Having just finished Tolstoy’s War and Peace, I am slightly offended by Clipper Snore and Peace! What a name for a sleep tea. I actually found that War and Peace was an excellent and very engaging novel. It certainly wasn’t the boring Austen-esque novel I was expecting, and it even made my list of Master and Margarita book recommendations. But it certainly was long and I always did sleep well after finishing a few chapters before bed. So perhaps Clipper Snore and Peace sleep tea is aptly named after all.
In this tea review, I’ll explain what ingredients are in this tea (and which are science-backed sleep aids), what flavour and aroma to expect, plus a tried and tested brewing method. If you want to purchase this tea, I have included some Amazon links below too.
Clipper Snore and Peace at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Chamomile, lemon balm and lavender with herbal ingredients and natural flavouring
- Flavour: Spearmint tea with chamomile warmth and hints of lemongrass
This spearmint really dominates this tea! It’s quite refreshing and tasty to a regular herbal tea drinker, but the ‘herbalness’ is quite strong. An effective sleep aid, but it won’t be to everyone’s tastes.
Full Review – Clipper Herbal Sleep Tea
- Type: Unbleached paper filter teabag
- Ingredients: Chamomile, lemon balm, lemongrass, lavender, fennel seeds, rosehips, spearmint, natural flavouring
- Health Benefits: Induce sleep and improve sleep quality
- Flavour Notes: Spearmint, chamomile warmth, gentle lemongrass
- Aroma: Lemongrass, lemon balm, herby citrus, musty, chamomile, sweet
- Milk or Lemon: Lemon and/or honey to taste
- Where to Buy: UK supermarkets or Amazon
Opening the paper packaging, the initial aroma of the tea is quite lemony. The lemongrass and lemon balm combine citrus notes with herby grassiness to create a pleasant and oddly refreshing aroma. It certainly isn’t making me feel sleepy at this point.
Once brewed (instructions below) into a dirty yellow-brown tea liquid, the aroma develops with that generic musty herb aroma that many teabag herbal brews have. There’s also a hint of chamomile making an appearance with warmth and sweetness.
As for the flavour… hello, spearmint! Despite not being present in the aroma at all, spearmint completely dominates this blend with subtle minty notes and soft sweetness. The chamomile is not so much a flavour as it is a sensation – it gives the tea warmth and cosy depth. After a few sips, you can also detect hints of lemongrass too.
Overall, it is oddly refreshing and comforting at the same time. I enjoyed the flavour but make no mistake, it is a very herbal tea. If you don’t like herbal teas as a rule, this won’t be the tea that changes your mind.
How to Brew Snore and Peace Sleep Tea
This is an herbal blend, so you can use boiling water and brew it for as long as you like. The longer you brew, the stronger the flavour. Clipper recommends brewing for three to five minutes, which is the standard recipe for herbal sleep tea.
If you aren’t fond of herbal teas, start with just a minute or two. You can always dunk the teabag back into your mug if it isn’t strong enough. Alternatively, you can leave the teabag in the mug as you drink.
For this review, I followed Clipper’s instructions and brewed for three minutes exactly. I drink my herbal tea plain, but adding a slice of lemon could play up those bright notes and add additional sharpness. You can also add honey for sweetness but try not to go overboard if you are consuming this directly before bed. And remember to brush your teeth after drinking Clipper Snore and Peace Tea too!
Why Clipper Organic Fairtrade Tea?
I quite like Clipper Tea. Not only do they package their tea in unbleached teabags, but they also ensure that most (if not all) of their ingredients are organic. That being said, they are still a supermarket teabag brand so they aren’t the best quality.
Depending on the tea you purchase from Clipper, the teabags will either be grouped together into a foil wrapper or individually wrapped in paper. If you have the foil pack, you need to use them as quickly as possible. Once that foil wrapper is open, the tea will begin to go stale. Store the teabags in an airtight container to negate this. If you have the individually wrapped teabags, your tea will stay fresh until each bag is opened. Of course, this does produce a lot more paper waste but at least it is biodegradable.
Taking a closer look at the ingredients in the Snore and Peace teabags, it’s finely chopped and dusty. This is what you’d expect from a teabag and isn’t necessarily a sign of poor quality when it comes to herbal tea. For caffeinated tea it is another matter, however.
Health Benefits
The health benefits of Clipper Snore and Peace are, obviously, all about helping you sleep. The key ingredients are:
- Lavender – a well-known aromatherapy ingredient that is calming and cleansing.
- Chamomile – induces sleep and reduces anxiety, as proven by several scientific studies.
- Lemongrass – believed to aid sleep and reduce anxiety, but studies have yet to find proof.
- Lemon balm – good for anxiety and sleep (are you seeing a theme here?) in this review.
- Spearmint – has a plethora of health benefits but shouldn’t be mixed up with peppermint tea health benefits.
So, these ingredients are not just used to bulk out the tea. Each has a unique health benefit that either stems from traditional medicine or modern science, working to aid sleep and reduce anxiety.
Summary
Overall, this herbal tea is… very herbal. The mix of spearmint, chamomile and lemongrass is effective for inducing sleep, but the flavours were a little unusual. I very much enjoyed sipping this tea and will continue to drink it during my bedtime routine. If you struggle with sleep, I recommend giving Clipper Snore and Peace a try.
Tea Recommendation
I have reviewed numerous sleep teas on the blog at Immortal Wordsmith. You can use my tea review index (check the menu) to quickly navigate each tea category. But if you really want to sleep well each night, you need to build a routine. Read Get a Better Night’s Sleep next.