31 Tasting Notes
It’s a nice sour blend. It’s got a hint of apple but i tasted the hibiscus and cranberry much more. It has an almost layered taste, where the tea has a fruity taste first and then the sour after. It’s very interesting and I’ll need another cup before I decide whether or not I like this but as of right now I don’t plan to re-order. I do intend to finish my sample though.
Preparation
Got a packet of this and expected it to be as old and flavorless as the other “free” teas left by the previous tenant of my apartment. Luckily, it wasn’t at all! It’s quite tasty and a good black tea. Something about it made it summer-y tasting to me. I’m going to search out this tea company and order some more, it’s really a great cup of flavored black tea. (Unfortunately, as I drank it yesterday, I don’t remember the exact flavors I picked out — just that it was good!)
Preparation
While this definitely has promise, I greatly dislike the style of Celestial Seasonings’ samplers. Their multi-teabag packaging means that if you don’t finish the tea fast, it goes stale. That’s the only reason I can think of that this tea didn’t give me any kind of good results at all. It’s vaguely acid-y, hibiscus-y hot water, and although I didn’t use boiling water to steep, I didn’t exactly wait for it to cool off either.
No rating because I feel it’s dishonest. I got this tea as a surprise in my new apartment — the old tenants left a drawer full of tea. Mostly herbal. Luckily, not all the packages were already open like this one, so I have high hopes for the rest! :)
I got a box of this as a gift and oh god it’s so terrible. I can barely manage to finish a cup in one go. I find it makes a decent base for chai if you have loose spices, but on its own, it’s much too harsh and bitter and just terrible. I finally finished the last cup of it today but I plan on never, ever touching this again. When I drank it today, I immediately realized why I’d tried to avoid it for so long. It tasted like the water was just too metallic— there is really not much of the characteristic “black tea” taste here, at all.
I did find it was a little better lukewarm than hot, but that’s not a sign of good tea, to me. This might make a decent iced but I don’t care to find out. The points here are that it is, eventually, drinkable, and that it’s not totally gross. Also that it might make decent iced tea. But really…other than that? It has absolutely nothing going for it.
I finished my sample today and went to go check out the sizing options for buying more — and it’s out of stock until July! I’m devastated. I know it’s totally normal and acceptable, but oh man do I want more of this tea. It makes such a great break from the black and oolong teas that I usually drink, and provides a low-caffeine drink that’s not a fruity herbal like my usual alternatives are. I’ll keep waiting for this to get back in stock so I can get my genmaicha fix!
I’ve been so busy lately that in between my super-caffeinated cups of mate/black blend and (gasp!) heavily-sugared coffee I’ve been needing something to relax that just tastes good and doesn’t compound upon my already chemically-enhanced state of awakeitude. Peppermint tea in teabags? Heaven. Perfect heaven. So easy, so quick, so delicious. Most importantly, so hard to screw up. I’ve never noticed a difference pouring the water at boiling and pouring later. It’s actually not too bad cold-brew either — yes, there have been times where I forgot to turn my kettle on entirely. (oops.) Luckily, that wasn’t recent.
Anyways, since I’ve been drinking this a lot again, figured I’d sing its praises a little more. Twinings has kept it simple and it works so, so well.
Preparation
Definitely need to get this one again. My sample is nearly done, only one cup left after I finish the one I’m slowly savoring. It’s got an almost nutty taste — very unlike most green teas because of the addition of popped rice and popcorn. But totally good, and great for someone like me who doesn’t really like green tea all that much. Like most green teas, it doesn’t take too well to hot temperatures, but if treated properly it’s wonderful.
Preparation
An excellent tea that I wish hadn’t been discontinued! I’ve got a stock of it that I’m holding onto and slowly drinking. It’s a tea that goes great with savory and spicy foods. It can be a bit odd to drink on its own, but trust me — try it with some spicy chips and salsa, and it will absolutely win you over. It’s a little smoky and savory. The leaves are very full, too, I use less than a teaspoon per cup because they expand so much. Absolutely worth it though, so if you can find it, then try it!
I’ve actually had this several times the past two days, just been too busy to log it properly!
I dislike plain mate, so I blend it with Earl Grey usually. I’m out of my proper Earl Grey Creme that I prefer, so I’m using a blend that Teavana recommended, their regular Earl Grey with their Vanilla Honeybush. It’s not as good, but it makes a decent cup of caffeinated tea. I think I prefer the roasted with this black tea, though.
Mate isn’t really what I look for when I drink it, but I find that it’s good to blend with other strongly-flavored teas and then it doesn’t hurt it at all. I have a strawberry lemonade herbal tea that goes much better with this green mate than the green mate does with this Earl Grey. I think the green would probably match up well with an oolong tea—I’ll have to try that next time. Just make sure you use hot (nearly boiling) water so you can extract the most caffeine!
