Chamomile Citrus

When I get stressed I sometimes get eye twitches – bothersome, but they go away once the stress is gone. In the midst of midterms and moving I was getting a frequent twitching feeling in my left eye, and even after we moved it wasn’t going away! So I have decided to limit my caffeine and alcohol for a couple of weeks at least. This means more herbal tea, so I picked this up at the grocery store.
I am a big chamomile fan, and this is pleasing but it’s not going to be one of my favorites. It’s rather sweet for an herbal tea and I keep wondering what kind of flavoring or additive they slipped in to make it taste so sweet. It is certainly pretty to look at though, and it’s helping satisfy my tea craving without the caffeine.

This smells so much like fruit loops! Take into consideration I just brushed my teeth, but got cold and wanted some tea. This tea smells and tastes like an herbal variation of fruit loops. I taste the lemon and rosehiosand chamomile. I’m happy it isn’t a sweet chamomile. I will definitely be getting a box of this soon!

I’ve decided I need to give chamomile a chance. I never really had it growing up, so I’ve never had a taste for it. But if it’s something that’s tried and true to de-stress, I’ll give it a try.

As I hit the sachet with hot water, it expands into a little floating pillow full of pale dried flowers and what looks like lemongrass. I think I can see some fruit peelings in there, too. The citrus scent is very powerful and sour, and makes me think of grapefruit and oranges. It’s so strong that I’m giving it a minute less than the instructions say.

The taste is more on the lemony side, with a vaguely minty herbal flavor mixed in. It’s not as harsh with citrus as the aroma had lead me to believe. There’s something about it that tastes very clean, and I like that. Honestly, however, I’m not sure what good chamomile is supposed to taste like, so I can’t make any judgements there. I’ll try a plain chamomile next…

I wanted more tea, but not more caffeine. I used to have a lot of herbal teas, but somehow that is no longer the case. I did come across a sample box from mighty leaf that was given to me from one of my students, & this one looks interesting.

In my mind, this is a classic herbal tea. It is aesthetically beautiful, & the flavors are nicely balanced so that I can taste each ingredient, without anything being in my face. There is just enough chamomile, just enough citrus, etc.

As a side note, I’d like to say that I don’t care for the ‘silk’ bags. They are not biodegradable, & the proof is in my compost pile. If I were to order more of this, I’d want it loose.

At BeansBoro Coffeehouse (Greensboro, NC) with a Buckwheat Shortbread cookie with Maple Icing (Zen Cat bakery).

Time to get my study on! 2 more weeks in this semester, then a 2-week break before summer semester. sigh Why am I in grad school again?

Backlogging a bunch of cups of this…

I am just getting over a cold and I drank a ton of this tea to help combat it. It tastes like fruit loops not even kidding. That is what I think when I drink this tea every time. It is decent. Not my favorite, but it works well as a soothing tea.

Also I love the look of this tea in the bag. It is so colorful and pretty! There are so many different visible ingredients!

Found a variety pack on sale last weekend so I grabbed it since I have never had Mighty Leaf tea and variety packs are fun. Decided I’d try this one out so I can have some more tea but not worry about sleeping later tonight. Not too excited about the chamomile aspect but yay for the citrus.

The bag is pretty. I kind of want to stick it in my lingerie drawer but I really wouldn’t want my under-things smelling like this tea. It’s kinda weird. Chamomile and citrus, yes. I just can’t decide if they blend really well so they aren’t distinct or if there is something else that makes them smell weird. But brewed up the smell is less funky but maybe stronger chamomile than I’d want in my idea herbal.

The taste is citrus-y then some chamomile (thankfully not too strong) and then something warm/tangy. Looking at the ingredients, I can probably also taste the rose hip (or at least something that makes me think of my marinara tea, also known as Lupicia’s Rose Hip herbal) but I don’t think I would have pegged what that taste was without reading the ingredients. There is a sweet ending so back to the chamomile. And as it cools, the chamomile becomes stronger.

Eh. I don’t hate this but I don’t really enjoy it all that much. It’s a bit too sweet and light and frou-frou for me. I feel like I need some ginger or licorice or something to make it more interesting. Pretty bag and leaves though so points for that.

This sample is courtesy of threewhales! Thanks!

I really wanted to love this tea because I’ve never found a chamomile blend that I was crazy for. Initially this tea tastes pretty great – all orange with hints of mint and a smoothness from the chamomile. However, eventually the orange starts tasting old and kind of dry which isn’t very good. I also may have oversteeped this slightly, so I could be to blame for the less than great tea. It IS drinkable, but not my fave.

Anyone has any suggestions for a great and tasty chamomile blend?

I cannot say that I hate chamomile tea, but my past experiences have been limited. I’ve had chamomiles that tasted like hot water with a faint spritz of hay seed. Back when I was in college there was the dreaded proffering of Celestial Seasonings Chamomile by those who took their earthy, hippy status seriously. Fortunately, tea has come a long way since then.

Mighty Leaf has me jonesing for more.

I just got a variety pack of Might Leaf tea-bags and decided to accompany “The Amazing Race” with a nice soothing tea. I decided, quite staunchly, that I was going to get the chamomile out of the way—the way I occasionally make myself do an unpleasant chore first thing in the day and spend the next 6 months using this one burst of virtue to justify my inherent sloth.

First I had to admire the tea bag. I imagined an artisan lovingly crocheting the string with a tiny crochet hook. As the tea brewed, citrus emerged. The typical old hayseed odor never appeared.

I was starting to get alert and to pay attention to this tea. I had regarded it as a chore to be endured and I now felt that I had arrived at the “sens de la visite” as French signs point out tourist attractions.

Mighty Leaf has concocted an impressive mélange of flavors to support whatever the essence of chamomile is. I still remain uncertain what was the chamomile–maybe the supporting cast is the star here. The citrus is strong, vibrant, but not a bit brash.

I made an immediate note to promote this Chamomile Citrus to full-time status at my house and to adopt it as a favorite evening child. I know that I really like this tea because I’m already slightly nervous that I only have one tea-bag left and the stores do not open for another 7 hours. I’m a convert!

One of the Mighty Leaf teabags I picked up on the road trip. They’ve definitely got the aesthetics down, with the attractive fabric mesh bag stitched along the sides, providing a gauzy view of the whole chamomile buds, chunks of orange peel, and other bits and bobs (looks like lemongrass and rose hip?) inside. This smells very fresh and citrus-y during the steep, and after five minutes comes out a pretty orange-rose color.

It’s funny, I like chamomile but am only getting very slight hints of it in this cup. Most of the space is taken up by the orange peel and lemongrass, with the chamomile coming through as just a warmth and sweetness in the background. I’m having it in the middle of the afternoon, but I imagine it would be very calming as the last cup of the evening.

Chamomile is really good with lemon flavors! Who knew? The lemon grass and the lemon myrtle really come through in this, and give it a nice bright flavor.

This is going to be long. I can’t help but be grateful for finding a place such as Steepster for allowing me to record my falling in love with this tea. I’ve only had ONE CUP and I know I’m in love for life. Hubby had convention and they served up Mighty Leaf so brought me back Chamomile Citrus tea bag packet and some other Mighty Leaf flavors. This was my first choice to try. I had no idea what was going to happen as I opened the package. I was expecting regular tea bags like Bigelow and Celestial Seasonings, but what came out was a beautiful, silky tea bag filled with beautiful herbs that were whole and lovely. It was love at first sight. I couldn’t believe it. Not only did it look pretty, but it smelled heavenly! When I finally got around to making this tea (after showing my newly discovered tea bag to the hubby and son) I was swept off my feet. Everything about this tea is wonderful, from the smell, to the lovely color of the tea, and of course, the smooth taste. If you must know how serious this is, I refused to throw the tea bag away until the next morning so I could sniff it- I know, I’m crazy. It’s ok to think it… ****edited to add the disclaimer that despite my professed love for this tea, I am hesitant to create such an expensive tea drinking habit! The box at Publix is $8 for a box with 15 bags!! Yikes!

First tasting note I read for this one says that it smells like Froot Loops. Yep. Nice robust citrus peel thing happening, but it’s a fruity citrus, not a make-your-tongue-wrinkle citrus.

This is tonight’s chamomile trial.

I’m getting much more rosehips and hibiscus with this, and the chamomile tends to fade into the background. There’s a hint of orange and lemongrass which just emphasizes the hibiscus. It’s very nice, and could definitely be in the running for my chamomile of choice.

Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none, wild huckleberry honey
Water: 1 mug (12 ounces) filtered boiling water
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Notes: Soothing tea, lovely without additives, great for calming down before bed.

Smell: floral, minty, not a very strong odor
Flavor: sweet (unsweetened) floral, not much changed with honey, MilitiaJim was surprised by the mint flavor (he doesn’t like mint), the citrus flavor was evident
Body: medium
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: nearly see through yellow-brown

Before I begin: not a particular fan of citrus tea or chamomile, although the latter one is starting to grow on me, since it was one of the most reliably available teas in Costa Rica. With that in mind, onto this tea.

Smells powerfully citrusy. No surprises there. I think I steeped this a minute or two too long, and especially after I saw hibiscus in the ingredients, I was concerned for a moment that it would be another incarnation of Wild Sweet Orange (GAH!), but it wasn’t. Tangy and citrusy, but definitely drinkable. Still not my cup of tea. Ah well. It was warm. Not bad if you like this sort of thing. I just don’t.

Side note: when steeping, this suddenly turns an odd green color, and then gradually shifts to purpley red.

Tired and cranky arriving at work, I decided to grab a to-go tea from somewhere nearby instead of making my own in the office. It was either Tim Horton’s or a place that offers some Mighty Leaf teas. I went for this in the hopes that it would soothe my rather sore throat while I have to talk on the phone all night. And, it’s tastier than I expected! Not a chamomile fan, but this is one of the nicest incarnations I’ve witnessed. It’s balanced well with the fresh citrus, and I didn’t taste too much rosehip/hibiscus tartness. It also helped the ol’ throat a little.

I really enjoy this tea. So much so that I purchased a pound of it. It is a regular, late-night-no-caffeine go-to for me. It won’t blow your mind, but it is refreshing. The taste is chamomile up front, then the citrus hits you and stays there to the finish. Others have said the citrus was a touch medicinal tasting, but I dont get that. A all-around, nice tea.

This tea for me was just alright. But I’m really not a fan I’m chamomile teas so I’m sure for other people its wonderful. It has a nice flavour; calming and good for sore throats. What I will say though is that the loose leaf variety of this tea, looks absolutely stunning. I drank this out of my Libré Tea infuser glass, and it is so pretty. The little daisies and flowers “bloomed” inside the mug and it looked like a little garden. Props to Mighty Leaf for the most beautiful tea I’ve ever seen. I don’t know why everyone thinks that this smells or tastes like fruit loops though. I didn’t get that at all.

Rating: 61/100
Steep time: I just left it in the mug while I drank it.
Water temp. : just below boiling.

The first thing I noticed was the wonderful smell I got when I opened this pack. It smells divinely! However I wouldn’t really call this a chamomile citrus, it’s more like a citrus chamomile. While it is relaxing, it’s also sort of refreshing too. This strikes me as a tea that would be good to drink around cold and flu season. It seems like it would be soothing for your throat.

I’d really have to sip this one again to see how I really feel. I think.