A Nice Cuppa

Mighty Leaf’s Chamomile Citrus herbal infusion is not your average cup of chamomile tea. It goes way beyond the gently soporific quality we might expect from the typical chamomile brew. Blending Egyptian chamomile with rosehips, orange peel, lemon myrtle, nana mint, hibiscus, and other natural flavorings, this tea awakens some senses even as it is soothing others.

The day I taste-tasted the Chamomile Citrus blend, I wasn’t feeling good. Nothing specific, just a yucky sort of mid-March malaise characterized by a scratchy throat and iffy stomach. I felt like the soggy and withered lawn outside my window looked. In other words, it was the perfect opportunity to test drive a cup of restorative chamomile tea.

Packaged individually in foil envelopes, Mighty Leaf teabags are not made from paper, but are actually handcrafted silk pouches. As I tugged the bag from the foil wrapper, I took a close look at its contents. The Chamomile Citrus infusion is an artisanal whole-leaf blend. What I saw inside the silk-mesh bag looked exactly like herbs you might grow and dry yourself for tea. Which is to say, they look whole, real, and wonderfully intact. Leaves, blossoms, and spices were well preserved enough to still be colorful.

The smell of the dry tea was, I’ll confess, a little off-putting at first. Perhaps it was my already shaky stomach, but the chamomile smelled uncharacteristically strong, almost weedy. I prepared the water and continued to hope for the best.

After steeping the teabag for the recommended 3 minutes, I removed the bag and took a sip of the tea, unadulterated with sweetener or anything else. In a word, perfect. The reconstituted spices balanced the chamomile, and no one flavor dominated. There was a subtle and delicate sweetness, and the aroma of citrus brightened up the whole mix without overwhelming the chamomile. Really, a masterful blend.

By the end of the cup I was feeling a good deal cheerier if not entirely cured, and what more could you want from a great cup of tea?