CCU Undercover: Pukka Teas Review

CCU lifted her pinky up.

“Higher!”, screeched her etiquettes teacher. “Higher!!!!”

CCU tried to contain her giggles, while the lady in front of her basically turned apoplectic.

Just to annoy her, CCU bent her pinky the tiniest bit. The hint of a wrinkle appeared on her skin where she moved it. It was a game now, to see just how red CCU could make her teacher become. Who knows… she may even turn purple!

The etiquette teacher screwed up her piggy little eyes, and the lines of depression on her face made her forehead look like the grand canyon for facial bacteria. She wagged her sausage of a finger, the nail so long, sharp and artificial that it almost scratched CCU on the nose, before plonking in her chair with a thud.

That takes care of that old bat, CCU mused, while she remained in the gold plated chair, stuffed her pinky inside her hoodie, and began to actually enjoy her tea…

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By the way, I did actually have a bad tempered crazy teacher like this in high school… no names given here ;)… but anyways…

I have to admit something. Despite my love of all things cool, organic and herb-ish, I have never been big on teas. I used to see the jasmine teas and all those fancy delilah-carnation flower tea things, but being near earl grey and all that, I never got interested.

Because wow, do I not like breakfast, caffeine-filled, just-off-coffee teas. Not my thing 😛

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Anyways, it was only a couple of years back that I absolutely started falling in love with flowery, exotic teas, without caffeine in sight, and which were full of refreshing flavour. Chamomile, peppermint, green, jasmine and all these different types of tea, I began to enjoy them!
And I wanted to know more about them, try all these different types of teas, and keep trying them! So that’s why I was super excited when Zoe from Dani Lombard PR asked me if I wanted to try the new tea range from Pukka Herbs! These teas are all decaffeinated, and made from organic blends for utmost therapeutic benefit 🙂

And wow, did I get some very classy, very unique flavours to try!

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The first tea I took a crack at was my Peppermint & Licorice ($7.95 per 20 sachets) flavour. Not to be confused with another flavour coming up, this tea was made to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Pukka Teas, and uses the Australian blends of peppermint and FairWild Licorice. According to the information I received on the tea, each ingredient also has its own beneficial properties for health.

The peppermint leaf, is used for its easier digestion and cooling properties in the body.

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The licorice root, the much stronger flavour, is meant reduce inflammation and sooth your body’s systems. I didn’t know that tea could have that many benefits, here I was being simple-minded and thinking all it did was relax you!

For all these teas, they were made to steep for up to 5 minutes before drinking (just something to keep in mind :D)

The initial colour of the Peppermint & Licorice tea was very pale green, similar to the light colour that green tea is. It then began to very gradually settle, as more of the flavour was expelled from the teabag, to turn into a strong, rich orange coloure, tinged by a ring of light green.

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The tea was especially pungent as well, I mean, I could smell all the tea from the three packets wafting from the cardboard box they arrived in! But the smell of peppermint was definitely the strongest! While this tea was steeping, it was considerably aromatic in peppermint, but the actual taste it hard to describe.

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You sip it, and you taste the peppermint, but as you swallow it, suddenly, it leaves behind a very strong, bitter-sweet flavour in mouth and throat, similar to the aftertaste of licorice lollies. It is as if the peppermint freshness was only there for a second, before the licorice flavour settles into the back of the throat.

I would have honestly preferred the peppermint to be a bit stronger, but I did enjoy the aftertaste!

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The next tea I tried, just to mix it up a little, was the tea simply titled Love ($7.95 per 20 sachets). This tea probably was my favourite out of all the three different teas I tried, probably because of my partiality to chamomile (also known as the nectar of the gods.) 😀

Love is made up sweetness, loyalty, chemistry… oh wait… sorry I was being the Love Doctor for a different kind of love 😛
Let me try this again…

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Love is made up of a lot of flowery natural ingredients, including lavender, elderflower, the chamomile flower (bien sur), lime flower, marigold petals and roses, with a hint of licorice root for its benefits.

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While the most emphasised ingredients in this are the chamomile, rose and lavender, all of the ingredients contribute to the benefits and relaxation that occurs when you drink a sip of this wonderful tea. Chamomile is known for how it soothes the nervous system (to become a confident system HAHA :P) – it is also said to alleviate cramps.

Lavender and rose were more for aesthetic  purposes, with lavender being the source of the strong aroma of this tea, and the rose adding its delicious flavour, though both are also used to nurture circulation.

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I have never even heard of marigold petals before, but, also known as Calendula, it is, according to my sources ‘the mother of healing plants’! The elderflower and lime flower are not only used for their soothing properties, but elderflower especially is the cleanser of chest and sinus congestion (take that phlegm!) 😀

While the scent was not as strong for this tea as the Peppermint & Licorice, it made it more of a calming smell as opposed to a curious, slightly harsh scent of licorice. I noticed actually that the lavender scent got much stronger depending on how long the teabag was steeped, and the chamomile flavour became more and more obvious as well.

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In regards to the colour, (you may see a slight trend here), it also started off an immediate light free. But instead of suddenly turning orange, the colour lilted towards a soft yellow, just off the lime green colour from Kids Pix (if you were into that art program!) – Like the colour of freshly budded blades of grass, but more yellow, though not straw-dry-grass. Wow.. this is hard. Look at the photos mes cheris!

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This colour didn’t change, regardless of how long you steeped is. Just a little paler than butter yellow, I am guessing that was the chamomile flower, because all chamomile teas I have drank have been yellow in the past.

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I fell in love with Love (you saw that coming from a mile away no doubt!), because I really enjoyed the floral touches to chamomile, which was the predominant flavour. After a sip, it too left a wonderful aftertaste in the mouth but not so strong or bitter. Rather it was light and floral, similar to a kind of edible floral perfume.

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The last tea I got to try, just yesterday in fact and ideal because it was raining and miserable, was the Refresh tea ($7.95 per 20 sachets). Now, say it with me – this organic tea was made up licorice root, peppermint AND fennel seeds as its main ingredients. I say it as if fennel made a big difference… because it did.

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Fennel actually is meant to balance out your Ayurveda types (Ayurveda is India’s traditional health system), and being an Indian myself, I’d like to think fennel and I had an even more special connection 😛

Refresh also contains a healthy dose of coriander seeds, used to calm inflammatory heat, as well as red rose and hibiscus flower, both who cool the irritated sections of your internal bodily systems.

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Dayum. Tea = Better than drugs 😀

This tea, due to its similarity to Peppermint & Licorice, also had a strong peppermint scent. However, in regards to taste, the fennel, and coriander, played a significant role in adding a flavour of earthiness to the tea, and this significantly lessened the bittersweet flavour of the licorice, especially in the aftertaste.

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Because of this, I preferred Refresh 😀 – though not as calming as chamomile, if someone gave me a cup on a rainy day in winter, I wouldn’t say no. I would just grab it (without spilling) and then savour it, while my feet turned blue, and my nose turned red!

I did notice though that the longer you left the teabag in, the stronger the aftertaste and flavour of the licorice, so just telling you – that’s how this tea went down! And it also didn’t have a gradual change in its colour – straight up, light green had had enough of itself, and kerplunked into a peach colour.

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I actually turned my head away for two seconds and BAM. I saw a peach colour in my cup. Anyone would think ninjas had replaced my tea… 😛

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All in all, I really enjoyed all three teas from Pukka Herb’s tea range. All organic and caffeine free, they are the perfect excuse to hide away from the world, and cleanse your insides from toxins, while reading a good book to match! 😀

If I had to also munch on a little something while enjoying each tea? Well, I have got you covered there as well 😉

I would pair the Peppermint & Licorice tea with my Baileys Brownies 🙂

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Mmmm, Love would go perfectly with my Berry Pound Cake!

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And of course, Refresh would probably work well with a nutty Carrot Cake 😀

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I’m going to channel my inner Warner Bros now and say “That’s All Folks!”
Till next time mes amis!


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Disclaimer: Go Bake Yourself received these Pukka Teas courtesy of Dani Lombard PR. However, all thoughts and opinions of this tea are honest and her own.

45 Comments

  1. Pingback: CCU Undercover: Tea Vivre Review Part I | Go Bake Yourself

  3. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says:

    So, when you drink the Love tea, do you feel like you’ve been given a hug? 🙂 I love a good cup of tea but I always thought it was just good to drink.

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  7. applec says:

    I’ve just recently started my day with a cup of tea. I like the basic green teas or milder black teas. Not so into the florals, herbal tea but there are so many, there are mostly one or two I could find to soothe and warm come winter time.
    As for pairing with the brownies and cake, I’d def. opt for coffee 🙂

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  25. emmabarrett1508 says:

    I love Pukka teas. Your cakes look incredible, especially that carrot one. Have you tried Teapigs? Their teas are delicious too. You might like my lavender and lemon shortbread recipe that I have just posted. Perfect with a cup of Pukka tea. Take care. Emma.

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  31. kitchenriffs says:

    We like tea, and drink a lot of it. Loads of Earl Grey, but we also like fun flavors like the ones you discussed. Really interesting post. Thanks. And now I need to practice holding my pinky higher!

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  32. cheri says:

    They all sound good but the refresh tea sounds very intriguing. What a fun post you have here, I think we have all had a mean teacher like that once in our lives.

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  38. thekalechronicles says:

    None of these things are teas, whatever they call them. They are properly called herbal infusions and no self-respecting tea drinker would drink them. Tea comes from the tea plant and may be had black, green or white, depending on the degree of fermentation.

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    • Choc Chip Uru says:

      I enjoyed them very much, and despite not being a big tea drinker, at cafes I visit, I see chamomile and peppermint teas commonly referred to as such. I do not have much knowledge on it, it is limited as simply a consumer.

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  39. Kathleen Richardson says:

    Just reading your tea review is so calming. Love a good cuppa, anytime. Beautiful, dainty cups. Hmmm, yummy suggestions for goodies to accompany the tea.

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  40. A_Boleyn says:

    I love the fruit motif of your china tea cups (apple, strawberry and orange) and the little teapot on the end of your steeping ball. The cups remind me of a similar motif on a piece of embroidery that I made years ago. All 3 teas are quite intriguing although I would be unlikely to choose either of the licorice ones as it’s not a flavour that I care for. I love the idea of pairing them with your desserts.

    In a strange coincidence I just brought home 2 kinds of loose leaf tea that intrigued me on my last outing … a Moroccan mint green tea and a Chai Black tea. I need a steeping ball as my teapot isn’t too efficient at straining out the leaves. 🙂

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    • Choc Chip Uru says:

      Haha I am so glad you noticed that! 😀
      My mum brings them out for special occasions, and I thought this was fitting!
      Wow a Moroccan mint green tea sounds very soothing, sounds like it would be lovely to try!

      Cheers
      Choc Chip Uru

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