Hey teaheads!
This is Don from Mei Leaf.
In this video : Three Must-Try Tisanes.
In this video I'm going to be introducing you to three of my favorite Chinese herbal
tisanes, and we're going to be tasting them.
This video is going to go under the "Tisanes" playlist.
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Anybody who's watched my videos will know that my first love is the tea plant, but I
am also very passionate about herbals and tisanes.
My other business is a Chinese herbal medicine business - a Chinese medical clinic in London,
which you can find out about [as] I'll put a link in the description below - and we have
over 250 different tisanes.
We have a lot of experience in tisanes and tisane sourcing as well, and specifically,
our speciality is Chinese tisanes, although we do stock tisanes from all around the world.
What I wanted to do today is introduce you to three of my favorite Chinese herbals, and
maybe you haven't tried them before.
So this is a new experience for all of you teaheads out there who want to get into tisanes.
Let's begin.
The first one I have here is Ju Hua, also known as chrysanthemum.
There are different grades of chrysanthemum.
There are different types of chrysanthemum.
There's white chrysanthemum, [and] this is yellow chrysanthemum.
I find that white chrysanthemum - which we stock as well - is a little bit more medicinal
[and] it's very clean-tasting, whereas the yellow chrysanthemum - if it's good quality
- is a little bit more citrusy, it's got a little bit more lemon, and I generally prefer
it as a drink by itself, or to mix with other plants and other teas.
You can mix this with tea.
One of the classic combinations is chrysanthemum Ju Hua and cooked Puerh, or other dark tea.
Okay, let's brew it up.
I have a glass teapot here.
We're going to stick some of this into the glass teapot.
You can take a look at the color of these flowers.
This is a flower tea, and like most tisanes this is caffeine free, so there's no caffeine
in here.
This video is really for people who are looking for tisanes that are going to give them something
to drink [and] something to enjoy when they are wanting to drink late at night - if they
are sensitive to caffeine - but also any time during the day, and as I said, you can combine
[and] blend these with other teas as well.
The color is stunning.
Again, I will show this camera just in case the other camera isn't picking it up.
As usual I am by myself so I can't check the cameras.
So you've got this very, very bright yellow infusion, and interestingly, if you leave
the infusion for long enough after you've poured it out it actually goes a really bright
green color - a crazy, bright green color.
Okay.
Let's pour this off... and let's give it a taste.
In Chinese Medicine - I'm not going to go too much into the [medicinal] aspects of these
tisanes, [but] I will talk a little bit about it - but Chinese Medicine is vast, and very,
very complex.
There's plenty of information on Materia Medica, [and] plenty that [has] been done with clinical
studies as well, so you can look those up.
Ju Hua, or chrysanthemum, is commonly used in Chinese Medicine as a kind of cooling herb.
It's good for people who tend to suffer from excessive heat.
Maybe you have kind of bloodshot eyes.
Maybe you have very dry skin [or] dry lips.
That's usually - in Chinese Medicine terms - a sign that there's excessive heat in your
body, and it's driving away moisture.
Ju Hua, or chrysanthemum, is used to cool, to calm, and to just kind of reduce inflammation,
and reduce those kind of bloodshot eyes.
It's also commonly prescribed to people who have bad tempers, or are a little bit impatient,
a little bit hot-heated, [and] tend to fly off the handle a little bit too much.
We all know those kinds of people, and we can all be those kinds of people, too, I'm
sure.
It is a beautiful color.
Oh, stunning!
[It's a] very, very bright, yellow-green.
[SIPS TISANE] I'm getting those lemons, sweet lemons.
It's got a camomile-type floral note to it, those kind of floral and slightly herbal,
cooling, slight astringent kind of [smells] to it.
[It's that] nice clean herbal.
The body is thin [and] very refreshing.
[In] the smell you've got the lemon, sweet lemon, [with] a little bit [of] sherbert,
like it's got a slight fizz to it.
It's got that slightly medicinal - I don't want that to put you off - but that slightly
medicinal, herbal, maybe like the sweetness in it is a little bit more like a caraway
or anise kind of sweetness to it.
It's got a slight soapiness to it.
You know how some herbals, like lavender, can have soapiness, and sometimes it can be
a bit excessive.
This is not excessive.
It's just got this nice kind of cleansing [scent], like as if you smell a really nice
bar of soap, [like] that kind very herbal, cleansing kind of aroma to it.
The finish is very short [and] it's very quenching.
It's really, really a nice, refreshing tea.
You can also brew this up cold, so you can brew it hot like this and then pour it over
ice.
If you let it cool down in the fridge, again, it will probably go green.
I'm not sure why it goes green, and whether or not that affects the health benefits of
it, but my assumption is that it's probably better to drink it fresh, unless you want
bright green [tisane].
I'm just going to pour it [directly] here, and I'll pour the rest in here.
It's a gorgeous color.
[SIPS TISANE] [It's] very, very clean, [and] it feels very good for you.
I'm getting the sherbert, slight sweet lemon, slight soapiness, and camomile herbal floral
notes to it.
[It's] a gorgeous tea.
I really highly recommend that you pick up some [and] stick it in your cupboard.
If you have a cold [and] you're feeling hot [and] feeling inflammed then drink some of
this.
If you know someone [who's] a bit hot-headed then sneak some of this in their tea, or give
it to them as a gift.
It's a really, really nice way to cool, calm, and relax.
[SIPS TISANE] Okay, that's your first [tisane].
That's Ju Hua, or chrysanthemum.
We'll be right back with the next [tisane].
[For] our second tisane this is Amachazuru, also known as Jiao Gu Lan, and also known
as Gynostemma pentaphyllum.
This is a classic Chinese herb.
Most of our clients at Acumedic clinic in London drink this tea.
It's really, really good for you.
There are lots of purported health benefits.
It's known in China as the "Immortality Grass", or "Immortality Herb", because it has so many
health benefits.
It's an adaptogen, which means it actually reacts to your body, and it modulates your
body.
It regulates your body.
It regulates your immune system.
It's also been shown to be very good for your cardiovascular system.
It's been shown to be very high in antioxidants.
It's been shown to improve energy levels, protect your liver, [and] lots and lots of
different health benefits for Amachazuru.
I recommend that you look up the health benefits [and] do your own research, but get some of
this in your cupboard.
It's a really, really good health tisane, and something that is good to drink every
day.
As I said, [for] most of our clients that's one of the things that all of our doctors
prescribe to our clients as just a general regulating health drink.
Okay, let's give it a taste.
We're going to do this in a Gai Wan.
You can see that they had kind of spiral, kalki green leaves.
We're going to be brewing -- with tisanes I tend to brew at about 95 degrees [Celcius],
or 205 [degrees] Fahrenheit.
I don't think that this needs a rinse, so we're just going to go straight into the Gong
Dao Bei.
Let's give it a smell.
[SMELLS TISANE] Okay, the predominant smell here is a [little] bit of smokiness, some
smokiness, but [not] too overpowering; nothing like a smoked Lapsang Souchong (Li Shan Shui
Chong) or anything like that.
Just a little bit of smoke, [with] a lot of liquorice, but more of a green smell than
a black liquorice.
[SMELLS TISANE] So [it's] kind of grass, and sweet grass [or] sweet liquorice, and yeah,
that little slight hint of smoke.
Okay, let's give it a taste.
This is a tea -- tisane, sorry.
Even I make that mistake occasionally.
This is a tisane which I do drink quite regularly as my kind of health drink.
You can see the color is almost like an olive green color, the liquor.
[SIPS TISANE] [It's got a] much thicker body than the Ju Hua, or chrysanthemum.
[It's] thicker [and] more coating.
[It's] very sweet - very, very sweet - that's the overriding taste, this kind of liquorice
sweetness; that liquorice sweetness that persists on the tongue.
So it stays there long after you've swallowed.
Just after one sip it's still there.
I'm getting sweetness all the way around my tongue.
If you're someone who likes liquorice then you'll probably really enjoy this.
If you don't like liquorice then it might not be for you.
But it's very, very sweet, and the smokiness is there, but it's dialed down even from the
whisper that was there on the nose, so it's even less.
[SIPS TISANE] Mmm!
Again, [it's got] this kind of slight floral herbalness, [which] again I would equate [to]
camomile.
So it's camomile [and] liquorice [with a] thicker body, but still a nice clean finish
and a very persistent sweetness.
I really recommend that you have some of this in your cupboard [and] if you're feeling a
bit under the weather then drink - over a few days - some Amachazuru, or Jiao Gu Lan,
and it really helps to boost energy levels and regulate your immune system.
If your immune system is too run down it will boost it.
If it's the opposite way, and your immune system is overactive - in the case of kind
of allergies, or other kind of auto-immune conditions - then it may help to also just
kind of calm your immune system down [and] make it less reactive.
So it's a really good adaptogen regulating your immune system, but it also has lots of
other health benefits.
That's Amachazuru, or Jiao Gu Lan.
You can blend it with other teas, although I have never found a tea that works well with
Jiao Gu Lan.
But please do give it a try, and let me know in the comments [section] below if you find
a combination that works.
But it's a great, great health tisane.
Okay, moving on to our last tisane.
I've left my favorite until last.
This is "Baby Leaf Kuding".
This is a kuding [tisane].
Now there are a couple of different types of kuding [tisane].
This one is the smaller leaf kuding [tisane].
It's a slightly different species compared to the "Bitter Nail" - or the large, big leaf
kuding - which is [a] very bitter [tisane] [that is] very, very good for you, but [with
a] very, very strong kind of [tobacco-like] and bitter [taste].
This is much lighter, [with] much smaller leaf, and the beauty of this [tisane] is in
its transformation.
This is from Si Chuan province in China.
You can see that the leaves don't look like anything special.
[They're] kind of kalki, small, slightly dusty looking leaves, but just wait until you see
the transformation.
I'm going to have to try and get another shot so you can see this transform.
We'll do it here, and then I'll get another shot so you can see it in greater detail.
This tisane is well known in Chinese Medicine for, again, cooling.
So it's similar to chrysanthemum, but having an even more powerful effect on people who
are excessively stressed.
People who are suffering from hypertension find benefit drinking this tea.
It's a very cooling, calming, anti-stress [tisane] [which is] very good for people who
suffer from hypertension.
Okay.
Ready for the transformation?
[We're now] looking at kind of dusty, dark green leaves, [then] in goes the water.
Let me see if I can get this over to you.
It's so quick, the transformation.
Take a look at that.
Look how it's just gone from this dark color to these beautiful, lime-green leaves - these
lovely little lime-green leaves that just pop up out of nowhere.
This is such a beautiful tea -- tisane [laughter] - and the transformation is not just in its
appearance.
It's the transformation in the mouth that I love, as well, about this tisane.
Let's strain it off.
The color is this vibrant kind of [French?] kind of color - this kind of yellow-green
color [which is] very, very vibrant.
I'm just going to show you the leaves again so you can really see what I mean about the
transformation.
It's gone from dark, kalki, "nothing special" looking leaves to [lime-green] leaves which
are really, really delicate and pretty.
Okay, [let's] give it a taste.
As I say, that kind of [French?] color, [that] yellow-green.
I can already smell the smell of it.
[It] smells very, very cleansing, almost just like fresh air.
It's got this very kind of fresh, fresh aroma.
[SIPS TISANE] Whoa!
There it is.
The transformation in this [tisane] when it hits your mouth [is] bitter, but that bitterness
really quickly transforms to sweetness and cleanliness.
The sweetness is not so much of a liquorice kind of sweetness, but a little bit more,
I would say slightly anise - I know that sounds similar to liquorice, but it's not.
It's a little bit brighter, the sweetness, if that makes any sense.
[It's] very clean-tasting, and as I said, I brewed it very strong here, [because] I
like it very strong.
You can just use a little pinch [and] control the bitterness, because it is a bitter [tisane].
But once that bitterness hits your mouth it transforms very quickly into this sweetness,
and clean, clean finish.
[SIPS TISANE] Whoa!
[It's a] powerful, powerful brew - a really powerful brew.
You can feel it.
You can feel the medicinal effect of it.
It's, as I said, very good for cooling, very good during hot weather, [and] very good for
people suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension), [and] stress.
I love this [tisane].
It also makes a nice iced tea - tisane.
[SIPS TISANE] Man, I've got to stop saying "tea", sorry.
It makes a very nice iced tisane.
You can combine it.
We do a nice combination at the teahouse where we combine it with a little bit of fresh strawberries
[and] cucumber [which is] really, really nice.
It makes a great, great iced tisane.
[SIPS TISANE] But that transformation in your mouth is very, very addictive.
This is probably my favorite Chinese herbal tisane, but we have many, many other tisanes.
We've got - I don't know - about 20 or 30 that are available for general sale, and we've
got, as I said, about 250 other medicinal Chinese herbs that are on prescription only.
This one is available for general sale.
I really, really recommend it too.
Throw it in.
You can mix it in with your fruit waters.
You can mix it in with cocktails, [which] might be really nice, because it's got that
bitter note, so you could mix it in [and] make a kind of version of a cocktail that
you want those bitters - like a kind of tonic water bitterness.
It's kind of got that tonic water bitterness, but it transforms very, very quickly.
It's very fresh [and] very, very bright, just like the leaves once they have opened up.
[It's] a really great tisane to have in your cupboard.
Okay, so that's it.
Those are three of my top Chinese herbal tisanes that I recommend that you have stashed away
in your cupboard.
We have plenty of others, so feel free to explore and let me know your favorite tisanes.
Put it in the [comments] section below.
Let me know which is your go-to tisanes when you feel like a break from tea.
That's it teaheads.
If you made it to the end of this video then please give [it] the thumbs-up.
Check out our YouTube playlists and let us know if there are any videos that you would
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If you're ever in London then come visit us in Camden to say "Hi!" and taste our wares.
If you have any questions or comments then please fire them over.
Other than that, I'm Don Mei from Mei Leaf.
Thank you for being a part of the revelation of true tea.
Stay away from those tea bags, keep drinking the good stuff, and spread the word, because
nobody deserves bad tea.
Bye [WAVING]