206 Tasting Notes
I can’t taste the pistachio, but this is a really nice blend. It’s got a kind of chai feel from the spices. Also, I can almost swear that there’s cranberry in this, but I guess that’s the way that the orange interacts with the cardamom. Very yummy!
I’m going to write a more in-depth review of this later, because I was mostly focused on a project while drinking this. I didn’t give it due attention.
My friends talked a lot of smack about this one, but I am standing by it. I like that it’s decaf, so I can chug it without risking the jitters.
As a side note, is it true that rooibos is good for asthma?
I read this while researching rooibos, but does anyone have any, like, actual knowledge of this? (Or anecdotes supporting it?)
All I could find was this study, which seemed inconclusive:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11758901
I haven’t noticed much of a difference in my own asthma, but I’m usually drinking tea while sitting at my desk, not really straining my lungs.
That’s a good question!
First off, respect for the official research article. My inner nerd loves that. Second, I do wonder if it is beneficial for asthma, how much would need to be ingested. I know they are talking about extracts there so I would be curious as to how many cups per day that would translate to in order to get the same benefit.
@mtchyg: I kept finding things about rooibos and asthma, but they were on these “everything green is good for you without any drawbacks, ever! THIS WILL SAVE YOU FROM CANCER” sorts of hippie-dippie websites. Those sites can be a good place to start, but I don’t take them as actual medical information. I had to dig around. Unfortunately, my exercise routine varies a lot, and if it’s just me alone testing it, there’s no control. I have no way of really studying it, unfortunately. I yearn to know more.
I hear ya. I just appreciate an actual legit medical journal article. BTW, you are pretty much my favorite reviewer on here. Love your funny randomness.
I can’t keep it together very well, dude. It’s a bunch of geeky pop culture references and candy tea. There are so many people on here that seem to have their lives together. “On the second steep, I noticed some wood flavor with light notes of cherry and licorice.” And I’m like, “This is the kind of tea Splinter would drink in his sewer apartment.” I like to hope there’s a place for us all.
I’ll admit, I lean more towards non-altered loose leaf. But I completely appreciate and admire your silly creativity. I’m actually more like that IRL honestly but with tea apparently I get a little more serious. But I don’t know. Some of my reviews have some silliness but… You da real MVP
There are times I wish I could turn it off. Sometimes I feel like I’m too “schtick”-based. Like a character from Big Bang Theory or New Girl instead of an actual person. I never felt this way until those types of shows became popular, then I began to fret that I was some sort of geeky “manic pixie dream girl” stereotype. Back in middle school, I thought I was too alone, now I’m oversaturated. ALWAYS A COMPLAINT.
Haha you grew into your stereotype. Well, if there is ever curiosity to go more straight laced on the tea, let me know for a swap. You can school me on the yummy flavored style of teas and perhaps I can find something “plain” that speaks to you.
I’d love to! Which of mine would you like to try? Everything in my cupboard is available except the Pecan Ice Cream, which is very close to steepdown. Send me a message!
I’ve found that by adding about 50% more and steeping it for 3-4 minutes, I could attain the thicker, in-your-face flavor I wanted the first time around. The raspberry is much stronger, as is a deeper, underlying slightly wheaty taste. There’s also the black tea base. Alas, not much on the “nut” front, but I do keep peanut butter behind my desk.
A part of me wanted to take that peanut butter and add a scoop to the tea, but I’m not sure that’d work out. In fact, I think that’d wind up being a gloppy, heinous mess.
Anyway, I’ve bumped up my rating about 10 points because I like it so much better now.
Bring on the day.
I sleep terribly, so I own a few decaf teas. This is the one I drink on nights that I’m pretty sure are on their way to going poorly.
Tonight is such a night; I was overstimulated with hiking, friends, an inadvisable amount of alcohol, a scary video game, and the possibility of a crazy 4th of July tomorrow.
Unbeknownst to me, this fallback tea has been slowly creeping its way up to one of my favorites. It’s so peachy, warm, and comforting. It’s like a sweet bedtime story before bed. I’m 31; I don’t really remember bedtime stories. But my parents are un-crappy, so I imagine they read them to me. And I imagine they felt good.
This is a lovely, snoozy, calming tea. Goodnight, loved ones.
Flavors: Peach, Sweet
I came here to kick butt and review tea, and I AM ALL OUT OF BUTT TO KICK.
After a spectacularly productive morning of cat-sitting, dog-walking, and plant-watering, I was ready for a little bit of time with tea and a book.
Am I stereotypical and pretentious? Yes. Yes, I am.
This tea, Lady Grey, is the tea that first made me think “hey, this could be a thing I do. I could become a tea person.”
Now that I’ve become a “tea person,” I return to the original.
I find this to be a bit astringent (bitter, mouth-drying) and over-flavored with bergamot and orange. I’ve discovered other things that I like more.
However, this is still a solid basic choice. I’d never turn it down. A part of me will always love it.
Flavors: Astringent, Bergamot, Drying, Lemon Zest, Orange
Preparation
Since I’m currently stalking your reviews, please tell me that was a Dazed and Confused reference to open up a tea review…
@mtchyg: You bet I did. I just ran a Google of the phrase, and the origin of it was apparently They Live. It’s been used in a variety of contexts, including the Duke Nukem movie. OH YES. THAT EXISTS. There’s also a beautiful scene in the IT Crowd where Moss (the geekiest character) is drinking milk at a bar and says it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwvCX94_EWI
Awesome.
This tea has a bitter, tangy orange & tropical fruit taste. It’s intense. Drinking it iced helps a lot to cut back on the bitterness. I bought it while I was on a maté kick (more caffeine the better!!!! was my reasoning).
I recommend adding this to an iced tea mixture to give it a zing. I don’t personally like it as the main attraction, but it helps as part of an ensemble.
Flavors: Bitter, Fruity, Orange Zest, Pineapple, Tropical
This tea is a people-pleaser! It’s got everything: sweetness, creaminess, rose petals (pretty), chocolate! It’s a solid, tasty staple.
If you were ever in a situation where you weren’t sure if someone was a person or an alien, you could give them this tea. The humans would enjoy it.
The aliens would be like “I’m actually not acclimated to any of the microbes or viruses of this planet, and that’s catching up to me. Can I sit down?”
Sure you can, aliens. IN YOUR GRAVE.
This review got out of hand; but I recommend the tea for my sweet-toothed friends.
Flavors: Chocolate, Creamy, Rose, White Chocolate
This tea is really soothing on a sore throat.
I imagine that any tea would be, honestly. But this is the one I drank.
And I would like to repeat, for the record, that I like this gingersnap cookie flavor. Bumping it up a few points for how comforting it is.
I’m not sure whether it’s better to be sick over the week (getting stuff done at work while trying to survive life) or over the weekend (ruining free time). Looks like I’ll be sick over the weekend. At least I can watch Netflix in sweatpants. Actual pants are for suckas.
I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this crazy mofo yet. I drink it all the time. I love it.
It doesn’t taste like ice cream, and it doesn’t taste like tea.
It tastes like someone took a cup of Dippin Dots, dropped it off at Chernobyl, let it ferment there for a while, and brought it back.
I’m pretty sure that this is what humanity will be eating in the future, in our pods. Our robot overlords will say “look, we put sprinkles in it for some reason. Some of the wax might melt into your cup.”
This review sounds bad — but I genuinely LOVE this tea. It’s TASTY. In a SUPER WEIRD, FAKE, RETROFUTURE kind of way.
If I run out, I will probably buy more.
Flavors: Chocolate, Cream, Pancake Syrup, Sugar, Sweet, White Chocolate
