Honey Vanilla Chamomile

Probably my most drank bagged tea. Easily the best chamomile tea I’ve ever had. I like it best just to leave the bag in my cup while I drink it.

A comforting end of the day tea. Not spectacular, but nothing to complain about. I add a little extra honey to mine. The aroma is frankly the star of the show here.

Lately I’ve had a bad habit of working late. Too late, as in, get-an-idea-and-start-something-new-at-9-PM late. I must know deep down that it’s a poor choice, because I’ve also taken to brewing a cup of this honey vanilla chamomile while I’m at it, as if to counter my poor sleep habits with a tea that at least gestures toward winding down for the night.

For me, this tea is more of an olfactory than a gustatory experience. The chamomile is pleasant, and I do taste an extra sweetness from the honey flavor, but the vanilla doesn’t come through in my mouth at all. Nor does the orange peel, now that I’m looking at the label. But I do smell the vanilla, and it adds a little sense of decadence to the comforting chamomile.

This is the third of three Camomile-Honey-Vanilla teas I am comparing tonight. CS is the one which puts Honey first in its description. This is evident in its taste.
Of the three teas I compared tonight: Ahmad, Twinings and Celestial Seasonings, this was both the darkest and most flavorful for the single cup. For that alone it deserved the highest rating of the three, since to me that means one gets more oomph for the money. I haven’t looked to see whether the teabags themselves weigh more or not—they all seemed to be of the same quantity per bag. After all three cups had steeped for 5 minutes, I sampled them in order of mildest to strongest, out of fear the weaker-looking ones wouldn’t have the same olfactory overtones if I waited for them to cool.
I have to say that of the three, the Celestial Seasonings one has the best ‘stand alone’ quality. The one aspect I didn’t like as well was its aroma: I found the predominant honey just a bit cloying. However, that was not evident in the cup.
While I prefer the aroma of the Twinings, I have to admit that to drink alone, the Celestial Seasonings wins this particular taste test. I can still mix them with White Tea for a special nighttime blend, but now I know which one to go to if I want just one cup by itself!

I used to hate chamomile tea. Couldn’t stand the smell or the taste. Somewhere along lhe line in my adulthood, I began to tolerate it and can understand why it’s a good bedtime brew. I do find it soothing and relaxing and the taste is smooth and unassuming. This one is a tad odd though, in that I couldn’t really taste anything except the chamomile. No creamy vanilla and no sweet honey. There is a touch of something sweet but I certainly can’t tell if it’s honey or not. It felt like I was drinking a plain ol’ cup of chamomile tea. I would’ve rated this higher had the other flavours been detectable but I am totally fine with it tasting like plain chamomile. The flavour is good regardless and I’ll keep drinking any kind of chamomile tea while insomnia continues to haunt me.

Well, the Brewers better win tonight because my fragile little heart can’t take it if we get eliminated at this point. So I wanted something calming and comforting, and this tea fits the bill. Smells super sweet but tastes pleasant and warm. I’m usually not a fan of all things honey, but the notes in this tea are subtle and tantalizing.

C’mon team, DO SOMETHING!

Just bought a box of this today and made a cup. For some reason it’s tasting very peachy. The aftertaste is like those gummy peach candies. Hmm Still a yummy herbal bagged tea though but now I want some candy.

I used to drink this tea at our weekly tea and conversation gatherings in my hall at college, so it’ll always have a fond place in my memory. The flavor is simple, but warming and pleasant. It’s mostly chamomile, though the sweetness is accomplished in a way that’s different and interesting. I don’t like honey generally, but it works in the flavoring here. I enjoy all the chamomile offerings from Celestial Seasonings, but this is my favorite.

I burnt my tongue but I fault that for being nervous at a new fellowship member meet-and-greet. This was an overwhelmingly honey-nutty-floral sweet pillowfight to the face. Despite the boiling water turning my tastebuds to paper pulp, in the mouth it had the body of an herbal tea and was tamer in taste, enough that I could taste citrus underneath the pillowfight. Like, this is a dessert tisane not a soothing bed down blend. Or, like good for kids. And dang did I need last night. Life is awesome.

Recommended as a summer, sitting on the porch dessert tisane (possibly iced) or for kids or for people who are obsessed with having a highly aromatic tea.

The Celestial Seasonings brand is one I either tend to like or hate. I rarely love any of their flavor offerings.

For this tea flavoring, I am only interested in trying it as a hot tea. I used one tea bag for approximately 8 ounces of water and allowed it to steep for about 5 minutes with boiling water.

I was pleasantly surprised by the tea bag’s aroma before steeping and that appreciation continued even once I removed the bag from the water. The aroma of the tea leaves are subtle with the typical, almost chemical, smell of honey / sweet flavoring. I’d add that I picked up on a hint of a nutty scent.

Without any cream or sugar (substitute) added this is an acceptable tasting tea. Nothing fantastic, yet, not displeasing. I like to keep a few varieties of tea bags on hand for nights where I don’t feel up to brewing a proper cup of tea. This one hits the mark and is very budget friendly.

Adding a small amount of cream seems to draw out a bit of flavor from that nutty scent I was picking up on and it is a welcomed enhancement to the tea giving it a bit more complexity, again something I find generally lacking with the Celestial Seasonings brand.

Finally, I added a bit of sugar (substitute) and for whatever reason it almost watered down the flavor. I would probably skip sugar altogether or only use a very small amount (1/4 teaspoon or less).

While I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy this flavor again as there are evening blends I prefer more, it’s not one I would avoid, either. An acceptable cup of bagged tea.