63 Tasting Notes
I’m slowly working my way through all of these Starbucks teas on the mornings I don’t have time to make my own before I leave the house. This one is iced with lemonade and unsweetened. The whole sip is a sweet and sour strawberry flavor – but then the aftertaste kicks in and it is gnarly. Like intensely artificial prunes. I also don’t get any green tea in any of this. Definitely my least favorite of the three flavors I’ve tried.
Flavors: Artificial, Lemon, Sour, Strawberry, Sweet
Killer cramps today, boooooo. In this state caffeine just makes me feel worse, and I figured some peppermint would calm my stomach and even though I’m at work I conveniently had a little tester size pack of this in my bag. Bless it. Bless this tea. The perfect amount of peppermint and creaminess and really great quality white tea. I’ve reviewed this already but I’m upping my rating because this is saving my life today.
First let me say I know this is my fault. I decided to cold brew this, since the idea of warm cream soda sounded wrong to me. Stuck it in my pitcher, went to sleep – and left it in there for three days. Oops. It actually didn’t end up super strong, but there’s an almost metallic taste to it? The sourness of the rhubarb doesn’t blend smoothly with the cream flavor (which is more accurate than I thought it could be!). Next time I’ll do it properly…maybe steeping in lemonade??
Flavors: Berry, Cream, Metallic, Rhubarb, Tart
Preparation
I drink this hot in the winter, iced in the summer, all of the time, always with soy milk. The chain of cafes around here that serves it makes it pretty strong and it’s beautiful. Strong and spicy and not too sweet at all. They sell this by the quart box as a liquid. Can’t get any better.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Spicy
Preparation
Awww man. I expected so much more from this. I like mint teas a lot, but only when they’re not so basic and a little more unexpected. I was hoping the ginger and pepper and cardamom would combine to make something really spicy and fresh – but it’s just a mint tea. The mint does linger on the palette a little longer than most, and it’s not bad per se. I just wanted more from it.
Flavors: Ginger, Peppermint
This has that distinct “Teavana fruit” element I remember so well from their loose leaf blends. The lemonade is a refreshing addition, and makes the drink sweet enough without adding sweetener (careful – they put it in automatically unless you ask for it without). Not sure if they still have the Passion tea, once my great iced tea true love, but this hits a lot of the notes Passion does. Hibiscus is a strong note here, second only to the peach.
Flavors: Hibiscus, Lemon, Peach
Another stop on my quest to try ALL the banana teas. Now, my ambivalence for black tea has been documented, but this one of the best I’ve tried. It says it’s Ceylon? Really light for a black, and supports this caramelized banana flavor throughout the tea. Not banana bread, more like the kind of banana you use for it: all dark and mushy. It’s not as intense of a banana as I’d like (nothing is really) but it’s really smooth. Bluebird/Bird and Blend is really impressing me! I also snagged a tin of their Bananas & Custard in their voting promo – really excited to give it a go!
Flavors: Banana, Caramel
Rishi is a local company for me, so I’m lucky enough to be able to have their tea pretty frequently in cafes around town. I’m pretty sure this is the matcha they serve, and it’s delicious. I like it iced with coconut milk. One of the more grassy matchas I’ve tried, with a vegetal afternote. Just very “green” tasting. Next time I’ll review their chai – one of my favorites!
Flavors: Cut Grass, Grass, Green, Vegetal
I ordered one of these the other day and holy cow SWEET. Totally forgot that Starbucks adds ungodly amounts of syrup unless you say no. Today I had it unsweetened, but still with the lemonade – much better! The pineapple flavor in this is so strong, I’m actually a little impressed. Really excited to find a “fast food” tea option for the mornings I can’t make my own!
Flavors: Pineapple