Tazo

I got a cup of this at Starbucks today. I’m not going to give this one a rating as I think that there was way too much water for the teabag. It was weak and tasted apple-y.

This tea is my new favorite. I tried it this morning for the first time & found the taste to be excellent due to the perfect blend of ingredients.

I guess I am officially a Rooibos fan. Please try this tea if you are looking for a dessert tea to calm down your sweet tooth.

I have had it both hot and cold. When it is hot, the vanilla really comes through in the flavor. When it is cold, the peachy appleness is more dominant.

Good Job TAZO!

(Should my dear friends who gave me this tea today be reading this, please know that I loved the gift. That it came so thoughtfully from you makes my disappointment harder to bear.)

AUGH! Hibiscus! GROSS! Man oh man … this might be tolerable without the everlasting hibiscus. Tart to being sour, almost bitter. This tisane could strip paint. It smells lovely in the bag, and once the hot water hits it. Smells so refreshing — yet tastes like an axe made of leaden hibiscus. Seriously, that one ingredient ruins sooo many tisanes. So damn tart! And to think there’s lemon grass and citiric acid here, too …

A cup of Lemon Cream Rooios from David’sTea seems like milk in comparison.

Let’s look at the ingredients for Tazo Wild Sweet Orange here:

Ingredients: Lemongrass, blackberry leaves, citric acid, rose hips, spearmint, natural flavors, orange peel, safflower, hibiscus flowers, rose petals, natural orange essence, ginger and licorice.

At least ten tart/citric ingredients. Ye gods. Wild Sweet Overkill.

First of all, I agree with some comments posted here on Steepster that overall, Tazo is a disappointment, and seems to be concerned with marketing more than quality tea. However, this is what I think of, when I think of Chai. The spices are all in place, but not too much of any. Just the right amount of pepper, and the black tea comes through as well. I have tried this without milk and honey but it just isn’t the same. With those, it is almost perfect.
The concentrate is very good as well, but adds more carbs than I want or need.
I don’t have many loose leaf chai teas under my belt, and I am sure I will find some I like, but for now, I know I can always get at least one tea I love at the grocery.

This tea was a little strong, so I added a bit of almond milk. Perfect!

This my first time tasting a ginger tea blend. I really can’t smell the ginger. This blend is good tea for easing digestion en route to bed. I would buy it again. But it is not one of my favorites. This would blend well with your favorite green tea.

Very strong, without much flavor to show for it. Depth without a light of taste.

Nothing more to add, other than that the teabag will make an impressive second steep. Smelling the bag before tossing it, I got a big whiff of the cinnamon I failed to notice earlier. Strange tea.

The most exciting thing happened to me this morning (Okay, exaggeration – an exciting thing happened, not the most). I’m at work, being a receptionist (one more week!) and I’m opening one of the magazines we carry – and with the magazine is free tea! Granted, it’s Tazo which I have trouble getting behind because I loathe Starbucks and most of what it stands for, but free tea is free tea.

Dry, the teabag smells of rooibos and something else – not vanilla though. Maybe peach? There is definitely “full leaf” in this bag – the rooibos is larger than I’ve ever seen it, and I’ve got a lot of rooibos teas. The little sticks actually happen to be poking through the mesh which I find frustrating, but it could be worse.

The steeped smell is similar to the dry – surprisingly powerful. Again, not of vanilla but of something else. Something sweet. Maybe fruity. Kind of artificial. I have no ingredients list, I’ll have to look it up later.

The liquor is fairly orange and there is a little (very little) dust at the bottom of my cup. To be expected with a finer ‘tea’ like rooibos.

First tastes: Rooibos, with that weird strong smell. Sweet, maybe fruity. Not vanilla. No vanilla involved. Maybe it’s like chicken broth – the vanilla walked through the tea, but it isn’t IN it. Something about it makes me grimace a little bit. Maybe sour? I don’t know what this is… Wandering off to find ingredients list on internet

AHA! There ARE peaches. That must be what I’m getting. Apples were in the ingredient list, but I’m not picking up on that. If this were named something else, it might get a higher rating, but a vanilla rooibos it is not. 10/100 for being vanilla, but somewhere in the 60 range for being a regular fruity tea. Would drink again but would most likely not purchase.

I do appreciate that this is as close to loose leaf in a pre-packaged bag as you can get though. Better than many of my PC bagged teas, but I just can’t support Starbucks, not even in tea ventures.

Really like this tea from Tazo. Bold, not bitter. Great color and smooth. As usual, I like to add a smidgen of amber agave nectar to the teapot before steeping.

Bold. Great color, taste and texture. First time to try this one, but I don’t think it will be the last. My preference is with a touch of amber agave nectar.

A good start to the day is always enhanced with a little Earl Grey!

Starting today with a little Earl Grey. A touch of tupelo honey adds a sweet and local touch to my favorite tea so far.

Concluding tea drinking today with a little Earl Grey.

Remember how I said that the first time I had this it sucked and the second time was better? Well, with just enough milk to barely change the color and one teaspoon of sugar, it tastes positively malty with a hint of caramel. I had to go back for my second bag it hit the spot so hard.

I have a feeling that this would make a really good tea latte if I had the right tools for it. I don’t think I would go out and buy a whole box of this, but I don’t think I would turn it down anymore. With the right preparation and patience, it isn’t half bad!

Wow, I am really not used to having any sort of time like this on my hands. I got let go from first work early because of labor times and I just wanted something strong, sweet, and milky. This fits the bill perfectly.

I did try it by itself since I haven’t had it in a while. It is fine. Just not something I would drink all the time. I only have two bags of this right now since I got it with a teapot as a gift. So it isn’t bad with milk and sugar.

This tea was good. Not something I would drink all the time. Better with milk than plain.

Always consistent, and tasty. An added touch of amber agave nectar complements the spearmint perfectly.

Every time I have this tea, I enjoy the flavor. For some reason, this morning is especially good. Maybe I squeezed the optimal amount of amber agave nectar, or possible the longer steep time helped as well.

This seems to be my favorite green tea so far. The spearmint and lemongrass come through in perfect proportions. As usual, just enough amber agave nectar to barely cover the bottom of my tea cup provides a nice hint of sweetness.

Got two steepings from the mesh bags I put in my tumbler this morning for work. This is definitely a smooth spearmint flavor, with just enough lemon secondary notes to remind you that you’re not drinking liquid Wrigley’s gum. That’s not to say that the mint flavor is overwhelming, but I have a hard time distinguishing the green tea. Between Zen and Refresh, another of Tazo’s mint offerings, I believe Refresh is my preference.

But Zen would make an aMAZing iced tea for a warm weather treat. Make a strong infusion, squeeze a tad bit more lemon for balance, and you’re ready for ice!

I feel confident in suggesting that Zen is really trying to be more of a tisane than a tea.