3 Tasting Notes
Oh Aveda. You never steer me wrong. (Except for one time you convinced me to buy coral-colored powder blush for spring – bad idea.) And your tea makes me just as happy as your hair products do.
This isn’t a hot weather, refreshing tea for me – it’s definitely a cold, dreary, overcast and rainy day tea that makes you feel like wrapping up in a blanket and snuggling in with a good book. I do enjoy it when I’m in the Aveda salons in small sips – but I wouldn’t want a whole mug in the salon because I think it would lull me to sleep. The sweetness is intense – not overpowering, but very present. I never immediately want a second cup because of that reason. But in general, this is a great go-to winter tea for me.
I got this tea from the lovely Four Seasons Hotel Houston while visiting their spa. (Don’t I sound fancy-schmancy? It’s totally an act.) Blueberry is one of my favorite scents and flavors so I wanted to like this tea, but ultimately it just didn’t do it for me. As I’ve seen in some of the other reviews, I also got an unpleasant tartness verging on puckery sourness from this tea. And weirdly, it smelled and tasted like artificial blueberry flavoring more than real blueberry. I double checked the ingredients and it doesn’t appear there’s anything artificial in it – in fact, the first couple of ingredients are organic and all that jazz. But there was just something generally displeasing about the tea that is making me not so interested in another cup. I did see someone else’s suggestion that perhaps this would be a tasty iced tea with a little sweetener added and maybe a wedge of lime. I’d be willing to try that. But as far as trying it hot again… No thanks.
Preparation
In my adult life I have wanted so badly to be a “tea drinker,” but I have always found myself disappointed with tea. Until today. Until Mighty Leaf’s vanilla bean tea. (Begin lengthy soap box speech.)
This is the first tea I’ve tried that made me want another cup. And another. And another. Two things in particular stand out to me about this tea:
1) The unique vanilla flavor. (I mean, really. Doesn’t the world have enough fruit-flavored teas already?) Interestingly enough in this instance, vanilla bean is not “plain ol’ vanilla” at all. It’s more like like “HECK YES, VANILLA! More please.”
2) With this tea, the smell and taste have the same punch. I hate that experience where you sniff a heavenly scented tea and start to envision how awesome it will be while you’re brewing it and then… it tastes sad and flat. Like a poorly focused, fuzzy version of the aroma that enticed you in the first place. Mighty Leaf’s Vanilla Bean doesn’t do that. The vanilla flavor is right there with you as you sip – bold and friendly and welcoming, like the smell.
bottom line – I love you, Mighty Leaf. Thanks for finally allowing me to claim the coveted title of “tea drinker.”
