Mother's Little Helper (Organic)

so after my vacation filled with deeeelicious but terrible (for my health!) food, I’ve been in need of some restorative teas the last few days!!! and this, well for the purposes of fixing my tummy woes, well it really did the trick.
The first time I tried it, I was evaluating for usefulness as a sleepy time tea. and now, well I think it’s more of a soother for the ill!!
The lovely girl in the shop recommended it, and we got into a conversation about the teas many uses… which then sold me on buying a cuppa and I am really glad I did.
Anyhow, my rating here is based on how effective it was in fixing me. and that when I needed it, it tasted like gold. Somehow, when I’m fiddle fit, it tastes ok but I guess that’s just cause the magic hasn’t been activated by need ;)

Really need a little extra help relaxing tonight & hoping this will do the trick. During college, I lived just two blocks from the Marathon route, worked in Copley Square, and, still have many friends who live in the city. Thankfully, all of my friends & family are okay. Though with cell lines blocked, there was a lot of scrambling to get news from everyone this afternoon and, needless to say, sleep is a little hard to come by tonight. I may not be a mother, but I could certainly use a “little helper” right now.

The fragrance of this tea is soothing as always, and the taste, while nothing to write home about, is comforting.

And the readings have begun. Oh studying. Thought I’d see if this minty blend would keep me awake long enough to finish this chapter.

Mm I’m tasting mint and lemon and something else I’m not familiar with. This one’s pretty yummy but I’d have to be in the mood for minty to have it.

It’s so pretty! The leaves smell deliciously herbal (descriptive, I know). There are floral elements, fruity elements, something that is almost sweet, something else that is kind of licorice like… lots of different scents but nothing that clashed.
I meant to only steep it for around 6 minutes but I think it might have been closer to 8.
I tasted it and I love it!
The hibiscus is the first undertone, then some of the minty flavors, then the floral notes. It unfolds so beautifully. I really like this tea. It is complex in the most wonderful way and it is “medicinal” without being off putting. It just smells like it is good for you, but tastes like something that my grandmother would bring out as a special treat – old world, slightly surprising, and thoroughly wonderful.
I will definitely be ordering more of this!

ETA I tried resteeping this (boiling water for 15 minutes) and got only a pale imitation of the original. It wasn’t bad, but it was a ghost. Note to self – don’t bother resteeping this!

Okay, so I didn’t expect this tea to make me sleepy. I thought it would be a chamomile, relaxing-type tea (it is), but those don’t do much for me and I don’t typically see any effects from herbs/teas/remedies I try so didn’t expect it to do much.

But, this makes me dopey! It’s amazing! I’ve tried it the past two nights when I needed to get to sleep and it pushed me over the line between lazy and drowsy, which is always my problem. The first night I thought I might just be getting tired on my own or that it was my imagination, but it helped last night too. I don’t think it would knock me out if I were well-rested, but it really seems to help put me to sleep when I would rather just stay up browsing Steepster all night. I suppose it could just be a placebo effect but it really felt like I had been sedated, which is weirdly exciting.

The taste is better than I expected. I’m not a fan of chamomile, and this is pretty chamomile, but it’s definitely manageable. I like the lemongrass, and while I’m not typically into mint, the peppermint in the background blends nicely. It’s really just an herbally concoction but if it helps put me to sleep I would drink a lot worse.

Day 11 of the 24 Days of Tea

The Universe really wanted me to try this again. I am feeling congested from allergies or something today, so it felt appropriate to brew this. I haven’t been in the mood to try it again which is why I am so backlogged on the advent calendar. But today I pulled an exciting one and my OCD is not allowing me to do things out of order, so now the pressure is on to consume the teas so I can try the one I got today.

I still don’t like chamomile, but today I am finding this tea a lot nicer. It brewed up a nice pink, which the other sample didn’t do and has a bit more depth to it that it didn’t have before. I still don’t think I would stock it, but I do like it better.

Bumping the rating up a bit on it.

What a day! Having some of this right now! Needed something soothing for my stomach, since my husband and I decided to celebrate Valentine’s day by going out for a brownie sundae and fries. Used to be okay with the random, spontaneous " ice cream for dinner," but feeling pretty gross right now. We’ve been eating pretty healthy for awhile now…seems like the junk food was a shock to my system. Blah! Thank goodness for this tea! Something about the peppermint makes me feel better, even though I’m not a fan of minty teas. Added a little honey to offset the bitter valerian root and its perfect!

In other news, I made it to both Lupicia and DavidsTea today, and I bought a ton of different teas to try! I’m so excited to steep them all, so you’ll be hearing more from me. Just not until tomorrow.

Dry Leaf Nose: Minty with a citrus and fruity note.

Liquor: Golden yellow to light red.

Flavour: Minty and fruity with a slightly tart taste. Prominent rosehip and hibiscus notes that are balanced by the lemongrass that adds a citrusy background. Valerian root is buried in the complex character of the blend (which is good because it can have an acrid taste).

Mmmm this is one of my favourite teas! It’s so relaxing and makes me nice and sleepy. Steeped it smells tonight of lemongrass, mint and a bit of rose hips, each cup varies so much. Tastes amazing! First tastes of lemongrass and rose hips, then peppermint and chamomile. Aaahh already feeling sleepy.

I bought this only to see if it would help me fall asleep. Friday nights I work until 10 and I have to be back at 6 on Saturday morning, so I am always looking for something to start winding down my system. Usually the only thing that works for me is beer. shrugs

In terms of taste, the valerian root makes this brew bitter when it’s lukewarm. Drink it hot and fast if you can. It’s quite minty and sour from the hibiscus as well. Truly, I won’t buy this again after I finish the 50g bag, but I can appreciate it’s calming effects. After 2 cups I start yawning a bit more (this does manage to re-steep once if you keep the first steep to ~4 mins).

Glad to have tried it. It seems to work better for some and less so for others.

(low rating is for taste)