Tazo

Whew, today was very tiring day. I am not used to stay 8 hours on my feet, I am more of an office person. But here, nobody asks and when it doesn’t work, you have to fix it (half of the shift) and then in second half you had to catch the work that wasn’t done because the break down.

So, when returning “home”, I bought raspberry flavoured energy drink, because honestly I didn’t had a mood for tea at all. But later on, for dinner I brewed this tea, being decaf, and with prominsing flavour profile. Sadly, the kettle I have here available is not temperature setting one, but I tried my “bubbles method” (first bubbles = approx. 80°C) and it went pretty well I guess.

It was quite floral, base tea of cut grass; and maybe the pear that Kaylee notices is there somehow as well. That said, thank you Kaylee for sharing this tea with me.
Perfectly serviceable tea bag when needed something simple.

may have taken two bags from a friend’s apartment social lounge that had these available…. really great choice on my end! the flavor is there and it is a treat. sweet and savory yet balanced and smooth. i definitely noticed the popcorn note as i was halfway through my cup.

Earl grey tea bags. Not the Regenerative Organic Earl Grey by Tazo. I wrote a review for that before.

https://steepster.com/cathychiaolin/posts/447308

This one just made me go ??? The dry tea bag smelled exactly like the Regenerative Organic Earl Grey but the taste is completely off. First sip tasted like tap water and the tea only got more chlorine later. After it cooled down the chlorine transformed into astringentcy. Like excuse me? How do two products that look so similar taste so different? I actually made a cup of Regenerative Organic at the same time to compare them and the organic one didn’t have that weird taste.

I don’t think major supermarkets are still selling this and thank goodness. First time I give out an F score on Steepster. Maybe there were some storing issue?

sold for $4.29/20 bags

https://www.tazo.com/us/en/products/tea-bags/earl-grey/

I picked up a box of this to try it, and it’s not bad. It’s rather sweet, must be the licorice. But there is a gentle clove and pumpkin flavor underneath the sweetness, and the black tea base won’t get bitter with overstepping. I know the licorice is masking low quality tea, but I don’t mind. I’d buy this again.

Earl grey tea bags. The smell is extremely citrus forward, the black tea is overpowered by the bergamot. Gets a little astringent after a while and that is when the black tea win over the bergamot. A powerful tea bag.

Some how this product is not the same as their earl grey, the regenerative version doesn’t have natural flavors and vanilla extract.

Earl Grey product information:
https://www.tazo.com/us/en/products/tea-bags/earl-grey/

Different places sell this at different price points, I’m listing the price I bought mine for.

https://www.tazo.com/us/en/products/tea-bags/regenerative-organic-earl-grey/

If this is free in a hotel I will make a cup. But I will never buy this at a tea shop. Spending that type of money for this is a bit absurd. That being said this isn’t a terrible brew but it really only ranks in the decent category, The poor leaves are so small they really don’t afford you any true tea flavor, maybe a few woody notes here and there but most of this is covered up by the fake bergamot they use.

This is from Cameron B this summer — THANKS as I finally get to try Lemon Loaf which so many of you are always raving about. It is quite a delicious Tazo blend. And looking at these ingredients, I have no idea how most of them are even resulting in this flavor. Ginger? Apple? Licorice? Rose? Chamomile? ALL of these ingredients should result in the opposite of what I’m tasting — which is a lovely lemony dessert, also with the perfect level of sweetness. It’s such a great balance of sweet lemon, with a touch of tart lemon rind, and cream. It’s lovely all around.

This herbal blend from the Strange VariaTea TTB is better than I expected! The passionfruit flavor is clear and on point. While the turmeric is definitely present, it complements rather than overwhelms the passionfruit. This is sweet, it’s savory, it’s satisfying!

I really like this. It’s milder than most green tea and has a wonderful minty aroma and flavour.

Bagged tea from Tazo, great for a quick, no-brainer, I-need-something-sweet-and-comforting kind of brew. I mostly use this while traveling because of the convenience of teabags vs. loose leaf. It’s nice and vanilla-y with a tiny, tiny hint of warm spice. Honestly, the bar was really low on this one, so it passed with flying colors. Brewed according to the instructions on the box.

This herbal tea was available at the conference when they set out the coffee/tea, so I decided to give it a try. Um… no. Just no. It tastes like orange-flavored Tums, complete with chalky mouthfeel. I’m not even sure how that happened, based on the ingredients list. I was nervous about the licorice root because I don’t always love that ingredient, but I can’t even taste/feel its presence. Just tart, orange-y, vaguely chalky unpleasantness.

The conference had coffee and tea available a few times a day, so of course I made good use of the opportunity. Alas, despite Tazo being the only brand of tea on offer, no Glazed Lemon Loaf blend! I made do with a combination of using the hot water to make tea with bags I had brought with me and this intriguing blend. I’ve never had lotus blossom, don’t know what it tastes like, and don’t think I’ve ever knowingly had it in a tea blend. And I still haven’t, because this consists of naturally decaffeinated green tea and natural flavors! But let’s benefit-of-the-doubt this situation and assume that the natural flavors include and/or approximate the flavor of lotus blossom.

To me, this smells and tastes like pear. It’s palatable enough for a conference tea, and I enjoyed its light juiciness! I wouldn’t necessarily rush out to buy a box, but I’d drink a cuppa if it’s available.

So, after my short Germany trip, Bruce Springsteen concert in Hamburg stadium being the most important reason, I came home with two new teas I have bought. I got one sample free of charge, but this tea isn’t any I have bought. Instead, when I came home, a thick envelope from Canada landed on my desk; saying “Happy Postcrossing!” so it is a tea from Canadian Postcrossing member.

There were actually 5 different tea bag wrappers and I took this one today, looking for something simple — but flavoured.

There is a text on the wrapper saying: “This bright green tea blend has a kick from ginger & a sweet note of pear.” That caught my attention, moreover seeing no pear in the ingredients list on the other side. On the other side there is also a lovely typo saying that you should use 80°F (175°C) water, but trust me, I haven’t prepared it in the steam, but used 80°C water instead.

Honestly, there is no ginger kick, but there is the pear along with lemongrass in the flavour. Green tea was mild, but also a weak in flavour, but yep, it was refreshing and non-offensive. But I don’t need getting and trying it again.

Sipdown! (2 | 191)

Cold brewed.

This is… interesting. I’ve been feeling slightly under the weather for a couple of days, so I’ve been taking Emergen-C vitamin C chewables. This reminds me of those. Very acidic and tart fake orange. Definitely tasting the citric acid.

It’s not completely undrinkable, but not something I would want to have again either.

This is my default tea and consider this classic. It is comforting and familiar enough that if made “incorrectly,” it is still most enjoyable. I add about a teaspoon of sugar and enough milk to make it beige.

This is what my ex-mother-in-law always has in her cupboard when I visit her so this is what I always drink when I’m there and I’m not sad about it. It could be far more dire! Haha
It’s a smooth white tea with a light blueberry flavour and I personally find it quite comforting and relaxing to sip on. It’s a simple “what you see is what you get” tea that I do enjoy.
When I made my tea yesterday, there was only 1 tea bag left in the box so I let her know. She said “oh that box is so old, I wonder if they still make it?” I had to chuckle. She wrote it on her grocery list so we’ll see what’s in her tea cupboard next time I go over.

I was craving some fruit tea but I found out that my box of fruit teas is almost empty. The teas which are in, aren’t what I have been looking for. I would like some citrusy, light tea, not filled with hibiscus. So, I went to my herbal box and found there this tea bag. It sounded quite refreshing, contains a spearmint, peppermint but also lemongrass, so it will be refreshing right?

Ehh. No. Actually I don’t even know how to describe the flavour after recommended 5 minutes steep. It’s quite heavy floral and yes, I would guess the chamomile. But then, some stingy note appears on my tongue which is probably mint. Lemongrass? Where? Cardboard aftertaste.

And so many other ingredients there. Sarsaparilla, I just remember it is favourite by some, but again I forgot, how it should be like?!

Ehm, I am glad to finishing the mug. I believe I have received it last summer from Amy, from postcrossing; so thank you! but it’s not my jam. Afterall, as most of chamomile and its blends.

I’ve finally tried this bagged grail that everyone seems to adore, and I feel a certain sense of accomplishment. The nose is absolutely insane on this… how do they manage that without adding flavoring?! It made me want to check my fingers for crusty little bits of white icing. The entire scent profile is spot-on without holes or extras.

The mouthfeel and taste certainly, certainly don’t keep up with the nose, but that cakey waft sorta makes up for everything else. A bit thin and empty in the middle. I think this is why I tend to not ever really dig herbal teas — there is something so special in what camellia sinensis does in the mouth, in myriad iterations, that herbs and fruits and spices and most other concocted brews just can’t. It’s not their fault.

This was my first experience with green rooibos, recommended by ashmanra. I can’t say I have big opinions about it, as I think its job here was to blend in and support everything else (which it does admirably).

May Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a tea available almost anywhere

Why does this last bag have to taste so good that I want to go straight to Publix and buy a new box? Green rooibos makes an awesome base for these lemon and vanilla flavors. I didn’t know I had any left, but found this while rootling around in the no caf box. Perfect tea for relief drinking tonight. A friend asked what makes it taste like cake but I have no idea how they accomplish it.mit can’t be just the vanilla. This is redolent of the lemon, vanilla, and cake, and is very satisfying with no milk and sugar. For me, it needs no additions. It might be really extra- desserty with them, though.

February Sipdown Prompt – a grocery store tea

No note from me? And I am about to finish our second box of this tea.

We normally drink this hot. We drink it without sweetener, but I needed a caffeine free evening beverage and since it was around 80F today, I decided to get wild and make this sweet and iced. It has a really strong vanilla aroma, so very very cake-like which is what they were aiming for, so BINGO!

I think as a sweet iced tisane, the vanilla comes much more forward and maybe even steps on the lemon a bit, but it is still quite good. I think I do prefer it hot. Next time we drink it will probably be a sipdown, although I may repurchase in the future after the cupboard gets a bit smaller. (I still haven’t added my puerh teas to the cupboard, partly because there is no hurry to drink them down.)

Plastic in these tea bags so I avoid Tazo. Try Stash chai tea, has great flavor notes!