Candy Cane Lane

This tea was very surprisingly good. The vanilla and the mint-i-ness works so well together. The green tea base actually works very well with this as well! This tea is perfect at work when I can just throw it in my thermos and it won’t oversteep if I get busy or forget about it in there.
I will definitely buy this every christmas for the convenience of work!

So my friend tells me that everyone on here is raving about this flavor & that we have to try it. We end up finding it at our new local Fairway. And after hearing how people have a hard time finding it, I was really excited about trying this flavor.

After one cup, I wonder what the hype is all about!
I didn’t like it. I didn’t think there was much of a pepppermint flavor. And a hint of cinnamon? Where? I couldn’t find it.

I have been drinking more loose leaf teas over the last year, but I still grab a teabag every now & again. And I love Celestial Seasonings, but Candy Cane Lane didn’t impress me. I definitely won’t grab this one again.

Sadly, I’m really disppointed.

I’ve read a lot of raves about this tea; some people, apparently, go out of their way to stock up on it during the holidays. Naturally, I had to jump on the bandwagon, so I brought a box home. Finally got around to trying it. The verdict? Meh. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever had, and it doesn’t taste horrible, but it’s nothing special, and I don’t understand the hype. It’s a minty green tea, emphasis on the mint. It hardly even tastes like tea. It’s like a watered-down Shamrock Shake. Very sweet, very candy cane-like, just a weak, minty flavor. No bitterness or astringency, even though I oversteeped it on the second brew in a desperate attempt to bring out some kind, any kind, of flavor.

The whole thing is kind of puzzling, because I have yet to find a Celestial Seasonings tea that I like. And I’m not that much of a tea snob…I mean, I still drink Constant Comment and Tazo bagged teas from time to time. Ah well.

This tea does live up to its name – it tastes exactly like candy cane! It’s minty, and the vanilla flavour is strong! But that’s also why I don’t like it much… it’s way too sweet for me. I was looking for something more refreshing and with a cleaner finish.

Tried this one again tonight. I let it steep for about 15 minutes, in the hope of bringing out the cinnamon flavor. No dice! It just tastes like a mellow peppermint with a hint of something else to help round it out. This would probably be a good tea for someone who wants a mild peppermint. I love peppermint tea so automatically enjoy Candy Cane Lane, but do not find it especially amazing. I don’t see myself buying another box once this is gone, simply because I have a lot of other peppermint teas. I prefer Stash’s White Christmas to this one, it has ginger in it and although I can’t actually taste the ginger, it provides a nice warming sensation that counteracts the cooling sensation of the peppermint in an interesting way.

Well, I went out and bought all of celestial seasonings holiday teas, because I’m a sucker for the cute packaging and anything holiday themed! I liked this one, very pepper minty and candy cane-ish! I love all mint teas (usually) so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with trying this one out first. I liked it, it was nice! That’s really all I can say!

Bagged
Aroma when Dry: Vanilla Mint Frosted cake
After water is first poured: Vanilla mint Powdered sugar
At end of steep: Frosted Vanilla
Tea liquor:
At first: light green
At end of steep: same.

Staple? Yes, seasonal, and I got a few extra this year
Time of day preferred: Early evening
Taste:
first notes: Aromatic Fresh, very Light, moderately sweet (western) hits first, then mint close behind, trailing hints of cinnamon and mint
As it cools? Notes open, even out, loose the cake frosting heavy qualities, candy cane quality starts to beckon, light and crisp.
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Delightfully so, leaving candy cane fresh notes clearly hanging inside one’s mouth, no bitterness, but palatable with each breath between sips.

Smell: Vanilla cookie and mint
Taste: Mint mainly. Reminds me of chocolate covered mint – like “After Eight”.
Overall impression: I like it.

I’ve been feeling very grumpy lately, and this is the only tea that I have been wanting. So much so that I’ve gone though a full box in less than a month.

The first time I tasted this, I really wanted it to be snowing. It seems like it would be perfect for that kind of day.

If you like candy canes, this tea will not disappoint you. I am not a fan of peppermint teas in general…it’s the extras that make this one. Just ask my husband. I pointed it out to him in the middle of the grocery store when he tried to get me the regular peppermint tea by Celestial thinking that they were the same thing. ;)

I am obsessed with holiday teas right now, and last weekend I found three different ones by Celestial Seasonings. This one is delicious. I put the teabag in a big mug of boiling water and just leave it in there the whole time while I sip. Doesn’t need sugar or anything, it’s much nicer than basic peppermint.