73 Tasting Notes
Mild chocolate and banana flavors even at 2+ teaspoons steeped for a modest cup. It IS a nice cup of tea, very pleasant and warming on a winter’s evening. Not an outstanding tea, though. Could have more of a chocolate flavor and less of a sweet one.
Ingredients from the label on the envelope: Apple pieces, pineapple pieces (pineapple, sugar, citric acid), cocoa kernels, banana chips (banana, coconut oil, sugar), carob pieces, rosehip peels, flavoring (chocolate, banana, caramel, crocant).
Maybe if chocolate was a prominent ingredient, it would be a better tea. And is the flavoring natural or artificial?
Preparation
This tea will kill whatever ails you. I’ve been using this tea since I was in college (early to mid-80’s) and whenever I get sick, this is my go-to fix. According to other sources, Pau d’Arco is supposed to be an anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal herb. I have found it works, particularly on very bad chest colds and bronchitis. The flavor is earthy and somewhat astringent, but not unpleasant. I find adding 1/2 organic lemon to it makes it quite good. My rating goes to its effectiveness and apparent quality, not necessarily its flavor. I always steep this tea according to directions, which is 15 minutes.
Preparation
This tea is fairly effective at relaxing you and helping you to sleep, but sometimes it just doesn’t work for me. I have found that Kava is more effective at relaxing me in general. This tea has a somewhat medicinal flavor and is not a tea I choose for how it tastes. I always have to add about 1/2 organic lemon so it is drinkable. I have had much stronger valerian teas in the past (but my cats try to drink those rigt out of my tea cup). I do follow the directions and steep it for the full 15 minutes.
Ingredients from the back of the teabag envelope: Organic Valerian Root, Organic Passionflower Herb, Organic Lemon Balm Leaf, Organic Peppermint Leaf; Proprietary Blend: Organic Caraway Fruit, Organic Licorice Root.
Preparation
I have been using this tea for some time as a relaxant in the evenings while reading. I generally steep it for 15 minutes, but last night it steeped for about 25 minutes as a result of my being on the telephone with my dad! No harm, it wasn’t bitter and the spicier ingredients were stronger (which was good). I always add 1/4 to 1/2 organic lemon (small and sweeter than conventionally grown) which I think really brightens up the flavors. By itself, it’s a little bit dull but the cinnamon is pleasant.
Ingredients from teabag envelope: Carob Pod, Indian Sarsaparilla Root, Organic Cinnamon Bark, Organic Ginger Root, Organic Barley Malt, Kava Root Extract, Cardamom Seed, Natural Hazlenut Flavor, Stevia Leaf, Natural Licorice Flavor, Natural Cinnamon Bark Oil.
I really appreciate the fact that Yogi Tea uses organic ingredients.
Preparation
When opening an envelope of this tea, you are struck with a pleasant chocolate and banana fragrance. When brewed, both are somewhat faint flavors. They’re there, but the flavors just aren’t that strong, even at two teaspoons. I will try three teaspoons next time I steep a cup.
The ingredients listed on this page leave out quite a bit, so I’m going to list them here (copied right off the package) and also update the page info. We’ll see if the page info remains complete. I’ve noticed that the Teavana teas on this site only list the main natural ingredients and usually leave out fillers.
Ingredients: Rooibos (long cut), banana pieces (banana, sugar, vegetable oil), cocoa peel, walnuts, chocolate drops (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, clarified butter, low fat cocoa powder, emulsifier (soy), coconut rasps, flavoring (banana, chocolate, cream).
Is the flavoring natural or artificial? I thought that had to be listed on products sold in the US.
This is my fourth 2 oz envelope of this tea. As I have been ordering and drinking this tea, I have noticed that it has definitely gone downhill. This went from my favorite tea to being just sorta MEH. It barely has a peach flavor and fragrance, and even though green tea is the first ingredient, it is a very weak green tea; and that’s using 2 teaspoons, not just 1!
Also, the ingredients listed on this page are incomplete. I am looking at the label on an envelope right now and they are: Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls green tea, green rooibos tea, hibiscus flowers, apple pieces, rosehip peels, peach pieces (peach, rice flour), kiwi pieces, strawberry pieces, flavoring (apricot, peach, cream strawberry), safflower petals & marigold petals.
What kind of flavoring? Natural or artificial? Why is there rice flour in my tea? I’m now looking for teas without lots of strange additives.
I hate to say this, but the first sniff I had of the tea in the envelope smelled like hay bales. I started to wonder about this tea. When steeped, the tea had light sweetness and earthy notes. As it cooled more in my cup, the umami notes came out stronger in conjunction with more sweetness. I have to say the green flavors were not as strong as I was afraid they might be, and the tea is actually quite a bit softer in flavoring than I had guessed. It’s growing on me.
I really like this tea, whether I drink it straight or with a touch of almond milk. I and my husband have been drinking this tea for some time and it has been consistently good. There are two troubling aspects to this tea, though: 1) It cannot be re-brewed but instead you must add at least 1 more teaspoon of tea (I always use at least 2 tsp/cup); and 2) the last ingredient listed on the envelope label is “artificial flavoring.” That’s really too bad, as I am now in search of teas that do NOT have artificial flavoring or maltodextrin. I think those ingredients are only added to increase Teavana’s bottom line at the expense of the tea; they detract from the flavor and quality of the tea.
