February 13, 2005
Thai Tea Blend
Name: Thai Tea Blend
Kathy's Rating: 7.5/10.0
Company: Teavana
Origin of tea: Africa and Sri Lanka
Price: $5.50/2 oz.
Tea form: Loose black tea with rooibos, coconut, almonds, and vanilla flavoring.
What they say: A delightful Thai restaurant blend of black and red teas, Hawaiian coconut pieces, almonds, and authentic Madagascar vanilla beans. Enjoy this delicious tea chilled with milk and Rock Cane Sugar.
Preparation method: Pour boiling water over leaves and infuse for 4 minutes.
Review: I'm a big fan of Thai iced tea drinks, so I was really looking forward to trying this Teavana blend. It was actually really good. Although it doesn't taste exactly like the tea mix used at Thai restaurants, it's very, very close. This is the kind of tea that would be great with sugar, ice, and cream in the summertime. I rated this tea a 7.5/10.0, which is a good rating. If you're a fan of coconut and vanilla (who isn't?), definitely try this tea. It's almost like having dessert.
Posted by Kathy at 03:09 PM | Permalink
February 10, 2005
Green Tea Mojo
Name: Green Tea Mojo
Kathy's Rating: 6.0/10.0
Company: Teavana
Origin of tea: Sri Lanka, Japan
Price: $5/2 oz.
Tea form: Loose Sri Lankan black and Japanese sencha green tea with fruity and floral bits.
What they say: Full-leaf Ceylon black and Japanese Sencha green tea mixed with cactus blossoms, guava, strawberry, raspberry, rhubarb and sunflower petals.
Preparation method: Pour slightly boiling water over leaves and infuse for 2-2.5 minutes.
Review: This is an interesting blend of teas, but I thought Teavana way over-scented the fruity component of the blend. The guava was overwhelming here, and felt cloying. Also, I thought rhubarb was a very strange ingredient to add in a tea. Clearly, I never did understand why rhubarb and strawberries had to be combined in so many recipes. I think strawberries should stand alone.
Anyhow, although guava was a key component of Teavana's Empress of China blend, it was used to better effect there. This is because Empress of China has a black tea base, which is more complimentary with the intense fruity tones of the guava. For the record though, I still thought there was too much guava in Empress of China.
In a mostly green tea base such as Green Tea Mojo, the fruity component should be light, so that the delicate taste of the green tea isn't overwhelmed. That is why I didn't rate Green Tea Mojo as highly as I rated Empress of China. If you're interested, you can read my review of Empress of China here.
Posted by Kathy at 10:09 PM | Permalink
January 11, 2005
To Life Blend
Name: To Life Blend
Kathy's Rating: 6.0/10.0
Company: Teavana
Origin of tea: China
Price: $10/2 oz.
Tea form: Loose white and green tea with scented rooibos.
What they say: An invigorating union of red, white, and green teas. combines the aroma of Rooibos Tropica, health benefits of rare Silver Needle and soothing undertone of Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls. Virtually no caffine. Good for multiple infusions.
Preparation method: Pour slightly below boiling water over leaves and infuse for 2-2.5 minutes.
Review: This is a very interesting blend. Silver needle white tea is very light and mild by itself, but in this case, has been supplemented by jasmine green tea and rooibos scented with orange peel. Actually, I think the bulk of the flavor comes from orange peel. I didn't like this infusion too much, but I should say that I'm not a fan of orange peel flavoring. As far as Teavana's signature blends go, I liked Empress of China much better. However, if you are a fan of orange-scented teas, this tea will likely make you happy.
Posted by Kathy at 09:10 PM | Permalink
Empress of China
Name: Empress of China
Kathy's Rating: 7.0/10.0
Company: Teavana
Origin of tea: China
Price: $4.30/2 oz.
Tea form: Loose guava-scented green and black teas with bits of marigold, violet, and roses.
What they say: A fusion of green and black teas with guava, marigold and violet.
Preparation method: Pour boiling water over leaves and infuse for 3-4 minutes.
Review: This has to be one of the most visually stunning tea blends I have ever seen. The marigold, rose, and violet petal colors definitely bring to mind the requisite silk robes of past Chinese empresses. The scent of guava is a bit overpowering, though. Not surprisingly, this was a very fruity tea. I'm not sure guava is the best scent for this tea combination. If I created this, I would have used lychee instead, which would have imparted a slightly sweeter tone to the tea blend. While I have not heard of a Chinese empress who was a big fan of guavas, the lychee fruit was the infamous Yang Gui-Fei's favorite. All in all, this blend was still very enjoyable, and would have rated higher if the guava scent was a bit more subtle.
Posted by Kathy at 06:48 PM | Permalink