Summertime Herbal Tea Recipe

It's hot. It's 115 degrees hot. 

I'm a hot tea type of person, but this week I've been craving something a little cooler. I whipped up this tea blend before work this morning and sipped on it all day. It's wonderful room temperature and would be nice iced, too! It's also packed with nourishing herbs that are great for your body and your mind.

Nettle

One of the most popular and versatile herbs, nettle is great for anemia, menstrual difficulties, and many other ailments. It's also super nutritious, containing iron, vitamin C, and other nutrients for our bodies. Its high iron content is why it's especially useful for women.

Rose Hips

Rose hips are the fruit of the rose bush. Just three rose hips contain more vitamin C than an orange! They also contain potassium, B vitamins, and niacin. 

Rose Petal

Ah, the rose petal. It really needs no introduction, does it? These edible petals add a sweet, summery, floral finish to this blend. (PS - Even the rose petals contain B vitamins!)

Hibiscus

You can credit the hibiscus for the bright red tea this blend creates! Hibiscus is also great for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Oh! It's also packed with vitamin C. :)

Lemongrass

There's just nothing like the zesty, lemony smell of lemongrass! It's calming and uplifting all at the same time. So of course I threw a bit in my tea. It balances out the floral flavors and gives it a good zest. Lemongrass is great for the stomach and digestion. 

To make this herbal tea, just put equal parts into your container of choice and let steep in hot water for at least thirty minutes, then enjoy! I put about a tablespoon each in a quart Mason jar and let it steep 45 minutes. If you prefer a sweeter tea, add a small amount of dried stevia to the blend. 

Enjoy!

PS - If you're in a warmer climate, try making this as a sun tea. Just use cool water and let the sun's energy infuse the herbs!

 

Review: Eco-Cha Taiwan Tea Tour

The lovely people over at Eco-Cha were kind enough to send me their Taiwan Tea Tour collection for review a couple of weeks ago. This was my first experience with high-quality Taiwan oolong teas and I was not disappointed! 

Taiwan is known for producing high-quality tea. Many of their teas are grown in the high mountains or other prized areas. When drinking Taiwan oolong tea, it's not uncommon to know the exact mountain the tea was grown on, or a bit about the growers themselves. Talk about connection! 

For more detailed information on Taiwan's oolong teas, check out this blog post by TeaDB. 

Eco-Cha's Taiwan Tea Tour collection is great for beginners. It's a sampling of five teas, each with their own information card detailing flavors, elevation, brewing suggestions, and other interesting facts. 

Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong Tea 

This tea was one of my favorites. It was grown by a husband and wife who turned their bamboo forest into a tea garden just ten years ago. This particular tea was hand-picked in May of 2014. It was grown at 1525 meters, qualifying it as a high mountain tea. 

Dry, this tea had notes of butter - it was mellow, Earthy, and very pleasing. While brewing, I also picked up grassy notes. Upon tasting for the first time, the word "forest" popped immediately into my mind. This tea is very fragrant and enjoyable. I prefer my tea hot, but I could see this one being a good summertime cold brew as well. It reminded me of a spring forest day, and it's one that I'll be ordering again! 

Jin Xuan Oolong Tea

This tea is grown by an award-winning artisan in Taiwan. He won first place twice in the past, and it's easy to see why when sipping his Jin Xuan tea. 

This tea was grown lower, at 400 meters. It was harvested in April of 2014. (I just love knowing that!) I wasn't sure what to think when I smelled it for the first time. It had a pleasant smell of roasted squash and butter, but I have never associated such smells with my tea. While brewing, I picked up more interesting smells, like forest, freshly-baked bread, and hay. I peeked down in my cup to see it was transforming the water into a pretty, pale yellow-green color. This was a light, pleasant-tasting tea. It was smooth and dry with a light butter finish. It reminded me of a summer day in hay fields and under the sunshine. 

Tsui Yu Jade Oolong Tea

Halfway through my experience, I kept thinking "No, THIS one is my favorite!" Such is the same with the Tsui Yu Jade. I believe this was grown by the same artisan that grew the Jin Xuan. If so, there's a reason two of his teas are in this collection. Amazing! 

This tea was grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or weed killers, which is something that I really appreciate when looking for a tea. It was harvested in Spring of 2014. 

Dry, this tea smelled green, herbal, and slightly flowery. It had the same refreshing smell while brewing. Drinking, though, was something else. It was light and refreshing with its Earthy tones of herbs and flowers. It tasted of a spring meadow.

Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Concubine Oolong Tea

I found the story behind this tea to be especially interesting. Concubine tea is also referred to as "bug bitten tea." Its unique flavors are a result of the natural farming methods used to grow the tea, allowing insects to bite the tea leaves and kick-start the fermentation process. This tea was the only one in the collection harvested in the summer. (2013) This is partially because summer teas are known to be less fragrant and more bitter. I can say that with the Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Concubine tea, this is not the case. Thank you insects! 

This tea did have a unique smell. It was hard for me to pinpoint a flavor. It had a strong roast scent that became more rich and Earthy while brewing. It tasted fantastic. It has a dry, robust taste compared to the other oolongs, and reminded me of pine. 

Dong Ding Oolong Tea

Last but not least, we have Dong Ding oolong tea! Yes, it's a silly name and it reminds me of the Wizard of Oz, so let's just mention that now. 

This tea was grown in Yong Long Village, which is above Dong Ding Mountain at 750 meters. One of the distinguishing characteristics of this area is it's rich red soil and concentration of artisans. It was harvested in Spring of 2014. Dry, this tea had a mellow smell of cherry and roasted squash. While brewing, I picked up more notes, like artichoke and nuts. Again, it tasted wonderful. It was very bold and I imagine it as a great winter tea. 

After completing my tea tour of Taiwan, I briefly wondered if I'd ever be able to drink my other teas again or if Eco-Cha had turned me into the tea snob of all tea snobs. Thankfully, I had an iced tea from a local tea shop yesterday and enjoyed it just the same. However, there will always be room in my tea cabinet for Taiwanese oolong tea. Happy sipping! 

Do you have a tea, or other eco-friendly product you'd like featured on Earth First? Contact Tiffany at earthfirst87@gmail.com

Review: Organic Fashionista Blend - Fashionista Tea

The folks over at Fashionista Tea were kind enough to send me a sample of their fabulous tea for me to review, and it was delicious! Fashionista Tea is the first tea company that blends fashion and tea. More importantly for me, all of their teas are organic and fair trade. I love companies that support local organic growers - a big plus for me!

On to the tea...

I sampled a cup of Fashionista Tea's Fashionista Blend. This organic tea is a blend of organic and fair trade black tea, organic rose petal, organic lavender, organic orange peel, and natural flavor. According to the packaging, this tea is a "reminder of Paris." I've never been to Paris, but if it's anything like this cup of tea, I wouldn't mind a trip!

This tea smelled amazing as it was steeping; I caught notes of rose and orange. It has a rich, almost fall-like scent. The tea tasted nutty and sweet, and left me with faint taste of rose. It had a creamy finish for a black tea. I would definitely recommend this as a breakfast tea, or perhaps to enjoy while you're curled up on a cool day! 

You can purchase Fashionista Tea's Fashionista Blend here, or check out their full collection here. 

Do you have a tea, or other eco-friendly product you'd like featured on Earth First? Contact Tiffany at earthfirst87@gmail.com

Confessions of a Tea Snob + Tea Reviews!

I use the phrase "tea snob" in jest, but I do love my tea! In this soda and energy drink world, I often find my solace in a cup of hot tea. There's a simplicity found in enjoying a cup of tea. Perhaps it's the fact that you're ingesting an extension of the Earth - her tea leaves, herbs, or bits of fruit. Perhaps it's the preparation of a hot cup of tea that takes you back to another age and out of this hectic world. I believe this is one of the main reasons I prefer loose-leaf tea. It brings connection, pause, and appreciation. 

This post is the first of a new series I'll be doing over the lifetime of this blog - a collection of thoughts, information, and reviews on tea. In them I'll share my journey with tea (it's still a new journey for me!) and invite you to join in! 

First, I'd like to encourage you to replace one of your daily beverages with a cup of tea. Second, I'm going to suggest that you skip the added sweetener. I know, I know. Just remember, I grew up drinking Mississippi's finest sweet tea, so if I can do it, anyone can! Also, some of the teas I'm going to suggest already have a bit of sugar or stevia mixed in. I've noticed that sweetening and/or cooling your tea can take away from the rich flavor it has to offer. So it's simply my preference to skip the sweetener, but to each their own. :) Here are my first recommendations: 

Stash - Organic Lavender Tulsi Herbal Tea

Now is a good point to mention that herbal teas aren't actually tea. True tea only comes from the camellia sinensis plant. The proper name for an herbal tea is a tisane. I suspect that a true tea snob would not refer this as tea, but I'm really a newbie tea snob, so organic lavender tulsi herbal tea it is! 

The first thing that I love about this tea is that it only has two ingredients: organic tulsi and organic lavender. No surprises, no additives, no pesticides. It's simple nature in a tea bag! Since it doesn't contain tea leaves, it's also caffeine-free. I mentioned in my recent post that tulsi is actually in the basil family. It has a unique taste and blends well with the lavender. Lavender has soothing and calming effects, so this tea (or tisane!) is great before bed or to help wind down after a long day. 

It can be purchased here.

Yogi - Organic Calming 

Next, we have another tisane. (maybe I should call myself a tisane snob, but tea is coming, I promise!) It's advertised to "ease mild tension," and ease mild tension it does! I reach for this tea when I'm stressed, frustrated, or just in need of a chill pill, or chill cup. 

This tea is also organic, and though it has more than two ingredients, they all work together to make this my ultimate calming tea: (all organic) chamomile flower, licorice root, gotu kola leaf, hibiscus flower, fennel seed, lemongrass, cardamom seed, orange peel, rose hip, lavender flower, barley malt, and natural plum flavor. These mix together to create a sweet, relaxing tea. It also helps that each tea bag contains a little positive note - one of the things I love about Yogi teas! 

Yogi Organic Calming can be purchased here. 

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf - Japanese Sencha Green 

This is my newest favorite. Matt's mom got it for me for my birthday and I haven't been able to put it down since! It was my first experience with straight green tea.

First, I can't mention green tea without mentioning some of its awesome health benefits. Most teas have health benefits in some form or another, but green tea really knocks the others out of the ball park. Due to naturally-occurring fluoride in green tea, it's great for your teeth! Green tea also helps reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and even clear your skin! It's also packed with antioxidants. Green tea naturally contains some caffeine, but it's just enough to clear the mind and prepare you for your day. This is the tea I reach for every morning, and sometimes in the evening, too! 

Purchase this tea here. 

David's Tea - Glitter & Gold

Last up is my guilty pleasure in the tea world. Glitter and Gold tea. I can't say that this one is chock full of healthy benefits, but like all black teas, it's a great source of antioxidants and has numerous health benefits. The ingredients aren't the best, in my opinion, but it tastes great and it's not a tea I drink daily: Chinese black tea, gold sugar balls, sugar crystals, lemon peel, cloves, vanilla, natural and artificial flavoring. That last item is my biggest issue with this tea - why should nature require anything artificial? But, like I said, this tea is my guilty pleasure. The real reason for my obsession:

IT. SPARKLES.

That's right. This loose-leaf tea shimmers and sparkles as it steeps. Must be those gold sugar balls. 

Glitter & Gold can be purchased here - as an added bonus, David's always slips in a few samples with every order. :) 

Until next time, happy sipping!