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I had a hard time finding this one because I kept thinking it was “Tower of Heaven” ….because I’m obviously a sucker for pixels and chiptune (honestly, though, I can’t get through the first panel of that game, I’m so bad at it).

I think I need to get myself used to gunpowders, because all of the ones I’ve tried haven’t been quite what I was expecting. I got this at the local Asian market (hahaha not going there anymore because the owner’s wife always pressures me to get married to my weird colleagues that she knows and now I’m scared that she’ll actually try to set me up), which has a really nice collection of East Asian teas. However, besides Numi’s gunpowder, I can’t seem to find any others in town…

Right out of the box, the dry smell reminds me of a county fair in Idaho. I mean, the whole bit — cows and hay and horses and alfalfa and goats and Idahoans. It’s a bit off-putting, I concede, but it’s also kind of nostalgic. Once brewed, it’s strong and spinachy — and while I don’t mind the spinach, I think I may be brewing it a bit too strong. It looks like the other reviews suggest fewer leaves per cup, so I’m going to try that and see how it goes.

It looks like a lot of other people have the same story with this tea — bought at some kind of all-natural/local/organic/“hippie” store, smells like an Irish Breakfast, but isn’t strong enough. Huh.

I got mine at the local co-op in bulk — I was only going to get an ounce or two, but the canisters they use for bulk teas are the kind where you pull a lever and the tea spills out… so I got a lot.

This really isn’t a breakfast tea. It’s more like an after-work tea. I think this would be a good base for delicate blends with something like rose buds. I’ll probably finish what I have but not get more.

So I remembered that the folks who recommended this tea to me actually said it’s supposedly great as a sun tea. Eh. As much as I love solar power, I don’t have a vessel in which to make sun tea. I tried this tea again as a cold brew iced tea, and I like it more than as a hot tea. The citrus was really evident, and the black base was refreshing. The supermarket at which I bought this tea has Stash in bulk ($0.10/bag), so I may be getting more (it’s in the pasta/cereal aisle — it’s like the store knows my weaknesses). I wouldn’t go out of my way to always stock it, but it’s good every now and then.

I’ve been told by multiple people that this tea makes a good iced tea. I tried it hot today and it wasn’t incredibly memorable. I mean, it’s good, but the taste of the orange/spice was pretty light for me. I’m going to cold brew it and see if it’s better iced.

This tea is wonderful for mornings when you’re cranky and haven’t gotten enough sleep and happen to be behind on your wordcount for Camp NaNoWriMo.

To be honest, I’m a bit biased, since I love Choice and black teas, but this tea does have a strong, rich flavor that’s really great for when you’re on your feet but not awake. I like to drink my blacks with milk, and this pairs wonderfully with a bit of milkfat (I do 2%, but whole would be even better).

And, you know, Choice’s bags are 100% compostable and the covers are 100% recyclable. …I know, I’m sounding like a hippie, but sometimes you have to celebrate the little things. Good tea + good packaging = love.

I got this tea on sale a while ago. I had tried one bag the way it was instructed on the box — brew hot, then chill — but didn’t really catch on due to the overpowering flavor of the citrus. I picked this up yesterday and decided to do a cold brew.

To be honest, I learned how to cold brew coffee and have just kind of moved on to tea in the same way, so I’m not really sure if I’m doing it correctly. I guess it doesn’t matter, because I’m kind of fond of the outcome. The cold brew version of this tea is actually really nice. The tea base is surprisingly warm for an iced tea, and the citrus is bright and engaging. I think the best part is how it looks when the bag is opened up — the mix is really eye-catching (partly because the citrus ‘zest’ is more like ‘rind’, but that’s ok — I like it like that).

For some reason, my whole town ran out of tea — Tetley, Lipton, Red Rose, Twinings, Tazo, and even the ever-present Stash. With our tea stash withered down to herbals and greens, my family got desperate and decided to get a box of Great Value from Walmart.

To be honest, it’s not that bad. Good for mornings when you don’t have time for loose-leaf, and ok for iced tea. Lots of tea dust, though, and my mother didn’t like the aftertaste. If there’s ever another tea shortage in my area, I wouldn’t mind picking up another box — but only if it’s the last choice.

So my throat is sore today, and I’m chugging tea and gargling Listerine in hopes that I’m only coming down with a light winter cold. Despite the low ratings that this tea gets, it’s really great for under-the-weather days. Citric acid makes this tea a bit (erh, quite a bit actually) on the antioxidant/vitamin/lemony side, so it’s definitely not something you’d want to drink in the evening or put milk in. It’s sour, yeah, but it’s made my throat feel better. It tastes horrible with honey, but it really works well to ease cold symptoms.

I would actually suggest not drinking this tea every day, as it’s probably quite acidic and may negatively affect dental health. I actually get heartburn from it if I don’t eat something afterward. Despite that, it’s a really easy cold treatment that doesn’t involve pharmacies or NyQuil.

I think that this is the oldest box of tea in my stash. …It was actually from my mum’s stash. The box has the old red/white/blue ballerina art, not the cutesy purple fairy stuff. I mean, late 90’s/early 2000’s. I could probably sell this in the vintage part of Etsy.

….To be honest, it still tastes the same as it did 5+ years ago. That is, kind of like potpourri. Perhaps it has mellowed a bit, which is probably a good thing. I always brew it for about 2 minutes, then add a used black teabag for about 2 more minutes to kind of make a lazy person’s blend.

I wouldn’t be consuming this tea if I didn’t have a complex about food waste. I guess it’s just that sugared fruits, candied fruits, and applets/cotlets/Turkish delights/heavy sweet fruity winter things really aren’t part of my culture? Perhaps this tea is imbued heavily with Tchaikovsky elements, which means that I instinctively shy away from it? I don’t know. CS really isn’t my favorite company to begin with (but I really appreciate their packaging and production beliefs), so I’m not that broken-hearted. …Though I do have at least 4 more bags of this. …