This somewhat medicinally advertised herbal blend is mostly echinacea purpurea: American purple coneflower, a Great Plains flower that grows readily in the wild in nutrient-poor Okie red dirt, as well as in my own gardens. Nonetheless, the secondary ingredients—lemongrass, licorice and spearmint—dominate the aroma and flavor to the extent that it's impossible to tell what the echinacea is supposed to taste like. Maybe it has a neutral or bland taste, so that the other herbs are here as a flavor picker-upper? I don't know, but at least this tea isn't a pucker-upper. In fact, it tasted fairly good!

This blend reminded me in overall aroma, taste and mouthfeel of one of the better Yogi or Traditional Medicinal offerings that has (only slightly exaggerating here) hundreds of ingredients. The dry-bag aroma was a little peppery, but mostly heavy on licorice and spearmint with occasional, off-and-on dashes of lemon. If you hate licorice, stop here and forget this tea exists...it's a big component of the taste!

Still, the spearmint was obvious, with lemongrass taking a far backseat compared to the licorice root and spearmint. It's a very nicely balanced combination that nearly has an identity to its own, much like chewing a combination of licorice gum and Wrigley's spearmint right after drinking lemonade. The aftertaste is where the lemony element stands out, which is fine, since it's a smooth, very sweet version, not sour nor bitter. All told, this is a solid herbal tea well worth trying for those who aren't repulsed by licorice. For a Wal-Mart store-brand tea, it's outstanding.

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