Genuine Love! (Pukka Love Tea)

Member Name: cyberem78

Product:	Pukka Love Tea
Date:	30/05/09 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tastes great. Can help calm mind and body.

Disadvantages: Takes a while to infuse teabag.

I was given a packet of these Pukka teabags recently by a friend who thought they would be, well, to pardon the pun, my cup of tea. They are a specialist herbal tea made from caffeine free, pure organic herbs. This particular combination of herbs is labelled as the 'Love' variety (there are other teas in the range called 'Clarity' and 'Pleasure' etc) and the flavour is given as rose, chamomile and lavender.

Pukka is an environmentally aware company and the ingredients in all their products and this tea are organically grown and certified by the soil associastion. The box is marked with this exclusive achievement stamp. The company are also carbon neutral and produce their packaging material from "sustainably managed forests". They help manage small, independent farming communities in Sri Lanka where the herbs used in this tea is grown. They are also totally vegetarian. Basically, Pukka is a company that we all should support based on their business ethics.

The 'Love' tea is blended to "bring joy" and the benefits of the tea listed on the packaging seem to be mostly emotional. The qualities of each ingredient in the tea is explained:

Rose and Lavender: These are apparantly "symbols of love".

Elderflowers, Marigolds, Limeflowers and Chamomile: Pukka claim these ingredients "relax your emotional heart"

Licorice: This is a sweet tonic.

This wording gives me a strong impression that this drink is supposed to help clear the mind and steady the soul! It IS all a bit hippy dippy but the company's claims aren't unfounded. Chamomile comprises of 25% of the ingredients and this herb has been traditionally used to aid sleep and help wounds heal. Licorice is used in a number of medicinal treatments inlcuding for arthritis. Marigolds and elderflowers are also used as alternative remedies.

In one box you get 20 individually wrapped tea bags. The string of the bag is stapled to the paper wrapper and this acts as a tag when you put it into your cup. The string is long enough not to lose it in a large mug. The teabag is oblong and folded and stapled at the top. It is designed to float sideways on the top of the hot water.

You need to leave the teabag to steep in the hot water for at least five minutes. This may seem like a long time but the flavour that is produced is worth the wait. There is an unfortunate problem in that the water tends to cool down too much though and the taste isn't as nice when the water is cold. The longer you leave the teabag the stronger the taste is. You don't need to dunk the teabag to release the flavour into the water - it seeps out easily. There is a very strong aroma of lavender as you infuse the teabag. Underneath this initial fragrance is a more musky, earthy smell that is very appealing. The aroma alone seems to have an effect on me - it sort of makes me feel like I'm relaxing with nature.

The taste of the tea is very sweet - almost like it has been sweetened with a new type of sugar. I think this is the licorice root ingredient but it doesn't really taste as strong as licorice as it would taste in chewy sweets but has more of a mild hint of flavour. There is a definate flowery taste to the tea too. It is rather like taking a breath of fresh air when you are beside a rose bush! I think the overall flavour is definately something you either love or hate. I personally, really enjoy the taste and find the experience of drinking the tea to be invigorating and pleasing. I think that the effects of the herbs are probably mostly mind over matter, however I do usually feel relaxed and emotionally at ease after consuming this tea.

I like to take my time to drink this tea and the long infusion time encourages you to take your time and treat this drinking experience like some kind of ritual. It is almost like part of a meditation act and as such this is not a tea I can drink every day. I actually usually only have one or two cups a week - whenever I feel I need to chill a bit!

I think this is a beautiful tea, rich with a unique sweet and flowery taste and very different from other herbal teas I have tried. I am also very impressed by the company and their ethics. As I was given this tea as a gift I can thoroughly endorse it's brilliance as a present and say how much I appreciate it and would encourage people to give a box of tea to their friends and loved ones.

More information on where to find this Pukka tea and for details about the company visit the website:

www.pukkaherbs.com

Summary: A great tasting and ethically sound herbal tea.