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Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Sun Garden. Apsara.
Bulk cellophane bag of dried herb blend: Camomile, Peppermint, Rose Petals, Calendula Flowers, Cornflower. Prepared as directed: 2.5 g. steeped in 8 oz. boiling alpine spring water for 5 min. All I smell and taste is chamomile and peppermint, in a slightly vegetal background. Not sure what happened to the 11% rose petals, maybe they were from a non-fragrant variety of rose, though I couldn’t visually distinguish them from potential calendula and cornflower either, despite being in supposed greater quantity. No red petals as in the advertising photo posted here. Fortunately I like both chamomile and peppermint, which were well-balanced in a terrific cuppa relaxation from Riga. I may try blending some of my chamomile stockpile with peppermint leaves, now that I’ve had a chance to try this one! I would recommend, and rate this as 70.

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Orange Mango (°Cold Brew). Basilur.
String-tag paper tea bag containing dry herbs in a foil sealed pouch. Prepared as directed: steeped in 8 oz. spring water at ambient for 4 hr. I probably could have let this steep overnight, because it tasted a little weak at first. But sweetening with a spoonful of sugar accentuated the flavors nicely and made for a tasty cold infusion! The hibiscus and rose hip was barely noticeable as a slight sourness, and the stevia lent a bitter note. Likely the rose hip and hibiscus aren’t extracted very efficiently by the cold water. But the terrific orange and mango flavors sang right through it all, tasting real and very good. Not real complex, but nice as a punch replacement and possibly as a mixer for something alcoholic. I could see a screwdriver type drink here. I’ll recommend and rate as an 85.

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Sea Buckthorn & Orange. Apotheke.
This was a string-tag paper teabag in a sealed, plasticized, paper wrapper. Steeped as directed: 4 min. in 8 oz. boiling spring water. A terrific combo of orange and (new to me) Sea Buckthorn, with a background of spearmint, and mere notes of hibiscus or rose hip adding some tartness. Refreshing, natural-tasting, and even better with a lump or two. Awesome juicy orange aroma on the infusion, too, that continued improving as the liquor cooled to ambient. Has a nice, clean finish. Never got any notes of apple, but it wasn’t needed— maybe just there for sweetness. Highly recommended and will rate this a 95. Another win for Apotheke! I’m going to have to investigate the range of their offerings and check availability in the US.

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Blackcurrant & Blackberry. Basilur.
Who knows what’s in Basilur’s tisanes? I couldn’t find an ingredient list for this concoction anywhere. This was a string-tag paper teabag in a sealed, plasticized, foil wrapper. Steeped as directed: 5 min. in 8 oz. boiling spring water. Blackberry is one of my favorite berries, and I do love blackcurrants too, so I was eager to try this Basilur tisane. Hibiscus seemed to be the prominent flavor I tasted, with only notes of black-currant and -berry. Of course, raw blackcurrants and blackberries are also sour, so they may have aggravated the hibiscus sourness. And there was a chemical note throughout. The berry flavors came out of hiding once I added a tsp. of sugar, but I’m beginning to wonder if Basilur can do anything without hibiscus. It’s like the main organic base of everything is just hibiscus, then sprayed with whatever flavoring cocktail they decide to throw together. This tisane did have a nice finish and the overall flavor improved as the infusion cooled, so maybe another winner-when-iced? I have to admit to liking this infusion despite the above critiques, and I would recommend it to those who like sour berries, and rate it as a 77. Great to have been able to sample it, and thank you to Martin who contributed it to the TTB!

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Noni Plum. Basilur.
String-tag teabag containing dry herbs, in a sealed foil pouch. The Basilur website listed the following ingredients: Hibiscus, rose hip, orange leaf, beetroot, orange fruit, stevia, and natural flavors of noni, plum, and citric. I steeped according to the directions printed on the pouch and took 3 sips. I noted flavors of bitterness and sour, likely from the hibiscus content, and vague fruity/berry notes. Then, while investigating the unfamiliar “noni” fruit ( Morinda citrifolia ) on Wikipedia, I read the following: “Consumption of M. citrifolia products, such as supplements, beverages, powders, oils or leaves, has the risk of causing liver disease through exposure to anthraquinones.” Although the associated discussion mentioned a range of risky foods and beverages, it did not mention infusions made from natural noni flavoring. Nevertheless, because I do suffer a liver affliction, I refused to risk further exposure, and discarded the infusion. No further comment.

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Winter Spice. Twinings.
This was a string-tag paper teabag in a sealed foil pouch, which I prepared as directed. I started out thinking it was pretty mild, as others have said. But then I started nibbling on some peanut brittle, and the residual sugar in my mouth really made the flavors pop! It was a nice blend, inoffensive, with a good long chamomile finish. In the mouth, it was not overpowered by cinnamon and, instead, it was rounded out with subtle notes of clove. I did not distinctly taste cardamom, but I don’t doubt that it was in there. The apple flavoring gave it a sweetness and fullness on the tongue without the bitterness of apple skins or seeds, although it may have been the origin of the green rooibos-like aroma that I perceive— almost like sweet pickles. I would recommend this tea, and give it a rating of 74.

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Cherry Cider. DavidsTea.
This bulk material (relatively large chop having the texture of Grape Nuts cereal) was packed in a zipper-sealed mylar bag. I prepared the tisane as directed: 1 round tsp. steeped in a stainless steel micropore infusion basket with 8 oz. 200°F alpine spring water for 5 min. The dry blend had the aroma of dried montmorency cherries, like the ones in my pantry, while the infused liquor gave the same scent complemented by additional floral and fruit notes. The flavor burst in my mouth with tart, sour, slightly sweet fruit juices, undoubtedly reflecting the apple, hibiscus, and cider vinegar mingling with the cherry content. So many ingredients here! Really a terrific blend, but even more enjoyable after I further sweetened it with a spoonful of sugar. Not medicinal! It was warming and fulfilling while hot, and became refreshing when cool. I’m so glad to be able to drink this, after having been teased many months ago by @AJRimmer’s tasting note! I now see that @Roswell Strange had posted some informative (and accurate) comments in her several tasting notes of many moons ago. I find the lingering aftertaste to give me cravings for another cup of this, which I shall undertake when I get a chance. Well done, DavidsTea team! I will recommend this to those not put off by hibiscus notes (which are only a minor part of the flavor here), and rate it as 89, mainly because—although I enjoy the tannins developed by fresh apple cider— I prefer to save vinegar notes for heavier savory foods, rather than beverages.

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Licorice Spice. Stash.
This was a string-tag paper teabag in a sealed foil pouch. Upon opening the wrapper I was met with a soft cinnamon aroma, and a variety of other scents that I did not recognize. I steeped as directed (8 oz. boiling alpine spring water for 5 min.) and was happy to note that the string had not siphoned water out of the cup to make a mess (as can happen with other vendors) possibly by design, or possibly due to the oils in the ingredients making the string unwettable. The first sip hit my mouth as having a strong chemical flavor, but I soon realized it was the very potent blend of licorice, anise, vanilla, clove and cardamom battling amongst one-another for control of my taste buds! And the licorice won, prominently, but with good sportsmanship, as the other flavors remained as a wonderful, warm blend that made me smile on this chilly, dreary autumn day! In fact, I was able to convince myself that I could discern each of the ingredients as present, without even the cinnamon really overpowering. There was a sweetness too, which lasted into the long aftertaste, up on the rear roof of my mouth. Sarsparilla? Interestingly, when I added 2 tsp sugar to the hot infusion, the flavor didn’t really change much, and wasn’t even a whole lot sweeter! I would venture to say the flavors were slightly better when unsugared. Stash really pulled off a good blending trick here, and I would recommend this, and rate it as 84.

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Pohodář. Sonnentor.
This was a string-tag brown paper teabag in a sealed, plastic-lined wrapper. The dry leaf smelled strongly of peppermint. I steeped for 5 min. in 8 oz. boiling spring water. the tisane was smooth and refreshing, without the bite of fresh peppermint, and with a nice long finish that had another vegetal element, though I could not tell exactly what. Echinacia? The liquor continued to taste pleasant as it cooled to room temperature, though I never found any lemon balm notes. Although I found the tea pretty simplistic, it was tasty nevertheless, and I recommend it, perhaps as an after-dinner digestive, or a relaxing drink before bed, and rate it at 79 for being simply delicious.

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Wäinö. Nordqvist.
I’ve never had a beverage from Finland, so this was interesting to me! Nor have I any idea what any of the ingredient herbs tastes like, so I’m going into it with no preconceptions. The product was in a string-tag paper teabag sealed in a plasticized wrapper. I steeped as directed: for 5 min. in 8 oz. alpine spring water at 197°F. The hot tisane was golden colored with an aroma having musky tones and a deep woodiness, evoking thoughts of sour berries and an autumn meadow. I did not get any floral, fruity, or petrichor notes. The flavor was smooth, non-bitter, non-fruity, and non-astringent. I got notes of hay and cranberry, in a gentle vegetal background, free of geosmin, and with a soft pepperiness in the lingering finish. Overall, I would say rather inoffensive, but unexciting. I was glad to be able to try it, though my inexperience with ALL of the ingredient flavors means I don’t know what it could or should be like. I absolutely feel like a baby tasting something for the first time! So in that sense, it makes me feel young… lol. I’ll withhold rating it for the time being.