Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride

I had to actually buy this from a place in the States because this particual CS tea never showed up in my local stores. They were selling all the other holidays teas but not this one, oddly enough.

The smell…oh my god, the smell! The teabags smell like cookie batter that just had a bunch of fresh citrus zest grated into it – it made me want to eat the teabag instead of steep it! Then, when the water was added, it got even better, turning into the smell of just-baked sugar cookies, fresh out of the oven.

The flavour starts off tasting lightly citrusy and I got worried that that was going to be all there was to it, but then the sweet, sugar cookie goodness kicked in. I can literally taste the buttery, crumbly texture that you get when you take a bite of a cookie. This could easily become an addiction!

I decided to have this one tonight because I had some sugar cookies to go along with it! I haven’t reviewed this one yet either, though I’ve steeped this many a time. It’s one of my favorite CS teas. Really, this tea should probably be called ‘butter cookie’. It has a delicious buttery flavor, as well as a buttery lemon yellow color to the steep. I’m surprised they aren’t drowning this one in ridiculous amounts of stevia like they have with their unbearable pumpkin blend if they are calling it ‘sugar cookie’. I’m not exactly sure how this is so sweet if they don’t put much or any stevia in it. But it’s good! The name is surely accurate!

Hum, I haven’t figured this out.

The smell is strong and spot-on.

The taste is lacking. Maybe it’s that I’m used to the punch of loose-leaf now, but it was just kind of weak. Last night I put 2 teabags in my 16oz mug with a bit of milk and agave, and it was weak. Today, I put 4 teabags in the same mug, with milk and agave as well, and it’s strong, but not sugar-cookie strong. It’s not sweet enough. Maybe I didn’t add enough agave for the 4 teabags.

If I can figure out how to make this perfect, though, it’ll be delicious.

I am giving this tea another try because… well, I talked to one of my friends and she said that she enjoyed this tea. Even though we have different tastes, I don’t think that I gave this one a fair shot. I was really excited to find this tea at the store as well as a limited edition Sleepytime tea box. I’m usually not one to buy Celestial Seasonings, but Sleepytime has a soft spot in my heart.

Well, back to this tea. I’ve noticed that this tea has a bit of a strange scent. Maybe it’s the citrus… but it just smells funky. Underneath all of that is the sugar cookie. It really does smell like raw sugar cookie dough. YUM. I’d love a nice plate of warm sugar cookies at this moment.

Sipping… first comes the citrus and then comes the raw dough. This coats your tongue with a buttery, doughy flavor. The finish is crusty sugar & something weird.. it’s cooling, tangy.. almost like a peppermint. Not the most pleasant thing. The more I drink it, the more I notice it. I’m surprised to see how quickly this tea went from being a hit to more of a dud.

I saw this at our local co-op the other day and picked a box up. I have some of the other holiday blends from Celestial Seasonings, but I could never find this one. I like these teas for when I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to make a real cup of tea. It’s easy to just pour some water over the tea bag and let it sit until I have time to get back to it and go. And this one is caffeine-free, so it’s good for those late-night dessert cravings that will be the death of me. I’m cheating with this first cup, though, because I have a few of the most amazing homemade sugar cookies leftover to enjoy with this tea tonight. In all fairness, my mom made them from my grandmother’s recipe and I probably haven’t had one since at my grandmother’s when I was in high school. And my mom nailed the recipe – these cookies are perfect! Taking a bite is like stepping back into my grammy’s kitchen with a couple of these and cup of Red Rose tea. Fluffy and kind of crumbly, but not too much. And perfectly mixed icing that is kind of crunchy but only until you bite into it, and then it’s all amazing sugar cookie heaven . . . that’s my ode to the sugar cookie. Seriously, if anyone loves sugar cookies as much as I do and wants the recipe I’m happy to share!

I was worried that this tea would be a little weak, since the color of the water hardly changed while steeping. It’s not as thin I as expected, and there is a wonderful cookie flavor. There is also a hint of butteriness that is nice. I’m glad that I picked up a box of this. It will be a nice tea to have before bed and it is just sweet enough to count as dessert in my book!

-Large square teabag without a tag.
-Teabag smells lightly of butter and sugar with a hint of orange. Tea liquor aroma is of rich sugar cookie dough.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy pale yellow color.
-Light buttery sugar cookie flavor and finish. Sweet vanilla aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Buttery and sweet sugar cookie flavor. A perfect evening cup before bed.

Oh my goodness, they actually hit it spot on. This tastes exactly like what it says: buttery flour, slightly caramelized sugar, and a generous dash of vanilla. When I’m at the end of my Weight Watchers points for the day and absolutely craving something I just can’t have, I think I have found a solution. Cookies without the guilt. Awesome!

I am really proud of the pictures for this one! You can see them here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2013/12/sugar-cookie-sleigh-ride-by-celestial.html

This is actually the second time I’ve had this tea. It smells so wonderful straight out of the box, honestly like sugar cookie dough. Then steeping, it’s like an actual sugar cookie. The taste, though, is a little lacking compared to the smell. It’s a good solid tea, I can taste the sugar cookie, the orange peel just a bit. It’s tasty, just not as yummy as the smell leads you to believe. Nothing to throw it out over though. This is a great evening tea!

Picked up a box of this when I was at the store earlier because I don’t have a lot of herbals on hand at the moment and I’m trying to snack less in the evening. So this tisane is doing double duty. It taste a lot like a sugar cookie and is sweet enough to dampen my urge to snack, and it won’t keep me awake until the wee hours.

For the record, Candy Cane Lane is my favorite CS tea. This would be my second choice.

I can’t remember enjoying this in recent times. It’s possible I haven’t had it. Maybe I didn’t want to buy the whole box. At any rate, I enjoyed this recently from a fresh box my grandmother stashed from the last holiday.

We enjoyed several cups of this tea together while I was on vacay.

The taste is light but pronounced – and it’s cookie dough to the full extreme! I enjoyed it because of the lack of caffeine (as did Oma). While it’s brewing, the aroma is just like freshly baked cookies. This is so delish, I wish it was available year round! Oma hooked me up with the rest of a box, so I’ll dole it out when I want a special no-caff treat.

Greetings Steepsterites. We meet again.
2012 sure has been a crazy one, huh? The last review I posted was Halloween weekend of 2011. And here it is almost Christmas 2012.

So, where do I start…
I moved from Nebraska to Arizona, got married, have a child on the way, a crazy puppydog, a beautiful place to live in a picturesque town… but one thing is missing.
Tea.
So I’ve confessed my love affair of tea to my husband and I’m back! I can’t wait to build my tea arsenal back up and start reviewing again. (If you check my cupboard I currently only own a few boxed teas I picked up from the local grocery store..sadface.) But, Harney just had free shipping last weekend so I ordered a couple of my favorites, Paris and Hot Cinnamon Spice, and threw in a sample of their new Soho blend which I’m excited to try. I mostly ordered Hot Cinnamon Spice to get my hubby hooked, because that’s the tea that hooked me.

Here’s one I picked up the other day. Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride from Celestial Seasonings.
The teabags smell of sugar cookies, orange zest and I think I’m smelling a hint of raisins.
Once dropped into boiling water I’m instantly brought back to my childhood days of slaving over a hot easy bake oven. This smells like easy bake oven treats! A sweet childhood smell. It makes me smile. I want this in a candle. Besides sugar cookie I’m also picking up on a nice faint caramel scent.
First sip…rather disappointing, based on how great it smells. I can see how someone only tasted hot water. This seems to be more of a scented tea. Not a strong base note going on. Nothing much for the light notes of sugar cookie and orange to cling to. The smell is much better than the taste. The body is lacking. Adding sugar and honey helps, it’s definetely a tea I’d only drink dressed up in sweeteners and/or cream. I could see Davids tea or 52 teas pulling this dessert tea off more satisfyingly.

All in all not horrible but not very memorable, not something I would miss very much once the holiday season is over and it’s no longer on the shelves. I don’t regret buying it but I won’t buy more once I finish the box. Much better dessert teas out there!

Glad to be back!!
Love, Mrs. Bain:)

PS – A picture of our happy little family: http://i46.tinypic.com/2iw8tvs.jpg :)