Smoking Lemon Balm: The Citrus One

Lemon balm is the herb people notice first. In a blend of earthy, floral things, it's the one that reads as citrus.

What it is

Melissa officinalis is a member of the mint family, native to the Mediterranean and grown across Europe for centuries. It's a kitchen and tea-garden plant more than a smoking one, used in cooking and brewed as an infusion long before anyone rolled it.

Taste and smoke

Gently citrusy on the nose, and the taste follows the scent: light lemony zest with an undertone of mint. The smoke is soft. Against heavier herbs it's a lift, and it stops a floral blend from going cloying.

In our blends

Lemon balm turns up in three of ours, which makes it one of the hardest-working herbs we use. Solar, where it's the brightness against the calendula and tulsi. Venus, where it cuts through the rose. And Slumber, where it's the one bright note in an otherwise soft blend.

Tea Tokes blends are tobacco-free and nicotine-free. 21+.