Hopefully, you all know by now that we love our tea around here, mainly hot tea. Republic of Tea was gracious enough to send us their new SuperGreen tea collection to try out.
There are actually four teas in the collections, but the Brain Boost variety was not available yet when these arrived about two weeks ago. Looks like you can get it now on their website! Yay! Each blend is made up of matcha and green tea leaves combined with other beneficial ingredients like herbs or spices known for their health benefits.
The teas arrived lovingly packaged in a really nice gift box. I have to point out though that The Republic of Tea uses the leftover tea bag cuttings – as in the spare tea bag paper from where the machine fills and stamps out their little round tea bags made from unbleached filter paper – as filler in their packaging. I love this idea! What a clever, resourceful use of waste; a great green approach; and a FUN addition to their packaging! Underneath the tea bag paper was a gorgeous green box tied with a bow and inside were three delicately wrapped in pretty green tea leaf paper! Wouldn’t this make a great gift for someone? All you have to do is submit your order online and let them do all of the work! You can even include a card. You can tell even from the packaging that The Republic of Tea takes serious pride in their product and company! Enough with the packaging, let’s talk about tea!
I have noted the health benefits of matcha, specifically, before on this blog. It’s revered in Asian culture for it’s potent health benefits, but even the green tea leaf contains some of those same superpowers – boosts metabolism, powerful antioxidant, increases blood flow, calms the mind. So it’s no wonder that when The Republic of Tea set out to create a super healthy tea blend they started with a combination of matcha and green tea leaves then added in other super herbs that pack additional benefits for your health.
Each of their teas comes in a specially designed air-tight, light-resistant tin to keep the tea as fresh and potent as possible. The first thing I noted when I opened each canister of tea was how amazing and distinct each one smelled! I would love to fill a room with these scents every day! Funny enough, the olfactory nerve in your nasal passages is the fastest route to the brain. When inhaling something like an herb or essential oil, the molecules will reach your brain in 22 seconds, will affect every cell in your body after 20 minutes and will have been fully metabolized in just two and a half hours. That is one reason why herbal tea is so beneficial to your wellbeing. Not only are you drinking and ingesting it, but you are inhaling with each sip!
Up first, the Serenity tea is a blend of the SuperGreen teas with lavender and holy basil. Intended to provide inner balance, relieve stress and calm you, lavender is added for it’s calming powers and holy basil for it’s restorative qualities.
Lavender contains an oil that seems to have sedating effects and might relax certain muscles. It is commonly used for restlessness, insomnia, nervousness, and depression. It is also used for a variety of digestive complaints to calm an upset stomach. Meanwhile, Holy Basil is originally from India and is used in Ayurvedic medicine as an “adaptogen” to counter life’s stresses. It is considered a sacred plant by the Hindus and is often planted around Hindu shrines. Holy basil is often used for the common cold, the flu, diabetes, asthma, bronchitis, earache, headache, stomach upset, heart disease, fever, viral hepatitis, malaria, stress, and tuberculosis. It is also used for mercury poisoning, to promote longevity, as a mosquito repellent, and to counteract snake and scorpion bites. Chemicals in holy basil are thought to decrease pain and swelling (inflammation) and some might even lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. There is rising interest in using holy basil seed oil for cancer. Beginning research suggests that the oil can slow progression and improve survival rate in animals with certain types of cancer. Researchers think this benefit may be explained by the oil’s ability to act as an antioxidant. (Info from WebMD). Wow, those are two crazy powerful herbs.
It definitely looks like classic green except for the cloudy appearance thanks to the addition of matcha. Green tea is known for being a very mild tea with mild caffeine content – just enough to clear your mind and lift your spirits. These SuperGreen teas were all very mild in flavor, but the addition of the herbs and spices added a nice boost to the profile. This one – the Serenity blend – was our favorite. We love most things lavender and that with the holy basil left a slightly floral, slightly sweet tone to the tea that was super soothing. Perfect for sipping at night by the tv after a long week at work to wile your stresses away. The lavendar flavor was strong enough to be perceived, but not over powering. This tea actually reminds me of one of my favorite earl grey lavender teas.
Lean Green is a blend of the SuperGreen teas with cinnamon and garcinia cambogia. According to Republic of Tea, Green tea and matcha are known for increasing metabolism.*To this base, we added cinnamon, which can suppress your appetite and alleviate cravings,* and the skin of the garcinia cambogia fruit, which studies have shown inhibits fat production.* Talk about a diet lovers dream tea! I do have to say though that there are no definitive studies proving these claims. Republic of Tea also has a disclaimer on their website stating “these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.” So you know, take it with a grain of salt that this is a true diet drink. But it is zero calories and delicious, so if you are choosing this over a soda you are already winning!
The hint of cinnamon and maple spice flavor gives this one an extra punch of spice, but it is still very subtle. A really nice organic green tea, but this was honestly our least favorite of the three.
Finally, Immunity is a blend of the SuperGreen teas with Echinacea and Elderflower. This one is the ultimate wellness tea – it will gird your body with nature’s best protectors – echinacea, known as the body’s “immune stimulant,” and elderflower, known as nature’s medicine chest.
Echinacea is an herb that is native to areas east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. Widely used to fight infections, especially the common cold, the flu, and other upper respiratory infections, some people take echinacea at the first sign of a cold, hoping they will be able to keep the cold from developing and others take echinacea after cold symptoms have started, hoping they can make symptoms less severe. Echinacea seems to activate chemicals in the body that decrease inflammation, which might reduce cold and flu symptoms. It may also contain some chemicals that can attack yeast and other kinds of fungi directly, which is why it is commonly used for other types of infections as well. Elderflower is the flower of a tree from which an extract is used to make medicine.
Elderflower is used for swollen sinuses (sinusitis), colds, the flu, bronchitis, diabetes, and other pain and swelling. Some people even put it in the eyes for red eyes. It is believed that elderflower might work like insulin to lower blood sugar.
Bright citrus flavors pair well with echinacea and elderflower, so they’ve added natural orange flavor to this one as well. The color is very much like the other two – a slightly cloudy green tea – but with a hint of more orange color to it. The flavor of this one was a bit more punchy and citrusy, but still slightly floral from the elderflower. Ecinacea is slightly minty with a twist of citrus, so all of those combine to make this one very uplifting cup of tea. Your health and spirits will be lifted in a matter of minutes, so drink up! It’s good for your health!
You can try these three teas and more from Republic of Tea by ordering directly from their website here. Each one of the SuperGreen varieties can be found here. Flat rate shipping is just $3.99 and your tea will arrive in a matter of days so you can get to sipping sooner!
Thanks to The Republic of Tea for sending us the teas to try out and review. As always, all opinions are our own and we aren’t afraid to be honest about products. If we don’t like it, we will tell you. Regardless, this blog only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers.
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