26 Tasting Notes
This is a big, chunky tea. It’s got big pieces of strawberries and raisins and apples and who knows what else. I didn’t actually see much in the way of oolong in the leaves/stuff or in the taste. It’s also very, very light in color and very sweet and perfumey in aroma. The taste is nice, though I think I’d prefer more of the strawberry and less of the rose, since the rose kind of reminds me of body wash or lotion. I don’t think I’ll buy more when this runs out, but I don’t regret buying it. (It was my first experience in a Teavana and I think I still prefer buying online with nobody giving me the hard sell, but hey, it was on sale!)
Preparation
This was one of the first teas I ever tried and two years later, here I am finally finishing my sample. My opinion is the same as it was back then. As a chai, it’s delicious and I really enjoy it. As something chocolate, it’s a massive disappointment. It tastes good, especially considering I’m drinking it like a regular tea and not like your typical chai with milk, but when something says chocolate I want chocolate. It’s hard to rate as a result; it’s good, but I’d like it so much better if the label didn’t say chocolate.
Preparation
I’m fairly out of it this morning so I didn’t give this tea the exact steeping it deserved. I don’t know if I didn’t use enough tea or if I didn’t steep long enough, but this came out way weaker than usual. Still, it was nicely sweet on its own without being either artificial or overpowering, which I appreciate.
On a second steeping, it’s much less caramel flavored, which isn’t surprising. It’s still something warm to drink in an attempt to wake the hell up, which is what I need.
Preparation
It’s been so long since I’ve reviewed any teas, or drank any new ones, for that matter. Winter’s been long and I’ve been tired, so I keep going back to my strong black teas to keep me awake. Today, however, it’s above freezing and my random muscle spasms are making me think I should cut back on caffeine, so white tea it is!
I’m on the record as loving Adagio’s Gemini blend. This is very similar and just as delicious. It’s light and fresh. I’m terrible at picking out specific fruit notes; I’d say it definitely smells like peach but maybe just tastes like generic fruit? But good generic fruit? It’s very easy to drink and perfect for an almost spring afternoon.
Flavors: Peach
Preparation
I picked this tea out of a canister at a local store because I liked the intense cinnamon scent, but steeped this tea is insanely sweet. Like, inexplicably so. Sweeter than a stick of Big Red. Way sweeter than a Red Hot. I can’t identify any citrus flavor in here, probably because I’m getting kicked in the face with sweetness. I don’t think I would’ve liked this even if I hadn’t been expecting something different based on the scent. If someone handed me a cup of this without telling me what it was supposed to be or letting me smell the leaves, I’d probably tell them it’d be okay if they left out the sugar.
Okay, I’ve been sipping it for a while now and letting it cool and it’s getting more tolerable, but I’m still really disappointed. I basically wanted it to be the same as the Glitter and Gold that I tried a teeny sample of a year ago and have been thinking about ever since. I guess it’s time to suck it up and just order that.
Preparation
This is an interesting one. The predominant flavor I’m getting is the sour apple, but I can find the the honeybush vanilla if I look for it (or if I sniff it). I haven’t yet tried snowbud on its own so it’s difficult for me to identify it. I feel like this is one that could vary a lot from cup to cup, since its components are so different in size; I did make an effort to shake it up but the bag is pretty full so there wasn’t a lot of room and I wound up with a lot of apple pieces this time. I might prefer it with a more balanced mix.
As I continue to sip it and search for adjectives, I keep coming back around to “light”. Its flavor is a relatively gentle one that disappears from the tongue quickly. I like having some subtle teas for slow afternoons (or mornings where I don’t need more caffeine) but I feel like it’s easily forgotten (as evidenced by the fact that I’ve had this for months and only drank it twice). It’ll probably get more play as the winter goes on and I get more sore throats like the one I’m attempting to shake off now.
Preparation
Pairs well with anxiety and a stale prepackaged brownie you kept in your desk drawer in case of emergency.
But seriously, this is a really good tea. It’s delightfully minty without being overpowering or fake tasting. And it really does calm my stomach and my nerves.
Preparation
This tea’s been sitting in the back of my basket o’ teas for a while and I’m not sure why. I really like the mocha nut mate and hazelnut teas and I’m generally a fan of cinnamon in tea, so while it makes sense that I bought it, it doesn’t make sense that I never tried it. My first impression is that this is a nice, flavorful blend, but it could be a bit more full-bodied. As I so often think in my initial tastings of tea, I could’ve used a bit more leaf. One day I’ll learn. I mostly get the mocha nut and the hazelnut and not so much of the cinnamon, which is fine. I’m going to hold off on giving this a numerical review until I try it a few more times, but it’s definitely in the happy face range.
