TasTEA Time! Yamamotoyama Hoji-Cha

Tommy kept on kneeding this blanket so I couldn't really get a good picture of  him...

...but I did get a cute picture of him when he fell asleep after having fun.  D'aww.

What:  Roasted Green Tea

Where:  Japan

Why Should I Care:  I really liked the Genmai Cha (tea with brown rice kernels) and I figured that this would have a similar toasty, savory taste to it.  This particular brand is easy to find and relativley cheap for the quality you're getting, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Packaging:  Despite being pretty cheap, the sachets are all foil-wrapped (it even says so on the box).  Other than that, there really isn't anything special.

Non-Taste Senses:  Despite being green tea, the color is closer to oolong and there's a little bit of a toasty smell to it.

Taste:  Although not as good as the genmai cha, this defiantly has its merits.  Instead of tasting fresh, this has a bit of a charcoal taste to it, but that adds to this savory aroma.  I think this is something that should be drunk during a meal and with a bit of sugar.  It's not that great iced, drinkable, but nothing special.

Overall:  It's worth a shot.  The quality is good and it would be nice with a light meal.  If you see it at your local oriental market and there's no genmai cha, pick it up.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site.

Review: O.N.E Active Coconut Water Grapefruit Cranberry

I think I'm just gonna put non-tea/coffee/hot-cocoa/ soda drinks as reviews.  I don't expect to have many of these, but I don't feel like making up a name for every random new type of drink.

What:  Grapefruit and Cranberry flavored Coconut water.

Where:  USA

Why Should I Care:  Coconut water is all kinds of good for you.  It makes one of the best sports drinks (even better than Gatorade), it's full of potassium, it's isotonic to the body's fluid and supposidly, can be used as an IV fluid.  The sports drink part really stuck out to me though since I hate Gatorade (I bought lime flavored on clearance and despite loving lime, it's still sitting by me with 3/4ths in the bottle).  You really don't need any kind of sports drink unless you're working out heavily for more than an hour and a half, but they're nice to have.  Plus this one has Ginseng and energy-boosting herbs.

Packaging:  I like the box-type packaging.  

Non-Taste Senses:  It's a light red color and smells lightly of cranberry.

Taste:  You know what?  It's actually pretty good.  Unlike Gatorade, it doesn't have that hint of salt so it ends up tasting more like a light cranberry juice instead of a sports drink.  The texture is a little bit thicker than your average non-milk drink and it isn't as sweet or as strong as a juice, but it also tastes like they use actual fruit as opposed to artificial flavoring.  

Overall:  I recommend it.  It's not something I'd drink for fun, but as far as sports drinks or even coconut water goes, it's pretty tasty.  

My Rating:  Try it.  Here's the site.  

Coffee Break! Mr. Brown Macadamia Nut Iced Coffee

What:  Coffee

Where:  Taiwan

Why Should I Care:  Well, I've never seen macadamia nut flavored coffee before (probably because they're expensive).  I got this at my random local Oriental Market for 85 cents while shopping for drinks to try out.  I've seen this brand there and they have about five different flavors, but this one stood out to me the most.  Anyway, it's cheaper than Starbucks but the container is smaller.

Packaging:  It's about the same size as the Monster (8 oz) although the can is fat instead of skinny.  I like the tropical flowers and palm trees in the can design.

Non-Taste Senses:  It looks and smells like coffee.

Taste:  I think if you're looking for plain ol' iced coffee, you should try this out.  It's not bad coffee but it's nothing that'll knock your socks off.  There's a nice nutty flavor to it and it's not exceedingly sweet but also not exceedingly creamy (I like my coffee creamy).  The roast seems to be closer to mild so keep that in mind.  If I made a totem pole of the canned coffee I tried, it's better than the Starbucks Lite but not as good as the Monster Xpresso.

Overall:  If your local Big Lots doesn't have Monster Xpressos for 50 cents and your local Oriental Market has these for 85 cents, I recommend trying them out.  It's just coffee, but it's still slightly cheaper than buying it from Micky D's or Starbucks.

My Rating:  Try it!  Did I find a site?  No.  But I did find a Wikipedia, Facebook and general love letter to the Italian-Taiwanese man.

TasTEA Time! Revolution Lavender Earl Grey Tea

What:  Earl Grey Black Tea with Lavender

Where:  I've looked everywhere on the site and I honestly don't know.  If I'd have to guess, USA.

Why Should I Care:  I really want to try pure Lavender tea.  I know it sounds weird, but floral tea is more often than not really good, with sweet notes and really complementing the tea taste.  Earl Grey is something I rarely crave for, but i do like it and I suppose that it could possibly make a good combination with this.

Packaging:  They use the pyramid-shaped tea bags, which is great but they're not wrapped in anything.  There's foil but you'd think a company that boasts about their quality and "bringing real tea taste back" would make their product taste fresher longer.

Non-Taste Senses:  It's a really dark brown color with a slight reddish tint.  It has a light lavender scent mixed in with the earl grey.

Taste:  First off, this needs milk for me.  The Bergamont is really strong and mixed in with the lavender, it has a little bit of a soupy taste to it.  It's not horrible and the tea isn't bitter, but it is really strong and for me, it is practically undrinkable without milk and sugar.

Overall:  My mom said she liked it so I'm sure this may be appealing to some people, but I'm not really that person.  Yes, it's better with milk but honestly, it's not worth it for me.  There are better, cheaper brands out there.

My Rating:  Pass.  I really don't want to dismiss people from trying their other teas since they sound a lot better so here's the site.

TasTEA Time! Mount of Olives Jasmine Green

What:  Jasmine Green Tea

Where:  Israel

Why Should I Care:  Jasmine tea can be tricky.  I know it's one of the oldest ways to flavor tea, but it seems a lot of companies really have trouble balancing a good jasmine scent and good green tea.  I've had a couple where the jasmine was nonexistent but also a good number where it felt like you were drinking perfume.  Does Mount of Olives have what it takes?

Packaging:  The tea is in these paper envelopes, which is annoying but the tea is fairly cheap so it's ok.

Non-Taste Senses:  It has the same yellowish-green color that most green tea has and there's a slight jasmine smell to it.

Taste:  You know what?  Mount of Olives really did this right.  You have a foretaste of green tea and a bold but not overpowering aftertaste of jasmine.  It's refreshing, calming and doesn't taste like you're drinking a bottle of body spray.  It's nice with or without sugar and although I don't think it's traditional drinking this iced, I'm drinking it cold right now and it's fine.

Overall:  For a relatively inexpensive brand, this is some great green tea.  If you've never tried jasmine-flavored green tea and are curious, check this one out.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the real site and here's what Amazon has to say on all this.

Soda Pop! CasCal with hints of Apple and Anise

I'm sorry about the name;  I just want different drinks to be distinctive and this was the first thing that came to mind.

What:  Fermented Soda (soda made from fermentation instead of mixing syrup with carbonated water).

Where:  USA (or California to be precise)

Why Should I Care:  Well, it's not as terrible for you as regular soda is.  It only has 80 calories for the entire bottle.  Also, fermentation is how they make alcohol and the product description says it's made for a "grown-up" taste.  Some people may be wondering why anyone would want a drink that tastes like wine except without the alcohol and I really can't give people's personal reasons.  Maybe they're pregnant and want to have something nice with a fancy meal.  Maybe it's Thanksgiving and those jerks don't want to be too sleepy before shopping at Black Friday.  Maybe they just don't drink alcohol but find sparkling cider disgusting (I know I do).  I think there's a couple reasons that make sense but I haven't reviewed this yet so there may be a big reason to not want it.

Packaging:  Simple glass bottles with a twist-off cap.

Non-Taste Senses:  It is a not-quite clear yellow color and it does have a light wine scent.

Taste:  I think if you come into this expecting soda/pop, you're going to be pretty disappointed.  It's not that sweet and the fermented nature gives it that wine taste.  The juice is primarily made of apples so you're gonna taste that but I honestly didn't taste too much of the anise.  It's there, but it tastes more like gingerbread spice to me.  This stuff is probably best served chilled.  Also, mine is a little expired but I've had it not-expired and even then, it isn't super fizzy.  It's more of something you feel in your mouth than when you're drinking it.

Overall:  It's not bad and I recommend people getting this for pregnant women as opposed to sparkling juice with enough sugar to make the baby hyper for 5 years.  It's not amazing and probably isn't good for kids, but it's a good substitute for wine.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site.  They recently went through a product redesign so that's why mine looks different.

TasTEA Time! Touch Organic Mango Green Tea

What:  Green Tea with Mango

Where:  China

Why Should I Care:  So, mango green tea done right is probably my favorite mixture of fruit and tea.  Mango has this sweet, slightly floral flavor that is great as a refreshing summer drink or in the winter when you really want a refreshing summer day.  However, I mentioned in the Dilmah Mango Tea review that mango isn't that uncommon of a tea flavor, but it's apparently hard to get it right.

Packaging:  Foil envelopes with the eco paper.

Non-Taste Senses:  It's a slightly golden colored green tea with a nice mango scent (which isn't as strong as the Dilmah).

Taste:  Oh sweet lawd, this is good.  Yes, I know I'm a sucker for mango tea but this is pretty close to perfect. The mango and tea flavors are perfectly balanced.  It's a relatively sweet and fragrant tea while also being light. I would like to see a slightly stronger mango flavor but I always want a stronger mango flavor and this tea is good with sugar and iced.

Overall:  I don't think I've ever been disappointed by Touch Organics.  Each tea of theirs is fragrant, full-bodied and premium quality.  This one is no exception and is sure to bring a little sunshine on a winter day.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the site.

TasTEA Time! Hedley's Royal Pomegranate Green Tea

What:  Cheap Pomegranate Green Tea

Where:  Apparently, Sri Lanka

Why Should I Care:  Well, I love pomegranate.  And this tea boasts that it is "the Finest Tea on Earth" and I just can't stand that.  

Packaging:  What's nice about this is that it's a metal tin with a foil bag containing the tea sachets.  Of course, this isn't so great for the tea sachets but if you buy loose leaf tea, it's nice to use this if you need a spare container.  

Non-Taste Senses:  It's slightly more golden than your average green tea (ceylon is like that) and it smells like pomegranate.

Taste:  Well, it's not the finest tea on Earth but it is a heck of a lot better than the Arizona Pomegranate tea I reviewed.  The tea itself is very light tasting and has very little bitterness.  This allows the light pomegranate flavor to come through nicely.  There's a little bit of tartness but I think that comes from the pomegranate as opposed to the tea and it's not enough to make me squint.  It goes well with sugar but I think it might be better warm than cold due to its lighter flavor.

Overall:  It's pretty cheap and is probably worth the money, but you can probably get better green tea for the same price.  If you like pomegranate, this'll be worth it for you.  

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site.  I got this before the product redesign so be warned.  

Coffee Break! Starbucks Frappuccino Lite Mocha

A comparison between the large diet and the small regular

What:  Diet coffee

Where:  USA

Why Should I Care:  I really don't.  Starbucks is a giant corporation that makes pretty mediocre coffee at a pretty high price.  The Frappeccino is a coffee drink meant for non-coffee drinkers, however they are pretty fatty (the smaller one in the comparison picture is 200 calories while this one is 150).  People are going to buy their drinks whether I say anything bad about them or not so let's just review this.

Packaging:  I actually like the bottle.  It has this milk-bottle shape to it which makes it seem classier than it actually is.

Non-Taste Senses:  It looks like coffee and it smells like coffee

Taste:  So, you probably wouldn't be able to tell it's diet from the before and middle tastes.  There's a hint of cocoa in there (Mochas are coffee drinks with a little bit of chocolate in the foam) and the coffee goes down smooth.  But then the Splenda hits you and stays in your mouth forever.  And since they're using skim milk, that hits you too (although I like skim milk).  Oh god, and the coffee breath!  I know you should expect it, but it just seems worse with Starbucks.  Unlike the Monster coffee drink, the coffee tastes cheaper than what you're paying for and I know this is because of the brand name (it's weak and it has that strong aftertaste cheap coffee has).

Overall:  Wow, I complained a lot there.  I think what I want to say is that this isn't something I'd recommend to most people (which is pretty obvious).  There are times when I give the go-ahead, like if you're in a hurry and need a caffeine boost and don't mind the horrid Splenda.  However, you can make this same product at home for about 30 cents at home (that's probably including the start-up cost of getting a coffee machine) and that's what gets it for me.

My Rating:  Pass.  You can get these anywhere, even if you're in other countries (I think).

Coffee Break! Monster Xpresso

First off, I'm sorry for not posting in a while.  It's been a crazy two weeks for me and this is one of the first days that I got a decent amount of sleep.  See, I worked 50 hours last week and 40 this week while hectically getting ready for my next semester at Pitt so even though I've got of big posts started, I was stupidly tired.  But it looks like I'll have some time next week.

Also in case anyone was wondering, my new adviser is awesome!  We both love tea and sci-fi and she was really nice and called the prof about one of the classes I needed but was full.  I'm taking Neuroscience 1, Psychology of Personality, Music History after 1945, Contemporary Literature and Science Fiction East and West (how awesome is that!).  I'm hoping this semester is awesome!

Anyway, here's the review.

What:  All the caffeine of espresso with even more caffeine from the energy drink.

Where:  USA!  But they make a point saying it was imported from Holand.

Why Should I Care:  I don't drink energy drinks often, partially because they are either horrible or expensive but also because most of them give me heartburn and I just don't drink things with caffeine often.  Coffee isn't something I frequently indulge myself in but I like it and enjoy drinking it (until the horrible caffeine crash).  I ended up getting the Monster Xpresso (it says Hammer but I don't think there's any other flavors) for 50 cents and it looks like it's just espresso (a stronger version of coffee) with cream and energy things.  Monster's stuff is  still drinkable at its worst so let's see how this holds up.

Packaging:  Seeing as this is caned coffee, this section isn't too important.  I will point out two things though:  the size and the description.  The can in eight ounces so you're getting a pretty small amount of liquid.  Also, if you have any kind of brain, ganglia, etc. don't read the descriptions on Monster products.  It sounds like it was written by a 16-year old douche bag   This one isn't the worst but they're talking about these "nifty cafe in Europe" with their "crafty foam' and some "madman" at Monster.  This might be why I stick with Red Bull when I want energy drinks because at least I don't feel dumber reading their product descriptions.

Non-Taste Senses:  It looks and smells like coffee.

Taste:  It's actually got a really nice texture.  The liquid itself is think but there's a little bit of foam in there from the Nitrous (yeah, that's in the product description).  It's sweet but not an overpowering, syrupy sweet and the espresso is...decent quality for the price (not great but not bad).  I just drank it room temperature but it probably is good cold.

Overall:  It's pretty good.  Obviously, you need to like coffee to like this, but it has a good flavor and it's actually only 80 calories per can.  The energy part made me feel numb (which means it's either not enough or too much) but it might be great for you.

My Rating:  Try it!  You're probably not going to find it for 50 cents, but here's the site with all the other awful product descriptions we know and love from Monster.