Celestial Seasonings

“Brew Over Ice” K-cups can be hit-or-miss, and this one’s actually a “hit.” Without added sugar it’s fairly bitter, but with a dash of sugar, it’s quite good, with a nice black-tea-to-lemon-flavour ratio. I still prefer self-brewed iced tea from loose leaves, but I’ll this is great for when I’m out of leaves or in a hurry.

This tea is truly disgusting. While it is in your mouth, it tastes like lightly flavored water that has been watered down with stale ice cubes, and when you swallow it, you are hit with an artificially sweet aftertaste that induces gaging. I can’t get all the way through a glass without dumping it out. It cannot be drunk hot or iced.

As a side note, I love the non-iced, non-pre-sweetened version of this tea. I bought this one accidentally, because the boxes are nearly identical, and I was in a hurry and not paying attention. So, learn from my mistake: Apparently the new “Sweet Iced Tea” line from Celestial Seasonings has to hide in boxes that look like the original teas’ packaging to dupe people into buying them. Don’t fall for it! Look at the entire box, don’t just glance!!!!

I must commend them on this blend. The tea bag smelled good, packaging was fresh, the tea bag looked large like a Mate Factor portion, and I really loved how simple the ingredient list was. Ingredients: Roasted Mate & Black Tea.

I enjoyed this because many companies try and hide behind ingredients such as chicory, cinnamon, etc. This blend seemed like mostly Roasted Mate, possibly a 60/40 blend, Mate to Black Tea.

Off first taste, it was smooth. I only used one teabag but it was stout enough for me. My bias toward roasted mate kept me from loving it, but I love the idea and the smoothness. It gave me a good buzz as there is probably quite a bit of caffeine in there. The stringency of the Black Tea was nice. I enjoyed this blend. This would be a very good intro to Mate for someone totally against the idea of Mate. I feel made into an espresso blend, and made into a Morning Thunder Latte, that could be amazing. The round, smooth taste of this blend was very pleasant and could be a once a week staple.

I commend Celestial Seasonings for the simplicity of this drink, and its attempt at a Mate blend. I had emailed them many times about bringing in Mate not knowing this blend existed.

For people that are die hard CS drinkers, this is for you. If you get your buzz from CS, then this is where to go. Good drink Celestial Seasonings!

When I was at my parents’ house the other day, I gave this a try again. Not bad, but it’s not one that I’d get for my cupboard.

I’m not usually one for hot fruit tea, but this one is all right. It smells wonderfully spiced with a bit of orange, but the flavors are reversed with a little more orange than spice. It’s drinkable, but still not one that I would drink often.

Well, I’m not much of a fan of green tea unless it is showcasing other great flavors. I wouldn’t call the flavors here great, though it has a nice scent. I also don’t like stevia and thought it would have been better off without it. I know someone who’d like this tea though and I’ll pass it to them…

Bought this on a whim when I had a cold a few years back. It has depth in its mintyness from the combination of eucalyptus, peppermint, and menthol extract. Somehow they added 60% DV of vitamin C, and 50% DV of zinc. The tea is… medicinal. The stevia leaves in it add a little sweetness which is slightly off-putting for me, but this is the tea I always reach for when I’m sick, not especially for the taste, but for the blend of medicinal ingredients and the comfort of old habits.

Celestial Seasonings never disappoints — this is another one of their teas that has a very strong flavor even in a smaller cup. 2 teaspoons of sugar and a splash of vanilla almond milk makes this a perfect cup for me. The honey is strong enough that you notice it without being overpowering like some honey teas. The vanilla is harder to distinguish, even with the vanilla almond milk, but it definitely contributes to the overall flavor. Overall, while I generally enjoy my caffeinated black teas in the morning, this has made a wonderful cup of “wake me up” this morning without the addition of caffeine. It seems counterintuitive coming from chamomile, but it really does help me meet the day with a smile.

I always have this tea at home. It’s refreshing and soothing at the same time. A very nice herbal blend that always makes me feel better.

Tasty. Easy to drink. Nothing terribly complex about it, but should bush tea be complex? This has a little bit of sweetness to it. The vanilla is ok. Overall a good tea to have on hand.

This is a unique tea. I have yet to run across another like it. You can definitely taste the plum spice, so if you’re not a fan of spice teas, you probably won’t like this one very much. It’s not something I reach for every day, but when you just need something different, it fits the bill. I can definitely enjoy it without sweetener so that helps in my book.

Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Although I usually drink teas without sweeteners, I make an exception for this one. Not because it needs it…no no….simply because a little bit of rock sugar just enhances the sugar cookie flavor that much more. Add a splash of coconut milk, and you have a lovely dessert tea.

This is definitely a good tea to have in your arsenal. It has a mild flavor that doesn’t need any sweetener unless you’re used to that sort of thing (I’m a Paleoist, so my taste buds have adjusted to need less sweet than most peoples). Without sweetener, you can definitely pick up the creamy vanilla at the end of your sip. Delicious. Definite repurchase.

I’m beginning to notice a trend with CS mandarin flavored teas. They all have an underlying bitter note that you have to cover up with sweetener/milk/etc. This one wasn’t as bad as the decaf mandarin green by the same company, but it wasn’t stupendous. I wouldn’t repurchase. I have to add coconut milk and stevia to make it more palatable. I really like drinking my tea plain when I can. This tea doesn’t allow for that.

I actually didn’t really like this much at all. I detected a bitter note after my first taste and was forced to add sweetener, which I hate doing. I believe a good tea should stand on its own. I’m hoping I will be able to salvage some of it by adding another tea mixed with it. Maybe a fruity herbal of some sort.

i keep this on stock and notice the stores only keep one or two i stock..but I love this tea..have it most nights..and have the best dreams!

I don’t even add honey anymore…the smell, the taste…very calming and I relax..right away

The first time I drank this, I had a cold or something and wanted something soothing. It said echinacea mint flavour, so I figured it would be ok (my sinuses were bad and taste was not a huge factor!)
I sweetened it with a touch of honey, because I hadn’t FULLY read the ingredients list. It has stevia so this was kind of a mistake for me (anything with stevia in it is already sweet in my opinion). I let it steep super long as well. Anyways, once it cooled down, the first few sips were ok. Very minty, and herbal. But soon the licorice just completely took over, and it stayed in my mouth! I like a bit of licorice, but not that much. The licorice and sweetness made it just too much and I didn’t enjoy the taste at all, BUT it was soothing and opening up my sinuses a bit.

So last night I was feeling a bit stuffy and decided to try this again, WITHOUT adding sweetener and steeping it for just a few minutes. Those two things made a big difference. The licorice only became kind of much near the end of this cup, staying in the back of my throat again. It did soothe my sinuses though and I will probably end up trying this again if I feel under the weather (if only to use it up, because I think Sleepytime might make me feel just as good & comforted, and I know it tastes alot better!)

Meh. I drank this after having finished a whole leaf variety of green tea I had at my desk. In comparison, this one is kind of crappy. HOWEVER, it’s not so bad. If you want green tea and you only have this, then drink it. I just wouldn’t recommend it if you have other options.

Bleah. Maybe I just don’t like the undertone of barley. I do not want to throw this out so I added cream and honey and it was actually drinkable. However, I will not buy this one again.

This is an excellent tea. While the blueberry is more strong in scent than flavor, I am pleased that the smooth green taste that I drink tea for is not disguised. I love this tea, just smelling it makes me cheerful.

This is an excellent tea. The apple flavor makes the chamomile more interesting while remaining subtle. I love to drink this before bed and definitely, it is one of my tea-must keeps.

when i’m out of loose leaf, or just being lazy, i turn to celestial seasonings. the lemon zinger never lets me down, it’s always a refreshing pick-me-up on a gloomy day and it’s wonderful iced to cut the miserable mugginess of summer.

not my favorite cup of tea. very plain with a weird scent and flavor, will not be drinking this again. maybe i steeped it wrong…