The holiday season is the most magical time of the year. It can also be the most stressful time too. Having to “shop until you drop” looking for the perfect gifts for your family and friends, wrapping, decorating, holiday parties… It’s fun, but stressful. Personally I have lost sleep over what to gift my family. I’m done with my husband but I am clueless as to what to get my young adult children. They make more money than my husband and I combined, so whatever they need or want they can purchase themselves. Sigh…
How do you de-stress, as well as get a good night’s sleep, when you are frazzled? Meditation? Read a good book? Hopefully you don’t have to resort to over-the-counter products.
There is a delicious way you can unwind, de-stress and get a restful night’s sleep with herbal teas from TheWhistling Kettle.
I grew up drinking tea. My family hails from the United Kingdom (Wales). Every day it was “tea time” for my grandmother and great-grandparents. I think I have been drinking tea since I was about seven or eight years old.
The Whistling Kettle is the leading seller of premium and organic loose leaf teas, green tea, pu-erh tea, purple tea and herbal teas. Even if you are not a frequent tea drinker, The Whistling Kettle has such a great variety that you are sure to find something you’ll like. In addition, they have teas that can help you with sleep and wellness.
The Whistling Kettle was kind enough to send me some samples of their popular teas to try out for myself. I received to review the following varieties.
I received sampler sizes, which is ideal for about 4-6 servings. The samplers are a great way to “try before you buy” and commit to a larger package.
Balancing
Melt away the stress of the day with our soothing herbal Balancing tea. Naturally caffeine-free and filled with healthy ingredients, this tea will bring back your inner calm. Gentle spice from cinnamon and ginger help to rejuvenate your mind while sweet rose petals warm your heart.
I’m not a big fan of fennel, but I love licorice and ginger.
This tea has a lovely scent. It’s a bit floral, but you can also smell the Earthiness to it.
I’m not sure if I would use the word “balancing” to describe this tea, but I did enjoy drinking it while watching some holiday classics on television with my husband. It did put me in the right state of mind. I didn’t find myself thinking about everything under the sun. That’s one of my problems – I worry about things that haven’t even happened yet!
I feel like this tea might have given me some “calmness” to make my mind in the present and not drift away towards stressful thoughts.
It tastes lovely too!
Carrot Cake
Who can resist a velvety slice of freshly baked carrot cake? Our Carrot Cake tea is packed with rich flavor and tastes like a blue-ribbon-winning dessert. Candied ginger, sweet raisins, and cinnamon give this rooibos tea a homemade charm. A sprinkle of white chocolate chips even adds a hint of the classic cream cheese frosting. Carrot Cake rooibos tea is caffeine-free so you can indulge in a sweet cuppa after dinner.
When I first saw this tea in the package I was shocked. NEVER in a million years would I think about drinking carrot cake. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE carrot cake, but as a beverage? I just had to try this right away. It was the first tea I tried from the package.
Oh my goodness! It DOES taste a lot like a piece fo carrot cake. Not 100%, but pretty darn close. The first few sips I wasn’t sure, but as I drank it more I could sense just how close to the “real deal” this tea is. It’s VERY unique.
This is a dessert tea. If you are watching your calories, this would be an ideal tea for you to enjoy if you are craving something sweet and delicious. I don’t think you would need to add any sweetener to this. I think it’s sweetened perfectly.
I would definitely purchase this tea in a larger package. It’s SO GOOD!
Chamomile Bilberry Bliss
Chamomile blossoms harmonize with rose petals and lavender for a soothing herbal tea. Bilberries, the European cousin of blueberries are packed with healthy antioxidants, and rosehips provide vitamin C. A pinch of pink peppercorn adds a pop of color and spice. Our Chamomile Bilberry Bliss tea has a delicate, fruity flavor like a flowering garden in springtime. Learn more about Chamomile benefits.
I am a big fan of chamomile teas. I have tried many different brands. Some are just a waste of money (flavorless) and some of worth every penny. In the world of chamomile teas, this one is certainly of the gourmet variety.
The peppercorn is an interesting ingredient. It adds a punch of flavor to the tea. I think the rose petals are a nice touch too.
Lavender can be “hit or miss.” I have tasted lavender products that were gross. Lavender is one of those flavors that can turn anything into tasting like soap (ha ha). That was not the case with this tea. It’s there, but just a hint of lavender.
I love that it provides you with a touch of vitamin C. This time of year we all need to keep our immune system in check, so any time I can squeeze in vitamins I need in a tasty way, this is certainly the way to go.
Honeybush Cider
This naturally caffeine-free tea is an anti-inflammatory powerhouse thanks to our special ingredient: turmeric. It teams up with ginger and cinnamon to deliver strong benefits and spicy flavor. We also add creamy vanilla, smooth honeybush tea, and a touch of lemon to soften the taste. Reminiscent of hot mulled cider, Honeybush Cider tea is a tasty way to better your well-being.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this tea. I’m not a fan of turmeric, but I know it’s important to help with inflammation.
The first time I tried this I was “on the fence” as to whether or not I liked it. I think the vanilla combined with the sweetness of the lemon and honeybush threw me off. After my second cup of this tea it grew on me. It’s different. Not something I would normally go for, but now that I have tried it I would drink it again if offered to me.
Sleep Tight
Naturally caffeine-free and soothing, this infusion of chamomile flowers and valerian root herbs can help promote restful sleep. Combined with aromatic peppermint and lemongrass with a hint of tangy hibiscus, Sleep Tight is the ideal bedtime tea.
I couldn’t wait to try this one. I have been having a hard time sleeping lately (it seems to be a daily thing with me these days).
I love the scent of this tea. It’s really pretty, which is a word I wouldn’t think I would use to describe a cup of tea.
I like that this tea is “soothing” and helps you to relax. It’s delicious too.
I’m not sure if I would say I had a “restful sleep,” because I have a tendency of waking up throughout the night and having a hard time falling back to sleep. This tea might be responsible for me being able to fall back to sleep a lot quicker.
I wake up feeling “awake” in the morning, if that makes sense? I don’t feel my usual grogginess. Would that be tea related? I’m not sure The verdict it out.
Peaceful Warrior
A gentle, naturally caffeine herbal blend to relax the nerves and spirit you away to better places. Herbal favorites like peppermint, spearmint, chamomile and hibiscus make a perfect pairing with our indoor grown hemp.
I wasn’t sure about this one with the hemp. Hemp to me has too much of an Earthy taste to it (at least that has been my experience). However, this tea is also made with peppermint and spearmint. I think those flavors masked the Earthiness of the hemp.
I love the scent of this tea. It’s lovely.
This is a very tasty tea. It does have a calming, soothing feeling to it. Then again, enjoying a great cup of tea always has a calming, soothing feeling to it.
All I can really say about this tea is that is tasty and I enjoyed it.
In addition, I received some tea bags to make the tea with seeing as how I didn’t have a way of making loose teas. The brand offers packages of loose leaf paper tea bags as well as infusers, tumblers, tea posts, mugs and other tea related accessories. The brand even has hot chocolate, sugar, candles, t-shirts, totes and even gift cards, which would be ideal for a holiday gift.
I found that I didn’t need to add any sweetener to any of the teas. I normally drink tea “as is,” but sometimes I add lemon or honey. These teas are perfectly sweetened. I doubt you’ll need to add anything extra to them.
Tea from The Whistling Kettle would make a great gift for just about anyone on your holiday shopping list (except kids and teens of course – but they could drink this too). They have so many unique flavors available. Additional flavors include Apple Cider Donut, Pumpkin Cheesecake, S’more Toffee Crunch, Decaf Cinnamon Chai, Peppermint, and Raspberry Lemon Verbena to name a few.
Samplers, like the ones I received, start at $3 each. They also have sampler sets for $20 which contain six (6) sampler packs of teas. Give the entire sampler set as a gift, or use the sampler packets for stocking stuffers. You could even give them as hostess gifts.
The lose teas are available in 2 ounce, 4 ounce, 8 ounce and 16 ounce sizes.
The brand even has a Tea of the Month Club. That too would make a great gift.
If you are interested in checking out all the interesting teas the brand has available, visit TheWhistlingKettle.com. The brand even has shops at various New York state locations.
You can also follow The Whistling Kettle on social media.
Kimberly
*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.