Refresh

Today my tea making experience was the epitome of teamwork! I poured soy, boyfriend poured water, I added mate bags, he topped me off with mint bags. I was too delighted he was helping to comment on how you’re supposed to pour The water OVER the bags not dunk them IN it… But before you get all “aw” about him helping, it was 4:15am and I am 99% sure he just wanted me out the door so he could go back to bed Haha. Anyway, the tea:

Had a date with my mommy last weekend and we found ourselves at Whole Foods for lunch. I cruised down the tea aisle to see what caught my eye. Saw BULK yerba mate tea bags, 75 for $12! Last time it was $6 for 25! This was like buy 2 get one free!

Anyway, since my morning blend has been 4 mate bags and 2 mint bags, I had to refill on mint. Tazo was on sale, so Tazo it was! I had been using Trader Joes mint which tasted more like authentic mint. This one is a little sweeter, but also a more aggressive mint. It definitely makes my mouth feel more refreshed. I don’t like the almost sugar aftertaste, though.

No rating since I mixed it up!

Edit: I reviewed the ingredients… Pretty sure it’s the tarragon giving it the aftertaste. I thought that before, too, but I didn’t know if I was spelling tarragon wrong so I had to check Haha

Look at me with a tisane! Be sure to pay attention, Steepsterites, as this is not something that happens that often, but it’s too late really for tea when I’m trying to re-learn getting to bed at a proper hour, and I wanted to try something else of what TeaEqualsBliss sent me.

I dipped my sleeve in the cup (no, not on purpose), so it’s not starting well.

It smells strongly of spearmint and I can’t really find any tarragon. It’s like a mix of toothpaste and that chewing gum that my mother prefers. Daunting… Maybe it can help on my stomach reflux though. (Oh avocado… so yummy, yet so deceitful!)

It tastes a bit like that chewing gum too, but it’s not as overwhelmingly spearmint-y as I had expected. I think it’s because the tarragon is lying down a base and controlling it. It’s just spearmint-y enough to give me that prickling on the tongue and brief fresh mouth sensation. The latter doesn’t seem to last very long after swallowing, but then again, it’s a tisane, not a tooth-paste replacement.

Tisanes don’t really interest me at all, and I don’t buy them unless for someone else or because I want to mix with stuff. Although I’d be unlikely to purchase this if the brand was available here, I still like it rather more than I thought I would.

My Starbucks was all out of the China Green I usually get when I’m there, so I decided to try something new. I was under the impression that this was a mint green; but I found out when I tasted it that it definitely was not. First whiff: the sharp, cold smell of peppermint. My Starbucks has the full-leaf satchets, and the leaf pieces were small but uniformly cut, bright green and very fragrant.

Brew: mid-range, green/brown, very warm.

Taste: the peppermint hits first, and then there’s the licorice flavor from the tarragon, and then its followed by the coolness of the mint.

I really don’t like licorice – it just upsets m stomach. It was palatable when hot, but as it cooled, the licorice flavor became much stronger and I couldn’t finish the cup. I won’t be trying it again, I don’t think, but at least I tried it.

It was my grandma’s 80th bday today, so we had a nice brunch with extended family at a hotel. Nice to chat with all the cousins and see all their little kids :) anyways, they had a small team selection of mostly tazo, and i was between this and an orange herbal, but this was needed as I over ate and stomach was super full and needed calming down lol. This is a standard mint, nothing special, couldn’t taste anything except mint, mostly peppermint. I enjoy mint tho, so it was decent :) should have taken a bag of that orange one to try later, oh well haha.

Im stuck with this one today its the best one i could find at the starbucks here in the hospital, i dont care much for tazo teas but this one isnt tea its mint and tarragon, its decent so i guess i can deal with it for the rest of the day.

Got this (along with a few other) tea in a box my mum sent over for Christmas!

Holy crap is this tea minty. Almost numbs the tongue! I wish I would have had this a few days ago when I had a nasty flu. This would have cleared everything right up in a jiffy. It’s nice, though. Refreshing… so I guess that’s why it’s named Refresh. Would be nice mixed with a little bit of green tea and some honey!

I got this teabag and other tea alittle while ago from Laura R. Thank you very much. I had this last night. I can smell both the peppermint and spearmint and perhaps the terragon to.Kinda smelled like mint gum to. I steeped it up. this tastes like a really good mix of spearmint then the peppermint with abit of terragon. I like how the mints blend together, and the bit of terragon even though I dont have much experience with that herb. I thought this was really good. Although I really like mint teas and aren’t really judgemental on them.

I’ve been experimenting with different mints and I really like this one. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do, but right now it’s leading the pack on the mint front.

The mix of peppermint and spearmint, unexpectedly (to me anyway), seems to have a synergy that makes this tisane more enjoyable than a straight peppermint or spearmint, without tasting like Wrigley’s Doublemint. The spearmint smooths out and mellows the peppermint, and the peppermint gives a jolt to the spearmint that keeps it from being too passive and dull. The tarragon is just a touch, fortunately, as while tarragon has a place in my spice pantheon I don’t love it if it is too overbearing. But it is present and may be what prevents the Doublemint effect — if so, I’m grateful to it.

I’m drinking the “full leaf” Starbucks tin version of this, using two bags in 16 oz of water.

Ooookay! Steeped this one to taste, which was somewhere between thirty seconds and forty-five. I knew any longer than that and I wouldn’t be able to stand it. I used the still-hot water from the rooibos, and it was at a drinkable temperature already, so it probably wasn’t very hot at all.

First thing first, I reeeeeally haaaate mint. Mint gum, ew. After-dinner mints make my skin crawl. I don’t like the artificial cold feeling. Bleeeech. I’ve only ever liked spearmint, in that pink gum. Which probably isn’t actually what spearmint TASTES like.

This is okay at thirty-seconds in warm, almost-hot water. It smells STRONGLY of peppermint (I know, I’ve had that stuff growing in my garden for years). I think I can make out the tarragon. Liquorishy. Which actually doesn’t go too bad. Faint.

Makes my breath feel cool and minty like mouthwash, but not TOO bad. I doubt I’d be able to drink this if it were any stronger. At any rate, since I dislike mint so strongly (although this tea’s okay—brisk), I don’t think it proper that I give this a rating. I’m too strongly biased.

It’s a decent mint tea, although I’m also not able to taste the tarragon. Like many other Tazo teas it’s acceptable for when you don’t have something better. I suggest adding fresh mint in the cup when making it for additional strength.

I received this tea last Christmas in a tin from a friend, who knows me and my love of tea very well. I’d have to say that it is a good pick for my taste. I’ve tried a few boxed brands of mint teas such as Celestial Seasonings and Stash, and so far I enjoy this one best. Compared to others, I find this one slightly bolder, and as a result the flavor seems to linger in my mouth longer after each sip. It’s a little like a candy cane, without the sugar and the sticky fingers (or am I the only one who can’t eat a candy cane without getting sticky fingers?)

Minty tea is minty.

I can’t really taste any tarragon unfortunately, so this is basically pure mint. Although the very faint, slightly herby taste I get on the back of my tongue might be tarragon. If you squint and don’t look too hard.

More peppermint flavor than spearmint. Reminds me of Wrigley’s doublemint gum. I don’t really taste the tarragon, however. This is okay, but I like Ahmad’s mint green better and Numi Moroccan mint much better. Something is missing from this tea – it tastes one-dimensional despite having three herbs in it. It has the flat aftertaste of the peppermint which I don’t like. This tea would probably be better mixed with a green or black tea as a base. My least favorite of the 3 mint teas I have tasted so far. But it is nice to drink with a cold.

I LOVE me some mint tea. I get Refresh for free because I work for Starbucks. I frequently drink this over ice at work by steeping 2 bags in 12 oz. of boiling water and pouring over a 24 oz. cup of ice. It’s fresh, crisp, and has an unmistakable chocolate-y taste to it. Reminds me of York peppermint patties.

Refresh it great, and the full leaf version is much richer than the filterbag, but honestly, it’s not worth the price. If I didn’t get it for free, I would much sooner buy loose peppermint leaves from Central Market for $7 per POUND.

OH, enjoy.
I’m all caffeined out, so it’s on to the wonderful Refresh.
It’s peppermint AND spearmint, so it doesn’t have any of that gaggy back-of-the-mouth sharpness that the peppermint teas of my university years (when all I could afford was a box of Stash or Tetley.)
The colour is misleading. It doesn’t look like it’s going to taste good. And the has almost a medicine cabinet quality to it. But the TASTE is so wonderful. It has a richer body than I’d expect from brewing mint leaves in water (of course, I added a touch of my usual milk and sugar), but the minty taste has no menthol or toothpaste qualitites at all. The oils left behind give me a fresh-from-the-dentist feeling of clean (although I know for a fact that the several candy cane Viva Puffs that I shoved in my mouth for breakfast have something to say about the actuality of that situation.)
Lovely, lovely, lovely. And exactly what I needed on a light-grey November morning when I have a very present deadline looming.

This is a nice minty flavor, with plenty of spearmint tones and a slight tarragon fragrance. (In fact I smelled the tarragon more than I tasted it). Refresh is definitely aptly named; I do feel this tisane refreshes my senses. I find it perfect hot, during a stressful day or as I unwind. Delish! A side note: I added sugar free vanilla syrup to it and loved the additional flavor profile.

This tea is always great when one has a cold, sinus stuffiness, upset stomach, any ailment that makes an excuse to drink a hot cuppa.

I taste the spearmint and peppermint and an aftertaste that could be the tarragon, but not sure I’ve ever tasted tarragon so I’m not certain. Very refreshing tea. I enjoy the strong mint aroma and great mint flavor of this one.

Fixed this tonight since I really wanted CS’s Peppermint, but was out. Had never tried this before and had a couple of bags lying around from a hotel visit. This is a really yummy way to do a mint tea. This may become my new favorite mint!

Amount: 2 teabags
Additives: none
Water: 20 ounces hot water spigot
Steep Time: a little over 10 minutes
Served: Hot

Notes: Purchased at Starbucks. I would probably like it more if it brewed a bit less (very minty) and had some honey.

Smell: minty, clears your nose
Flavor: mint
Body: full
Aftertaste: sweet, tingly, mint
Liquor: dark green-brown

~if you enjoy mintyness than this tea is for you :) You don’t get an over powering taste of it, but just give it a second…the burst of minty goodness follows shortly after your sip:) I prefer it this way b/c I am not a huge fan of mint flavored anything. But Tazo does a nice job of keeping it subtle but tasty!