Clari Tea

A few cups of this tonight has definitely helped, as I try to rid my bedroom of bedbugs.

How did I get them? Zero idea. No one else has them in the house, just like when lice makes the rounds… I’m the only one who gets it. Sigh. Of course, the bites took over for a day or two, so I bought out the big guns: spray, some sort of earth I need to learn how to spell and write, new bed bug covers for all beds and pillows, bleach wipes, steam mop. Somewhere along the line, I inhaled and/or ingested some of the spray, called Poison Control, was told what I’d grabbed was the least offensive of the sprays available, and that I was likely allergic to the base of the spray — of all things, chrysanthemum. Cool!

So I drank a crapload of tea (of course, Clari Tea to the rescue!) had a really hot, long shower, and will be sleeping in the living room tonight while the fumes dissipate.

So, lovely Steepsterites — have I missed anything? Any suggestions?

One more sample from MissB (there’s a lot of them!)
My throat started feeling a little weird yesterday, not bad, just not normal. Then out of nowhere I got a nosebleed last night, and more of a sore throat today… so as I surveyed the pile of samples to choose my tea for tonight, I knew I had to give this one a try. Normally I catch everything that’s going around, so I’m really hoping this will fight off the germs and keep me well. The good news is it doesn’t taste bad! I wasn’t sure what to expect since it’s more of a medicinal tea, and I’m not typically a big fan of ginger, but surprisingly I enjoyed this. Of course I’ll stick with sweeter, yummier teas most of the time, but if this helps me avoid getting sick I’ll definitely stock up!

Usually when I feel a cold coming on, I can attack it with raw foods and this tea…last night I wasn’t so lucky. I started getting a runny rose at around 10pm so I threw together a cup of this…I usually steep it for 8-10 minutes when I just want to enjoy it but when I’m all-out attack-mode on a cold, I make this BOLD.

I steeped 2 tablespoons in 8 oz of water for 25 minutes – perfectly suitable for a Bacteria Holocaust. The post-infusion color was puerh-purple and the taste was intense enough to make me feel like a total BA just by drinking it. Well…turns out I was too late and the cold had launched a full-fledged attack on me at that point.

Decided to take a hot shower with a netipot while steeping another cup. I coughed in the middle of draining my sinuses, causing me to choke and because both of my nostrils were blocked off – whatever fluid was in my nose/sinus area went straight to my inner ear. My ears felt like a bass drum went off inside them, I dropped the netipot, completely lost my equilibrium and fell over. After that I got up and finished the shower, feeling okay. Drank my second cup of Clari Tea as well as a chamomile honey and ginger tea I threw together and went to sleep. It was 1am at this point. Well…I fell asleep really fast, but work up at around 3:30 with the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my ears. They were ringing and I had no hearing. Got up to get a drink of water and couldn’t walk. I’m quite certain I blew my eardrums.

So I’ve been up since 3:30 with 2.5 hours of sleep listening to ringing in my right ear and silence in my left with searing pain in both. I still can’t walk very well.

Hopefully I get to see a doctor today. :/

The cold and strep throat stuff is going around here. Luckily, I’ve been able to ward off most of the symptoms. I’ve been doing some apple cider vinegar with garlic and water as an antiviral, lots of eucalyptus, frankincense, and citrus essential oils, and lemon and lime water.

I was happy to see that my WP order arrived today. This is a good tea. Good amount of ginger. I don’t usually add sweeteners, but I’m craving something sweet, and the site said adding honey increases the antimicrobial properties. ;)

I’ve had this a couple times in the last two days trying to help kill the cold I have. Both times I’ve been so stuffed up, I’ve not been able to actually smell it. The only thing I could smell was the ginger. I had 3 or 4 infusions of gingery tasting tea. It did a good job of clearing things up for a while. When I had it again this morning, I got ginger and berries. Both sweet and tart. This cough is evil. It definitely worked to help clear my sinues up. I’d like to try it when I can taste it.

This tea should please ginger lovers. The 2 strongest flavours coming through for me are ginger and elder berry. I think I taste an undertone of eucalyptus.

The brew tastes like fresh elderberry juice with spicy notes of ginger that linger on the tongue after a few sips. I love that Brenden uses whole ingredients rather than extracts; it makes the tea seem so much more wholesome, especially when you’re looking for a tea to make you feel better.

I think the greatest thing about this tea is that it tastes better when you’re sick. It’s like a warm hug on a cold day. The price is right. Give it a shot if you’re feeling under the weather.

My order from Whispering Pines came in this morning and it took me all of 5 minutes to make a pot of this tea. I’m having to restrain myself from dipping into the rest of my order too quickly (I’ve ordered several teas from the same company and I’m really excited to try them).

The first thing you notice about this tea is the aroma. You don’t even have to get the bag near your face, the second you open the seal this tea makes itself known. It smells as sweet as it looks bright, with spicy ginger notes and the minty pine smell of eucalyptus.

I used the brewing instructions on the site and followed their temperature recommendations. I used my 16 oz cast iron tea pot with water from my tap. We’re on a private well with a filter system so the water doesn’t alter the taste of the tea. When I poured the first cup the tea was a VERY dark color, sort of reminiscent of green tinged coffee. The first sip yielded pine and eucalyptus but not much else in the way of flavor. It had the spicy mouthfeel of ginger though which I like, even if I couldn’t taste it. I added honey, lemon, and a little extra sugar. The tea immediately changed color from green mud to a lovely red amber. The whole flavor pallet changed as well. You could still taste the eucalyptus but it was joined by the sharp spice of ginger and the gentle sweetness of the elder berries. I also personally love lemon with my ginger.

Overall I have really enjoyed this tea and I can see why they recommend it when you are feeling a little under the weather. This tea has made me feel awesomely relaxed and has helped calm my stomach which was still reeling from a terrible hotpocket related life decision earlier this morning. I wouldn’t drink it everyday but I think it’s going to be my go to tea for when I can’t sleep late at night.

Brenden… dude… Firstly, when I originally started looking at this company for tea, I already had respect for the handcrafted, Michigan inspired feel. Being a native and current Michigander myself, it was instantly something I could respect.

Then I ordered and tried some of the teas. I fell in love (especially with North Winds). I am still a relative newbie to the tea scene but I knew I had tasted quality and that my relationship with how I judged tea had changed.

I lay all this out in order to say: It’s been done again. This is pretty much the best herbal tea I have ever imbibed in. It doesn’t hurt that I am a ginger freak and this tea, from smell to sip, has a wonderful rounded ginger aura. Even with making my cup strong and dark, there was no astringent bite. But it’s not just ginger. There is something else there. A sweet, honeysuckle tartness with a hint of pepper to keep it from being cloying.

Also, really reasonably priced for the smooth flavor and relaxing feeling it presents. Will certainly be using this often this upcoming fall/winter.

This smells spicy, both just out of the bag and while steeping. The strongest flavors I’m getting from this is ginger and black peppercorns. There is something else, too – a warmer taste, like turmeric.

This reminds me of my parents’ house. If I added sugar and milk, it would be just like the tea they used to give me when I had a sore throat

Of course when I’m sick I want to drink all the tea that I can’t even taste. This is my favorite go too. And I’m almost out!

I can’t comment on taste too much. Medicinal but in a comforting way? A bit fruity? I remember having it when not so congested and liking it. It’s defnitly better than the majority of cold/flu type teas on the market. It’s immensely soothing, especially with some honey and I really feel like my breathing is better.

Long steeps are best with this tea. The instructions say 5 for first steep but I go way over that.