Candy Cane Lane

This one came from VariaTEA – thanks again for all the Celestial Seasonings Holiday samples, I’ve had good success so far so I was optimistic about this one, especially because it’s a mint tea.

However, steeped up I was actually really disappointed and none too impressed. This tasted very artificial/sugary and actually reminded me of oatmeal? I have a feeling a fair bit of the bags will be served to try or that I’ll be taking a slower time getting through them.

But hey, you can’t love them all.

So I’m getting a lot of marshmallow out of this tea today. V. strange, but still awesome and holiday-y. I’m so at odds as to whether or not I like that its decaf. I like to being able to drink it before bed, but I need a kick to study.
I’m wondering if adding actual green tea to this will distort the flavor more than I’m okay with.
On a side note:
SNOW! I FINALLY GOT SOME. I AM PUMPED. for the 1/2 cm thats in very small patches…but its snow!

Backlogging – enjoyed this after dinner/binge eating feast on Turkey Day. I love the simplicity of it – it’s green tea with minty flavors. I just let the bag steep for the length of the cup (which ended up being longer than usual as I kept “topping off” the mug). My mom has a box, but I’m going to have to load up with my own for the rest of the season! Yums!

I had a cup of this tea last night after dinner (love that it’s decaf!) We picked up a box of this before the holidays and I expected it to be a regular cup of mint tea. It’s so much better though, with the addition of vanilla and cinnamon. I’ve also made lattes out of this and it’s just perfect. This is a nice twist on the traditional cup of mint tea.

-Regular teabag without a string.
-Teabag smells strongly of peppermint and vanilla. Tea liquor aroma is of mint, vanilla and cinnamon.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy yellow brown color.
-Creamy mint flavor with a soft vanilla finish. Lingering peppermint aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener. Smallest amount of milk optional.
-Very good tea. A smooth and minty cup.

Love this. LOOOOVE. Way to go, steepster and co, for getting me hooked on this gem. Something nostalgic stirred in me after reading so many tasting notes on this stuff. I knew I had to try it. And thankfully Safeway had 1 box left!

For a bagged green, I love how I can’t taste the green tea. It’s peppermint and vanilla for me mostly, with that hint of cinnamon lingering at the end of some sips. I’ve been managing two long steeps from a bag.

I’ve plowed through a fair bit in just a couple days, all the while totally neglecting other teas to be de-cupboarded before a massive boxing day tea shopping spree. Needless to say I need to hunt down more boxes of this!

So I got what seems to be a mild concussion Sunday night (while sledding on my birthday, no less) and I’ve been rather out of sorts for the past day and a half. I’m feeling so much better now…thanks in part to the perfect mug of this that I brewed on my way to class this afternoon. It really tastes like a candy cane…smells amazing…sweet and minty…refreshing and calmed my stomach…perfect. Thank you, tea, for helping my recovery.

I was so full after supper that something pepperminty was in order. This is my last bag of this tea (“But why is the tea always gone?”) and luckily I ran out just in time for me to get a new round of Christmas teas from the grocery stores.

I had this one as my before-bed tea last night, and I have to admit that I was almost expecting it to be terrible. It smells like candy canes straight out of the box, and upon brewing, the scent is pretty close to that of a certain kind of melt away soft mint I like. The flavor is almost spot on for it too. It’s very tasty, at least if you like candy canes or those soft peppermint pieces. I found it quite relaxing, too :)

I have a box of this saved up for special occasions when it is really needed. Well today is definitely one of them. I’m supposed to be teaching knitting classes at Michael’s, but I just found out that there haven’t been sign up sheets out since June. :( I’m also supposed to be hearing back from another job to see if I got hired, but I’m guessing I haven’t since nobody has called me. I have basically no income right now. On top of it all I’m sick and only seem to get more sick as the days go by. I think a nice soothing cup of tea is exactly what I need.

As for the tea itself, I’m not sure what more I can say that hasn’t already been said by one of the other many tasting notes here. The flavors all work wonderfully together. I do wish the mint was a bit stronger, but I’m the kind of person who can never have too much mint in her tea. This tea seems to be doing wonders for my sore throat as well. I can’t wait to stock up again this winter!

Candy Cane Lane by Celestial Seasonings is crazy delicious! I imagine some earnest hippie woman at Celestial Seasonings HQ in Colorado, losing sleep, trying again and again to get the blend just right and finally collapsing, beaming, sipping this tea from a handmade pottery mug. First of all, it has a subtle green tea taste, which gives this tea a little body so it’s not all herbal. Second of all, the blend of mint, vanilla and cinnamon is just perfection. A candy cane in a cup! After getting a sample of this (thank you Josie Jade!) I admit I’ve been to three stores, hoping that there will be a bin of holiday teas on sale, but no luck. Fortunately, one can order Candy Cane Lane online, so I won’t have to wait for Christmas to come around again.