Tea Review: Luisa Lemon Verbena Tea from Teas and Trees

​I was very excited to try this Luisa tea from Teas and Trees. This company is really doing some amazing things. They source all of their herbs from small farms on the island of Crete and they handpick and process all of their products to ensure they are held to the highest standards. 

This was one of the first teas I wanted to try. I didn’t know anything about it but the beautiful light green leaves were calling to me. These leaves looked pretty similar to tea leaves, but unlike tea leaves, all of the products from teas and trees are raw, meaning they have not been heated. They are simply picked and then dried naturally. This is really as close to nature as you can get. I often brag about how tea gives me a deeper connection with the natural world, but this takes that to a whole new level. The company was nice enough to send me a few different small tins to try out, and I figured each would be good for about 2 cups of tea. I put about half of the leaves into a strainer and poured some hot water over them. After a few minutes, the water began to change from a clear to a yellowish amber color, not to different from that of a regular tea. I began to notice some sweet floral aromas coming out of the cup.

Luisa tea refers to lemon verbena native to Greece, and is a very potent tea packed with health benefits. It is used to fight against fevers and to stimulate digestion. While these benefits have not yet been clinically proven, there is no downside to trying this tea for yourself and seeing if it works for you.

From the moment I smelled the dry leaves, I started to associate this tea with a lemon balm I tried a few months ago. This tea smells and tastes very similar to the lemon balm. It has a great floral bouquet to it and it is quite sweet. It also has a little hint of citrus that you may begin to pick up on after a few sips. Although this may seem like an unusual tea, it is actually quite familiar. The body of this tea is quite similar to that of a true tea, and it has a complex flavor profile. I notice a tiny bit of bitterness here, along with some sweetness, a hint of citrus and some floral notes. All of these flavors are pretty enticing for a tea lover as well as someone who prefers floral teas, making this a very appealing choice.

​I could see this tea becoming a new obsession. I think Teas and Trees is on the cutting edge of tea trends, and I think they will be the first ones to popularize teas like Sideritis and Luisa. These teas are all excellent and I can’t recommend them enough!