Some Yogi teas have bazillions of ingredients, while smelling and/or tasting like disjointed mishmashes of unrelated flavors, and/or spice-infused clippings from a lawn-mower bag. Good news: not this one! Kava Stress Relief seems to have some coherent and pleasant character to it. Regardless of the veracity of its anti-anxiety and relaxation claims, this herbal tea does make a pleasant bedtime beverage.

The dry-bag, in-cup and wet-bag scents were remarkably alike (this often isn't true in herbal teas!): mild cinnamon, sweet and creamy with a noticeable vanilla overtone, and a fruity element faintly reminiscent of wild plums or Concord grape jelly. That sounds disjointed too, but actually seemed to play well together as the molecules docked themselves on olfactory sensors. Vanilla is not a listed ingredient, so I'm guessing the toasted rice, organic hazelnut flavoring and sarsaparilla combined on the creaminess.

The taste was a little different, with the cinnamon still there, but noticeably chocolatey (perhaps from the carob pod), sarsaparilla more prominent, and not as much fruitiness as in the aromas. That's still a pleasant combination, however, and this was an enjoyable drink. A more-concentrated version of this, sweetened and carbonated, would make a decent root beer. I have no clue what kava is supposed to taste like, so that element remains a mystery⁠—unless that's what provides a noticeable but not cloying level of bitterness to the finish. A note of caution: it does get noticeably more bitter (especially in aftertaste) after cooling down to room temperature.

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