Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green/Matcha
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Cotton Candy Matcha’s sugary flavor makes the perfect sweet snack for any dull day. This is because, this supremely sweet flavor is ideal for those who love all sweet things and relish their uplifting quality. The sheer variety of Cotton Candy Matcha makes it an instant favorite for those who want to sample the sweet delights that can be enjoyed by their palates. This is an excellent flavor for occasions of the young and young at heart who want to enliven their taste buds with something pleasurable.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Continuing with the “Choose Your Own Matcha” sampler from Red Leaf Tea, I thought it’d be a cool idea to make some of the five flavors I chose ones I had previously tried to do a comparison and see how my tastes have changed personally. Here are some of the highlights from my old tastings/reviews on Steepster from over a year ago:
“…there’s also a slight vegetal taste in the first part of the sip”, and
“…in the aftertaste you get more of a true cotton candy flavour”.
The first time I tried this was in cold milk, but for this tasting I’ll be using cold cashew milk like I have for all the other flavors so far. Dry, I think this smells pretty rich but in a generically sugary way; it’s hard to capture a smell that’s clearly cotton candy when, realistically, all cotton candy is just hot, spun sugar.
Funnily enough, my initial impression/observation is true to my old review: I think the first thing you taste is a very grassy top note which eventually does lean into a more sweet body flavor. It is very generic for me though; I don’t think if I was trying this blind I’d be able to pinpoint it as cotton candy flavor. That said, I did actually like it and I appreciate the nice balance between the flavor of the matcha and the added flavors. It’s not as accurate as it could be though, so that is a bit disappointing.
I’m happy I revisited this one though! And I look forward to trying out the last sample to see if my observations from a year ago are also accurate for that one.
Carolina Honey® Bottled Black Tea from Argo Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Ready to Drink)
Where to Buy: Argo Tea
Tea Description:
Argo Tea’s Carolina Honey® is an energizing Nilgiri black tea from the highlands of Southern India, which is blended with sweet grade A wildflower honey and a splash of tart lemons. Each ready-to-drink Carolina Honey® comes in a 13.5 oz signature Argo Tea glass bottle. One case contains 12 bottles.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Earlier this year I decided to quit drinking diet soda. I can’t say I’ve been perfect at it, but I am drinking much less than I used to. One way I’ve said “no” to the carbonated stuff is to say “yes” to bottled teas when I’m out running errands and want something cool to drink. On a recent trip to the drug store I picked up this tea. I have tried loose leaf teas from Argo, but I’ve never had the opportunity to try one of their bottled offerings. I was excited to see a good quality tea product in the case next to all the sodas and juices.
The first thing that impressed me was the container. It’s made of a fairly heavy glass with a thick plastic twist-off lid, and I knew it would be perfect to keep and reuse for other drinks. The lid fits securely on the bottle, so I don’t have to worry about the tea splashing out or leaking. As I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for good packaging, and this one is a winner for being both pretty and functional.
As for the tea inside the bottle, it was good. The base tea was a Nilgiri black tea which was smooth and well suited to iced tea. Any subtle notes that might have been present in the tea were lost to the honey and lemon flavors, but the clean, fresh taste of the tea did act as a good foundation for the other flavors. The honey had a wildflower taste to it, and while I enjoyed it I found myself wishing I had continued to shake or stir my tea as I drank it because the last few sips were overly sweet due to the honey settling to the bottom of the bottle. The lemon was my least favorite flavor in this tea. It had a slightly artificial taste to it, and at times I felt that it clashed with the flavor of the honey. I’d definitely prefer this tea without the lemon.
Overall I found this tea to be nice. It definitely peaked my curiosity about Argo’s other bottled tea flavors, and I’m looking forward to giving them a try. The next time I’m out and about it’ll be easy to pass on the diet soda and reach for a bottle of tea instead.
If you’re interested in trying Argo’s bottled teas you can buy it by the case on their website (there’s a link to their site at the top of this post) or you can check out your local Walgreens to purchase individual bottles.
Flaming Prince Charming White Tea from T-We Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: T-We Tea
Tea Description:
Have you ever met the man of your dreams; that perfect guy who you want to spend the rest of your life with… only to then have him introduce you to his husband? Ugh… Happily Ever After is SO hard these days! We completely understand. Don’t worry, gay BFFs are way more fun! Introducing the deliciously desirable Flaming Prince Charming. This soft and delicate White Peony is the perfect balance of milky coconut ribbons and refreshing cardamom spice. It’s like a fairy tale for the modern princess.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Sometimes when I try new tea companies, it can be a gamble. It’s hard out there for peeps in the tea biz. We are all united by our love for the beverage, but a lot of us need part time jobs. Not everyone has the attention grabbing thing to get new customers on board. Coming across T-We’s website, I definitely found it. It came in the form of the tagline for this tea:
Spoiler Alert: All the Good Ones are Gay
I was not expecting the hilarious tea names and their corresponding descriptions! I can’t decide if I like The Worst or Scandalous Manfriend the best. All of their teas are handblended, and uproarious and very youthful. I’m really glad to have stumbled past this small store.
On to the tea! The dry leaf is has a LOT of coconut. There are some scattered large green cardamom pods, as well as thin fuzzy silver needle. I used to be obsessed with coconut teas, but somewhere along the line, I grew tired of the taste, and even grossed out at times. But inhaling the steeping leaves, it smells fresher that other coconut teas I have tried, and the aroma is like fresh coconut milk exactly. I am still a coconut freak. I go crazy for coconut in all of its forms in anything I can get my hands on, candles, beauty products, food… except tea. Will this be the coconut tea to win me back? Let’s find out!
The brew is a mellow golden sunshine color, and smells like coconut cardamom heaven. The mouthfeel is nice a heavy, it’s quite easy to drink. The hay and honey notes of the white tea are definitely on the back burner of this tea, with the coconut and cardamom taking over. I am loving how sweet this tea is, as well as the lack of astringency. This is definitely not one of those toasted coconut flavor profiles, this tea tastes like thick and creamy coconut milk, just as it is about to hit cooked white rice for coconut rice pudding. I am definitely a fan of this kind of shredded coconut, it delivers a fresher punch than any other coconut tea that I have tried. (On a side note, this tea goes great with the talented Harry Belafonte song of the same subject matter. If you are feeling fruity.)
I suggest that you go take a look on their website! T-We tea is a fun site to browse, whether or not you plan to buy tea from them, or just laugh uncontrollably, it’s a solid choice on a small scale tea shop!
Chocolate Hazelnut Decaf Tea by Stash
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Stash
Tea Description:
Our Chocolate Hazelnut is a deliciously smooth and rich dessert tea. Chocolate, hazelnuts, vanilla, and premium black tea combine to create a fascinating blend of flavors. Sugar and a splash of milk bring out the taste of the chocolate and hazelnuts. The black teas are naturally decaffeinated, so you can savor this tea any time of day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am always on the hunt for good decaffeinated black teas. My desire to drink tea late into the night is often at war with my desire to eventually get some sleep. Of course, herbals or tisanes are great alternatives, but sometimes I just want the comfort of a tasty cup of black tea. So, when I have the chance to try a decaf black tea I jump at it in the hopes that I’ll be able to add some more teas into my nighttime drinking rotation.
While I was excited to try Chocolate Hazelnut Decaf from Stash I have to say that I do not like this tea. The flavoring of both the chocolate and the hazelnut was fake and had an off-putting sour aftertaste. The base tea was slightly astringent but otherwise had no defining characteristics. Perhaps a base tea with more body or a strong biscuit-like note could help balance out the other flavors, but as it is I did not find this tea enjoyable. I did add both sugar and milk to my cup in an attempt to make this something I’d like, but I could not escape the sour note this tea left at the end of the sip.
Chocolate Hazelnut Decaf has too much working against it between the artificial tasting chocolate and hazelnut flavorings and the weak base tea. My hunt for good decaf black teas continues. This is one tea I’ll pass on.
Revel Berry Yerba Mate from Guayaki
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Guayaki
Tea Description:
Revel Berry has a delicious raspberry and blackberry flavor. It’s easy drinking and clean tasting, and not too sweet.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
For those who don’t know, I work in a grocery store. It’s not uncommon for us to start carrying different, less common drinks but it is uncommon for them to be tea-related so when we picked up some of this brand’s flavors of iced/canned Yerba Mate I got really excited! I knew I’d seen at least one of this brand’s products reviewed on Steepster so I took the plunge and a bought a can of each flavor to try out.
I don’t know what I expected when I tried this one, maybe a little more yerba mate flavour? But this threw me off a little bit; it definitely tastes distinctly of raspberry and even has a tinge of sharper tartness however I can’t taste anything specifically blackberry flavoured. If anything, I almost want to say there’s more of a blueberry flavor present. Regardless, this does seem pretty watered down and I’m missing any distinctly earthy notes from the yerba mate – which is kind of the best part of mate other than the caffeine. I absolutely appreciate that this is not overly sweet though!
I don’t know if I’d personally buy this one again because I know I enjoy a stronger Yerba Mate flavour but I do look forward to trying the other two flavours I picked up and I’m all for the idea of this if it gets a more “mainstream” consumer experiencing Yerba Mate – which I know it’s been doing at work since some my coworkers have taken to drinking this during break instead of other popular and more “conventional” energy drinks. Plus, the convenience of it being canned it always a plus.
