Celestial Seasonings

… How has this not been in my cupboard? I’ve had it for ages.

Anyway, I brewed this the other day, even though it’s so stupidly hot outside (and in my apartment too, with temps getting as high as 84 degrees, according to my atomic clock). Still can’t have caffeine, but this worked very nicely with my biscuit at breakfast. :) I can definitely taste the black cherry as well as the other vaguely fruity notes of “berry.” There’s almost a metallic quality to the aftertaste, which may be the hibiscus and rosehips. Anyway, not bad, if you don’t mind hibiscus (though I’ve noticed a lot of people on here do mind it).

Okay, I know celestial seasonings teas are all about the artificial flavor and the chicory, but… There’s black tea in this? Or actual spices? I taste artificial ginger flavor and chicory.

This honestly isn’t that bad, I could probably get to enjoy it, but it basically tastes like a weaker version of their gingerbread spice. It tastes NOTHING like chai and DEFINITELY nothing like black tea.

I would not go to the trouble of buying this again – If I wanted this sort of flavor I would just brew a bag of the gingerbread spice for a short time in too much water. I actually like the gingerbread spice even though it tastes very artificial – this, however, is kind of wimpy and indecisive.

Note- I’m on my iPhone and I can’t get the steep and temp sliders to work. I used boiling water and steeped 6 minutes.

Vanilla taste is subtle, but still tastey and perfect before bed.

My supply of this is dwindling; I’ve kept the bags safely tinned in hopes that they would mate and multiply, but no luck. I prefer this as a nightcap far more than any of the CS Sleepytime varieties.

It’s monsoon season in Missouri, and my applemint plants are the only one of us that enjoys this weather. Growing faster than I can keep up; the garage looks like a tobacco barn with all the bundles I have drying. Since I have plenty to spare, I popped in a sprig along with the teabag. Chamomile-apple-mint perfection.

I tried to add a little warmth to a bag by grating and adding some dried candied ginger, but my fingers got sticky and my small grater was so dull it just wallowed the nugget around without really slivering anything. So I just plunked it in the cup.

So the ginger effect is mild, but still adds a teeny bit of zing to this gentle and reliable apple-y nightcap. (It’s still early…eveningcap?)

Even better with a sprig of orange mint. Box getting low. Uh-oh.

Oh, my achin’ shoulders…work concentration/tension all day with a healthy follow-up of crawling and digging in the flower bed…this cuppa is about all I can lift without screaming :) Lest you think I am a bona fide gardener, I am generally no more intrepid than marigolds and generally lose interest in them mid-summer. But that first spring afternoon it’s warm enough to paw around in the dirt is so satisfying!

What started out as a so-so Celestial seasonings for me is becoming a very comfortable stand-by. Best and most apple-y in a small cup or with doubled-up bags.

Perfect tisane when you are cold and weary and in need of a reminder that somewhere it is warm enough for flowers to bloom and fruit to ripen.

Another one with my tasting notes now hitting double digits…statistically speaking, I wonder if I looked back at my history, wrote down the teas with XX or more tasting notes (number TBD), if it would result in The Ultimate Pantry Tea Hall of Fame list. Someday.

Just not today. Nursing a classic case of Charlie Brown seasonal THAT’S IT!!!

This has turned into the evening go-to tea when I need a little self-coddling. Long tiring day, writing deadlines dogpiled on top of it, hubby under the weather (Dr. Tazo is taking care of him while I’m still working), the wanna-gotta-do list that’s so long it’s strangling me… any little bit of sweetness helps.

Can y’all find this locally?

Nice with a cinnamon stick, though the chamomile keeps it from getting too cider-y. (Also nice with The Great Pumpkin, although my husband observes it’s just not the same without Dolly Madison commercials. I loved chocolate Zingers.)

Bingo! Thoughtful Hubby stuck his Thoughtful Nose into The Other Store, The One That’s Expensive, and scored a box of this Rare and Gentle Treat. (Don’t ask me why I’m in a capitalization mood, Pooh; I’m a Steepster of Very Little Brain.)

Two bags are better than one, but one is just fine, left in the cup, with or without sugar. Apple and chamomile in a very even balance.

Another sipdown yesterday—-busy afternoon decorating a kindergarten room for VBS (Colossal Coaster World—queue forms this morning!) and had a quart chilling in the fridge for when I came home to collapse. The apple half of it is much more pronounced, cold.

Can’t find it anywhere locally now :( May just have to cool my heels till fall for a re-release.

Well, poop. Just when I discover this makes a wonderful, apple-y summer iced tea, I also discover there are only two more bags in the box.

You really need to try this cold. I am, enjoying the quiet backyard after a rumpus, noisy afternoon at the movies with my menfolk. Oops…so much for the quiet. Neighbors, grandchildren, firecrackers. Happy 4th, y’all.

This made a wonderful cold steep in the fridge. The apple comes through sweet and crisp. This has been a reliable and comfortably cheapster steep.

Ever have one of those days when the whole world seemed about six degrees off plumb? Yeah.

This was a mild antidote for the day that didn’t require thought or coddling. Two bags to the cup if you want to pick up the apple flavor.

I rarely sweeten my tea, but I needed something to convince my rotten sweet tooth that I really don’t need dessert. (That lovely spring-weather realization that one must streamline if one doesn’t want to buy a new wardrobe in slightly larger dimensions…) Oh, well, it’s supposed to get cold again. I’ll pile on another layer.

So I drizzled a little honey in the bottom of the cup before steeping this. Gives it enough extra sweetness to mimic an apple turnover.

Keep the bag in when you drink this one.

After having tried it a couple of times, I’m in agreement with … well, somebody who mentioned that Celestial Seasonings teas are just better when you use 2 bags instead of 1.

The apple twang is much better now. Nice homey little tisane.

OK, who am I kidding? Nothing new or notable to say about the tea; just need an avenue to vent :) It’s good chamomile. The apple is a nice touch. That’s really the only part of this you need to read.

A day of multiple small frustrations—supposed to profile two people for a magazine, both of whom are late getting information to me. Trying to balance grace and patience with Don’t you KNOW I am writing this piece for a new editor and I’m already four days overdue???

Had a lovely chat with the mom-in-law and grandma-in-law, who cheerfully provided the details on their new dietary restrictions, and of whom neither can have green tea. And…guess what we got them both for Christmas; package already mailed and under their apartment mini-tree!

That’s just #1 and #2 of a dozen or so…you’ve had days like that too, yes?

Understanding my need for something gentle and soothing now? ;)

My spine feels like a corkscrew of fusilli pasta. Partly a little stress (tagged to spend parts of the next three days away from home on LPN duty before and after my mom’s colonoscopy). Partly from an afternoon hunched over mother-in-law’s “Family Pets” scrapbook (tornado salvage) re-mounting pictures for a Christmas surprise. Photos from the 1970’s when you had to take film to be developed, and thus learned to live with badly framed out-of-focus snapshots.

So, needing to relax and not needing to fuss, this was a good call. Chamomile is chamomile; I’ve never noticed any significant variance in flavor. But Celestial Seasonings picked a really nice apple scent and taste to pair it with.

Ooh. Need to pack some.

Hubby brought this home just as a Thoughtful Thing. He noticed the apple scent as it steeped before I did. It does have noticeable hints of Golden Delicious apples. Not unpleasant by any means, but I think it could be a little apple-ier.

I really really enjoy this tea.
I enjoy it plain but also prepared in chai fashion- with milk and sugar.

My favorite way to drink this is as an “iced chai tea latte” aka the tea served cold over ice with milk and sugar.

I love the spiciness of this tea! The coconut is just right- noticeable but subtle.