Morning Thunder

I really wanted to enjoy this tea. I like Yerba Mate and this seemed to combine Black tea with Mate. However, i was a bit disappointed. The Yerba Mate or Black Tea wasn’t strong. I’ll try another cup and see what went wrong. Also, I’m not really a Celestial Seasonings fan. I like my teabags with staples, individually wrapped and hermetically sealed in foil because I brew my tea’s on the road and like playing with the tea strings until they break. I brought it to work but I think its going to be shoved in a desk drawer for awhile until I can unload it at the steepster meetup on 8/8/12. The bison and box artwork are catchy.

7/2 – I put two bags into my cup of hot water. I am awake, and the tea has a slight smokey flavor.
To add more flavor, I added loose mate to it.

7/31 – I finished the box!! Overall, there is caffeine in the tea, and as mentioned before, I mixed Yerba Mate and sometimes sugar to it. I drank it hot and cold at work as the first cup of the day and sometimes as an afternoon tea.

I drank this the other morning, because on a rare occasion- coffee sounds too thick in the morning. But I enjoy caffeine. So I chose this little buddy.

I prepared it the way I prepare everything. Splenda + Creamer.

I have to say, it was a good way to start the day. I didn’t really feel the energizing effectiveness (as I never do) but the taste was pleasantly strong, even with creamer in it. And I kept thinking I smelled campfire… but this was MATE not lapsang souchong… so maybe I imagined it. But I enjoyed it. :)

This is my go-to breakfast tea. I’ve always got a box or two in my cupboard. I now live in the Midwest, and on winter mornings below 20F, when I have to be in the car before 6am (and stay in it for >1 hour commute), this tea is what gets me going—sans jitters.

There’s also something I love about the artwork on the Celestial Seasonings box. I feel sucked into it every time I look at it, and can almost feel the brisk morning air that the bison is snorting back out of his nostrils. I love the gorgeous sunrise, and the feeling I get that there’s a big, grand day ahead.

For those of you who drink your tea black, I think you’ll enjoy this one black. The roasted mate gives it a nice flavor on top of the black. For me though, a bit of milk and sugar makes this tea a treat and makes “everything” (the wee hour, the ice, the long drive, my carpooler) better… :)

I must commend them on this blend. The tea bag smelled good, packaging was fresh, the tea bag looked large like a Mate Factor portion, and I really loved how simple the ingredient list was. Ingredients: Roasted Mate & Black Tea.

I enjoyed this because many companies try and hide behind ingredients such as chicory, cinnamon, etc. This blend seemed like mostly Roasted Mate, possibly a 60/40 blend, Mate to Black Tea.

Off first taste, it was smooth. I only used one teabag but it was stout enough for me. My bias toward roasted mate kept me from loving it, but I love the idea and the smoothness. It gave me a good buzz as there is probably quite a bit of caffeine in there. The stringency of the Black Tea was nice. I enjoyed this blend. This would be a very good intro to Mate for someone totally against the idea of Mate. I feel made into an espresso blend, and made into a Morning Thunder Latte, that could be amazing. The round, smooth taste of this blend was very pleasant and could be a once a week staple.

I commend Celestial Seasonings for the simplicity of this drink, and its attempt at a Mate blend. I had emailed them many times about bringing in Mate not knowing this blend existed.

For people that are die hard CS drinkers, this is for you. If you get your buzz from CS, then this is where to go. Good drink Celestial Seasonings!

I’ll start off by saying that this is a Celestial Seasonings tea that I buy regularly and drink often. So naturally, I find it very enjoyable.

I usually drink this in the mornings when I need a little energy. It never jolts or makes me feel dehydrated the way that coffee sometimes does. The flavor is incredibly mellow and earthy, just like the reassuring little buffalo on the box. I prefer it with a splash of milk (and maybe a pinch of sugar if I really want to go nuts), but it’s alright without. It’s not the highest quality of black tea or mate, but for the price and convenience it’s hard to do better.

Tuesday Dec. 21, 2010
1st steep of the day
Needed a Rolling Start so went with the Thunder.
Good Morning Cup as the name indicates.
Bold Black Tea with a Outdoor’ise Flavor.
5 min. steep with Rolling Boiling Water.
Gets the Morning Roaring.
Keep on Steepin

I admit, I purchased this tea today because of the picture of a bison on the box (I hate when I fall for marketing ploys like that!). I was curious to try this brand, so I decided to try a more basic flavor to start.
After the first sip, I immediately fell in love with this tea. It starts with a mellow black tea flavor, but soon follows with a distinct smokey flavor that lingers long after.
For a bagged tea, this one is not half bad. Prepared with milk and a pinch of sugar.
It looks like the bison pulled through for me!

I was pretty nervous about this tea because it is a black/mate blend and the directions say to steep it for 5-7 minutes. I never steep my black teas for more than 3-4 minutes. I went ahead and followed the package directions, praying that it wouldn’t come out bitter. It actually didn’t. The bags smell very much like a black tea and the smell after steeping reminds me of my old English Breakfast. There is a natural sweetness from the mate that makes the tea feel a bit delicate, but still is substantial enough for a breakfast tea. I love mate in general because of its caffeine kick without the jitters and without the crash later in the day. I think this would be a great tea for someone who wanted to try mate, but didn’t want to commit to buying loose leaf. The mate is definitely the starring player in this one.

Not a bad coffee sub. Less of an abrupt jolt into wakefulness; more of a gentle come-on-you-can-do-this tug.

This is a favorite tea, I don’t know why. In my opinion, it tastes like Lollicup’s boba milk tea. I drink 2-4 cups daily with a splash of soy and sweeten it.

Black tea plus mate, for a girl who can no longer drink coffee? What’s not to like?!

I needed a new tea for the office and thought I’d try out the infamous Morning Thunder from Seinfeld. The roasted, smoky flavor is really intriguing. It made me feel quite alert yet relaxed at the same time if that’s possible. I’m definitely developing a taste for maté.

Love it. Cannot get enough of this tea. I use it to pick me up and energize me during my afternoon slumps. I like it steeped strong with lots of sugar.

Had this once, hated it and took it into work to share.

I am sure that based on what I know now about teas there is a good chance I skortched the tea with water that was too hot and that is what made it undrinkable.

I was looking for a bold morning brew to wake up my senses. This didn’t disappoint. It tastes like someone left a few morsals of dirt in my mouth after drop kicking me in the face…which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It doesn’t make me smile, but few things do in the a.m. Hey, it’s cheaper than Red Bull!

This is an interesting tasting tea. It kind of reminds me of coffee, even though it tastes nothing like coffee (it also kind of reminds me of Irish Breakfast tea). I forgot I was making the tea and accidentally steeped it for about 15 minutes. I would call the flavor robust, but yet not too strong. Has a pleasant, lingering aftertaste and a nice roasted flavor. I’m not sure if it really energized me, this was my third black tea of the day. Prepared with almond milk and splenda.

I like this one solely because of the name and the picture on the box. Hilarious!

No sweetener, no milk. Just straight up

This tea is what got me through a job where I had to be at work at 7:45 AM to make change and write receipts.

Just tried this tea for the first time this morning, after being intrigued by the beautiful picture of the Buffalo on the packaging. It was a little decieving. When I opened up the box and smelled the teabags, they smelled almost exactly like Irish breakfast tea or even English Breakfast. So was expecting a similar taste. But as soon as I poured the boiling water over the teabag, it gave off a strong, smoky smell. After steeping for about 2/3 minutes (I generally like my black teas less robust), I added a little bit of sugar and milk. The taste was very unique! I’m actually pleasantly surprised how something so earthy and smoky can be so comforting! I did not, however, notice any sort of “wake me up” qualities in the tea. But this might be because caffeine, even in coffee, rarely affects me. Overall, a “campfire in a cup”, and a very interesting tea. Will definitely be finishing the box.