Celestial Seasonings

On the 9th day of sipdowns…

I’m super sad to finish this one off, I went through the box of teabags like they were water and held onto the last one until today. This time, it was much more apple-y and much less spice/cidery. I still can’t taste the caramel for the life of me, but that’s okay as I’ve come to terms with my caramel tea search.

The apple is strong, a bit sour/tart and almost tastes like apple jolly ranchers, which is something I didn’t notice before. The cinnamon and spice flavor is much more mellow but it still tastes like apple cider.

Stopped by the grocery store to pick up some groceries and I wandered into the Tea aisle to check and see if they’ve stocked the Holiday teas from Bigelow yet (they haven’t D:) but they had this gem so I figured I’d try it on my taste test for best caramel tea.

Aaaaand this doesn’t taste like caramel to me at all. Which is a let down. But it tastes EXACTLY like warm apple cider. The ginger, cinnamon, chicory action is on point. The apple is a little bit weird, kind of sour but not totally artificial and I couldn’t taste the hibiscus at all. Definitely a new fall favorite <3

Update: I’m on my second cup and didn’t down this one in 5 minutes like the last one. As you let it steep longer the apple flavor starts to get …fake and the spices are just too strong. While this is still very good, it can’t steep for very long without getting nasty D:

I definitely notice a lot of spice but no plum flavor. While this isn’t a terrible tea it’s not one I would buy again. Thankfully my husband really enjoys it so it won’t be going to waste. Spicey teas are easy to come by, I was really hoping for a nice plum flavor.

On the 12th day of steepdowns…

My anxiety is awful today so I had to stop drinking blacks much earlier than usual so I picked up this herbal. It’s super meh – the hibiscus outweighs the blueberry and it’s super tart. Not my favorite herbal, nor my favorite blueberry tea.

I didn’t log much of the sampler I got but this is the last tea bag left from it (minus 4 that I put aside for my advent calendar.)

It’s very tart, I imagine that’s the hibiscus but I don’t actually taste any hibiscus.. it tastes like grape actually. There’s definitely blueberry flavor in it, but it’s overpowered by a tangy, tart, grape flavor. It’s definitely more like something my kool-aid loving brother would drink up instead of me.

This tea has a nice mix of rooibos and vanilla, with the vanilla flavor not being too strong or commandeering. It is a great late afternoon or evening tea when you do not want or need caffeine.

After a seriously healthy dinner, this tea is perfectly artificial enough for dessert.

Quite lemony and maybe a bit piney, kind of reminds me of floor cleaner but it is quite comforting.

I think this tastes a lot more like a spice/cinnamon tea than a chai but it is really good and strong which I like. No sugar needed. I’ve added honey to it for my husband and it was sickeningly sweet.

I’m getting over a bout of something so I’ve been sticking to herbals for the last two days. This one was in the sampler box I picked up and I love it. It totally beat out my childhood favorite, Raspberry Zinger, and my favorite peach tea which was the White Peach loose tea from Wegmans.

It tastes exactly like unsweetened peach juice! I do taste a little bit of citrus undertones but it’s mostly delicious peachy goodness.

Nice festive tea! It could easily become a seasonal favourite. I wouldn’t say it’s something I’d drink regularly because the spices can be a bit overpowering. But the aroma is nice!

I stopped by the grocery store and celestial seasonings teas were on sale. I figured since I was getting into the “loose leaf tea snob” territory, it might be good to come back to some old favorites so I picked up the fruit tea sampler.

I think this might be my favorite cherry tea (second to Capital Tea’s Cherry Tisane) and I’m not sure if it’s because it’s actually good, cherry teas tend to taste awful, or because I associate Celestial Seasonings with my childhood. It’s definitely tart, but the cherry and hibiscus flavors are strong and blend so smoothly.

First I tried this chai on its own – the flavor profile didn’t seem right. Then I added some honey to find the sweet balance – it still wasn’t that great. When I mixed it with Italian Sweet Creme creamer and had it as a latte, it was okay. However, the flavor profile has a strong pepper taste – not the spice I want to be the strongest in my chai mix.

This is a tea bag tea: http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/black/dirty-chai

This is a spicy chai blend with a hint of espresso. On a cool autumn day, the spice really warms things up. I could see this being my go-to tea through the autumn and into the winter.

I am not a coffee drinker, so the espresso in this made me hesitate. It’s noticeable, bit not overly strong. I would have preferred the cocoa to be stronger. Also, wayyy too sweet. Tazo’s chai mixes are not nearly this sweet.

Very strong spices in this tea. A little overpowering if brewed too long. The flavours are much gentler with milk added. It would be a great drink to invigorate you early morning but not something to drink many times a day.

Love this tea! It helps me wind down at the end of the day with just the aroma. It’s practically become a ritual before bedtime. The smell and taste of chamomile is so relaxing!

In the box, the bags have a peach and chamomile smell, with a hint of mint. Taste wise, I definitely pick up on the peach and chamomile. It’s a smooth, caffeine free tea. While I have about half of the box to go, I probably won’t get this again as there are other chamomile blends that I prefer for relaxing.

Backlogged from several days ago—

Tried this one hot by mixing the latte concentrate with milk and heating it in a saucepan on the stove.

It’s not as good as a hot drink. All I got was sugary sweetness. None of the cocoa, espresso, and spice notes that I was getting when I drank it as a cold beverage.

Good to know moving forward!

I found this at Shaw’s last night!! I couldn’t believe they had it— I thought sure I was going to have to order it online.

It’s a chai latte concentrate, and it is every bit as amazing as it sounds.

I will admit to having fallen off the wagon lately with my coffee addiction. I started grad school at the end of September, and it’s very different than what I’m used to— online vs traditional classroom setting, APA style vs MLA, and so on. I don’t handle making mistakes and learning curves very well when it comes to school, because for my whole life, that is what I’ve been good at. So I have been procrastinating on assignments and wasting a whole lot of time telling myself that it’s no use and I’m stupid for even doing this, and so I wind up needing coffee to get my butt in gear in the mornings.

My guilt from forsaking tea has been pretty strong, so what a relief that products like this exist! The sweetness from the cane sugar, cinnamon , and cocoa make this a treat, not a staple, but what a treat it is! The espresso and black tea play surprisingly well together, neither overpowering the other, and the cocoa augments the chocolatey notes from the tea and the coffee. Plus, you still get all of the cinnamon-y, gingery, clove-aliciousness that we know and love from chai!

My boyfriend and I made it cold, with skim milk, and we both sucked it down . I’m going to play with it some more and try making it hot next.

I’ll be purchasing this again whenever I feel my spirit getting low!!

I’m finishing off the last bag in the box left at work. I think I may have been one of the only ones drinking it. Enjoying this cup with some pineapple and a morning glory muffin for breakfast. The rest of my teas today will likely be fruity herbals so this was a nice start to the morning.