Celestial Seasonings

I have been worried lately about some things. My husband made me a cup of this right before waking me up this morning. He sweetened it more than I would have, but it was still very good, and a nice pick-me-up.

One of my favorite green teas so far. It may not be the strongest, but I don’t think the citrus flavor overpowers it too much. Granted, I love a fruity tea… Resteep was extremely weak and not worth it.
Also great iced, but it isn’t a strong one. A little sugar helps, though. It is a perfect refresher in the summertime :)

This box has been in my cupboard forever. I got it in a set with some other one I really wanted, and I just never got around to making this. Since I was already boiling water to steep some kiwi berry for iced tea, and it was 10pm, I figured ‘what the heck!’.

It is pretty standard chamomile tea, but when I thought about it I have to say, I am impressed. I am not sure I can much distinguish between this tea and my loose leaf mint chamomile. It’s thick and flavorful and smells nice. The only thing I might say about this one is that it is leaving a ‘thing’ in the back of my throat. What is that?

I like this tea… it’s a warming, comforting tea. It tastes purely like cinnamon hearts, so I wouldn’t say it’s complex, and I definitely am not aware of any carob, cardamom, pepper, etc. It fits the bill sometimes, but I doubt I will buy another box.

I should also note, I usually steep it a lot longer… I can definitely notice a difference. It’s a bit “weak”.

Cinnamon is one of my favourite flavors, so I love this tea. The apple comes through more as background sweetness than as actual apple flavor, which to my tastebuds balances the cinnamon nicely. I usually let this steep for at least five minutes, or it’s too bland for me. I’ve not noticed any bitterness, as noted below.

Y’know, for bagged herbal, it’s really not that bad. Because it’s so rich, I can’t drink too much at a time, but it’s not too bad. The in-laws bought me an entire case for some reason, and I’m slowly but surely working my way through it. Since I have yet to just give up and throw it all out, clearly they got something right.

Since it’s cheap and easy, it’s my go-to blend if I want to drink a tea/herbal in the shower. No, really. Drinking tea in the shower is THE BEST.

I haven’t been a big fan of Celestial Seasonings because I have often thought that it seems to be more of a lower class, less-than-tea tea. However, after tasting this tea, I was very pleasantly surprised. It is a Rooibos, Black Tea combo with other flavors. Sweet, with a hint of spice. Excellent with a small spoonful of honey.

I really like this tea! I probably couldn’t drink it everyday like some of my teas however, it’s good for when you want to take a break from your default tea just to have something different. :)

I’m not big on chamomile at all. but I tried this thinking that it would help me on my journey to become closer to liking Chamomile. The sweetness of H.V. Chamomile did add more flavor and did appeal to my taste buds and help with that grassy taste at the end of the first chamomile i had tasted in the past of tasting regular chamomile. yes i did buy the herbal tea sampler also. Over all I think this is good for night tea for relaxing.
side notes
yes this is a bag tea but i think i don’t mind it this way actually. I didn’t use any sugar or milk when tasting this but usually don’t add any so i don’t even think about saying this part but reading others tasting blogs. I will add this to make it more complete

Backlogging:
I finally joined the masses and purchased a Keurig recently – a mini one, since we don’t drink much coffee – and it’s teal. Eee! I love it. Anyway, I purchased the Sleepytime K-cups, and after learning the hard way that one should rinse out the machine after brewing a coffee and/or cocoa, this was decent. It tastes the same as the bagged version, which I just love. It’s a great way to end a stressful, busy day. This will be a permanent cupboard Kcup, IMO.

I enjoy drinking tea at the end of the day, so I aim for caffeine-free teas or herbal tisanes. This and the Sleepytime Extra are my favorite selections, especially if I’m not sure what tea mood I’m in. I love the light, comforting flavors and it truly does help me wind down.

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!

This tea is great during the holidays – but still awesome any time of year. I love the minty flavor and sensation; the dose of vanilla is a nice touch as vanilla and mint is one of my fave combos. Thanks to Meghann M for parting with a few. :)

I love this tea year round – it’s spicy and minty, aromatic and flavorful. I tend to stock up around the holidays so I can enjoy the tea throughout the year. These make great gift ideas too; I got my mom hooked last year.

I had a couple of rooibos teas that had turned me off, so I bought this to give it another chance without spending much.

I was surprised by the strong vanilla smell for a supermarket tea. The box does list vanilla bean in the ingredients (another reason I bought it).

I don’t care for it much on it’s own but it’s lovely mixed with other teas. I like to mix it with Adagio’s White Tropics. It’s also great with peppermint tea and some sugar. The vanilla really balances out the mint.

Blech. Too much hibiscus. This tea is bright red and way too tart, but not in a lemon-y way. No thanks!

Ooh, just found another use for this herbal candy cup. Ever take a long drive, especially in Summer, when it’s hot?

Recently I read some advice for staying alert on long drives. Drinking plenty of fluids, though not too much caffeine, and keep slightly sour flavors going, while you suck on ice cubes. It’s supposed to keep you alert, and grounded in your body. Plus help you stop more often.

So in prep for a long drive, I threw some bags of Lemon Zinger in the bottom of a big cup of ice. Added just a bit of water, and yum. Long-Drive Liquid.

In the herbal tissane category, I have to have this tea. I grew up drinking this flavor-enhanced blend of herbs, fruit, and flowers.

Plop two bags in a water bottle. Cold brew is fine, and extracts much of the flavor. It’s never bitter. If you travel and doubt that you will enjoy the flavor of the water where you are going, filtered or otherwise, use this gentle lift to create satisfactory thirst-quenching with no calories.

I love sour cherries but don’t much care for the sweet, and so was worried that this tea would be too sweet. But the intense cherry flavor strikes a nice balance, and it’s wonderful iced.

After finishing a box, I won’t be buying this tea again. It was enjoyable, but it was VERY flavorful, to the point of not really tasting like tea.

This is a wonderful rooibos for cold winter days, or any other day, if you feel like it! Awesome spice and fruit flavour, with that peppery kick in the end which I love. Great with a bit of milk, in my opinion.

Backlogging 7/4:

Afternoon pick me up!!!!

Backlogging Wednesday 6/30:

I forgot about this tea. I used to really like it. Today I had it with a splash of milk. It was pretty good although I barely got the chocolate flavor and don’t think I got any caramel flavor. It was mostly a cinnamon tea with a chocolate aftertaste. Not a bad thing just doesn’t really live up to its name.