Starbucks

Grassy. Green. Strong not like an ordinary tea bag brew of green tea. The first time I was introduced to matcha. It was not like anything I had ever tried but it does grow on you. I like it but as far as coffee culture and tea shop cultures go, I prefer the consistency of CBTL. For a home brew, I have my Aracha Matcha from Teas.com.au

This wasn’t so bad today? But when you’re ridiculously thirsty after having a sodium-packed meal (ugh), I guess anything will taste pretty good. I normally get the shaken iced tea lemonade with equal parts black, green, and hibiscus but the location I went to only listed this as an option for some reason. Yeah, it was sweeter than what I’m used to since I normally never add any sugar to tea, especially iced/cold brewed, but it wasn’t as sweet as expected.

The green tea base was more prevalent than expected. It had a slightly bitter bite which helped cut the sweetness from the lemonade. I could taste the peach and lemon equally, which was cool beans. Kind of expensive for what it is though, as it was over $4 for a grande. Like please.

Many of you may recall my complaints about Starbucks people not understanding tea. That does not change the fact that I love the green tea frap. So when my wife mentioned the limited time Cherry Blossom Frap, I had to try it. Let me start by saying it was delicious. Next let say my mind is boggled. Why is this called cherry blossom? There is no, zero, zilch, nada, cherry or cherry flavoring in this thing. Instead it is strawberry and cream with white chocolate and matcha sprinkled over the top. It, like most stuff, is overpriced but if you get the chance, give it a try before it is gone. It could be a new favorite for me if it stayed on the menu. It does need a name change.

I don’t know whats wrong with this one. I might have got a damaged batch. It has a terrible synthetic taste. At first I thought i might have oversteeped it, as i normally likes my Earl Grey with a lot of taste. But a 3 minute steep didn’t change much. Unfortunatly undrinkable. Now it’s in the bin.

I tried this at a Starbucks in San Francisco. It’s a Teavana tea that’s now being sold under the Starbucks label. I liked it more than I thought I would! It’s really nice in winter and the berry flavor is refreshing.

One of the better Starbucks drinks…better than most of their coffees. If the barista makes it right, it is warming. This one saved me on a few cold days at Michigan State. The calories prevented my from freezing me to death and having a low blood sugar. I was then disappointed when they stopped serving it.

This is some good tea…my first time trying this tea was delicious

I just got back from Starbuck and the tea is not too bad for my first time going..

My wife brought this Teavana infuser home from Starbucks. She said it was so I would quit stealing her Finum baskets, that I bought ;)

What I like, is this is all stainless steel – no plastic. The rim is big enough to fit my 12 ounce mug with room to spare, while holding the bottom of the infuser above the bottom of the mug. The screen mesh is very fine. I haven’t tried it with rooibos yet but feel confident it can handle it with ease. The water seems to flow through it well. Of course loose in the pot is better but not always practical. This is a good compromise.

What I don’t like is more of a what is missing thing. It does not have a lid to hold in the heat, or a base to sit the infuser on between cups.

About $10 at Starbucks

Really don’t like this tea very much. I had it a few times, the last time was while blogging on my website (plug: http://www.treasuredmessage.com). The tea was still blah, like the previous times, so the blogging session was just…blah. Try another tea! ;)

Have you been to Starbucks lately…because I have.

So this one is Tim Hortons Peach Drink meets latte. The penultimate Canadian beverage, after anything maple that is.

http://starbucksmelody.com/2015/02/22/blossoming-peach/

So this is a new Starbucks drink, only in Canada apparently. It is delicious. I did not realize at the time but it is basically an earl grey latte with peach syrup added. I didn’t even realize it was an earl grey. Mine didn’t come with whip and a candied peach topping but whatevs, it was so super delicious. My new fav.

We were out and about this afternoon running errands and getting our taxes done (hello tea money because of the refund ok some of the refund). While the mister shopped for a Pnadora charm for his mom I slipped over to Starbucks for what I thought would be a coffee, but green tea latte came out of my mouth instead. I haven’t had one in ages and this hit the spot on the ride home. Really vegetal taste to it, which I like. But I think they overdid it on the syrup.

Awful. Couldn’t even finish my cup. Strange vegetable flavor, like overcooked collard greens.

Had this yesterday after work with a pump of mocha syrup. While no drink at Starbucks really has me hooked, I’ll go for this from time to time. Definitely enjoyed it and would have again.

I was talked into this one by my wife and son. They loved it. Me not so much. I could not taste tea at all. The mint didn’t jump out but that was fine with me. The lemonade was the strongest flavor and it is tart. To me the other ingredients just reinforce the tart and it comes off as almost hibiscus like. Makes sense though as my wife likes hibiscus flavored herbals. Not for me.

Had this yesterday while shopping. Actually it is the Teavana version from Starbucks. Iced with one Splenda. I always have to tell them 3 minutes on the steep. They will go 7 if I don’t. I figure they think tea is supposed to be as bitter as coffee. Anyway, made correctly this is pretty good. Buying one is a good reminder that we don’t flinch too badly when charged $2+ for a iced tea in a plastic cup, but hesitate to buy a tea leaf or bag when it is $0.60-$0.70 each. If we had to buy Starbucks 15-20 at a time the real cost would be more obvious and sales would plummet. Made correctly, this is bright and citrusy without bitterness

I think I normally review this as TAZO. O well. We were out and about, wife needed coffee and I needed Earl Grey. I asked for this iced. I forgot what they were about to do to my tea so I had to add 1 Splenda. You people that hate bergamot – never order EG at Starbucks. Based on my experience (every time because I always forget) I would hate bergamot too. First off they steep it for 5 minutes. That is just too long. I always forget to tell them 3 minutes – tops. Just like their coffee it smells strong enough to melt your face. Plus all the ice is melted. If they can fix a frappuccino why can’t they fix iced tea? I should have asked for a glass of ice. I didn’t so this is my own fault. It is very bitter – face puckeringly so – and the bergamot that should be wonderfully refreshing is overwhelming my senses. I’m typing my complaining out so maybe, just maybe, I’ll remember next time and explain too them how to prepare it correctly.

I’m soo bad, I’ve had four of these THIS WEEK already. Always 2X the matcha and without the whipped cream, but still creamy and sugary and yummy as the weather is warming up. 2x the stars for the holiday weekend doesn’t hurt either. =D

I was in the store today and they have a special edition cold cup. _. I have a slight problem with cups, I can’t stop buying them! At least it meant my drink was free with the purchase of a cup. ($13 cup- $5 frappe… = $8 cup?). Normally I wait until seasonal clearance for new cups but it was THERE and it’s PRETTY. lol. I probably should just buy some matcha powder and start attempting them at home. $5/16oz cup still feels heavy on the wallet, although I wonder how fast I’ll run through the matcha @6tsp/16oz frappe or 8tsp/24oz and if the tradeoff is worth the money. Or if that is even the right proportion.

you have no idea how many iced green tea lattes I’ve had in the past week okay
this is probably my favourite way of having this drink

tall iced soy green tea latte. Unsweetened, light ice.