Pukka Chamomile, Vanilla & Manuka Honey Tea Review
Some of Pukka Herbs’ teas can be… not so good. But this one certainly sounds nice! Pukka Chamomile, Vanilla and Manuka Honey sounds like it should be sweet, rich, and warm. A true hug in a mug.
To discover if this Pukka tea lives up to its name, I have put it to the test in a full tea review. I’m looking at the ingredients, flavour profile, best brewing methods and where it’s available to buy. Thankfully, this herbal tea blend is available in the UK, USA, and many other countries through Amazon – I’ve included a link below.
Pukka Chamomile, Vanilla, Manuka Honey Tea at a Glance
Izzy's Rating
2.4/5
- Blend: Chamomile, honey and vanilla with fennel and liquorice
- Flavour: Herbal chamomile blend with fennel anise-like sweetness
A disappointing cuppa. Pukka has once again used too much of their anise-flavoured ingredients. It tastes like chamomile with added liquorice for unnecessary sweetness.
Full Review – Pukka Herbs Chamomile, Vanilla and Honey Tea
Izzy's Rating
2.4/5
- Type: Tagged paper filter tea bag
- Ingredients: Chamomile flowers, sweet fennel seeds, liquorice root, manuka honey flavouring, vanilla pods, vanilla flavouring
- Health Benefits: Aid sleep
- Flavour Notes: Chamomile, herbal, liquorice sweetness
- Aroma: Chamomile hay, fennel seeds, liquorice
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Amazon
Ripping open the paper wrapper for the first time, I know I’m going to be disappointed. That first aroma is unmistakably powerful – it’s liquorice (or licorice on the packet, which uses the US spelling). The chamomile which should be the main flavour takes a back seat to this overpowering sweetness and anise scent.
Once the tea has brewed (see my notes about the unhelpful brewing instructions below) it turns into a dark honey gold liquid which is surprisingly clear for Pukka. Usually, their herbal tea blends are very dusty. The aroma from the brewed tea is stronger in chamomile, thank goodness, but there’s also a fennel seed aroma that can’t be shaken.
I take a few sips, swirling the Pukka Chamomile Vanilla and Honey tea around my mouth. Then I work through my cup to the bottom. Throughout, the flavours of chamomile and liquorice are met with this generic herbal quality that I really dislike.
The only hint of honey is in the texture of this tea – it’s quite thick and slightly dusty, but not irritating. It coats your mouth like honey does.
On the whole, this tea is a basic chamomile tea with added liquorice to sweeten it… even though chamomile is generally sweet enough on its own. The vanilla and honey elements are completely missing.
How to Brew Pukka Chamomile Tea
Pukka have very vague brewing instructions. They just suggest you use one teabag per cup and brew for up to 15 minutes. I brewed at 3 minutes, 5 minutes and 10 minutes – 5 minutes resulted in the best tasting cuppa.
Use 100°C boiling water and use 1 teabag per 250ml. The longer you brew, the more the liquorice intensifies and the chamomile strengthens. But a longer brewing time does not bring out any vanilla or honey that may be lurking in there.
Personally, I would recommend adding a generous teaspoon of honey to this tea. Alternative, make your own plain chamomile tea then add a drop of vanilla extract and natural honey afterwards. The flavour would be much MUCH better.
Why Pukka Herbs Natural Teas?
So far, I’ve not been very positive about Pukka Chamomile Vanilla and Manuka Honey tea. But this is the part of my review where that changes.
One of the things I admire most about Pukka is their organic sourcing, natural ingredients, and biodegradable packaging. Even the teabags are made from unbleached paper. I always feel confident in Pukka’s ingredients and safe when I consume them.
Furthermore, from a price perspective, Pukka provide one of the most budget-friendly herbal tea range available in the UK (and I imagine in the USA too).
Pukka Chamomile Health Benefits
Taking a brief look at the ingredients list, I’d say this is a good tea for bedtime. The main ingredient, chamomile, is a well-known sleep aid. The entire blend is caffeine-free too, so no worries there.
The honey and vanilla are primarily from flavourings, not actual honey and vanilla elements. So, I don’t think it’s worth examining the health benefits of those. They will be minimal at best.
Do watch out for the liquorice content, however. Herbal teas that are high in liquorice are unsuitable for anyone suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension). Liquorice significantly raises your blood pressure, so don’t drink too much of it in one go.
Summary
Overall, this tea wasn’t unpleasant. Even though the liquorice was very strong and the tea really doesn’t live up to the name “Chamomile, Vanilla & Manuka Honey”, it’s still drinkable and borderline pleasant when you add some extra honey to it.
You can find Pukka Chamomile Vanilla Honey tea on Amazon using the button below.
Tea Recommendation
Looking for more calming chamomile tea blends? I’ve reviewed quite a few in my years as a tea reviewer – check out Novus Citrus Chamomile and T2 Just Chamomile next. And if chamomile doesn’t do the trick for you at bedtime, look for valerian tea blends instead.