7 Tasting Notes
I’m not an herbal tea person-I like caffeine. A lot. And I dislike lemongrass and hibiscus. A lot. So finding an herbal tea that’s mango and chamomile was exciting for me because I enjoy hot tea in the evening after dinner in lieu of something sweet. I did get a strong chamomile from this tea but the mango compliments it and makes it kind of fun-it’s got a bit of spiciness to it. It went well with milk but could be very nice iced. In the end, my suggestion is to try this tea if you’re a fan of chamomile but don’t buy it based on the mango alone because you have to like the two to make it work. To me a longer steep brings out more chamomile (and I would NOT add milk at that point). Also, and this may sound strange, but I could see cooking with this tea. I think it would be great in a salad dressing or as a marinade for chicken or fish.
This is a fresh, bright black tea with a strong mango flavor. It’s a nice, quality black tea that’s strong without being bitter and the mango compliments it very well. It goes well with milk, but I could also see this being an excellent iced tea. This is my introduction to T2 tea and it’s very nice. I was told (by the person who gave me the tea as a gift) that T2 is like the Teavana of Australia.
I’ve been through a few Teavana incarnations of this tea-Rose Marzipan Delight anyone? Almond Biscotti? Overall, this is my least favorite version of it because I kind of find the rose a bit cloying this time round. It’s a very pretty tea and I do enjoy the almond flavor, which I think it is a bit more nutty and less almond this time-perhaps with the additional spices this brings these notes out? But for some reason I find the rose to be a bit unpalatable this time-kind of like I added rosewater to the tea. It doesn’t hit you over the head, but it’s hardly subtle either. I just don’t like the almond to rose ratio this time round and the other flavors (slight spices) don’t make up for it. I did find that with a longer steep the almond comes out more and the rose dies down but I think this will be the last time that I make an effort to buy this tea. Kind of wish I had saved the other versions to do a taste comparison.
There are subtle flavored teas, but this isn’t one of them. To me this is a big, bold tea with an artificial but not unlikeable golden pear flavor. Really, the pear flavor is overwhelming. The honey doesn’t hurt either, it compliments very well. It’s fragrant and it’s strong-I would say less is more when measuring this tea. This is also one of the first teas to go bitter if you brew it too long so I tend to pour additional mugs if I don’t finish the pot. I have purchased this for years-it’s a staple of my cupboard-and I swear it has only gotten ‘bigger’ since I began buying it. If you like flavored black teas and pear-but not a subtle pear and more the Jolly Rancher concept of pear-this is a great tea.
I know, Earl Grey is a love it or hate it tea and everyone has a different Earl Grey that they like. I’m no different and, honestly, my favorite EG to date is Twinings Lady Gray. Hardly posh! And I do like the vanilla/creme and garden Earl Greys that have been popping up recently. That said, I could barely sip this Earl Grey-it was like drinking shampoo. It’s SO fragrant and overwhelming and the perfume just overtakes the tea flavor. This is one of the very few teas I have not been able to drink-I tried diluting it, I tried milk… I think I’m going to stick it in a dish and pretend it’s potpourri. A rare miss for me from Davids.
Postcard Teas are very subtle-they’re like the best of England meets eastern culture. Being a brash American I expected a vanilla that’s bold and strong and hits me over the head, which totally isn’t the case with this tea. It’s a very mild vanilla, very mild. They include a whole vanilla bean in with the tea (do NOT ask me the type-I don’t know if Madagascar, Ceylon or Tahiti,etc ok?) It creates a beautiful fragrant tea that is fantastic with milk. It’s smooth and mellow but it’s so much more a ‘black’ tea than a ‘vanilla’ tea. It’s more a suggestion of vanilla than a flavor. Subtle.
Yes, this is my first review so please keep this in mind!
