Tuesday 23 December 2014

Saviour Tea Review - Part 2

Hello, and welcome to the second part of my Saviour Tea review. If you haven't seen the first part already, then you can find it HERE.

In this part of the review I will be giving my personal opinion on each of the products and at end there will be an interview with Ollie, the head of Saviour Tea, and a discount code for any of you who wish to try any of the products discussed in this review. 

I covered all the ingredients and my overall first impressions of the product in the first part of this review, so if you're interested in that, then please read part one first. 

Review

I received four different blends in total, each of them containing two tea bags and I tried each of the blends with my brother just to get a second opinion on each of the products. 


One thing I must point out was the sample packs didn't come with any recommended brewing times like you see on most herbal or flavoured teas. It's not necessarily a problem, but I thought it should be something they should include.

All the teas I tested were made using fresh water, and each of the teas was left to brew for exactly two minutes. Here's a tip for you guys; NEVER use reboiled water to make tea. Always use fresh water. Reboiling water loses oxygen from the water and you won't get the full flavour of the tea by using it. 

So without adieu, let’s get into the review.

Hydration

I tried this tea after I got home from an evening’s BJJ class.

In terms of appearance, it’s very similar to camomile, that being a kind or dark orange colour. Again, the smell of it is very similar to camomile in my opinion, almost indistinguishable between the two. 

Surprisingly, it doesn't taste anything like it smells (that being camomile). It has a fruity taste but it’s very faint, you only catch a glimpse of it a couple of seconds after you swallow it. I assume that faint fruity flavour is from the natural orange oil, which is one of the main ingredients in this particular tea. 

Actually, I found this tea very refreshing, and it definitely did quench my thirst. I could see myself drinking this tea for a considerable amount of time without getting bored of the flavour.


Recovery

Just like the Hydration tea, I also tried this tea after an evening’s BJJ class.

This teas appearance is pretty much identical to that of the Hydration tea with that camomile orange colour. However, the smell is very peculiar. Honestly, I can't think of anything to compare it to. It's totally unique to me. 

Equally, the taste is very unique. It's very hard to think of a word to describe it, you just can't really seem to put your finger on it. I think the flavour is an acquired taste, and personally, I didn't like it that much. If I was to drink this every day, it would seem almost like a chore to me.

Looking at the information leaflet later, I was surprised to see that one of the main ingredients was actually camomile because I couldn't definitely neither smell it nor taste it. However, it did show through in its colour.  

Although, I must say that in terms of recovery it did a good job. I took it in the evening, a few hours before I went to bed, and I found it a little easier to get to sleep, and in the morning my body was noticeably less sore. So if you are looking at that aspect of the product, then I think this would be great for you as long as you can put up with the taste. 

Energy

I took this tea first thing in the morning when I woke up on an empty stomach. 

Right off the bat, I noticed that its appearance is exactly the same as green tea. I'm a very big green tea drinker and I would say it’s a carbon copy in terms of colour.  

Two of the ingredients in this tea are spearmint and lemongrass, and those two smells really come through in this tea. The smell itself is actually a very faint lemon and minty smell, and neither of them really are overpowering in anyway. 

To put it simply, it tastes exactly as it smells. The taste of mint and lemon are again very faint. It’s almost like somebody mixed a very weak spearmint and lemon tea together, that would be the best way of describing it. I must say though, that I really did enjoy this tea. It's hands down my favourite of the range and I could happily drink this every morning. 

So, did it give me any energy? Well, I did notice a difference in my energy level and I did feel much more refreshed and less grouchy in the morning. It does say you can take this before working out, but is it going to replace a pre-workout supplement? No, but then again this is all natural ingredients, so I suppose you can't really compare it to that in some aspects. 

Metabolic

I didn't take this tea at any specific time.

Surprisingly, this tea didn't look similar to any tea I've personally ever tried. It was light brown in colour, almost like a very weak English breakfast tea. 

The smell of the tea was a flowery smell with a hint of fruit coming through towards the end. I struggled to put my finger on what fruit it was, but when I saw the ingredients list, I saw it contained pomegranate oil, and pomegranate was exactly what it was. 

It was actually a light fruity tea and was very refreshing to my surprise. You can taste the pomegranate coming through, but it’s light and not too overpowering. You also get a little hint of rose accompanied with the pomegranate and that comes from the rosehip pieces which are an ingredient in the tea. 

The main goal of this tea is weight loss, so I can't really comment on that as I'm not trying to lose weight nor did I try the product for a sustained period of time in order to see any results in regards to weight loss. 

Conclusion

I actually thoroughly enjoyed trying these products, amazingly more than I thought I would. Even though I only tried each of them once, and the review time was relatively short, I really did have blast trying each of them and looking forward to trying the next one. 

Let's get down to price, how much does each of them cost? Each of them individually cost £9.95, or if you want to purchase all four of them together in a bundle, it will cost you £34.95 which is a saving of £4.85. Each of the blends contains in total 20 tea bags which works out at almost £0.50 per cup. 

So, is it worth it? Personally, I think so. You have to remember here, you're not getting your average run of the mill tea here. You're getting a very high quality product, which only uses natural ingredients which have been specifically formulated to enhance one key bodily function. It's intended to support your body the way nature intended it to. 

Who would I recommend this product to? Basically, anybody who lives an active lifestyle. If you fall under this category, I'm sure one of Saviour Tea's products will be perfect for you.

All of the products I tried during this review are available exclusively through the Saviour Tea website. (Please click HERE)

Interview and Discount Code

I thought it would be a good idea to get an interview with Ollie, who is the head of Saviour Tea, that way you can get a better understanding of the products and the reasons behind them. Please take a look below:

What gave you the idea to start a company like this?

The company was born out of a desire to educate. You have probably read my story but just to reiterate. Through negative lifestyle choices I ended up becoming very sick with an illness called adrenal fatigue. I was playing semi-professional rugby at the time and had become injured and consequently reliant on pain killers. I was also running a nightclub in London and was binge drinking up to 3 times a week. Eventually I got sick and was forced to drastically change my life and also re-evaluate what was important to me. I chose to clean myself up and rather than take the prescription drugs offered by the doctors, used a healthy diet, adequate rest and exercise to begin the recovery process. This is where the teas came in. I was recommended certain herbs by an expert in natural medicine to speed up the healing process. They were best taken in tea form but I couldn't find the combinations I needed. I approached a tea supplier and we developed blends that I could use for my recovery. I instantly became hooked and was noticing significant benefits on my general well-being and also training. I was also developing a new passion for life which was nurtured through the teas, healthy living, clean eating and my new love for BJJ. The teas became a part of my lifestyle. I used them as natural supplements to aid my training and no longer needed the chemical based protein and pre-workout supplements, over-stimulating coffees and refined and sugary energy drinks. Instead the teas were naturally working with my body to help energise me, hydrate me, burn excess body fat and send me to sleep in the evenings so that I could recover. I wanted everyone to benefit from the teas and so began the process of creating Saviour Tea and the 'Sports Tea' range. I also wanted to educate people on the importance of looking after your body, mind and spirit which is why it was so important to include my story on the website. I guess you could say that the company was born by taking a negative situation and turning it into a positive.

How much research has gone into selecting the ingredients for your products?

I used the experience of tea specialists that have been in the industry for over 25 years as well as the knowledge from an extremely reputable herbal mediscinist and also conducted my own research. It took me a year to find the right suppliers and to find the quality of tea I was happy with selling to customers.

What is the optimal time to take each of the products?

On a typical training day when my BJJ class is in the evening I go for a Metabolic Tea in the morning to stimulate my fat burning activity. I then use the Hydration Tea throughout the day to make sure I have enough fluid for the evening’s class. I will have my Energy Tea before training to make me feel more alert and naturally stimulated and then the Recovery Tea is best used before bed to relax the central nervous system and calm muscle tension so I can sleep. Some of my sponsored athletes prefer the Energy Tea in the morning as this works as a healthy alternative to coffee. You really can work them around your training schedule and active lifestyle, they are very versatile.

Personally, out of all four, which is your favourite and why?

When I became sick the thing I really struggled with was sleep. Because my body was having trouble to control its adrenaline output I would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with a racing heart feeling like I had gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. I didn't want to use sleeping tablets as they are unnatural and so the Recovery Tea for me was a life saver. The Camomile gently relaxed my central nervous system, the passion flower calms muscle tension and the hops promote sleep. I find after sparring in the evening I have a lot of excess adrenaline and my grips are shot so the tea helps to naturally calm me and the passion flower relieves the tension in my forearms.

How would taking a product such as this benefit someone doing BJJ?

The BJJ community is amazing! To give you an example I recently had a stall at the Body Power Expo in Birmingham. I had just launched the company at this point and so everything was new to me and I was gauging the response of customers for the first time. I was enthusiastically talking to all of these body builders about the tea trying to get the importance of healthy living and naturally supplementing your training across to them but let’s just say most bodybuilders are not concerned with natural products. Feeling a little dis heartened I decided to take some of my products and leaflets next door to the BJJ British Open to see if they would let me put a small stand in there last minute. I ended up chatting to Braulio Estima who was running the event and he was so welcoming. We came to an arrangement and the next day I took my stall out of the expo and set-up at the British Open. One of the best decisions I have made with my business so far, the response was amazing! The BJJ community is full of healthy, happy and aware individuals who pay close attention to what they put into their bodies. They don't want to fill their bodies with chemical laced supplements and energy drinks and instead were welcoming and receptive to the teas, their health benefits and also were intrigued to find out more about me and my story. It was a great day, I met some amazing people and I left the event knowing that I had found a receptive market for my products as everyone was as health conscious as I was. In answer to your question, Using Saviour Tea benefits a BJJ athlete as it naturally works with the body and can be used as a natural alternative to chemical and processed supplements to enhance training performance and general well-being.

What are your future plans in regards to your company?

I am currently working on some new blends for the 'Sports Tea' range as well as new ranges that aim to support and active lifestyle. There are some even bigger goals that I visualise for the company but I won't reveal my plans just yet.

Thanks for taking the time to send me your products; I have had a blast reviewing them. Before we end, is there anybody you would like to thank?

No worries, glad you enjoyed them. Yes would like to thank everyone who has stood by me and continues to support Saviour Tea. Would also like to thank my BJJ sponsored athletes for representing the brand so well. I'm sure most of you within the BJJ community will have heard of them - Sam Gibson, River Dillon and Taylor Pearman. Cannot speak highly enough of these guys. Extremely talented, driven and focused young men who continue to dominate the UK BJJ scene. Looking forward to what the future has in store for them and being part of the journey. 

Is it possible you could supply my readers with a discount code?

Code for your readers to get 10% off is BBKID10%.

This concludes my review of Saviour Tea. I hope you guys enjoyed it! It took a while to get it all done due to various reasons, but I'm glad its finally finished. Remember, if you would like to try any of the products reviewed, use the code above to get 10% off your purchase.

Catch you later,

Giordano   

1 comments:

  1. Well, you have shared great reviews of Saviour Tea. I am going to start taking this tea within this week. I am sure it will be helpful in reducing my weight too. I am also taking Green supplements too on recommendation of my brother, and these supplements are helping me in improving my stamina.

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