Tulsi Pure Leaves (Loose Leaf)

Backlog 2/10

This one was sent to me in the big box from LiberTEAS I got a while ago and I haven’t gotten around to trying it until recently. I had this one right before I went into my HUGE Vermont Youth Orchestra audition (I auditioned to get into the top group which I REALLLLY want because I’m not challenged enough anywhere else, I bombed the audition but they know me from previous years plus I have good credentials, so fingers crossed!) to help calm me down. I can’t really say if it worked or not because I was still nervous, but I don’t actually really know the effects of tulsi that well because I haven’t had too much of it.

When I went to put this one in a mug, the bag was stuck to the wrapper, so I had to tug to get it out and in the process, the bag ripped open so I was forced to put a whole bunch of little leaves in my strainer travel mug (which almost all coincidentally escaped, but it was okay because it’s an herbal) and brew it that way. So I guess this is half bagged/half loose leaf tea :P I don’t remember a whole lot about this because I didn’t write anything down but it was pretty good, though the floaties made it REALLLY strong. It had a definite spice note to it with a little bit of a lemony hint floating around. All in all pretty good but I would like to try it in a smaller mug without a lot of floaties! :P

This Tulsi tisane by Davidson’s is an unadulterated blend of the three varieties of holy basil that make up their Tulsi line.

The fragrance is a minty oregano that takes on a subtle lemon essence once steeped. The flavor is similar to a mint and lemongrass blend but there’s an underlying herbal and pepper base. The flavor quickly dissipates with no lingering aftertaste.

This was OK, but I think the Tulsi provides a better foundation for the addition of more full-flavored spices.

3 Tulsi’s!? Very nice! Nice blend of all 3! It’s a good Tulsi herbal…unflavored. The natural hints of basil and mint come thru at brief points thru-out the sip and fade away pleasantly. This was simple yet soothing…thumbs up!

This tulsi blend is a total staple in my tea cabinet, and at the prices available online, a total steal. You have no excuse not to have a bag full of tulsi in your kitchen! Right now I am sipping on tulsi I steeped with some lemon balm from the garden, and a little squeeze of extra lemon! I usually mix in some other things with my tulsi, because it is kind of plain by itself, and flavor lends itself exceptionally well to blends. You can drink it by itself, though – it has a smooth, mellow herbal character with notes akin to mint, clove, maybe a hint of pepper with most of the bite taken out.

The leaves and bits are fairly finely cut, but my usual tea strainers handle it just fine. If I’m drinking it straight, I usually use a heaping teaspoon per 8 oz. and steep for up five minutes. If I leave it in longer (some say the longer you steep the more you’ll get out of it), a bit of dull bitterness starts to come through.

I usually try to rate teas based on the quality of their flavor without any added mix-ins, but I have to give this herb extra points because of its fabulous medicinal/tonic properties. Tulsi promotes an overall sense of wellbeing, particularly mentally. It’s soothing and balancing. Great in times of stress, or for every day.