Brand: Teavana
Name: Harmonic Mint
Category: Mint Tea
Origin: Pacific Northwest
Leaves: Fragrant, Dark and Green Leaf Mixture
Flavor: Refreshing & Cooling Tea With Relaxing Qualities
Overall: This tea is perfect for mornings, evenings and everywhere in between.
Peppermint Tea Review:
I recently picked up a box of Teavana Harmonic Mint tea and was very excited as I had started to wonder what happened to Teavana. I used to really enjoy stopping through the Teavana locations in the mall and browsing their selection of tea making tools, supplies and amazing tea samples, so finding their Harmonic Mint Tea was like a walk down memory lane for me.
After splitting the peppermint tea bag wrapper directly down the center of the Teavana logo the refreshing smell of peppermint perks up your nostrils in anticipation of a cooling, relaxing and settling tea experience.
The tea leaves that are nestled within the tea sachet are a mixture of dark green and light green leaves that give off a crisp and amazingly fresh aroma.
When I say peppermint, I’ve tried a large variety of peppermint tea. The “peppermint” aroma that this tea gives off is more like the cooling fragrance that a fresh pack of peppermint gum gives off directly out of the wrapper. This is unlike other peppermint teas I've tried that are much more muddled, subtle or even sweet smelling.
The instructions called for a five minute steeping time in filtered water, however I like my peppermint tea to be a bit stronger so I left it in for around 8-10 minutes.
Steeping the tea bag in the hot boiling water amplifies this aroma, turning the water an inviting and cozy amber & greenish color. The first sip is almost passive, leaving the imprint of the mint on your palette but in a very delicate way. It will make you take another sip to catch up to that pleasant and refreshing taste over and over again.
After deeply breathing in the aroma coming from my teacup, the variety of tastes present on your palette become much more complex and prominent. This offers notes of spearmint, which was surprisingly different but complemented the tea flavor profile perfectly.
At the back end of the flavor, you can pick up on the lemon verbena leaf rounding out the entire tea and bringing the taste to a close and then making you want to take another sip to re-experience the refreshing nature of this caffeine free tea all over again.
Peppermint Tea Health Benefits
There are a variety of peppermint tea health benefits that this tea can be used for.
In the same fashion that peppermint oil helps with headaches, if you’re a sufferer of headache pain, migraine pain or experience frequent migraine triggers this tea can be a big help in the struggle to relieve migraine headaches & tension headaches.
Studies have shown peppermint has strong antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant and antitumor activity. There have even been studies that show promising results to lower breast cancer risk.
Peppermint tea is considered to be a great tea for upset stomachs as it relaxes the digestive tract. It will also open up your sinuses and improve your overall energy.
With flu and cold season rapidly approaching, peppermint tea offers compounds to help fight off colds, break fevers and improve immune function with vitamin B, potassium & calcium.
And if you are sick, peppermint tea can help reduce nausea, vomiting and motion sickness with its antispasmodic properties. It helps by soothing the stomach muscles that contract and cause vomiting.
Warm tea is a great way to soothe a sore throat, and peppermint tea takes it a step further by relaxing the throat muscles as menthol is a muscle relaxant that can also help open your airways.
It’s a great idea to use peppermint tea before bed as it can help you sleep better at the end of the day.
Mint Side Effects on Health
There are some things to be aware of when it comes to peppermint tea. High doses of peppermint are toxic, peppermint tea being an herbal infusion makes it much safer, but it should still be used in moderation and not as a tea that you drink all day every day.
If you are a sufferer of acid reflux disease or GERD, you should avoid peppermint tea. It relaxes the muscles in the esophagus that prevent stomach acid and bile from entering your throat. Drinking peppermint tea can actually increase heartburn symptoms and indigestion.
Also, if you are on medication to treat GERD, indigestion issues or acid reflux diseases please consult with your doctor as peppermint tea can interact with medications that treat heartburn, blood pressure and diabetes.
Overall Peppermint Tea Experience
I would highly recommend Teavana herbal tea to anyone that is an avid tea drinker looking for something simple but amazing to tantalize their taste buds. This tea had a great composition, making it incredibly enjoyable and remarkably crisp.
Make sure to try iced peppermint tea as well. This is an incredibly enjoyable way to consume peppermint tea. You can also add in some ginger, lemon, sugar and cinnamon to your iced peppermint tea for an entirely new take on peppermint tea.
I love drinking peppermint tea and the Teavana Harmonic Mint was definitely a treat.