Take a trip into the unknown with Guayusa, a naturally caffeine-rich herb from the jungles of the Amazon.
This blend is a study in contrast. Bright, citrusy, organic lemongrass is foiled with rich, enticing, organic cinnamon and earthy, green, organic Guayusa. Dry, Amazon Spice’s colors are like muted fall leaves, yet brewed its color is a honeyed, bright, golden-orange hue. The lingering aftertaste is both sweet and spiced. Lemongrass refreshes, cinnamon stabilizes and Guayusa enlivens. The result is a balanced blend that gratifies the palate and the body.
Pair this Guayusa blend with some of the foods of its homeland—fried plantains, jicima salad or grilled meats—or partner it with roasted sweet potatoes or honey-glazed ham.
Tasting Notes: rich, bright, earthy
Ingredients: organic amazonian guayusa, organic lemongrass, organic cinnamon.
Steeping instructions: 1.5 tsp, 185 degrees F, 4-6 min.
Guayusa is a close cousin of yerba mate, the two caffeinated herbals from South America. I find guayusa to be a bit more naturally sweet than yerba mate, but they both taste sort of like gunpowder green tea to me — a sort of tobacco smoke, grassy green taste (I usually get sort of hay-like notes from both guayusa and yerba mate), with occassionally mild notes of coffee bean (I usually get more of the coffee notes if the leaf has been roasted, which it was not in this case).
Tulsi is an Indian basil that has three varieties, and usually when I encounter it in tea, they are typically using a blend of the three types rather than just one (krishna, rama, or vana). Krishna tulsi has more of a purple color and a taste described as being clove or pepper-like, rama tulsi has green leaves and a more mellow taste than the krishna variety, and the vana variety has light green leaves and is described as having a more citrus flavor. Tulsi to me typically tastes a little minty and a little citrusy with a peppery aftertaste (for a typical 3-varietal blend).
There is lemongrass in this, which would account for a lot of that herby, grassy citrus flavor.