Tea

Tea: Amoda Organic Golden Turmeric Ginger Herbal Tea

November 30, 2016 · Leave a Comment

The Style Chicks love tea. The Style Chicks love glowing skin. The Style Chicks love not feeling incredibly sore after Arm Workout Day. The Style Chicks love organic, all natural products. For all of these reasons and more, Style Chicks love Amoda Organic Golden Turmeric Ginger Herbal Tea.

Amoda Organic Golden Turmeric Ginger Herbal Tea

Amoda Organic Golden Turmeric Ginger Herbal Tea is a magnificent blend of organic powdered turmeric, ginger, fennel, anise seed, true cinnamon, and vanilla. Sounds like a Chai variant to you? It is along that flavor line, but it packs far more flavor, not to mention health benefits. It is pretty rare that I find a chai tea that tastes as good as it smells. This herbal tea actually tastes better than it smells, and it smells amazing!

The anti-inflammatory benefits of the ingredients, especially Tumeric and Ginger, are well documented. I take Tumeric supplements for its’ anti-inflammatory effects, but I am trying to use high-grade Tumeric in cooking more to get the most benefit from it. I also try to incorporate fresh ginger into recipes as much as I can. But what I like about Amoda Organic Golden Turmeric Ginger Herbal Tea is that it contains high-grade powdered ingredients (with no additives!) in an easy to use way that incorporates seamlessly into my tea-drinking lifestyle. I stir the powder into hot water and enjoy the spicy, savory treat while getting an incredible amount of healthy anti-inflammatory benefits. I love that it doesn’t feel like I’m choosing the healthy option, but rather than I’m choosing the tasty option.

The benefits have been impressive. My skin is glowing. I had an angry blemish that was painful and very red. After a few days of drinking this tea, I noticed that while it wasn’t full flat yet, the redness had disappeared. Usually, blemishes stay red far beyond when they are flat on me, and the redness disappears over time. Because of the powerful anti-inflammatory effects of the tea, the blemish is flesh tone and far less noticeable!

My under eyes have also shown marked improvement. During Fall allergy season, my eyes always get puffy, and for the past two weeks, my orbital skin has been puffy and dark. The tea de-inflamed the area, and my eyes look great!

How the tea affects muscle recovery is also profoundly impressive. After a good Tracy Anderson workout, I tend to feel run over by a truck the next day. If I drink this tea as my recovery drink, I feel substantially less sore. It’s not just power of suggestion, either. I had a shoulder injury that leaves the joint quite inflamed. Last night I put my hand on the affected shoulder while I was in the middle of a conversation, and it was significantly less swollen than normal. Though I was absorbed in the conversation, the reduction of inflammation was enough to make me lose my train of thought. It took me a couple of minutes to realize that it is likely due to this amazing tea!

Not to split hairs, but technically this is a tisane since it is an herbal tea, not a true tea since no actual tea leaves are involved. However, this opens up options. If you want the health benefits of green tea but dislike the taste, try addition this mix into your tea, and the vegetal taste is greatly diminished. Lyn and I acquired a taste for straight green tea over time, but it took awhile (especially when we got into Matcha.) So if you are looking to start drinking green tea (or any tea), adding this mix turns a regular cup of tea into an amazingly tasty, incredibly healthy taste treat!

Amoda Organic Golden Turmeric Ginger Herbal Tea

Mom tried it today and loved how full-bodied it is. She doesn’t like tea as much as Lyn and I do because it is, as she calls it, a “thin-bodied” beverage. She loves this tea because it is full bodied (think Hot Apple Cider straight from one of the many amazing New England orchards) and she considers it more of a savory snack for break time rather than just a hot beverage. So, if you are looking to cut out some calories by ditching your carby, sugary afternoon snack and want to replace it with a tasty, satisfying, healthy drink, this is ideal for you!

Lyn found that it had similar results for her in that it cut out her craving for a buttery carb mid-afternoon. As a family, buttery carbs are held in high culinary regard as a treat, so this is truly a testimony to this tea!

And don’t forget, it is all plant-based, organic, gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and perfect for vegans!

Find this lovely tea at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HQWM6ZG?th=1.

And learn more about the incredible health benefits ofÂ Turmeric Curcumin!

I received this item for testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and Iâ€™ll do my best to answer it!

MiCacao Loose Cacao Tea

October 14, 2016 · Leave a Comment

How would you like to drink organic liquid dark chocolate all day, not gain an ounce, get your vitamins and a massive amount of antioxidants?

Yes? Me too.

So I was thrilled to learn about MiCacao Loose Cacao Tea. When we think of chocolate or cocoa, we tend to think of what comes from the inner nib of the bean. MiCacao Loose Cacao Tea is made of the Cacao Shells, which are organic. This is an herbal Chocolate loose tea that is nothing but the organic, gluten-free, vegan Cacao shells. There are no preservatives, artificial flavoring, or starches. It is caffeine free as well.

The shells have a ton of health ingredients, including a massive amount of anti-oxidants and minerals including Iron, Zinc, and Magnesium.

You might be wondering why the health benefits are so much better than from the actual cacao nib. Think about it: in fruits, the nutrients tend to be more concentrated in the rind. For instance, orange rind has much more Vitamin C than the part we typically eat. The oils that flavor many dishes come from the rind. The same applies to the Cacao Shell: it contains a concentrated amount of all the good things we hear about eating dark chocolate. For instance, they provide 40 times the number of antioxidants as Blueberries.

The shell “leaves” themselves are absolutely beautiful, a rich golden variegated brown. When hot water is added, the leaves dance in the water, giving a kaleidoscope-like show until they settle to the bottom of the pot to brew.

To brew the tea, add one to two tablespoons into boiling water and let it steep for about five minutes. I found that it doesn’t get bitter if you let it brew for longer, but the flavor does get more intense. So you can adjust it to taste.

The tea has a dark chocolate top note that is very reminiscent of intense organic chocolate and a buttery chocolate aftertaste. It has a bit of a wine note, but not overly sweet. It is a complex and smooth taste that could easily be enjoyed at any time, from a treat in the morning to a special treat for your guests at a wedding.

MiCacao Loose Cacao Tea

I’m a purist when it comes to tea: I like it straight, no milk or sugar. But both can make it a richer taste. I tried it with just a hint of vanilla, and that brought out the chocolate flavor a bit more. If you want to make it an after dinner “dessert tea,” try adding a bit of dark chocolate liqueur for a truly sublime cup.

I found that the tea did provide me with a decent amount of sustained energy without the dreaded caffeine slump. This is likely because Cacao contains theobromine, which is a mild stimulant found in chocolate and in regular tea. Theobromine (which translated, means “food of the gods”) has some impressive health effects as well: studies have shown that it can increase the hardness of tooth enamel, and there is promising research that shows that it might help prevent certain cancers. Of course, if you are sensitive to the stimulant effect of chocolate or black tea, you may want to ask your doctor if theobromine is safe for you.

The energy boost that the tea provides is part of the story of how it came to us through MiCacao: the makers of the tea were hiking through Peru when the guide offered the tea to keep their bodies strong during the hike. They fell in love with the tea and now search through Central and South America for the finest Cacao beans from Sustainable Farms. It’s a tea that makes you feel good, and that you can feel good about supporting!

MiCacao Loose Cacao Tea

And much like dark chocolate, this tea can help curb your appetite. I found that it cut down on my cravings for sweets, which is nice.

I truly love this tea for both its’ health properties and its’ amazing taste! The Style Chicks consider themselves “Tea Elitists,” and MiCacao Loose Cacao Tea makes the cut as one of our favorites!

Find MiCacao Loose Cacao Tea at MiCacao.com

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdv5KdP6EGo[/embedyt]

I received compensation for my time and effort on this review. However, my experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

Health and Beauty: Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea

September 18, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Last week I eagerly clicked a link on what models were drinking to achieve their luminous skin during NYFW. It was…green tea. Didn’t we know this already? Whether you are new to the skin and health wonders of green tea or a tea devotee, you should definitely try Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea.

OVERVIEW: This is a tangy and crisp Green Tea, perfect for the end of summer, beginning of autumn.

Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea

WHY WE LIKE GREEN TEA:
On average, we try to drink two cups of Green Tea per day. Green Tea makes for glowing, youthful skin; as it reduces inflammation (such as puffy undereye bags), rids the cells of aging free radicals and helps boost the metabolism resulting in more energy and weight management. Green Tea also has health benefits for heart and brain health and is considered beneficial for cancer prevention.

The Green Tea that one drinks can make all the difference in gaining benefits. To get real beauty and health benefits from Green Tea, it takes two things: 1) find a reputable company that produces safe, quality, fresh green tea from whole leaves, not “tea dust” and 2) find an enjoyable flavor you will enjoy drinking consistently

FINDING A REPUTABLE GREEN TEA COMPANY FOR QUALITY TEA:
Two key considerations when seeking a good tea brand is the quality of the tea and the safety of the tea.

TEA SAFETY: StyleChicks recently reviewed the Coastal Tea Company, and we were very impressed with the efforts they take to produce tea that is not only high quality, fresh whole leaf tea, but they strictly regulate their production to sell only small-batch, fresh tea with no trace of radiation or lead. Tea leaves, like other vegetation, is subject to soaking in the nutrients from the ground. Sometimes that ground contains metal traces including lead, and some areas where tea is grown have been subject to high levels of radiation. Coastal Tea Company takes extensive measures to avoid both risks, see more about the Coastal Tea Company here in our review of their Mango Green Tea.

TEA QUALITY: The most value from Green Tea comes from fresh, full leaves containing the highest levels of EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) and polyphenols (the chief antioxidants). These high levels are not found in green tea “dust,” or the leftover remaindered older teas. Look for loose tea that has large, fresh pieces of dried leaves visible within the tea mix and a low amount of “dust” in the mix. Any inclusions to flavor the tea, such as dried fruit, nuts, or petals, should be generous in size and fresh. A fresh tea has a tasty, full aroma.

FINDING A FLAVOR OF TEA YOU LIKE
It is important to find an enjoyable flavor of Green Tea because Green Tea is for some, an acquired taste. It may, in fact, not be YOUR cup of tea if you don’t enjoy drinking it. Green Tea can taste somewhat vegetal, and often requires some sweetener or flavoring to enhance it, especially for someone new to drinking full leaf, fresh green tea. Fresh Green Tea has a richer, fuller taste than many commercially pre-bottled, pre- sweetened sugar drinks with Green Tea as an ingredient.

WHAT MAKES COASTAL TEA COMPANY GINGER MINT GREEN TEA SPECIAL?

Coastal Tea Company’s Ginger Mint Green Tea is a 100% loose leaf sencha green tea blend with dried ginger pieces, lemongrass, and Moroccan Mint. It has a crisp taste without being too tart or bitter. The Ginger is nicely tempered by the mellow Moroccan Mint, which surprised me as a tasty combination of flavors. The Lemongrass was a surprise enhancing ingredient in this blend because typically lemongrass tastes just plain grassy to me. But in this tea blend, playing off the other flavors, it is quite good – sort of a crisp tanginess without being bitter. For those new to Green Tea, a small amount of sugar or honey could be added, but even our non-Tea loving friends and family have enjoyed this blend.

Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea

INCLUSION: Any inclusions to flavor the tea should look fresh as well. The chunks of ginger are plentiful and big. They are full, solid chunk slices, not gritty partial crumbling shards of ginger. How they appear in the pictures is how the tea looks poured directly out of the bag. The lemongrass pieces are plentiful and unbruised. The mint leaves were large pieces of fuller leaves. Notice how all the pieces of tea and inclusions are in good shape, they look fresh and there is no tea dust.

Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea

NATURAL FLAVORS: Coastal Tea Company uses all natural flavorings. There are no chemicals or additives; the flavor comes just from the inclusion ingredients, in this case, the Lemongrass, Ginger and the Mint.

TASTY: Not everyone likes the taste of Green Tea. This Ginger Mint has a crisp, tangy taste; the sweet Moroccan Mint balances the tart taste of the ginger surprisingly well.

FULL LOOSE LEAVES: The tea is actual large leaf and full leave pieces, leaves, not dust or remaindered tea. This is the freshest type of tea, the best of the batch, and it holds the most anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits.

PREPARATION
Bring water to almost the boiling point but not a full boil. This makes Green tea brew better and tastes less bitter. Don’t over steep the brew, brew for no more than 2 – 4 minutes.

The tea has a lovely, pale yellow hue and tastes of ginger, lemongrass, and Moroccan mint. I got a second full-pot brew out of the same leaves that were just a flavorful as the first.

CONCLUSION: A tasty, natural tea that has all the benefits I look for in a green loose leaf tea without any of the risks associated with some loose leaf tea brands. I am impressed by the strict standards and precautions Coastal Tea Company undertakes to ensure their teas are fresh and safe.

Coastal Tea Company Ginger Mint Green Tea

Find this tasty tea at Amazon.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYyVSm2UCG8[/embedyt]

I received this product for testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and Iâ€™ll do my best to answer it!

Tea Tuesday: Coastal Tea Company Mango Green Tea

September 6, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Coastal Tea Company’s Mango Green Tea

Here at Style Chicks, we drink lots of green tea. Green tea is a beauty powerhouse for youthful, glowing skin as well as a metabolism and energy booster. For example, studies indicate if you have a cup of green tea each day instead of your standard afternoon coffee for a year, that alone can result in up to a ten-pound weight loss. But to get the beauty benefits that green tea can offer, the brand of tea one chooses is critical in order to make sure it is the quality of tea to derive benefits. And, if you are not a fan of green tea, it helps if it is a tasty, flavorful tea. Coastal Tea Company makes a delicious Mango Green worth giving a try.

GREEN TEA
Green Tea has often been touted as the miracle drink for glowing skin, weight control, increased energy, improved immunity, and reducing inflammation. EGCG in doses of green tea shown to be effective in preliminary studies for cancer prevention. Multiple cups of green tea per day are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers. But not all green teas are created equal when it comes to taste, quality, EGCG levels, freshness, and safety.

WHAT MAKES COASTAL TEA COMPANY MANGO GREEN TEA SPECIAL?

– Coastal Tea Company’s Mango Green Tea is a 100% leaf sencha green tea blend with dried mango pieces with hints of peach and mint. The chunks of mango are plentiful and big, how they appear in the pictures is how the tea looks poured directly out of the bag, they were not “arranged” for the photo. What you see is what you get.

– All natural. There are no artificial flavors, chemicals or additives for flavor.

– It is tasty. Green tea can taste somewhat vegetal and is something of an acquired taste. This mango tea has a sweet mango and peach flavor with a notable mint infusion.

– The tea is actual full leaves, not dust or remaindered tea. This is the freshest type of tea, the best of the batch, and it holds the most benefits. The batches are small batches to ensure freshness and quality.

– In addition to being an organic green tea that is tasty, low caffeine and healthy, Coastal Tea Company takes special efforts to avoid the risks associated with green tea: lead and radiation.

Coastal Tea Company’s Mango Green Tea

LEAD
A concern with the otherwise incredible health benefits of green full leaf tea is the level of lead it can contain. This problem is inherent to green tea, as it is highly prone to absorb chemical pollution, especially so in leaves picked in China. This problem exists in many brands of tea. The cost of the tea is not necessarily always correlated to the probability of higher levels lead, but small batch, hand-picked teas had the least possibility of containing lead.

According to the New York Times Well Blog, an independent study analyzed the lead content of various brands of green tea leaves. The study stated that the leaves in the Lipton and Bigelow tea bags contained 1.25 to 2.5 micrograms of lead per serving. (Whatâ€™s in Your Green Tea?, May 23, 1013)

Coastal Tea screens their tea leaves for lead and metal traces by running it through a metal detector, a sorting machine, and a heavy magnet to sort out any tea leaves that have absorbed any lead or metals. I haven’t heard of a company taking such efforts to screen their tea leaves, but it gives me much more confidence that Coastal Tea Co teas are safe.

RADIATION
Another risk for green tea leaves is it is susceptible to absorbing radiation. While this is chiefly a concern with matchas (because the leaf is actually consumed not just steeped), it is something to be aware of in the selection of tea. Coastal Tea tests tea for radiation levels, as well as only selects tea leaves from areas that are known as safe (Uju City) and have never had reports of radiated tea.

TASTE
Brewed for 2-5 minutes, the tea has a lovely, golden-yellow hue and tastes of peach, mango, and a crisp, fresh-tasting mint. I got a second brew out of the same leaves that were just a flavorful as the first.

Coastal Tea Company’s Mango Green Tea

Find this tasty tea at Amazon.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggqv2SkshiQ[/embedyt]

I received this product for testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and Iâ€™ll do my best to answer it!

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

August 18, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Here at StyleChicks, we consume lots of tea. And like clockwork, every six weeks we make a large loose leaf tea order. This order consists of our favorite greens; some whites and oolong, a matcha and a vanilla black. It would be easier to be on an auto-order to keep our favorites coming and try some new flavors, but to date, we haven’t found a tea of the month club that meets our needs. An issue we have experienced with monthly clubs is not having the option to select the kind of tea you want.

There is some potentially appealing Tea of The Month offers out there, but when it comes down to it, there are three factors we particularly value that are make or break for us choosing a tea club:

The quality of the tea itself
Being able to choose the type tea you like
Terms of service that are acceptable to live with and not a hassle to change, pause or even cancel.

With these three criteria in mind, we examined the Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club. You may know them from their quaint Cafe in Troy, New York, or the Ballston Spa that serves their teas. Or Whistling Kettle may be new to you. When we had a chance to taste many of The Whistling Kettle teas, we were so excited to try them all, because all the teas smell truly knock your socks off fantastic! It was hard to decide which tea to brew first!

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club Endurance Flavor

THE QUALITY OF THE TEA

Whistling Kettle Teas are loose teas. The inclusions such as nuts, berries, dried fruit, or other petals are large or at times, even whole pieces. The tea leaves fresh are the full leaf or larger leaf pieces, not dust or remnants. The close up photos show the teas as they came out of the package: colorful, full and fresh quality. And as soon as you open the tea container, the first thing you notice it smells absolutely delicious. As we tried each flavor, one was better than the next. Even the black teas smelled delicious. For example, one black tea, the flavor “SnowFlake” had wonderful scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and almond. And the almonds pieces in the black tea were full almond slivers or larger chunks of almond, not ground up almond powder or just an almond flavoring. The color of the brewed tea as a lovely dark golden amber hue and the tea tasted delicious, even on a second brew. That is another nice feature of these teas, most of them can do a second brew as tasty as the first.

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club Snowflake Flavor

THE WHISTLING KETTLE TEA FLAVOR OVERVIEWS

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

In addition to the Snowflake black tea described above, we tried several varieties of The Whistling Kettle teas to assess the quality of their products. Some of these teas included:

BANANA DULCE: I am not a fan of the scent of banana, but the aroma of the Banana Dulce in the container reminded me of these tasty candied banana chips I ate as a child and the brewed tea both smells and tastes like fresh baked banana bread, with flavors of coconut and graham cracker. It is a testament to a tea product that even a not well-liked flavor can be tasty if done right. Whistling Kettle Banana Dulce is an organic decaf blend and brews to a lovely pale shade of gold.

VANILLA SILK OOLONG: I am particularly fond of Oolongs, sort of a bitter but sweet champagne kind of taste. This Oolong has a delicate orange cream scent and has a mild sweetness to it that is not too sticky or overpowering.

SCOTTISH CARAMEL TOFFEE PU-REB: This is unlike other teas I have had, it has a pleasant toffee aroma and good sized toffee chunks that balance out the earthy tones of the pu-erh. It is sweet, but not overpoweringly so. Pu-erh is an aged, fermented red tea that is sometimes mistaken for a black tea. This one smells like a bakery or candy store; the aroma is fantastic. It is an energizing tea and a good alternative to coffee or colas for an afternoon energy boost.

EAST FRISIAN BROKEN TEA: This is a breakfast tea, it is malty, not sweet or flavored. It brews to a wonderful, dark color.

ENDURANCE: As the name implies, this organic tea is energizing and is intended to increase stamina. It is also a Pu-Erh tea and has fruity inclusions such as Organic Cinnamon, Organic Goji Berries, Organic Schizandra Berries, and Organic Nettle Leaf. The berries are whole, and the tea blend makes for a lovely looking brewing process, especially if you brew them in a glass teapot. Medium caffeine content and it smells absolutely delicious.

GOLDEN STARFRUIT: This green tea was one of my favorite of the bunch, with a notable aroma that is worthy of serving guests when you want to spoil them a bit with a delightful treat. There are big chunks of starfruit, and it has a wonderful tropical taste without being sugary sweet. If you want the benefits of green tea but you dislike the taste of green tea, this is a delicious way to enjoy the benefits of green tea. Lovely light golden hue upon brewing smells delicious to the last drop.

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club Golden Starfruit Flavor

LEMON SOUFFLE HONEYBUSH: A caffeine-free creamy Rooibos blend suitable for drinking at night and winding down and relaxing. A beautiful yellow-gold with a mildly tart lemon flavor that has lovely bright blue and yellow inclusions in the tea. If you are avoiding caffeine at night but want to drink tea, this is also tasty as a cold iced tea beverage.

I liked every tea I tried, and some of them such as Snowflake, Golden Starfruit, and Endurance I loved! These teas were amongst the best we have tasted, and after years of loyalty drinking the same brand, we were convinced to drinking The Whistling Tea Kettle teas.

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

THE WHISTLING KETTLE TEA CLUB TERMS
While these teas and other flavors are sold individually on their website, there are 15 types of Tea of the Month Clubs available.

Something that sets this tea club apart from the others:

You select the types of tea you want, not a variety or mystery pack selections – unless you ask for a variety selection.
Amongst the 15 types of Tea Clubs, choose all green, all black, all chocolate, Endurance teas, Herbal teas, Discovery packs, amongst others. The Tea Tasting Club is a club for tea lovers who want to try as many types of tea as possible.
Get 2-4 oz of each of the Loose teas with big pieces of inclusions of nuts berries, and petals, not pre-bagged tea dust or remnants with artificial flavoring instead of the real thing.
FLEXIBLE TERMS:
Choose 3 or 6 months and your shipment dates.
You can cancel at any point
You can change the type of club whenever you wish. Drink Green Tea in the summer and switch to the endurance and stamina teas during the cold, dark winter months.
Free shipping
You won’t be billed on signup, rather just before shipment.
Reasonable prices without hidden fees

SUMMARY:
I enjoyed all The Whistling Kettle teas I tried, and The Whistling Kettle offers several rare, hard-to-find, and exotic teas within their subscriptions. It ‘s hard to locate an organic, fresh, tasty tea brand with lots of variety amongst their loose leaf teas. I also love seeing when a tea has a generous inclusion of berries, nuts, petals, and other flavorings. The teas look so attractive, smell divine and brew to beautiful golden hues. There was no “dust” or remaindered teas, everything was fresh, not an overstock. They have tea flavors I have never tried before, and the Endurance teas are surprisingly energizing. We would recommend giving them a try; the Tea Clubs offer a great way to drink your favorites or try some new teas!

Find the Tea of the Month Club at The Whistling Kettle.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-V43l8MJkc[/embedyt]

I received this product in exchange for my unbiased review and received compensation for my time and effort. However, my experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.