Ginseng Guardian

I’m feeling a bit under the wheather today, so I was considering making me some comfort tea. My initial tea-want was the lovely toffee flavoured one from LPdT, but then I remembered Cteresa having sent me this one in her latest care package and written ‘the tea for hangovers or being ill!’ on the bag, so I thought that would be a pretty obvious choice.

It tastes primarily lemon-y and ginseng-y. Well, I’m not super-certain about the latter, but I think that must be it. It’s a bit like non-ginger-y ginger in flavour. Ginger that isn’t so sharp and warm and prickly. Ginger sweetened with licorice-y notes, sorta. I can’t really explain it, it’s just the association I get. (Note, the blend does not actually contain either ginger or licorice of any sort)

I don’t care for ginger, and I have to say I don’t really care much for ginseng either.

I do quite like the lemon-y aspect of the blend, and I think lemon is a much better, much fresher flavouring in green tea than in black. In green tea, I think it underlines the base quite nicely, and the lemon is probably what rescues this for me.

It’s not something I would drink on a regular basis; it’s not that rescued, but right now it is quite soothing and perking me up a bit, so I will rate it according to the circumstances as well as the flavour.

For being ill? Yes, I can see that. It’s not like teas for being poorly necessarily have to be horrid.

I unfortunately didn’t make it to a Yumchaa shop during my stay in London but I did find one of their stalls in a market. They didn’t have their entire selection available, but it was just enough to make it fun to choose. And I scooped up 300 grams of tea for £12, probably half of what I would pay for anything at home.

This one didn’t jump out at me. I find ginseng not unpleasant but very distinctive and straight-up herbally tasting. It’s kind of like chamomile for me. Anyway, the man at the stall said this was his favourite which prompted me to take a sniff and a closer look. I noticed the vanilla and yoghurt and was intrigued. I try (and usually forget) to take ginseng in capsules, so why not get it in some tea for that price?

This is nice. The ginseng is very much there but it’s smoothed out by the vanilla and creaminess. An interesting blend. I was getting a citrus note and confused by it until I re-read the ingredients and noticed the lemon and lemongrass. Nicely balanced and subtle. I’m quite pleased with the quality of sencha in this and the other green I bought, as well.

I think I will probably not like ginseng on its own. And I am pretty sure this is very ginseng-y. My first try of this I was really uncertain. It´s its own thing. it´s ginsengy, very. But then it is blended so well with things I love that I do love it, and somehow they have that magic where this tea just leaves you with this wonderful well-feeling.

About the medicinal properties, I do not know for sure. But it feels possible, a real feel-good tea and this is going on my staples rebuy-before-it´s-out list.

PS – not canonical for green tea, but I am brewing it really hot, and drinking it as hot as I can manage and really loving it that way.

Nicely sweet and very herbal— not sure what exactly to rank it on because it’s my first ginseng. Ahh well, it was a good start?