Honeybee

Yesterday when I was driving up to my parents’ house, I passed a pick-up truck with a trailer. There was a sign on the back of the trailer that said “You’d be REAL STUPID to tailgate me! HONEYBEES” and I could not stop laughing for a good half mile.

I need something like mate this morning. My parents were leaving for a shuttle to the airport in Atlanta at 4am (they live 2 hours north of me, so it just seems funny I came up here and now they’re going down there) and it woke me up, and some bug was in my room and as I was trying to fall back asleep it like flew right at my ear.

And I have to take care of the dog and I’m sure he wants to go outside before a time I normally want to wake up, so now I’ve just stayed up.

This smells a lot like honey but it kind of weirds me out that there’s not actually any in here? Once it’s steeped it just seems very apparent that it’s just flavoring because it just doesn’t have the real complexities of honey. I didn’t like it while it was still pretty hot, as it’s cooled it’s gotten better.

I want to add honey but I feel that might make it taste too sweet for me. There’s just something slightly weird about how it tastes, but I’ll probably finish what I have and just consider it something I tried.

I got this in my swap with Amanda—it’s one of those blends I’ve wanted to try for a while, but the rooibos scared me off from getting a whole bag. In the bag this smells amazing, like pure honey. Of course there’s no crystallized honey or anything IN there, so it’s just flavoring, but it smells very authentic and I was worried it would be too sweet.

Steeped, though, it’s pretty mellow. The honey comes in at the end of the sip and fills your mouth with wonderful honey notes that linger. It tastes very much like real honey, perhaps a bit less complex but not flat-tasting. The rooibos actually works for me here, it’s the first blend that hasn’t had that icky medicinal taste for me. Probably because there’s so little of it. The mate, green rooibos and rooibos meld perfectly together for an earthy but light blend that really gives you a burst of energy. And it adds an almost honeycomb taste: woody and sweet. Definitely going to restock this one!

First, back off vegan police! There’s is no honey in Honeybee, so you can put your judgement down and back away. Bunch of judgy McJudgersons…

Second, I don’t know if I dig this tea. I have an entire tin of it because the 50g bag wasn’t available when I placed my uber DAVIDs order. Maybe I’ll give it a go iced and see if I like the flavor more that way. I’ll reserve my numerical rating until I give it one more chance. Also, Honeybee didn’t give me the jolt of energy I’ve come to expect from DAVID’s matés. Tea problems, man!

My favorite goalie just scored a goal so I figure I can get off my lazy behind and catch up on my tea notes.

Honey is one of my favorite things in the world. I have 5 or more varieties in my cupboard at all times. I also love caffeine. I depend on it for survival. And that, my friends, is why I bought Honey Bee. I bought it on a whim as most of my Davids purchases are. But I find that I really really like it a lot.

Dry this tea smelt so lovely. A bit grassy but with an intense honey scent. Brewed the honey was intense both in the flavor and scent. It was like being kicked in the face by one of those clover honey bears you see in supermarkets. It was almost floral and naturally sweet. I also got a nice lemony note from the zest and the lemon myrtle that worked well with the honey. The rooibos rounded out the flavor quite nicely as well with a bit of roasty woodiness.

Oh, wow. Dry, this smells much like Lush’s “Honey, I Washed the Kids” soap which I bought to replace my peppermint blue soap. Strong honey smell, followed by a tinge of something unusual. I’ve never had or smelled mate, so I find myself thinking it might be that. The steeped liquor is a rich amber, and the smell is magnified.

First tastes are delicious. I got a strong honey flavour, but then there is a strange after-taste/texture which I, once again, assume to be the mate. I realized after a few sips that it reminds me a lot of Joy’s Teaspoon’s Lemon Zest, only without the lemon. I think the sharp taste at the end is what echoes that lemon taste for me, but the honey sweetness is so creamy and delicious. The beau also mentioned that it reminds him of Lemon Cream Pie, but I don’t actually remember that being very creamy.

I will enjoy the rest of my sample package for now, but this might be a re-buy. However, I do have lots of the Lemon Zest, so if this is similar to it as I remember it to be, I don’t really need it. Except to learn about mate. We’ll see.

The smell of this one I’m not loving. It might not be a bad smell if it wasn’t so strong. Also it smells like something from Lush. I can’t remember which product…I’ll have to keep thinking.

This has a sweetness that i’m not liking. I can’t really nail down what it is. Not a normal “it’s just too sweet”. It’s sweet in a roundabout way. Hmm. Not the mate for me.

Oh my goodness! I though I would not like this tea because the dry leaf smell really throws me off. I bought it for my sister because she does adore this tea, and I asked her if i could try some because I was sort of curious. Wow! This is a goooood tea. Oh man it tastes like an upgraded version of grocery store honey lemon tea. This will definately stay in the cupboards. I bought this tea for my sister but I have a feeling I will be drinking it all myself…

umm………i don’t like it. mostly the smell. but i’m glad i have it. cuz i think other people will like it and i can offer it to them when they visit. and my boyfriend is the mate guy and he drinks it. so it’s all cool.

This tea tastes like honey mixed with vinegar. I’m pretty sure I’ve had mate before and it didn’t taste like this. I’m not sure what this flavor is from but I don’t think I can bring myself to drinking this tea ever again. The honey flavor IS really good, and I wish that was the only flavor because then I would love this tea. Maybe something bad happened to this poor tea? I don’t see anyone else mentioning this flavor.

I have a bit left, so if anyone else is interested in it, please let me know. Even though I haven’t exactly made it sound delicious! :P

Hmmm so I have had this one for a while but unfortunately I have not written a note about it. So getting back into the swing after the break has been a challenge. The baby had a fever so being up numerous times last night I needed a good kick in the butt. The mate is always good for that. Though sad that my enjoyment of this tea has come to an end…I’m still glad I got to sample it. The dry leaf smells like halls honey lemon cough drops. Which I like so that is not a bad thing. Anytime I’ve brewed this one my wife says that it smells weird but I find this one quite tasty. I have not had the pleasure of tasting mead, but this is what I would envision it to be like. Smooth and sweet and really can’t taste the mate. Every time I’ve had this one I just think of Blake Shelton’s song :) http://youtu.be/xZjosn2u1gA

I got a very generous amount of this in a swap from Artp.

Upon first sniff I get literally just pure honey, which makes my mouth water. So I brew it up and the smell is similar but a little more bitter. The taste is fabulous- it’s smooth and sweet, but fresh. I love that it combines mate, honeybush, and rooibos for a worry free zero bitterness brew. I love to keep some fun flavored mates on hand and I think this one might be added to my permanent collection :)

oh right, it also reminds me of honey cough drops but in a good way.

2 tsp for 500mL water, steeped 6 minutes. Rating: 88.

Wow! Serious honey, and, as another reviewer has noted, something fuzzy, like pollen and like bees themselves. I love honeybush but find it can get a bit monotonous on its own; here, blended, it nearly steals the show. Delicious without being sickly sweet. I do not taste the mate at all, though I can just pick out the green rooibos, which I quite like and have gotten fond of in the Super Chocolate blend. I am waiting for any mate buzz, which would be very welcome today. A very clean finish, no cloy, no bitterness. So far, win win.

(IE9 doesn’t let me access the slider bars, so I type out my rating stats.)

I had a good feeling I was going to like this. I was looking for a mate tea to try and I picked this up on a whim at DT based on the description. I love honey anything so this was a pleasant treat for me. It’s light on the honey while straight but I added some sugar and it brought the honey flavor to life. I would’ve added honey if I had that. I really don’t taste anything added to the honey like others have tasted. I’m pretty pleased with this one!!

Sweet throughout with earthy tones and a distinct citrus taste. Woodsy taste to it- maybe cedar mostly. Taste reminds me of the texture of coconut flesh. The aftertaste reminds me of honey

For some reason, the aroma of this tea reminds me of a newborn baby’s nursery with yellow walls and painted cartoon elephants. I think it may be because the scent reminds me of baby powder. Why I have a very specific baby room in mind, I cannot say.

Yum.
$1 today!
First of all, I love that this tea has an energy boost. I can hardly taste the mate aftertaste (the only reason I can taste it is because I know it’s in there I think!)

I am baffled as to how it tastes like honey. I was going to sweeten this one actually but I totally forgot, and it didn’t need it! (Man am I on repeat? haha)
The lemon is very nice too. Not overpowering, just there, like a squeeze of lemon with no harshness or acidity.

It DOES smell like Lush’s Honey soap, which might make this a tea I stock up on. It’s delicious iced. Very unique flavour in my opinion.

Yes, its a backlogging afternoon, bare with me! I can’t believe I haven’t logged this. A morning staple in my house, its sweet and hits the spot on those mornings you just can’t wake up. I haven’t tried it myself, but the other half says its really good iced too. Don’t steep this one too long/forget about it and hope its ok after 10/15 mins, it has a bit of a weird effect on me after that long in the cup.

Oh yum. This smells like honey, and tastes like it too. It makes me think of nectar. I’ve definitely changed my mind about mate. It isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was! It was a nice pick-me-up this afternoon when my energy was starting to wane.

I can’t quite figure out how I feel about this tea yet, and I had two cups of it today.

It smells incredibly like honey. Spot on, and very potent. While it was steeping, I could smell it across my apartment (it’s a small apartment, but this still seems impressive). It tastes nice. It’s sweet, but it’s not sickly-sweet as the scent had me worried it might be. But, despite the sweetness it’s very, very herbal.

I don’t really taste the mate, which is good for me. I don’t know how I could, with everything else that’s going on here. I think I can taste the honeybush a little, and maybe the rooibos, but it’s pretty difficult to isolate each component. Overall, it’s quite good. I don’t think it’s one I’m going to be drawn to all that often but it might be one I keep on hand for when I want to see if mate will give me energy. I haven’t liked any other mates I’ve tried, so maybe this is a good stepping stone!

My wife (De) got this in store yesterday and I’ve been resteeping those leaves all day. I love this tea. Loooove it. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, and it’s got enough of a zing to wake you up, which is exactly what I needed. It really does remind me of a honeybee in a delicious way. Definitely picking more of this up soon.

Hmm. This was one of the first teas from Davids that I ever tried, and I remember being kind of disappointed because it didn’t taste as much like honey as I thought it would, and I didn’t get an energy boost from it. But for what it is, I don’t think it’s that bad. I get more honeybush than honey taste but it’s sweet and pleasant. Hopefully this time the energy boost will work because I’m super exhausted today and I don’t even know why! Ughhhhhh