Tea of Life

Sororitea Sisters TTB

So not only did a giant package arrive for me from CuppaGeek for me for the tea blog (which has yet to be added to my cupboard because I am afraid) but the HUGE Sororitea Sisters TTB also showed up so on top of all the other new teas that arrived this week, I am now trying to power through the TTB. And going out for Summerlicious every night. And expecting my AQ2T monthly subscription to arrive this Monday. Between tea and food, I have been full for basically a week straight.

This is one of the teas from the traveling teabox and I reached for it because it was a teabag and that means it is easy to make. Plus, being a white tea, I thought it might be on the lighter side. That isn’t exactly too because it has a rich raspberry flavor combined with a pretty full white base. I would say this tea would be a simple tea that would be nice in the winter because to me it just has a bit of the winter heaviness that hopefully people know what I am talking about. It’s not bad for a teabag but as it cools, it gets a little bitter and soapy so best to drink this quick.

This tea is very sweet – I have it with just a little bit of milk. I’ve been drinking it in the morning with my maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal, and it suits very well. Love it!

Sample from tea sipper.

I’ve had trouble finding a peach tea I like. This isn’t it, but it’s closer than some but overall not something I enjoyed. The peach flavor is artificial, but not overwhelming, and I like how it combines with the ginger. I don’t like the rooibos they use for a base, however. It’s strong and unpleasantly smokey. I don’t like it in combination with the peach either. Not my cup of tea.

ugh. so so tired! I slept a LOT yesterday and I’m exhausted. These meds are making me feel better in one way, not so much in another. I’ve noticed though that I get a serious boost of energy when I “activate” myself with some caffeine… or else I could truly sleep the whole day away. So I guess I should figure out how to bring some with me to work!! eeeps.
Maybe not this particular one though. I had it sans sugar or milk, and it was just ok. A bit bland but then I’ve always preferred Assam over Ceylon. I’ll try it again with some additives.
Solo, I found it was rather mild with the standard coppery woodsy taste. Smooth. Well rounded. But missing something.

I had this while on vacation. I am deeply against bagged tea, but I needed some sort of “tea fix”. After this, I wish I would’ve just done without. This was very dry, dusty, and bitter. The packaging says to steep for five minutes, and that would be a very large mistake. I steeped at three minutes, and it had already gone south. This not something I’d be into.

I am trying to soothe my conscience from a tea-buying spree with a sip down project. Budget, schmudget— I can feel OK as long as it all fits into the tea cabinet, right? The one with three huge drawers that I thought would not only hold my tea and but have plenty of extra room for storage. The one that now is now covered with must-sip-downs and has nary any room for three impending international tea orders… blush

This is surprisingly good for not only a bagged but really ancient tea from the cupboard. Not tasting much from the green, mostly passion fruit with a hint of ginger, but it is very pleasant and not overly artificial-tasting as I thought it might be. It’s a little light on flavor, but that could be due to age. This would be great iced, and cold-brewing would use it up…that’s happening.

Backlog:

The fragrance of Bergamot is lacking – I didn’t get a strong bergamot aroma when I opened the pouch and I also didn’t get a really strong bergamot scent in the brewed tea. It was a little disappointing to me because I love me some bergamot and I enjoy smelling it almost as much as I enjoy drinking a properly flavored Earl Grey tea.

Flavor-wise, the bergamot is there. It’s a good earl grey. It doesn’t taste soapy or like cologne. The black tea is brisk and smooth and not astringent.

Overall, I enjoyed this. I wish it had a stronger bergamot scent but because the flavors were there, I can’t really knock it too severely. A decent Earl Grey.

Here’s my full-length article: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/10/31/earl-grey-tea-from-tea-of-life/

Backlog:

This was alright. It was actually better than alright, I found it quite nice.

The green tea was lightly sweet, buttery and a little grassy but not overly so. It had a smooth, soft texture. The orange is bright and flavorful. The spices are gently warm with notes of clove and cinnamon. The spices aren’t overdone. This isn’t one of those ‘red hot cinnamon orange’ type of teas.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/10/23/orange-spice-flavored-green-tea-from-tea-of-life/

After trying the guava-flavoured tea from the same sampler I was more than a bit wary about the other teas, but this one has helped to allay my fears. It’s a nice, refreshing citrus flavour that pairs well with the white tea base. It’s not exactly remarkable, but it’s certainly good for a bagged tea.

This Christmas one of my gifts was an assorted box of Tea of Life black, green, and white teabags, mostly in fruit flavours.

This one certainly smelled promising – the scent was very much like actual guava and not just Generic Tropical Fruit Flavour™. And at first the flavour seems nice too, the green tea base wasn’t too harsh (always a challenge with bagged green teas because of the broken tea leaves usually used) and the flavour was distinctly guava. The problem is that after the initial fruity notes came an unpleasant aftertaste that I really dislike. It tasted almost rotten to me. I’m not sure where it’s coming from or if maybe that batch of tea was somehow spoiled. But the end result is that it completely ruined the tea for me. :(

Backlog:

This is one of the better teas that I tried from Tea of Life.

Each of the fruit flavors promised is represented in the sip: banana, mango, pineapple and passion fruit, but they do not overpower the black tea base. A smooth black tea, and the combination of the fruit and black tea is a very harmonious taste.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/09/26/tropical-sorbet-black-tea-from-tea-of-life/

Backlog:

Dry, I got next to no lemon scent. The brewed liquid is lemon-y, though, almost like lemon pledge. Fortunately, it doesn’t taste like that. (Not that I’ve ever tasted Lemon Pledge. I guess I should say it doesn’t taste like I think lemon pledge would taste.)

A pleasant flavor. The lemon flavor is strong but doesn’t overpower the sweet, buttery, soft grassy notes of the green tea. It doesn’t have an artificial lemon flavor which is something I worried about. It’s a bright, energetic lemon flavor.

Nice.

Backlog:

It’s alright. Not my favorite from Tea of Life that I’ve tried and I’ve tried quite a few. The guava flavoring is strong and focused. The green tea is light and buttery and slightly grassy.

It’s sweet, it’s fruity and would make a good iced tea. Overall, it’s alright.

This is my go-to English Breakfast teabag when I don’t feel like futzing around with loose tea. (The lazy, it is strong sometimes.) I enjoy the flavor, and can often drink it straight, but most often add a dollop of honey and shot of fresh lemon. I’ve never found it to be bitter unless I’ve goofed and forgotten to pull the bag out after my usual 4 minutes.

Backlog:

Tasty. The ginger isn’t overpowering but does add a warm, zesty flavor to the cup. It starts out really soft, so much so that at the start I barely noticed the ginger but as I continued to sip, the flavor developed. The sweetness of the peach curbs the kick of the ginger and these two flavors work really well with the nutty flavors of the rooibos.

Backlog:

A very flavorful, snickerdoodle-like blend. The sweet, nutty flavor of the rooibos when combined with the flavors of cinnamon and vanilla ends up tasting a lot like a snickerdoodle liquefied.

The cinnamon is warm, not spicy-sweet like a cinnamon candy, but more like the stuff you’d sprinkle on your toast. Or roll cookie dough around in and put on a baking sheet and bake to make snickerdoodle cookies. The vanilla is sweet and creamy.

A little bit of caffeine-free yum.

Backlog:

A tasty tisane. Light apple-y notes from the chamomile and hints of floral. The lemongrass is smooth and buttery with bright citrus notes. Honey-like flavors. The lemongrass is a lot softer in flavor than I expected. It is noticeable primarily toward the finish.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/08/08/chamomile-lemongrass-tisane-from-tea-of-life/

Backlog:

I was a little surprised by this tea. The black tea is strong and there is very little mint flavor and there is no “Julep” (or … bourbon) flavor to speak of.

Overall, this is alright. But it’s not a strong minty flavor, and if that’s something you’re looking for in a mint tea, then this one isn’t the tea you want. If you want strong black flavor with a hint of mint … this is the tea for you. If you’re looking for a Julep … keep looking.

Backlog:

this was an enjoyable cup of tea. I tasted more rose than I did pomegranate. The green tea was buttery with a soft vegetal note. The rose has a beautiful floral taste and the pomegranate flavor is delicate through the sip but comes through strong in the aftertaste.

Good hot (let it cool for a few minutes though) and even better iced.

Backlog:

This was not my favorite tea from Tea of Life. (I’ve tried quite a few of them and still have quite a few more to write about).

The lavender tastes artificial, as if it were put there by flavoring or essential oil rather than by lavender buds. Because of that … it ends up tasting like someone added lavender perfume to my tea. Not an enjoyable taste for me.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/07/04/white-lavender-tea-from-tea-of-life/

Backlog:

I think I prefer Tulsi when it’s part of a blend rather than when it’s going solo like this Organic Tulsi, because it tastes a tad too medicinal for my liking. It doesn’t taste bad, but it just tastes very … herbaceous.

Basil-like flavor with notes of pepper and hints of mint. A soothing cuppa. Not my favorite but I didn’t hate it either.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/06/25/organic-original-tulsi-from-tea-of-life/

Backlog:

The aroma was inviting with notes of cherry and berry.

The aroma translates to the flavor and I get delicious, delicate notes of fruit with mellow notes of black tea. The fruit notes do not overpower the mild black tea flavor, I think a nice balance has been achieved with this blend.

Overall, a pretty decent blend. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/06/19/berry-patch-black-tea-blend-from-tea-of-life/

Backlog:

The chocolate rooibos tisanes from Tea of Life have been very satisfying for this chocoholic. They are very chocolate-y! And it’s a rich, dark chocolate. I’m a happy camper when it comes to these teas.

The chocolate is rich and a dark, bittersweet type of chocolate. The coconut is a bit softer than the chocolate (and not the other way around, yay!) and I like the smooth, creamy sweetness it adds to the cup. Not a strong, overpowering flavor of rooibos to this and I’m quite alright with that.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/06/12/rooibos-chocolate-coconut-from-tea-of-life/

Backlog:

With so many flavors going on, I worried that this would taste more like fruit flavors than it would taste of tea, but I was happy that I could taste more tea than fruit.

Yeah, these teas from Tea of Life are bagged, but I’ve been really happy with most of what I’ve tried from them. I’ve come across one or two that I didn’t care for, but for the most part, they’re not bad, and sometimes that convenience of the bag is really important.

A good black tea base with fruit notes of strawberry, cherry, blackberry and black currant. I enjoyed this. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/05/31/forest-fruit-black-tea-from-tea-of-life/