My Morning Mate

I haven’t been terribly impressed with Teavana teas,
the ones I’ve tried have been just okay or too over the top. I very much like this tea! Yummy! It’s very smooth, sweet and has a pleasant flavor. I’m glad I gave Teavana another chance. Delicious!

Amount: 4 scoops
Additives: 3 german rock sugar
Water: 1 teapot, boiling
Steep Time: a little over 5:55 minutes
Served: Hot

Notes: We put in too much sugar and know it, but MilitiaJim was making it and wanted sugar for breakfast, next time less. We mention chocolate a lot and it is a flavor but not a predominant one.

Smell: chocolaty, nutty, complex
AmazonV Flavor: sweet, smooth, spiced black tea
Militiajim Flavor: mainly a black tea, followed by a generic nut and some chocolate.
Body: light
Aftertaste: sweet, nutty, hint of spice

I smelled the leaves at Teavana and decided to give it a try. First, WARNING: DO NOT OVERSTEEP, 4 MINUTES MAX! This is a strong tea by itself, there is a black tea taste with the hint of chocolate and a spiced aftertaste. Second, the tea is good hot and decent cold, but I have to suggest sweetening it (sugar, artificial, whatever you want) because it can be bitter if oversteeped.

I did brew a pitcher of this iced and kept it in the fridge for the warmer mornings when I didn’t want hot tea before work, as long as it is mixed well (as in fully incorporate the tea on the bottom and the sugar) it is decent cold. However, I think since it gets stronger the longer it steeps, it is probably better to try the tea hot before you commit to it.

Overall worth a try.

My Iron Buddha Oolong leaves finally gave up the ghost, flavour-wise – 6 glorious western-style steeps in – so I snagged a cup of mate (my first ever!) to help get me through the giant pile of emails I need to handle today.

This is…interesting. It smells sweet in the container and brews up super dark. There’s a chocolaty note to the liquid with a deep woodsy fullness behind it (perhaps mate mixed with the black tea leaves I glimpsed?). It has a similar mouthfeel to a heavy Irish Breakfast blend and provides a nice little caffeine buzz as you work your way through the cup.

Taste-wise this is right up my alley, but due to my subjective reaction to the caffeine it’s not one I can afford to keep in stock.

Definitely one of my all time favorite teas from Teavana and in general.
This tea is the perfect morning coffee replacement. It’s full bodied and has a nice awakening aroma that smells strong but not bad. This tea is best with a small drop of agave as well, but can easily be enjoyed without any sweetener also. I used the last bit of mine, so I’m hoping I will be able to find this tea again which isn’t a guarantee since Teavana was bought out by Starbucks. I have yet to determine whether or not they are continuing to make this blend of tea.

I’ve had this tea FOREVER!!! It’s been in my cupboard for years and I suppose I’ve been holding onto it for nostalgia, but no more! I have been working hard at sipping this down the past several days. I still have a little ways to go. After being several years old, it still has a good amount of flavor. It is a little lighter than I recall, but that is to be expected. Adding cream has given it a depth that it lacked. I can pick out the coffee undertones, the mate, a hint of orange and a touch of chocolate. It’s still a good cup, but I’m finally at a point where I can let go… after a few more cups.

I had it this morning straight. I usually mix it with Citrus Lavender Sage. I haven’t been to Teavana in a few years. The blend has held up well. Straight it tastes fine, but nothing special.
I think I’m at the point that I’d much rather have good tea in the morning and not stuff that’s just fine. Pretty much over this tea.

Tasty, spicy, and sweet. I’ve had this mix twice now, and it is quite a pleasure to drink as a pick-me-up.

Although, I’ll admit… MateVana is preferred over it. MateVana handles subtlety better, whereas in this it’s come across as watery. Perhaps I just have to steep more. I realize this is not uncommon for Teavana brews to need a lot to get a tasty desired result.

In my continued efforts to find the missing element to this tea, I added a teaspoon of honey to it. The sweetness tasted more or less the same as that of the demerara sugar. I think the flavor profile of this tea is strong enough to cover up the nuances of different sweeteners and only the general increased sweetness comes through. So I still think it’s better off without any sweeteners or milk. This time, though, I did steep it for longer, and found the roasted and cinnamon flavors much more pronounced.

Not a fan of this one! Nothing about it tastes like Mate. I do like whatever else Teavanna puts in there though, the syrupy sweet, caramel coffee flavor is very reminiscent of a caramel macchiato. It’s one of the few teas I will put cream into. For a quick steep-and-go in my French press this morning, it’ll do.