Margaret's Golden Apple Spice Green T

This is another tea I got from Margaret's at a 50% discount.  To be honest, I haven't been feeling the urge to drink heavier teas despite the autumn weather.  This tea combines a lighter green tea base (they say sencha) with apple cider flavor.

Outsides:  First off, this is not on Margaret's site because a lot of things aren't on Margaret's site, but also possibly because it's on sale.  I also did a quick google search and could not find any teas that look like they have the same ingredients that I saw from the package.  From what I remember, the base is sencha and the add-ins are apple pieces, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, saffron threads and other things that I don't remember.  It's a very colorful blend and smells a bit like the spice of apple cider.  I steeped it in 185 degree water for 3 minutes.  It's a nice golden color as the name suggests and smells like fall spice.

Insides:  First off, the base is ok but nothing that you'd want to drink on your own.  It's smooth, has a medium body and isn't too bitter.  As for the flavorings, you get a lot more spice than apple.  There is a sweet and sour fruity midnote surrounded by the cinnamon and cloves and allspice and all the other spices that are in there.  These spices completely overwhelm the tea taste and the fruit taste.

Tilt:  I got this tea at a deep discount and can't find a good retailer online BUT I'm sure you can get some cheap sencha and jurryrig your own blend for some cheap price.  I think it's actually a lovely fall tea but I don't think I'll really drink it in the spring or summer months.  Because it's flavored, I think it's good to drink cold or with sugar.  I think my biggest problem with it is that it's pretty much a green chai with a hint of a fruity taste.  But, if I want something spicy then i'll probably get a chai and there are plenty of those with different bases (black, green and red).

Overall:  There's nothing wrong with it or bad tasting but if you want something like it, just get a green chai.

My Rating:  Pass.

Maragret's is a tea retailer in the Squirrel Hill district of Pittsburgh.

Speculations: David's Tea Fall Collection

Hey Tea Lovers!  I've decided to try something new and do a preview and speculation of collections from tea boutiques such as David's Tea and possibly Teavana.  I have not tried these teas yet so don't take what I say to heart, but feel free to voice your opinions about these teas and if you've tried them, share with us.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!

The Teas:  

Pumpkin Chai

 

Ingredients:

Black tea, cinnamon, cloves, lemon peel, squash, carrot, caramel bits, pumpkin candies, natural and artificial flavouring*. 

 

Mmm...pumpkin.  It's something a lot of people are polarized about and I'm on the love side of that polarization.  People also can be particular about their chai and honestly, very few companies deliver a good one.  This particular one looks a bit sparse on the spices but the squash, carrots and candies seem like they could add an interesting sweetness.  I imagine the strange ingredients also are there for color and the candies are there to weigh it down.  Still, this seems like something worth trying.

 

Mom's Apple Pie

 

Ingredients:

Green tea (China), apple pieces, cinnamon, artificial flavouring*. 

 

I'm actually pretty sure I'll like this.  The ingredient list (minus the artificial flavoring) seems simple compared to their other teas and I have been looking for a green tea flavored with apple.  This seems like something light and sweet and a good alternative to the heavily-spiced blacks and herbals you see for fall.  

 

Sugar and Spice

 

Ingredients:

 

 Black tea, apples, cinnamon cassia, cloves, carrots, marigold petals, natural vanilla flavoring*. 

 

I wish they added caradom in there so that it would be a chai because the world needs more unique chais.   I also appreciate the natural vanilla flavor.  Honestly, I wouldn't want to buy this and it seems like the least interesting in the collection.  There are tons of spice teas out there and this one just seems like a glorified apple spice.  These kinds of teas are also pretty subjective to taste.  

Pistachio  Creme

 

Ingredients:

 

 Mulberry leaf, pistachios, chamomile, natural cream, macadamia and pistachio flavouring*. 

 

This actually sounds really interesting.  I've only had a few nut-flavored teas and think they work quite well for the fall and winter when you want that roasty toasty flavor.  The chamomile is also an interesting but rational ingredient since I feel that it adds sweetness while also giving teas a slight increase in mouthfeel.  This is definitely one I'd love to try and I feel like this would be a wonderful herbal for a desert alternative.  

Cocoberry

 

Ingredients:

Black Tea, black currant, mango, barberry, coffee bean, juniper berry, hibiscus, roasted yerba mate, lucuma powder, acerola powder, baobab fruit powder, acai powder, coffee flavor, natural strawberry flavor, natural and artificial plum, sugar cane and cherry flavour*. 

 

Dat ingredient list!  This is actually a mate, so it's full of caffeine and David's Tea seems to be promoting this one as the healthy one.  Lucuma is supposed to be a natural sweetener that tastes a bit like maple.  Honestly, this seems a bit too crazy for me plus I haven't had good experience with coffee-flavored mates.  There just seems like there's so much going on with the fruit, coffee, hibiscus and random flavorings.  It might be good but I'm a bit meh about this one.

 

The Teaware:

 

 

 

 

I didn't include all of them, but this should give you the general idea of the patterns used.  

Adorable.

I love the colors but also the simplicity.  I love the leaves, birds and chevrons.  I just love them all.  In fact, I'd rather have these mugs and teapots than the sampler they have.

David's Tea's Fall Collection Website:  All pictures were taken from here. 

 

 

 

 

 

Soda Pop! CasCal with hints of Apple and Anise

I'm sorry about the name;  I just want different drinks to be distinctive and this was the first thing that came to mind.

What:  Fermented Soda (soda made from fermentation instead of mixing syrup with carbonated water).

Where:  USA (or California to be precise)

Why Should I Care:  Well, it's not as terrible for you as regular soda is.  It only has 80 calories for the entire bottle.  Also, fermentation is how they make alcohol and the product description says it's made for a "grown-up" taste.  Some people may be wondering why anyone would want a drink that tastes like wine except without the alcohol and I really can't give people's personal reasons.  Maybe they're pregnant and want to have something nice with a fancy meal.  Maybe it's Thanksgiving and those jerks don't want to be too sleepy before shopping at Black Friday.  Maybe they just don't drink alcohol but find sparkling cider disgusting (I know I do).  I think there's a couple reasons that make sense but I haven't reviewed this yet so there may be a big reason to not want it.

Packaging:  Simple glass bottles with a twist-off cap.

Non-Taste Senses:  It is a not-quite clear yellow color and it does have a light wine scent.

Taste:  I think if you come into this expecting soda/pop, you're going to be pretty disappointed.  It's not that sweet and the fermented nature gives it that wine taste.  The juice is primarily made of apples so you're gonna taste that but I honestly didn't taste too much of the anise.  It's there, but it tastes more like gingerbread spice to me.  This stuff is probably best served chilled.  Also, mine is a little expired but I've had it not-expired and even then, it isn't super fizzy.  It's more of something you feel in your mouth than when you're drinking it.

Overall:  It's not bad and I recommend people getting this for pregnant women as opposed to sparkling juice with enough sugar to make the baby hyper for 5 years.  It's not amazing and probably isn't good for kids, but it's a good substitute for wine.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site.  They recently went through a product redesign so that's why mine looks different.

TasTEA Time! Good Earth Red Tea with Lemon

What:  Possibly one of the worst teas I've ever tasted

Where:  USA

Why Should I Care:  I mentioned in another review that I was a little apprehensive about buying Red/Rooibos tea and the reason is this tea.  I found it when going though our kitchen's tea stash (as opposed to my own personal tea stash) and this was crammed in the corner because nobody would drink it.  Red Tea is practically idiot-proof in that you can stick it without regards to temperature, steeping time or caffeine levels (it's decaf).  I've also noticed that when there are flavored varieties available, it's usually more along the lines of sweet or spicy as opposed to zesty like a lemon.  Maybe this tea improves with time?

Packaging:  Lucky for me, it's in a lovely IWFS.

Non-Taste Senses:  This particular brand is lighter than the Heath and Heather tea.  It smells lemony...and spicy.

Taste:  It's not the red tea's fault.  I didn't realize this when I was young, but it really isn't the red tea's fault.  Whoever designed this tea should have picked a flavor and stuck with it.  You have the citrus, which is slightly faded due to the passage of time but it's still zesty and a bit bitter.  Then you have the spicy herbs like chicory root that make this spicy.  Overall, this is far too busy in terms of flavor profiles and and the naturally-sweet red tea doesn't help it.  Nothing, NOTHING, will save it from milk, sugar, ice, booze, anything!

Overall:  There are some Good Earth teas that I like.  This is not one of them.  I can't imagine anyone enjoying this but if you do, you are one heck of a masochist.

My Rating:  Stay Away!  If you ever have the desire to buy something that is liquid torture, here's the site.  Like I said, I don't hate every product of theirs but be warned that Good Earth teas tend to be....busy.   Apparently, they realized that this tea was horrible too since I don't see it on the site.

TasTEA Time! Loyd Fruits of the Forest Mulled Wine Tea

It's also a well documented fact that cats help beat the cold weather.

What:  A non-alcoholic version of mulled wine.

Where:  I got this at a Polish store, but for now I can only say somewhere in Europe.

Why Should I Care:  Mulled Wine is pretty much one of the best thing to beat the cold and share with company. You have this combination of fruit, spices and booze that really makes a great drink when the weather's chilly and you have nowhere important to go.  It's nice seeing this in tea form if only because you can drink it in more practical places like your car or work without that little thing called intoxication.  Plus I'm a sucker for berry tea.

Packaging:  The pack I got had the sachets individually wrapped in cellophane.  I can't tell you whether that has the freshness preserving edge over foil but hey, it works.

Non-taste Senses:  The tea itself is this nice reddish-pink color and it give off this smell of spices and berries from halfway across the room.

Taste:  It's strong, but not in the bad way.  It feels like you're drinking blackberry juice with some cloves and other spices mixed in.  The berry flavor is nice and it stands up well to the spices that also are in here.  The box says there's a hint of alcohol but I don't taste it (and doubt it's enough to make any difference).  I think it can be drunk without any sweetener but it also takes sugar well and although I think it would be ok cold, that kinda defeats the purpose.

Overall:  Do you like spiced apple cider?  Do you like berries?  Would you spend two dollars on a ten-pack?  If the answer is yes then check it out.  It makes a great alternative to hot cocoa.

My Rating:  Try it!  The site didn't have any shopping links but it probably in your European Market.