Crazy Tea Chick (Emily)

I’ve been drinking a lot of “berry” teas lately…I think subconsciously I’m getting myself ready for the fruity tastes and smells of late spring and summer. :) Most of the berry teas I’ve ever had have been herbal teas, without an actual “tea” basis, just brewed herbs and leaves with fruit flavoring. However, if you’re more into actual tea leaves, and a stronger taste, I’ve found the right berry tea for you: Lipton’s Bavarian Wild Berry Black Tea.

This is a flavored black tea made with pieces of real berries, packaged nicely in Lipton’s awesome little pyramid bags. (I love the pyramid bags – you can actually see the fruit pieces basically open up after steeping, and the smell and taste are much stronger.) Here’s the tea’s official ingredient list: Black tea, dried apple pieces, rose hip peel, chicory root, cinnamon bark, licorice root, modified corn starch, natural flavor, dried blackberry pieces, dried black currant pieces, ginger root, orange peel, dried blueberry pieces, dried raspberry pieces. That’s a lot of fruit pieces, people. The fruit never overwhelms the black tea though – the strong black tea is just as easy to taste as all of the wonderful fruit.

I haven’t tried the tea iced yet, but I’m guessing that like most teas, it tastes even better hot. I let my bag steep for 3-4 minutes in boiling water. Each bag has 80 mg of Flavonoids per serving (that’s a good thing), and 20 mg of caffeine per serving.

Final say: The tea smells fantastic, and tastes just as good – this one’s a must-try.

From http://www.crazyteachick.com:

I’m a huge fan of Celestial Seasonings and their always-wonderful tea. Huge fan. I was recently in Target (my second home) when I noticed the company’s Fruit Tea Sampler. Upon examination, I realized that the sampler contained a few teas I hadn’t tried before. Gasp.

I recently reviewed one of the other teas in the sampler, the Raspberry Zinger. I love it muchly, and trust me, the True Blueberry is just as good. It doesn’t taste sugary, but it has a SLIGHT sweetness to it that makes it almost like dessert, or reminiscent of a blueberry yogurt flavor. As an herbal tea, it’s caffeine-free, and the ingredients are “hibiscus, rosehips, orange peel, natural blueberry flavor with other natural flavors (contains soy lecithin), blackberry leaves, wild blueberries and blueberry leaves”. The word blueberry is mentioned three times just in the ingredient list, so that’s a good thing, right?

Wild blueberries (that just sounds exotic) are used in the tea, and it’s no secret how good blueberries are for your body. There’s almost an grape-like flavor to these blueberries. I’ve tried the tea cold and it’s great that way, but it’s even better hot, like a warm slice of blueberry pie. Just pour boiling (or almost-boiling) water over a bag and steep for around 4-5 minutes.

Anyway, it’s hard to express in words what truly should be expressed through taste, so try this tea, and try it soon!

If you pride yourself on being a tea connoisseur (raises hand), then you probably have noticed something about raspberry tea: it’s either really “fake” and overly sweet, or it’s pretty freaking awesome. It’s one of those teas that’s a hit or miss. Well, the Raspberry Zinger from Celestial Seasonings is a hit. Big-time. Like bases-loaded, let’s-score-the-winning-run sort of hit.

My favorite thing about this tea is the tartness you can detect: nothing sugary, but a taste slightly sour, like it should be with a raspberry tea. My second favorite thing about the tea is the wonderful aroma. Seriously, candles should smell so good. Basically I’m saying that I love the taste and the smell, so what else do you need?

I’ve never drank the tea iced (I’m a sucker for a cup of hot goodness), but I’ve heard that it makes fantastic iced tea. The listed ingredients for the tea are hibiscus, rosehips, roasted chicory, orange peel, blackberry leaves, natural raspberry flavor with other natural flavors (contains soy lecithin), raspberries and raspberry leaves. Just brew your bag in about 8 ounces of boiling (or near-boiling, in my case) water for around 5 minutes (4 to 6, the company says), and enjoy!

(Guest post from my mom!) :)

Well, hello there, sweet new addiction. How’ve you been, soon-to-be lifelong obsession?

Are you guessing that The Boston Tea Company’s Peach Passion (Premium Oolong Loose Blend Tea flavored with Sweet Peaches and Sunflowers) is a hit in my kitchen? I’m actually enjoying the heck out of a hot mug of this fragrant, flavorful, and beautifully delicious tea as I’m typing.

Talk about inspiration.

Emily (known to you as “The Crazy Tea Chick” and known to me as my beautiful first born daughter) often rolls her eyes at my fascination with putting honey in hot tea. I add it to green tea, black tea, white tea… basically anything BUT Chai Tea (that’s a job for cream). I don’t add honey to iced teas but if it’s a mug of hot tea, you’ll find me and my honey bear (now don’t judge me) nearby ready to sweeten the deal. Every tea, every time.

A funny thing happened on my way to my hot mug of Peach Passion, though. I left the honey bear behind. After one Heavenly whiff and after one even more Heavenly sip, I felt that it’d be positively criminal to add anything to the mug except my lips.

I was slow in jumping on the loose tea bandwagon. I honestly assumed that loose leaf tea would be too expensive and complicated – that is before I actually tried it for myself. Loose leaf tea is absolutely amazing and, although I still enjoy tea from bags as often, loose leaf tea is a real pleasure – especially when it’s crafted by perfectionists like The Boston Tea Company.

If you love high quality tea, I strongly urge you (with Peach Passion on my breath) to become a regular visitor to Boston Tea.com… Every single tea I’ve ever had from The Boston Tea Company has left me speechless – and, trust me, for this gal that’s really saying something. The Peach Passion is one you simply have to try right away. The intensity of the peach flavor and the underlying sweetness is nothing short of perfection. You’ll also love the resealable bag. So convenient.

This tea is absolutely divine and, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for another cup. Peach Passion and sugar cookies is a match made in Heaven.

(Guest post from my mom Joi!)

There are certain varieties (and brands) of tea that I always have on hand. Always. Twinings Darjeeling Tea is one of the ones I’m most loyal to.

I just realized, I can’t imagine NOT having Darjeeling tea on hand. Unheard of!

Did you know that Twinings was founded in London, England in 1706? Talk about longevity and on the job experience. Little wonder they’re one of the best tea brands in the business. You pick up a bit of knowledge over hundreds of years, I’d imagine.

Darjeeling tea is one of those teas that tastes exceptional iced or hot. For people like me, who drink tea all day and all night, this is a must. If I had to choose my favorite way to enjoy a cup of Darjeeling, however, it’d be hot. Now here’s the kicker, I’m a honey fanatic and add honey to most of the cups of hot tea I drink. However, even I wouldn’t dream of adding anything to a cup of Darjeeling tea. It’d seem…well, wrong. This tea has a hint of sweetness without adding anything at all. That, as well as its beautiful fragrance, make this one of my favorite teas.

This Heavenly intense black tea is from the foothills of the Himalayas, and it doesn’t let you forget its exotic background for one second. Some teas are perfectly content to have a subtle, almost shy, personality. They don’t make a lot of noise, you know. They’re just happy to be in your presence. If you want to add a little fruit, fine. If you want to stir in a little honey, great. If you want to eat cookies or pie as you sip, wonderful. Have at it. It’s all about you, and these subtle teas insist on being your second in command.

Then there’s Darjeeling Tea. Darjeeling Tea is the star of the show, with a delightful diva-like presence that I LOVE. If you’ve never tried Darjeeling Tea, you have to grab some Twinings Darjeeling Tea and prepare to fall in love.

You’ll find yourself following the same ritual I do:

- I open the box of Twinings Darjeeling Tea
- I put my nose to the box and inhale the wonderful aroma
- I joyfully brew up an amazing mug to enjoy, sometimes two
- I wonder how I ever got along without Darjeeling

It’s a wonderful ritual and one I highly recommend. :)

A few things I’m loving right now: AMC’s “The Walking Dead”. Olive Garden. The Hunger Games. Zombie video games. My Green Bay Packers. Tim Tebow. Oh yeah, something else I’m enjoying the heck out of? Boston Tea Company. Because my two favorite teas right now are both from their company (Mint Chocolate Delight Green Tea and Coconut Joy Black Tea).

I’ve already reviewed the Mint Chocolate Tea, and now I have the honor of reviewing their Coconut Tea and it’s a beautiful, beautiful thing. The smell alone makes this tea worth drinking – honestly, it smells like a wonderful, edible sort of suntan lotion or dessert. The taste won’t let you down either. The coconut taste is noticeable, but you never forget that this is indeed a black tea. The ingredients are Ceylon Black Tea, pieces of coconut, and natural coconut flavorings. I use boiling water (or right about to boil), and I let the leaves steep for 4-6 minutes for the best flavor. The leaves do infuse a very strong taste, so for a 8 oz. mug, I don’t use more than a teaspoon of the loose leaves.

If you’ve ever read a review of mine, you know that I pretty much always prefer hot tea to iced tea. However, this tea is one of the FEW that is honestly every bit as good iced as it is hot. Seriously, it’s good iced.

I have nothing bad to say about this tea: the aftertaste, the smell, the leaves, the taste – it’s all amazing. Awesome job, Boston Tea Company. Very happy tea drinker here.

Houston, we have a new favorite tea.

Let’s face it, I’m pretty fan-girly when it comes to tea, especially green tea. In my completely unbiased opinion, it’s the greatest and most delicious thing in the galaxy. Well, it and cheesecake.

I have to confess, however, that at the moment one tea ranks above all others as my current favorite: Boston Tea Company’s Mint Chocolate Delight. It’s an amazing combination of premium Chinese green tea, mint flavor, and natural cocoa. If you’re a frequent Olive Garden diner like yours truly, you’ve probably tried their delicious afterdinner chocolate mints. This tea actually smells a little like those mints, but the flavor is still predominately “green tea with the subtle taste of chocolate”, not “hot chocolate tea”.

The company recommends using one teaspoon of leaves for every 8 oz. of hot water, but I use a little more because the tea doesn’t steep very strongly, and one teaspoon is a little thin for me. The company also suggests adding milk or lemon as desired, but I kind of forbid you from doing that…messing up this tea with anything extra would be downright criminal. Enjoy!

So, my sleep schedule’s been a little off these past few months. Instead of falling asleep around 12 or 1am (like I have most of my life), I’ve been falling asleep closer to 3 or 4am, which puts me behind on waking up, which throws my day off and I’m over it. Unfortunately, the only solution I can come up with is cutting back, ever so slightly, on my caffeine-intake. Cue the herbal, caffeine-free teas.

I did, of course, make coffee this morning (I didn’t want to DIE), but I decided to brew a tea that promoted “energy and focus” but didn’t O.D. me on caffeine. To my surprise, I found one in my cabinet (it’s like a tea shop up in there). The Republic of Tea has a line of red teas, and I happen to own one called “Get Charged: Herb Tea For Energy”. Yes, please.

It has a very strong smell, which is fine with me, and the taste is pretty strong as well. This is an “organic rooibos-based blend”, which is also paired with herbs like Chinese ginseng and peppermint, stevia, hibiscus, and a few things I’ve never heard of, honestly, like Ashwagandha, and Gotu kola leaf, which purportedly grants you focus and boosts circulation. (They do point out that the FDA hasn’t evaluated their statements, so don’t rely on their teas to treat diseases and whatnot.)

I can’t swear to anything, but I have noticed that since I finished my cup about an hour ago, I’ve stopped yawning, and I’ve gotten quite a few things done, including some writing that I’ve been putting off forever. The tea tastes pretty good – the only thing I don’t really love is the intense aftertaste. I’m all for a tea tasting vivid in my mouth while I’m drinking it, I just prefer not to still be tasting it several minutes after swallowing. But that’s not every person’s opinion, obviously – some people out there are crazy about aftertastes, God love ‘em.

Final verdict? I’ll be brewing this tea quite often as an assistant to my morning coffee – the java wakes me up, while the tea keeps me focused. It’s so cute how they work together. :)

Review from my tea blog: http://www.crazyteachick.com – Crazy Tea Chick :)

(Guest post from my mom, who also posts on Crazy Tea Chick!)

Suffice to say, I drink TAZO Passion tea as often as some people drink water. Maybe more.

I know from experience that truly great tea and herbal infusions can help you kick the diet soda and regular soda (pop, soft drink, Coke….) habit. Almost daily we read how unhealthy soft drinks and diet drinks are for us. It really is time to make the switch for good. What’s more, we need to do all we can to help our loved ones make the same healthy switch.

If you provide them with great alternatives, such as TAZO Passion Tea as well as other flavored teas, the switch won’t just happen, it’ll STICK!

Passion Tea is a little easier to find in stores that TAZO’s Wild Sweet Orange Tea; however it is also available on Amazon. Like the Wild Sweet Orange Tea, Passion tea is excellent cold or hot – I honestly love it both ways equally. Each of these teas has something else in common – neither needs any sweetener at all. I have as big a sweet tooth as anyone and am pretty guilty of throwing honey in just about everything! However, I wouldn’t dream of adding anything to these teas. Why mess with perfection?!

Order Herbal Infusion Tea-Passion (Decaf) on Amazon or look for it in the tea aisle of your favorite grocery store or Starbucks. You’ll become as passionate about it as we are.

(Guest post from my mom!)

Wondering how to get your family to stop drinking soft drinks? Give them a tastier alternative! TAZO Wild Sweet Orange Tea is a potent weapon.

As addicted as Emily (aka The Crazy Tea Chick) and I are to Tazo Wild Sweet Orange Tea, we’ve no doubt written about it before on the tea blog. Truth be told, we aren’t the only ones with this sweet addiction, the rest of our family is as hooked on it as we are.

The only problem is, it has become increasingly difficult to find this particular tea in stores. I used to buy it regularly at Kroger and Target, as well as in individual Starbucks stores. However, now it’s kind of like finding Waldo’s great uncle, the Invisible Man.

Enter Amazon! Amazon is the best kind of store, the kind that never closes and almost never runs out of anything. What’s more, they bring the goodies right to your door. Have I told you lately how much love I have for Amazon. If not, I’m telling you now. The love has actually grown even deeper because they are now my number one source for this incredible tea.

If you’re trying to switch from soft drinks and diet soft drinks to healthier drinks such as tea… or if you’re trying to get a loved one to make the healthy switch… your secret weapon is going to be fun, delicious, and addictive flavors of tea – especially with young people. If you want them to put down the cans of soft drinks which do NOTHING for them health-wise and pick up drinks that actually make them healthier, you’d better be prepared to give them drinks they’ll keep coming back for.

On ice or off ice, Tazo Wild Sweet Orange and Tazo Passion Tea are delicious and fun enough to make even the biggest soda drinker see the error of his/her ways. Take it from a gal with a STRONG Diet Dr. Pepper fixation! It’s teas like these two that have helped me make one of the healthiest transitions I’ve ever made.

If you’re the least bit familiar with me or my blog, you’ve possibly figured out that I’m kind of crazy about mint – the taste, the herb, the smell, blah blah blah. I dig it.

Needless to say, I find it very hard to pass up a box of mint tea while out shopping – brand doesn’t matter, packaging doesn’t matter, bag or loose, flavored or unflavored…if it’s minty, this sucker’s buying it.

The newest mint tea I’ve tried comes in tea bag form, and it’s courtesy of Carrington Tea (the makers of one of my favorite green teas ever). It’s Carrington’s Peppermint Tea (ingredients? 100% Peppermint Leaves. That’s it. How great is that?). I picked up a 20-bag box at Wal-Mart for – get this – $0.97. Yep, ninety-seven pennies. Okay, I didn’t actually purchase it with 97 pennies, but hey, I could have, plus a few cents tax. Anyway, the tea is really, really good. I’ve been drinking it hot (it’s how I roll), but I’ve heard that it tastes great iced, too. It’s got a tiny aftertaste that’s slightly sweet, to me at least. But I’m sort of like the princess and the pea in that regard – if there’s a sweet taste to find, I’ll find it. (I just don’t love a sweet taste to my drinks unless it’s like a frappuccino or an iced mocha or something like that; but sweetness in my tea? No thanks.)

Anyway, I still recommend this tea, and you really can’t beat the price. Peppermint is known to be good for you, and obviously herbal tea won’t hurt you, so dig the change out of your drawers or couch cushions, get yourself to Wal-Mart, and go crazy.

Last month I was lucky enough to try Teas’ Tea Mango Oolong Tea, a delicious lightly sweetened bottled tea. And don’t take my word for it – if you read the company’s June press release, you’ll discover that this tea won “first place at the 2011 North American Tea Championship in the Ready-to-Drink Flavored Oolong Tea category”. So yeah, it’s that good.

Here’s a little more about the taste (in my personal…oh heck, professional, opinion): it’s, um, amazing. I don’t hesitate to call this the best Oolong tea I’ve tried, and this is coming from someone that normally wants their tea hot and unsweetened. It has about 80 calories per bottle, and each bottle contains 160% of your daily Vitamin C allotment. When drinking this tea I immediately detected a wonderful mango/orangey (sure, that’s a word) taste, but the aftertaste is almost peach-like. The aroma is fruity and pleasant, and the tea is packed with antioxidants.

Loved it!

(Guest post from my mom!)

I recently tried, and loved, a bag of Adagio Tea Organic Citrus Green Tea. I’m a tea fanatic and I have a special place in my heart for green tea. When I see a new tea or tea blend I haven’t tried, I throw it in the cart. If it happens to be green tea, I do a little happy dance THEN throw it into the cart.

The most recent happy dance (and believe me, it’s something to behold) was spurred by the beautiful bag of tea bags you see at the top of the post. I love it when a tea company takes such pride in their tea that they package it as beautifully as Adagio does their teas. Everything is always first class – the packaging, the tea bags, the flavor. You name it, if it has Adagio on the front, you’re in for a first class experience.

As is the case most of the time, I saved my first cup of tea for the evening. This is my favorite time to try a new tea. After supper’s been made and eaten and order in the kitchen has been restored. Then it’s just me, my cat, and (hopefully) a very special cup of tea. Adagio Tea Organic Citrus Green Tea did not disappoint. I knew, from the aroma alone, that I was in for a special evening. As I walked, cup in hand, to the sofa, you could practically see a beautifully aromatic trail following me through the air. If there’s a better smell than citrus, I haven’t found it.

This tea is absolutely Heavenly and would be a great fit for anyone unsure about green tea. I tried my first cup without honey and it outstanding. I added just a bit of honey to my next cup and found it to be EVEN better. Yes, I’m one of those green tea drinkers…. hooked on honey! I’ve also made this tea with a little honey AND a floating slice of lemon /or orange. The orange slice and honey combination is otherworldly.

Adagio Tea Organic Citrus Green Tea also passed the iced green tea test. It as wonderful iced as it is hot. Trust me, you have to try this tea! If your grocery store is on its game (really, really on its game), you can find some Adagio teas in the tea aisle. If they’re a little off their game, Amazon will come through for you like a champ.

(Guest post by my mom!)

Lipton’s Mandarin Orange Green Tea… Heavenly!

Green tea is a personal favorite of mine. Given the fact that it’s a disease fighting ninja – I wish it were a favorite with everyone. My oldest daughter (Emily, aka, the Crazy Tea Chick, herself) is also a green tea fanatic. If more people would give it a try, they’d realize that green tea is the elixir of the gods – especially with a little honey or fruity flavor.

Lipton’s Mandarin Orange Green Tea is outstanding. I would have shared it with the members of my family but… well… I drank it all.

In just three days.

I guess it goes without saying that this tea is exceptional, but I’ll go ahead and say it anyway. It’s exceptional. Whether you already love green tea or are warming up to it, you’ll love Lipton’s Mandarin Orange Green Tea. The orange flavoring is just perfect – it isn’t overwhelming but you get that distinct and delicious mandarin flavor. I drank it throughout the day (yes, all three of them). In the evening, I like a couple of hot mugs of tea while watching baseball with my husband. During the day, while working at home as a web publisher, I prefer my green tea on ice. When feeling particularly feisty (usually on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays – my feisty days), I”ll float an orange wedge in the glass. This morning, I added a little mint from my herb garden. Lovely.

The next time you’re in the store, find Lipton’s Mandarin Orange Green Tea and give it a try. I know you’ll love it.

I’m so crazy about Lipton’s Pyramid Tea Bags. I love that the tea leaves have room to spread in the bag to release their flavor; I love that I can see exactly what the leaves look like; I love that the box always smells amazing when I open it. So yeah, big fan here.

Lipton’s Blueberry & Pomegranate White Tea is quite a treat. As someone who has never eaten pomegranate by itself, per se, I can’t really drink this and say, “Oooh, this tastes just like the last pomegranate I ate!” However, I love blueberries and I can definitely identify that taste in this tea. The tea bags actually contain real pieces of blueberries, which ends up making this tea taste and smell like some sort of decadent dessert or treat as opposed to just white tea.

The tea’s ingredients list dried apples, which I had identified by smell before reading the list. It also contains blackberry and raspberry fruit pieces, green tea, cinnamon bark, and orange peel, among other natural things. Seriously, though, sounds like an ingredient list for a pastry or yummy treat.

This tea packs 65mg per serving of body-protecting flavonoid antioxidants, 20mg of potassium, and 25mg of caffeine per serving. Just pour boiling water over a tea bag and let steep for around 2-4 minutes (your preference), and enjoy!

Ahhh, World Market’s Ancient Pu-erh Tea. I met this tea quite a few months back. This, friends, was the first Pu-erh tea I ever tried, and it was also my first ever loose leaf tea. I remember that first cup – I spent the whole time drinking it with an odd expression on my face, puzzling, grasping for the right words and the right description. It was so different; I couldn’t place what the tea reminded me of. And then when I did realize what it smelled like, I was shocked: was I drinking something that – gasp – smelled like hay?

As far as taste goes, it’s actually a very smooth and rich tea. I detect a slight smokiness, and like others have mentioned, a little bit of a leathery, even nutty, taste. Personally, I almost NEVER add anything to my teas, but I have heard that this tea tastes good with milk or honey. Also, this Pu-erh tea is supposed to aid in digestion, so it’s suggested as an after-meals tea.

The bag (which cost me about $8) yields 50-55 cups, and you can get several cups out of each infusion (just add a few minutes steeping time for each additional cup). Boiling water is recommended (brings out the fullest flavor), and recommended infusing time is 4-5 minutes (although I have done if for closer to 3 minutes, and that was fine too).

Folks, this isn’t your ordinary tea. I like to think that if it were a person, it would be one of those television survival men, like Bear Grylls or Les Stroud. This tea embodies “nature”, and it’s nothing if not “outdoorsy”. I could throw out more adjectives, like “earthy” and “woodsy”, but I think you get my point.

This isn’t a city-boy tea.

Confession: I’m a sucker for any product that has “island” in the title. I pretty much live for my annual beach vacation, and those marketing people know where to hit suckers like me. But this tea could be called “XYZ Tea” and it would still be one of the best teas I’ve ever had. Seriously, Lipton’s Island Mango and Peach tea is gooood.

For starters, the tea comes in pyramid-shaped bags, which allows the leaves a lot more room to spread, allowing for a smooth, rich flavor to flow into the cup. The leaves are infused with actual pieces of fruit, which gives the tea a REAL fruit taste – something authentic – as opposed to the flat flavor found in a lot of “fruity teas”. The box comes with 18 of these bags, and each bag packs 75mg of flavonoids per oz. serving. Ahhh, the healthy deliciousness of this tea.

This is technically a white tea, although the ingredients also lists green tea, along with rose hips, lemon grass, orange leaves, and a few other natural ingredients. I always drink this tea hot – the scent is pretty killer – but it also makes a great iced tea.

This is one of my favorite teas and one that I always make sure is in my cabinet. I recommend it for anyone that loves white tea, green tea, fruit tea, herbal tea, orange or peach tea, healthy and nutritious drinks…or has a pulse. That means you, buddy.

Oh, lucky me. :) I recently received a sample of Admari Tea’s WONDERFUL Tranquil Herbal Tea. It’s an extremely relaxing and pleasing blend, and it’s naturally caffeine-free (as most herbals are). Here’s the Admari website‘s blurb about Tranquil:

Serenity Now! It’s your time, choose the right tea. Enjoy tranquility in every cup with this calming and serene herbal blend. Need a break? Relax with Tranquil, a serene herbal infusion of calming chamomile, lavender and peppermint. Pure herbals are combined to create a lightly sweet, floral elixir of true serenity. After a long day find comfort with this naturally caffeine free blend.

This tea is from Admari’s “Relax” line of teas; their other two lines are “Active” and “Restore”. The Tranquil Herbal Tea was even better than I was expecting; the taste was very “floral” with only the tiniest hint of mint and sweetness. I was in the mood to unwind when I brewed this tea, and by the time I reached the bottom of the cup I was chillin’ like a villain. I definitely recommend this tea and can’t wait to get more for myself. You can find this tea on the Admari website; a canister of 15 pyramid bags is currently being offered for $11.99. Enjoy!

On a recent trip to Pensacola, Florida, I frequented a lot of antique stores/flea markets. One of these shops had a booth that I wanted to LIVE in: it was devoted to tea and coffee, and featured products from Wilkinson’s of Norwich. The company originated in Norwich, England, and has two US locations that I know of (a factory in Brewton, Alabama, and a new retail store in Pensacola, Florida). On a whim I grabbed a bag of Earl Grey loose leaf tea. Sometimes I make very smart decisions. :)

The tea is wonderful. It tastes delicious, with EXACTLY the right amount of bergamot, and the aroma truly makes your mouth water. I would even go so far as to say this is my new favorite Earl Grey tea. You can buy a 2 oz. bag of leaf tea from the website for only $4.00; they also offer 4 oz. for $8.00, and so on. Here’s Wilkinson’s description of the tea, from their site:

Fine black China leaf, a handful of jasmine and only the finest pure oil of Bergamot, this is the traditional afternoon tea (with cucumber sandwiches) best drunk black; if desired, mix with our Royal tea for a stronger infusion that will take a little milk or lemon.

Once again, this tea is good. As in, darn good. I really can’t add much to that, except for this: you bring the cucumber sandwiches, and I’ll provide the tea.

I just returned from a weeklong Florida vacation several days ago; the trip itself was a blast but the tea selection was a bit lacking (as in crappy tea on the beach and 2 total teabags in my hotel room). Luckily for me, I got back home to find quite a few wonderful tea samples waiting for me in my mailbox. Some of the tea I found waiting for me to review was rooibos tea from Suffuse Herbal Tea Infusions. The tea I brewed tonight was their Red Rooibos Tea with Mixed Berry, which Suffuse refers to in this way: “Packed with vitamins, flavonoids, & antioxidants. Helps protect the body against damaging free radicals.”

The rooibos plant, grown in a small area of South Africa, is used to make rooibos (ROY-bos), or red, tea. Rooibos tea is known as a very “healthy tea” due to it being caffeine-free and packed with antioxidants. Suffuse’s Red Rooibos Tea with Mixed Berry is a caffeine-free “100% natural” herbal tea which boasts of numerous health benefits. It has a delicious fruity smell, along with a sweet, pleasing taste. It tasted great as a hot tea, but if you brew double-strength and pour over ice, it also makes an amazing iced tea.

More about Suffuse’s Rooibos, from the Suffuse website:
Suffuse Rooibos Herbal Tea is more than just a refreshing beverage with an enticing aroma and naturally sweet taste. For centuries this redbush tea has been used as a home remedy for a large variety of conditions from headaches, poor digestion and allergies to skin problems.

Based in Houston Texas, Suffuse was established by George Allibone, M.D. who is not only passionate about healthy living but is also an avid tea connoisseur. He has made it the Suffuse mission to provide customers with exceptionally high quality, organically grown, 100% natural Rooibos fine herbal teas.

Suffuse Green Rooibos and Red Rooibos Herbal Tea Infusions include a large variety of both Botanical and Fruit & Spice Blends. Our botanical range includes all natural Rooibos tea blended with Hoodia, Buchu, Sutherlandia, and Sceletium, while our fruit and spice range includes many tempting flavors from Vanilla to Litchi. Rooibos tea has so many incredible health benefits it doesn’t make sense to not enjoy this delicious, antioxidant-rich, pick-me-up beverage.

Not-so-shocking statement of the day: I love green tea. I love all green tea (just please don’t overflavor it or ruin it with lots of lemon, ugh). This tea is a thing of beauty and I’ll pretty much drink any green tea you put in front of me. Here’s the kicker, though: I think I’ve found my favorite green tea bags yet: Carrington Tea’s Original Green Tea. I can’t describe how much I love this tea; I definitely just tore through a box in record time.

Seriously, it’s that good. The only complaint I really ever have about green tea is when it’s too strong or bitter (especially from places like Starbucks or Joe Muggs or wherever; it’s like sucking on actual leaf). This tea is strong but not at all bitter and has the most amazing taste. The company recommends brewing time at 3-5 minutes which was about right for me too. The only thing I’d change is the water temperature: they advise bringing water to a “rolling boil” and pouring over tea bags, but I could never bring myself to pour boiling water over green tea – it’s just not done in this apartment. They also suggest adding sugar or lime to taste if you’d like…but I forbid you from messing this tea up by adding ANYTHING else to it.

The box I bought came with 20 bags (and probably lasted me around 2 weeks) and was not at all expensive. I could go on and on about the natural goodness of the leaves or the abundance of antioxidants, but by now I’m pretty sure you get the point: Green tea. Is good. For you. Period.

I recently had the pleasure of trying The Republic of Tea’s Earl Greyer black tea, which lists its ingredients as simply “fine black tea and natural bergamot oil”. The bergamot oil was very noticeable and very tasty, as it always is. This brand of Earl Grey contains more bergamot oil than other varieties, according to The Republic of Tea. I’m a big, big fan of Earl Grey tea – Earl Grey is actually the first hot tea I can remember drinking – so any variation of this tea is always a treat for me. The Earl Greyer has a very strong taste, though not as spicy or peppery as some brands; it also has a delicious aroma.

I’m going to be completely honest and say that my favorite Earl Grey variety is still the Twinings brand, but I enjoyed the Republic’s Earl Grey tea a lot and I’m sure I’ll be ordering it again. :)

I’m gonna be honest with you: even tea-loving happy chicks get down. Today was one of those days….I was stressed, tense as could be, had a bad headache, and was down in the freaking dumps. A couple of things had depressed me and I was rocking some major sleep debt. Fast-forward to this evening, and s’all good, thanks to a big ole steaming mug of Tazo’s Zen Green Tea. Okay, and some retail therapy, but MOSTLY due to my cup of deliciousness.

I’m a sucker for the taste of mint, especially in chocolate or tea, and this green tea doesn’t let me down. There’s something very relaxing about the smell, not to mention the taste. Spearmint leaves, one of the main ingredients, are well-known for curing headaches, possibly relieving pain, and acting in an anti-inflammatory manner. So now here I sit, once-again in a chipper, laughing (slightly annoying?) mood, at peace with all and sending many happy thoughts to the good people at Tazo.

This tea, my friend, tea happens to be one of the very best on the market, period. If you’ve never tried it then you MUST. Like, NOW. (I use caps when I’m all excited and stuff.) The smell is purely intoxicating, while the taste is a beautiful combination of tartness and sweetness. Correction: wild sweetness. The title says so. This exotic ”tea” (actually a combination of fruit peels and citrus herbs, along with spearmint, orange essence, blackberry leaves, lemongrass, rosehips, spices) is caffeine-free. The teabags also have a shelf life of about 2 years, but if it takes you that long to finish one box, then there’s something wrong with you. No offense, but that’s the truth.

GO GET SOME.