The Tea Garden

Green Tea* Boba. Every time.

I’ve got this odd obsession with biting into those tapioca pearls and then swallowing them when they’re somewhat whole. The texture and flavor is awesome! I love how smooth and soft they are.

I’ve had two different types of boba. One where it was more of a smoothie and one in which it was prepared as a latte. I can’t say which I prefer as both ways of preparation actually affect the consistency of the tapioca pearls. In the former, the pearls are firmer and chewier. In the latter, the pearls are softer and more prone to breaking in half. Both methods of preparation are nice (and daresay, fun), though.

Today I had it blended creme/smoothie style. It was splendid.

*If only to legitimize this as an actual tea (because it’s at least as much a tea as the green tea stuff at Starbucks).

This is also another one I need to try again for the same reasons as the Dragon’s Well. Because it’s a black tea I think it was more forgiving with the boiling water, but just leaving the leaves in did not do it justice. It was STRONG. Dang, I’ve never had black tea just straight up, let alone just left to steep forever. She also didn’t have anything to really dress it up with, like sugar. So yup. No rating until it try again.

I’ll have to try this again for sure because I tried this for my first time at my friends house. She used boiling water and just left the leaves in, which made it really bitter. The second time we made a pot I took the leaves out after a couple minutes but boiling water was still used, and I think she poured in twice the amount of leaves needed. Maybe… I need to try it again!

=) It just doesn’t get old!

Smooth – delicious – surprisingly full flavored – very high quality tea. I’m no tea tasting professional, but I picked up some sweet/nutty flavors.

I must be really weird. This is a coconut mango black tea, but I don’t taste any fruitiness. Instead, I taste… cookies!?! It is very buttery tasting and reminds me a lot of Lupicia’s Cookie tea. A very, very good tea, but not what I expected. This is actually one of my favorites. Prepared with almond milk and stevia.

An awesome refreshing, cool beverage in a variety of flavours!

Today I had a slushy mango bubble tea with tapioca pearls. It was delicious as I personally love bubble tea as a fruity summer drink that keeps you cool in the hot summer months. The tapioca pearls have the most interesting texture ever, some hate them but I LOVE them so much! Their great! Now heres where I am torn over such an incredible drink, what do I rate it? Because if I was rating it on a fruity drink standpoint I would say 100 because it tastes really good and it’s refreshing. but on a tea standpoint, there was none to be found ( in the one I had today or even the one’s I had in the past) so on a tea level I’d have to say 0 because I don’t think there was any in sight, and if there was a minuscule amount.
What do you think about this one? I’d love your opinions

Delicious! Has a subtle fruit flavor but also hints of vanilla. Very easy to drink and has a comforting quality.

Brews a nice redish-pink. Not too sweet, flowery with a fairly strong strawberry finish.

Yummy! I loved the Tea Garden store too. They have pretty fountains and the Tea-ristas are wonderfully pleasant.

A wonderful tea. Strongly flavorful without being strong/heavy. I drink green tea almost exclusively, but this is a notable exception. Can steep up to 5 minutes on third and fourth brews without adding bitterness.

No notes yet.

I had the Raspberry flavored Jasmine Green Iced Tea. A super fruity and sweet taste if you’re into strong tasting fruit teas. However, I have to say it’s not really tea. There is little to no hint of the green tea, maybe just a bit of the bitterness. If you like real tea, don’t go for any of the flavored teas…or bubble tea for that matter. I had the tapioca pearls in mine too, and after trying them for the second time, I don’t think they are that great. Interesting texture, but a little too slimy with a weird flavor. I prefer the flavored jellies. Either way, if you like super strong fruit flavored drinks, come try a flavored bubble tea. If you’re a tea purist, I’d stay away from it. I can do both, so it works for me.

Another trip to the Tea Garden with my Favorite = another black tea latte. A little watery this time. Still though, not bad.

No notes yet.

Really interesting combination. The kiwi provides a nice fruity sweet taste, but the sourness of the lemon comes in and cuts it in half, keeping it from being overwhelmingly sweet. Ordered it with strawberry jellies too, great sugary sweet addition to the bottom of the cup. The different flavors create a visually stimulating color contrast, the lighter green liquor on the top with the pinkish red jellies swirling at the bottom. Pleasant cold drink on a sunny day, just tropical enough but not too strong with the fruit. If you like fruity drinks, give this combo a shot.

Playing catch-up from this weekend – I finally got around to having a couple of these! One with honey (at the long-standing suggestion of my roommate) and one without anything added to it (after sipping off my favorite persons’). The honey adds a nice sweet touch – not too overpowering, but I only get the faintest hint of tea. The plain black tea latte (iced) lets the tea come through a little more, but still is cool creamy smooth goodness thanks to the milk. A very nice summer drink indeed! :D

Awesome!

This was a recommended combo and it is great. Its an iced jasmine green tea with guava and grapefruit flavors. Also included are tapioca pearls and lychee jellies. Super fruity with a great amount of sweet and sour mixed. The Guava lays a solid foundation and the grapefruit keeps it energizing.
I’m a virgin to the whole bubble tea thing but I think its kinda nice. The tapioca balls are larger than anything I’ve seen before. I’m not sure how I feel about them, but the lychee jellies have an appealing consistency with just a little bit of tangyness to them. I can’t say I fully understand how the bubble tea thing supplements the actual flavor of the tea, they are a nice change of pace and keep the texture unique. Definitely give it a try if you haven’t tried it before.

First tea latte I’ve had and I must say…they are tasty! Not the purest form of enjoying tea, but a great refreshing drink for a nice summer day. What’s most intriguing about this is that the milk offers a perfect balance to the black tea taste, cutting the sharpness and making it an overall smoother experience. I’m not sure if this is specific to Tea Garden’s tea lattes or just tea lattes in general, but this one seems to be doing it’s “thang” just as it’s meant to. If you’re in the neighborhood grab one for a nice treat.

Got caught up with work and forgot about the tea. Ended up steeping it for about 25 minutes…a little on the bitter side, oops.

No notes yet.

The 3rd and final bag from the best person in the world! The tea leaves (well, technically there are no leaves because it’s a tisane) have a sweet sugary smell and it is visually stimulating as it looks like a bag of potpourri. I can smell the delicate fruitiness of the strawberries and the kick of the hibiscus but I can also detect/see the presence of orange peels and floral notes from the purple and red flakes of petals sprinkled in the mix.

The liquor is a great purplish red color, very vibrant and energetic. The aroma of the tea is not very desirable IMO. Its smell too closely resembles the smell of actual potpourri and I don’t like that association. I’ve never been a fan of potpourri, I guess it brings to mind ideas of emptiness and despair because I often encountered it in nursing homes. However, after giving the tea a taste I must say that I am pleasantly surprised. There isn’t much depth or variety to the flavor, but as the liquid passes through your mouth it leaves a wonderfully sweet and powerful taste on the back of your tongue. Super sweet so if you’re not a fan of the sweeter teas I would steer clear. Otherwise, give it a shot.