Trader Joe's

This is THE best tasting tea I’ve had. That might be an exaggeration but this tea is seriously amazing. I’m not a big fan of tea in general unless there is a LOT of sugar or honey and lemon in it. My housemates aren’t big tea people either. But this tea. THIS TEA. We go through boxes of it so fast. It’s everyone’s favorite. It’s perfectly balanced with sweet, fragrant, savory and a very tiiiny bit spicy. You can let it steep for as long as you want (maybe even make a second cup with the same bag). It’s not as strong but still tastes pretty good. At under $3 for 20 bags, it’s very affordable and I’ll legit cry the day TJ’s stops selling it.

Steeped 2 min and drank hot. Tastes watery and flowery, but mostly from the smell – very little flavor from taste.
Tried it iced – steeped 1.5 minutes, poured over ice. Tastes like flower water. Tried several times to like it but I couldn’t finish it. Tasted 8.2018

Decided to try something seasonal, and I was pleased with my choice. Not too shabby.

This tea doesn’t need any thing added. The clove and nutmeg gives a pleasant smell and taste. It is a perfect fall tea.

Sipping an office castoff of indeterminate age, but it’s pumpkin season. What could I do?
Regardless of its age, it’s still mellow with a little bite (of cinnamon). I am, too ;)

Very enjoyable. I got it when I wasn’t feeling well and it helped with my throat. It was pretty sweet without having to add anything to it, which was nice. The turmeric dissolved better through the tea bag then when I try and add it in myself. I’ll be getting it again next time I get sick.

This was the very first box of tea I bought back around 2002 once I started venturing away from the unsweetened Lipton iced tea brewed by my friends. I used to keep a box at my grandma’s to drink while she’d teach me how to cook Greek dishes and pastries. I’ve gone through many boxes since then.

Honestly, it’s not bad. The jasmine is not overwhelming and the liquor is kind of tart like elderflower and a little biscuity. Kind of a golden brown cup. Good in a pinch as long as you have low temperature water, otherwise it’s Bitter City. Good cold-brewed 2 bags to a liter overnight. The best part about the tea is the quote on the back of the pouch: “…She had that brand of pragmatism that would find her the first brewing tea after Armageddon.” —Clive Barker, Weaver-World

It is easy to drink and not overwhelming amount of caffeine. I added some cream to mine to make it a little sweeter. The flavor was full, pleasant and what you would expect from a good Earl Gray.

I enjoyed the tea, it was easy to take to go and make in the morning. I wish there wasn’t so much sugar in it. However, this is my first matcha experience so I will most like branch out soon.

Well, I am not one to judge a tea because this is the first time I have ever had tea. I bet it was fine and dandy for some, but it tasted like forest river moss water to me. Again, maybe that is what all tea tastes like and I just am new to this world, but I will keep trying more.

Way too bitter- I can’t even drink it without a heaping spoonful of sugar, and I generally drink all tea straight. That said, when sweetened it’s not bad per se, just rather plan and lacking in any interesting flavor. I see this as pretty much the tea equivalent of how I see coffee- strong, bitter, and good for a caffeine boost.

Last one I promise!
So Now that I’m down to the bottom of the tin and only have about 2 servings left of this. I decided to try it hot again to see if the raspberry flavor was at the bottom. This was definitely the case as I could taste the raspberry in the cup this time. All of the freeze dried raspberries were trapped at the bottom of the tin but really it was just sawdust. There were no small pieces at all. The raspberry sawdust still made a difference though. I wouldn’t repurchase this but definitely look forward to trying higher quality raspberry black teas in the future.

So I know I already did a tasting note about the iced tea batch I made of this. I have a couple more things to add though. So When I made this iced since fresh raspberries aren’t great this time of year according to my family. I opted for frozen ones. I put them in the tea pot and instead of defrosting them first just poured the boiling water into the pot.

Today’s cup I decided to make as a slightly sweetened tea pop with sparkling water. I like this a lot better this way. I can’t taste the black tea in this cup though. The raspberries I added though come through as being very juicy and fresh tasting. Their not nearly as tart now after I added some sweetener. The sweetener definitely enhanced the flavor of the berries without taking completely taking away the tartness. I’m slightly conflicted though since I do wish I could taste the black tea but still love it.

This was a Christmas gift that came as a sampler of 6 teas. TJ’s doesn’t carry any of them to purchase individually though. This is my second favorite of the set. After trying them all there was only one I would want to repurchase if it’s ever sold individually.

Made a batch of this iced. When I tried this hot previously the raspberry flavor didn’t come through. So I added fresh raspberries to the iced tea and chilled it in the fridge. It’s got the tartness from the fresh raspberries and the black tea comes through as slightly smokey. My family members seem to prefer it with cream but I find it fine without. Hopefully this warm weather fades away soon. It’s much too early. Especially for those without any AC living in old houses.

After my initial “meh” experience, I’ve come to enjoy this tea immensely. I blend it with a straight black – in about a 1.5-to-1 ratio – add a pinch of sugar and frothed milk to make the perfect London Fog latte. It’s pretty potent so a little goes a long way. Blending it with another black tea helps balance the tea and lets the lavender, vanilla, and bergamot shine through gently without hitting me in the face. Makes for a nice dessert tea or afternoon pick me up. I don’t normally add milk to tea (that’s for coffee and matcha) but this is one tea that’s totally made for it.

This was an impulse buy at Trader Joe’s the other day. It was cheap ($3 for 51g) and the dark curled leaves interspersed with blue and yellow petals were quite attractive. While I’m glad to see grocery stores stocking more loose leaf teas, the flavoring on this one was too heavy for me.

The tea smells very powerful, almost medicinal. Vanilla is the dominant note but I also pick up bergamot, lavender, and licorice. When steeped, it tastes like a floral cherry coke or root beer.

Seeing as how it was unsuitable for drinking straight, I tried using it to make a london fog latte which I found a little more drinkable. I steeped 1.5 tsp in half a cup of boiling water for 5 minutes then combined with 2/3 cup of steamed milk and a teaspoon of sugar. The milk helps temper some of the medicinal flavor but there still remained a cough syrup like quality to it. As it cooled, the lavender and vanilla notes became more prominent.

I’ve had a couple of bergamot scented teas before which I found very cloying. Unfortunately this falls into the same category. Will continue searching for a subtly scented Earl Grey that doesn’t taste like potpourri.

I really enjoyed this tea…it was quite lemony, which I like, but balanced by other flavors. A bit of honey really brings out the roundness of the flavors. I appreciate that it didn’t taste like artificial flavors. Trader Joe’s website lists the ingredients as: APPLE, ROSEHIP SHELLS, LEMON GRASS, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORS. I don’t know what the other reviewer was saying about only getting 2-3 cups out of the tin- the serving size is a generous 2 teaspoons, which when you compare to your average teabag is probably 2-3x the amount of tea. I measured it in a measuring cup and it was just over 1/4 cup, after I had already made myself a big mug full, so that’s at least 6 servings. If you don’t like Lemongrass, probably best to avoid a tea whose name has Lemongrass as the 1st word….just sayin’

It’s a grocery store brand, so, you know, calibrate your expectations accordingly, but it’s the best grocery store chai I’ve found yet, with a nicely balanced mix of spices.