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.

Prestogeorge's Coconut Vanilla Black Tea

So, I'm kind of in a tea no-buy right now.  Part of it is honestly because I have way too much tea and need to drink the stuff I have.  For example, I think I got this one in November and have only really gotten rid of it via mixing it with the Bananas Foster tea (which is another one that I love but never drink).  I figured that I'd try making some iced tea with this for dinner and see what it's like.

Outsides:  Prestogeroge just puts their teas in paper bags with ties on the end, which seems to work because I haven't noticed too much of a degradation in flavor.  I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the leaves but they're pretty much your standard black tea.  I brew 1.5 teaspoons of this in almost boiling water for 4 minutes.  The tea looks dark and has a light coconut scent. 

Insides:  The coconut and vanilla flavors bring a lot of sweetness to this while also offsetting the bitterness.  They also are a great combination (which isn't too surprising) because of how the vanilla adds a slight bit of creme flavor to the vanilla, making it more decadent.  The base tea is flavorful but not too robust.  I think the flavor diminished a bit over time, but it seems like an assam and ceylon blend.  I do like this hot and it makes a great winter treat with some added milk, but this REALLY shines as iced tea.  OH MY GAWD, it tastes like summer.   The sugar really brings out the sweetness of the coconut while the tea keeps its light texture. 

Tilt:  Obviously, this is a summer drink.  It's also pretty cheap, much like the vast majority of teas from Prestogeorge.  I don't think a coconut tea is unique to them so I'm sure that you can find an equivalent somewhere else.  I just really should use up more of my teas.

Overall:  Obviously, you need to like coconut to like this.  But I can't think of many teas more perfect than this for the summer.

My Rating:  Buy (for the summer) and Try (for every other time)

Prestogeorge is a local tea shop in Pittsburgh with a wide variety of tea and coffee. 

Prestogeorge Peach Rooibos

Today, I am waiting for my Teavana order to be delivered (7 teas, 1 free sample tea blend, almost a pound of tea for $20).  But I'm bored and I need to get this rooibos reviewed so that's what I'm going to do.

Outsides:  The ingredients on the site basically say it's just peach and rooibos.  I brewed about 2+ teaspoons of this at boiling for as long as I want as long as it's exceeding 5 minutes.  The color is a rusty orange and this smells like peach flavored tea, except it has a bit of that southern sweet tea/fast food tea scent to it.

Ok, so you may notice that there is a lot of tea in this cup.  I make boiling water with my Keurig, which I got for free because my friend is an engineering genius who got access to the engineering department's electronic waste closet.  Someone threw it out, I knew my mom got me one for my birthday and was hoping that she'd return it and give me the money if this one worked (no, that Keurig is in storage for when this one breaks) and I figured that I'd try to see if it works.  Well, it works for the most part.  The nice thing about it is that 90% of the time, I can tell it to make 8, 6 or 4oz (there's an 11 oz setting but I never use that for tea) of water and get that amount of not quite boiling (I'm guessing 95 degrees Celsius).  However, this thing will occassionally stall (not give me water).  I then turn it off and make it boil water until it works again, but then I get an excess of about 4 oz.  This was actually a lot more annoying when I brewed coffee or hot chocolate because those would get watery unless I stopped it at the right time, but with hot water, it's not a big deal.  It's still not a big deal because I've had this tea before and put an excess of tea in the container, but my strainer needs to be washed better so it doesn't deceive me.  Anyway, that's why there's an excess.

Insides:  Obviously, the flavor could be stronger but that is my fault.  I actually thing the peach and rooibos really complement each other and although this isn't as complex as it could be, it's a safe peach tea.  Rooibos is not bitter or sour in any way and kind of has this floral, honey note to it while peach naturally complements that.  The peach flavor is still strong even in my abomination of a cuppa, and gives this tea a fresh taste.  I think this would make a great iced tea and would probably go well with some juice mixed in.

Overall:  Not my favorite rooibos flavored concoction, but a solid one.

My Rating:  Try it (especially if you like peach tea)

Prestogeorge is my local tea shop here in Pittsburgh.  They have a ton of different types of teas, from basic blends to flavored to higher-quality leaves.

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.  

Prestogeorge Bananas Foster Black Tea

I'm a little surprised that I haven't reviewed this yet.  Banana flavored tea is rare but an interesting and delicious combination.  The sweetness of the banana makes a nice juxtaposition to the more clean and bright flavors of (usually) ceylon tea.



Outsides:  Prestogeorge's Bananas Foster contains black tea and banana as well as other flavors which I can't name because this is apparently not on their website.  I can tell you that this stuff smells STRONGLY of banana, in an awesome way.  I brewed about a teaspoon and a half of this stuff in 8 oz of boiled water for about 5 minutes.  Now, it's a dark orange gold color like a lot of ceylons, but I immediately added cream and sugar.  It smells very similar to banana cream pie.

Insides:  Oh goodness, this is not just any flavored tea but a desert in a cup!  The tea is good and if you like strong tea, then it's perfectly fine to drink on it's own.  However, the flavors really sparkle with cream and sugar.  The banana flavor is enhanced by a little hint of molasses flavor while balancing out well with the tea.  The tea is a medium-quality tea with an ok body for black tea but a bit too much astringency, but still much better than the black tea I've gotten from Adagio.  I still love this and encourage everyone to find a tea like this and try it out.

Overall:  I love it.  It's unique, well flavored and an absolute crowd pleaser.  <3

My Rating:  Buy it (if you're even in Pittsburgh)!  Has my Seal of Approval.  

Prestogeorge is my local tea retailer although they technically specialize in coffee.  They have a wide variety of tea and ship a few of them, but at a bit of a steep price.

Prestogeorge's Cranberry Orange Herbal Tea

Outsides:  This tea is LOADED with big, chunky pieces of fruit.  What you see in my picture is the very bottom of the bag where all the little bits gather, but the vast majority of this is big pieces of cranberry and big pieces of orange.  Apparently this has Chamomile, Rosehips and Hibiscus as well.  I didn't have much left but still wanted to review it, so I put more tea than was necissary into the basic infuser ball and stuck it in 8 oz boiling water.  The liquid is a lovely red color and it smells of sweet citrus and cranberries.

Insides:  There's almost a juice-like quality to this.  The liquid tastes very thick and tangy, not like the normal tea (granted, this is herbal tea).  It's sour, but if you like hibiscus tea then it shouldn't be a problem for anyone.  I really like this.  It tastes like a very fall/winter beverage with the cranberry and citrus flavors and is what I expect when I think of cranberry tea.  Since this is a fruity herbal tea, it can handle hot or cold, sugar or no sugar.  I might even add some cinnamon if I'm feeling audacious.

Overall:  It's a bit sad that this was my last cup of this.

My Rating:  Try it!

Prestogeorge is my local tea shop in Pittsburgh.  It has a nice, big variety although the shipping is expensive so you should probably find somewhere else if you need a place for tea.  

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! Prestogeorge's Blueberry Herbal Tea

Sorry that the glass is almost empty, but I didn't want to make another cup to tea just to review this.

So as you can see, I drank most of this but will give you my pre-thoughts anyway.  This is blueberry herbal tea, a popular and very versatile blend of  hibiscus, green rooibos, berry, cinnimon and in my case, blue marigold flowers for added color.  If this sounds familiar, that's probably because I reviewed a blend like this from Teavana.  Now, I really liked that herbal tea blend and honestly found it pretty addicting, but it was 8 dollars for 2 oz.  This tea was $6.25 for 4 oz. 

Insides:  I probably should take a picture of the tea because the flowers make it quite lovely, but you're supposed to drink tea, not look at it.  I just got it in a resealable paper bag with cellophane lining.  Since the tea is herbal, you want to brew it at boiling for at least 3 minutes, but I've left it on for a half an hour and it's been fine.  It's a lovely dark pink and smells a little bit stronger in spices than what I would expect from a fruity herbal tea, but it reminds me of mulled wine.

Outsides:  I think as far as herbal blueberry blends go, this is a little different from the Teavana one.  There's a bit more hibiscus in here, giving the tea a nice tart taste and the cinnamon makes it a bit different too.  It still tastes a bit thicker although the berry scent is not as strong.  The sweet and tart flavors give this a nice balance and despite the differences, I really love this (this is the second 2 oz. bag I'm consuming in about a month).  It doesn't need sugar, I can drink it at night and it tastes great hot and cold.  This is kinda how I wish those Vitamin Water drinks would really taste like. 

Overall:  It doesn't have as strong of a berry flavor as the Teavana version but at less than half the price, is still pretty damn tasty. 

My Rating:  Buy!

Prestogeorge is a local coffee and tea retailer in the Strip District of Pittsburgh.  They have a website here where you can order tea, although the shipping might be a bit expensive.  However, this tea looks almost identical to the Davidson Tea Bulk: Spring Fruit and Flowers,  meaning that if you think you'll like this then you can buy a whole pound for $17.05 (which is probably what I'm going to do).

Well, today is Black Friday and I just bought a holiday giftset at Adagio for $13.30 and free shipping (and an added ounce of blueberry).  If anyone is a new customer and wants a 5 dollar giftcard, go to my twitter at @teaandpolish. 

Have a nice Holiday if you're in the US!

TasTEA Time! Prestogeorge Organic Japanese Tea Garden

From the website:  "Organic Japanese Sencha green tea, chamomile, cinnamon sticks, hibiscus and calendria flowers. Healthy, beautiful full-flavored green tea with a spicy berry flavor."

So, I had browsed the Prestogeorge website before going to the store and decided that this tea was something I'd get on my second visit.  Well, two things happened.  One was that I found out that I could get a minimum of two ounces instead of four and the other was that I got to smell this tea.  I know I was raving about some of the other teas, but this smells AMAZING!   I had work that day and would periodically pull out the little bag and smell it in all of its glory.  

Outsides:  Even with my crappy camera, you can see the rainbow of colors from the dark green tea, brown cinnamon, red hibiscus and yellow flowers.  It smells so warm and cinnamony and delicious, with hints of sweetness from both the cinnamon and the flowers.  There's a bit of a pinkish-tinge in this tea, making it a light orange color.  It smells spicy and sweet.

Insides:  This is definitely one of the more unique teas I have ever had.  Much like the tropical green tea, this is insanely smooth but the flowers and cinnamon add this lovely warmth to it.  This actually seems like a springtime tea with the added warmth.  It's actually quite naturally sweet between the chamomile and the cinnamon so you don't need to worry about it needing sugar.  

Overall:  Definitely one of my favorites.  Unique and a pure encapsulation of spring.  

My Rating:  Buy it!  Prestogeorge Organic Japanese Tea Garden.

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! Prestogeorge Peach Oolong

I...I don't know why I started re-blogging today.  I really need to study for my Brain Function and Neuroanatomy test tomorrow, but alas, here I am again.  I guess this is serving as a warm-up before I crunch those diagrams again.  Anyway, this is another cheap Prestogeorge blend (all the ones I got this trip were relatively inexpensive, but this one is on the $3 for 4 oz range as opposed to the $5 for 4 oz).  I honestly have not had as much experience with oolong as with other teas, probably because a lot of bagged companies don't sell as many varieties of it.  But I like peach tea.

Outsides:  Prestogeorge uses plastic-lined paper bags with these neat little twisty-ties on them, so it's nice that they use better bags but you should still buy a canister or store in a dark, dry place.  The tea is golden hued and smells like peaches mostly, with a slight tea scent.

Insides:  I find that I drink this tea a lot, moreso than the other teas I bought from PG.  It's not because this tea is amazing, although it's very good and very balanced.  The oolong used is a much better quality than I've had, having a less-bitter, but warm and robust tea taste that is more mild than black tea, but still having a bit of a kick.  The peach flavor is a bit light, but balances well with the tea and still holds its own.  Why do I drink it more than the other teas I bought at PG?  I guess because it's just so smooth and balanced, plus it's cheap.

Overall:  I can't run in the streets screaming about how delicious this is, but it is well worth the money.  Get it if you want a lightly flavored oolong.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's PG's website again:  Prestogeroge's Oolong Tea page

TasTEA Time! Prestogeorge chocolate chip black tea.

Yay!  I found my cup!

So, Prestogeorge is one of our local tea stores here in Pittsburgh (which you can order online from) and yes, those are real chocolate chips in that black tea.  I saw this tea on /r/tea and that's how I got introduced to Prestogeorge, which I will eventually write about my experience but let's just say that I'm a dedicated customer.  I have to say, I've seen chocolate chai but I've never seen black tea with chocolate chips in it so props to PG for being unique.  Oh, and this was $1.70 for 2 oz so it was dirt cheap.

Outsides:  You can get your tea packaged in either a cheap, paper bag (that actually seals pretty nicely and if you don't have canisters, seems to keep well in a dark, dry place) or plastic bags.  The tea itself is dark brown.  It smells a little bitter with that warm hint of chocolate.

Insides:  Ok first off, I don't know what kind of chocolate chips they use, but they're good chocolate (yes, I totally tasted one).  They're dark chocolate and I'm pretty sure they're not Tollhouse, but I'll have to ask them the next time I go there so I can make chocolate chip cookies.  As for the tea, it's a bit bitter.  Not undrinkably bitter but something that needs a bit of added something even after rinsing.  The chocolate flavor is good, adding a hint of sweetness and a nice cocoa undertone.  This is really good with sugar and/or milk and apparently, makes a good iced tea.  

Overall:  If you want a nice desert tea, something that'll satiate your chocolate cravings without the calories or something that's just unique, give this a try.  If you don't live in the Pittsburgh area and want to try something similar to this, just add some quality dark chocolate chips to your black tea mix (Try adding a bit of cocoa powder too, possibly with an oolong base).  Unless you hate chocolate, there's not much you can lose by trying this plus it's ridiculously cheap.  

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's Prestogeorge's site.  Note that you can only buy 4 or more oz of tea, but I'll review more teas that I think everyone can enjoy!  Prestogeorge