Zen Tea Juicy Blueberry Herbal Tea

As you may know, I love blueberry herbal teas.  I love that combination of sweet, sour and floral that make it like a juice but lighter.  I also haven't reviewed a Zen Tea thing in a while, and still have quite a bit to review from them.

Outsides:  This tea has a wide variety of indredients including apple, hibiscus, currants, raisins, blueberry, lemongrass, more blueberries (?), cornflower, sunflower, marigold, rose, citric acid and vitamin C, so a really unique blend of ingredients.  The dried tea smells like blueberry jam though, so I'm excited.  I brewed about 2 teaspoons of this in 8 oz of boiling water for 5 or so minutes.  The tea is a nice berry red and smells sweet and juicy like a blueberry.

Insides:  This is definitely different than the other blueberry herbal teas I've tried thanks to the citrus flavor.  You get a strong, sweet berry flavor with a lot of fullness and depth but it's lightened up with the lemongrass favor and contrasted with the citric acid.  The fruity flavors really pop with a bit of added sugar.  This tea would be awesome for kids since it's basically a healthy Kool-aid with added vitamin C to it or iced and possibly used in a punch or sangria.

Overall:  I like it.  It's not as cheap as the other blueberry herbal teas, but it probably would be a better alternative for the summer.

I think I'm going to try to implement a bit of a different rating system.

Taste:  A strong fruity herbal
Price:  9 dollars for about 4 oz.
Uniqueness:  The general idea isn't that unique but the flavor is.
Uses:  Great for late-night and children.  Can be iced and tastes great with or without sugar.
My Rating:  Try it.  

Zen Tea is a Canadian Tea retailer that specializes n mid to high quality tea from all around the world.

Teavana Cococaramel Sea Salt Herbal Tea

Outsides:  Honestly, I don't even feel like typing this long-ass list of ingredients, so I won't.  It's pretty much rooibos tea with coco nibs, nuts and flavorings.  I have to say, this dried tea tastes delicious and if Teavana was smart, they'd expand this mix to the cereal/trail mix food world.  I put 2 teaspoons of this stuff in 8 oz of boiling water and let it steep for 5 minutes or so.  I'm not gonna lie, the color of this tea is completely unappetizing.  It looks like dirty sewer water, which is only made worse by the pieces of rooibos floating in it.  It smells tasty though, like chocolate caramel.

Insides:  First off, I probably should have added more of the herbal tea.  Second off, this does not work unless you add some kind of sweetener to it (I added Stevia, which actually works quite well in this since you expect chocolate drinks to be thicker).  Anyway, this has a nice chocolate flavor to it with hints of nuts and caramel.  I don't taste any salt in it if that's what you're wondering, but this is a nice, multi-dimensional chocolate drink.  It's also a great low cal, low fat, low sugar alternative to hot chocolate, although the chocolate flavor should be a little stronger.

Overall:  I like this more as the dried tea, but it's still not bad for a chocolate craving.

Flavor:  Chocolate with other flavors
Price:  About 6 dollars for 2 oz, but 2 oz will not last you as many cups as with regular teas.
Uniqueness:  Pretty unique.  I've never seen a chocolate herbal tea like this before.
Usability:  Needs sweetener but good for a chocolate craving.
My Rating:  Try it!

Teavana is a chain tea retailer that can be found in malls across the United States and Canada.

Teavana Berry Basil Blast White Tea

Outsides:  This tea is pretty much fruit punch in a tea, with a riddiculusly long list of ingredients including pinnapple pieces, white tea, hibiscus flower, orange pieces and other fruits and herbs.  I actually like the smell since it's super fruity with notes of sweet berry and tangy citrus.  I brewed 2 teaspoons worth of this (plus a giant slice of orange) in 4 oz boiling water and 4 oz room temp water for 3 minutes.  The liquid is pink and it smells pretty much like the dried tea.

Insides:  This is good, but it's pretty much just the Mount of Olives White Tea Berry with citrus added.  The tea flavor is a bit too overpowered by all the fruit, but what I can taste is smooth and light.  The sweetness of the berries are balanced out by the citrus and herbal flavors, which give a nice "freshness" to the flavor.  It's pretty flavorful without sugar and would make great iced tea (which is probably what I'll use it for).

Overall:  You can probably find something like it cheaper, but it's good.

Taste:  Basic white tea with berry and citrus.  Tastes a bit like a bagged tea in that the flavor is a bit weak.
Price:  11 or 12 dollars for 2 oz, so not worth it unless it's on sale.
Uniqueness:  You can find other blends like this.  Just add some lime juice.
Usability:  It still has caffeine in it so if you're super sensitive to caffeine, don't drink it before bed.  It would be good iced or with sugar or pretty much any way you want to drink it.
My Rating:  Try it.

Teavana is a chain tea retailer that can be found in malls across the United States and Canada.

January Boho Glam Julep Maven Box featuring Julep Hand and Cuticle Stick

Happy New Years!  I hope you all had a great and not too hungover New Years.  This year should bring lots and lots of reviews, including tea from Teavana, Twinnings and all sorts of other places.  But first, my Julep Mystery box.

January's theme was Nudes and Neons, both of which are hit or miss for me.  I like bright colors but I often feel like neons are just too obnoxious and I feel like a 16-year old cheerleader when wearing them.  Nudes and neutrals are actually some of my favorite but it's hard to find one that goes well with my skin tone.  Well, this box hit me in my vitals because the two colors in my box (which I could switch out for another) were a really nice looking chartreuse and a light shimmery pink.  I mean, green and a nice pink?!  Sure, I'll bite.

The things you need to know about Julep is that they are a subscription service that sends you two nail polishes and a product or two for $20 a month.  Their polishes are 4 free (free of any formaldehyde, DBP and Touline) and they also donate a dollar from each box to Girlfriends, a woman's charity.  Their boxes are supposed to be worth $40 at the very least, but they mark up their stuff so much that it really isn't.  You can also get your first box for a penny if you enter a certain code.

So, I managed to get this on New Year's Eve, which is cool because it was sent before the month began.  I really liked the way they packaged this (plus I'm recycling all of the paper and stuff, even the box is great).  You have light sandy paper confetti, a bright orange bag, bright chartreuse tissue paper and a pink bow, so very bright and festive.  My box included:



-2 nail polishes (Teresa and Fiona)
-Hand and Cuticle Stick
-3 hair ties (the no kink or damage kind)
-1 sheet of Swatch Me stickers

So, let's get onto the reviews.

Julep Hand and Cuticle Stick:  I like reviewing the products first since honestly, they're a bit more important in maintaining your hand's beauty than the nail polish.  Honestly though, I got this box for the polish but had I gotten this for the stick, I would have probably been disappointed.  It's not that this is a bad product, but it basically is the Age Defying Hand Brightener in a stick.  First off, this stuff smells like soap and not the nice kind from Bath and Body Works, but the kind that you find in a mall bathroom.  It's an ok hand lotion, but it's in this applicator that works like a giant gluestick.  This is supposed to be convenient but I have other fast drying lotions that maybe take 15 seconds longer to dry at most.  It just seems a bit pointless and I have so many hand lotions.  Again, it's not a bad product and if you need a nice shea butter lotion, it works at making your hands feel soft (Can't really speak much about the age-defying part).  But I personally don't need it.

Edit (even though I haven't posted this until now):  Apparently, the best way to use this is by running the stick on the back of your hand and then rubbing the back with your other hand.  This works a lot better for me and is less messy.  This way also uses less lotion so it doesn't smell as strongly of soap, but I still prefer my other lotions and don't think this is worth the price.

Hair Ties:  I got three of these in neon orange, green and pink (though I may have already lost the green).  I like these.  They're a bit like a modern-day scrunchy except I think these don't damage your hair.  I have short hair so I can't speak for how well they hold up long hair or curly hair, but they work well on mine and actually don't seem to cause as much tension on my hair.  Anyway, I thought these were a nice addition.

Swatch Me Stickers:  They're just paper stickers but they're kinda fun and although they aren't the same as a nail wheel, they're something you can stick on a cap or something to tell you what a color looks like.  These are especially useful for glittery shades where you don't know how the shimmer will translate.  It probably cost Julep all of 1 cent to make this but it's fun and adds some needed value to this box.

Julep Teressa:  This is an opaque pink with a pearly silver shimmer.  I'm scared with light pinks because they rarely flatter my skin but this one is absolutely fantastic.  I think the shimmer really makes it because it just looks soft and delicate while almost just blending into my skin.  It's a bit peachier than pink but I think that's what makes this shade for me.  The formula was great.  It was a 2-coater.  A very nice neutral.

Julep Fiona:  There was a reason I saved this for last and that was because this green creme is actually pretty amazing.  It's very bright but it isn't neon.  It looks awesome with my skin tone and I can imagine wearing this throughout spring and summer as well as a transition from summer to fall.  Hell, this green is so bright and cheerful that I'll wear it now.  The formula was a bit thick but ok and this ultimately became a 2 coater.  Anyway, I love it.










So, here's my personal price breakdown.

Polishes:  They cost $14 on the site but I think they're worth about $6.50.
Hand and Cuticle Stick:  I really don't recommend buying this on the website as it's about $22.  Personally, I wouldn't pay more than $5 for this but if it had a better scent and I wanted age-defying things, I'd pay about $10.
Hair-ties:  I'd pay $1 for all three
Swatch Stickers:  They're a neat little gift, but you can probably get white dots that are just as effective for 50 cents at an office store, so $1 at most.

2(6.5) + 7.5 + 1 + 1 = 22.5

So, not so great in terms of value.  I'm happy with the colors but I seriously doubt Julep is going to get something I need in the February box, so unless they have that Freedom Top Coat and something awesome, I'll probably skip.  But I saw a possible holo in there so we'll see.

I also am getting an Ipsy bag as well as a GoodiesCo. box (although GC won't be until February), so more subscription stuff is on the way.

Teavana's Lavender Dreams (Flavored White Tea)

I was really excited for this tea.  Lavender has become something I'm obsessed with and this seemed like a nice fruity-floral blend that would really be delicious.  Plus, it was my most expensive tea at $3.45 for 2 oz (don't forget, I got these all at their 75% off clearance sale)

Outsides:  The ingredients are going to be summerized because there are just too many, but white tea, candied Jasmine (ok, these ingredients listed for these kinda make me feel...uneasy.  Like, thickening agent?  I guess they're trying to be thorough but most people just use dried flowers), color (o...k?), various fruits including apples, raisins and peaches, and various other flowers.  I made 4 oz of hot water and 4 oz of room temp water (which makes the temp a bit too cold but it works out) and put two teaspoons of tea in for 4 minutes.  Um...this tea is blue.  Like, yellow-tinted purple-y blue.  It smells sweet and florally.

Insides:  I had made 2 cups before this one and all three had turned out different.  The first one was not blue and was a bit weak with any flavor.  The second one was blue but still was weak in flavor.  The third one is blue and actually is pretty strong and complex with its flavors, so I don't know if I added less tea and more flavoring stuff or what happened, but it's kind of bad that I don't know what I'm going to get from cup to cup.  Overall, it's a very floral tea with a light tea taste underneath   The difference between the previous cups and this one is that I think I got some fruit or the candied violet in there because there's a sweet, almost candy-like note in there now.  It's strange because it has this blue raspberry taste to it, sweet and a little tart with a sticky sense to it.  This is definitely interesting.

Overall:  I like it but because it's so inconsistant, I can't really recommend it.

My Rating:  Try it!

Teavana is a chain tea retailer that is in malls across the US and Canada.

Teavana MateVana (mate with rooibos, chocolate and nuts)

I haven't tried mate until a few weeks ago but I like it and think it's something that I'd like to get more of eventually.  Mate is a popular South American drink that seems to be as caffinated as coffee, but has some vitamins and minerals as well as just tasting more mild, so it's a good alternative for people who don't like coffee or want to switch it up once in a while.  Plus after looking at the prices, I actually feel as though I'd be willing to buy mate from Teavana if it's good (a few are under $6 and they have more interesting flavors than Prestogeorge).

Outsides:  This blend contains mate (please don't call it mate tea, Teavana, because mate is a completely different plant), various cocos and chocolates, rooibos, various flavorings, almond pieces, cactus blossoms, sunflower and cornflower petals.  It smells chocolatey and looks very colorful.  I brewed 2 teaspoons of this in 8 oz of 95 degree water for 6 minutes.  The liquid is a dark brown color and it has a light chocolate and plant smell.

Insides:  It's not as sweet tasting as I thought it would be, which is good.  There is a definite chocolate taste with the mate acting as a decent base (it seems to give it an extra roasty flavor).  It's strange because past the scent, the liquid doesn't really taste like much, past maybe a little savory from the nuts.  Adding sugar helps bring out the sweetness and flavors.  It's not a bad chocolate drink, it just isn't the taste explosion I was hoping for.  It's also a very smooth drink.

Overall:  Not bad but not amazing.

My Rating:  Try it!

Teavana is a chain tea retailer in malls across the United States and Canada.

Teavana Samurai Chai Mate/ maharaja chai oolong blend

So, I got this as a free sample, which is good for multiple reasons.  For one thing, you have to buy at least 2 oz of each tea when you go to Teavana and since this is a blend, that means 4 oz of tea (probably putting you back $15).  Second, this is a tea that Teavana likes to push so it's nice that I get the experience without having to buy the extra tea.  And lastly, I like chai a lot.  Ok, the last thing I tried from Teavana was a flop, but that can happen.

Outsides:  I'm feeling lazy so I'll just say that this is a blend of green mate, green rooibos and oolong with all those fantansic chai spices.  I brewed about 2 teaspoons of this at near boiling for 5 minutes.  The tea is a medium dark murky brown and smells sweet and spicy.

Insides:  This is actually a pretty good chai and if I didn't have Adagio and the spices to make chai at home, I would probably get suckered into it.  It's a strong chai with a lot of pepper and ginger, but it's paired with a base that isn't so bitter so you can drink it without milk.  This sample already has sugar in it so I'm not really pleased about that, and the tea is a bit heavy on the cardamon.  But this is definately something I'd drink for breakfast since the mate gives a lot of energy (perfect to drink before a night out).

Overall:  I don't think you should buy this for the price they're asking for it but I like it.  Look online for the free sample codes.

My Rating:  Try it!

Teavana is a chain tea retailer found in many a mall across U.S.A and Canada.

Teavana Sweet Mango Chai

  

So, my haul finally arrived.  I tried to get a variety of teas to try from Teavana including 2 white teas, 2 mates, a green, an oolong, a pure herbal and a free sample of a mate/oolong blend.  But, I'm excited because  it's not often that I can actually afford getting this much tea from Teavana and they seem to have some unique blends.  As you know, I'm a huge fan of mango and a huge fan of chai so I thought this should be really good.  Plus, it apparently has oolong which is becoming a favorite of mine as well.

Outsides:  Ingredients include mango, apple, oolong, coconut, cardamon, cinnamon, ginger, tangermine peel, black pepper and mango flavoring.  So, I've made a few teas from Teavana before writing this review and have discovered a new game that can be played called Where's the Tea, because I dug to the bottom of this bag and only got a few oolong leaves.  I brewed probably around 2 teaspoons of this in 8 oz of 90 degree water for about 5 minutes.  The liquid is really cloudy, really light yellow and this smells like spiced mango.

Insides:  Um...where's the tea?  It's not that I don't like flavored tea at all and usually, I want more flavor than less but this is absolutely ridiculous.  I oversteeped the crap out of this and there still isn't any tea flavor to it.  On top of that, the chai is weak as well.  The head of the flavor is sweet mango which is followed by a mostly ginger tasting chai, light body, a little astringency but I did have SOME oolong in there.  It just seems like a mess.

Overall:  No.  This is not tea and if I paid the 7 dollars or however much it was SUPPOSED to be, I would be pissed.

Taste:  Fruit and spice but weak despite me adding an obscene amount of tea.
Price:  Whatever it is, you can probably make this blend for 1/4 of the price.  In fact, I paid 1/4 the price and I feel ripped-off.
Uniqueness:  You get this one, Teavana.  The concept is definitely unique and it would have been nice getting a strong chai with a mango base to it.  This tea is unique for all of the wrong reasons though.
Usability:  I'm updating these criteria for reviews a few weeks after I wrote this post and I have to say, this is not a bad blend for mixing with Prestogeorge's Fancy Mango to give it some umph.  By itself, this tea is utterly useless.

My Rating:  Stay Away!

Teavana is a chain tea retailer that is found in many a mall across the United States and Canada.  Their teas often start from 5 dollars for 2 oz of the most basic blends and they have a lot of flavored teas.  

Prestogeorge Peach Rooibos

Today, I am waiting for my Teavana order to be delivered (7 teas, 1 free sample tea blend, almost a pound of tea for $20).  But I'm bored and I need to get this rooibos reviewed so that's what I'm going to do.

Outsides:  The ingredients on the site basically say it's just peach and rooibos.  I brewed about 2+ teaspoons of this at boiling for as long as I want as long as it's exceeding 5 minutes.  The color is a rusty orange and this smells like peach flavored tea, except it has a bit of that southern sweet tea/fast food tea scent to it.

Ok, so you may notice that there is a lot of tea in this cup.  I make boiling water with my Keurig, which I got for free because my friend is an engineering genius who got access to the engineering department's electronic waste closet.  Someone threw it out, I knew my mom got me one for my birthday and was hoping that she'd return it and give me the money if this one worked (no, that Keurig is in storage for when this one breaks) and I figured that I'd try to see if it works.  Well, it works for the most part.  The nice thing about it is that 90% of the time, I can tell it to make 8, 6 or 4oz (there's an 11 oz setting but I never use that for tea) of water and get that amount of not quite boiling (I'm guessing 95 degrees Celsius).  However, this thing will occassionally stall (not give me water).  I then turn it off and make it boil water until it works again, but then I get an excess of about 4 oz.  This was actually a lot more annoying when I brewed coffee or hot chocolate because those would get watery unless I stopped it at the right time, but with hot water, it's not a big deal.  It's still not a big deal because I've had this tea before and put an excess of tea in the container, but my strainer needs to be washed better so it doesn't deceive me.  Anyway, that's why there's an excess.

Insides:  Obviously, the flavor could be stronger but that is my fault.  I actually thing the peach and rooibos really complement each other and although this isn't as complex as it could be, it's a safe peach tea.  Rooibos is not bitter or sour in any way and kind of has this floral, honey note to it while peach naturally complements that.  The peach flavor is still strong even in my abomination of a cuppa, and gives this tea a fresh taste.  I think this would make a great iced tea and would probably go well with some juice mixed in.

Overall:  Not my favorite rooibos flavored concoction, but a solid one.

My Rating:  Try it (especially if you like peach tea)

Prestogeorge is my local tea shop here in Pittsburgh.  They have a ton of different types of teas, from basic blends to flavored to higher-quality leaves.

Zen Tea's O'Sullivan's favorite (Irish Breakfast Tea)

Life Pro-Tip:  Baking Soda with warm water does wonders for carpet stains.

So, I'm going to assume this is an Irish Breakfast Tea, even though I've never had an Irish Breakfast tea before.  Now, when I hear "Irish Breakfast", the horribly offensive part of me thinks this is a coffee with a shot of whiskey in it, home fries with bacon and cheese as well as some pastry in the shape of a leprechaun.  What it actually is is a blend of different black teas, a majority of which is Assam or the dark roasts of tea (in robustness).  Zen Tea even suggests that it is great with milk and sugar.

Outsides:  I don't know what teas are in this (Boo Zen Tea!), but it is Cut/Tear/Cut processed, so the pieces are very small.  I brewed about a teaspoon and a half of this in 8 oz of almost boiling water for longer than I should have (6 minutes).  The color is dark and red and this has a bit of a malty, but strong breakfast tea smell.

Insides:  Without the add-ins, this tea has a strong malty flavor and full body, but is not as undrinkable bitter as I expected it to be.  There's also a natural sweetness to it and a full warmth from the maltiness as well as these slight floral notes.  Now, I probably should have stopped steeping after about 4-5 minutes, but if you oversteep then you can always add milk and sugar.  However, this is what I call breakfast tea.  With milk and sugar, the tea flavor is still strong and the sugar works well to bring out the natural sweetness in the tea.  This tea can certainly take its flavors and I'm sure honey and some booze would go well with it.

Overall:  You can find Irish Breakfasts in other tea companies and probably even cheaper, but this is a good one and may be worth investing in.

My Rating:  Try it!

Zen Tea is a Canadian tea retailer that specializes in bringing the world of tea to your cup.  They generally have mid to high quality teas.