Shae Send Message

I started pouring the last of this tea from my bag and realized that there was more hiding within the folds than I had originally thought. I’m not a fan of Teavana’s in-store bags for this reason – you pretty much have to tear them open to get to the last of the tea. We usually move our teas to other containers but I hadn’t done that with this one so I made a big mess trying to get the remaining tea into my cup. I ended up with closer to 2 teaspoons so this last cup will be just a little stronger than the rest.

The liquid is much darker than before which I expected since I used extra tea leaves. It has a nice, bold smell and seems to be a good strength. The color is very close to the raw wildflower honey I’m using.

After trying this with close to 2 teaspoons of tea, I definitely prefer it this way over using the recommended amount. It’s rich and bold, not at all bitter. It’s my favorite cup of this yet.

I’m down to my last bit of this tea. After this cup, I may have enough for just one more. I’ll be glad to finish this one simply because it’s been in my cupboard for a while. It’s a good tea, but I’m sure there are better ones out there so I don’t plan to buy more anytime soon. There are too many others I want to try. This is just a touch bitter, but I’m still enjoying it. There is also a slight tartness there. I don’t plan on re-steeping this one since I haven’t had much success with it in the past, but I will probably go ahead and finish the last of the bag here in a bit.

I’m in the mood tonight for a favorite so here we are. I’m amazed at how much I’ve grown to love this tea since my first note. I could go on and on about it, but I’ve said it all before. It’s just so GOOD.

I may have over-steeped this one as it’s a touch bitter. A little extra honey tames it nicely. The dry tea is much more fragrant than the brew, but I still smell the bergamot after steeping.

Second Steep
8 ounces water + 200 degrees

I honestly forgot all about this and let it sit on my desk for at least 8 minutes and probably longer. It’s weak but still not bad. Either I didn’t steep this long enough or at a high enough temperature or it’s just not good for re-steeping.

I’ve had this tea a few times before, mostly hot, but also iced when they have it in-store mixed with the Pineapple Kona Pop. I love that version and I’m pretty sure the reason we ended up buying this tea was so we could make that blend at home. The funny thing is, we drink them both separately on occasion but still haven’t taken the time to mix them together! I only have a serving or two left after this cup so I may try that with the rest.

This one has a menthol smell and reminds me of Teavana’s Imperial Acai Blueberry which is a white tea. I’m not sure of the difference between the two other than the addition of the tea to the Imperial Acai Blueberry. Unfortunately, my tea ball is not containing this one very well. There are bits of this all in my cup – long, skinny, hay-like pieces floating about and then sinking to the bottom. The liquid still keeps some of that mentholated aroma but also smells like berries. The flavor is tart and could benefit from some added sweetness. There is also some astringency here. Overall, it’s an okay tea. I’m not a huge fan of it hot but maybe I’ll like it better iced.

The liquid is a deep amber color with a definite green tint. It smells minty and slightly vegetal. The taste is mint but also chamomile. It’s only the slightest bit bitter.

This is definitely a feel better tea, one you might crave when feeling sick. I felt yesterday that I might be coming down with a cold, but today I feel pretty much back to normal. Maybe it was the citrus tea or maybe it has something to do with the multivitamins I started taking. I’m not sure, but I thought it would be best to banish any remnants of sickness with a cup of this tea.

A few people at work have been sick this week and I woke up this morning with the sniffles so this tea seemed like a good fit. The dry mix is very fragrant, really in-your-face. I actually got some dried apple in my cup today but unfortunately I’m not really tasting it. I really wish I tasted the sage too but this is all citrus to me. There was a bit of sediment in the bottom of my cup that was pretty unpleasant so I think this may need a finer sieve.

This mix has large flakes of coconut mixed with ginger and lemongrass. It’s fragrant with cinnamon and smells especially like cinnamon gum. I read through a few of the reviews here and decided to steep in a small amount of water then add 1/3 cup steamed milk and honey. I may try more water and less milk next time because it was more like a flavored milk than a milky tea, but overall it was good – lightly spiced and sweet.

I can smell more mint this time. In fact, it smells and tastes like a straight mint tea. I added a bit of cream and the combination of that with the mint is nice.

Second Steep
8 ounces water + 200 degrees + 1 minute and 15 seconds

This second cup brewed up darker than the first in less than half the time. I did catch a whiff of fishiness while it was steeping (it was more like fish food really which is kind of strange), but now I don’t really smell that. There’s not so much mint this time around, but the tea is still incredibly dark.

Third Steep
8 ounces water + 200 degrees + 5 minutes

I cannot believe how prolific this tea has been! This is my third cup (I’ve been drinking on the same teaspoon of leaves all day) and it’s still brewing up dark almost as soon as I add the water. I let this one steep longer even though the cup was dark from the beginning. The flavor isn’t strong but still tastes like a decent cup of tea.

Backlog from February 1st:

We spent the day visiting my dad and brothers so I made sure to have my tumbler filled with tea before we hit the road. I haven’t had this one in a while and it’s a favorite so I thought it would be the best choice to sustain me for the day. My tumbler keeps everything super hot so I wasn’t really able to drink it until we got there (my dad lives a little over an hour from here) and I was still drinking it hours later when we finally started making lunch. I had it with honey and a bit of cream, and it was nearly perfect for the cold, rainy Sunday we were having.