Celestial Seasonings

No idea if this has any of the health benefits it promises, but even if it does I’m not sure it’s worth it. The taste is impressively medicinal for something that’s just a bunch of herbs.

Hey hey, don’t keep an old box of this in your cupboard for two years because then it tastes like dust!~
Just a warning :)

This kept my holiday spirits up very high though! (I still have one more Christmas celebration left haha, some friends from Toronto are coming home!!!)

So my biggest love is candy cane hot cocoa. It is my favorite thing this time of year. A few days ago I was craving it and so I asked the wife to make me a cup of peppermint tea and then add cocoa to it. It was okay, but the peppermint was way too strong and sharp, not sweet and mellow like I wanted. So tonight, as I got ready to head out in the rain, I made a cup of cocoa and dropped in two bags of Candy Cane Lane and a drizzle of vanilla agave.

Success! Oh man, this is good. I wish I hadn’t made it in my timolino three hours ago because it is still blazing hot when I just want to chug it. The bags have been in the cocoa this whole time and it isn’t bitter at all.

Last one this morning, I promise. I had a cuppa last night, it’s the most amazingly soothing tea ever. My wife left the bag in (since when do I drink my teas with the bag left in?), but it was still amazing and creamy and minty and perfect. I think the combination of vanilla and mint is just the most perfect thing to me.

Dear Candy Cane Lane,

Let’s not beat around the bush. I know we’ve just met and all, but I think you’re really something special.

I’m just going to say it. I love you. I love your creaminess and the blast of cool mint. That little hint of cinnamon? Oh, I think I love that most of all.

I know you’re bagged, and I know people will judge us for being together, but I don’t care. We can make it work.

I guess what I’m trying to say is…would you move in with me? Permanently?

So when wandering through Bulk Barn on Saturday, I found ample reason to rejoice…it’s Holiday tea time! I instantly snatched up a box of Sugar Plum Spice, my absolute favorite CS tea. I remember seeing someone on my list here raving about Candy Cane Lane and when I found out it was vanilla mint, I had to get some. I love all things vanilla mint, and am constantly searching for a good vanilla mint tea. I have my vanilla mint mate from Teaopia, but there’s only a short time in the morning that I can drink it. Same with Santa’s Secret, my favorite tea ever.

Oh my goodness. This tea is amazingly good. Last Christmas I discovered an amazingly tasty candy cane hot cocoa that I fell in love with, but after swearing off dairy, that’s no longer an option for me this year. I no longer care. I love this tea. I want to drink it every day for the rest of forever. I need to stock up immediately. It’s light, but sweet and mint and vanilla-y and just so darn good!

The aroma of the steeped cup gives dried strawberries and, in the background, the smell that an old canvas tent has. The color is a deep purple-brown.

The taste has sweetness, but is not cloyingly sweet. Mostly, it is a tart, dried berry flavor with banana aftertaste. Some hibiscus tartness is here, but it is a lighter note here. The chicory is there, too, also a light note. I can’t taste banana or coconut explicitly.

This has a surprisingly more velvety mouth feel than other CS herbal fruit blends.

I have had this steeped by sitting in a pitcher in the fridge recently, and I like it hot. I had two cups today.

I honestly can’t imagine anybody from Celestial Seasonings drinking this and saying “Yep, that’s tasty! Let’s make people pay for it!”

This is what I drink before bed when I’m not feeling well, and it legitimately seems to not only help my throat but make me feel a little bit better (and sleepier!) all over. The downside? The taste is VILE. I admittedly can’t stand licorice and it’s very prominent in this, but I can’t imagine anybody finding the flavor anything more than tolerable. I put in lemon, a generous amount of honey, and a cough drop, and it’s still kind of gross.