Herbal teas are a wonderful way to enjoy a warm, soothing drink. We can use them to relax or to invigorate ourselves. We can use them for the pleasures of our palette or for the healing needs of our body. In this review, I will share with you about Two Leaves and a Bud — a company that provides a good selection of high quality, herbal and other teas.
Plants have been used for both culinary and medicinal use since ancient times. As such, herbal teas have been depended on for their many robust health benefits and healing potential. In the modern marketplace, we have all sorts of teas available, from all sorts of companies. As with all things, quality matters and not all options provide a quality worthy of being considered for optimal health. For example, most teas on the market are not organic. This means that they are most likely grown with various synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Many teas also have various colors and flavors added to them. Some even sweeteners and other unfavorable ingredients. Therefore if we are going to invest into a tea, we need to make sure that it comes from a reputable source and is of the highest, purest quality possible.
About Two Leaves and a Bud
Two Leaves and a Bud Tea Company is a Colorado based company that was founded by Richard Rosenfeld in 2004 after inspiration from his many business travels to Southeast Asia. Two Leaves and a Bud prides themselves on providing an exceptional cup of tea and is committed to providing high quality, organic tea from around the world and supporting small farmers. It is a Fair Trade certified company and also committed to continued education.
The company got its name for the essence of good tea – the top two leaves and a bud of Camellia sinesis – the tea plant. Each herbal tea bag contains a unique plant blend of whole leaves, buds, fruits, and flowers. Most of the teas are certified organic, or at the very least verified GMO-free.
In 2010, Two Leaves and a Bud had 19 different teas. Today, their tea collection has expanded to include nearly 30 different tea flavors, which include black, green, white, and herbal tea. They also include the Paisley tea line and an iced tea line. The teas are available in bagged or loose form. The tea bags consist of pyramidal sachets, which are made from corn-based nylon (as opposed to petroleum-based nylon). The sachets are 100% biodegradable in an industrial composter.
My Experience with Two Leaves and a Bud Teas
In 2010, I had the pleasure of trying 3 herbal teas from Two Leaves and a Bud, as follows:
What first impressed me about this tea, before I even had a chance to try it, is its presentation. The boxes are easy to use with a punch-out side bottom, for easy single sachet removal. And the images on the box, actually look like the bags inside (unlike most of the deceptive food photography on packaging.) At the back of each box is a fully detailed explanation of the tea as to its character, top note, origin, and much more. It makes one truly feel like a real herbal tea connoisseur!
Each tea bag comes in a see-through plastic sleeve, which maintains the maximum flavor and freshness of every bag, yet is made to decompose. Upon opening that, one exposes the tea holding sachet, experiencing the beautiful whole plant parts and aromas. Thanks to these sachets, there are no powdery residues in one’s cup. The company used to offer sachets with strings that were attached with an ultrasonic sealing process, however currently features the simple sachets without any strings, which is much more preferable.
Tea Flavors
Although I am not much of a tea person, and only drink tea on very occasional times and only herbal tea at that, I greatly enjoyed experiencing these teas. They are full of beautiful and rich flavors and aromas, not to mention contain beneficially healing blends. These teas can be used as an occasional treat, a regular drink, or special gift.
The Better Rest Blend, was very smooth and full of beautiful, calming flavors. The valerian and hops used, stand out as agents to promote a better night’s sleep. As I don’t have trouble sleeping, I cannot comment if it actually made me sleep better, but I definitely enjoyed sipping on this tea to finish off a day, enjoying its flavor and soothing aroma.
Ingredients: Organic Better Rest Blend
Origin: Europe
- Organic Lemongrass
- Organic Lemon Balm
- Organic Fennel
- Organic Peppermint
- Organic Rosehip Peels
- Organic Ginger
- Organic Anise
- Organic Chamomile
- Organic Valerian
- Organic Orange Peel
- Organic Hops
The Better Morning Blend was delicious! Even though I loved all three varieties, this one was definitely my favorite — a little lemony and delicately sweet too! I found these teas to be so flavorful, in fact, that even though I personally never add any sweeteners to teas, I would also recommend not to add any to these blends, if you normally do add some. I feel that an added a sweetener would only take away from the rich and delicious flavors they naturally have.
Ingredients: Organic Better Morning Blend
Origin: Europe
- Organic Lemon Balm
- Organic Lemongrass
- Organic Stinging Nettle
- Organic Lemon Peel
- Organic Rosehip Peel
- Organic Peppermint
- Organic Cinnamon
- Organic Lime-tree Blossom
- Organic Rooibos
- Organic Cornflowers
The Better Belly Blend, as I presumed, included ginger. Having drank pure ginger tea before, I was interested to see how this blend performed and found that it was nearly impossible to taste the ginger. This is good if one may wish to include a tea with ginger, but does not desire an overwhelming flavor. The flavors blended wonderfully in this tea to create a smooth, rich, almost fruity-like tea. I presume this is thanks to the apple pieces, among some of the other plant parts.
Ingredients: Organic Better Belly Blend
Origin: Europe
- Organic Cinnamon
- Organic Fennel
- Organic Apple Pieces
- Organic Ginger
- Organic Anise
- Organic Dandelion
- Organic Caraway
- Organic Peppermint
- Organic Cornflowers
Availability and Price
These teas are widely available in the US, both online and in many grocery or health food stores, however not so in Canada. One may find them at odd, select retailers in Canada only.
As one may expect, these herbal teas do cost more than the average box of tea, but not more compared to other teas of this quality. Naturally, the difference is obvious in the quality cup of tea that one gets here. Each box contains 15 sachets, but the teas can also be purchased in bulk for better savings. For example a box sold directly from Two Leaves and a Bud will cost $8.50, but purchased in bulk from Amazon (as a 6 pack) will make each box cost as little as $5.50. (See below.)