Product Description:
Ready to Drink Tisane from Argo Tea.
Ingredients: fresh brewed green tea (water, green tea), pure cane sugar, ginger root, lemon juice concentrate, natural vanilla flavor.
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
After not being completely disappointed with my sampling of Mojitea, I decided to give another Ready-to-Drink tea beverage from Argo Tea a try. This time, though, I made sure that there was actual Camellia Sinensis in the blend!
And I have to say that I like this quite a bit better than the aforementioned Mojitea. There is a lot of ginger in this one though, so if you’re not keen on ginger, this is not the tea for you.
I can also taste the lemon in this, it isn’t an abundant flavor, but, it adds a nice touch of acidic taste to offset the peppery taste of the ginger. The green tea seems a little lost in the blend, but, I can taste it back there … somewhere! It would be nice to have a little more green tea flavor, but on the plus side, I like that this isn’t overwhelmingly sweet. In fact, I find that the sweetness is balanced nicely with the spicy note from the ginger and the bit of lemon flavor.
There is also just a hint of vanilla to this, and I notice that particularly in the aftertaste which is a little sweet and creamy tasting.
Quite nice for a RTD. I would definitely be happy to drink this one again.
PRODUCT REVIEW: Mojitea from Argo Tea
Product Description:
Ready to Drink Tisane from Argo Tea.
Ingredients: fresh brewed mint tea (water, peppermint), pure cane sugar, lime juice concentrate, natural mint flavor.
Contains 7% juice.
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve said before, I don’t purchase many ready-to-drink teas. In fact, according to my husband, I point my nose up at them, inferring that I’m a tea snob. And while I accept this label, I don’t really think this particular action has earned it. Most ready-to-drink teas are over-sugared and overly saturated with flavorings to hide the flavor of the tea. Why would anyone do that to a tea? It seems as though it should be a criminal act.
And while this ready-to-drink “tea” has done very little to assuage my opinion of most ready-to-drink tea products (here is an exception), the fault really isn’t with this particular product but with me, as I didn’t take the time to read the label properly. This is actually an herbal tisane, and not a tea (as it contains no Camellia Sinensis leaves), so there is no tea to actually be tasted.
That being said, this is actually quite a tasty tisane. I am not finding it to be overly sweet … sweet, yes, perhaps a bit sweeter than I would have liked, but, not so sweet that I’m put off by it. And I like that what I taste is peppermint and lime over the sweetness. I like that it is made with pure cane sugar, and not some syrup. Yeah, yeah, I saw the commercial and I know that “sugar is sugar,” and the body doesn’t know the difference between cane sugar and corn syrup, but, I’d like to think that my palate does.
Truth be told, what lead me to this purchase was the pretty glass bottle. Yeah, I’m a sucker for neat packaging. But it was enjoyable enough for me to pick up another bottle of it if I happen to be out and about and in need of hydration. Not something that I’ll keep stocked in my fridge, but I am now interested to try the other flavors that Argo Tea offers, and that fact alone makes this a better product than most of the ready-to-drink tea offerings out there.
PRODUCT REVIEW: Squeezmo
Product Information:
Where to Buy: Squeezmo
Product Description:
Squeezmo™ is the modern solution to an old problem: soggy, drippy, unsightly tea bags.
Rather than allowing a mucky brown tea bag to spoil that nice saucer or throw it away after a single use, place a bag of your favorite variety in Squeezmo, press and pour the excess back into the cup.
There’s no waste and no mess. Now, one tea bag can brew multiple cups.
Product Review:
I was apprehensive about reviewing this product, mostly because I prefer to drink loose leaf tea as opposed to tea brewed from tea bags. In addition, the flexible Squeezmo looks and feels a lot like plastic and I don’t generally like to use plastic items when brewing tea. However, it isn’t plastic, it’s silicone. Although to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t really tell you what the difference between silicone and plastic is (or even if there IS a difference).
Additionally, I am not particularly fond of tea gadgets, I prefer to keep it as simple as possible. Generally, I don’t see the use of gadgetry to add to the simplicity of tea; rather, I see it as added complication.
BUT… this gadget is an exception! Yes, despite my original misgivings about this device and my reservations about gadgets, I am finding this particular gadget – the Squeezmo – to be quite useful, helpful and enhancing to the pleasure of a simple cup of tea! Who’dathunkit?
On the occasions when I brew tea from a teabag (I’d estimate that I brew 1 teabag every other day, with loose leaf tea filling in the rest of my daily tea consumption), I do not squeeze the teabag. I know that tea drinkers are somewhat divided on this issue: some choose to give their teabags a squeeze in an effort to extract all the liquid and additional flavor from the teabag, while others (and I) believe that in so doing, additional tannins are also extracted and bitterness can result.
So, even though I’ve now this nifty gadget that promotes the squeezing of the teabag, I don’t use it for that purpose. What I do use it for is placement of the teabag after I’ve finished steeping my tea. That’s always been a troublesome issue for me. I can’t toss it directly into the garbage because it’s hot and it is likely to melt the trash bag … and what a mess that would be. So, it ends up being placed on a saucer or in a bowl, making more mess in my kitchen (which really doesn’t NEED more mess). Not to mention the mess that is made from the trail of tea drips from cup to aforementioned saucer. Mess, mess, mess.
But this flexible, bright orange Squeezmo helps me with the mess! I can place my hot teabag into the Squeezmo without dripping tea all over my counter and without having an unsightly teabag on a saucer or bowl. After the teabag cools, I simply drop it into the trashcan and empty the additional tea that’s accumulated at the bottom of the Squeezmo into my teacup.
This is a no mess, no fuss kind of gadget that I don’t mind using!
PRODUCT REVIEW: Matcha Chai (Results) Minteas from Tea Forté
Where to Buy: Tea Forté
Product Description:
Slimming matcha, with a tingle of cinnamon
to aid in keeping you fit and feeling fab.Ingredients: sorbitol, xylitol, organic matcha green tea, Fair Trade Certified™ organic white tea, natural flavors, calcium stearate
Taster’s Review:
Like the Ginger Pear (Regroup) Minteas that I tasted and reviewed previously, I’m liking these Matcha Chai Minteas. They remind me a bit of a cinnamon mint with an invigorating burst of cinnamon flavor that is somewhat reminiscent of “Big Red” chewing gum (do they still even make that? I can’t recall seeing it for a long time … but then, I haven’t really been looking.)
Unless I’m really focusing on the flavors, I don’t discern much of a Matcha flavor or a white tea flavor in these, nor do I notice many other chai-like flavors other than a strong, spicy cinnamon note. The flavors are there, they are just less noticeable than the cinnamon. The other flavors become much more apparent after I’ve allowed the Mintea to dissolve for a few minutes on my tongue, and then bite into the undissolved portion. Then I can really notice more of the chai flavors as well as the Matcha. Yum!
However, what I’m enjoying most about these is not only the flavors but also the texture of them (they remind me of my gramma’s Certs that she used to keep in her purse whenever the grandkids wanted some “candy”). They have a strong, slick surface that once dissolved slightly feels a little less slick, but still very fine and a bit like granular powder. Once I bite into one, it becomes a smooth, powdery candy-like texture (but not a sugary texture). And despite the candy-like texture of these, I like that they don’t taste too sweet. There is a mild sweetness to them which keeps them palatable, but it never becomes cloying or sickly sweet.
As for the fitness/slimming aspect, I think I would need to have more of these on a regular basis before I actually noticed “Results.” However, these are tasty enough that I certainly wouldn’t mind keeping these on hand and enjoying them on a regular basis… whenever I need something tasty to help freshen the breath and cleanse the palate. Plus the tin is pretty cute too.
PRODUCT REVIEW: Raspberry Chocolate Matcha Latte from Matcha Mountains
Where to Buy: Where Matcha Mountains Products are sold
Product Description:
Rich berry flavour with a hint of chocolate, using fair-trade organic dutch cocoa powder. This all time favourite is perfect for a hot beverage or milkshake. Raspberries and chocolate are a perfect pairing, liquid dessert in a cup!
Taster’s Review:
I held on to this sample for a while … not because I didn’t think I’d like it (the way I often do with samples of herbal tisanes, for example), but because I knew I would. I wanted to save it for a day when I could really savor it. Well, many moments like that have passed, but this matcha latte mix didn’t cross my mind until now.
But, I am so happy to be sitting here, tasting it now! It is so good! Rich, creamy and decadent. Just as the description above suggests, this is really a “liquid dessert in a cup!” Or should I say “liquid dessert in a chawan”?
It has a very good balance of chocolate and raspberry flavor. I don’t taste as much of the green tea flavor, but it does manage to weave its way in and out of the sip. Hints of its bittersweet vegetative taste unite so harmoniously with the creamy chocolate and tart and tangy raspberry that tickles the tongue in the aftertaste. The contrast of flavors is very nice. Sweet, rich and deeee-lish … and much better than anything I’ve ever ordered from the local coffee shop!
I recommend using a little less milk than called for in the instructions. I heated up the full 12 ounces, but ended up using only about 10 ounces in my latte, and it came out perfectly. It froths up to create a very rich and creamy bowl of matcha that’s good to the last bit (and it stayed blended throughout – no need to re-whisk as I arrived toward the bottom of the bowl.