ToLife

Primarily I can make out nice large white tea buds, Jasmine green tea pearls, cornflower petals and green rooibos needles. There’s more there, but those are the highlights. The aroma is somewhat fruity (guava and passion fruit) and somewhat floral (jasmine).

The liquor brews to a stunningly beautiful orange gold color. The aroma from the loose material migrates more to the fruity side than the floral side. The aroma from the liquor is much more subtle, but has similar trends.

The flavor is much more astringent than the smooth aroma eludes to. I figured this for a creamier tea based on the aroma, though the ingredients should have pointed to a more puckery assertion. I guess you can blame that one on me. The fruity overtones start the flavor profile while the floral notes combine for the finish and an unusually long tail.

I have been wanting to try this for a while now and I finally picked some up today. Hmmm this wasn’t what I expected. I was thinking the rooibos tropica would be the highlight of this tea with a nice lingering jasmine taste to it. Well, they tricked me! The main flavor I am picking up on is a citrus…like a sweet lemon taste, a bit sour as well. With the rooibos coming in second and then jasmine coming in dead last. It’s not a bad tea, it is good… it was just totally not what I expected it to taste like! Even smelling it I smelled the rooibos and jasmine! Eh, oh well… I have a lemon-y tea now. I’ll have to try it iced and see how that tastes. I’m going to knock a few points off just because how the taste is so different from the description.

This dry blend could be explored visually, even with a magnifying glass, for quite some time whilst trying to identify all its elements. Another of Teavana’s inspired, uncanny, or regrettable (depending, I suppose, on one’s experience with same) mixtures which goes where no tea has gone before. The worst bastardization in the orgy is the green rooibus intertwined with jasmine, which emerged onto my palate as some vegetable of questionable origin (a dumpster, perhaps?). The addition of a spot of honey to the second steep, aided by the blessed presence of white tea, managed to smooth things into a fruit and flower assemblage, albeit a plasticized one. I really wanted to like this tea, especially since I got it in a swap with a nice person. Because of that, and due to myself (and my taste buds) being dog-tired, I shall refrain from scoring this now. Tomorrow is, after all, another day.

I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It was one of a bunch I ordered from teavana. And though I tried to pick very diverse teas, I must admit, this was not one that I was most excited about. That all changed at first sniff. It has a lovely, satisfying bouquet of florals, specifically the jasmine, and citrus. It smells like heavy spring, when everything around you is most alive. Drinking it in the dead of winter, this made it all the more alluring to me, as I was transported in the first sip. Between this, and the quality that something within it reminds me only of a hard, powdery candy I used to get from the quarter machine at the grocery store as a child, this tea brings me the warmth and life of springtime, coupled with striking youthful nostalgia. Could there be any better combination?

Today was another attempt at making iced tea. This weekend was really way too hot, my laptop keyboard is so hot I cant use it for long periods of time… yikes!

Anyway, I combined the last of my Frutto Bianco Pearls with ToLife so this is an iced version of that mix. Using my 16oz teamaker I put in 3 tsps, steeped, and iced in a pot and stuck it into the fridge.

It came out so good! I’ve always liked this tea iced/cold and I think this was a great success. I can taste the flavor of my favorite Frutto Bianco Pearls, and the rooibos from the ToLife adds more flavor to it when its iced. Great combination and I’ll probably use this combination again when I need an iced tea ;)

This is one of my favorite teas from Teavana. It is also one of the first I discovered so maybe I’m a bit partial to it. I’m not a big Rooibos fan, so I do sift through and make sure I have enough silver needle and pearls to blend with the Rooibos Tropica in this one. Seems to only really be good for one steep and you definitely have to use a fine strainer to get all those tiny pieces out unless you don’t mind them at the bottom of your cup.

I love this tea. It’s just the right amount of lightness and fruity. One of my biggest complaints with tea is that feeling it leaves at the back of your throat, but this tea has yet to do that to me. It has a very light feel to it, but with a little bit of fruity above it.

Sometimes I add a teaspoon of honey to it if I’m having a sweet tooth moment, and lately I’ve been adding berries. I simply throw the berries in the bottom of the mug, mash them with a spoon and then steep the tea right there in with it. I don’t like to do this with dark teas because it’s harder to pick up on the light flavor of berry (I usually only throw in 3 depending on the size).

One thing I think is particularly great about this tea is that I usually get 3 good steeps out of it before I finally throw it out. The leaves still smell great after the 3rd steep so I’m itching to try for a 4th. It also tastes perfectly fine after if it’s cooled down, so I can take it to go and not have to worry about drinking it fast. I really like a lot of bang for my buck, so this is a definite plus for me.

one of my favorites. best smelling tea ive found. so many parts its difficult to make sure you get one bit in each ball. floral and fruity. pearls r fun. resteeps

I had all of the teas that make this blend separated. So, when I made the blend I went totally OCD about it and prepared the teas separately since you get the best flavor out of each component if you follow the temperature/infusing guidelines. When I combined them, this tea was magnificent! I am speaking from memory here though, as it’s been over a year since I’ve had this tea. I do however remember that it was a delicious and interesting blend that I may have to recreate after I thin out my tea collection. This is probably going to take a while since I just put in a lengthy order at Davids Tea, but the fall chill has me warming my hands on so many cups’o’tea. Delightful!

Great taste, very light and sweet with a good presence of Jasmine.

Used up the very last of this the other night. This is one of the very few rooibos that I enjoy. I don’t think I will repurchase it as I didn’t drink it on a regular basis, but it has a lovely delicate taste and is fantastic iced.

always a pleasure.

Really mild, sweet, flowery. One of my favorites from Teavana!