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.

Prestogeorge Herbal Red Pomegranate

I need to review more teas from Prestogeorge, but since I have about 20 teas from Zen Tea and 10 teas from Prestogeorge, Zen Tea has won priority (although, it's also because I just bought higher quality tea from Zen Tea and it's something I really need to do at Prestogeorge).  I'm not the biggest fan of Rooibos since to me, it's not complex enough on it's own.  Pomegranate is another story and I will gladly consume anything that reminds me of that fruit, plus the sweet and tangy taste with a hint of floral should do wonders for Rooibos. 

Outsides:  What's unique about this tea is that it's a blend of green and red rooibos, which I rarely see together.  It also contains safflowers, rosehips and, of course, pomegranate.  I brewed a teaspoon and a half of this at almost boiling for 5+ minutes.  The color is lighter than most rooibos teas I've tried but still that rusty orange.  It smells fantastic, juicy, sweet and tart.

Insides:  The rooibos actually serves as a nice base for all of the other flavors and doesn't hinder the wonderful pomegranate smell and flavor.  This smells a lot stronger than it tastes, but there is a hint of natural sweetness and a little needed tartness from the pomegranate.  There's also a slight floral flavor but it's more of a complement to the fruit than a flavor on its own.  I think this would go great with sugar and would make a nice iced tea.

Overall:  I've decided to change my thoughts on rooibos to not liking it unless it has some stronger flavor added to it.  This is a very nice blend and worth the extra dollar or so I spent on it compaired to the other rooiboses.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Prestogeorge is my local tea shop in Pittsburgh.  They deliver to other parts, but their shipping is expensive so I'd just look elsewhere for other tea.  

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.