Tazo

Thanks, I needed that.

My second refill at Starbucks today was an oh-so-satisfying cup of Tazo Calm. Today’s brew was quite a bit less red—more brown—than the one I drank at home yesterday. So it does seem to be true that the contents of any given sachet can vary a lot.

This one had less hibiscus and more chamomile—which was fine with me!

Tonight’s cup of sachet-brewed Tazo Calm looked more red than usual. I’ve noticed that the components vary from sachet to sachet, so maybe here there is more hibiscus than usual. The various flavors were wellblended and the brew smooth and not too lemongrassy, though there seemed to be quite a few pieces of lemongrass stalk in the bag.

Now I am ready to retire!

I prepared a big cup of Tazo Calm from the sachet, and tonight it seemed smoother than before: a gentle blend of chamomile with blackberry leaves, lemon balm, mint, hibiscus and lemongrass but also rose petals, lavender, and marigold! No wonder I like it so much: it’s a bouquet of flowers!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the Tazo Calm sachets are a million times better than the filter bags!

A symphony of perfectly blended flavors and scents.

Today’s trip to Starbucks began with a venti quad Caramel Flan Latte with soymilk and whip—extra hot (I almost forgot: that is very important to say, because their large drinks do not stay hot long enough otherwise…). It was a reward, so I went all out. Every time I do this, I have regrets. A beverage with 500 calories is not really a beverage but a meal, so usually I make sure that I have not eaten the meal in question before ordering this kind of monstrosity. To be honest, I don’t even really like dessert drinks, though I always end up trying each variety once. I should probably just use my rewards for sandwiches. I’m still planning on losing my Teavana store virginity at some point, which would be a good way to redeem rewards, but I could not muster up the courage to penetrate the mall today.

So my take-away refill was Calm brewed from the sachets. I noticed today more than before that there really is quite a dose of lemongrass in this blend. Also spearmint, but the lemongrass gave it a rather woody taste. I later examined the sachets and discovered that there were major stalks inside!

I usually take a Refresh away as my refill and probably I will in the future as well, because this was not as good. Of course, I was really full, too, so that may have played a role in my reception of the quality of the brew. I usually do not order a venti quad soymilk dessert drink. For some reason I feel compelled to get the large size just because it’s free, even though I prefer the shape of the grande cup and consider it to be a more appropriate size for a beverage. I noticed that the difference in price between the grande (16 ounce) and the venti (20 ounce) is only twenty cents, so I imagine that lots of people order the “supersize” for that reason alone.

I ended up drinking my venti Calm chamomile, too, and as a result I may not be hungry again until tomorrow.

I had another cup of Calm prepared from the sachet last night. I still feel that there are a lot of different flavors competing with the result that the chamomile is left lurking in the shadows. However, unlike my latest batch of Sleepytime, the spearmint does not completely take over the blend…

I tried the Tazo Calm sachet again tonight. I think that it would be better brewed more strongly. I forgot to try brewing with a Harney & Sons Egyptian Chamomile, as I had thought about doing before. I’ll try that next time. Tonight this seems weak and a bit too minty for a chamomile blend.

Okay, I now see that I am writing these notes for Calm advanced mesh filter sachets in the wrong place. My tin (which is the same as what is served at Starbucks these days) lists:

Chamomile flowers, blackberry leaves, lemongrass, rose petals, spearmint leaves, lemon balm leaf, hibiscus flowers, lavender flowers, marigold flowers

So this is quite a bit different from what is listed above. This blend is much lower on hibiscus, for one thing. The blackberry leaves and lemongrass are fairly dominant. I taste the spearmint at the very end, which is a nice touch. There is no licorice, which is probably why this is less sweet.

Tonight it occurred to me that brewing a bag of this with a bag of Harney & Sons Egyptian Chamomile might just produce the perfect chamomile blend. This one is not as rich in chamomile, and the Harney & Sons appears to be a soliflore, so to speak.

Once again I am confused about the various listings of a tea at Steepster. I definitely need to separate Tazo Calm Chamomile filter bags from the sachets, because they are completely different blends and deserve very different ratings.

Tonight I had the loose leaf chamomile blend in a sachet, and it was MUCH better than the filter bags in the light envelope. I had tried these sachets in a Starbucks and was favorably impressed. Tonight I confirmed that this blend and format produce a vastly superior cup of tea. The flavor is on the lemony side and there are tons of other adulterants thrown in as well, but they all serve to embellish, not to shroud the chamomile, bringing out the best in the little yellow buds.

So far this is the winner in my quest for the best chamomile tea. I’ll have to buy another box of Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime and do a side-by-side comparison to be sure. My memory of Sleepytime is quite positive, but sometimes our memories enhance the experience. We shall see…

I now have a fair number of the Tazo Calm Chamomile sachets, so I’ll be satisfied with these for the foreseeable future. No more gross wood dust masquerading as chamomile. I’ll stick with the sachets when it comes to Tazo.

This tea is wonderful! I like to brew it with some simple green tea, as it really enhances the flavor.

doesnt taste much better iced. blech (backlog)

It was on sale and I fell for the yummy-sounding description. And then I found out that it tastes like orange Airbourne.

And by the way, the smell is REALLY deceiving. Its smells sooo good, exactly like an orange Starburst.

Well… I tried this tea with semi – high hopes and I was let down. I have never had a rooibos tea before.. not sure if it was that or the “vanilla” that left me with an unsatisfied impression. I tried making a latte out of it also, my first time doing that as well.. I am still not impressed. I will leave this in my cupboard in case my taster changes in the near future.

This is my least favorite chamomile tea that I’ve come across. Maybe I’m just a purist, but I prefer only chamomile in a chamomile tea. This tea has a woody, spicy flavor to it that I do not enjoy.

Hmm, interesting. Grabbed a cup of this at Starbucks on the way to school. By the time I got there, I think it oversteeped. I’m tasting mostly black and some oolong. Very bold and a bit bitter (probably because of the oversteeping). Also, the tea bag is pretty huge compared to my “Tall” cup. Anyway, the tea seems a bit plain for me, but I’m using it more for caffeine purposes, so it is doing its job!

I made a big pot of Tazo Earl Grey Blanc today to help me to survive the arduous first day of moving. I’ve decided to take a staggered approach, moving stuff in waves. Today was small kitchen appliances such as bread machine, ice cream maker, toaster oven, etc. Plus a bunch of seasonal clothing. Naturally I did not move any of my tea-making supplies yet!!!!

Three Bodum glasses of creamy Earl Grey Blanc (with light cream), brewed strong to produce a caramel-colored liquor, was just what I needed! Now I get to move the other 95% of my possessions accumulated over ten years. Eventually I shall finish!

Something about a fresh blanket of snow atop a block of ice atop an old crusty blanket of snow atop another block of ice makes me crave a big pot of Tazo Earl Grey Blanc!

And so that’s what I drank on this antarctically frigid but sunny afternoon! I made the brew stronger than usual because I needed a real burst of caffeine, plus I now have half and half—not light cream—on hand, and I did not want the creaminess to be compromised.

It was delightful, and now I am bursting with energy and optimism. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll venture out of my house for the first time in three days!

Can’t really get enough of this luscious tea. I love it so much. Creamy and smooth, it contains the perfect amount of vanilla, a fine black tea base with no scratchiness whatsoever, and a mild but tasty dose of bergamot. Yum!

Another snow day, another perfect opportunity for Earl Grey!

We began with a wintry mix, then the sleet-like precipitation suddenly became fluffy and flocculent. After a few hours, the temperature rose and all of the snow on the ground turned to slush.

To celebrate, I stayed home and drank a big Bodum of creamy Earl Grey Blanc!

Another yummy pot of Tazo Earl Grey Blanc loose leaf is making me realize that vanilla and Earl Grey really do work beautifully together! I’ll definitely be exploring more variations on the haute Earl Grey theme…

For now, let us simply rejoice that winter—and with it occasions for hot tea—will be with us here in Boston for another three months—or more!

Today was my idea of a perfect Earl Grey day: ridiculously cold and forbidding outside. I walked a few miles yesterday running errands and really just wanted to stay snuggly and warm inside this afternoon. I seized the frosty moment as a propitious opportunity to brew up and enjoy a full Bodum of Tazo Earl Grey Blanc.

I really find this variant on the Earl grey theme to be delicious. The stout Assam-like brownish red brew (not sure whether it is authentic Assam, but it certainly is Assam style) has a fair amount of bergamot but also a good dose of natural vanilla. Served with light cream this tea is truly satisfying. Creamy and delicious!

This flavored blend was not at all what I was expecting—Earl Grey Blanc is not a white tea at all! I purchased a 2 ounce envelope of this Tazo whole leaf loose tea under the assumption that it would be a bergamot-flavored white tea. (Why else would it be called “blanc”?).

Fortunately, although it is not what I thought that I bought, it tastes very nice. The tea is black, but the Earl Grey flavoring has been embellished with a very nice touch of vanilla. Initially, the brewed tea tastes and smells more like vanilla than bergamot, but shortly thereafter the bergamot asserts itself and ends up much stronger than the opening vanilla.

I drank this tea this afternoon with light cream, and found it quite enjoyable. The flavor is smooth and silken and was enhanced by the cream.

I recently ordered the Harney & Sons Paris tea, which seems also to feature bergamot and vanilla on a black blend. It will be interesting to compare the two…