Teavana Sweet Mango Chai

  

So, my haul finally arrived.  I tried to get a variety of teas to try from Teavana including 2 white teas, 2 mates, a green, an oolong, a pure herbal and a free sample of a mate/oolong blend.  But, I'm excited because  it's not often that I can actually afford getting this much tea from Teavana and they seem to have some unique blends.  As you know, I'm a huge fan of mango and a huge fan of chai so I thought this should be really good.  Plus, it apparently has oolong which is becoming a favorite of mine as well.

Outsides:  Ingredients include mango, apple, oolong, coconut, cardamon, cinnamon, ginger, tangermine peel, black pepper and mango flavoring.  So, I've made a few teas from Teavana before writing this review and have discovered a new game that can be played called Where's the Tea, because I dug to the bottom of this bag and only got a few oolong leaves.  I brewed probably around 2 teaspoons of this in 8 oz of 90 degree water for about 5 minutes.  The liquid is really cloudy, really light yellow and this smells like spiced mango.

Insides:  Um...where's the tea?  It's not that I don't like flavored tea at all and usually, I want more flavor than less but this is absolutely ridiculous.  I oversteeped the crap out of this and there still isn't any tea flavor to it.  On top of that, the chai is weak as well.  The head of the flavor is sweet mango which is followed by a mostly ginger tasting chai, light body, a little astringency but I did have SOME oolong in there.  It just seems like a mess.

Overall:  No.  This is not tea and if I paid the 7 dollars or however much it was SUPPOSED to be, I would be pissed.

Taste:  Fruit and spice but weak despite me adding an obscene amount of tea.
Price:  Whatever it is, you can probably make this blend for 1/4 of the price.  In fact, I paid 1/4 the price and I feel ripped-off.
Uniqueness:  You get this one, Teavana.  The concept is definitely unique and it would have been nice getting a strong chai with a mango base to it.  This tea is unique for all of the wrong reasons though.
Usability:  I'm updating these criteria for reviews a few weeks after I wrote this post and I have to say, this is not a bad blend for mixing with Prestogeorge's Fancy Mango to give it some umph.  By itself, this tea is utterly useless.

My Rating:  Stay Away!

Teavana is a chain tea retailer that is found in many a mall across the United States and Canada.  Their teas often start from 5 dollars for 2 oz of the most basic blends and they have a lot of flavored teas.  

TasTEA Time! Prestogeorge Tropical Green Tea

This is the most expensive tea I got on my trip to Prestogeorge at $3 for 2 oz.  (which is still cheaper than a lot of bagged tea and a lot of upper-scale tea).  From the website "Pan fired green tea, safflowers, marigolds, blue mallow flowers, and corn flowers with mango and passion fruit flavor. This makes the perfect iced tea. One of our most popular flavored green teas!".  Yum!

Outsides:  If you go to the store and have to walk anywhere, you'll have a hard time not keeping this tea at your nose the entire time.  This smells like tropical gum except more natural.  You can't really see them in my crappy picture but there are all kinds of colorful flowers in the green tea mix.  When brewed, the tea is a light yellow with a green tinge to it.  It still has a light tropical fruit scent.

Insides:  I love this tea.  The tropical flavor isn't in your face, but it's very refreshing and the smooth green tea base make this a fantastic drink.  It's also practically free from bitterness and has a very "fresh" scent to it.  This would make a FANTASTIC iced tea and honestly, it doesn't even need sugar.  The fruit and flowers give this a natural sweetness and the delicateness of the green tea make it so there's no harshness that requires masking.

Overall:  A very nice tea and something that I wouldn't mind spending a little more on.  Basically, an island escape in a cup!

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's Prestogeorge's Tea Page:  Tropical Green Tea.

Review: Pepsi Next Paradise Mango

 

My reaction to seeing this was pure "Wahhh?"  Mango!  In a cola!  But it's true, there's a Pepsi with a hint of mango in it.  Now, I haven't tried Pepsi Next either although it's supposed to have 60% less sugar than regular Pepsi (the whole bottle has 100 calories and is sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup, sugar and aspertain, so quite the combination).  I do like a lot of the colas that have hints of other flavors in them (although I'm a Coke fan in that respect).  Cherry and Vanilla Coke are something I'll drink when I'm craving a mainstream soda and it works well enough with citrus.  However, mango as a flavor hint to Pepsi is still a little jarring.  

Outsides:  It really just looks like normal Pepsi but smells like you dropped a piece of Stride Mega Mystery gum in it (Oh no, am I spoiling the mystery?  I actually think there's some strawberry mixed in there too).

Insides:  It's a little bit jarring at first since I never would have expected mango to go with Pepsi, but it kinda works.  This is a lot like cherry Pepsi in that the mango flavor makes the Pepsi a little sweeter and the cola flavor a little more mild.  The soda is really fruity scented, but isn't a blatant fruit soda in terms of intensity of flavor.  Also, I wish they'd have a little more cola flavor just because the mango is so overpowering.  As for Pepsi Next, it's not a terrible lower calorie option.  The soda tastes a little more syrupy than usual and you can kinda taste the asperain, but if you love pop and want to shave off a few calories, this is a LOT better tasting than normal diet (although I kinda like Pepsi Max).

Overall:  It's a bit strange but I like it.  This kinda makes me wonder what kinds of flavors will Pepsi release in the US next (because Japanese Pepsi has a TON of crazy flavors).  Pepsi Coconut?  Pepsi Melon?  Pepsi BACON!!!   Only the consumers and corporate executives can decide.

My Rating:  Try it!   Here's Pepsi's site if you want to look at it:  Pepsi.

Also, here's some pictures of the swanky room I'm in.  I work at my school's medical library as the media desk babysitter and they're remodeling the upstairs part, so I get to stay in the very classy yet very cold Rare Books Room.

 

TasTEA Time! Snapple Papaya Mango Tea

Oh Snapple, you and your limited editions.  Brett Michels has a tea made after him and apparently, so does the Amazing Race India.  But, this one has papaya and mango so I'm perfectly willing to buy a discounted case.  Now, I don't think Snapple is the best bottled iced tea (I can think of at least 5 companies that are better), but they're usually inexpensive and have a pretty decent quality product.  My biggest problem is that to me, their black teas are too sweet and strong.  But hopefully this one will be good.

Outsies:  This one has a nice festive bottle.  The tea is dark and it smells fruity and tropical.  

Insides:  I was pleasantly surprised at the non-attack of sugar.  The mango flavor is strong with this one and I think they put a little less tea.  It's still strong black tea, but the fruit flavors take front stage and really, I'm ok with that.  Looking at the back, they seemed to have cut back a little with the sugar (This one's 150 calories as opposed to 170-180).  I actually really like it and hopefully, can buy another discounted case.

Overall:  It's nice, fruity and an all around good summer treat.  Unfortunately, you can only find these in discount stores, but the newest batch isn't expired yet and I got a 6-pack for 3 dollars.  So yeah, buy it for that much.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the site:  Snapple

Soda Pop! Cascal Fresh Tropical

What:  Naturally-flavored tropical fake wine

Where:  California

Why:  Cascal is a brand that delivers on making something that isn't too sweet while still being flavorful.  Like I said before, their products taste a lot like a non-alcoholic wine and that's great for a lot of people, whether you're pregnant or a special occasion for a family or just if you want that kind of taste without the alcohol.  Also, it's in mango and I just can't see that being bad.

Packaging:  I got the canned version so it really isn't too exciting.

Non-taste senses:  It has a simular color to mango juice and it smells like mango.

Taste:  I think out of all the ones I've tried, this is my favorite (the malty Fine Dark is a close second).  The mango flavor is strong but not too sweet and is reminiscent of a sparkling juice.  There's also a mix of other flavors including the lime, that makes it a nice blend as opposed to just mango.  The level of carbonation is nice too, not being too strong but still feeling like you're drinking a soda as opposed to juice that's been shaken in your backpack.

Overall:  It's worth a try.  I've had mango beer that's tasted better, but it's a nice blend.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site.  Something that's kinda nice is that they give you food pairings when you look at the flavors.

TasTEA Time! Touch Organic Mango Green Tea

What:  Green Tea with Mango

Where:  China

Why Should I Care:  So, mango green tea done right is probably my favorite mixture of fruit and tea.  Mango has this sweet, slightly floral flavor that is great as a refreshing summer drink or in the winter when you really want a refreshing summer day.  However, I mentioned in the Dilmah Mango Tea review that mango isn't that uncommon of a tea flavor, but it's apparently hard to get it right.

Packaging:  Foil envelopes with the eco paper.

Non-Taste Senses:  It's a slightly golden colored green tea with a nice mango scent (which isn't as strong as the Dilmah).

Taste:  Oh sweet lawd, this is good.  Yes, I know I'm a sucker for mango tea but this is pretty close to perfect. The mango and tea flavors are perfectly balanced.  It's a relatively sweet and fragrant tea while also being light. I would like to see a slightly stronger mango flavor but I always want a stronger mango flavor and this tea is good with sugar and iced.

Overall:  I don't think I've ever been disappointed by Touch Organics.  Each tea of theirs is fragrant, full-bodied and premium quality.  This one is no exception and is sure to bring a little sunshine on a winter day.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's the site.

tasTEA Time! Dilmah Mango

What:  Ceylon Tea with Mango

Where:  Sri Lanka

Why Should I Care:  It's mango-flavored!  Oh sure, I'd prefer a green tea with mango, but it should be delicious, right?  Actually, mango tea suffers the same problem as strawberry tea in that it should be good but people rarely add enough of the fruit so it ends up tasting more like a mango afterthought (which is why I'd prefer green tea since that's generally a bit lighter of a flavor).  Dilmah successfully pulled off Strawberry though, so lets see about Mango.

Packaging:  IFWS

Non-Taste Senses:  It's the typical golden Ceylon color.  Yes, it smells fantastic, like real mango only more pungent.

Taste:  What's really interesting about this tea is that the tea flavor and the mango flavor are both very strong, but they also balance well with each other.  For those of you unfamiliar with Ceylon tea, it generally has a strong, clear taste and a slightly bitter undertone (least it does in this case).  Another thing of note:  Since the mango flavor is so strong, this would be a great tea to drink without sugar and would also be fantastic cold.  It also makes me really want to eat curry.

Overall:  I really like this tea.  If you're looking for a mango tea that honestly delivers on the mango, you should check this out.  It's great for summer, winter, hot, cold, with food or by itself.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Unfortunately, Dilmah doesn't make plain mango anymore.  There's a variety with mango and strawberry but that's it as far as that goes.  I can't imagine that kind being bad though since I gave both the Mango and Strawberry good reviews.