ll chalk that up as a win.

Another tisane that I rely on when sick. I make a two cup pot which I pour into a giant mug with honey, drink, repeat. It keeps me hydrated and warm, plus tames my cough. The flavor comes across as sweet and good even though my taste buds are off.