Teavana

I don’t like jasmine tea unless the jasmine is one note among many. This is all jasmine all the time so not one of my favourites. However, I could taste straight away that it is a high quality black tea, and you can always taste the difference between a tea that is scented with real jasmine flowers like this one, than those sprayed with scented water/oil. If you like jasmine, you absolutely must try this tea. It’ll be everything you want; trust me.

This tea is true to the name; very strong coconut and ginger taste, smoothed out by the natural sweetness of rooibos. I love this with honey and some milk when I’m feeling under the weather. It’s very soothing on sore throats, and is a good smooth tea for people who like a little kick in their teas.

Middle of the range, soft formosa. This is nice but nothing to write home about. A good introduction to oolong, though it’s now discontinued.

I just don’t understand the appeal of this tea. So many people have raved to me about it but, frankly, it is so malty that it smells horrible to me! I find the taste far too strong and murky. The Black Dragon Pearls are a much better cup, IMO.

Finally a mate you can ice!! I love this with a little sugar. Out of this world fruity taste and with that great roasted mate base. Delicious! I only ever drink this iced but a lot of people have been raving to me about it hot. I’ll have to try that sometime. Overall, this is a must try for mate and fruit tea lovers. The sharp lemon kick with the raspberry is pure heaven.

Finally! A version of Morroccan mint tea that I like! It’s the spearmint that makes this such a soft, beautiful tea. I find the usual peppermint + green tea too strong a combo for my liking so this was a welcome surprise. I absolutely love this tea hot at any time of day.

This is a lovely lavender tea. The white tea base is smooth but nothing to write home about for a white. That said, the lavender scent and taste is so true, so flowery and smooth that, overall, this tea is just lovely. It brews a beautiful grey-purple shade.

Naturally sweet and caffeine free, this is a great tea to have on hand. I especially like it with Teavana’s white chai but it’s good on its own, too. The vanilla is very authentic tasting; no synthetic nastiness in this one.

This smells great but I just cannot get behind it for some reason. I’ve had it iced and that was okay but it reminds me of something that always puts me off. Maybe a medicine from my childhood or something? Either way, I am not a fan.

A lovely spicy tea. Great when you need something low caffeine. I like to blend this with the Samarai Chai, or Honeybush Vanilla.

I can never really taste the chilli in this but it’s still an awesome chocolate tea. I drink it with Matevana, and it’s like hot chocolate!

This is a super strong cherry tasting tea. The smell reminds me of cough syrup, honestly. It’s okay iced and I know some people love it but it’s just way too fruit for my tastes. I’d recommend it to people who love cherry and want a really bold fruit flavoured white.

Best green tea I have ever tasted! This is naturally sweet with a great grassy bite to it and a smoothness that is just wonderful. The smell alone makes me happy! Absolutely a must for everyone. I find this tea usually makes people fall in love with the Japanese greens. Can be re-infused.

My favourite of the Teavana black teas. Maybe it’s my British heritage but I much prefer the strength and bold flavour of this tea compared to the apparently superior Golden Monkey blend, which I find far too malty for my tastes. This is rich and brusque with a soft aftertaste and the merest hint of smoke. Love it! Great on its own and handles milk well, too.

This tea is great when you’re feeling under the weather. I added it to all my tea when I was fighting off a head cold, and definitely felt a lot better for it. On its own, it has an extremely soft, slightly grassy flavour. This is a subtle tea that I mainly use for blending.

I love this tea! I drink at least two cups every morning. The flavour is wonderful; stronger than some oolongs with a good soft aftertaste. Definitely more vegetal than flowery but it does have that classic hint of orchid taste and aroma. I like this up to the fourth infusion. An absolute staple for me.

One of my “go to” teas, especially during the winter months. I love blending this with a bit of Teavana’s Rooibos Chai. I love the flavor but feel it lacks some backbone, and the Rooibos corrects that. I usually do about 1/3 Chai to 2/3 Zingiber. I’ve also taken to doing a second steep off the leaves, even though Teavana claims this one isn’t good for a rebrew. No, the overall tastes aren’t as strong, especially the coconut, but the ginger comes forward on the second steep.

Lapsang Souchong is comfort tea for me, so I was thrilled to find Teavana carrying a solid version at a reasonable price. I’m also quite peeved that it’s been discontinued. It’s rather hard to find locally without getting robbed or getting something subpar.

Theirs has the right balance of smoky scent but smooth drinking. I tend to prefer it steeped longer than they suggest, but that’s because I like a strong cuppa. I have yet to wind up with a bitter brew. I always have it with a smidgen of sweetener, preferably something brown and earthy to complement the smoky scent, and a splash of milk. Take it easy on the extras, though, or you will overwhelm the tea’s natural flavor.

Oops.
I oversteeped this one this morning – or maybe I just put too much tea in the pot – because it’s a brilliant red instead of the normal pinkish color.

Still tastes great though!

I just LOVE this tea! The combination of strawberry and mint is so refreshing and light. It’s a perfect iced tea, which is how I usually get it made by Teavana’s barista.

Several of my coworkers have commented after drinking this tea it helped ‘clean things out and purge the system’ but this was usually only after drinking 2-3 cups. I’ve never had any noticeable effects on my food processing, but then I’ve never drank that much in a single day, either.

Taken with a bit of condensed milk to give it more of that sweetness and lightness in color that I’m used to at restaurants. I’m still working out the milk to tea ratio though.

Still playing around with this one to get the right condensed milk to whole milk to tea leaves to water ratio for me. I’ve almost got it this time… just a little too much condensed milk.

I added way too much condensed milk this time so it’s much sweeter than I like.