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My children told my mother to gift me some teas for my birthday. She gave me a pretty new tea pot and creamer with a gift box of 9 types of tea from this company. My guess is she picked them up together at on of the TJMaxx shops.

Grabbed my mug this morning and put the kettle on to boil. The tea bags appear to have finely ground powder in them. I steeped for about 5 minutes while putting together my breakfast, perhaps I could have let it sit a bit longer to increase the flavors. However, this is definitely the type of tea my mom would drink. Its a straightforward black tea with a hint of orange and clove. Nothing fancy and not too strong but absolutely ok.

Vacation Tea
This cabin has quite a few Tazo teas in stock. I’ve tried most of them as they are in all the grocery stores near home and often in restaurants who serve something other than Red Rose, Lipton, or Bigelow. This one was new to me so I gave it a chance this morning. Steeped for about 5 minutes with boiling water. After the first few sips, I added a bit of honey to it to “improve” my mug. Okay, I used a lot of honey. Pre honey, my mug was lightly earthy and slightly grassy. No hints of citrus and I didn’t detect the hibiscus. All the flavors could have used a little boost.
Interestingly, a few days ago, I was chatting with the Manager of The Kitchen in Hot Springs, SD (definitely recommend the restaurant). He made me a Banana Chai drink that was fabulous. We got to talking about the chai mixes he uses and I should have written down the one he recommended. BUT he had some definite feelings about Tazo’s chai concentrate blend that mimic my experience with most of their teas. My poor family had to sit and listen to us talk about tea for a good portion of the meal.

Vacation Tea
It’s always fun to explore someone else’s tea cabinet. Most of the teas here are herbal blends but I found this chai in the mix. I didn’t add any sweetener or milk as the tea bag didn’t have a strong scent prior to steeping. I steeped for about 5 minutes. Unsurprisingly there is an artificialness to the flavor. It’s creamy with a good amount of vanilla and I’m reminded of cookies. If I bought this, I’d keep it in my stash for big batch iced teas.

2024 Advent Calendar #24

I’ve reached the end of the Advent Calendar. I’d have to look back to see how many of the teas I actually enjoyed from it. I feel like they provided a good sampling of teas from the company. The calendar itself was fun with little songs, activities, and stories for the holiday season. I have stored the box in with my holiday decorations to see if future re-use is likely. If I don’t use it, it will end up in our recycling bin.

I did manage to drink this one at Christmas time so today I finished the 2nd sachet. Its the 3rd day we’ve woken up to Spring snow, so it looks more wintery than it did on Dec 24. Tart Cherry and Almond are the strongest flavors. I’m reminded of a cherry almond tart or cookie.

I seem to have collected quite a few chamomile teas this past year and this one has been in my shelf for a long while. A friend gave it to me. I’d not heard of the brand before and after a quick Google search, it appears to be tied to a herbal supplements company.
No strong scent off of the tea bag prior to steeping. Its a sweet and light citrus tea. I’m vaguely reminded of a creamsicle. Rather a nice sweet treat before bed. I’ve not been sleeping well due to some stress in my volunteer life so we’ll see if a good night sleep comes from this mug.

2024 Advent Calendar #23

It’s a lighter chai but has enough of the classic chai spices to keep me interested. The cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and coriander are all very present. I do get a bit of the fennel as well. Towards the end of the mug I was getting more of the oregano. This was a good pick for this morning and now there’s only one more left in my December Advent Calendar!

2024 Advent Calendar #22

Went for a Spring hike this morning and thought cup of tea would be a good idea to warm back up. I probably should have pick out something a bit heavier but I’m down to the last 3 in my Advent Calendar.
Strawberry scented sachet was steeped for 4 minutes. It’s a light fruity tea with a touch of acidity and a little bit earthy. I think this would make a really good iced tea and will try to save the 2nd tea sachet for warmer weather.

2024 Advent Calendar #21

Probably should have used this one on the Advent Date as germs were flying around at work and home but it was another missed sip. As it’s now allergy season, perhaps this will help me today.

As I pulled the sachet from the wrapper, immediately I could smell the ginger and echinacea. After steeping for 15 minutes, my breakfast was done and I was ready to sit and sip. The elderberries are there but the ginger and echinacea are stronger. I also do taste the cloves. It’s milder than the Traditional Medicines teas I keep in my “medicine tea” box but definitely helping the congestion I’m feeling. Not a bad sip but not a pleasure sip, this one means cold fighting business.

2024 Advent Calendar #20

Another missed Advent Date. Pretty sure we had some illness roaming the house, so there was no time for sitting and sipping.

This blend is lovely, light, and citrusy with a hint of peppermint. The tea reminds me of the fresh air of spring with plant new growth. I was distracted half way through the mug and even enjoyed it cooled off. A nice refreshing tea