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I’ve gone through numerous jars of this tea. I’ve enjoyed it after a stressful work day, after dealing with personal chaos, or when I just feel like I need something to balance or refresh my senses. As a fan of Aveda in general, this really does feel like it belongs in their product line. Somehow it captures the same essence that the rest of the brand embodies. This stuff tastes great (not like licorice, even though it does contain it), has a natural sweetness, and is almost impossible to over-steep.

I can actually feel myself starting a serious cold/sore throat but I was been stuck at a friend’s house all day, far from my stash of Aveda tea. I drank a few cups of teas he had on hand but they weren’t doing much to soothe the scratchiness. So… as soon as I returned to my own home this was the first thing I reached for. It’s not a substitute for medicine, but it makes my symptoms a little more bearable.

Let me start by saying that I loooove a good vanilla black tea. If I make a pitcher of it iced I’ll down the whole thing in several hours and since this blend is decaf, I can do that without too much worry. It’s equally nice as a steaming hot brew at any time of day. The flavors of this come through clear and rich and distinct, not dusty or bitter like some of the cheaper vanilla blacks. You’ll miss this when it runs out… it’s comforting in the way that that big, comfy, well broken-in arm chair at your favorite indie coffee shop is comforting.

Sencha is, hands down, my favorite kind of tea. I’ve tried a lot of them, in a lot of places, from some very reputable companies. And I keep coming back to this one. I might have some other senchas sitting on the shelf but still crave this particular balance of fresh, leafy overtones with a heavy, yet never bitter aftertaste. I only wish Teavana would list the variety(s) of sencha in this blend (I’m assuming it’s a blend since it’s not linked to a specific garden) so that I could really dissect what I’m drinking. But it’s still a great tea.