Tazo

Good flavor. Light on the vanilla and heavy on the Rooibos. I think it would make for a wonderful latte with pure Rooibos concentrate.

This is absolutely one of my favorite green teas. It’s very forgiving if you oversteep. The lemongrass is not overpowering and it’s a very well-rounded tea and the spices are just pure harmony.

I drank this tea to accompany a bowl of fresh strawberries sprinkled with sugar before freezing and then doused with cream. Yum!

This fruit-scented black tea blend from Tazo, Sultry Strawberry, packs a mighty punch of strawberry parfum in the dried form, but the taste of strawberry in the brew is quite light. The tea base is also rather light. I used a hefty 2 tsp for my single glass and the liquor is definitely on the lighter side of amber. The base is apparently a blend of teas from India, but Assam does not appear to be implicated, or if it is there is a lot more of some milder teas.

This is one of those cases where the dried tea builds up great expectations which may be dashed in the brew. In the end, it’s a decent black tea with only a slight fruitiness on top. I drank mine with cream. The flavor of the tea itself is good, but perhaps this would be better named Subtle Strawberry.

I would not recommend this as a fruit tea per se, but it’s fine as a medium-bodied black.

I think I’m finding that I dislike or have a lower tolerance for flowery/fruity teas. I thought this was tart, kind of bitter… I have a friend who loves it though, and so does her daughter :s

I’m still very new to tea but I appreciate the accessibility of this tea as well as its pleasant taste and relatively easy brewing to achieve said taste.

I didn’t realize this was a blend, otherwise I would have altered my steep a little. Nonetheless, I shall judge this as it is, and hopefully not be committing too much of a steeping sin as a result.

I was actually surprised by my first sip, as the waves of flavour seemed to hit me individually. I was expecting the richness of the black tea, but then there was a hit of something else, and then the lingering flavour of the oolong. Overall, it’s a little sweet, much better sipped than gulped, and apparently at its best while hot.

Sipdown (195/197)!

My laptop was reset to default settings when I got it back today (new hard drive), and that stupid “tap to click” function is enabled and I can’t figure out how to turn it off, so I just lost a long and detailed tasting note because I accidentally tapped near the “X” button and cancelled out of my own tasting note. I’ve also been inadvertently highlighting and deleting paragraphs all day. ERGH!

Tre brought me back a single bag of this from Regina (he got back today) – and I kind of didn’t want it, so I just got the sipdown out of the way. I feel bad when he gets me tea because he tries really hard, but often is really egotistical about it/pretends to know way more than he does or he just gets things completely outside of my personal taste – and if he payed attention to what I say about my tea he wouldn’t have either of those issues.

Take this one for example: he gave it to me and was really trying to play up the tea brand, and I just totally shut him down with what I know about Tazo (which he was mispronouncing horribly, and I was quick to point out). I don’t really drink Tazo not because I ’don’t know it exists’ but because I’ve been less than impressed with the few teas I’ve tried from them.

This isn’t an exception: it’s pretty weak in flavour and is underlying bitter – though there is a subtle fruitiness to it which I’ll admit tastes natural (a win), albeit also kinda generic. Personally, I don’t think I’d drink it again though and I sort of feel like I’ve wasted a bit of my time in trying it. Sorry Tre.

Also, speaking of mispronouncing things it really amuses me how much the three isolated potential houseguests are butchering the contestants names. I mean, they don’t know any better – but it is a little amusing. My favourite is the pronounciation of “Adel”. It’s supposed to be like the singer “Adele” but they’re saying it like “Ladle” without the L. With a hard A. Heh.

Having just imbibed a large mug of Teavana JavaVana Mate, which reminded me of Tazo Pogo, I decided to brew up a mug of Pogo posthaste! It turns out that the similarities are more superficial than deep. The Pogo has a darker, smokier quality, with less cocoa and a good dose of chicory. The roasted mate is the big overlap between the two blends.

I brewed Pogo quite strong today, with the result that the cup with cream looked just like coffee! In fact, it reminded me a bit of French Market coffee with chicory! There was almost a caramel texture to this batch, which reminded me of Golden Monkey—always a good thing!

I do believe that I prefer JavaVana Mate to Pogo, but they are both good and satisfying cold weather comfort drinks and coffee surrogates. I am now very much looking forward to the arrival of my Numi sample set including a few different pu-erh blends…

The first time I prepared a pot of Tazo Pogo, I found the brew less than appealing and ended up using it as the liquid for a chocolate rice pudding, which ended up being delicious.

Today I opted for a single cup not a pot, and I was somewhat more prepared than last time. Pu-erh and chicory impart a dark, almost subterranean quality to this brew. The scent of the dried blend is highly redolent of chicory, for better or for worse, depending upon one’s estimation of chicory. I suppose that mine is pretty low. Chicory is used to cut coffee—most famously in the French Quarter in New Orleans, but it’s definitely an acquired taste and works best served with powdered-sugar-dusted beignets.

In Pogo, the brewed tea does not really taste like chicory so much—at least not after it’s been doused with light cream, which for me is a necessity to the appreciation of this dark brown liquor. There is a real richness to it, an almost chocolate texture, though the flavor is far more complex and not at all sweet. Basically I find it indescribable, but I did enjoy this cup.

This blend seems intended for pu-erh gringos like me!

I should have checked steepster before getting this at Starbucks. Luckily I get free hot tea thru their gold program cause I would be miffed. Its not terrible, just so anise infused and scented that its hard to cope with. Not doing this again but I will probably finish the cup.

Hey, a maté I actually really like?? Sweet!

I have been on the fence about maté in general for a while, but THIS tea is solidly in the “Love” category. :) I really appreciate that both spearmint and peppermint are present, because it just rounds out the minty experience. The chocolate and the roasted maté just complete each other so smoothly. Delicious!

I drank a mug of this tea this morning fro Starbucks and it’s the second time I have tried this. The first time i tried it was last summer so it has been a while and wanted to retaste it for reviewing puroses. It tastes similar to gyokuro due to its vegetal notes. It seems to have medium caffeine amount.

I had this tea this morning when I had to get up early for a work meeting on a Sunday. I added sweetener, because I wanted a sweet kick to wake me up. I liked the tea. I am surprised that people are so against this tea. I would have to absolutely hate a tea to give it such low marks, but to each their own and everyone’s tastes are different.

I like any chai tea, its my favorite kind of tea. I made it tonight because its going to get really cold over the next day. We are expecting storm Titan to hit tomorrow.

I went to Trader Joe’s today with my mom. I stocked up on TV dinners. I have paper plates and bowls and plastic silverware just in case we lose water [again].

I’m supposed to be studying for Spanish Speaking test 1. I think I’m pretty much ready. I’m listening to Pandora to try to relax. A neighbor is playing really LOUD music. (I’m using headphones). I love Chai tea. I like it iced the best with milk.

For me, the aroma and taste of this tea brings pure comfort. I am sure this is largely due to the fact that (it’s a lovely tea, and) I ordered this tea from Starbucks regularly when I started dating my sweetheart. It wasn’t uncommon for us to meet up, grab a cup of Refresh and head out on our date. He isn’t a tea drinker at all, but he enjoys this blend.

I do enjoy Peppermint, but I have always been more partial to Spearmint, so I really enjoy it. I love it “hot and clear” or with a touch of honey.

Tasty and really warms me up on this cold day…it is kind of making me sleepy though :)

Not usually a fan of Tazo teas but I try not to judge before sampling something new. On another note it’s my cat Ivory’s birthday today, he turns 2 and it’s gone by so fast. RIP to Ebony who would have also been 2 today, I looked out of the window half an hour ago and there was the biggest rainbow I had ever seen and I was in perfect place to admire it. I’ve always called Ivory my little rainbow baby. Ebony and Ivory did everything together so I think it’s his way of wishing his brother a happy birthday from cat heaven :)

(sip, sip, sip) Very tart and sour with in a fruity berry like way. Still rather hibiscus heavy overall though. There is some sweetness but it tastes somewhat chemical and just doesn’t cut through the tartness enough for my liking. It does in a way taste like passion fruit but much tarter.

Not a fan of this at all, may have to throw this away and make another tea as I believe I will struggle to finish this cup. Much too strong hibiscus wise for me.

i wanted to like this one and i thought i would, since it’s green tea with peach! i love fresh peaches & peach flavoring, and since i have a bunch of straight greens on hand i thought i’d try a fruity one. plus, i also had a great experience with Tazo’s other fruity green offering, Decaf Lotus Blossom.

this one is a letdown.

it has a somewhat ashy green tea base (not sure which one is used) that got bitter very quickly! in fact, it is so bitter now after having cooled, i’m not sure i can finish my cup. i’m not entirely sure if i’d write this one off as undrinkable as i think i should adjust my steeping parameters from 3 to 2 minutes and let it infuse in considerably cooler water next time, just to be sure.

for me, the only redeeming quality about this tea is that the aroma is definitely better when cooled & the peach opens up more, but it is soo bitter! ack.

I am a pu-erh gringo, so only complex blends so far. This one from Tazo, Peach Cobbler, promises a delectable sweet peach cobbler experience—at least judging from the scent of the dried tea!

The prepared product is another thing altogether. Without cream, I find the dark amber brew a bit overwhelming. I’m not sure whether this should be a cause for complaint, however, because what I find most dominant of all is the intense flavor of pu-erh! This makes me wonder whether some of the negative ratings on this tea are coming from people for whom, like me, pu-erh lies fairly far from their tea comfort zone.

I’m a big fan of green and black teas, but my experience with pu-erh is so limited that I cannot really say that this is a bad tea, since I do think that it tastes like pu-erh. It does not taste very much like peach cobbler—or peach, or even fruit—but with cream it is a not unappealing dark blend.

I’ll definitely be drinking this one again (I have the rest of a 2 ounce package), as training wheels to unadulterated pu-erh. Whether I’ll ever graduate to a two-wheeler remains to be seen.

Tazo Blushberry Black is a fruity-black tea featuring strawberry, blueberry and raspberry mingling together with a multi-region black tea base. Unlike many fruity-black teas blends, which appear to use the same or a very similar China black base, this one combines teas from several different sources, none of which is China.

I brewed this small pot rather strong, under the assumption that I’d be drinking it with cream, which I am, and it tastes good this way, flavorful, creamy, and smooth. Without cream, the tea seems a bit tannic to me, but that may simply be a consequence of the strength of the brew!

The color of the liquor is dark reddish orange, and the fruity flavor is quite nice without being overwhelming, although I’d be hard-pressed to identify the specific red and blue fruits. The scent of the dried tea is redolent of forest berries and reminds me a bit in wafts of one of the dark reddish purple Bonne Maman mixed fruit jams.

This is a solid fruity black blend, and all natural, too, which is an added plus.

Sipdown another that was finished prior to entering my cupboard!

Thank you Kat_Maria for the added in teabag.

I have a few friends from my old city who think they’re big time tea drinkers but are more the ‘type’ of tea drinker that basically only owns teabags and kinda does it because it’s ‘trendy’ to be a tea drinker and drink Starbucks tea. Only a few even know what loose leaf is, and I think they’re only aware of DAVIDsTEA. Look at me sounding all ‘Tea Elitist’ ; that’s totally not the intention here. To each his/her own, and you know – move forward at your own pace, right? If teabags do it for you, then right on.

My point, anyway, is/was that the most recent time I talked to one of them I made the mistake of bringing up tea and she got very excited about this tea in particular and asked if I’d ever tried it, to which I responded that I’d heard of it and was familiar with the company/brand, but had never tried it personally. She just went on and on about how great it was. I believe at one point the phrases “Best tea in the world” and “Hibiscus is so great!” were uttered at least once, which I thought some people here on Steepster might find amusing.

So anyway, I received this one unexpectedly from Kat_Maria and finally took the opportunity to try it to see what all the “Tea Drinking Hipster” hype is all about, and I can summarize this in one word which makes practically every Steepster user simultaneously cringe: “Hibiscus”.

How the hell do people love this and drink it on a regular basis!? It was one of, if not the, most sour/tart and way overly sugary teas I’ve ever tried and I was puckered up throughout the entire mug full. Some kind of horrible cross between cloying and painfully sour/tart. It was so bad. Yeah, I’ll pass on this one in the future…

3 balls, 12oz boiling water for 3min.

I’m a fan of black teas in general, but this one didn’t quite impress me…it has a woodsy flavour with what almost tastes like fishy or umami undertones, but past that it actually falls pretty flat.

This might be okay as an iced tea with a decent amount of sugar, but as a simple hot steep it didn’t really make me want to go back for more.