Tayside shoppers have been beating a path to local ALDI stores to stock up on Sleep tea – after it was dubbed ‘better than sleeping pills’.
And it seems Dundee isn’t short of insomniacs as the Sleep tea – part of the brand’s wellness decaf range – is sold-out in stores across the city.
The brew caused a social media stir last month as fans took to Facebook and Twitter saying the tea gives them ‘the best night’s sleep ever’ and helps with anxiety levels.
Now it’s even being sold on Ebay for more than four times its 85p for 20 price.
But is it worth the hype? Can it really cure your bedtime blues? After a bit of a hunt we finally found a box – and put it to the test…
A good night’s sleep from a teabag?
The quest to find a good night’s sleep from a teabag began in Forfar’s ALDI. No – nothing to see here – just a blank space where the Sleep tea should be.
I drove to Dundee’s Arbroath Road store where the sales assistant was very helpful but couldn’t come up with a cuppie for me. I could pick Detox, Digest or Immune-boost tea but Sleep was sold out.
It was the same picture at the Myrekirk store where the assistant said she’d been asked for it multiple times.
Next it was the Lochee branch for one last try. Again the shelves were a sleep-tea-free zone! Until sales assistant Agneta dug out the very last stray box in the shop.
Feeling like Charlie with his golden ticket I drove home for a bedtime brew.
So, what does it taste like?
Surprisingly nice.
The flavour is passion flower, camomile (known for it’s calming properties) and apple. Ingredients include flowering tops, lavender flowers and Valerian root.
These don’t sound too appealing. But its warming cinnamon smell and delicate flavour, not at all overpowering, makes it just the right amount of mellow for an evening wind-down.
Did the sleep tea work?
Scientists confirm the pandemic created a rising number of insomniacs who spend the wee small hours fretting over Covid, work, family and finances.
So I was realistic about the chances of the cuppa being a cure. I drank the tea about an hour before bed.
I didn’t sleep like a baby. But there was a definite improvement on the night before. I drifted off to sleep more quickly and woke up fewer times before morning.
I’d give it a strong 8 out of 10 – for a calming cuppie you can’t really grumble at a cost of just 4p.
I think it may have worked but, who knows, maybe it was all that driving!
Taysiders will no doubt be heading to ALDI for a stock check this weekend to see for themselves…
