Revolution Tea

Another one of the Revolution tea sachets I picked up last weekend. It’s so weird to me that they sell white tea at a truck stop, because you know the hot water that comes out of the coffee machine is probably too hot for it.

Anyway, I love pomegranates but haven’t tried too many pomegranate teas (yet). This one smells kind of general sweet-fruity dry, and it’s hard for me to put my finger on one particular fruit flavor. Brewed the aroma develops more and I get distinct notes; pomegranate, yes, but also perhaps black currant or other berries. It smells pretty nice, and the initial sip has a pleasant taste, but there’s some bizarre aftertaste on the back of the sip that tastes artificial. It’s a distinct taste that I recognize, but I can’t put my finger on it right now… lipstick? Weird flavored lip balm? It’s something like that (I’m not wearing either). Definitely weird and off-putting. On some sips I don’t really get it at all, but on some it’s really strong. Maybe it’s just my sachet, and without the aftertaste this would be a nice, light, fruity tea.

I didn’t have super high hopes for this one based on my last tea by this company, but I can’t help but try all the new teas I get right after I get them, so I chose this sachet anyway.

Dry it smelled primarily like herby lavender with a bit of bergamot and something else; an almost peppery note that I’m not sure is coming from the lavender or the tea. Brewed it smells heavily of lavender, and the taste is primarily lavender with a hint of slightly astringent bergamot at the end of the sip. It’s a fine enough tea, and certainly better than the one I had yesterday, but it’s not Earl Grey-y enough for me, and the bergamot that is there just adds astringency and combines with the herby lavender in a not-great way in the aftertaste. My rating on this one started out higher but I kept dropping it as I progressed through the cup.

I’ve discovered that Pilot truck stops are one of the few gas stations (the only one I’ve found, really) to offer non-Lipton tea bags. When I’m on the road I sometimes want a little caffeine boost from a tea, and while I’m not expecting much, it’s pleasant to find pyramid sachets of tea. They actually have a variety of sachets, and I picked up a handful of them on my recent road trip, not for drinking on the road but for trying out later (who has the control over steeping parameters to brew a white tea on the road?). Who knows how old these are, since I don’t know what kind of tea turnover a truck stop in western Maryland has, but I thought I’d give it a go.

Anyway, this was one I grabbed because, orange chocolate, right? I love those flavors together. Dry, the sachet smells like green tea and ginger with a hint of orange, and those flavors pretty much bear out in the brewed tea. I brewed it for a bit longer than it said on the packet because of suggestions on Steepster, but still it’s primarily a very light green tea with some ginger notes (not very strong, but there). As it cools I get maybe a little orange, but no chocolate. Oh well. Disappointing, but then again, I bought it at a truck stop!

Not my favourite. It would probably be decent if I were just expecting a slightly sweet white tea, but I was really looking forward to a deep pear flavour… which I did not get. I guess I’ll keep searching. It is light and soothing, but I can’t see myself buying another box.

A great green flavor, not too earthy.

A good mild tea, but doesn’t have a very strong Earl Grey flavor.

My favorite at-work tea. I’ve gotten everyone hooked on it!

Maybe too many flavors are trying to come through with this tea, but still a treat and quite tasty.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Water: 16 oz hot spigot water
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes (lost track of time at work, not exactly sure)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: aci berry, vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal, hint of berry
Flavor: sweet vegetal, berry finish
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: didn’t note one
Liquor: translucent light olive green

Gift from fellow tea drinker at work.

It was a good, solid berry green, but not something amazing. I think with better steep time and a touch of honey it would be a great daily green.

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/03/revolution-tea-teabag-green-tea-acai.html

Lord’s Day May 15, 2011
1st Steep Of The Day
Took Some Lavender Grey
And Headed Down route 15 to Va.
The Cup Lasted the whole way to Church.
Great Smooth Earl Grey Tea with Lavender Back Notes.
Keep on Steepin

Lords Day Apr. 24, 2011
1st Steep of the Day
Great cup for the Road to Virginia.
Earl Grey with Lavender in the Morning.
This Cup Lasted the Whole Drive, with some Slow Savoring Sipps
This is a Keeper so I’ll
Keep on Steepin

Friday Mar. 4, 2011
2nd Steep Of The Day
Made a GREAT CUP of ReVolutions Lavender Earl Grey
Bold Black Tea With Earl Grey and Blue Lavender Flavorings.
Fine Relaxing Tea for Early Evening
Keep On Steepin

This was part of the 5 varieties included in the 15-serving tea chest I purchased. I’ve had chamomile before, but never had it paired with any kind of mint, and I like it! It doesn’t steep very strongly, but in the cup it’s a pleasing spring yellow. The aroma is relaxing, and the mint and chamomile don’t overpower one another. I was expecting it to brew into a stronger overall flavor, but I think the fact that it’s not such a strong formula is what makes it better than the Tazos and others I’ve had before.
Mild chamomile topnotes with a smooth mint finish and aftertaste. Will contemplate adding this to my bedtime routine.

This was the second in the series of 6 mini T-tins I ordered. I’m a bit confused by this one for two reasons:
One – it’s dark, and smells like a darker green tea. Not getting why it’s marketed as a white tea.
Two – no pear aroma from the leaves, only a very faint aftertaste, but nowhere at all during the sip.

I followed directions for white teas – cooler water, short steep – and it still brewed up like a green. Not unpleasant, but doesn’t deliver on the fruit or delicateness the label seems to allude to.

I may add some ginger shavings to my next pot and see if that might not highlight something I’m missing. But I think it’s fair to say I won’t be replenishing this when it runs out.

This is a perfect warm-weather tea, and I can also see it making a great iced treat as part of a lemon/tea cocktail. I’ve only ever had ginger with Puerhs, where the ginger would need to compete with the strong earth notes, so this was a new experience.
This is a blend of Assam and Ceylon, therefore the ginger is milder. It warms the cup, but you can still taste the black tea flavor profile. The peach is pleasant in the aroma, in the cup it’s not overwhelming – which is how I personally feel flavored tea should be done. You should still be able to discern whether the base tea is good or not. While I’m not tasting extraordinary maltiness or the typical Assam astringency, it still tastes like a good quality cup.
I purchased this flavor as a mini tin Revolution Tea traveler – the tin contains 6 mesh infuser bags. I do believe I’ll replenish the tin when I’m done, it’s a relaxing post-meal tea that I look forward to getting to know better in subsequent days.
Steeped for 2 minutes with just-under-boiling water. 2nd steep, around 5 minutes with cooler water. No major difference apart from a weaker peach aroma

I liked the look and feel of this before I even brewed it. Real, whole-leaf tea in a bag, that I can actually feel the texture of as opposed to little tiny bits of fragments and dust! The smell was nice as well.

After brewing, the tea is a lovely amber color and medium-bodied. The taste is very good oolong, with a touch of peach and apricot that isn’t overly sweet. I savored my cup and will be saving the bag for a resteep. I have a feeling it will hold up well. :)

Delicious

Awesome that it doesn’t contain any caffeine, but the taste isn’t going to wow you.

I must have done something wrong on this one, because it was seriously bitter. Unfortunately, this is the only bag I had. From what I can taste (besides the bitterness) this tea probably has potential. I could taste some pear, especially in the aftertaste. Prepared with stevia.

I decided to try another bag of this, from another batch of tea to see if it is any better. Sadly, it is just as bad as the first time I had it. I threw it out after two sips.

This tea was a major disappointment. It tasted very woody, and somewhat like cardboard. There was no caramel flavor whatsoever. Unless I just got a bad or old batch, this tea is just plain bad.

Tastes exactly how its supposed to taste: like strong lavender and bergamot. A flavor lover’s tea rather than a tea’s tea. It’s hard to tell what the leaves are like with such strong flavors at play, but if you like those flavors you will enjoy this tea.

Steep Information:
Brought out in a nice cast iron teapot and coaster
Amount: 1 teabag
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Steeped Tea Smell: Orange with cinnamon, clove
Flavor: Orange with cinnamon, clove
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: none
Liquor: translucent orange

A very festive (orange and clove) holiday drink.

The water and teapot were not hot enough to start sadly.

I ordered this when my mother and I went out to dinner at P.F. Chang’s.

If I had to guess, after googling, I think that P.F. Chang’s uses Revolution Tea

Resteep: Weak, water, undrinkable

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/12/pf-chang-teabag-herbal-tisane-citrus.html