Rooibos Earl Grey

This Earl Grey is made by the Puerto Rico Importing Co.  Just to clarify on this one:  I started writing this post back in May and things got away from me and I wasn't able to finish the post.  Now I have re-brewed myself a cup of the tea, but in that time, this loose leaf tea has been stored near a very strongly scented tea.  I have a feeling the flavor may be influenced by this other tea, so I will be relying more on my initial observations back in May.

Flavor:  This one has a deep, sweet, earthy taste, with the sophisticated (and well-known) flavor of Earl Grey.  It tastes like the color red meets British royals.  (I swear this blog is sometimes more of an outlet for my descriptive literary skills than anything else.)  There is a faintly spicy taste, but it isn't like anything I've ever tasted before.

Suggested Additions:  I always like my Earl Grey with a spoonful of white sugar and a splash of milk, so that is what I added to it today.  I think that although that was good, raw sugar might be better suited to the taste of the Rooibos and next time I think I'd like to try that instead.

Ingredients:  Unknown.  When you walk into the Puerto Rico Importing Co. store, the walls are lined with huge cans upon cans of loose leaf tea.  You tell them how much you want, and they scoop it into a generic bag for you, with no ingredients list.  The center of the room is filled with burlap sack upon burlap sack of coffee beans.  It is quite a fun place to visit.  (If I had to guess on ingredients, I'd say Rooibos tea, and oil of bergamot.)

Purpose:  This tea has a unique taste, and it is caffeine free.  So if you love Earl Grey but don't want the caffeine or the chemicals used to decaffeinate, try this one, which has neither.  Its not organic though so I can't be completely sure it has no chemicals at all.

Peach Tea

This "pure Ceylon tea" is made by Bentley's Finest.

Flavor:  The initial taste of this tea is somewhat sour, with a green herby taste, and without any bitterness of the caffeine from the tea.  The smell of peach is stronger than the taste of peach.  Its not a very pleasant tea on its own.  I would definitely recommend a sweetener.

Suggested Additions:  Because this tea is so light on the taste of the peach, I can't recommend adding lemon to it, because it would completely overpower the delicate flavor.  Today, to mix things up a little, I went with raw sugar.  I feel that the raw sugar adds to the delicate flavor in addition to making it a bit sweeter.  I don't think honey or agave nectar are quite delicate enough to be added to this tea.  If you don't have raw sugar, white would make it sweeter, without adding to the flavor at all.

Ingredients:  There are none listed on the bag, or in the fancy tea caddy that came as a Christmas gift.  A search online for Bentley's tea revealed that it might be a sub-company of the Boston Tea Company, but I could not find an ingredients list.  It tastes like it might be green or white tea, but I can't be sure.

Purpose:  I don't see a reason to drink this tea.  It may provide caffeine, but since I don't know the ingredients, I don't know how much caffeine I'm getting.  The flavor, toward the end of the cup, finally reaches a full peach flavor, but that is only if you leave the bag in the water the whole time.  Most people take the bag out before the end of the cup.

Quietly Chamomile

Quietly Chamomile is made by Lipton.

Flavor:  There is a hint of citrus and a sort of "pine tree" taste that I noticed first.  Chamomile is a flower, and that light flowery taste is also evident.  Overall, it has a very herby green taste, but that is not unpleasant.

Suggested Additions:  I think the honey-lemon route would be a good choice.  Honey is also flowery and since there is a citrus taste in the tea already, those additions would enhance the flavor.  I was in a rush to enjoy this tea with my breakfast though, so I went with what was quick and easy- a level spoonful of white sugar.

Ingredients:  I have long ago lost the box and kept this tea in the tea caddy, so I thought I would not be able to get the ingredients, but thanks to Lipton, all their ingredients are listed online!  Chamomile flowers, orange peel, rosehips, hibiscus flowers, allspice, licorice root, natural flavor, soy lecithin

Purpose:  Usually, chamomile is used to decrease stress and relax the body and mind.  My mom swears a cup of it will put her right to sleep.  I don't find I fall asleep from it, but I was not in the mood today for a caffeinated tea so I thought I'd go with this old classic.

Vanilla Chai Tea- REPOST

Note- I am reposting this review because I reviewed the tea in my head today, not realizing I'd already written about it, and I would like to note some differences I observed.  Here it is below, with today's comments written in green.


Again with the Chai Tea redundancy. (Read this entry http://forgetthedinoftheworld.blogspot.com/2010/10/chai-tea.html for an explanation.) Anyway Vanilla Chai Tea is made by Bigelow.

Flavor: This tea starts out with a slightly sour but pleasant taste, a bit of the tannic "tea" taste, and a heavy aftertaste on the vanilla.  I don't really notice much of the spices that are usually found in the flavor of a traditional chai.  This tea has a slight flavor of vanilla, is mild, and has a medium tea taste. It is not too strong, and it reminds me of the Vanilla Chai mix we used at Nordstrom when I worked in the Espresso Bar.

Suggested Additions: One spoonful of sugar since chai is meant to be sweet traditionally.  Also a bit of milk to lighten the "tea" taste if you want. I used soy milk and for some reason it has clumped up so I have some floaters. Oh well, it still tastes good.  Today I used whole milk, because I am trying to gain a few pounds and have increased my caloric intake.  I feel that the whole milk provides a more solid, hearty feel to the tea, and seems to help the traditional chai spices come through.  Also, the faintly sour, almost lemony taste is nearly gone after the addition of the milk.

Ingredients: Black tea, spices, natural and artificial flavors (soy lecithin).

Purpose: This tea is good for someone who enjoys chai but finds that traditional chai is a bit too strong or complex for their tastes.

Energizing

I'm not entirely sure of the name of this tea, but I went with the words written in the largest font on the tea bag.  The company is Teekane ("tee-kah-neh"), and the title of the tea appears to be "Herbal Wellness Tea Energizing, Caffeinated Passionfruit Mango Flavor."

Flavor:  Initially, I got the taste of the mango, with a hint of the cooling sweetness of passionfruit as an aftertaste.  As time went by, the taste of the passionfruit got stronger.  However, at no point did I taste the "tart" flavor that real passionfruit has.  I believe that is a good thing, because although I like that taste when I'm eating real passionfruit, I don't know that it would necessarily lend itself well to a tea.  The taste of the caffeine is pleasantly hidden among the tropical flavors, and I detected none of that bitter caffeine taste.

Suggested Additions:  I added a bit more sugar than usual, since I was in the mood for something more closely resembling a fruit juice.  I probably should not have drunk tea at all, but should have just poured myself a glass of orange juice.  But the tea was warm, and I was cold.  It worked out, in the end, but flavor-wise it did not need all that sugar.  If you like a fruity flavor, try a spoonful of white or raw sugar.  For a more complex taste (spicy-fruity), add a spoonful of honey.

Ingredients:  Green tea, sweet blackberry leaves, lemongrass, Siberian ginseng, natural mango flavor, natural passionfruit flavor (contains soy lecithin), green mate, ginko leaf, spearmint.

Purpose:  The caffeine was an added bonus this morning, but I drank this tea today because it was warm and I needed a way to get some sugar into my body.  I am not sure why, but there are some days when I just wake up feeling the intense need to increase my blood sugar.  I hope this does not mean I will be prone to diabetes later on in my years.  Also a pleasant surprise- when I checked the ingredients and found it was green tea and not black tea.  I had assumed since it said "caffeinated" in large print on the box, that meant "big time caffeinated" with black tea, but it is actually green tea.  This is a bonus for me because I often feel that green tea is easier on my body and keeps me alert through the day without feeling the "sudden rush" of energy that I get from coffee or black tea.

Tea for Colds

This one is made by Good Earth, although I haven't seen it in the stores for a while. I am not sure they make it anymore.

Flavor: It has a very mild flavor similar to the previous tea, Breathe Deep. However, it is not nearly as strong as that. The aftertaste is a bit minty, and it is much stronger than the minty flavor of Breathe Deep.

Suggested Additions: This tea has a hint of sweetness already, so no sweetener is needed, although the wrapper suggests honey, if desired. Lemon might be soothing if you are drinking the tea because of a cold and have a sore throat.

Ingredients: Active ingredient- Menthol, 10 mg per cup (a natural component of peppermint oil). Herbal ingredients- Meadowsweet flower, wild thyme, licorice, plantain leaf, dehydrated juice of echinacea herb, elder flower, peppermint flavor (contains oil of peppermint)

Purpose: It says it right there in the name of the tea. Drink this when you have a cold, or when you just feel like you want some minty comfort. Personally, I am drinking lots of hot tea this evening to ease my symptoms just long enough for me to get through the evening. When I finish everything I need to do, if my symptoms are still giving me troubles, I will take some medicine, but all I have is for night time relief so I know it is going to knock me out.

Breathe Deep

This is a medicinal tea from Yogi.

Flavor: The first thing that hit me was "Wow, that's a sweet tea!" And that was just tea and water, nothing added. Besides the sweetness, there is a barky, earthy taste. Cinnamon has a spicy flavor followed by a sort of earthy, brown flavor. This tea has that second cinnamon taste, without any spiciness at all. There is also just a hint of a minty taste as well.

Suggested Additions: On the bag there is this suggestion: "Add a teaspoon or two of honey to support the body's expectoration process." I was going to follow the suggestion until I tasted the tea. I think honey would just make it all a little too sweet for my liking.

Ingredients: Licorice root, eucalyptus, basil, ginger, cinnamon, thyme, elecampane root, peppermint, cardamom seed, mullein leaf, natural licorice flavor.

Purpose: I just came back from a trip over the mountains. The changes in elevation, combined with an odd New Year's thaw, and a weekend in a house with just a hint of mustiness has my sinuses all confused. I can't stop coughing, which is not my body's usual way of expressing allergy symptoms. So I thought a tea to help me breathe would be appropriate. I felt a difference the moment I opened the tea bag, before even pouring the water. It was not exactly that my sinuses cleared up right away, but a peaceful calming feeling came over me, which helped stopped some of the spasm and itch I was feeling in my lungs.