I had a couple of samples of this tea left over from a couple of Harney & Sons orders. I’m still under the impression that whoever packs their freebies somehow knows what I don’t like and sends me such things as a joke. The only Harney & Sons freebie I have ever received that I recall liking was their Earl Grey Imperial. Still, I was willing to give this a chance. Though I don’t care for gingko, I do enjoy citrus and green tea, and considering the green tea base is Indian, I was immediately intrigued.
I prepared this tea using a two step Western infusion process. I started by steeping one silken sachet in 8 ounces of 175 F water for 2 minutes. I followed this infusion with a 3 minute infusion at the same temperature.
Prior to infusion, the dry blend presented a powerful mix of lemon, lemongrass, hay, and straw. There was a little bit of nuttiness from the gingko too. After infusion, the bouquet became more integrated and intense. In the mouth, I discovered a powerful, yet muddled mix of dried grass, lemon zest, hay, straw, lemongrass, nuts, and wood. The nuttiness and woodiness of the gingko became more intense on the finish, drying my mouth out and leaving me parched. The second infusion was more mellow, offering more prominent aromas and flavors of lemon and lemongrass before the gingko once again asserted itself and left my mouth and throat feeling dry.
I have to give this blend credit for one thing-it reminded me of why I do not particularly care for gingko. I could not stand how it kept popping up at the end and drying out my mouth. The citrus and lemongrass did not really help matters either. Part of the problem here was that the base tea did not seem all that interesting. It was as if Harney & Sons tried to cover its blandness up with additives that did not work all that well together. To me, this blend just came off as a mess. There was no balance. Everything was out of focus. I highly doubt I will ever have this one again.
Flavors: Drying, Grass, Hay, Lemon Zest, Lemongrass, Nuts, Straw, Wood
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Right there with you on the gingko flavour. and ginseng is bad for me. Too much like medicine
I actually like ginseng for the most part. I’m the only person I know who doesn’t find it harsh and medicinal. The only things I dislike about ginseng are that I find the texture can be a bit grainy and it often strikes me as having a ridiculously sweet aftertaste.
I’ve always wondered if it was ginseng(similar to licorice for me) I dislike, or if its the fact that I notice similar flavours in medicines and medicinal teas. There are some licorice candies I don’t mind so there might be a ginseng product out there I enjoy! though it can interact badly with thyroid, which is a health concern of mine
Hmm, that’s odd. I find ginseng to have a unique flavor all its own. Licorice is something I just can’t do. I’ve hated it since I was little. One ginseng product I tend to enjoy is ren shen oolong, an oolong wrapped in ginseng and vanilla. Sorry to hear about the thyroid, by the way. I had a thyroid scare of my own recently. It turned outo to be nothing, but going through the scans and the biopsies gave me a profound appreciation of what people with thyroid disease endure.
I haven’t had the best of luck with gingko either. It always seems too bitter and dry.
Have you tried Swedish licorice? It’s the only type I somewhat enjoy!
Thanks. My issues were not terrible, and thyroid concerns run in the family so it was easy to identify. Doc said my levels weren’t even bad enough to treat with medication yet, but it was giving me some nasty insomnia and I was slated to lose my job if something wasn’t done. So I ended up with a naturopath who fixed me up. I’m thankful it was manageable.
No, I have yet to try Swedish licorice. I know virtually nothing about it. I actually had a hard nodule that was monitored for around two years because it seemed to be calcifying and growing. I had also gained a lot of weight (I am only 5’9" and went from being about 165 lbs to 224 lbs between 2013 and 2016.), was having terrible mood swings, and constant pain and fatigue. It was finally big enough to biopsy in November and I got the biopsy done earlier this month. It turns out it was just a big, partially dried cyst. My hormone levels were stable and my labs came back clean. My doctors think a lot of my issues have been spurred by work-related stress and exhaustion.
Oh wow that sounds awful. I’m sorry to hear about your issues. My advice? find a good naturopath with knowledge of both the naturopath and “regular” medical field. They will be able to read your results and explain them to you better. Mine showed me that there is a big gap between optimal levels and the point at which docs in mainstream medicine will say something needs attention. Preventative vs reactive. In some people, symptoms can show up long before it reaches the point where pharmaceutical drugs will be relevant. Could be stress like your docs said but that feels kinda like a “well we don’t really know so lets blame it on that” situation
Right there with you on the gingko flavour. and ginseng is bad for me. Too much like medicine
I actually like ginseng for the most part. I’m the only person I know who doesn’t find it harsh and medicinal. The only things I dislike about ginseng are that I find the texture can be a bit grainy and it often strikes me as having a ridiculously sweet aftertaste.
I’ve always wondered if it was ginseng(similar to licorice for me) I dislike, or if its the fact that I notice similar flavours in medicines and medicinal teas. There are some licorice candies I don’t mind so there might be a ginseng product out there I enjoy! though it can interact badly with thyroid, which is a health concern of mine
Hmm, that’s odd. I find ginseng to have a unique flavor all its own. Licorice is something I just can’t do. I’ve hated it since I was little. One ginseng product I tend to enjoy is ren shen oolong, an oolong wrapped in ginseng and vanilla. Sorry to hear about the thyroid, by the way. I had a thyroid scare of my own recently. It turned outo to be nothing, but going through the scans and the biopsies gave me a profound appreciation of what people with thyroid disease endure.
I haven’t had the best of luck with gingko either. It always seems too bitter and dry.
Have you tried Swedish licorice? It’s the only type I somewhat enjoy!
Thanks. My issues were not terrible, and thyroid concerns run in the family so it was easy to identify. Doc said my levels weren’t even bad enough to treat with medication yet, but it was giving me some nasty insomnia and I was slated to lose my job if something wasn’t done. So I ended up with a naturopath who fixed me up. I’m thankful it was manageable.
No, I have yet to try Swedish licorice. I know virtually nothing about it. I actually had a hard nodule that was monitored for around two years because it seemed to be calcifying and growing. I had also gained a lot of weight (I am only 5’9" and went from being about 165 lbs to 224 lbs between 2013 and 2016.), was having terrible mood swings, and constant pain and fatigue. It was finally big enough to biopsy in November and I got the biopsy done earlier this month. It turns out it was just a big, partially dried cyst. My hormone levels were stable and my labs came back clean. My doctors think a lot of my issues have been spurred by work-related stress and exhaustion.
Oh wow that sounds awful. I’m sorry to hear about your issues. My advice? find a good naturopath with knowledge of both the naturopath and “regular” medical field. They will be able to read your results and explain them to you better. Mine showed me that there is a big gap between optimal levels and the point at which docs in mainstream medicine will say something needs attention. Preventative vs reactive. In some people, symptoms can show up long before it reaches the point where pharmaceutical drugs will be relevant. Could be stress like your docs said but that feels kinda like a “well we don’t really know so lets blame it on that” situation