Tabby

When I spotted valerian as one of the ingredients listed on the box, I decided to try it on that basis alone. Valerian works very well with me, so I was curious to have it in a tea. Even if it was a Yogi tea, which I usually detest.

Ok, so that wasn’t worth it. This tea tastes exactly like original Chapstick. You know, that weird vaguely minty sweet taste? Imagine that, but with a little chamomile added, and the odd tingly feeling stevia leaves give. Yuck. But I’m going to give it another try with honey tomorrow night, since I have a whole box…

I absolutely love the way these leaves smell. Nutty, sweet, chocolatey, but mostly caramel.

The tea itself is a little different, but not by much. It tastes very faintly of chocolate and caramel, with a strong almond-like flavor over it. I sort of wish those flavors were a little stronger, but the black tea base is nice as well. It gets bitter if brewed past five minutes, otherwise it’s pretty mellow and pleasant. Not harsh at all.

I’m still struggling a little with the tea/water ratios with my triniTea. I’m thinking a teaspoon and a half of tea for every cup?

Had a single bag lying around and was in the mood for black tea.

Ugh. No. This is terrible. This makes Tazo’s Awake seem amazing. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but it’s flavorless and sawdusty. Reminds me of bitter cardboard. I dunno if I can finish this stuff. Lowering my rating.

On my second cup of this today. Slept in til 2 pm, but it’s alright, I don’t have to be at work until 6. Even under 5 minutes, it’s still a little bitter and harsh, but it’s just what I need right now to clear my head. Plus, the caffeine boost is very nice. I’m tapping on everything without realizing it.

I think I’m going to like this one. I brewed it with a little more leaf than I thought I needed, plus I gave it a long-ish steep time, hoping to bring out the chocolate flavor. While it is present in the finish, it’s not as strong as I’d like. I agree with what others have said about the mint being stronger. And the black tea itself is pretty mellow. I don’t see it getting bitter anytime soon. I’m going with seven minutes next time to see what happens.

I didn’t have especially high expectations for this tea as I’m not a big fan of white tea or anything with the word “decaf” in the title. But after a taste, I changed my mind.

The raspberry flavor is mellow and sweet, very natural. It’s not tart in any way, and there is no astringency whatsoever. (Though I did go with honey and a little sugar again, so results may vary.) It blends well with the honey and the faint straw-like flavor of the cheap white tea they used. Just calling it like I see it. Anyway, I would definitely drink this again, but I won’t be going out of my way to purchase it.

This is a sample I misplaced during the move that was originally sent to me by LiberTEAS. Thanks again! :D

This tea is really interesting. I like the lemon most of all, and the spice the ginger adds, as I’m not really a fan of yerba mate’s taste by itself. I’m glad they didn’t go crazy with the ginger like a few lemon-ginger teas I’ve tried in the past. Anyway, drinking this and trying to wake up after a late night. I added about a teaspoon of honey, and a teaspoon of sugar. It’s a very pleasant, feels like something to combat the fact that it’s still winter. And it’s working.

Made a strong pot of this in my triniTea. Delicious as usual…

Ooh, I really like this one. It’s more appley than spicy, but in a good way. It tastes like real apple cider. If I had more, I would definitely let it steep longer, however. It’s good like this, but I bet it would be amazing at six minutes. There is no odd “herbal” aftertaste to this, so don’t let the name fool you. Mmm.

As soon as I opened the packet, my first thought was “Dammit, Yogi! Do you have to put licorice in EVERYTHING?” It was all I could smell. Licorice and maybe berry.

However, I can’t taste it in the tea itself. It’s not that I hate licorice, I just don’t like it when it overwhelms. Which it does a lot with Yogi teas, in my opinion. Anyway, this stuff isn’t bad. The main flavors I detect are spearmint, lemongrass, a little cinnamon, and that herbal tea flavor I can never really put my finger on. I wouldn’t drink it again, but it isn’t terrible.

Having a cup of this with honey and a spoon or two of sugar. The honey really softens the bitterness of this tea. It’s much smoother and heartier to me when prepared this way, plus the shorter steep caused it to be less harsh than the last cup I made. It’s good. I also really enjoy the sweet scent the honey adds to it right before I take a sip.

I love tangerines and Mandarin oranges, but I definitely do not like this tea. It’s your typical Zinger by Celestial Seasonings, packed with hibiscus and dark. There’s something about the tangerine flavor that reminds me of pool water… I’ll just leave it there.

I gave it seven minutes this time and the caramel flavor has really come out. The apple is more in the forefront as well, but oddly it seems that the rooibos part didn’t get stronger. So this is more of an apple cider plus caramel flavor, and I want a gallon of it.

Finishing up the last 3 bags from the sample I had. I put them into the triniTea and realized that its idea of 3 cups’ worth of tea VS mine is a bit different. Must remember to use slightly less water. This came out a little weaker than last night, but it’s still nice to have on this chilly, wet day.

This isn’t bad for what it is, I guess. It tastes strongly of apple cider, the powdered kind. Or maybe apple cinnamon Poptarts. But with a hint of tangy cranberry. It’s not tart at all, which is what I expected. I’m sure I’ll drink the other few cups’ worth I have, but this is kinda lame. Especially after trying Cranberry Harvest by Harney and Sons.

Ok, the raspberry flavor in this is great. Not quite as strong as I’d like, but I went with the packet’s instruction of 1-2 minutes. I think this would have done better with a longer steep time. The black tea’s taste is there, but it’s faint, more in the aftertaste once the raspberry fades. Anyway, l like this and would definitely drink it again if I had more. It also makes me curious about raspberry tea in general.

Brewed this in my tall green mug. 2 bags and enough honey to coat the bottom of the cup. Maybe a teaspoon or two of sugar, too. Tastes of honeyed mint deliciousness. Upping the rating just a little.

This is my first almond tea. The liquor smells like amaretto, but without the alcohol. Just the sweet nutty scent. As far as the actual flavor goes, the almond isn’t very strong. It almost tastes like an unflavored black tea. Not to say this is a bad thing, but I was expecting something a little different. It’s wonderfully smooth, with hardly any astringency. There is no bitterness at all.

This will go quickly around here, I think. It really is delicious. Just sort of plain. Would be dangerously good with honey.

Made a pot of this in my ingenuiTea. Kicking back on my day off, trying to get better. Strong Ceylon and sweet plum with a hint of something I still can’t place, like vanilla. My stash is officially half gone forever.

I agree with what a lot of you have said about the flavored parts of this being yummy and strong, but it does lack in actual green tea taste. But honestly, I’m okay with that. The lemongrass is the most up-front, followed by the spearmint. It’s better as it cools, I think, and am considering this iced. That could either be super refreshing, or toothpastey. I think I’ll take the risk.

Also, this calls for an experiment with honey. Take that, flu!

Another hot cup tonight while hoping to be better tomorrow. Must try this after 7 minutes next time. Enjoying it.

Passion! How I’ve missed you. I got a Publix giftcard and was all too eager to hit the tea aisle while running errands. (Majorly disappointed that my local one doesn’t carry Republic of Tea.)

This tea is one of my old favorites. It brews up as dark as red wine and stains the bag pink. The flavor is so complex and comforting. It’s tart but not too tart, and rounded well by the hibiscus in it. It’s one of the few herbal teas I like, since the flavor isn’t weak or medicine-like. Or musty. It’s what Celestial Seasonings’ Zingers wish they were. Mmm.

And, if you can believe it, I’m sick again. Yes. This is the third time now. Worst winter ever. But at least I’m done moving.

Anyway, a cup of this to get my day started, and so I can take my Sudafed. I can hardly taste it. Still, parts of the flavor are coming through. I can still taste the bitterness, and the sweetness the sugar added.

I got a big bag of this from my mom. Royal Cup is a food-service brand, common in local restaurants around here. The bag she gave me was meant for one of the huge canisters that hold gallons of sweet tea at a time. Anyway, I decided it might be cool to make a pitcher’s worth in my triniTea. I was wrong.

It’s so finely cut/smashed that it made an enormous mess in the machine. The infuser cup was mostly clogged by the particles. And the resulting tea? Not really good. I used 8 teaspoons to make a 2-quart pitcher. The tea tastes a bit like Thai tea before the condensed milk… that sort of bittery vanilla-esque black tea flavor. I didn’t really care for it, though I can’t really describe why. My brother said it was “bomb-ass” and drank all of it, however, so it didn’t go to waste.