English Tea Store Bingo Blueberry Tea

First off, I got this tea at Margaret's but they purchase their tea from English Tea Store (I could tell from the artwork and names).  Blueberry herbal tissanes are something I always seem to gravitate towards and I think they tend to work all year round.

Outsides:  Ingredients for this tea are Luxury natural dried currants, blue berries, apples, rasins, hibiscus, cornflower petals, rosehip pieces, and natural flavors.  This is a bit different than the other tissanes I've tried in this variety because most of them use green rooibos as a mixer.  I brewed 3 teaspoons of this in 16 oz of boiling water for...7 minutes (it doesn't matter with these kinds of teas).  It's a lovely dark crimson color and smells like berries.

Insides:  This tea is very tart yet sweet and almost has the mouthfeel of a juice or punch.  It seems a bit thicker than your normal tissane and every sip is full of blueberry and currant flavors.  Compared to the other tissanes of this type, this one has a prominant cherry note which I haven't noticed with other teas of this type and lacks any spice notes (like the cinnamon in the Davidson's bulk).  There is a floral top note but it isn't as noticeable as the others.  

Tilt:  It's $5.99 at Margaret's and $7.30 on Amazon for 4 oz of this so more expensive than the other places but less expensive than Teavana.  However, the subtraction of the green rooibos means that you can mix it to make a similar product to the others so that actually helps lower the price (I actually got a 16 oz bag of green rooibos for $12 so that's how I got reminded).  Like all of the other blueberry tissanes I've reviewed, this one is caffeine-free so it's great for before bed, pregnant women and children and even better for the later since it's fruity and yummy but without the sugar.  I think this kind of tea works well for all seasons and is great iced or hot.

Overall:  I'm going to buy it again since I need something to mix into the green rooibos I bought and I think it's a good tissane to check out.  It also makes a great air-freshener when brewed.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Here's the Amazon link.  I'm sorry that that tea is Add-on only, but it's something for non-Pittsburgh dwelling people.  Margaret's is found in the Squirrel Hill district of Pittsburgh.  I really hate their website, especially since they've Tea-Pittsburgh.  Seriously?  Prestogeorge has a MUCH better selection than you do.  /rant

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.

Davidson's Tea Bulk: Spring Fruit and Flowers

A pound of tea is a LOT of tea

 

  

I really love this type of blueberry herbal tea.  It's usually tangy and fruity and caffeine-free, so I can drink it before bed without having to worry about not sleeping.  However, I keep on running out of it so I took a risk and ordered a whole pound from Davidson's tea on Amazon for $17.05 (I have prime so I got 2 day shipping for free).  Buying in bulk is always a bit of a risk unless you know your supplier well, but I figured that there wouldn't be that much of a difference in the herb quality between this and Prestogeorge.

Outsides:  The mix in this is pretty much the same as previous blueberry herbal teas; blueberries, hibiscus, green rooibos, blue cornflowers and a bit of cinnamon and chamomile.  The colors are always beautiful as the blue flowers and yellow have great contrast against the dark red of the hibiscus.  I brewed a hefty teaspoon and let it steep in boiling water for 5 minutes, but my last cup before this was left brewing for...10 hours (?!?).  I actually think the color of this is more on the red side whereas the previous blueberry herbal teas were kind of a dark magenta.  It smells fruity with a hint of cinnamon and chamomile.

Insides:  First off, I think the Prestogeorge one had a stronger spice and hibiscus taste to it because this one is a bit more mild in terms of sour.  The hibiscus flavor still dominates, giving this nice sour taste, but the blueberry and cinnamon give a bit of sweetness and warmth.  Now, there was a LOT of blueberries and cinnamon pieces in the mix, but you don't really taste them as much as smell them and they add little nuances to the flavor.  I actually think that the Prestogeorge one used fresher ingredients which is why the blueberries and spices tasted stronger, but this is still good just not the best.  It's very versatile and makes a good iced tea, plus it's caffeine free so it's good for bedtime and kids.

Overall: I'm assuming that this type of tea is popular so try a different kind before you buy in bulk, but if you like these kids of teas then you'll probably like the Davidson kind.

My Rating: Try it.

I got this tea on Amazon, but Davidson's Tea is an online tea vendor which I forgot to mention is organic.  It's funny because if you order this tea from the Davidson website, it's $29 whereas the Amazon price is $17.  

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! Teavana's Blueberry Bliss Rooibos Tea

Ok, so I wanted to review this before my trip and now I feel like I have to because A) the last few things I've reviewed have been awful and B)  I'm almost done with this blend.  This is the first tea I've bought from Teavana and I have to say, that place is expensive.  I know that I'm supposed to mix this blend with something else but you know what?  I don't care.  Plus, I love blueberry tea and have never tried green Rooibos before (it's supposed to be a more mild version of the red).  

Outsides:  Unlike pretty much all of the other teas I've reviewed, this one doesn't come in a container (unless you count a paper bag as a container).  If you don't have a local tea shop where you can buy loose-leaf blends, it's kinda cool that you can pick the amount you get.  Anyway, the smell is....AMAZING!!!  It's so sweet and blueberry-ish and just fills your room with sunshine and happiness.  It's kind of a darker pinkish-redish color.

Insides:  This, to me, is a good example of a tea that's expensive but worth it's money.  The blueberry flavor and scent is strong and it's almost like drinking a juice, resulting in something that can (if you want) be reduced to make a strongly-flavored iced tea.  There are other flavors mixed in, like hibiscus and the green rooibos makes a good non-bitter but not too heavy blend.  

Overall:  I think this tea is a good crowd-pleaser.  For loose-leaf, it is a bit pricy for 6.95 for 2 oz, but it's fruity and fun and doesn't disappoint.  I would buy it again as a gift for myself.

My Rating:  Buy!  Here's the site:  Teavana

TasTEA Time! Tea Forté Cucumber Mint Green Tea

The second of the free samples I've received, this is the most interesting one.  For one thing, how exactly do you incorporate cucumber into tea?  However, this tea is for youth recovery and has the added ingredient of blueberries to increase the amount of antioxidants within the tea.  

An interesting note from Alex from RateTea.com/fellow Blogger:  Tea Forte actually lists the country and region origin of the tea they use.  To me, this doesn't justify the price especially for the quality they provide, but it is pretty neat and I'd love to see other companies follow this model.  

Outsides:  The individual sachet is packaged in a plastic/cellophane material.  It's your average gold green tea color and smells slightly like vodka.  I'm assuming that this is because the blueberry and mint mixed together in such a way, but it's still pretty strange.

Insides:  Well, the mint only lends a little to the flavor.  I feel as though this tea was made only for people who want nice skin as opposed to people who want an interesting flavor.  It's not a terrible quality tea, just not what the retail price suggests it should be.  The flavor combination is interesting but is more noticeable in the smell than the taste.  There is only a hint of the mint and no other real flavor.

Overall:  Wow, today is not a good tea day.  It's not that I consider this tea bad and for all I know, this could make my 23 year old skin look like 18 year old skin, but I just judge these things on taste and this one is pretty....meh.  It's not exciting, it's only interesting because of the smell and if you want good green tea, you can get something cheaper than this.

My Rating:  Pass (unless you want more youthful skin):  Here's the site:  Tea Forte.  

TasTEA Time! Made! 10 calorie Pomegranate Blueberry Green Tea

Oh bottled teas.  Why are you usually too sweet?  Tea's supposed to be healthy for you, and yet you make it the non-carbonated cousin to soda.  One of the advantages of Made is that it's organic, and that'll bring up the chance that it's actually good and not overly sugary.  Another advantage is that it's diet, which still means nothing except maybe this tea won't go straight to my thighs.  Plus it's blueberry and pomegranate, two flavors that have to be good.

Outsides:  I think this is a PET bottle, or at the very least, one without BPA.  The tea itself is kind of this brownish reddish color, darker than normal green tea but that's probably the juice.  You can smell the blueberry and tea, though it's not as pungent as hot tea.

Insides:  It's actually not that overly sweet.  I mean, Sucralose was the last ingredient but you barely get that sweetener taste to it.  The fruit flavors come though nicely and have a pretty nice balance with the tea.  It's pretty refreshing and I'm even drinking it warm. 

Overall:  It's not the BEST bottled tea out there, but if it's cheap and in a fridge at your local 7-11, you should get it.  Hell, I prefer it to the Giant Peach Tazo.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the site.  I'll probably be reviewing the Cranberry Lemon Green Tea soon. 

Review! Phenom Blueberry Pomme Coconut water

Greetings from Pitt!

What:  Blueberry Pom flavored Coconut Water

Where:  USA

Why Should I Care:  I love coffee but let's face it:  It isn't that good for you.  Caffiene, in all it's stimulating glory, is technically a drug and is something that when I personally get too much of it, it makes my brain crash.  So I'm attempting to get that morning boost of energy from other sources.  Now for the record, I also try to avoid those energy shots because they're supposedly even worse than coffee despite claims of grandeur.  However, I haven't heard anything bad about coconut water.  The other kind I tried (O.N.E) had all kinds of energy-botanicals to it so in a way, this is a step down.  But it's GNC, a highly-overpriced product (which I ended up getting for 75 cents) with vitamins and added goodness!

Packaging:  This one also comes in a Tetra pack for added refrigeration convenience.  I'm looking at the supplement information though and have to say, I'm not that impressed.  Yeah, it has 150% vitamin C but that's really the only stand-out.  It says it has more potassium than a banana but the information says it only has 2% (is it a typo).

Non-Taste Senses:  It smells kinda like (normal) milk with a hint of blueberries.

Taste:  There's no sugar added so don't expect this to be sweet.  As strange as this may sound, it tastes like a watered down, unsweetened, blueberry milk.  It has a decent blueberry flavor and coconut milk tends to be a bit thicker (and has a slight lactose taste).  The blueberry flavor also goes well with the coconut milk and works better than say, lemon lime.  Make sure to refrigerate it because the thick texture doesn't take room temp well.

Overall:  It's ok.  I think you really need to know whether you accept the taste of coconut milk and the blueberry (because there is no pom) lends well to the taste.  If you find it for a buck (which is probably impossible), check it out.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site but this flavor seems to be discontinued.