Tazo

best tea latte at starbucks

I like this particular herbal blend, but now that I’m partly through the box, I realize I really bought it for the mint flavor, and I would prefer it to be 100% peppermint. That’s okay though, I will just keep using it until it’s gone, then go back to an 100% peppermint.

A filterbag tea. Smells wonderfully fruity and candylike in the envelope. The brew is a light golden color. The aroma of the cup is much more subdued than the bag suggests. Tazo says this is a delicate tea with hints of blueberry and white cranberry. My initial reaction is it reminds me of Hawaiian shaved ice only hot. You can taste the white tea and it is ok, nothing special. I think all the flavors improve as the cup cools. It will get bitter if you steep too long and it does leave a bit of an aftertaste. I usually don’t care for Tazo teas, except Lotus which I drink often. Most seem to be way overdone. This tea I kind of like simply because it is light and understated.

This tea bag smells like Black Draught, an old remedy my grandma use to have when she go sick in the stomach. After I put the sachet in the water, I can quickly taste the rose petals,chamomile and lemongrass. It took a little while to taste the spearmint and the sarasparrilla. This tea is also very grassy and woodsy. It does what it said it will do. CALM!

You work with what the Universe gives you. I was stuck in an auto service waiting room and needed a caffeine fix. Luckily, since I have a MINI and they’re very “British” there, they had quite a bit of tea available. It was all in traditional bags however.

I picked this one because I thought it would have the most flavor even if the bag was stale or the water wasn’t quite hot enough. It was a good choice. The tea brewed very dark and the chai spices were very pungent. I wish the tea base was a little stronger but, given the minimal room available in a traditional tea bag, it wasn’t too bad.

Fortunately, they finished my car early (love MINI service!) so I didn’t have to move on to the Earl Grey. (I like EG but didn’t want to be disappointed by a bag.)

I bought this as an alternative to the Tazo Zen I’d gotten as an office tea at a new short-term contract. (I don’t really stock up my tea collection at work until I’m sure I’ll be there for a while.) I like orange blossom scents in perfumes, so I thought why not in tea? Also, I enjoy jasmine tea straight, so why not in an herbal blend?

The scent of the unbrewed tea in the bag was cloying. It was very sweet, and the berries and orange were pretty overpowering. It also had the scent of fennel — a bit like the dishes of fennel and candy at Indian restaurants — and since I don’t usually like licorice or fennel in my teas (I won’t drink Stash for this reason), I suddenly found myself regretting the purchase. I decided to try it anyhow, though.

Because it’s a green, I only brewed it for about 2 minutes. I prefer my teas light, so I removed the bag as soon as I saw the color really spread throughout the cup. The result was very light and floral. It tasted mainly of chamomile, with very difficult to taste hints of orange and berry and jasmine, and a distinct aftertaste of licorice (the fennel and tarragon coming through) followed by orange oil. The taste of the green tea was pretty much overpowered by the herbal elements.

It was an okay taste — there wasn’t too much licorice flavor, it wasn’t overpoweringly sweet, and I enjoy the flavor of chamomile. I’ve been very slowly using up the bags I purchased, but I doubt I’ll be getting a second box.

This tea strikes a balance between a nice green tea (nothing noteworthy, but definitely not a bad green) and a light, refreshing herbal tea.

The smell out of the bag is very grassy and minty. The recommended brewing time is 3 minutes — I tend to brew it two minutes or less, to keep the green tea from developing a more bitter taste and to keep the brew light and slightly watery (I don’t like heavy brews).

Overall, it reminds me of a Moroccan mint tea mixed with an herbal lemon verbena tea. The lemongrass adds a good citrusy flavor to round it out. This tea is a standby for me when I want something quick, light, easy to brew, and stimulating.

The main thing I don’t like about this blend is actually the name. Zen is a bit pretentious and cliche, and to trademark a tea name like Zen is just ridiculous.

Before I discovered how much I loved green, white, and oolong teas, I drank tea mainly because I enjoyed the flavor of herbal teas and fruit or spice flavored black teas. This tea strikes a balance between a nice green tea (nothing noteworthy, but definitely not a bad green) and a light, refreshing herbal tea. Overall, it reminds me of a Moroccan mint tea mixed with an herbal lemon verbena tea. The lemongrass adds a good citrusy flavor to round it out. This tea is a standby for me when I want something quick, light, easy to brew, and stimulating.

The main thing I don’t like about this blend is actually the name. Zen is a bit pretentious and cliche, and to trademark a tea name like Zen is just ridiculous.

Notes:

The smell out of the bag is very grassy and minty.

The recommended brewing time is 3 minutes — I tend to brew it two minutes or less, to keep the green tea from developing a more bitter taste and to keep the brew light and slightly watery (I don’t like heavy brews).

A previous tasting note mentions good quality tea bags — I agree. The teabags used for this blend are very high quality.

For the 3+ years I’ve worked at Starbucks, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to enjoy China Green Tips (especially since we switched to full leaf in 2009), but I just don’t like it! :[ I have access to essentially infinite bags of the stuff, and as I’ve mentioned in past tasting notes, I’ve tried many ways to enjoy it.

Eureka! I felt inspired to try something new yesterday after brewing up a cup of oft’ mentioned sencha from Yamamotoyama. At home I dust the leaves with matcha powder before brewing it to make my own rich ‘supergreen’ tea. At work, we also carry a matcha powder, though it is contaminated with a good amount of sugar. When I use the sweet matcha, it’s to put in a smoothie, steamed milk, or lemonade. I’d never thought to use it to ‘dust’.

12 ounces of water for two sachets. Steep it a bit and pour the hot tea into a shaker with a stingy pinch of matcha powder, swirl until it turns a nice fresh lime color. If it’s not ‘Kermit the Froggy’ enough (as my coworkers tend to describe my drinks) swirl in a touch more matcha. Add a big cup of ice, shake vigorously, pour into a tall cup, and adore the pretty color.

It’s not perfect. It’s still made from China Green Tips. It’s a utilitarian green; good more for a cup of antioxidants and other awesome green tea magic, and less for enjoying a nuanced flavor profile. It perks me up on those long shifts and is acceptable in taste.

Oh China Green Tips, I really want to like you. I take you home for my weekly mark-out hoping that maybe THIS tin will be the tin that does it. I’ve tried you hot, cold, strong, weak, blended with other teas; I’ve cut open your lovely sachet and tried to use you as a seasoning. I’ve even put you in an oil warmer to take some stink out of the air. But you’re just like that one friend that you really want to like because they seem nice at first, but when you get to know them, there’s something kind of ‘off’ about them, yet every time you get together, you hope that somehow they have changed.

As a lover of all things green, I should be delighted that I have a free supply of China Green Tips available to me by virtue of employment at Starbucks, but it just doesn’t do it for me. It smells okay, the leaves look pretty, and it’s supposedly high quality stuff. But I steep it and it just, it just… doesn’t taste that good. It has a metallic bitterness, and I wonder if it comes from the metal tins the tea comes in, or just a feature of the leaves. I’ve tried short steeps and long steeps, and a range of temperatures. Steeped short and hot and then poured over ice until it’s just barely flavored water is the most tolerable way I can drink it. If my stomach is feeling gross, sometimes I will make a hot cup to sip for the astringency. Resteeps? Forget about it… leaves are too deteriorated.

I’m a fan of citrus teas, but as a general rule I have to admit I don’t like fruity teas. Despite this, when my sister offered me a bag – the box proper is hers – I accepted.

“It has hibiscus and rose hips,” she told me, waving the bag tantalizingly in front of my face. I generally love these in tea, so I went for it.

Now, before I talk about my reaction, let me note that until very, very recently I was not really aware that there was a “right” way to make tea. While the concept of tea being good for more than one brewing registered dimly in the back of my head, I was somehow able to ignore the concept of overdoing it.

So, I had let the tea brew for about five minutes before trying it. I already didn’t like it – too sickly sweet/tart for my taste. I like citrus teas, as I said, but this tea was tart in a way that I just didn’t find appealing. I admit that after the first few sips I pretty much left the tea on the table and went to do something else. And then, when I came back an hour later, it was even worse. Cold, of course, and overbrewed because I’d stupidly left bag in the mug. It tasted like a particularly unripened mango that was somehow too sweet at the same time. (I had not added sugar – I never do)

At any rate, I choked down the rest and told my sister the next day not to worry about me stealing her tea. I just really disliked it. Since I did it incorrectly, I’ll likely give the tea a second chance at some point down the line. However, considering how much I disliked it even when it was freshly done, I’m not holding my breath on changing my mind.

It’ll be a while before I get back to it.

PS – this tea is STRONG, did I mention that?

I usually drink my tea hot, but this was good too.

I had a bottle of this tea with my lunch today. It’s tasty enough, with a lot of berry flavor to it, and it isn’t too overbearing with hibiscus flavor which I appreciate. It was a little sweeter than I would have liked it to be, but the tartness offset that a little bit. Overall, a pleasant bottled tea and better than soda!

PS: You can read about my lunch here: http://hungryinportland.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/happy-birthday-grilled-cheese-grill/

I am really jealous of you US-based tea drinkers: I love this tea, but it just doesn’t exist in the UK. I got a few bags as part of a gift a while ago and I’ve been really carefully rationing them since :(

Just dropped a bag of this in my cup for an afternoon chill out. It has been one of those days and I need something soothing or else someone might loose an arm. ANYWAY…to me this tea has a nice smooth flavor and a even mix of rooibos and vanilla flavors. Now if only I had some steamed soy milk to mix in here….yum! But alas simply the tea with a few sugar cane crystals.

Had my first cup of this after having my earl grey for the morning. My mom bought it who is normally a coffee drinker so i figured it would be a coffe like strong black tea. I usually love a some what bitter tea. But the aftertaste of this one wasnt my favorite. I did get a slight taste of the cherry it claims to have which isnt bad but only after i added a splash of milk and honey did i get the presence of a cherry undertone. All in all not a horrible black tea if your in need of a day starter or pick me up. But the flavor just didnt quite do it for me. and the aftertaste leaves me wanting another cup of something else to cleanse my palate.

I forgot to log this tea yesterday when I picked up a giant cup at Starbucks. I felt exhausted and needed some kind of refreshment! The nice thing about this drink is that it tastes familiar and just about the same no matter which Starbucks I visit. The chai is sweet and not too spicy. (It seems less sweet to me than its hotter version – and that’s a good thing! Sometimes the hot Tazo chai lattes can be a little too sweet.) I tend to get a sour note on the tail end of some sips. I honestly don’t believe that it’s from bad milk, but that it’s just the way it is. This is a solid drink to have when you’re not in the mood for a rich espresso drink or plain tea. While this isn’t my favorite thing to have from Starbucks, it was very fitting yesterday in the afternoon.

I’m not a huge fan of most Tazos, but I really enjoy this one. Be careful not to oversteep as it gets bitter quickly. Makes a wonderful iced tea – a staple of my summer drink repertoire.

Yum. That’s about all I want to say about this infusion. I consider myself a bit of a purist – my current tastes are set at straight black tea and I’m exploring the different varieties of that. I had a sample of this laying around from a gift basket we got at Christmas and I just wanted to add a little variety to my day.

I want to start trying the different varieties of green/oolong/white teas soon and I won’t let this be my introduction to green tea.

I must say that they did do a decent job blending these flavours into a nice mellow slightly minty brew. I would drink it again if someone offered it to me.

The main problem with Starbucks’ Earl Grey Tea Latte is that, when allowed to brew for a few minutes (which is necessary if you want that Earl Grey flavor), it becomes bitter. You really do need to sweeten this one. I use more sweetener in this than I do in anything else. I don’t even want to tell you how many packets of stevia and Splenda I put in here, because you will laugh at me. But once it’s adequately sweetened, it’s a real treat, and you can definitely taste the lavender and bergamot. I get this on my way to work in the morning and I have it with a few of Starbucks’ mini vanilla bean scones. Dipping the scones in the tea is the way to go.

Overall, not what I’d call a high-quality tea experience, but it’s tasty and easy, and a great way to start the day at work.

Not a fan of it without Starbucks’ Classic Syrup. Honey won’t cut the bitterness for me, but the syrup makes it taste delicious :)

Too strong when served hot! Much better when served iced with raspberry or classic syrup. Starbucks’ other teas are much better.