Star Child Witches’ Brew – Simply Beautiful

Brand: Star Child

Flavour: Witches’ Brew

Ingredients: Raspberry leaves, lemon balm, star anise, mugwort, vervain, gotu kola, viiolet leaves, elderflowers, motherwort, malva flowers, fennel seeds, rowan berries

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: Unknown

Price Range: £3.95

Grammes Per Box: 50g

Review: Star Child tell us this blend is designed to invoke the blessings of the goddess of the land, or simply to help relax your mind in preparation for a moment of meditation.

The smell is earthy, largely from the fennel, with a lovely flowery aroma. It’s like being outside in a summertime garden – and just as colourful! The water goes a very bright blue, again from the violet, before it settles into a dark, rich tea colour. It’s rather beautiful to watch the transformation in your cup.

All that violet gives a mild, smooth, subtle floral flavour, over an underlying hint of aniseed – but it’s not too strong on either taste, which is great if you’re like us and don’t tend to like that sort of thing. It’s an unusual blend that is very pleasant to drink. It’s not too strong, and we think it’s perfect for after meals. We can definitely imagine this putting us in a calm, peaceful state of mind, helping us get away from the stresses of the day.

If you’ve not tried Star Child before and are unsure where to find them, there are plenty of online shops selling their tea range, including their official website www.starchild.co.uk. Or, if you happen to be passing through Glastonbury, pop into their beautiful shop on the high street for tea, incense, essential oils, fresh herbs, books and more. Their tea is extremely reasonably priced, as well, compared to many other loose leaf brands, especially when you consider that you can re-brew.

Best time of year to drink this: All year round

Best time of day to drink this: Any time

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Star Child Shaman’s Brew – Wakeful Without Caffeine

Brand: Star Child

Flavour: Shaman’s Brew

Ingredients: Damiana, spearmint, gotu kola, galangal, sassafras, mugwort, wormwood, calamus, ginger, cinnamon

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: Unknown

Price Range: £3.95

Grammes Per Box: 50g

Review: One of the best things about the whole Star Child range is that they use truly interesting ingredients, most of which you won’t see on the box of a mainstream brand, chosen by experts in traditional herbalism.

This particular blend is designed to ‘sharpen all 6 senses’ and ‘open the gates of perception’. Every ingredient is known for waking up the mind and aiding concentration. Be warned: it really works. The first time Tulsi tried it, she made the mistake of having it at night. Even though it’s caffeine-free (some ingredients are even known for being relaxants), she was up for hours because her mind was so active and alert.

The smell is a little like chewing gum (cinnamon and spearmint), but with a slight bitter undercurrent. It immediately opens up your sinuses. The taste is similar: it’s a bit sweet, wakeful, and with that hint of bitterness. It definitely tastes like it’s good for you. It won’t be for everyone, but we think some people will really like it. (Tulsi’s husband loves it.) It’s also a great one to wake you up in the morning and get you going, without the addictive buzz of coffee or black tea. We can imagine it being wonderful for stimulating creativity, as well.

If you’ve not tried Star Child before and are unsure where to find them, there are plenty of online shops selling their tea range, including their official website www.starchild.co.uk. Or, if you happen to be passing through Glastonbury, pop into their beautiful shop on the high street for tea, incense, essential oils, fresh herbs, books and more. Their tea is extremely reasonably priced, as well, compared to many other loose leaf brands, especially when you consider that you can re-brew.

Best time of year to drink this: All year round

Best time of day to drink this: Morning

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Star Child Dragon Sparks – It Actually Breathes Smoke!

Brand: Star Child

Flavour: Dragon Sparks

Ingredients: Hibiscus, lemon balm, violet leaves, damiana, spearmint, maté, gingko, woodruff, kola nut, galangal, ginger, rosemary, sarsaparilla, sassafras, cayenne, cinnamon

Caffeine Factor: Caffeinated

Organic Ingredients: Unknown

Price Range: £3.95

Grammes Per Box: 50g

Review: FINALLY – a truly interesting ingredients list!

This is such a fun one. It’s a loose leaf tea, and when you pour the water over the herbs, it actually produces smoke – like a dragon! It’s also very red in the cup, like fire (…or hibiscus…but let’s be imaginative!).

As you wait for it to brew, you get a strong hit of cola, no doubt due to the sarsaparilla and the kola nuts. (If you didn’t know, Coca-Cola was originally made from cocaine and kola nuts, hence the name. The cocaine was taken out many decades ago, and there’s probably very little real kola in it these days, too.) It’s an intense scent that goes right up your nose, even from a distance. Be careful not to sniff it right near the cup, because it leaps up your nose and smarts for ages afterwards. But you will want to keep smelling it, because each time, you will pick up a note of something different. It’s fascinating even before you’ve had a taste.

Once brewed, the flavour is hard to describe. It’s fresh, with an underlying warmth; and like the aroma, the taste keeps changing, even in one sip. It’s herbier than expected – like cola mixed with spearmint, and a fiery ginger / cayenne kick to the throat. You also get the tartness of the hibiscus, but with a real earthy undercut. There’s something mildly bitter / savoury in there, like real tea – likely the maté.

We really like this one. It’s unique, and it wakes you right up, making it a great one for heightening concentration and giving you a much-needed energy boost first thing in the morning. Definitely don’t have this any later than mid-afternoon or you might be up all night. Alternatively, it’s a good one to have before you settle in to watch Eurovision for 5 hours, like we did when we tried this blend!

If you’ve not tried Star Child before and are unsure where to find them, there are plenty of online shops selling their tea range, including their official website www.starchild.co.uk. Or, if you happen to be passing through Glastonbury, pop into their beautiful shop on the high street for tea, incense, essential oils, fresh herbs, books and more. Their tea is extremely reasonably priced, as well, compared to many other loose leaf brands, especially when you consider that you can re-brew.

Best time of year to drink this: All year round

Best time of day to drink this: Morning

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Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to our blog so you don’t miss out on tea reviews, new flavour announcements, recommended tea accessories, and much more!