Citizen Tea

When I purchased this tea, the sales associate instructed me to steep it with butter or coconut oil in order to activate the cannabinoids. I tried butter and steeped the tea by itself and drank it hot. The taste was literally just what you would think it would be- buttery grass. I love earthy and grassy green teas and oolongs, I search high and low for grassy matcha, but the flavor of this tea was too grassy even for me. I instantly started playing around to find a way to make the taste tolerable because I really wanted to reap the benefits. My first switch was from butter to coconut oil. The great part about coconut oil is that it adds in the coconut flavor, and as a lover of coconut, that helped a lot. If you’re not one to play with blending your own tea concoctions, this is how I suggest drinking this tea- in a teabag, with coconut oil, make sure the oil is put in the bag with the tea leaves and leave the bag in the cup while drinking.

Chocolate teas are generally pretty hit or miss for me, but this one has a decent enough chocolatiness , and a distinct toasty hazelnut flavor. My main problem was how weak it was. I used 2 tablespoons in an 8oz mug and it still tasted pretty watery.

I guess my previous cups of this were at work/unlogged. Ah well. It’s not a stellar tea; tastes a bit on the lighter side of what I’m used to from black pearls, although the familiar chocolatey, malty flavours are present. I only used 4 pearls, though, for an 8oz cup, so it might be a little underleafed (I have 5 pearls left for the last cup).

I’m not sure if it’s the power of suggestion, but I just read a tasting note mentioning cigars, and I swear I also tasted a bit of that acrid, ashy taste as well (not really in a bad way). Not bad, but I’d probably go for a different version next time. I think YS and Teavivre both have black pearls; likely many other companies as well.

I can’t help but wonder if the selling point for this is more so the ‘novelty’ aspect of drinking hemp tea or if it’s the supposed wellness/health benefits?

I mean, it’s got to be one of the two because I find it impossible to believe that someone would be into this for the taste alone? It’s like a sour, grassy/spinach-y hay taste that is so, so unpleasant. More tolerable as it cooled down; but still not good. But hey, it’s another number on the list of things I’ve tried!

Iced Tea Sipdown (551)!

An easy sipdown, and one more tea under my belt. I have high standards for blueberry black teas – they tend to be some of my favourite flavour pairings. This one wasn’t great though; very astringent with an almost bark-like black tea flavour. It had very little blueberry flavour to it, even after I added a pump of agave to the last half of it to boost up the fruity aspects. I did very little, apart from mellowing some astringency.

Boo.

Tastes mostly like licorice and peppermint. I will enjoy my cup but I am glad it was only a sample.

There were tiny bits of this tea and it got through my Davidstea filter which is usually pretty good at keeping stuff inside it. I do not like the taste of this tea.

The herbal taste is strong with this one. Too strong for my tastes-glad it was a sample and I do not have to drink another cup of it.

I am definitely tasting mostly mint in this blend followed by a hint of licorice. I am loving mint and licorice together. I am also discovering that I am a huge fan of herbal teas. This one is a part of their Wellness tea blends.

When I opened the package, I was hoping for a nice pina colada scent. Instead, I got a big whiff of cranberry (which is weird because it is not listed in the ingredients list). It also tastes a lot like cranberries with coconut. It is so bitter too. This has got to be the worst Pina Colada tea that I have ever tasted.

I am really loving herbals lately and this one doesn’t disappoint. I am tasting mostly licorice and peppermint (a lovely combo together in my opinion). I can also slightly taste the green tea (decaffeinated btw). A lovely blend of ingredients in this cup of tea.

(this review is for the iced tea pitcher pouch)

About 20 minutes in a 1.5 L container. The teabag pouch was about 2-3 times larger than most teabags, and you could tell it had brewed up something wonderfully flavourful because it smelled like berries and juice.

The primary taste is the fresh strawberries. It tastes like a strawberry smoothie-very bright and no artificial taste. The hints of basil are well hidden, and the tea is flavourful (tea flavour) but not very green/grassy. For people who like fruity iced teas but hate hibiscus, this is a good choice. I didn’t expect to like this blend, but I actually love it.

This was pretty good as a latte. Got a faint banana flavor mingled with a slightly stronger chocolate and rooibos taste. It cut down the sweetness of the rich chocolate I had with it so that’s a plus. I think this tea would have been awesome if the banana and chocolate flavors were more intense than they were in this cup.

This is a mild chai-the spices are so weak. I will finish my cup but I am so glad this was a sample pack and I used it all up to make this latte.

Definitely vegetal with a nice soft yet delicate base. Not as crisp as white peony, but there is a slight clear mineralish tinge that I really enjoy. Definitely a mood tea. I quite enjoyed this. Only two infusions and I forgot to write down my notes.

Also, the leaves were made dragonwell style, super flat and long. Very pretty!

After my bad experience with the David’s tea version of Keemum, I approached this tea with a bit of wariness… I find they can be boring, for my tastes sometimes and others they really hit my sweet spot. This time? Perfection.
Complex, bready, malty, noms.
I made it through six infusions, combining two at a time in a large mug. The last two were pretty weak so I let it sit there for an hour. End result? weak… but the aftertaste of sweet molasses is pretty awesome.

Extra peppercorn in my spoon today. Love that fizzy aspect. I’ll miss this one when its gone!! I think that one ingredient makes a big difference. Odd, as I thought the lemon aspect was more important. go figure :P

A pleasant although not remarkable tea. Slight lemon tang. The tiny bit of green tea comes through as a nice base to give it all some depth, which IMO is the best part. It might go really well iced, or cold brewed!

I wouldn’t say this was peach. Apricot, I think. A bitter aftertaste, but not thick like an overbrewed tea. Not sure I’m the biggest fan. It just doesn’t speak to me :/

A dessert tea with breakfast?!?
I didn’t care. This was exactly what I needed. Not the best tea I’ve ever had, but this morning I kinda wanted less than perfection. So yeah I’m very happy with this simple, clearly caramel, overly astringent black tea. Good with or without milk (because creamy caramel). And if it wasn’t for the mouth puckering sour astringency, I’d boost up the rating. A lot.

Welp. This cuppa was pretty much all hibby.
I was in the mood for something absurdly sour so it kinda worked out.
When I grab more, I’ll have to remember to shake up my tin before doling out the tea.
The cup I had not long ago was better. This is almost a sipdown, so I’ll need more soon. For experimentation yanno

Just as I remember it. Damn. No wonder herbals have felt weak to me the last few years… I’ve been mentally comparing them to this one and fruit ginger, among a few others.
So glad I’ve rediscovered my first tea loves.
This really does remind me of a raspberry mojito. Today’s brew was very berry like and even a bit fizzy. Not too heavy on the mint either. Everything came togeher just so. Ahhh perfection.
I really need to buy me a tin. Maybe as a reward when I reach a decent cupboard size.

No licorice yay!!
For that reason I think this might be the best “health blend” from this company yet. I prefer it hot when the tartness is more present in regards to taste. I’ll have to sort through them all to be sure. It is nice and fruity in a citrusy way

I really needed this cup of comfort. Day two of my headache. It’s nice and warm and smooth and full of cigar like cocoa notes. Going back for round two shortly.
Also. I’m just really sad this morning. Someone I dated many many years ago died yesterday. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth didn’t matter.
Addiction took over his life until it was over. I’m not sure if it was an OD or suicide, or a combination of the two. At heart, he was a really nice person who would do anything to help a friend… and yet make terribly non-PC jokes that were hilarious and broadly offensive all at once.
I viewed him from afar (mostly) on Facebook, not knowing how to help, after seeing him post about stints in and out of rehab, his declining quality of life after being cut off from family, and moving to a city known to be infested with drug problems, among other things. His critiques of Hamilton were surprisingly engaging. and heartbreaking. We spoke occasionally over messenger where I tried my best to offer non-judgmental support in the only way I knew how that wouldn’t impact my own well-being, just being someone to talk with.. a brief connection to the life of luxury he once had. Unfortunate proof, if I ever saw it, that money does not solve everything.

This headache of mine feels awfully appropriate right now.