Celestial Seasonings

I was putting together X-mas cards and tea-trading stuff to mail to people yesterday and one of the teas I sent was this one. I had the box beside me on the kitchen table and it kept tempting me with its wonderful sweet, nutty odor. But as it was late I knew I couldn’t have a black tea (or I’d be awake unil 5 am).

So this morning the first thing I did was open the tea cupboard and pounce on this tea. :D

I love the new site updates – fantastic job, guys!

I’m really starting to love this tea. :)

Now I remember what the scent of this tea reminds me off – Vanilla Almond Honeycrisp cereal! XD

I’m drinking it with some skim milk this time and it takes the sharper edge off of the black tea and lets the other flavours unfold nicely. It’s still vanilla with a hint of spice, but I’m also getting a bit of nut-flavour too, although I’m not sure which nut – almond or hazelnut maybe?

I also really appreciate the fact that the flavours aren’t so strong it feels like they’re trying to clock you in the face when you take a sip.

Oh dear lord, I can’t believe how hard it was to find CS’s holiday teas this year! I’ve been checking around for the past couple weeks and NONE of the major grocery stores had any. Finally I stumbled across them in a small natural-foods store, yesterday. Go figure.

I’ve actually never tried this particular one before so I was curious and intrigued by the description. In the box and while it was brewing the tea wafted fragrant and mouth-watering odors of vanilla with a hint of spices across the kitchen. Actually, I think it would make a lovely room-spray or perfumed candle.

I drank it without milk or any other additives this time, just so that I’d be able to experience the flavours unimpeded. First of all, for a tea that has an Assam base the black tea is surprisingly mild and easy-drinking, which is unusual since I’ve always had to add at least some milk to Assams to make it palatable. I’m still getting a hint of that characteristic malted flavour though and mixed with the vanilla it’s almost like caramel.

The vanilla is the most prominent flavour, it swirls delicately around the tip of the tongue with each sip. There’s also a slight hint of spices in there – maybe cinnamon or cloves? All in all it seems like it’s a pretty retiring sort of tea with no strong flavours that really stand out. And I don’t really mind it that way – sometimes it’s nicer NOT to be hit in the face with the taste of your own tea. ;D

This is my new favorite vanilla tea-very smooth and sweet. Would work to replace a treat- too bad I ate my brownie before I took my first sip. Probably oversteeped but still yummy.

When you open the box, put your nose right in there and breathe in deep. You’ll have that sugar cookie smell with you for about ten minutes after you’ve walked into another room while letting the tea steep. I put brown sugar in my cup, which turned out to make it too sweet. Hits the tongue nicely and doesn’t leave a peculiar aftertaste, like some other kinds of sweet tea.

Don’t be put off by the “Sleigh Ride” part of the tea’s name. There’s no actual taste of a sleigh involved.

I’m really tempted to eat actual sugar cookies with this. Anyone do that yet and lived to tell the tale?

Updating a bit because the more cups I had over the last couple of weeks, the more it grew on me. Not bad!

I was excited to try this since I love the original so much. It’s not as good as I was expecting. I thought the vanilla would be a little stronger (it’s not), and it seems to “mute” (if that makes sense) what was so good about the original. Will finish up but will stick with the classic!

If you want cinnamon dust in a bag – this is your tea! For devoted fans of tea fannings and dust, you will not be disappointed! Let the exotic colors of the box mesmerize you into thinking you’re not in isle 7 of a mainstreet USA grocery store. Let the exotic pictures on the box transport you to a time when colored water with little-to-no taste was appreciated in more than just an oversized coffee mug with a happy face on it. Your imagination runs wild with the possibilities that someday this tea may join the legendary shelves of teas that carry a name recognized by legacy and grandeur. For now though, you’ll just have to settle for cinnamon-colored water. Dare to dream though! :)

bleh. not my favorite. too many different flavors that don’t mix well, in my opinion.

I’ve noticed this box is pretty bland so I decided to use two bags at once. Unfortunately, I waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay oversteeped it!! It’s definitely not bland, but almost undrinkable. It’s as dark as coffee and makes my mouth feel dry. It’s pretty bitter, too, but it still smells good. I think I’m going to start saving the bags and boil them to make it smell like I’ve been baking ; )

I love this tea. love it, love it, love it!! It tastes like it should have about 400 calories. It’s sweet, but not overpowering. The cinnamon and vanilla work very well together in this black tea. If a giant gooey cinnamon roll were a drink, this would be it. It’s so yummy!

Tastes so yummy and sweet I had to check the box to see how many calories were in it!!

Since I got my toddler to take a nap today, I thought I’d entertain my dorky self with an exciting taste test. (It’s the little things, people) In the ring, Bigelow plain green tea and Celestial Seasonings plain green. Water boiled on stove just until saw bubbles, steep time exactly 2 minutes. The Bigelow won hands down. So, I’ll finish this box and then it’s back to the old favorite!

I’m used to Bigelow’s plain Green Tea, so it’s hard not to compare. This one smells more “earthy” if that makes any sense and I like that for some reason. A slightly stronger flavor, nice and smooth. Have one bag of Bigelow’s left so I might do my own taste test tomorrow if I have time and update if I discover anything new. :)

I’m telling you, it may be the placebo effect, but I think this really helped my cold! It seemed to lessen the duration and symptoms over a couple of days. Will keep on hand and start drinking at the onset of any sick like feeling. Pleasant to smell and it tastes good just by itself.

If you feel like something sweet, drink this instead! Smells just like a sugar cookie and tastes very good. Very comforting and seems special for some reason. I add milk and sugar to this for a nice treat. Great after dinner tea.

Birthday night. Lots of homemade lasagna and Carvel cake. A bit of a tummy ache called for this tea and it’s a perfect remedy and a great way to end the night!

Yummy for nighttime green tea or anytime you don’t want plain green or caffeine. I like it and have an extra box for back up. I heard someone suggest that brewing this and adding a packet of hot chocolate makes for a mighty fine holiday drink. Haven’t tried it, but might soon!

This is an old favorite that I picked up to see if it was as good as I remembered it. It succeeds in being really flavorful, and I often have two cups each night- kind of an addiction!

Ok, I gave this one more try. This time I made sure to brew for only 3 minutes. However, somehow two bags stuck together without me noticing before I poured the water. Took one sip, thught to myself “Life is too short to drink bad herbal tea” and dumped the lot. Never again!

Goofed up with my first cup of this on Sunday night. I accidently let it steep for about 20 minutes. The result was something like lukewarm Dimetap or perhaps the purple Triaminic. However, it did ease the mild nausea I had. I haven’t been able to bring myself to try another cup. I think I’ll wait until nausea sets in again.

I really cannot bring myself to drink this. My friend gave me an entire box of this tea a while ago. The blend smells delicious both wet and dry, and the murky orangey cup it creates smells like liquid gingerbread. But the taste just isn’t there! This doesn’t really taste like gingerbread; just a muddle of spices without any real direction. Surprisingly enough, even when I steep this for a long time, it still has a watery taste. Not a favorite at all.

Do NOT add sugar to this. It makes it taste ridiculously awful. I couldn’t even down most of my cup today as a result.