When you order a pound of tea online, you’re not quite sure what you’re getting yourself into. Fortunately, I got myself into a great thing. Guayusa tea is the newest of “natural energy fads.” Originally from the Amazon, Guayusa is commonly compared to the famous mate tea for its natural and clean energy. It is supposed to give you long-lasting-better-than-coffee-every-college-student’s-dream energy. So, armed with a pound of Guayusa and a month’s worth of Polymer Processing lectures, I decided to put my full faith in this South American dream.
Photo by Meher
At $18/pound it seems like it’s expensive. After doing a little bit of math (hey, procrastination was calling), that’s approximately 226 tea bags, not much of a cost increase from your normal grocery store price. Plus, unlike most tea bags, you can re-brew the same tablespoon of tea up to 6 times with the same amount of caffeine.
I decided to try the Ginger Citrus blend. I put 1 tablespoon of leaves in my tea brewing mug (thank you, Strawberry Fields) and took out the old K-Cup to make my Keurig brew just plain hot water. After impatiently letting it steep for a minute, I tried it.
Photo by Meher Bharucha
The verdict…
Taste: Amazing—not bitter after one minute, not bitter after 20 minutes.
Energy: Solid. Got through all the lectures that I slept through and had time to catch up on Scandal.
Would I order it again? Hell yes.
Other teas we love:
Which Tea Should You Be Drinking?
The Ultimate Tea Guide
5-Ingredient Homemade Brewed Teas
The Mystery of Bubble Tea