Can you believe that I’ve never had a cup of Vahdam tea before this date? They’ve been heralded by Oprah and dominating the tea world (in the teabag domain, at least) for quite a few years, yet their Vahdam Turmeric Spiced tea is the first I’ve ever tried.
I usually try to build a little suspense in the intro to my tea reviews. But oh, what the hell. I LOVE this tea and I am extremely excited to see what else Vahdam has in store for me.
Below you’ll find my tasting notes, my preferred method for brewing, an ingredient breakdown, and of course, a final verdict on Vahdam Turmeric Spiced Tea.
Vahdam Turmeric Spiced Tea at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Turmeric with cinnamon, ginger and cardamom
- Flavour: Earthy turmeric with spice and subtle sweetness
This tea is delicious and complex. The turmeric is the star of the show, yet despite the earthy notes it’s quite light with tingly spices and sweetness building with every sip. A beautiful caffeine-free tea.
Full Review – Spiced Turmeric Herbal Tea
- Type: Tagged teabag
- Ingredients: Turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, lemongrass, natural bergamot flavour
- Health Benefits: Reduce inflammation, improve heart health, improve mood
- Flavour Notes: Earthy turmeric, spice, sweetness, ginger, cinnamon
- Aroma: Turmeric, citrus, ginger, ginseng, orange-mango, tangy, mellow
- Milk or Lemon: Honey, to taste
- Where to Buy: Amazon
Opening the foil packet (nice touch, by the way), the aroma is immediately tuned in to turmeric. It’s very strong, earthy and rich with notes of maybe ginger or ginseng to add a little tingle. There’s also a tangy note that reminds me of oranges or mangos. It’s fantastic!
Once brewed following the instructions listed below, it turned into a gorgeous sun-scorched turmeric shade with notes of marigold yellow. The aroma develops too, becoming mellow and naturally sweet, with ginger spice to brighten it up and turmeric earthiness to ground it.
And the flavour. It’s sooooo good.
Earthy turmeric makes the first impression, clinging to the roof of your mouth and giving the tea this smooth and light feeling. It’s all top notes for a while. But once you’re a few sips in, the spice takes hold and a curious sweetness develops too.
I also underscored the texture in my notes. It’s rough, almost fibrous, which isn’t unpleasant at all. In fact, it really suits the tea. Ginger and turmeric are fibrous roots, after all.
By the time I reached the bottom of the cup, I felt warmed from the inside out. This tea is both comforting and uplifting. Very good job, Vahdam!
How to Brew Turmeric Caffeine-Free Tea
As this tea has no caffeine in it, you can drink it at any time of the day or night and not worry about it interfering with your sleep.
To brew Vahdam Turmeric Spiced, fill the kettle with fresh water and bring it to a boil. Pour it directly over the teabag in your cup and brew it for 3 minutes. The packet says to brew for three to five minutes, but I found five minutes to be way too strong. Stop at three, take a sip, and decide if a further two minutes are warranted.
If you want a little extra, try adding honey and/or lemon. The honey will bring out the sweetness and pair well with the ginger and turmeric, while the citrus will brighten the cup and play up those tangy notes.
You can also ice this tea – brew for five to ten minutes and then pour over ice. Add your honey or sugar before pouring it over ice so it dissolves easily!
Why Vahdam Indian Tea?
Vahdam have been on my radar for years and years, but I was on a loose leaf tea kick and didn’t give them the time of day. I regret that now! They use large pieces of spice to make this tea and carefully source their ingredients, so it’s just as good as loose leaf… just popped into a teabag for your convenience.
Besides, Vahdam sells their tea in a loose leaf version too, so there’s really no reason not to try them out.
One thing that did bother me, however, was the effort it took to track down a full ingredients list for this tea. My individual packet from a mixed box did not list the ingredients whatsoever. On the Vahdam UK site, it doesn’t list the ingredients either. I finally found a list of ingredients (turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom) on the US website… but then discovered that the Amazon US product listing also has lemongrass and black pepper as ingredients!
Finally, I went to the source and found a picture of the outer box packaging. The full, confirmed list of ingredients are:
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Cardamom
- Lemongrass
- Black pepper
- Bergamot flavouring
I’m a little miffed that there’s bergamot flavouring in this tea, but if it’s responsible for that slightly citrusy note in the aroma that I loved, I can’t be too mad.
Does Turmeric Tea Have Health Benefits?
While turmeric is associated with some health benefits and is a staple in ayurvedic healing, the chances of you curing any ailments with a single cup of tea is pretty low.
Turmeric has been shown to:
- Reduce inflammation
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduce cholesterol
- Improve your mood
But studies that have found these results typically use very concentrated amounts of turmeric. What you’ll absorb from a cup of tea is considerably less.
My advice is to sit back and just enjoy your cup of tea. If you feel called to it and it feels good in your body (learn more about this kind of flow), then carry on!
Summary
Vahdam Turmeric Spiced Tea is a really flavoursome, honest brew. The colour, aroma and flavour are all distinctive and make this tea very highly rated here on the blog.
You can buy tea directly from Vahdam, but you’ll usually get a better deal (incl. delivery) by purchasing from Amazon.
Tea Recommendation
If spiced teas are your thing, I think you’ll really like Nuditea Soothing Chai. It’s a caffeine-free rooibos blend with honeybush, cardamom, cinnamon and ginger. Read the full review to find out what this chai is all about.
