Cold 911

Getting sick of being sick.
And sick of this tea.
BECAUSE : I’m drinking 10 cups a day.

But it’s worth it.

I went to Davids to buy my beloved Daydreamer and they were all out – booo! Instead, I decided to try a few teas that I haven’t tasted yet. The sales associate talked me into buying a sample size of this one. I normally shy away from teas containing orange peel or any kind of orange flavoring, as I tend to prefer my oranges plain, as is, fresh, don’t mess with nature. I’m not sure why I’m like that with oranges? Lemons and limes too, come to think of it…But grapefruits I’ll take in any form…huh… weird.

Anyway, the eucalyptus was the selling factor for me. I love eucalyptus. This tea takes me back to when I visited Australia as a child. I remember the gorgeous blue haze and the refreshing scent of the eucalyptus. It’s simultaneously warming and cooling, if that makes sense? In all honesty I would prefer this without the orange ingredients, but even so, I quite enjoy this and would buy it again in a sample size. I wonder if there is a pure eucalyptus tea out there? The eucalyptus and mint would work fine also, just no oranges really is what I’d be after. I’ll have to look into it.

I wasn’t exactly excited about buying this because of the medicinal eucalyptus, BUT, I know that in this case, it’s more function than smell/taste.

The smell of the dry leaves is mostly eucalyptus, followed by refreshing peppermint, then the orange. No juniperberry scent which is too bad.

But the steeped tea smells mostly of peppermint with some orange in the background. Smells like a couple other tisanes I’ve had in the past, which were pretty good, so yay, this may be alright after all.

And it really is. It basically tastes like peppermint with some orange. The eucalyptus is sort of there, lending a menthol edge to this, but it’s rather light.

After drinking a cup of this, I feel no different, but to be fair, I woke up a lot better this morning after getting the first decent sleep in days, so there’s not much of a sore throat and what not left to comfort.

Ugh, I’m sick!! blegh.
And this tea… well I thought it would help! but boo hoo, it’s not really doing much for my cold. and it tastes like regular mint tea?! Sure, if I did a side by side tasting it might highlight a few of the differences… but who has the energy for that when sick?
Now, my ‘buds are super dampened today so that is definitely not helping the cause. However, if the reason I bought this is to destroy my headcold and it isn’t working… well then I say it’s failed at it’s mission… yes??
maybe I’ll try it when not sick just to see if I can actually taste the juniper.
I doubt I’ll buy it again. Yep. I have nothing against it, but nothing for it over and above regular mint tea. So the rating here is kinda low because while I did find it very tasty, it wasn’t effective nor unique.

OMG brainwave… this tea mixed with Exotica when sick!!!!! how “sic” would that be :)
Guess what I am trying tomorrow!

Thanks to the wonderfully awesome QuiltGuppy for sending some of this my way (along with many other samples). I’ve been dealing with allergies lately, and my throat is really sore. I can take benadryl, but then I pass out so it’s not a work-friendly solution.

This, on the other hand, is great! No, it’s not really medicinal, but it has a great placebo effect goin’ – I felt better after drinking it. :)

I love the eucalyptus smell (one of my faves) of the dry leaves. The peppermint is very strong as well. One sip later and I taste peppermint, menthol, a ginger-y/citrusy flavor, and a bit of the eucalyptus as well. The brewed tea smells as good as the dry version; my headache is starting to feel better too.

Thanks again, QG! :)

A wonderful co-worker of mine shared some of this with me and I truly appreciate it as I am sick at the moment and was looking for something more than plain mint! My sample wasn’t quite big enough for the mug I am using so the infusion is a bit weak after about ten minutes but I get lovely juniper and mint at the front, two flavours that I really enjoy. I’m not really picking up orange on it’s own but I think it’s there holding everything together. hey, I’m sick – what do you expect? : )

I think I prefer Detox for the bolder juniper but I love the mint in here. If the beau liked mint like I do I would keep a stock of this on hand but alas, he does not. I feel like this one cost a lot more when it first came out and that deterred me from trying it but now I’m thinking I should have some on hand for at work. If only my head would stop aching so I could enjoy it fully!

I’m sure like many others, this isn’t something I would choose outside of being sick. But, it is actually relatively tasty (when you can’t taste/smell, especially), and it does provide some measure of relief. It’s strong enough to fight through all the nastiness of a cold to offer you some taste. My sinuses are feeling horribly inflamed and my eyes are watering, so I’m off to make some more! With some fresh ginger and a dash of cayenne. Pulling out all the stops, folks. I have two more papers and three exams to get through before I’m allowed to be sick!

And, I usually strongly dislike juniper. It really bothers me in Detox. But here I either don’t notice the juniper berries or am okay with them.

Bleeeeegh. Was up half the night with a sore throat from hell and coughing. I was too afraid to take NyQuil because if I was going to call in sick, I needed to call in around 10, and I’ve never called in sick to this job before and since they’re not real big on giving us proper breaks, I was worried about calling in and wanted to give as much notice as I could. (I was due in at 1).

Anyway. I just talked to the office manager and she said to feel better and give her a call in a few hours to let her know if I’d be able to make it in tomorrow. Painless as all get out. Because they were so great about not giving me crap about calling in so soon after being hired, I really want to be back on top tomorrow and be able to get back to work. It’s amazing what a little courtesy towards your staff can do! Anyhoo, I am chugging this and Bravissimo and about to take some NyQuil so I can beat this cold.

I can’t speak much for taste because my tastebuds are all out of whack, but it did help my throat a bit and my sinuses are writing me thank you notes as we speak XD. I much prefer this over Gail’s Cold Remedy, so I might stock up before the winter season starts.

Okay, off to gargle salt water, do a shot of honey, lemon, and cayenne, and then drink just enough NyQuil to push me into a nap.

This is the only tea I keep in my cupboard despite hating how it tastes. It is way too minty and way too orangey for me, and the juniper berries don’t do much for me either. It’s a struggle for me to get a mug of this down, even when I’m sick.

But I love it for the same reasons that I hate it. It’s really super strong, in both flavour and scent, and is sometimes the only thing I’m actually able to taste when I’m all stuffy. It does make me feel a bit better, but not substantially so. If I’m really sick, I can’t stomach the flavour, so I reach for something gentler like Mother’s Little Helper. But for a bad case of the stuffies, this blend isn’t so bad. I love that there’s eucalyptus in it though! I love the scent and I’ve rarely seen it in a tea blend.

I don’t know whether I’ll repurchase this when it’s done, if only because of the fact that it can really turn my stomach. I’m more of a lemon-ginger person when I’m sick, and tend to avoid the strong mint.

This tea is saving my life right now. Big cyber non-germ-transfering hugs to the wonderful QuiltGuppy for sending me such a generous sample of this soothing herbal tea.

Mint, eucalyptus, other stuff… I’m tired and not feeling very descriptive at the moment. I must be off to bed.

I am one of the many people that are fighting a cold right now… boo… I hate being sick. HATE it. But really, who likes being sick?
I got this one when I went to Banff. I got it mostly ‘cause it smells delicious! I wasn’t sick, but rather wanted to have it on hand in case someone got sick or I was just feeling adventurous to try it without a cold.
I think I made this one a bit stronger than I meant to. It apparently made the whole main floor of the house smell like vicks vapour rub. I was able to smell it a bit, but after a while I couldn’t. I don’t think it really did anything for me other than it helped sooth my throat a bit. I would definitely get again though. Others found that it helped them a lot, so I would go with that based solely on their experiences

Well, like most others, I’m not drinking this for the taste. I’ve had a little bit if a sore/dry throat the last few days and today I woke up with a headache and badly congested. I didn’t do any of my normal remedies as I had an acupuncture session and wanted to see how much that might help before I self medicate. Anyway, I saved a few dollars with today’s appointment with the “pay it forward” promo at the health collective where I go for community acupuncture, so I thought a tea to go was in order, but I didn’t want to pay $6 for a Vital Resistance tea from Teaopia. I went to David’s instead, opted to try one of their cold and flu teas and ended up with this.

Well, the taste isn’t my favourite so it’s not something I’d drink regularly unless I was feeling bad. I’m not sure if it’s the tea or the walk or what, but I’m feeling super warm right now. My sinuses have been slowly draining all morning, but my head is still hurting. I might make some Dulce and Banana later.

Edit: DO NOT DRINK THIS COLD! It is vile and nauseating and foul. That is all.

This tea did nothing for me when I was sick. It seemed flavourless, I was that ill. This tea when I’m healthy is anything but flavourless! If you like mint-like teas, especially ones with more of a juniper woodsy feel, this is a great tea. The only reason I’m not stocking up more on it is that I prefer Northern Lights just a little bit more.

Feel like crap. This tea makes me feel less like crap. Yay for this tea.

This review brought to you by my remaining functioning braincells.

Dear god this sh#t’s powerful. Even with my heavily blocked, cold and flu tablet influence nose the mint and eucalyptus smack s you in the face. Dosed this with a dollop of honey, as even with all the sinus blockages, it’s still really strong.

Is going down ok, but I can’t have too many mouthfuls at a time as the eucalyptus is quite strong (not sure if that’s factually correct or just my cold).
will rate when I see how much it helps.

Made this tonight. I am not fond of the smell of the dry tea but I need anything I can get to help me out with colds since I can’t use cold medication with my high bloodpressure.
I am hoping to kick whatever I am currently getting in the butt with this cold. I added some Bravissimo to it tonight. I think next time I will have the Cold 911 alone since the chamomile from the Bravissimo is really taking over. Can’t wait to try it alone. Hope this cold/whatever goes away soon.

I had this two days ago and I could clearly smell the eucalyptus in the dry tea. Although that doesn’t sound remarkable, I had been very sick and smelling anything was few and far between for me.

Steeped boiling/4 min. I can clearly taste the mint teas. It’s very warm in my mouth and soothing on my throat. It’s helping me to breathe a bit. Miracle worker, no, but it is definitely making a difference and helping me to feel more comfortable and that alone is worth it’s weight in gold right now. The taste is very nice, very minty and the fact that I can smell and taste at all is testimony to the fact that it’s effective. Definitely a tea I’ll keep around and use as needed!

I’m still drowsy from meds but here goes:

For the past week I’ve been drinking cup after cup of this because of a stubborn developing cold that is taking forever to get worse. It seems like my immune system is fighting a good fight (darn you sudden cold Vancouver weather!) and I’m at that stage where it feels like I’m beginning to get really sick or I’ve just gotten better from being sick. UGH! I’m not a mint tea fan and this is the only tea I actually enjoy and want more of that has peppermint/mint.
….uhm and..
Yay for cold 911! You will be my go to when I’m sick.

I am just sad that I am drinking this instead of trying new teas from my Verdant Tea order that came last week :( Let’s hope that tomorrow I can actually taste and enjoy something! I hate being sick!! This is barely even helping, but it is sort of soothing.

This is step three of my cold regiment. After toughing it out with the immune boosters that were my first two cups, I sigh with relief and sit back with a cup of something that makes me feel better. I like this tisane.

The appearance of the dry leaves is fresh and inviting. The green looks healthy and the brown is a complimenting contrast. There are scattered pieces of dried orange peel that reminds me of tiny croutons, and the juniper berries are whole. They’re firm looking and round, like tiny little bullets that will kick this cold where it’s needed. The scent is refreshing. The peppermint and eucalyptus are just what I need right now, but what’s nice is the scent of orange. It’s surprisingly noticeable in a very pleasant way. I should sprinkle some of this on my pillow.

When first steeped, the eucalyptus is the dominant and most welcome aroma. There are other scents, but they’re not discernible at this point. It’s a little bit woody and musty, but nothing I can point out. After a minute, the peppermint starts to take over where the eucalyptus left off. Though, the welcoming effect of eucalyptus is still lingering. Near the end of the steep, there’s a slight hint of the orange oil, but not the peels.

The liquor is not much to look at. It’s a subtle bronze with amber highlights and an earthy green that floats atop it. That first sip is a sip of relief though. The woodsy notes are underplayed by the eucalyptus that offers the comfort I’m seeking. The dominant flavour is peppermint, followed by the sharper eucalyptus and a hint of orange. There is a subtle tartness that I’m guessing is from the juniper berries, but it is overshadowed by the smooth peppermint. I’m also not really sure what a juniper berry tastes like. Either way, it’s soothing going down. My scratchy throat and sinuses are relieved and I feel a little better even though I know the moment is fleeting.

This is a tisane I am thankful for. It’s made my day a little more tolerable and my alertness is coming back. It’s a great feeling.