Candy Cane Green Tea

So I keep looking for Candy Cane Lane at my grocery store cause of all the hype that this tea gets. It’s almost the middle of December and still no Candy Cane Lane. You suck, A&P. And not just because you don’t stock holiday tea. (2nd to worst produce everrrrr) Fortunately, I have a nearby Trader Joe’s and I’ve been assured that this tea is the same. Yaaaay. I love you, Trader Joe’s.

So the packaging is just adorable. A polar bear in a sweater having a hot cup of tea. I want to meet this bear and have tea with him. I’ll bring some smoked salmon sandwiches. And the narwhale is invited too. We could do some holiday decorating. He seems into that sort of thing. In short, the package art indulges my childish imagination.

The smell of the tea reminded of the car freshener my dad used when I was young and prone to car sickness. I had a brief moment where I re-experienced all the times I threw up in dad’s old Lincoln. Then that moment was over and I smelled peppermint, cinnamon, and vanilla. There’s also some mystery smells that I don’t recognize. Together, it all smells kinda crazy.

Then I let it brew for a long time while I had dinner. The flavor is really close to a candy cane, actually. I’m sort of impressed. Then I notice the individual flavors. Nice. The more I drink this, the more I like it. I love the cool peppermint and the smooth vanilla. And the cinnamon works so well here. I do wonder why there’s sugar in the ingredient list. Isn’t the sweetening of a tea left up to drinker’s preference? And gum acacia? Whyyyyy? I’d like this a lot more if not for the last two ingredients. But I totally see myself drinking this when I find looseleaf inconvenient or when I want a peppermint fix. It would probably be awesome with chocolate desserts. Mint chocolate!

I love Celestial Seasoning’s Candy Cane Lane. And, as this is just that tea, repackaged, I love it too.

My tea of the evening. I am feeling a little under the weather….allergies and general yuck. The mint in this one is great for settling my tummy. I also find this tea identical to Celestial Seasoning’s Cany Cane Lane. For a bagged tea, this is pretty good.

24 oz teapot, 3 bags, freshly heated water (I have a new electric kettle…bliss!), 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

This is the same exact tea as Candy Cane Lane by Celestial Seasonings… it has just been white labeled for TJs. :-)

Before drinking this tea, I wasn’t a tea drinker. After having one sip of this delightful brew, I was immediately hooked. It is so smooth and soothing, with a pleasant cooling sensation soon after sipping. I recommend TJ’s candy cane tea to anybody looking for a gentle, cozy hug of a tea.

I brew this with boiling water for 5 minutes and wait until it’s cooled just enough to drink.

I really like this tea. I discovered it last year and was disappointed when my Trader Joe’s sold out mid December and I had to wait a whole year to get more. It tastes just like someone melted a candy cane in hot water. It is tingly peppermint and creamy vanilla. There is no artificial taste. It is also sugar sweet. I keep expecting to see calories on the label, but it says 0 calories. Usually I don’t like sweet tea, but I really like this one. This is really perfect for the holidays and the best of the grocery store holiday teas.

This is a nice tea for its price tag ($1.99/20 ct). The list of ingredients is quite long (peppermint, vanilla, orange peel, cinnamon, milk thistle, chicory, carob, blackberry leaves…) but what you’re basically getting is a vanilla tea with just a hint of cool peppermint. I’m a little weird about vanilla in tea as it tends to overwhelm everything else, which is indeed the case here. Still, this makes a perfect stocking stuffer. The box art is adorable (be-sweatered polar bear and narwhal with ornaments hanging from its horn) and it won’t break the bank.

I like this tea. A lot. Possibly a lot more than I should. Sometimes I feel myself becoming a bit of a tea snob, turning my nose up at bagged tea and stores like Teavana. But every now and then a teabag is just so delicious I can’t possibly give them up altogether. This is one of those times.

This tea is so deliciously minty, slightly sweet, tastes good hot or cold, and can be re-steeped so many times I lose count. It’s great.

This tea has a wonderful scent, just like candy canes with a hint of cinnamon. I had it plain without anything added, but next time I would definitely add sugar or honey to sweeten it a bit. This mix begs for it.

winter fave

Never thought that I would enjoy a decaf tea, but somehow this worked!

I saw this recommended in one of the food blogs that I regularly read, so when I saw it at Trader Joe’s, I picked up a box. The peppermint aroma is enjoyable as soon as you open the box, and remains even after a double steeping.

I will probably hoard a few boxes of this so that I can enjoy it long after the holiday season.

It’s nice to find a peppermint green tea that’s also decaf. Tastes pretty good too. :)

THE BEST winter tea. Light green tea, vanilla, peppermint. Not overpowering in any way, and not bitter in the slightest. Perfect!

Yum! This is a really nice peppermint-y green tea. I like drinking it with milk and LOTS of sugar. I definitely recommend this tea.

yummy! Gonna be sad when the holidays are over. very nice and refreshing.

This was the first peppermint tea I’ve found that isn’t overwhelmingly minty; it’s subtle and delicious. Just right for a cold day.

This tea is sweet and tastes mostly of vanilla and mint. Makes for a decent liquid dessert or a cup that smells like a candy store. Good thing it’s decaf; I could drink this by the bucket.

nice change of taste and good addition to your green tea collection!

I had to try this a multitude of times before commenting. I really like this tea. I’ve been on a tea journey now for maybe 7 years, but I’m still in the bagged zone. I have to say that this tea has a lot of mint zip to it. I like that a LOT. It is great for an afternoon pick-me-up. I like my tea with sweetness, so I add some stevia to this, but that is all this tea needs (for me). Soy or almond milk would just sully the brightness of it. The cinnamon/vanilla is there, but so subtle. Really a pleasure to drink :o)

My favorite mid-afternoon tea. Even though it’s decaf, it still gives me a bit of a jumpstart <3