62 Tasting Notes

40

Yogi is a brand that I haven’t explored much, but from the few teas of theirs that I have tried I’ve found them to be along the lines of my experiences with Celestial Seasonings offerings, their teas are very hit or miss.

While there is nothing particularly bad about this tea, there is nothing particularly good about it, either. I do pick up on notes of caramel, but the flavor is far too bland for my liking.

Not one of Yogi’s tea flavors that I’d be likely to try again.

Flavors: Caramel, Cinnamon, Spices

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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40

Not a big fan of this tea.

The Chamomile was subtle but overpowered by what smelled and tasted like artificial vanilla flavoring. I didn’t get any hints of honey. I added honey powder and milk in hopes to enhance the flavors, but it only made the tea slightly more drinkable by sweetening it, but it did not enhance the flavoring.

Flavors: Herbs, Vanilla

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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10
drank Lipton Black Tea by Lipton
62 tasting notes

After reading the reviews I had braced myself for my tea to finish steeping and what lie ahead.

To my surprise, this was not the worst tea I’ve ever had, but that isn’t giving it much kudos in the other direction, either.

It is a simple black tea but the aftertaste is not pleasant. It’s astringent and reminded me of bitter medicine. Even milk and honey powder couldn’t reel the aftertaste in and I’m pretty sure it gave me heartburn.

If I have any more of this tea on-hand I’ll be throwing it out. I’ve had my share of Lipton teas over the years, but this is version is a definite no even as a base to my cold brews.

Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Herbs, Medicinal, Wood

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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20

Celestial Seasonings rarely impresses me with one of their offerings. This, unfortunately, is not one of those times.

I caught the slight aroma of chamomile but it didn’t translate through to the flavor of the tea. While I wasn’t expecting anything strong in flavor, this is so bland it’s like drinking warmed water.

Thankfully this is the only bag I have of it.

Flavors: Herbs

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 6 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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35

I’m not a fan of peppermint tea, but this was part of my sampler pack so I’m working on finishing the bags I have remaining. It’s not a tea I’d purchase again, but I would recommend it to anyone who likes peppermint tea and wants something low-cost and easy to find.

Obviously, it smells and tastes like peppermint. I’m not picking up on any other flavors but the peppermint flavor is not overpowering even though it’s the main aroma/flavor.

As I’m not a fan of this tea, I opted to mix the remaining tea bags with a chocolate tea I’m, also, not a fan of. The combination of the two along with a little sugar and milk has made both teas more pleasant for my palate. If rating the tea as part of a combination (like my chocolate mint combo), I’d rate the tea closer to 40-45.

Flavors: Peppermint

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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40
drank Chocolate by Harney & Sons
62 tasting notes

I immediately picked up on the aroma of chocolate when preparing this tea. I opted to brew it at 190 degrees for 5 minutes as I’ve had issues with prior brews of this tea coming out too bitter for my liking.

Steeping at 190 for 5 minutes gave me no bitter aftertaste. Upon drinking the flavor came across like cocoa powder, which I was not a fan of, so I added a bit of sweetener and milk and that seemed to help.

Overall, I was not impressed by this tea so I won’t be purchasing it again. In the meantime I’ve been combining this with two different mint teas I have on-hand that I’m, also, not a fan of. Combining the flavors and adding a bit of sugar and milk makes a decent chocolate mint dessert-like tea.

If viewing this tea, solely, as part of a combination of teas (like my chocolate mint) I would rate this tea closer to 50.

Flavors: Chocolate, Cocoa

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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70

I bought this tea from my local Asian market and the box contains 10 sachets of powder that you mix directly into your hot water.

This tea has a nice flavor and is also sweet, due to the fact that one of the tea’s ingredients is rock sugar. If you’re watching your sugar or calorie intake it’s important to note that each packet contains 70 calories, 4 grams sugar, and 18 grams of carbs. I tend to split my packet in half, using 6-8 ounces of water for 1/2 a packet for this reason.

Since I am watching my sugar/calorie intake, this tea will not likely be one in my normal rotation, but I wouldn’t hesitate suggesting to folks. It’s a nice all-around tea and reminds me of tea I have been served over the years at a few Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants.

Flavors: Flowers, Herbs, Sugar

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 0 min, 15 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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70

Picked this tea up at a local Asian Market. I like to try the various teas the market sells and since I’m sick in bed I thought I’d give the tea a go due to its claim to help build chi.

The suggest brew is boiling water then steeping for 10-15 minutes. I opted to use 190 degree water steeping for 15 minutes. I was a little nervous, initially, that I would draw out a bitter flavor with that long of a steep, but there was none.

The aroma is very subtle, but I picked up on slight hints of herbs and licorice. The flavor, is, also, very subtle. While I caught a bit of herb and fruit, my palate couldn’t identify them specifically.

While the tea was subtle, I didn’t find the need to add milk or sugar to it which is nice as I’m not feeling well today.

I have so many subtle teas that I enjoy that I’m not sure I need more, so I’m not sure how often I would buy this, but it is one I would buy again.

Flavors: Fruity, Herbs, Licorice

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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80
drank Crimsonberry by Daz Bog
62 tasting notes

My review is based on a hot brew, solely, at this time. I picked this up because it was on clearance at my local store. I’m heading back tomorrow to buy the last container if it’s still there!

This tea has a lot of flavor which I can imagine folks will either love or hate. There’s no missing the taste of cranberry. It overpowers the rest of the flavors, which is not a deal breaker for me.

I did add a bit of stevia to cut a little bit of the tart flavor down, but I didn’t find it to be a necessity. I, also, preferred a longer steep (7 mins) time at 190 degrees. It may be a bit too tart for folks, but, for me, I like teas like this.

I cannot wait to try it as a cold brew. I have a feeling my rating will only improve once I do and I expect this tea will find its way into my regular rotation for cold brews.

If you like tart (almost sour) tea, this one is not to be missed.

EDIT TO ADD: I went back to the store and bought the remaining containers of this flavor along with two other flavors that were marked down! Will update again when the cold brew happens!

Flavors: Cranberry, Fruit Tree Flowers, Sour, Sweet, Tart

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 7 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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45

Recovering from an illness I treated myself to a couple boxes of tea, this being one I chose.

Unfortunately, that’s where my excitement for the tea ends. I brewed it, initially at 190 degrees for 3 minutes but found it was almost flavorless. I put the bag back in and steeped it for another 3 minutes. The flavor was better but still far too subtle. I added a bit of sweetener and that seemed to help bring out the flavors of the tea. Even still, I found it to be far more subtle than I had hoped it would be.

The second steep was at 160 degrees. I sipped the tea at one minute intervals as it steeped. At one minute it was almost undrinkable. At two minutes, I got a hint of ‘fruit’ but still not enough flavor for me. At three minutes not much change from the flavor I got at two minutes. At four minutes I noticed another small bump in flavor, still not enough for me. At five minutes I’m getting a little bump again in flavor, but now I’m also getting a hint of bitterness. Since it is now starting to develop a bit of a bitter flavor, I ended the steep at 6 minutes and added sugar/milk to my tea to enhance the flavor.

The last brew I tried was the company’s suggestion of a rolling boil and infusing the tea for 2-3 minutes. This was my least favorite brew of the three cups I tried. It almost instantly drew out a bitter aftertaste.

I still have to try a cold brew of the tea, but, thus far I prefer the flavor at the 190 degree / 6 minute steep with some sweetener and milk. Really, I may return this tea. I find it that uninspiring and I already have a stack of mediocre teas I need to work through. This is the second tea offering I’ve tried from Zhena and both have been a letdown sharing one common descriptor from me: bland.

When I try a cold brew of the tea, I’ll update my review to include my thoughts on it.

Edit to Add: I opted to not try a cold brew of this tea and just return it as I have several teas to get through. I don’t need to waste any more time on a teas I could just return. So that’s what I opted to do in this case.

Flavors: Fruity, Pineapple, Rum, Vanilla

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 6 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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