Prestogeorge's Raspberry Passionfruit black tea

It's a good thing that tea shops let you smell their tea because I wouldn't have gotten this if I haven't.  I'm not the biggest fan of raspberry tea since a lot of them use raspberry leaf and that tends to make the tea super bitter.  However, I adore passion fruit and like how you have a commonplace flavor mixed with a tropical flavor.  I actually got this a few months ago so the purpose was to make iced tea, but it's 40 degrees here so I need a summer pick-me-up.

Did I show you guys this cup?  It's the Kati Brewing system by Tea Forte.  The holiday season IS coming and this makes a pretty nice gift for that special tea lover.

Outsides:  It's loose-leaf tea with a few raspberry leaves, dried passionfruit bits and red things for color.  I put in 2 tablespoons per 12 oz of almost boiling water for 5 minutes.  The color is a typical black tea color with a small hint of red.  In the bag, this has a lovely fruity smell that has an overtone of passionfruit with a berry undertone and it keeps it when brewed.

Insides:  First off, the tea is much more flavorful after cooling for 5 minutes or as iced tea, but I would not advise drinking it right away or you might be disappointed.  I like the way the two fruits combine.  Passionfruit is good but tends to not add a ton of flavor unless you really pile it on.  The raspberry complements the sweet and sour aspect while adding a bit of an earthy undertone.  The tea part is ok, it works well to complement the fruit flavors and I know I'm drinking tea and not some fruit drink.

Tilt:  This tea is $1.92 for 2 oz which is honestly a pretty good deal.  Sometimes, I get tea at Prestogeorge that's super cheap but is a little weak in terms of flavor but this stuff has a good, strong fruit flavor.  It makes a good iced tea and honestly, that's what it should be used for.  This would be super tasty at a get-together especially with some passionfruit syrup.

Overall:  I actually really like this and think it's worth the price.

My Rating:  Buy it!

Prestogeorge is a local tea and coffee retailer located in the Strip District in Pittsburgh.

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.

TasTEA Time! Lipton Green Tea with Orange, Passionfruit and Jasmine

Alright, we have the final tea in the Lipton Green Tea sample box.  I saved this one for last because Orange, Passion Fruit and Jasmine sounds like it would be the best of the bunch (however, I'm probably going to be proven wrong) and I like tropical flavors like passionfruit. 

Outsides:  Your standard Lipton bag.  It looks like a slightly darker version of the normal green tea and smells like orange. 

Insides:  Eh, it's not bad.  Definitely has one of the better balances in the bunch, although I wish it had more passionfruit flavor.  The orange and jasmine actually go really well together, making this sweet and bright, floral and fruit combination.  However, you can still taste the green tea through all of this, making this a nice tea as opposed to lemon drink with some tea flavoring in it.  I guess this and the Honey green tea are my favorites, and this would be a crowd-pleasing iced tea.

Overall:  If you see a bunch of different Lipton Green Teas and feel the need to have one, this is a good choice to make.  It's slightly fruity, has a little dimension and a good amount of balance and is just a nice tea to drink.  It's not good enough (for me at least) to justify buying on its own, but if you feel like something bright with a hint of tropical flavor, then check this one out. 

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site:  Lipton Home

Summary of the box:  Overall, I think most of the teas were a good value for the money.  Oh sure, none of them were outright amazing, but if you want to try a few different flavors to see what they're like or want to get someone a cheap box of green tea to amuse themselves with for a few days, this isn't the worst one you could get.  I personally liked the Honey and OPJ the best while I found the berry to be terrible.  Personal opinion aside, I think you should get the mint if only for those people who get tummy aches.  I still don't care that much about Lipton's tea, but I'm a snob and I'll admit to it. 

Also, now i have to find other tea sampler sets.  Preferably cheap ones that are widely available.