Spring into Calm: Yogi’s Relaxation & Stress Relief Tea Trio

Let’s talk herbal tea—specifically, the Yogi Relaxation & Stress Relief Tea Variety Pack. This box promises calm in cup form with three blends: Honey Lavender Stress Relief, Bedtime, and Comforting Chamomile. It all sounds inviting when you’re watching the sunset fade over the ponderosa pines outside Flagstaff, but reality doesn’t always match the cardboard box hype. Here’s what to expect if you’re thinking of letting this trio squat in your kitchen.

The Sampler Setup (and Who Needs It)

You get 16 bags of each flavor—plenty to last a month of late-night herbal fixes, if you drink a mug a day. Chamomile and valerian root are recurring players, all stamped USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified. That’s a plus for anyone who actually pays attention to what goes in their mug or likes to support brands with proper paper trails. Yogi even states their teas are blended and packaged in the U.S. and highlights eco-friendly moves like recyclable cartons (though those three boxes do hog kitchen space).

For folks who want to mix up their sleepytime routine without buying three whole boxes, the sampler covers the bases. Just know: “variety pack” doesn’t mean “equal greatness.”

Digging into the Flavors

Comforting Chamomile—Predictable, Reliable, and Honestly Pretty Plain

The chamomile tastes exactly like what you’d expect—mellow, a bit grassy, with almost zero aftertaste. It’s got rose petals listed but don’t expect a bouquet in your nose; they’re a background singer at best. The color is a soft yellow, and it feels light on the tongue. If you’ve had any mainstream bagged chamomile, you know this flavor: it’s gentle and feels like a safety blanket, but it’s not special. Perfectly solid, especially if you pair it with honey, but if you crave depth or surprises, this isn’t it.

Honey Lavender Stress Relief—Named for a Flower, Not the Scent

If you’re buying for lavender, you’re about to be let down. Even after a long steep—think eight minutes, not three—the lavender doesn’t come through as promised. The aroma is barely there; if I squinted, maybe I caught some faint menthol or hay, but nothing floral or fresh. The flavor is dominated by chamomile and stevia, so it lands sweet and oddly flat, with the stevia edge sticking on your tongue like a stubborn guest. Think of it as chamomile trying to dress up for date night but forgetting the main accessory. Lavender dreamers better look elsewhere.

Bedtime—Funky Roots and a Strong Herbal Kick

Bedtime is where things get interesting. Valerian root leads the charge (and if you’ve never sniffed valerian, imagine a barnyard after rain). Brew this one long for maximum effect, and the result is herbal and earthy, with a slightly bitter backbone that’s less moonlight and more muddy riverbank. If you grew up on the rez with wild teas, this flavor feels real—no sweetener masks the funk, and the punch is honest. The aftertaste is clean; it doesn’t coat your mouth or leave a grassy film, which is rare for valerian-based blends. Whether it helps you sleep? That’s on you, but it will at least make regular sleepytime teas seem boring.

Stevia: Friend or Foe?

Brace yourself: stevia shows up in every blend, more obvious in some (especially that Lavender one). If you’re a stevia hater—and plenty of people are—this trio will drive you nuts. It’s got that unmistakable metallic kick and, on a second mug, starts reminding you of diet drinks gone wrong. People looking for unadulterated herbal flavor, be warned—you can’t pick a stevia-free version in this sampler.

The Box and the Real Estate

Three boxes, each pretty chunky, wrapped together—the pack takes up more room than you’d expect for 48 bags. Not a dealbreaker unless you’re squeezing herbal odds and ends into a tiny cupboard. Bonus points for recycled paperboard, though Yogi could cut down on the packaging bloat, especially if they want to lean into the earth-friendly angle.

The Green Chops

Take a close look and you’ll see what sets Yogi apart from most big store brands: these teas are actually USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified. That’s a real badge, not just marketing gloss. They also support bee-friendly agriculture, working with Pollinator Partnership—relevant if you care about what’s upstream of your tea. Compare that to most supermarket sleepytime teas and Yogi stands taller in the eco department…even if their flavor game doesn’t always keep up.

Should You Throw This in Your Mug?

This is a straightforward pick for anyone after basic organic herbal teas with a bedtime bent. The chamomile is a workhorse, the Bedtime blend is punchy (just don’t mind the dusty barn aroma), and the Honey Lavender mostly just sweetens your shelf. If you love stevia, or you don’t care much about nuanced flavor, you could keep this handy for those nights when you want to blank out before bed.

But if lavender sets your heart aflutter, or you want delicate layered scents, skip this pack. Lavender fans will come away disappointed, sweetener-sensitive shoppers will grimace, and flavor chasers should look at specialty loose-leaf blends instead.

For the climate-conscious, the certifications check out, and Yogi’s bee partnership is a nice touch in a world of green-washed brands. If packaging clutter bugs you, that’s a minus.

Bottom Line

Yogi’s Variety Pack delivers on convenience, organic cred, and down-to-earth herbal vibes. The chamomile’s solid but undramatic, Bedtime pulls no punches with valerian funk, and the Lavender blend doesn’t even make it into the ring. If you want reliable, sleep-friendly teabags and won’t cry over absent lavender or that stevia tang, this is a safe (if unremarkable) choice. But tea nerds and scent lovers? Keep hiking.

The two things this pack will always deliver: a trip to herbal-dreamland and a whole lot of barely-there lavender. Choose wisely.