Organic Herbal Teas from EcoTeas {Review }

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Welcome to the Fair Trade Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering, Eco-Crazy Mom and the Green Moms Network. To celebrate Fair Trade Month, we are featuring giveaways from companies that ethically produce and source products from around the world. You can find a list of more fair trade giveaways valued at $25 or more at the bottom of this post.

I’m so excited to share this week’s giveaway sponsor with you! At the beginning of this month, when thinking about who I wanted to approach to sponsor my giveaway for Fair Trade month, I immediately thought about the kinds of products that our family prefers to purchase Fair Trade – coffee, tea, and chocolate! I was having such a hard time making my decision, when the wonderful folks over at EcoTeas contacted me and offered to sponsor our giveaway. Wooh! My job just got a whole lot easier. 🙂

EcoTeas is a small grassroots tea company founded in Oregon by 3 best friends back in 2000.They’re committed to supplying the highest quality organic, fair trade teas at the best prices, while supporting organic agriculture, fair trade, and sustainability. They employ a reforestation program, have a commitment to clean energy and water restoration, and use some of the greenest packaging I’ve ever seen in a product! Read more about their eco-friendly practices on their About page.

What is Yerba Mate?

EcoTeas’ top-selling tea is their certified organic and fair trade, pure leaf, unsmoked Yerba Mate (pronounced YER-bah-MAH-tay)- the naturally caffeinated, antioxidant rich, herbal tonic which has become the national icon of many South American countries like Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It’s said to have “the strength of coffee, the health benefits of tea, and the euphoria of chocolate” all in one cup!

Photo courtesy of EcoTeas

Yerba Mate has also received a lot of praise as a diet and weight-loss tea since it raises metabolism, regulates appetite, aids digestion, and provides antioxidants, minerals, amino acids, and B vitamins to support a healthy lifestyle. It provides 25 mg of caffeine per 2g tea bag in 8 oz of water. For comparison, the average cup of coffee has 135 mg of caffeine, while the average cup of black tea contains 50 mg, and green tea has 30 mg.

Not all ‘caffeines’ are the same, however. What we refer to as ‘caffeine’ is really a group of substances known to chemists as Xanthine Alkaloids. The caffeine in coffee is very physical and quick to take effect. Theophylline is the ‘caffeine’ found in green tea. It tends to be very mental. Theobromine is the ‘caffeine’ found in chocolate. It tends to be very slow-releasing.

Yerba mate actually contains a mixture of these three xanthine alkaloids. It also provides minerals to support nervous system function, and B-vitamins to relax muscles. For these reasons, it produces a balanced, long-lasting physical and mental stimulation.

EcoTeas Organic Teas Review

The fine people at EcoTeas were kind enough to send me a very generous sample pack of not only their organic, fair-trade certified yerba mate, but also some of their other varieties of herbal teas as well! I’ve been thinking about finding more natural, healthier alternatives for my morning cuppa’ Joe, and EcoTeas’ Yerba Mate may very well be just the thing I’ve been looking for.

I replaced my morning cup of coffee with a yerba mate tea bag steeped in warm water, for 5 days in a row, and I must say, I’m quite pleased with the quality of the tea. It does have a very slightly bitter taste, so I added just a small spoon of raw honey to my cup, which was perfect. You can add other things to your tea, like sugar, mint, lemon, milk, or even fruit juice!

My mom and I staged our own little taste testing of the other tea varieties on a rainy afternoon. You can read more about the different varieties here, but my personal favorites were the Tulsi, with it’s mild minty flavor, and the Holy Mate, with it’s sweet and spicy taste and aroma. The Rooibos Chai was also tasty and actually did have a very traditional chai-like flavor!

Yummy, minty Tulsi tea

We used the tea bags, but the best way to enjoy these teas, especially the yerba mate, is by using the loose leaf tea, because you can get more nutrients from the herbs that way. I’ve heard you can use the leaves right in your regular coffee maker, but the traditional way to prepare yerba mate is with a gourd (vessel) and a bombilla (straw), using very warm (not boiling) water to ensure that all the vital nutrients in the tea are left intact.

Photo courtesy of EcoTeas Facebook page

And now for the best part about EcoTeas fair-trade, organic teas – their super eco-friendly, green packaging! Their boxes are made from 100% recycled paperboard, their 5 lb. bags are recyclable, and they’re working on making their 1 lb. bags completely compostable. And their tea bags are so awesome, they needed an infographic of their own:

Photo courtesy of EcoTeas Facebook page

I’m so impressed by EcoTeas and their commitment to truly fair-trade, sustainable business practices. Their wide variety of organic herbal teas taste wonderful and really make you feel great! My otherwise daunting journey of attempting to quit my coffee habit is actually starting to look a little brighter now that I’ve discovered my new friend, Yerba Mate. 🙂

How to Buy EcoTeas Herbal Teas

EcoTeas fair-trade, organic herbal tea products are sold on their website and they offer FREE shipping on orders over $65! Their products can also be found in health food stores across the US and Canada – visit their store locator to find a store near you.

How to Win EcoTeas Yerba Mate

The lovely people at EcoTeas (have I mentioned how absolutely wonderful they are yet?) have offered to sponsor our giveaway for Fair Trade Month and are offering one lucky Nature’s Nurture reader this great gift set, including the following items:

This is what’s up for grabs!

1 – 1lb. bag of Yerba Mate loose tea
1 – box (24 tea bags) of Yerba Mate
1 – Fire Gourd (mate vessel)
1 – Stainless Steel Bombilla (filter straw)

Disclosure: EcoTeas provided me with free samples to review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and were in no way influenced by the free product.

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Grand Prize Offer!

In addition, you also have a chance to win one of TWO fabulous grand prizes from Fair Trade USA, Global Exchange, KusiKui & Vital Choice! You’ll get bonus entries into the Grand Prize Giveaway for each giveaway you enter in the Fair Trade Hop!

Click here to enter the grand prize.

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Sarah UmmYusuf

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I believe protecting your family from harmful chemicals doesn't have to be overwhelming. Anyone can do it, one small step at a time. Are you ready to take charge of your family's health?

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