Youthberry Wild Orange Blossom Tea Blend

One of my kids liked this on the store, so I had her pick some up. I don’t know if she tried it hot or cold, but I am using it for iced tea. I added 1/4 of rock sugar and infused the mixture twice. It is a decent pitcher of iced tea, but I like 52teas much better, so I doubt I will invest in this again. I bought so little of it, I am not going to add to cupboard because it will be gone very quickly since I am making pitchers of iced tea. It is pretty and fruity tasting and would be fun to serve to guests who are not familiar with many teas.

This came as a free sample in an ancient Teavana order I placed months ago but I decided today was the day I needed to try it. I kinda knew I was in for trouble when I opened it up and it looks like a bag of dried fruit, yeah I think i saw one or two leaves of white tea in there… lol

This is really not my thing.
1) I do not EVER use sugar in my tea so this sample is instantly way too sweet.
2) It tastes like warm fruit punch.
3) No tea flavor whatsoever
4) If I want to drink a fruity tea I would prefer less hibiscus/rosehips/tart-ish crap

I decided to pour it over ice and it is better as a cold drink. I Teavana should really market this as a cocktail, mix it with rum and stick an umbrella in it.

Why am I so mad at Teavana lately? Is it because I have to steel myself for a hard sell before I walk through the door? I feel like such a jerk because I have to shut the persistant sales associates down when they try to sell me over-sized tins and pounds of tea at a time. It’s unfortunate because I love to learn about new teas, but I feel almost afraid to ask any questions lest I be subjected to a long sales pitch.

My most recent visit was particularly edgy because I had misread a forum thread, and I was convinced that the Tevanaites were adding sugar to the dry tea they sell. My husband said I had a crazy look in my eye and I believe it. I was going confront those tea posers about ruining pefectly good tea. Well, it turns out that they add sugar to their tea samples but not the actual dry tea you buy. I’m glad to know this because I really do enjoy a few of Teavava’s teas, and I was ready to write them off with my sugar misunderstanding.

I’m pleased that I purchased both Youthberry and Wild Orange Blossom. This white tea and herbal combo make a fantastically refreshing iced tea. Yes, it’s a super fruity tea but I make no bones about loving fruity teas. It’s hot like the surface of the sun in these parts, so a refreshing iced tea really hits the spot.

I spot a potential customer. She walks by, not seeing my well-concealed hunger for a hefty sale from her. I draw the blinds on the windows to my soul with as sincere a smile as I can muster. As my hands raise my tea tray to her eye level, my amicable mask annunciates the words, “Come try some tea!” Will she take the bait? The five seconds of suspense bring my heart beating up to my throat.
She finally responds with a hesitant, “Sure…” My heart races as she reaches for the sample cup that lures her in my direction. Her eyes are on the tea, not on my hungry eyes. Thank heaven for the lure that disguises this evildoer’s true intentions.
“Let me get you a fresh sample,” I say as I quickly snatch the tray out of her grasp and set it on the sample cart. This move is like playing with a fish. Make the bait look alive. Bring her in with some conversation. As I pour her a “fresh” sample that has actually been sitting stagnant in the FetCo all day, I tell her about the unfounded health benefits of white tea: antioxidants, good for skin and complexion, promotes hydration and detoxification. She only slightly reacts to these trigger words that society and media have conditioned her to respond to.
No, she is focusing on the sensory appeal of the tea. Fish do not care about the health benefits of the bait. They just want something that smells good and tastes good. She interrupts my sales pitches with the usual remarks, “it smells amazing,” “wow, this tastes wonderful,” to which I hide my annoyance and nod my head with a twitch of the mouth.
During my sales pitch, my conscience sometimes kicks in. Does she know that the sugar in the tea has ten more calories per teaspoon than regular sugar? I am misleading her to think that it is only this tea promotes these benefits, when I know full well that most, if not all, teas can do the same thing. I also know that the “white tea” that we are claiming is low in caffeine and high in antioxidants is not the same white tea that studies have shown to be high in antioxidants. Furthermore, I know that white tea is not necessarily low in caffeine like we are led to believe. My heart begins to ache at the illusion that I am beginning to paint in this customer’s mind. “Not now,” the salesperson in my head tells me. “Save it for the other teas, like corporate tells you to do. It’ll make you sell better.” This puts my conscience to rest, and I am able to focus on the big, fat sale that I will make on the other end of the counter as I lead her to try the next sample.

I got my Teavana order in the mail. All of them smell kind of.. not delicious, but whatever, for 1-3 bucks it was worth the try! Maybe they will taste awesome.. but first, the sample!

First of all, it smells delicious! I brewed up 2 teaspoons in a medium sized mug, took the rock sugar out of the strainer and put it in the bottom of my cup – I wanted to get the full sweetness, I was in the mood! Steeped for a short 2 minutes.

It was actually quite tasty! Nothing particularly unique or spectacular, but orangey and sweet. I think this would make an amazing iced tea, but I would never fork out the cash to actually purchase it, so we’ll see how far my sample takes me.

I’m with the masses, not the biggest Teavana fan, but thank you for this sample! It might be the tastiest part of my order!

Free sample included with my last Teavana order.

I remember trying this in store and being less than wowed, even though it’s one of their most touted blends. I think it’s because I had it hot and that just seemed wrong, somehow. So when I made this, I did so with the intent of putting it over ice.

Preparation notes: The whole sample in 500 ml. water at the below parameters. I did a second steep of the leaves (not about to waste 1 freaking oz of that stuff on only 2 cups) at 4 minutes steep time.

Dry leaf: I don’t even know that there was anything in that ‘tea’ besides rock sugar and fruit chunks. I really didn’t see anything that I would describe as a leaf. Strange…

Steeped tea: I’m pretty sure that hibiscus is the culprit for both the color and the flavor of this. It steeped to a bright, vibrant reddish pink and smelled very orangey. And while I did get a fair bit of orange on the sip (while hot), I got this overwhelming tart flavor that completely managed to bury whatever rock sugar got put in there.

After I made the four cups I actually had to add sugar to get some of the fruity flavor back (a tsp. and a half) and then I set it in the refrigerator so the boyfriend and I could have this with dinner.

…and once cold, it just fell flat. Like it couldn’t decide whether to be juice or tea, so it tried to walk the line and failed. I am glad I only had a sample of this. It’s gone and I’m over it.

(P.S. If this sounds overly negative, please take with a large grain of salt. I had a rough day today and this bore the brunt of it, I’m afraid.)

I must admit that I’ve shared the opinion of a lot of other steepsterites (steepsterians?) and have been at my wit’s end with teavana of late. Between the pushy, incessant, salespeople, and the mass-produced unauthentic feel of it, I’ve been forsaking the convenience of getting my tea fix there for more hospitable pastures.

Be that as it may, I just couldn’t stay away when my inbox was inundated with lures for their “Heavenly Sale”. I mean who’s tea budget could resist up to 75% off? Certainly not I, I’m not that strong, nor are my ideals that resolute.

Along with said order, I received yet another sample of this blend. I’ve been pretty sick all week, so this seemed the most appealing choice to bring with me to work. It was so pleasant, and really did the trick! It was light and fruity, but not too berry-y. I usually don’t care for anything peach flavored, but even though the Youthberry had a similar flavor palette, it was still pleasing, and well-balanced by the orange. The german rock sugar was a nice addition. I hardly ever add sugar to my tea but this provided just enough of a hint of sweetness without ruining the delicate blend. It tasted fresh and vibrant and led me down the road to recovery! It hit the spot so much that I ended up bringing it two days in a row, which hardly ever happens!

How funny that my favorite tea of this rather bulky order might end up being the free sample? I guess the solution to my teavana dilemma is to stick to online purchases. However, if I’m resigned to ordering online I’ll probably end up placing orders with companies I actually like, and feel good about supporting. After all, there’s plenty of them out there :)

This came as a free sample with my most recent order…and let me tell you, ordering online at Teavana is so much easier than entering the gauntlet in the mall.

Hadn’t tried this before, but loved it the moment I ripped open the package. It smells “happy,” – like Sunny D (orange, citrus-y bliss). I’m trying to cut down on caffeine during the afternoon, so this low-caffeine treat fit the bill. I notice that they add the rock sugar to the samples. I like that you can put the sugar in with the tea in the tea-sac bag so it blends more properly. There is a minty flavor on the edge of the aftertaste. Very pleasant, mint & citrus.

I’m drinking this hot, but I bet it’s even more amazing iced. Love the slight fruity flavor too… mango and pineapple. A tropical slice of heaven.

A tea club coworker brought this in to share today. Not sure I’d call this tea since I can’t pick out any tea flavor at all, but for a tisane it isn’t too bad. A pretty pink color. Dunno what a youthberry is, but it does have a distinctly orange flavor profile. Sounds strange to say about a liquid maybe, but this is wet. I am pretty sure it wouldn’t be one I cared for after it cooled off and I could see where adding sugar would make it very close to juice. Steeped “leaves” look pretty much like a heap of damp fruit.

I have too much tea. So I figured I should get rid of the things that are easy to get rid of, like this sample that has been sitting around since like October.

I had removed all the rock sugar and I can’t even imagine this with any. I made a cup of it hot, and it’s not bad, but it’s sweet on its own from all the fruit.

The white tea is kind of lost but I think that generally happens to flavored whites…especially ones that have giant apple bits added. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t want 4 oz of it. In fact I think I’d like this Youthberry one all by itself but not at the price. I don’t think the orange really adds to it. The pineapple and apple is good though, and this isn’t too hibiscus tasting for being Teavana.

I’ll probably cold steep the rest of it later so I can be done with it.

So this came with an online order. Smells pretty good. I looked at the sample and thought it seems like a lot of leaf for 16oz as it says on the instructions. As I’m finding though you seem to need more stuff when you are steeping the fruit. So again we have hibiscus here, and sigh this is reminding me of Tazo passion. However with the ginormous citrus presence. Yes I know used an overused word like “shared sacrifice”. The sample says it has german rock sugar in it……but there’s no sweetness here. Just citrusy goodness. Grapefruit, Orange, Pineapple, I saw the apple there too. Reminds me of when I used to sell citrus fruit in band as a high school-er. I was never that great of a salesman so we bought most the citrus and you could smell the aroma in the garage. This one time at band camp we were stretching and I split my shorts. I’m glad football excluded me from band camp in the later years. You know one of my favorite songs at the time was a classic from Weezer http://youtu.be/LHQqqM5sr7g Touché TeaEqualsBliss

I love that my sample of this blend was sweetened. I sweeten my tea, anyway, so this saved me a step. I get a bit nervous whenever I see a long list of ingredients—I worry that I’ll end up tasting nothing.

The dry tea smells like candy! I’m not sure what kind of candy, but candy. Some kind of hard candy, like. It’s a very sweet fragrance, and has citrus notes, but it’s more like a punch. Not fruit punch, but the tropical punch that has papayas and mangos and things.

The tea tastes like a Jolly Rancher. Not of any flavour that I’ve had before, mind you, but it tastes how I imagine a tropical punch Jolly Rancher would taste. =) I prefer spicy, nutty, chocolatey notes in my tea, or floral ones. I’m not really a fan of fruity teas, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this.

As nice as this first taste was, I’m going to see if I can get one more steep out of the sample. I think this tea would be really lovely iced. I’m not sure I’ll be able to get the full flavour out of a second steep, especially iced, but I’ll give it a go.

OMG TEA IS SO AWESOME! I THOUGHT GIVING UP SUGARY JUNKY SODAS WAS GONNA SUCK! BUT TEAVANA MAKES GETTING HEALTHY EASY! I’M GONNA DRINK 10 CUPS OF THIS EVERYDAY FOR MAXIMUM HEALTHS!

THE WHITE TEA MAKES ME FEEL SO HEALTHY AND THE GERMAN SUGAR IS SO UNREFINED AND HEALTHIER FOR YOU!

IT TASTES A LOT BETTER IF YOU MAKE IT IN AN AUTHENTIC TEAVANA CAST IRON TEAPOT!

This is the sample with the sugar. But really… omg this is so sweet. I mean it tastes awesome- it’s fruit + sugar coated fruit + sugar + a pinch of tea. This would be great to freeze into popsicles.

I received this tea as a free sample from Teavana with my last internet order. I was super disappointed to see it was pre-mixed with rock sugar. The instructions recommend steeping the entire 1oz sample for 16oz water. I thought this was way too much so I used 1.5tsp.

The dry tea smells like orange juice. There are large pieces of dried fruit, a very small amount of white tea and unfortunately, tonnes of rock sugar.

The brewed tea tastes like hot juice: apple, pineapple, orange, and I am tasting black current but the ingredients only list red current. It is much, much more sweet than I would have liked. There is a weird aftertaste which I associate with the sugar.

Overall, I think the blend would be good but without all of the rock sugar. I am going to try the rest of my sample as a cold brew.

I’ve had this a few times hot and haven’t loved it. Today I’m having it cold brewed for the first time and I am really enjoying it much more. The citrus has a coconut undertone which is tasty. Combined with the light oolong base, it is very refreshing. Perfect for the warmer weather outside

This tea is pretty much gross to me. It’s like drinking over sweetened fruit juice. I prefer Capri Sun to the Youthberry Wild Orange Blossom. I was unable to detect any tea flavor at all.

My personal theory is that Teavana claims this is their best seller just so they can get rid of their extra stock in the form of samples… Just a theory!

Shout out to LefTea for a sample of this tea!

This afternoon I’m craving fruity. This looks fruity!

DRY: Very sweet smelling fruity citrus. Lots of huge chunks in this tea, almost looks like fruity trail mix. This blend has the german rock sugar in it.

STEEPED: Sweet and fruity and steeps up to a peachy pink. I ate the huge chunks of fruit and they were candied tasty!

TASTE: Sugary sweet with a fruity flavor – pineapple, orange and other mystery fruit tastes. Unable to pick out the white tea. No bitterness or tartness.
I threw in some ice cubes when I got my cup to 50% and it was transformed to be more of juice than a tea.

WHO’D LIKE THIS TEA: Tea noobs that don’t like tea (my husband would like this, he dislikes tea) and fruity iced tea drinkers.

COMMENTS: Toooooo sweet! Too much german sugar in this for a hot tea!
The use of hibiscus was good in YBWOB as I didn’t pick up any tart – however it could of been the sugar covering it. I do rock sugar up my tea sometimes and drink some teas that have sweetener in it (ie, DavidsTea use of stevia or sugared pumpkins/lips/whatever) but YBWOB is sweeter than I’d make it myself.

Iced, it tastes close to weak juice but I know I could make it better steeping it the right strength for iced tea – and I think YBWOB is made for pitchers of iced tea. I got a slight pet peeve on huge chunky tea with lots of different bits in it as I worry I’m not getting the same cup each time, it feels asif I should be making full pots of tea.

Overall, not bad. I’m probably going to end up either picking out all the rock sugar or turning this bag into a pitcher of iced tea and not tell the husband it’s tea until it’s too late.

This tea is a guilty pleasure. It’s hard to see it as a “serious” tea because it’s like drinking candy. I imagine the sugar rotting my teeth, but I love every sample I get. The two main reasons I haven’t bought it (yet?) is because 1) it’s outrageously priced, in my opinion. They charge the full price for each of the two teas they’ve blended. Wouldn’t it make more sense to charge half the price of each? 2) I want to limit the sugary teas I drink and 3) I figure I can make a comparable blend myself more cheaply than Teavana sells it for. For now, I save this treat for weekends. By the way, I never make the whole package at once. I use 1-2 tsps at a time.

This blend took me by surprise. I had not had good experiences with the combination of hot and citrus. Because of this, I avoided trying this tea for the longest of times. Since I live in Ecuador, I have to buy my tea in batches when I happen to travel or when someone is nice enough to bring me tea when they come visit. My last order, out of curiosity, I added this blend. I was pleasantly surprised!

It smells very fruity with pineapple and mango notes standing out and a bit of coconut?, with a citrusy smell lingering behind. As I with most Teavana teas I have tried, the ratio of tea to fruit was a bit frustrating. I wish there was a bit more tea to the blend and a little less random pieces of fruit…

After a relatively short brewing time of two minutes (recommended time) the liquor was a light pink color (delightful to watch brew!). The smell of the brew was similar to the smell of the leaves, but a bit weaker. The orange seems to be stronger once brewed, mellowing out the sweet smell that overwhelmed the dry blend. The taste was sip of sweet pineapple and mango (still tasting coconut?) and orange aftertaste. Delicious!

I would recommend this tea to anyone who want a sweet fruity tea. One of the best I have tried so far! Now a must have in my tea cabinet!

Well I was a little disappointed with this one. I expected a little more flavor from the combo but it left me wanting more. It was decent don’t get me wrong, but the flavor was lacking. I’m used to using my Bodum steeper and I’ve noticed that my Breville one touch isn’t giving me as strong of a flavor. Maybe I should steep longer?