Neal's Yard

My mother got me a beauty set from Neal’s Yard Remedies as a gift, they are mostly organic face and body creams and such but there was also a tea included. Well a tisane to be more politically correct. An organic blend which boasts the abilities to “Balance the emotions, uplift, sooth, and relax.” All served in a caffeine free and bleach free bags.

I admit, this did make a nice addition to the set but at the same time it boasts too much and I have my suspicions. While it may taste nice (which I shall see very soon) it may not necessarily be calming. I do dislike the hyped up tea/tisane benefits that some companies boast.

Opening the box I can see the bags are sealed into individual sachets which is a nice touch but something I did expect.

When I open the sachet I see the bag has a long steeping tag and the bag itself is white, it’s too thick for me to make out the quality of the contents. However, a sniff of the bag reveals a dry, thick, herbal scent of frankly nothing pleasant. I hope it doesn’t taste it smells.

Instructions – “Use one teabag per cup, cover with boiling water and allow to infuse and release the herbal goodness for 5-10 minutes. Remove teabag and enjoy”.

Once steeped the liquid is golden brown and bares the same herbal scent as it’s raw state (in others words; yuck!).

I tried to come into this with an open mind but so far I am very unimpressed. Unfortunately I usually am when it comes to tisanes, particularly pre-bagged. This is bared in mind as I take my first few sips. It’s as herbal tasting as it smells though there is a slight sweetness which lingers in the after taste. It reminds me of clove as it has a refreshing quality, perhaps it’s the skullcap?

A few more sips reveal a touch of flowers but they are very subtle amidst the thick herbs that they are indeterminate.

Frankly this is going to come into one of two categories for me: Drinkable and Undrinkable. I severely dislike thick herbs in any tea or tisane and unfortunately for me this fits the bill. I could finish this mug though honestly I will not be looking forward to it, but the idea of drinking the other 19 teabags in my possession fills me with dread and as a result I’m pulling a screwed up face at the idea.

The face creams and products are actually amazing but the tea is very disappointing.