How Do Big Heart Tea Co.’s Cute, Healing Teas Actually Taste?
I'm a sucker for fancy teas featuring interesting ingredients, so when Big Heart Tea Co. offered to send me a couple of their new drinks, I had to say yes.
The company specializes in loose-leaf herbal teas blended by hand and chock-full of good-for-you ingredients—and they also happen to come in super cute packaging.
The Products
Big Heart Tea Co. gave me three different tasty drinks to try. This included a box of fiery non-caffeinated herbal Chai, a turmeric-filled box of Cup of Sunshine tea and a satchel of powdered turmeric tea concentrate called "Sunshine Dust."
But these aren't the only colorful flavors on offer from Big Heart Tea Co. They also feature a caffeinated "Fake Coffee," a rosy "Cup of Love," a peppermint and lavender "Royal Treatmint," "Edith Grey" black tea, and fennel and lavender "Calm Yo' Tummy" tea. They also have rose and turmeric "Cocoas," which are chocolately fusion teas.
Each of these loose-leaf blends includes ingredients that are said to have unique health benefits. I tried them all to see how they'd make me feel.
The Experience
Chai
When I opened the box of Chai tea, I immediately noticed the spicy, earthy smell of the leaves. The tea itself consists of caffeine-free rooibos tea, plus tulsi (or holy basil), ginger, cardamom, peppercorns, allspice, cloves and star anise.
Because it was loose-leaf tea, I broke out my trusty (and undeniably adorable) hippo diffuser, placed two teaspoons of the tea inside and steeped for a couple of minutes.
I made the tea in a deep brown mug so it was tough to see the its color, but it appeared to have a deep orange tinge. When I took my first sip, it had a pretty mild taste. It wasn't too spicy at first, but as I drank the flavors of the spice, it built up to become much stronger. That spice came out even more when I added some honey to sweeten it.
According to the side of the box, the blend's ingredients help stimulate digestion. Tulsi is also said to reduce stress and restore balance in your life. Though I tend to think any cup of hot tea can do this for your mood, I did feel the effects pretty immediately.
It gave me the impression it'd be the perfect thing for a chilly day—but I still managed to thoroughly enjoy it on a sunny 74° day in L.A.
Cup of Sunshine
I was really looking forward to trying the turmeric-rich Cup of Sunshine because I've had a very positive experience with Turmeric Water in the past, and I was hoping the two experiences would be similar.
When I opened the box of tea, I noticed the sour, almost curry-like smell of the tea leaves. This consisted of turmeric, ginger, tulsi, peppercorn and cinnamon. This blend is also said to help with inflammation and ease digestion.
I filled the hippo diffuser yet again with the new tea and steeped it for two minutes. In my brown mug, I could only see the slightest yellow color in the tea itself. Per the serving suggestion, I also added some milk and honey, turning it a nice cloudy yellow color.
When I took my first sip, it was delicious as I'd hoped it would be. The earthy taste combined with the honey reminded me a bit of a roasted sweet potato. It was also beautifully tart with the slightest hint of spice. While I didn't have any inflammation or digestive ailments for it to heal, the hot tea warmed me to the core, and it's something I'd want to drink every day.
Sunshine Dust
Lastly, I opened up the powdered Sunshine Dust, which worked quite differently than the other teas, as it's used to make turmeric milk.
The drink is unique because there are a few methods for making it, which include blending the powder with hot or cold milk, plus honey, to create a creamy beverage. I did this by combining a teaspoon of the pulverized turmeric (plus ginger, lemongrass and peppercorn) with a teaspoon of water and mixing it well before adding honey and cold milk.
The resulting drink was the color of a light dijon mustard. When I took a first sip of the cool drink, it was extra creamy with a little sourness and spice to it. While the overall effect was a bit strange, I found it delicious. As I got to the bottom of the cup, it got spicier and spicier and the ginger really began to come through.
It helps that I enjoy drinking milk. I imagine that people who don't drink it would find the drink even odder.
Bottom Line
While I loved each of the three Big Heart Tea Co. drinks, your mileage may vary—particularly around the turmeric drinks. While I think it tastes great, others may find the exotic taste a bit strange.
The company's boxes of loose leaf tea range from $8.99 to $9.99 for a box containing about 10 servings. While this is pricier than most grocery store teas, it's a steal compared to most tea in specialty stores.
The Sunshine Dust is more expensive at $25 per pack, but you can get about 30 servings out of it. Whether that's worth it is up to you.
I can't speak too much to the health claims made be the creators of Big Heart Tea Co., but I can say that drinking each cup made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and that's all I ask from a cup of tea.
If you're into unique and beautiful teas, click HERE to see what we think of blue butterfly tea lemonades.