19 Tasting Notes

70

I almost was not going to fall for buying this sugar. I really thought it was a gimmick for Teavana to make more money but after trying out honey and raw sugar to compare, I can say that this sugar is the best in terms of sweetening without altering the taste too much. You don’t need a whole lot (depending on your tastes) so I think the little bag I bought will last awhile. I sure wouldn’t buy the $30.00 jug though. I want my sugar fresh too, not sitting on my counter for six months so I would only buy a bit at a time.

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94

This was the first tea I ever sampled at Teavana and I loved it at first sip. I am a tea newbie but have tried a few Chais and this one blows the others I’ve tried away. I enjoy it with a spoon of the rock sugar from Teavana and get two decent steeps from my Perfect Teamaker. Love that little gadget btw.

Needless to say, I left with a tin of this delicious aromatic goodness the first time I ever set foot in Teavana. I am sure this will be a staple and after reading some other reviews I think I’ll buy some Samurai Chai to blend it with but honestly, it’s great just as it is.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Wood

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
TeaLady441

I like this one too, although I’m not sure if u want to order from Teavana again. I’m disappointed by their customer service, but I do like their chais!

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drank Masala Chai by Teavana
19 tasting notes

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63

I am really surprised at the overall negative reviews this tea has. I actually like it a lot. I brought to a boil and let steep for about 5 minutes. I also like brewing 2 bags in my large Timmys travel mug. I had this given to me and I wasn’t sure if I’d even like it so I was pleasantly surprised and will probably purchase when I run out.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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1
drank China Green Tips by Tazo
19 tasting notes

Awful. Hands down the worst tea I’ve ever drank. It smelled and tasted FISHY! I’m serious. I wonder if I got a bad batch because this was truly disgusting. I love green tea and have a tried a number of green teas but never has one literally made me spit it out and dump the cup after a couple sips. The first whiff of that fishy smell I thought oh..eww but decided to have a sip against my instincts. It was offensive. Just like drinking aquarium water I imagine. Really cannot for the life of me see how Tazo could make sell a tea this bad. Again, I really have to wonder if I got a bad batch. The tea came in the sampler package that Tazo sells. I would definitely not buy this ever but if I happen to see this at a friends house I’ll ask them to brew it up to see if it smells/tastes like fishwater.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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89
drank Zen by Tazo
19 tasting notes

This is great but not nearly as good as the full-leaf version that comes in the nice metal tin. That version is simply amazing. But this is still good. It ook a couple attempts to get the exact temp/steep time right. Once I let it steep just a minute longer and it was gross. It’s insane how quickly this (well green tea in general) can go bitter. But with careful attention to brew time (3 minutes MAX but closer to 2.5 is better on my taste buds) this tea is delicious. It’s a mellow tea that you can taste the lemongrass here and there and the mint is subtle yet enough to provide a taste of Spring. It’s like Springtime in your cup. The first whiff brings memories of wandering beside a river in a meadow. Sweet, warm serenity… I love Tazo Zen!

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 45 sec

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94
drank Passion by Tazo
19 tasting notes
Let me begin by saying I would have NEVER bought this myself but got it in the sample package Tazo sells. I had used up the green teas, chai and my other usual new faves and out of curiosity I saw this in the package and thought hey passion sounds nice, God knows I don’t have much passion in my life these days what with three little kids driving me batty. Lets check it out..

I went ahead and boiled my water, measured it out (which is waay too tart for my taste so I ended up adding more water then called for, probably an extra 50 mls or so). The first sip: An explosion! No, several explosions in my mouth. My senses were assaulted but I liked it!! It felt, uh tasted, sooo good. Ok slow down..wow that was just..wow! let’s see, awesome but I’m missing something..sweet! Yes let’s make it a lil bit more sweet. So I did. And BLISS!! Sheer passionate bliss!

To sum it up, this stuff is great. Orgasmic. Ok, maybe not orgasmic but damn it gave me pleasure to drink this! I cannot wait to try it iced, it seems like the kind of tea that BEGS to be tried iced. But the hot, passiony goodness was amazing. A stand-out tea memory etched in my mind forever! But you need to add a little sweet. I put in boring old sugar but next will try making my own “classic syrup” which is simply 2 parts sugar 1 part water heated for a short time. Hot or iced, this does well with a bit of sweetness to compliment the tart.

Passion, you have turned me on! I never thought I could love you but in spite of myself I do! So glad Tazo threw this in. I will buy it especially in the summer because I just KNOW this will be amazing iced. But all the same, I will update when I do and let you know how it is. Now, go drink some of this you can thank me later.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Sil

this iced + lemonade = my happy place :)

MoonShyne

Awesome idea with the lemonade. I’m not too crazy about lemonade all by itse;f but combined with this could be really good. Hmm..something tells me I could be on to a good summertime home made cooler :)

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89
drank Zen by Tazo
19 tasting notes

This tea is good BUT it is also very finicky. Leave it in just a few seconds too long and it goes bitter fast! The directions say 3 minutes but I’m getting bitter with 3 minutes. I will try 2 and see how that goes. Some cups I make are great and some are dumped after one sip..what a waste! :( It’s been trial and error getting this tea right. I should add I am a complete newbie to tea so that explains my difficulty at getting it “just right”.

Last night I made a cup and it was perfect. I think I let the water sit a little longer. It may be the water temp messing me up more then the steep time..not sure. I have one of those kettles that automatically shuts off right at the boiling point so I thought that would be great for this tea but no, I still need to let the water sit a few minutes I think. So..mixed reviews here. I like it when it turns out right but so far it has been hit and miss.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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Profile

Bio

I am a total newbie to tea, having been a die-hard coffee drinker for years. Recently I quit smoking and found that coffee was making my cravings worse so I began trying out some tea.

Tazo Zen, Traditional Medicinals Daily Detox Lemon and Pukka Cleanse were the first teas I bought (bags). I liked all three and a new interest was born. I hopped on the computer to check out tea. I came across the website for Teavana and was awed at all the beautiful teas but upon doing research I found them to be very underhanded in a lot of ways. Davids seems to be the more reputable company.

Well turns out I’ll be shopping at both David’s and Teavana I think! I went out this past weekend and went to Teavana because it’s a lot closer to me (Newmarket) I bought a Perfect Teamaker (which I love!) , a nice 16 oz glass mug, a handy timer that sticks on the fridge and a very overpriced spoon but is also very pretty. Twiggy I think it’s called. I also bought some German rock sugar, I like it because it sweetens without being too overbearing and doesn’t alter the taste of the tea.

I also bought my first loose leaf tea!! 50g of Maharaja Chai Oolong (Love! love!) and Strawberry Blush Rose Oolong (Its good but not “wow”) Murphys Law gave me a kick in the butt though..I didn’t get to enjoy them! Well not right away. I came down, literally within several hours, with an awful cold! I drank Traditional Medicinals Echinacea Plus all day! No way I wanted to “waste” the good tea when I couldn’t even taste or smell anything!

Luckily the echinacea tea worked wonders and I was finally able to enjoy my tea yesterday! Brewing my first ever loose leaf tea was a huge joy to me. I took great care to brew it “perfectly” and actually did a really good job! My Maharaja Chai tasted even better then it did when I sampled it at Teavana! I got such a kick out of watching the tea steep and when my little fridge timer went off I was like a little kid all excited on Christmas lol.

Today I went to David’s and bought a 12 sample tea-set (Dessert box) oh delicious! I also picked up Gyrokuro, Dragon Pearls, Organic Detox and a Chai :) I’m one happy gal with all these awesome new teas to try! I’ve also decided that once I’ve found my favorite teas to order online (or buy on sale in store) because it looks like especially in Ontario, Canada where I live that it’s way cheaper to buy online. I love loose leaf tea and wish I’d quit smoking sooner so I’d have discovered this tea earlier lol. Jeez I didn’t mean to write a novel here, I’m excited about my new hobby :)

Location

Newmarket, Ontario

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