Tea Review: Evening Repose

Tea for Tuesday #6

Dual Review: Tea and Marshmallows

From Monday Night

Grace, Haley, Kaya, Kirsten, Lanie, Lea, Melody, 2 or more, Xyra

Hi! We found Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix On Demand then after dinner and homework the girls set up a make shift slumber party.
[From the other room...laughing, loud talking, barking, giggling...]

Of course, we all know what does not happen at a slumber party...sleep. And it's a school night!
[Lanie comes into the kitchen] We ate all the popcorn. Can we try those marshmallows from the other day?
Sure. Tower of London or Mexican Hot Chocolate?

Both.
Okay. (Cuts and arranges marshmallows in bowl) Here you go; take these out to the others.

Great!
Lanie?
Yeah?
How does tea sound?
Nice!
Let's try the blend Lady Dartia gave us.
Oh, that would be great. We haven't had that yet.
I'll bring it out.

Cape May Honey Company:  Evening Repose

Lady Dartia gave me the Cape May Honey Company Evening Repose blend and I think this is the perfect time to try it. There are no tea leaves in the ingredient list, so it is really a tisane. And the background gets a bit tangled as the Cape May Honey Company site does not list any beverages only honey, soap, balms, butters, and lotions. However, I found this particular blend in on the Mountain Rose Herbs site.

It's an organic blend containing: chamomile, peppermint, spearmint, lavender, lemon verbena, cornflowers, rose petals, and stevia. I admit the first, third, and last ingredients made me apprehensive about trying this blend. I am not fond of chamomile or spearmint and stevia, well, that means no other sweetener needed.

The girls are busy having fun, so bear with me...the package (so sorry it is fuzzy) says 1 teaspoon herbs to 8 ounces of water. Pour boiling water over herbs, cover tightly and steep 5 - 15 minutes. Wow! That's a span!

It's a very colorful blend. the blue bits are the cornflowers. The smaller blue-ish bits are the lavender. Smells minty.

Here I have the measured amount in the infuser.

And with the water. Time to cover tightly. 

Setting the timer for 10 minutes. halfway between the two times suggested shouldn't be too bad.

Meanwhile in the Other Room
Ooo!
They look tasty!

I'll take a chocolate one.
Me too.
Tower of London here!
They're really sticky.
Squishy!
Light too.

But tasty! Ooo! The Mexican Hot Chocolate has a kick to it.
Yeah, nice!
Tower of London is light and fragrant.
I get a bit of bergamot and honey.
Yeah.

Back in the Kitchen
[Timer beeps]
Steeping is finished. Has a lovely golden color. It smells fresh with a hint of mint.

[Takes a sip]
Well, all those ingredients do blend together nicely. Definitely does not need any additional sweetener. The aroma is very relaxing.

Out to the Girls
[Carries tray to living room] Here you go! Enjoy!

Smells great!
Looks nice.
No sugar or milk on the tray. I guess it's to be plain.

(sips) Yes, this is perfect! Not too sweet.
(sips) A little too minty for me, but I might change my mind by the time I'm done drinking.

(sips and giggles) I love the mint, but too many flowers for me.

(sips) I like it.

(sips) Me too.

(sips) The chamomile stands out...

(sips) But the mint seems to balance it.

[Volume decreases as everyone drinks their tea.]
(Yawning...balnkets rustling lightly)
[Silence]

Xyra's Notes

Evening Repose
This blend is a tisane that soothes tension and relaxes. There is no caffeine. Drinking this before bed should help one relax and sleep.

The herbs mesh nicely together at 10 minutes. I noticed the Mountain Rose Herb site suggests a 3-4 minute steep. That being said, this blend did not get bitter at 10 minutes. The aroma was gentle and refreshing. I disagree with the site where is says, "great iced." I did not like it cold. For me, it was much more pleasant hot. It reheats well; not sure about re-steeping.

Marshmallows
Did you know marshmallows were originally created by the ancient Egyptians as food for the gods? Or that the French adjusted the recipe to create confections consumed by adults? That confection became what we know as the marshmallow today.

I LOVE marshmallows. The tiny ones in hot chocolate packets, the ones in cereal, mini, regular, jumbo, peeps (though not the flavored peeps), chocolate covered (the best are Russel Stover). I get the bags from the grocery store and will just grab a handful from the bag as a snack. Even the kosher ones (no gelatin) are yummy for snacking. The Marshmallow MBA confections are very tasty, but too squishy and sticky for my generic snacking habit.

Mexican Hot Chocolate: Nice even chocolate flavor with a bit of a kick. The site notes I can make hot chocolate by letting my marshmallows melt in hot milk. I tried them in a regular cup of hot chocolate. So much better than the stand alone snacking; gave greater depth to the cup and a bit of zing too. I used only one marshmallows from the package and believe the flavor would have been even more enhanced with more.

Tower of London: Very light infusion of Harney and Sons Tower of London tea. You get a bit of the black tea and bergamot. This one is not listed on the Marshmallow MBA site and may have been a Coffee and Tea Festival Philly special. I also added this one to a cup of hot chocolate - very good result! I might be tempted to try one in a cup of generic black tea to see what happens. (Will let you know if I do.)

Which marshmallow do you think you'd like best?

Hahahaha! If this were a movie the people who examine every minute closely would be able to write something in the "goof" section of IMDB. Can you locate the goof? :-)

Best wishes,

Note: Tea Time with Melody Q is not affiliated with American Girl, Cape May Honey Company, Marshmallow MBA, Moutain Rose Herbs, or the Coffee and Tea Festival Philly. All products mentioned above were either gifted or purchased directly for our collection. The reviews are unsolicited and comprised of our honest opinions, thoughts, and words. All links are provided for educational and infomrative purposes. No purchase is required or suggested to enjoy the post. 

#CTFPhilly
#MarshmallowMBA