Excuse the extremely stained cup.
Outsides: Tazo Decaf Lotus Blossom is in its own little individually wrapped little packet. The ingredients are simple, just green tea and nautral flavoring. The tea actually smells pretty fruity. I soaked the bag in lukewarm water (I'd say 65-70 degrees C) for 3 minutes in about 10 oz of water and yes, I know that is very wrong of me (you're supposed to soak a green teabag for 2 minutes in 6 oz of water). The tea is on the more golden side of the green tea spectrum and it smells fruity with a light, sweet mango scent.
Insides: So, I never go into a Tazo tea expecting something good in hopes that I might be pleasantly surprised. The green tea here is a bit lacking in flavor but that's as much of my fault as it is the company's. It's not the worst green tea base though as there is no overwhelming bitterness or chemical taste, just a nice smoothness with a hint of sweetness. The sweet smell gives it a hint of a fruity flavor and a small pinch of floral, but ultimately, it tastes a bit like a lighter mango green tea.
Tilt: Tazo can be found everywhere and isn't too expensive and considering good green tea flavor variations are hard to come by (they either all seem to taste very artificial and tend to either lack flavor or overwhelm the tea with it), this one is pretty unique if you want something with a bit of mango flavor. That being said, I've had moon cake before and this tea doesn't remind me of the lotus used in that. It's also not a very strong flavor so that can be a good or bad thing depending on whether you really love lotus and how much you want to share this tea with company. The slight fruityness will make this nice cold.
Overall: Surprisingly, I like this. I wouldn't go out and seek this, but it's worth a try and will be one of the teas I get at the cafeteria.
My Rating: Try it!
Tazo can be found pretty much anywhere.
