I don’t think that I’m the only one who struggles to sleep during the holidays, which is why Tea People Sleep is perfect for today. Whether it’s just overexcitement and too much screen time, or a feeling of apprehension with those long January days looming on the horizon – getting to sleep can be a challenge.
This tea blend was gifted to me by Tea People and features a range of herbal and floral ingredients. It’s designed to aid sleep and general wellness.
As this is a loose leaf blend, I recommend brewing it in one of my loose leaf brewers in the shop at Immortal Wordsmith.
Tea People Sleep at a Glance
- Blend: Passion flower, hemp, valerian, and other sleep-inducing ingredients with rose
- Flavour: A medley of herbaceous flavours with notes of hay
This is a very herby tea with a strong, grassy flavour. However, the natural notes of hay and flowers are easily lifted by a teaspoon of honey, which makes this sleep aid tea a really delicious treat.
Full Review – Tea People Herbal Sleep Blend
- Type: Loose leaf
- Ingredients: Hemp, St John’s wort, passion flower, hops, valerian, rose petals, rose oil
- Health Benefits: Relax and soothe, induce sleep
- Flavour Notes: Herbaceous, hay, grass, valerian, savoury
- Aroma: Herby, celery seeds, bitter greens, hay, rose
- Milk or Lemon: Honey, to taste
- Where to Buy: Amazon UK or Tea People Website
This blend won a Great Taste award here in the UK, but I’m not convinced. Opening the pack, the aroma is incredibly herbaceous with notes of celery seeds and bitter greens – chard, fennel, spinach etc. It’s almost savoury!
Once brewed into a dirty marigold coloured blend, the aroma develops with notes of sweet hay and a hint of rose. Above all, it remains heavily herbaceous.
The first sip is quite intense, so consider yourself warned. It is herbaceous (obviously) with notes of hay and grass with a slightly bitter edge. The valerian and hops combination is similar in flavour to Traditional Medicinals Nighty Night blend, but without the spearmint notes to lift it up. Overall, I found it to be quite savoury and intense – the rose isn’t strong enough to pull through into the main body of the tea at all.
The texture of Tea People Sleep is quite thick, clinging to your tongue and coating your throat. Still, adding a generous teaspoon of honey will only improve it and turn it from a medicinal sleep aid into a mellow and tasty sleep tea.
How to Brew Sleep Tea
Brew herbal teas with freshly boiled water. Tea People recommend using 1 teaspoon of their loose leaf blend and brewing it for 4 to 5 minutes. I brewed for 4 minutes for this review, but I would drop that down to 3 in the future.
Add a teaspoon of honey when the tea has cooled a little and stir to dissolve.
That’s really all you need to do to brew a good cup of Tea People Sleep. I don’t recommend eating anything alongside this tea, as it’s designed for bedtime.
Why Tea People Ethical Tea?
Tea People are a British tea brand with ethical values. Their Sleep Tea blend is made with natural ingredients, with whole pieces of herbals and flowers with a little rose oil. A portion of the profits made by Tea People is donated to tea growing communities around the world too.
While I think the rose could be removed and replaced with something a little sleepier (lavender or chamomile), it’s still a good blend and I love that all the ingredients are whole.
Health Benefits
Let’s break down all the ingredients in Tea People Sleep:
- Hemp – there’s some evidence linking CBD found in hemp to sleep, but don’t worry, this tea won’t get you high.
- St John’s wort – a review of studies has found that this ingredient has mild anti-depressive qualities and could calm anxiety before bed too.
- Passion flower – described as a “reliable herbal sedative” passion flower could reduce restlessness and trouble falling asleep according to one study.
- Hops – when combined with valerian (see below), researchers have found that hops could be beneficial for treating sleep disorders.
- Valerian – noted for improving sleep quality without unwanted side effects, valerian is the queen of sleep teas and is included in numerous blends like this one.
- Rose – although not noted for any sleep-inducing properties, rose scents are said to be calming and relaxing late in the evening.
While I personally haven’t noticed an improvement in my sleep after drinking this tea, many people who have left reviews for it have. With scientific studies backing up potential sleep benefits for 5 out of the 6 ingredients, I have no reason to doubt them.
Summary
Overall, this tea is a bit too herby for my tastes but is quickly sweetened into something nicer with a teaspoon of honey. If you have trouble sleeping and are looking for a loose leaf herbal tea blend for sleep, Tea People Sleep could be perfect for you.
At the time of writing, Tea People have this blend stocked on their website. You can also check to see if it has been added to their Amazon UK inventory using the button below. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission if you purchase something, but this is at no additional cost to you. It helps to keep our blog running!
Tea-Ware Recommendation
For extra cosy vibes, I recommend brewing this tea in a small glass teapot so you can see the rose petals and herbs mix with the water. Use one of my ceramic teapot warmers to keep it hot while you snuggle down with a good book – they’re powered by tealights and have free shipping to the UK!