Spice of Life

Previously, I have combined this with sweet oolong revolution or maharaja chai oolong for an iced tea, but never had tried it hot as a stand alone. It worked well as a mixer, but I especially enjoyed it by itself. I used 2 tsp/8 oz and added some stevia. The predominate flavor was delicate orange. I would buy again to drink in the evening. It exceeded my expectations.

Quite appropriate to start off the first real day of snow with this holiday white tea.

After a morning filled with shoveling snow, a cup of this and two Advil magically whisk my backaches away.

mmmmmmmmmm.. love the orange peel. This one’s a keeper.

This tea smells better than it tastes. It was one of the first teas I bought when I started getting into loose leaf (thanks to Teavana, whose friendly employees brightened my mood after an idiot mall cop had dampened it, lured me in one memorable day in December 2011). When the Teavana employees did their famous “waving the lid to send the aroma your way” tactic, the smell was like heaven. The best comparison aroma I could think of was french toast with syrup.

Sadly, it did not taste as good as it smelled (and I could hold it under my nose for hours). It was pretty plain without additions. Rock sugar helped bring out some flavor that matched the aroma, and a little bit of half-and-half helped more. However, there are other cream-and-sugar teas that I enjoy more and the disparity between taste and smell made this one just too disappointing. I bought this two or three times, but I won’t be buying it again. Actually, I think I gave up on this one when I discovered Teavana’s Toasted Nut Brulee, which actually tasted as good as this one smelled.

I had this tea to go at my local Teavana store, since I don’t have a favorite tea, I usually just ask the person who is assisting me “what’s your favorite tea?” This was the first time I was rather disappointed. She said the spice of life, with a little bit of milk or half and half. So I asked her to make me a cup. The flavor was rather odd. It was definitely something you either loved from the first sip, or grew accustomed to over the years. It was very sweet and creamy. The smell was very obnoxious to me, if I didn’t take a couple hours to drink it, I probably would have gotten a migraine. I love tea with a burning passion, but this is definitely not one of my favorites.

Not my favorite tea – very light flavor, and very easily made bitter if over steeped; however, it smells WONDERFUL: nutty and almond-y and sweet, a little like marzipan, but a bit floral and herbal as well. Worked well for me with a half teaspoon of honey.

This is definitely my favorite flavored white tea from Teavana! It’s pretty good on its own, but has a strange almond aftertaste if it’s not a little sweetened. There’s a distinct, nutty, spicy aroma and it infuses to be a golden color. It blends really well with Honeybush Vanilla or Zingiber Ginger Coconut. Great as an iced tea!

So many lightly-flavored teas are floral, and so many “spiced” teas are heavy. Spice of Life hits right in that tiny niche that is neither. It’s a very very light flavor, and while it’s not spicy in the “cinnamon/cloves/pepper” sense, it’s definitely a savory, nutty blend. It’s excellent by itself, though it mixes well with rooibos or honeybush for a somewhat heavier, earthier taste. It’s a good change of pace from white teas that are either fruity or straight up, and is subtle enough to keep the white tea flavor noticeable rather than knocking it out with a chai suckerpunch.

This is the strangest tasting tea. Someone described it to me as being similar to Cola, and I can almost see the comparison. Somehow it becomes so much more than the sum of its parts. I can’t really describe it but it’s not at all unpleasant, and the spice is noticeable without being overly strong. Unusual.

This is like an orange spice that isn’t terrible. (I really dislike orange spice!) It’s a moderate spice flavor- coriander/clove taste- mixed with citrus. I used about 1 1/2 tsp for 16 oz but I think I’ll try more tea next time because the flavor is lighter than I prefer.