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I don’t actually recall where I got this sample, I think it was at a vegetarian food festival. The bags are paper with cotton twine in a rectangular paper envelope and say “product of Thailand” on the back.

You have to kind of poke at the bag in the water to get the osmosis going, as the paper bag seems to be a little thick. Hence I start steeping it a little on the hot side. The leaves leak a pale mint green into the water that slowly turns to a gold-green, somewhere between citrine and peridot. On a positive note, the thicker paper means less dust or leaf “leakage” into the cup. There really isn’t much smell to it.

What seems so unassuming in the cup is really lovely on the tongue, however. It’s smooth and the mulberries add a slight sweet and woodsiness to it so that you don’t need any sweetener and it’s not astringent. It’s calming and refreshing all at the same time. I really like this for an evening relaxing tea and will need to find a reasonable source for it. Definitely more than meets the eye.

(yes, I’m trying to use up all my bagged samples to make room for good loose tea…)

This was another tea in my sampler tin from Nordstrom’s. The jasmine scent is strong when you open the foil, but it doesn’t overpower the taste. The scent while brewing becomes blended with a slight woodsy note, although it’s green tea with it. The liquor is a pale orange, almost gold, and the taste is okay. It definitely would benefit from some honey, as the jasmine adds no sweetness at all. Not too astringent. This is a good tea to relax with and I like the silk mesh bags the company uses.

Not bad for bagged. The spice aroma is definitely there, although it takes 2-3 teabags per cup to get the real strength of a chai. I also end up using about 4-6 of those little creamer cups we have at work since I don’t keep milk in the work fridge. Some sugar, maybe put it over some ice… It’s not the best chai I’ve ever had, but it suffices as a nice change from the cheap black tea during the workday without sacrificing my caffeine.

This was part of the variety pack in a tin I’d purchased at Nordstrom’s. It brewed up well, but didn’t seem to have much of a scent. I took three sips and had to pour this out. There was a strange taste that I can only say reminded me strongly of the sweetness with the bitter under-flavor you got from cough syrup as a child. I don’t know if it’s the “tropical” flavor or what, but it was horrible.

I just bought a tin of various Mighty Leaf Teas from Nordstrom’s E-Bar coffee shop. This one has a nice aroma blend of apple and orange when dry. Once in the hot water, the hibiscus and rose hips start bleeding rose color into the water, but complete submersion gives it a nice reddish-gold color like mild honey.

I find the Egyptian chamomile they use to be a lot milder than German, and the citrus is really what comes out in this tea. The aroma really makes you notice the little pieces of orange rind and bits of lemongrass. I do really like this brad’s use of silk mesh bags because you don’t get the stray leafage in your tea. It strains it perfectly.

Upon sipping, the chamomile taste is much more apparent than it is in the scent. It balances the citrus to the point where I can’t really taste either one over the other, and the rose hips come out nicely with a tiny bit of tanginess. Lightly astringent, I enjoy this tea’s effect. I can also imagine it would settle an upset tummy quite well. Afternoon to evening for this one, it’s definitely going to mellow you out.

Not bad for a bagged tea. This another of the ones free in my work’s breakroom. The jasmine scent is a bit strong, but I like that. Very grassy, a little acidic, it really benefits from a spoonful of sugar. But, all in all, a nice alternative to the sweet milky black tea of every morning.

Whole leaf in a silk bag. Probably the only bagged tea I’d willingly choose, LOL. Nice and grassy but not too astringent, lovely pale color, and gentle aroma. I got a couple of these as a free sample somewhere and I may have to get more. I bet they’d make a refreshing iced green.

I don’t personally care for the fruity teas served warm, but this one does make a nice change to normal iced tea in the summer. Mix it half and half with regular tea bags for just a hint of the fruit and sweeten it for a Southern twist.

I love going to Pike Place Market and picking up more Market Spice tea. It’s heavily cinnamon, which I love, and not too heavy on the orange part. I have found you need to keep this in a tin or airtight bag, however, as the oils will end up soaking through paper or a ziploc baggie. But at least the whole drawer ends up smelling yummy!

My company provides tea and coffee in the breakrooms, and Stash teas are the brand we use. While better than Lipton’s, it’s still a plain black bagged tea. It does suffice to wake one up in the morning if I use two bags to the cup.