TasTEA Time! Tazo Awake (black tea)

What's this?  A bagged tea?  That's right, I'm back with some tea I stole...I mean borrowed from the local hospital cafeteria.  It just so happens that they have about 6 different kinds of Tazo, so that's what I'll be reviewing.  Awake seems to be the company's breakfast blend and a rather boring black tea.

Outsides:  The tea is in a nice foil-lined bag.  It was brewed at almost boiling water for about 4 minutes.  As you can see, this tea is dark and murky, so it's probably an Assam blend and even smells like one.

Insides:  Oh Tazo, you and your mediocrity.  I think Twinnings may make a more flavorful breakfast blend than you, which isn't saying much.  It's bitter, not unbearably so but moreso than the loose-leaf teas I got from Prestogeorge or Adagio, but it DOES have a tea flavor.  If I have to profile it, I'd say bitter with a bit of musk and that's it.  Ugh, just...no.  You can get better tea at 1/3 of the cost and I'm not even talking loose-leaf.  There is nothing special here and I'm probably going to give my stolen...I MEAN BORROWED, tea away.

Overall:  You'll be getting better tea from Twinnings or Biglow.

My Rating:  Pass/Burn it!

I don't feel like putting up the link but Tazo can be found everywhere so it doesn't even matter.  

TasTEA Time! Adagio's Chocolate Chai Black Tea

I actually don't have much of an intro to this other than I make chocolate chai tea concentrate so unfortunately, Adagio has that to live up to.

Outsides:  I figured I'd show you the bags these things come in.  Chocolate chai has all the typical ingredients of chai PLUS CHOCOLATE so yum yum.  I steeped it in almost boiling water for...4 or 5 minutes, which is longer than Adagio wants but I like my chai spices strong.  It's a orange brown color but I'll be reviewing it with cream because that's how most people drink it.  It smells not unlike gingerbread.

Insides:  I'm not really impressed.  The chocolate flavor is there so that's nice, but the chai base is just not as strong as I was hoping for.  It's not really that spicy and honestly, even the chocolate flavor doesn't add much to the taste.  It's still not bad but I'd reccommend the Thai Chai over this any day.

Overall:  Meh.  I'm glad I got this in a sample. 

My Rating:  Pass.

Adagio is one of the most reputable online tea dealers.  They have a lot of different varieties and even have free shipping until cyber monday.  If you go on my Twitter @teaandpolish, I try and send out $5 gift certificate codes every day.

TasTEA Time! Prestogeorge Sleep Tight Herbal Tea

You know how you realize that you need something right as you need it?  Well, that was what happened to me.  I really needed to get to sleep and thought I had a big box of sleep time tea, but my mother removed it or it got lost somehow and alas, it was not there.  I ended up drinking some Celestial Seasonings Sleep Time tea, but I only have a few K-cups and figured whatever they had at Prestogeorge would be about 5 times tastier so I ended up buying 4 oz for about 5 bucks the next time I went.  Now, that was a risk but I figured that this tea was more for function than flavor.

Outsides:  The tea contains Chamomile, Valerian Root, Spearmint, Lavender and Lemon Balm.   I brewed it at boiling for about 5 minutes.  The tea itself is a nice yellow from all the herbs and actually smells very floral but not in an overpowering way.

Insides:  The lavender really sets this apart flavor-wise from any of the other sleep teas I've tried.  It really adds a nice delicate floral aroma to the tea and really brings out the subtle sweetness that the chamomile has.  It also ties all of the flavors together so it doesn't just seem like this random hodgepodge of herbs, but a nice relaxing garden.  Needless to say, I really love this sleep tea and it's by far, the tastiest I've had.  Oh, and it definitely calms you down and probably could help me sleep.

Overall:  I feel like if you're overly sensitive to chamomile or mint, you MIGHT not like this but the lavender does a good job masking the flavors.  It's a buy for me.

My Rating:  Buy!  

Prestogeorge is a tea and coffee retailer in Pittsburgh where I live.  You can order online from them but it's more pricy, so I encourage you to find your own local tea shops.  

TasTEA Time! Adagio's Valentine tea (chocolate and strawberry)

 

I used to hate desert teas because they were never properly flavored, and although this is a mix of fruit and chocolate, a lot of the sweet spices tend to overwhelm the tea.  However, I've been turned and realize that there are a lot of great sweetly flavored teas that aren't flavored with fruit.  Prestogeorge has a bunch and I've even wrote about Adagio's Pumpkin Spice.  But I love chocolate-covered strawberries.  They're like caramel apples in that you can pretend that they're healthy, but they're not and they're delicious.  A good thing about tea is that you should be able to get all of the flavor without as many calories.

Outsides:  I got this as a sample size from Adagio, which does make a decent amount of cups (I'd say about 8).  It was in a foil-lined bag which is resealable.  The tea was made using less than boiling water and steeped for about 3 minutes.  It's dark golden orange and smells very chocolatey with a hint of strawberry.  I then added cream, which I will explain in a bit.

Insides:  This tea needs to be rinsed or to be mixed with some milk/cream/soymilk because it is a bit too bitter and that bitterness masks the flavors.  However, milk really brings out the chocolate and strawberry so I'm willing to forgive.  The tea actually does a good job replicating the taste sensation of eating a chocolate-covered strawberry since the smell of chocolate is stronger but the two tastes balance out in the end.  Sadly, this is not the most versitile tea out there although it is fine without sugar.  It needs some sort of cream when cold though, but ultimately tastes better warm.

Overall:  I like it and would recommend people trying it.  Plus, it's nice having a tea that is flavored after a desert and actually tastes like it.

My Rating:  Try!

So, if you're in the US then you know that it's Black Friday.  This is good news since Adagio is having free shipping on any sized order (so you can get 5 samples for $10).  I think it's going on until Cyber monday but it might be only for today so get that tea!  And as always, first-time customers can get 5 dollars off their first purchase by getting the coupons I tweet at @teaandpolish.  

TasTEA Time! Prestogeorge's Blueberry Herbal Tea

Sorry that the glass is almost empty, but I didn't want to make another cup to tea just to review this.

So as you can see, I drank most of this but will give you my pre-thoughts anyway.  This is blueberry herbal tea, a popular and very versatile blend of  hibiscus, green rooibos, berry, cinnimon and in my case, blue marigold flowers for added color.  If this sounds familiar, that's probably because I reviewed a blend like this from Teavana.  Now, I really liked that herbal tea blend and honestly found it pretty addicting, but it was 8 dollars for 2 oz.  This tea was $6.25 for 4 oz. 

Insides:  I probably should take a picture of the tea because the flowers make it quite lovely, but you're supposed to drink tea, not look at it.  I just got it in a resealable paper bag with cellophane lining.  Since the tea is herbal, you want to brew it at boiling for at least 3 minutes, but I've left it on for a half an hour and it's been fine.  It's a lovely dark pink and smells a little bit stronger in spices than what I would expect from a fruity herbal tea, but it reminds me of mulled wine.

Outsides:  I think as far as herbal blueberry blends go, this is a little different from the Teavana one.  There's a bit more hibiscus in here, giving the tea a nice tart taste and the cinnamon makes it a bit different too.  It still tastes a bit thicker although the berry scent is not as strong.  The sweet and tart flavors give this a nice balance and despite the differences, I really love this (this is the second 2 oz. bag I'm consuming in about a month).  It doesn't need sugar, I can drink it at night and it tastes great hot and cold.  This is kinda how I wish those Vitamin Water drinks would really taste like. 

Overall:  It doesn't have as strong of a berry flavor as the Teavana version but at less than half the price, is still pretty damn tasty. 

My Rating:  Buy!

Prestogeorge is a local coffee and tea retailer in the Strip District of Pittsburgh.  They have a website here where you can order tea, although the shipping might be a bit expensive.  However, this tea looks almost identical to the Davidson Tea Bulk: Spring Fruit and Flowers,  meaning that if you think you'll like this then you can buy a whole pound for $17.05 (which is probably what I'm going to do).

Well, today is Black Friday and I just bought a holiday giftset at Adagio for $13.30 and free shipping (and an added ounce of blueberry).  If anyone is a new customer and wants a 5 dollar giftcard, go to my twitter at @teaandpolish. 

Have a nice Holiday if you're in the US!

TasTEA Time! Adagio Pumpkin Spice Black Tea

I am such a pumpkin spice fanatic.  It's just this perfect blend of sweet and spicy, like chai tea except with different spices and emphasis.  Plus, everything is pumpkin spice now so it's very difficult to escape it.  Pumpkin coffee, pumpkin bagels, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin BEER (probably my favorite) and now pumpkin tea have all made their appearances this season. 

Outsides:  As I explained before, Adagio sends it's teas in resealable, light-proof bags with all the information.  I brewed it at almost boiling for 4 minutes and didn't rinse the leaves (although it might be important to do that to get rid of a bit of the bitterness).  The tea is a lovely medium orange brown color, appropriate for black tea.  It smells sweet but not all too spicy, almost creamy.

Insides:  This is a more mild pumpkin spice, sweet but not overpowering.  You can taste a bit of the nutmeg and cinnamon but it blends pretty well with the flavor of the tea.  The tea itself is a bit lower in quality than what I'd normally pay for at my local tea shop but still good, although if you don't want to drink this with cream and sugar then I'd recommend rinsing.  I really like this as a breakfast time tea or something to drink if you're in a fall mood.

Overall:  I like this and appreciate the take on pumpkin spice.  It's definitely worth trying.

My Rating:  Try it!

Like I said before, Adagio is an online tea seller that has a lot of unique blends.  I post tea coupons on my twitter @teaandpolish so you can just go to that page and grab one, meaning the tea would be 3.75 for 3 oz including shipping.  That's really not bad and I even think you can get a free sample included.  But the pumpkin spice seems to be running out so get it while it lasts.  

TasTEA Time! Adagio Thai Chai

It's that time of the year!  No, I don't mean the mega-holiday season, but FALL!  Trees changing color, warm jackets and delicious fall drinks like cider and pumpkin everything (there will be more on pumpkins later).  But one of my favorite fall-time drinks (or anytime drinks for that matter) is the chai latte.  It's sweet, spicy and if you have a coffee shop that can actually make them, light and fluffy.  However, it's pretty hard to get that "perfect" chai:  one that is strong enough in flavor to be able to take some milk.  Twinnings makes a decent one, but they are hard to come by unless you make them yourself.  But now we have this lovely from Adagio.

This marks the first time I have ordered from Adagio and I will gladly review my overall experience when I have time.  I'd also like to review the local tea shop I go to (I have so many blends from there) so look forward to that.

Outsides:  Adagio Teas come in little bags unless you order specific tins which are impervious to light.  I got a sample of this, which says it's enough for 10 cups and I'd say about 8.  I brewed about 2 teaspoons at slightly below boiling for about 4 minutes.  The tea is a lighter color than I expected but smells very gingery and with a heavy scent of coconut.  I added some cream and sugar.

Insides:  I am really impressed b this.  It's a nice strong chai with a nice, spicy kick but the sweet coconut and citrus flavors really make this unique.  The spice blend is fantastic with a focus on the ginger and cardamon but a whole variety of mid-flavors.  .It's very reminiscent of islands and I'd even say that it tastes "lighter" than most chai, making it a nice for both warm and cold days.  It also took milk and sugar well and kept a lot of it's flavor.

Overall:  This one was a good start for Adagio and if your local tea shop doesn't have a blend like this then check it out.

My Rating:  Try/Buy it!  

Adagio is an online tea shop  that sells a variety of teas in sample sets, 3 oz, a pound or teabags.  I actually got a twitter just for the discounts and will try to post $5 coupons as much as I can on it so if you don't mind a bit of tea-spam, my twitter is @teaandpolish and you can get $5 off if you use those coupons.  Apparently, I can't do this via blogger so...yeah, but if you don't want to follow twitter then I can email you a certificate as well.  Adagio is also sold at Whole Foods.