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.

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! Revolution Lavender Earl Grey Tea

What:  Earl Grey Black Tea with Lavender

Where:  I've looked everywhere on the site and I honestly don't know.  If I'd have to guess, USA.

Why Should I Care:  I really want to try pure Lavender tea.  I know it sounds weird, but floral tea is more often than not really good, with sweet notes and really complementing the tea taste.  Earl Grey is something I rarely crave for, but i do like it and I suppose that it could possibly make a good combination with this.

Packaging:  They use the pyramid-shaped tea bags, which is great but they're not wrapped in anything.  There's foil but you'd think a company that boasts about their quality and "bringing real tea taste back" would make their product taste fresher longer.

Non-Taste Senses:  It's a really dark brown color with a slight reddish tint.  It has a light lavender scent mixed in with the earl grey.

Taste:  First off, this needs milk for me.  The Bergamont is really strong and mixed in with the lavender, it has a little bit of a soupy taste to it.  It's not horrible and the tea isn't bitter, but it is really strong and for me, it is practically undrinkable without milk and sugar.

Overall:  My mom said she liked it so I'm sure this may be appealing to some people, but I'm not really that person.  Yes, it's better with milk but honestly, it's not worth it for me.  There are better, cheaper brands out there.

My Rating:  Pass.  I really don't want to dismiss people from trying their other teas since they sound a lot better so here's the site.