SUNBELEAF - Tien Mao Ginseng Tea | Supports Bone Health | Enhances Libido | Caffeine Free | Herbal Tea | 20 Tea Bags | Made in Vietnam

The product is labeled as "Tien Mao Ginseng Tea". Tien Mao, commonly called Golden Eye Grass, is from the genus Curculigo, while all true ginsengs are from the genus Panax - so this has nothing to do with "Ginseng". Tien Mao is an ancient chinese herb with all sorts of purpoted benefits, but is also recognized as being toxic in quantity. This product is packaged in an extremely fancy box with a magnet closure. The tea bags themselves are made from a rather impervious material, so that once water finally gets in, it does not readily flow out - so it takes a long time to get any tea infusion actually out into the cup. Ultimately, a very weak, burnt/acidic-tasting tea gets created. When you take the bag out, a gelatinous film is left on your finger tips. Once wet, the bag is easy to tear, revealing a muddy, dark brown substance.Overall, the product is mislabeled since most people will think they are buying true ginseng tea. The tea bag doesn't work right, and the final tea was unattractive to me and two others that tried it in our house hold. The price ($1.50 per bag, $30 for the 20 bag package) is outrageous.

This tea had a very distinctive, herb-like smell as soon as I opened up the individual packet. The slight sweetness threw me off until I noticed stevia in the ingredients. (I did end up adding a small bit of honey because the stevia added very little sweetness to the brewed tea) I always have dried ginseng on hand for making tea and curries, so I was no stranger to the taste and smell. Once I brewed a cup of the tea, I noticed that it was very light in flavor, even after steeping the tea for over 10 minutes. I am used to a stronger flavor when I use my own dried ginseng, but I found this tea to be very pleasant. It worked perfectly after my midday meal. Although the tea was enjoyable, the price is prohibitive for everyday use. I can purchase 1 large bag of dried ginseng and yield a lot more tea than the 20 individual servings in the box. It would make a good gift, and the flavor was good-- but I probably would not order again due to the cost and the stevia sweetener added to the tea.

I like the taste a lot. Some of the ginseng teas I’ve tried are too strong, but this one was pretty nice, especially since I’ve been drinking this after dinner on the weekends to help relax a bit. Since the flavor isn’t as concentrated, it also doesn’t have the bad aftertaste some other teas have. It’s a little sweet and not too bitter. My friend gifted me a box, but I might buy more once it runs out, and maybe a set for my parents too. The box it comes in is fancy, and it’ll probably end up using it to store my other tea bags after I use this up lol.