Gimme the tee (tea)?

I broke down yesterday and bought a box of Teeccino tea at Sprouts. It was "cheap enough" at $7.29, that I figured I'd buy it. I've been wanting to try the tea, so I grabbed a box of Chaga Ashwagandha Tea - Butterscotch Cream and continued my shopping. 

As Sprouts had it under eight bucks, comparatively speaking, Amazon has the same 10 bag box for $9.99 with a (one time use) dollar off coupon if you subscribe and save. The Teeccino branded website also has the 10 bag box for $9.99, but their subscribe and save offers a "recurring 23% off" the listed price. This would make it just 40 cents more than what I paid at Sprouts. Plus, I have a referral link for first time buyers: Get $10 off your first order (shipping is free when you reach $59 and you get a "free gift" at the 25 dollar price point). 

I know I've talked about it before - do your research and see what is the better deal. If you're already an Amazon subscriber, then that may be better than opening an account on another site. However, I've been getting emails from the Teeccino site and they've got some random sales going on currently. With the holiday season starting to ramp up, they are one of the brands who are offering discounts to customers. I am enjoying the blog and newsletter, as the latter has cool information and recipes for the various products they offer. 

With the cold snap a lot of places have been having, it wouldn't hurt to try out the (non alcoholic if you wanted) winter festive drinks. Once the dieting time of year begins, those who want to try keto coffee, there's even a recipe for bulletproof coffee. I'm not a health professional, so please consult a doctor if you decide to go that route. 

Now that I've got the prices out of the way and suggestion of where to look, how has this tea been, you ask? 

Yesterday: "Black" - no sugar, no creamer, just plain old steeped tea. The serving suggestion is 8 ounces of water, and I didn't think, so I made 12 ounces. It really is a matter of that extra because it was a little too watered down (not by much) and once I got to the end, it was cool enough, it tasted slightly bitter but tangy. I could feel a slight butterscotch profile among other notes, so for it being a "Smooth, earthy brew with a hint of warm butterscotch", it really was light in that area. I feel like there was a dark chocolate undertone as well, but it could have been the carob I was tasting. 

The ingredients are listed as: 

"Carob pods*, chicory root*, ramón seed*, dates*, ashwagandha root*(Withania somnifera 600mg), Indian sarsaparilla root*, chaga extract*(wild harvested inonotus obliquus conk and mycelium blend: 300mg), natural flavors*

*Certified organic

Produced on machinery that also processes almonds"

I guess it's how everything intertwines with each other. 

I wasn't really amazed by it without creamer, so today, I added a splash of Planet Oat French Vanilla Oatmilk Creamer (which Amazon doesn't carry that particular flavor, but they carry other "alternative" brands). I also followed the directions and made 8 ounces. 

This time it was was more palatable. I think the French Vanilla toned down the robustness of what would be considered the "earthiness" of the tea. It felt settled and calming instead of weird and almost tasteless like yesterday.  

I don't add extra sugar or any sugar to my coffee / tea because I rely on (flavored) creamer. I used to be one of those Massholes who went to Dunkies and ordered "a medium iced regulah" - medium iced coffee, cream and sugar. When you'd get several heaping teaspoons of raw sugar on the bottom of your coffee, you tend to get turned off, quick. I don't like chewing my liquid java. Thankyouverymuch. Every so often, I'll order a coffee with just half and half, and I'll put in a Stevia or Sweet N Low packet in it. Which I know is probably worse for you, but you trick your brain into thinking it's good. Monk fruit is actually a better option, I feel.

Okay, I've squirreled. 

I've taken pictures (on my iPhone and edited in Photoshop) pictures of what the tea box and bag look like, otherwise this entire post is for naught. 

I thought the information through out the box was interesting - how they suggest you make the tea and how to tag them on socials, so I took pictures of it all. I didn't get any of what the liquid looked like in the cup, but trust me, that spent bag is proof I made it. I'll have to take pictures of the brew next time I make it and I'll upload it in another post. 

After doing a little more poking around, I don't know if I would continue using this exact tea again. Rather, I feel I need to limit my ashwagandha use, in general. 

According to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, ashwagandha "appears to be well tolerated for up to about 3 months of use, but its long-term safety is not known. [...] However, there are a few reports of more serious side effects, including adverse effects on liver function". When I went to have my routine wellness exam last year, there were some questions regarding my liver function, due to elevated blood levels. I've since lowered that, but I do want to be careful with some of the things I do and take. Even though this same webpage states "extracts may help reduce anxiety and stress and improve sleep" (which I definitely need), I don't want to risk turning going back to where I was last year. 

I am not going to go into any details of what my doctor has said and what exactly my lab work looked like, but I will say this: it was minimal enough he wanted to question it. I'm a fat kid, so certain tests fluctuate every year, depending on what I'm doing with my life. Last year happened to be the opportunity where my doctor suggested I get things looked at, which I did, and I have bettered myself (to an extent). My numbers are down and the doctor is happy. 

Which is why I am careful in what I do and I'm always saying to research things. Don't take my advice and my advice only. I'm not a medical professional and I don't pretend to be. I write based on experience and if I can offer another view point, I do. It just so happens that ashwagandha is one of those "herbal remedies" that has pros and cons with it, and as much as I would like to sleep better and be less anxious and stressed, I don't want to over do it and risk killing my liver. 

I know that won't happen - killing my liver with one product. "Everything in moderation", but I would hate myself if the herb was the thing to push everything over the edge. I think once I finish this box, I won't buy it again. It's not because the tea was bad, it's because of the ashwagandha and I didn't think this through. I'd love to try the other flavors of Teeccino, but I'm going to read the ingredients before I make the purchase. I knew there were studies about the side effects of ashwagandha, and I've actually been good by not buying the pill form of the herb, solely based on that specific liver issue. There was something that flipped in my mind yesterday because I saw the price and I knew I wanted to try one of the teas. 

Tay would always tell me about chaga. How he makes his step father a vat of tea every couple days. It's got so many good things attached to it, it has helped the step father alleviate some of his pain, even though it's not stopped his ill health. He's still not fully healed, but it slowed down some of the problems. That's partly why I figured I'd try this tea. For as much as Tay said "you have to be careful what chaga you're getting - how it's processed and how you process it, because you can have more challenges than you need", he would go on to tell me what to do and look for. How he purchases his and how he makes it. I thought this would be easy. 

I'm not saying it's hard to do - all you need is boiling water, but the more I think about it, the more I am going to continue to drink this and say "yup. I experienced it. It's better with creamer than it is black, and I can cross this flavor off my list". Much like I can cross off the Almond Amaretto off my list. I made it, I drank it (much to it making me feel a little boozy once I smelled it), and I'd recommend it to people looking for a little punch in the morning. Would I buy it again? Not if I want to keep some of my wits about me. I don't know if I'd serve it to friends who are trying to stay sober, either. As I had a long conversation with another friend about that one day. We both agreed some smells are better left unsniffed. 

I think my espresso coffee is starting to kick in from 1:00 this afternoon. It's a sign I should get off this blog while I am a head. 

Until the brain zoomies wear off... stay hydrated. 

Cheers;