Hawthorn Tea and What the Hell Did I Buy!?

A week or so ago, I ordered an "oolong sampler" from Red Leaf Tea since it had a lot of oolongs and other teas that I wanted to try and was $14.99 for 12 teas.  Well, I received the teas and fun fact, the vast majory of them do not have any English on them.  Thankfully, Red Leaf Tea has a nice guide on their website as to what everything is, but I still wish I would have gotten something with labels on it or at least a list.

Hawthorn Fruits are little crabapple looking fruits that are used in many cultures except the United States.  I've unknowingly had them before as this candy called Haw Flakes, which is a bit like a fruit leather and tastes like a cross between strawberries and prunes.  Apparently, traditional Chinese Medicine uses it as a digestive aid.

Outsides:  When you open up the packet, it looks like a bunch of cut-open berries (which is exactly what they are).  I added the entire packet to 8 ounces of boiling water but I have no idea is that's what I'm supposed to do.  The liquid has a slight pink tint to it and smells like prunes.

Insides:  Honestly, this just tastes like sour water with very little other flavors or scents going on with it.  I tried ripping up the fruit a bit more to see if it does anything, but one thing I will tell you is that the fruit pretty much just tastes like a sour prune.  After forgetting about it overnight, I will say that it does taste a bit more fruity but it's mostly just sour water.

Tilt:  I don't know how much this is if you find it although I have seen haw candies at our big Asian store and they're pretty cheap.  Obviously, I don't care for this but I'm sure the fresh fruit would be nice to use in a preserve or pie for a bit of a sour kick to balance out something sweet like strawberries or maybe some apples.  It does taste a bit better cold.

Overall:  I'm not a fan.

My Rating:  Pass.

Red Leaf Tea sells an obscene amount of flavored Matchas and other teas.

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

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.  

TasTEA Time! EnjoyingTea.com's Black Tea Banana

What:  A free sample of black tea and banana

Where:  I don't know where the company is located but the Ceylon is from Sri Lanka

Why Should I Care:  The reason I am reviewing this is because I got a free sample or more accurately, a free sample which i had to pay shipping for.  Four dollars in shipping.  I'm not particularly happy about that especially since the other site I ordered form only cost 1 dollar shipping with a 2 dollar credit for next purchase but it happened and I have to say, they didn't jip me as much as I thought they would.  I got enough tea from them to last me about 4 teapots full (and I have a pretty big teapot), they gave me a 15% off coupon and a nice little reference card for brewing different kinds of tea that includes temperatures, times and a couple tips.

Packaging:  I can't really say much about this since it was a free sample.  It came in a thick envelope with bubble wrap?  The tea itself is loose leaf and came in a nice thick bag but...it was free-ish.

Non-taste Senses:  It's lighter than most of the ceylon tea I've brewed and it has a mild scent with a hint of banana.

Taste:  The tea itself is rather mild.  It still has that Ceylon tea clarity but there isn't really any bitterness.  There's also a nice balance between the tea flavors and the banana flavor.  I wish there was a little more of the banana flavor but it's still pretty strong and it doesn't overpower the tea.  This would make a nice iced tea.

Overall:  I don't know if I'd order this particular tea again but it's not because I don't think it's good.  I've never seen banana flavored tea before, even in fruity ice tea flavors, but I also don't think I personally have the urge to have it.  However, it's a couple weeks until Christmas and the 15% couple would be great for any tea lover (including yourself).  Plus you get some decent tea.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the free sample page.  Here's the rest of the website (with a Lychee Jasmine Green Tea that I'm making eyes at).

Edit:  I've decided to bump up the rating to a Buy it! for at least the sample.  Banana black tea is something I've only seen at one other tea site and that one isn't a free sample, it's really good quality tea and for 4 bucks, you get enough to brew about 6 big pots of tea.  Plus, it really goes great with vanilla cookies and cakes or just as a nice iced tea.  I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I actually did (cold and with shortbread cookies), but I actually am impressed.

TasTEA Time! Babcia Jagoda Apple Tea

What:  Apple Tea "like your Grandma used to make it"

Where:  Poland

Why Should I Care:  When I went to New York, I got this at a store on Greenpoint for a buck.  ONE DOLLAR for 20 bags of tea!  And it wasn't even a discount store, it was like a convenience store from what I got out of it.  Plus it's fall and that means that it's the season for apple tea.

Packaging:  Unsurprisingly, the sachets are paired squares without being wrapped.  I doubt this stuff lasts very long once it's opened.  The babcia on the box looks rather pleasant though.

Non-taste Senses:  It's the color of a golden apple and it smells like fresh apple pie filling.

Taste:  This isn't the best apple tea ever, but it's not the worst either.  There's a really strong apple flavor without much of the usual cinnamon that accompanies it (my mom hates cinnamon and she didn't notice it here).  If you're looking for tea, it isn't really here since this is classified as a herbal tea.  It's not bad though especially if you like apples.

Overall:  I think if you live in New York and want some cheap fruit tea, pick this one up.  For everyone else, I wouldn't pay more than 2 bucks for it unless you hate cinnamon and love apples.  The drink is pleasant for cold weather and full of apple-ly goodness.

My Rating:  Try it!  here