I have slowly developed a vast collection of herbal teas, and have been drawn to trying the Pukka range purely for the silly reason of the pretty boxes. But are they any good?
The Company Ethics
Pukka Herbs is a relatively new company founded in 2001 and seems to be growing in popularity. The word Pukka is Hindi and means genuine or authentic- the company incorporate this philosophy into their products and everything they sell is 100% organic, fairly traded, sustainable as well as being carbon neutral. As you may have guessed this resonates with my personal ethics and I am keen to support a company that invests in renewable and sustainable energy projects. I am also happy that Pukka create Ayurvedic blends to balance doshas and would advise anyone to go and do the quiz on their website if you are interested in Ayurveda.
The Tea
Three Mint combines peppermint, spearmint and fieldmint. Pukka describe it as having a “distinct sweet and fresh flavour with a real hit of cool mint!” I would say the tea has a subtle taste compared to Tetley’s Peppermint Punch, and this is indeed preferably. I may be in the minority but I am put off when tea tastes very strongly of mint. It is almost like drinking warm mouthwash. This tea by Pukka is more complex (maybe because of the field mint) and tastes refreshing and one to drink in the summer. If you want to know more about how field mint is harvested by Pukka read Ben Heron’s page.
Certified organic by the Soil Association, this tea comes in a pretty green box (I suspect I will be collecting these to store my bits and bobs as I adore the patterns). Each tea bag is individually wrapped which concerns me as not being very green. I also like Pukka’s Three Ginger tea which is a daily treat to keep me balanced and inflammation at bay.
Why Mint?
With the numerous teas available from Pukka alone you may wonder why Three Mint is a good choice. Well mint tea improves digestion, controls muscle aches and pains, eases congestion and even fights stress due to its naturally soothing properties. Three Mint makes a good relaxing tea especially if you have an upset stomach. The taste is also nice and freshens breath or to quote Pukka: “refreshes the palate”.
Value
A box of twenty tea bags cost £1.99 on the Pukka website and can be found in most large supermarkets and health shops. This is is less than 10p a bag and the tea bags have enough strength to last a top up of water. I would highly recommend this if you like herbal teas- you will not be disappointed!