It’s been a long time since I have actually posted a full review for a tisane, so I figured I should probably get around to doing one. I have been trying to cut down on my caffeine intake lately, and with my sinuses once again draining like crazy, I wanted something that would both help me sleep and soothe my aching throat. This was what I selected for the purposes outlined above. Though this eased the scratchiness in my throat and helped me sleep, I can’t say I really enjoyed the experience of drinking this stuff.
I prepared this in an extremely lazy fashion. Rather than carefully measuring the amount of linden I was using, I just used whatever felt right at the time. I managed to go through the better part of an ounce of this stuff in just under a week. I found that what worked best for me was to put as much of the leaf, stem, and flower material as possible in a large brew basket and steep it for 5 minutes in 8 ounces of 212 F water. The flavor of this stuff is very weak, so I found that I got more out of it when I used more per cup.
After infusion, the liquor showed a pale yellow in the cup. Very mild aromas take some time to express themselves on the nose. They were very hard to describe. They were kind of floral, but also kind of woodsy. I thought there was a straw-like scent there too. Honestly, the smell is pretty nice, which is a shock because as soon as the leaves come into contact with water, they emit a smell very reminiscent of fresh cat urine. So, with that in mind, I was expecting the scent of the infused liquor to be much more unpleasant. In the mouth, I noticed fleeting impressions of wood, dried flowers, grass, and straw underscored by subtle hints of cream and fresh pastries. The finish was very clipped and mild. I noticed traces of floral and straw-like flavors.
Normally, I rather enjoy wacky tisanes, but this one was not all that appealing to me. For what I was using it for, it worked, but I doubt I would purchase it again. I kind of feel that one would have to be really into some of the quirkier and/or more challenging herbal teas to really appreciate something like this.
Flavors: Cream, Floral, Grass, Pastries, Straw, Wood
