The first thing I thought of when I saw this herbal blend was of Victorian style potpourris that I remember seeing at places like Crabtree and Evelyn as a girl (though Teavana adds raisins, which even those crazy Victorians and their 80′s corporate reincarnation probably never thought of). Full of flowers and peel, heavy on the pinks, with an abundance of pale, washed beautiful colors included. Quite stunning, and with a full flowery bouquet.
I brewed this in the evening, after a wonderful day working in the yard and around the house, relishing the spring weather. The tisane seemed to be perfect for that. It was beautiful to look at, restful to inhale both dry and steeping, and pleasing to brew all around. The floral scent, which was very strong in the dry leaf, wasn’t overwhelming in the steeped brew (which I liked – perfumes are meant to be smelled and not imbibed, aren’t they?) and an herb-ish counter melody came through with the vervaine and marshmallow leaf. Nicely done, too, was the citrus flavor and a tangy aftertaste that I took to be the vervaine and mallow leaf coupled with a well done, subtle mint flavor. The mint is there, but it’s in check so it doesn’t hog the stage.
The taste of the tea grew on me as I sipped, and as the tea cooled from very hot to strongly warm, I could taste more flavors. I found the herby taste a little too strong at first, perhaps as I struggled to identify the flavors and figure out whether I liked them or not. In the end, it was enjoyable, overall.
I used two big tablespoons to 24 ounces of fresh boiled water and gave the tea a generous steeping (truth be told, I forgot about it for ten minutes, so it sat for a good long while). I didn’t find the strength to be overwhelming, and would say that this is not a super strong blend, which has its plusses and minuses. In some ways, I’d like the tastes to be less subtle, but in others, that’s the point of a sleepy time tea, isn’t it? Not to get your senses in overdrive, analyzing all the components!
It’s marvelous for a day that you are mentally or physically languishing after good hard work and have no plans besides a sweet long sleep before you. I would highly recommend this as a cupboard tea for having for those nights you’d like to just relax in the evening, not even reading, and then head off to bed. The mildness of the blend, full of herbs, flower and fruit, really sends you sleepwards.
