357 Tasting Notes
This is not a bad Earl Grey, it’s nothing to write home about, it’s just o.k. It comes in an individually packaged standard paper teabag, which makes it quick and convenient. It’s and tasty enough that I wouldn’t say no to a cup, but I wouldn’t buy it myself as there are so many better options on the market.
There’s no doubt that the quality of Teavivre teas are amazing. I’m always astonished by the number of steeps I get out of a couple of teaspoons of leaves. I’m so grateful to Angel Chen and the Teavivre company for introducing me to their superior quality teas with these free samples. I am waiting with great anticipation for the order I just bought to arrive in the mail, to see what new favorites I might find.
Despite Teavivre’s tea quality being superior to any other company I’ve tried (I’m basing this on their consistently high number of steeps); so far they haven’t satisfied my partiality for flavored teas. I’m not sure if this preference makes my taste less distinguished or sophisticated, but that’s just what I like…so there :P I’ve tried a Teavivre version of flavored tea – in fact their jasmine tea, is my favorite from them so far, and their 5 Featured Flavored teas is part of that order that is currently in transit. But if I had to choose a single company to purchase tea from for the rest of my life, I must admit I’d choose a company that offers some of those flavors that tea purists would deem gimmicky. I’m sorry, but I appreciate the jazzy little names and the cutesy little non-tea ingredients. I say bring on the chocolate chips, the sprinkles, the candy, and the fruit! Variety is the spice of life. Part of me knows that these ingredients are quite likely part of the reason that I don’t get the number of steeps as a pure tea, but I don’t care – life’s too short to go without sprinkles!
Thankfully, I don’t have to choose a single company to purchase tea from for the rest of my life. And I am fortunate to be able to experience true variety in all companies, flavors, and grades of tea. I know that whenever I wake up wanting a high quality tea, I can grab this, or any of my Teavivre teas, and I am never disappointed.
Brrr…I feel cold today. It’s not even that chilly outside, and here I am, contemplating turning up the thermostat. Bad Nadia! The Powersmart angel on my shoulder keeps whispering in my ear “nu-uh-uh – be energy efficient! Don’t touch that thermostat – go put on another sweater”. But there’s a limit to the number of sweaters that I can pile on before it gets a little ridiculous. Call me crazy but when it gets to the point when I can’t bend my elbows because I’m so smothered in clothes, I feel justified in turning up the heater a degree or two. Well, it seems as though my thoughts today are being sponsored by BC Hydro? Oh! Speaking of which, have any of you other BC residents been playing Hydro’s free October Power-Plinko game? http://www.powersmart.ca/ Oh Right! Where am I? Oh yes! The tea… sorry, I blame my being chilly for my lack of focus…
So in an attempt to warm myself up I’m trying to use this tea to trick my brain into thinking it’s a warm Fall day. Here goes!…
…yeah, no luck. But I do like this tea, it’s very fruity. Unfortunately the taste of cherries is making me long for a warm summer day where I can drink this iced….ICED! the very word is making me shiver. So here I am stuffed into so many sweaters that if I go out in public I might be mistaken for a Yeti and on top of it all, I’m drinking a fruit tea that I would prefer iced. Well that was an idea backfire!
Oh! I need to do a workout today, there’s a surefire way to warm me up…
…WOOO! Workout done! Sweaters off! And I am SWEATIN’! Shaun T is my hero. Now I could really use some of this tea iced, but room temp will have to do. Best of all the sun is out now. Yep! I’m feelin’ the Indian Summer.
Now don’t get me wrong, this tea tastes pretty good. I’m just struggling to interpret it as a pumpkin spice. O.K…Sure, I get the spice right from my first sip, but it fades too quickly and blends with a fruit taste. The fruitiness is nice, just a little distracting when you’re trying to think pumpkin.
Now that I look at the ingredients, it’s clearer why I didn’t taste what I expected. The first ingredient isn’t tea, and it isn’t spice, nope! It’s Hibiscus?! Kind of an unusual choice, compared to other pumpkin teas I’ve tried. Fortunately, while it’s hot, I don’t taste the sourness that I frequently experience with teas that have high hibiscus content (although the tartness is a tad more evident when it cools). Hmmm…the fruit taste is likely from the apples and oranges. I’m also a little surprised to see that there is no mention of some of the more typical spices associated with pumpkin teas such as nutmeg, or cloves. Not a bad tea, but I’m just not wow’d by this one yet. Oh well! Perhaps I will use this one as a base for my experimen"tea"tion? Halloween is coming so creating a Frankenstein tea seems rather fitting don’t cha’ think?
I had to brew myself a quick cup while I was flying out the door this morning, so I grabbed this convenient teabag. It has a nice scent and as far as bagged, flavored, green teas go, I would venture to say that this has been one of my favorites this past year or so.
However, this tea is nowhere near the quality and the yumminess of a good number of my loose teas, nor can I achieve the multiple steepings that I get from other options(the flavor is extremely light). That being said, it’s tasty and convenient, so I’ll continue to keep it on hand.
I got this tea at a breakfast buffet when I stayed with my favorite hotel chain a little while back. It’s a little tart, which might be expected from a Cranberry Apple flavor, but it may also have a little to do with “hibiscus flowers” being the first ingredient? Hmmmm? This tea works fine in a pinch, but it’s not at all one that I would purchase. This teabag will give you one solid steeping and anything beyond that quickly loses flavor.
I’m just finishing off the last of this tea today. I really didn’t care much for it when I first tried it, but the more I drink it, the more it grows on me. It’s a perfect tisane for Fall, and when I sip it I’m reminded of apple cinnamon muffins baking it the oven. Mmm…I could go for that right about now.
Many of my other tisanes are tart, but this one has no tartness, and instead leans more towards tasting spiced. This isn’t one that I would care for year round, but it’ll be a seasonal Fall repurchase…hmmm…possibly Winter also.I’m sipping on this while I bake brownies and roast a turkey for a potluck with friends tonight. It’s a lightly spiced blend – the cinnamon and allspice are evident in each mouthful. Paired with the scents coming from my oven, and the brightly colored leaves outside my window, it really feels like Fall.