For a box of tea bags that was on sale at Albertsons, and a total impulse buy, it’s really not bad. Doesn’t hold a candle to, say, the pomegranate tea from Whittard of Chelsea, but it’s pretty good, all things considered.
38 Tasting Notes
A dear friend from Canberra sent me a box of this in my Christmas package, and I’ve been enjoying it enthusiastically for the past few days. It’s very smooth, and pairs perfectly with a bit of French bread and cheese for an afternoon tea break.
This is the only tea you will ever see me time the brewing of precisely. I’ve admittedly ruined many a cup by forgetting to set a timer for 5 minutes, and employing my usual “make it, set it down to cool to a drinkable temp, and walk away, sometimes forgetting it for upwards of 20 minutes” method. Beyond 5 minutes, it gets so bitter as to be utterly unenjoyable. But, at 5 minutes, it makes a good cup.
And this is about my 4th cup of tea today. It’s just been THAT kind of day, apparently…
Found a stash of this in a Tupperware of assorted teas, hiding in mom’s pantry. I think I recognize the teas in that box from a canister (with a cute little ceramic sheep on top of the lid) that resided in a cabinet in my childhood home, so it’s probably at least 10 years old. I have the feeling the black tea in this was mediocre anyway, but age has definitely not been kind to it – there’s barely any tea flavor. The sweet-spicy flavor of the cinnamon makes up for it, though. Not a bad cup, in spite of the odds being stacked against it.
Woe, for I am on my last tea bag of this, out of a sampler my dear friend gave me as a present. Dry, it has a subtle floral, almost fruity smell, and brewed, it gets a little bit stronger, but not overpowering. The taste is much like the smell – somewhere between floral and fruit. I definitely need to get some more – winter’s coming on, and who doesn’t need some blossoms to see them through the dreary snow? ;-)
So, I didn’t drink this one plain – I used 2 teabags of it, and 1 teabag of Bengal Spice, in a HUGE mug, and added a splash of milk to make kind of a cinnamon apple chai-type thing. I was prepared for the spice to potentially overwhelm the apple flavor, but it was pleasantly surprising when I took a sip and got both the cinnamon-spice and the apple flavor. Going to consider the experiment a success!
A great tea for a cold fall evening – the orange flavor is lovely, and it’s just spicy enough for my liking. Hadn’t had it in ages, and found a lone tea bag lurking in my stash (courtesy of a handful of tea bags handed to me by the lovely lady at the hotel desk on my last trip, when I had a Lack Of Tea Crisis), so I figured it might be time to brew it up. :-)
A friend sent me a sampler box of tea bags, and this is one of the teas included. I was originally a little put off by how smoky the tea smells, but it doesn’t taste nearly as smoky as it smells. A real treat!
Like the other teas I’ve tried from this company, this one is a home run – the fruit flavor is nice but not overpowering, and it smells absolutely heavenly :-)
This tea smells amazing, but the flavor could be stronger, definitely. Bit of a letdown to take a sip and not really get as much of the orange and chocolate flavor as I’d hoped. But, still pretty enjoyable.
Another review will likely be forthcoming when I’ve gotten over my cold and fully regained all my senses, but I did enjoy the 2 cups of this tea that I had tonight. Like its counterpart, Pineapple Waikiki, the fruit flavor wasn’t synthetic, and it wasn’t overpowering. It was just enough to add interest.
I’ll probably have to write another review when I’ve gotten over this cold, and fully regained all my senses, but this tea is absolutely lovely. A wonderful departure from plain black teas, and a welcome diversion from said cold. I had 2 cups this evening, and it was wonderful – the fruit flavor wasn’t synthetic (as I’d feared it may be), and it was just enough to add interest without being overpowering.
Not bad for an “emergency” cup of tea, courtesy of the nice lady at the hotel front desk. I forgot to put any tea in my purse before we left the house, and the desk lady came to the rescue, handing me an assortment of tea bags. I decided to make a cup of this, thinking it might be a nice change from just a plain black tea (and a good way to relax and hopefully rid myself of this travel-stress-related headache), and it’s quite pleasant – the raspberry flavor isn’t as strong as the scent of the tea bag would suggest, but it’s rather nice.
A dear friend (who might as well be my sister) sent me a little tin of this for Christmas, and I’ve been trying to ration it because it’s indispensible during cold season – and really any time I’m feeling less than stellar. The combination of ginger and kawakawa is lovely – it’s spicy and warm, and the lemongrass keeps it from being “too much”.
I used 2 tea bags for my cup, since I use a rather large mug, and it’s a good thing I did – after adding a splash of milk, I think it wouldn’t have been spicy enough for my liking had I only used 1 tea bag. Letting it steep for what seems a ridiculously long time was helpful as well – the first few impatient sips weren’t very spicy, but as it’s sat for a bit, the flavors have come out nicely. Great pick-me-up without the caffeine!
I think perhaps I should have tried this one when I could time how long I brewed it, instead of throwing it in the travel mug and running out the door, only to revisit it some time later, upon reaching my destination. The honey flavor is REALLY prevalent, and as a person who doesn’t usually put honey in her tea, it’s kind of turning me off to it. But, I have to admit, it might taste really good with a bit of Jack Daniels in it – might give it a little bite to balance out the sweetness. So, not the best cup of tea I’ve had, but also very far from the worst – it’s got potential!
Bet they (Alaska Airlines) ran the water through a coffee maker to heat it – it tasted more of coffee than of tea. But, it was available, and got me through my first flight of the afternoon. Hope there’s more on the next hop…
A good alternative to English Breakfast for some variety. It’s a little lighter, but no less tasty.
It’s alright, especially because I can drink it anytime without worrying about caffeine keeping me up ‘til all hours. But, it’s not nearly as strong as its fully-leaded counterpart. The flavor seems to be gone by the time I’ve had half a cup, whereas I can get nearly 4 halfway decent cups out of the regular English Breakfast.
A staple of my tea cupboard, always. I’ve always been a fan of Twinings teas, and this one is no exception – made strong enough to knock over large livestock, it’s seen me through many an early morning.
I’m a big fan of Earl Grey anyway, but with the addition of raspberry, it’s even better. The raspberry balances out the bergamot rather nicely.
I admit to accidentally setting my cup down to brew and walking away for a bit, so I’ve got NO idea how long I actually let it brew, but this tea is a pleasant surprise. I was a little worried because of how strong the rose scent was when I opened the tin, but it’s actually pleasantly subtle now that the tea has brewed. The black tea base definitely comes through, but the hint of rose over the top is actually really nice – I was a bit worried it would taste like I went out and grazed on my mom’s rose garden, but it’s just enough to give the taste, but not be overpowering.
A good basic green tea, with the side benefit of being decaf, so I can have it while I unwind before bed!
A lucky find in the kitchen cabinet – mom bought some ages ago, and I ran across it in my wanderings. I don’t normally put milk and sugar in my tea, but this one just seemed to call for it, and I’m glad I did. I know there are more quality teas/chai out there, but this is tasty enough, and it was handy. It’s nice and spicy, and the milk makes it smooth and creamy. It only needed a LITTLE sugar to make it properly sweet. A nice accompaniment to an episode of Burn Notice and a sewing project :-)
