It seems like the few Tulsi teas I've tried so far have been paired in some way with ginger, regardless of other ingredients. This was no exception. The ingredients list explicitly states three kinds of Tulsi: Krishna, Rama, and Vana, two of which coincidentally were first names of sisters I knew in middle school whose parents immigrated from India.

Dry-bag aroma was ginger-dominant, but also, a little vegetal or grassy, somewhat light and refreshing, not very strong but still well-defined. The wet bag actually smelled as much like a diluted blend of the garden basil and rosemary that I grow as it did ginger. Therefore, I finally got to taste or smell what Tulsi is like, after trying a couple other teas where the ginger thoroughly stomped Tulsi into quick submission.

The tea poured a clean, translucent, tan color that browned as the clock ticked with passing minutes, ending up a very deep, opaque brown akin to some black teas. Often, on herbal teas, mint teas or herbal blends, one will see a sheen of essential-oil droplets on top. This one bore a sheen also, but it was more particulate than oily, with just a little oil. Usually sediments drop to the bottom of my teacup instead of float up; perhaps that's a feature of one or more of these varieties of Tulsi. Flavor-wise, the ginger still prevailed, but not in an overly dominant manner, and I only detected lemon overtly in the aftertaste. For once, I picked up on the same basil- or rosemary-like herbal essence in flavor as in the wet-bag aroma. Indeed, it was very well-balanced overall, quite amenable to sweetening, and a very enjoyable tea—the best Tulsi-containing bagged tea I've had to date.

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