Mint Verbena

Steepster seems to be back up and running this morning. Let’s see if I break it again with my next review!

I drank this a while ago, but didn’t post a review since I thought I had another bag. That was my only one, however, so I’m basically going from memory. I remember steeping this teabag at 205F for 5, 8, and 10 minutes, plus a long soak overnight.

The tea smelled primarily of sweet mint, with a touch of lemon from the verbena. All four steeps were heavy on the mint, which was sweet, powerful, and slightly earthy, without the muddiness found in some peppermint teas. The verbena added a bit of lemon and herbaceousness, but was definitely overwhelmed by the mint.

Though this sadly didn’t make me giddy, it was a nice, relaxing tisane. Thanks, Derk, for the chance to try it.

A gifted antique chair now fits nicely at the tea table. Wood and wicker, small and sturdy. I’ve never felt so comfortable sitting proper.

The chair has nothing to do with this tea. In fact, I am in bed just looking around with one eye open and I happened to notice how neat the chair is. It takes up minimal space. It’s made for a person of my stature. It possesses the type of artistry and craftsmanship that I’m craving in pandemic times. A glance at its figure brings comfort in this moment, something a soul-less ergonomic office chair on wheels will never provide. Guess I’ll no longer be hauling ass across a 2 foot radius of open bedroom floor or spinning, spinning in circles (weeee). I like this chair. I don’t like office chairs, or office work. This much I know.

This freebie sachet got me goofy. Knocked me on my ass. Guess that’s what happens when you steep it for 20 minutes. Peppermint is strong and sweet, like my favorite Pacific Northwest grown leaves. This blend and the linden I had earlier feel beneficial to my breathers after driving today with my windows down despite the smoke. The verbena doesn’t make a loud presence, bringing an earthy tone and citrus note. It tastes a touch soapy, like rancid coconut oil. Whatever, I still enjoy it. The long brew is oily viscous and the same color of my chair when the room is lit by a 7 watt lightbulb. There, I tied the tea to the chair.

The tea never did talk.

I have been drinking after dinner lately. A lighter citrusy mint tea. A refreshing alternative to plain mint. Im not sure if i will purchase again but i will definitely finish the box.

This was a freebie in my last Harney & Sons order. Love those little bonus sachets.

Now, mint teas are always a little weird for me. Sometimes if the mint leaves they use aren’t very high quality, I taste pickle notes. I know that’s weird, but I don’t like pickles. While I can sort of smell it before I take a sip, I luckily don’t taste it.

This tea surprises me with the lingering minty tingle. That’s new. Or maybe I’ve just been drinking really cheap mint. It’s very refreshing! But it also smothers the lemon verbena. I can’t really taste it at all, even on the exhale. I was sort of looking forward to that. But I still like this.

This is the most powerfully minty tea I’ve ever had. It’s wonderful on a cool day after drinking too much coffee.

A free sample sachet that has been sitting at the bottom of may tea cupboard for probably close to a year. It’s first time I tried a verbena/mint combination and I like it quite a bit. The mint often comes a bit flat and one-dimensional and in this case verbena adds to it a peak of pleasant piercing bitterness. The mint in this mix comes off as fresh, powerful and “three-dimensional”, with a good aftertatse.

I liked this blend quite a bit. It is well-balanced and does not taste lifeless, weak or processed as too many herbal teas that I tried. A solid non-caffeine tea.

I get the idea Harney and Sons is somehow spying on me. I got this as a sample and it is definitely a keeper! A delightful mint herbal perfect for a afternoon, after dinner, or after pretty much anything else.

Very minty, but different from other mint teas, more refreshing.

Hooray, I have a computer again, so I can get back to my online life! This came as a sample in my last H&S order. It’s fine, but I didn’t actually taste much from the verbena, it just came across as slightly mild mint tea.

I’m continuing to clean out the backlog with this one. Just two more to go after I finish this review. It seems that I always drag my feet when it comes to reviewing tisanes. Anyway, I found this one to be pretty solid.

I prepared this tisane using a one step Western infusion. I steeped one sachet in 8 ounces of 212 F water for 5 minutes. Obviously, there were no additional infusions.

After infusion, I noted a delightful aroma that was equal parts minty and lemony. In the mouth, I noted a pleasant mixture of lemon and peppermint underpinned by traces of straw and cream. The finish was smooth, offering a lingering balance of lemon and peppermint notes.

After reading the above, it should be pretty obvious that I enjoyed this one. So, why a rating of 78? Why not go higher? Well, I did not really see this as being the kind of tisane I would want to reach for on a regular basis. I really like peppermint and I really like lemon verbena, but I think I like them better separately. While this is a respectable herbal blend, it is the sort of thing that just doesn’t hold as much appeal for me. I would rather have straight peppermint or lemon verbena. Still, I think this is good for what it is.

This tea is amber brown in color and smells quite minty. It taste minty and sweet like a peppermint pattie. If you like mint, you will like this tea