Vanilla Caramel Chai/Tazo

by VariaTEA

A little while back the SororiTea Sisters shared teas in a traveling tea box. One of the sisters was kind enough to share several tea bags of Tazo’s Vanilla Caramel Chai. I grabbed a couple bags to try since vanilla and caramel are both flavors I usually love and lately I have been trying more and more chais and enjoying them.

Tazo’s Vanilla Caramel Chai is a black tea with cinnamon, licorice root, ginger, black pepper, cloves, and natural flavors. The licorice root has me a bit nervous but hopefully the other flavors hide the typical cloying sweetness of the licorice root.

Normally I would make chais as a latte but with only two tea bags, I didn’t think I had enough leaf for that. Consequently, I am trying the tea plain first but may add a splash of milk to get that latte creaminess.

Sipping on it now I am happy to report that the licorice root is nicely masked. There is a lot of cinnamon in the scent of the steeped tea which transfers over to the taste. I also get a ribbon of clove running through the sip. It is sweet and though I can smell vanilla caramel, nothing distinctly reflects that in flavor other than sweet.

I added a little bit of milk and unfortunately it doesn’t do much for taste. This tea is still cinnamon heavy though there is perhaps a bit less clove now.

Some people don’t like too much spice from their chai blends and if you are one of those people, this could be a nice option for you. As for me, I think spice is the whole point of having a chai and this falls short. I would happily forgive the lack of spice if it was in favor of highlighting the vanilla caramel but this falls short there too. It’s not bad per se but there is nothing all that great either.

Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Tazo Tea

Description

How do you make a great cup of chai tea taste even better? You add rich notes of vanilla, delectable caramel, and the classic spices of chai into the boldest black teas. It’s a sweet twist on a spicy favorite. It’s not just better. It’s better-er.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

photo credit:  Tazo Tea

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Tazo Tea

Glazed Lemon Loaf from Tazo Tea. . .

by SuperStarling

Every time I enter a grocery store, I find myself tossing a mixture of tea and newfangled flavored Oreos* into my cart.

*Apple pie flavor: EFFECTIVE.

For this reason, my husband prefers to grocery shop alone.

However, I have NO SHOPPING REGRETS, GUYS. This blend tastes JUST like the Starbucks lemon cake. It is lemon swimming in sugary icing sweetness. It tastes like calories. The word “divine” comes to mind.

If you want to make your own cake version of the Starbucks lemon loaf, try this recipe. Or… you can just try this tea.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Herbal
Where to Buy: Tazo Tea
Description

An enticing herbal infusion with notes of bright lemon & creamy vanilla.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Fruit/Herbal Tisane, Tazo Tea

Apricot Vanilla Creme from Tazo Tea. . . .

by VariaTEA

Apricot Vanilla Creme, a white tea by Tazo, one that I had never seen prior to the arrival of a traveling teabox. My past experiences with Tazo have been nothing special but this particular teabag has me intrigued. I blame the “creme” since that’s one of those trigger words that catches my eye. “Vanilla” is another. So when I saw this, I knew it was a tea I wanted to try.’

I opened the teabag and the smell of stone fruit and vanilla filled the air. As per the recommended steeping parameters on the teabag, I steeped this for 3 minutes at 175 degrees.

This actually is quiet nice. Definitely one of the better Tazo teas I have tried and thankfully it delivers on all that is promised. Apricot? Check. Vanilla? Check. Creme? Check. The base is also present and though I wish it was more muted, it is by no means offensive. It contributes a touch of bitter that slightly distracts from the flavors but is not as invasive as I thought it might have been.

All in all, I am impressed. This is flavorful and given its a teabag, its a no muss, no fuss sort of treat.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  White
Where to Buy:  Tazo Tea
Description

This treat of a white tea delights with hints of fresh apricot & Tahitian vanilla.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

VariaTEA

Hey there! My name is Rachel. I’m a twenty-something from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who loves dogs and has a bit of an obsession with tea. As a child I hated the stuff since all I ever knew was Red Rose (no offense to Red Rose). However, a few years ago that all changed. I was on a diet and desperate for new flavors without adding calories and that’s when I turned to tea. I started off by going to DAVIDsTEA and Teavana for all their dessert-inspired flavors, and since I didn’t know any better, I bought 100 grams each of about twenty-something different teas. This was okay for the teas I liked but for those I didn’t I needed to find some way of getting rid of them. Enter Steepster.com. This is where I met some incredible tea friends, discovered tea swaps, and learned of so many amazing tea companies. My desire to try all the teas grew and since joining three years ago I have tried over a thousand different teas. I have learned what ingredients I love and I have learned what flavors I don’t like. I determined my go-to brewing method is Western-style with no added milk or sweeteners, though I also enjoy cold brewing, iced teas, teapops, lattes, and smoothies. I have yet to brew gong-fu style but I hope to do so just as soon as I get the proper teaware to do it. About a year ago, I actually stopped drinking tea but as my stash of over 200 teas started aging I decided I needed to respark my interest. I chose to take a 365 days of tea challenge on Instagram in which I post a new tea picture every day. So far it has been rather successful as I find myself drinking (and buying) more and more tea each day. Plus it enabled CuppaGeek to find me and invite me here to SororiTea Sisters.

This post was posted in Tazo Tea, White Tea

Zen from Tazo. . .

by SuperStarling

I grabbed Tazo’s Zen™ at the dentist’s office without realizing the dreaded mint* was inside it. However, I’m pleased to announce that the mint isn’t the primary characteristic of this tea!

* A note about mint: WHY IS IT EVERYWHERE? Mint is for toothpaste only.

Anyway, this lemon-mint green tea is mostly lemon with a toasty green flavor. It’s like a roasty, nutty kind of green, which is interesting against the citrus-y (and, okay, a LITTLE minty) high notes.

I think this is a nice choice for recovering from the harsh blows of a dentist visit. (I need $4k of Invisalign! And a filling! And part of the underside of my tongue cut! Almost $5k altogether!) It’s very… Zen™. *

* A note about the ™: How on earth can the word “Zen” be trademarked? I imagine it’s just in the context of tea products? No one else can name their tea “Zen,” maybe? Does this strike anyone else as weird?

Anyway, this tea comes in boxes at your grocery store, if you want to give it a whirl! You can enjoy it in your less-messed-up-than-mine mouth!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Green
Where to Buy:  Tazo
Description

A harmonious blend of green tea with lemongrass & spearmint.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Green Tea, Tazo Tea