Product Information:
Spicy chai blend of cinnamon, black tea and rooibos, lightly sweetened and finished with steamed milk.
Where to Buy: Your Local Starbucks
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
This product combines two things that I do not like with a couple of things that I do like. I don’t like Teavana and I don’t like Starbucks. But I do like chai lattes and I like Oprah Winfrey. So, I decided that since I happened to be at my local Safeway and there happens to be a Starbucks inside that I’d try Oprah’s “new” (it’s not really new anymore, but it’s new to me) Chai from Teavana that has been crafted into a latte by Starbucks.
Two things that I noticed right off the bat that I appreciated – first thing: it wasn’t prepared too hot. The very rare times that I stop at a coffee shop to get a chai latte (very rare), it seems like the drink is too hot to consume and it takes forever for the temperature to drop. This was prepared at a slightly lower temperature, I think, and it was a drinkable temperature. Nice.
The second thing that I noticed: it’s not too sweet. Yeah, it’s been sweetened. But it’s not cloyingly sweet. It’s not so sweet that I felt myself recoil from the overwhelming sweetness. And there’s a nice balance between sweet and spice.
I can taste the tea here and that’s another thing I appreciate. More often than not, when I do have that rare latte from a coffee shop, many times it’s made from a concentrate and it’s overly processed and I just can’t taste any tea. I taste some spice but mostly what I end up tasting is warm milk and sweetener.
That’s not happening with this. I can taste the black tea and I taste a light nutty flavor from the rooibos. The spices are nicely balanced. Overall, it’s a pleasant chai latte. Not my favorite – my favorite is the kind that I make at home where I control the sweetness and the amount of dairy that goes into it. But for a latte that I picked up at a coffee shop (even if it is Starbucks), it’s pretty good. And it’s definitely better than Starbucks “classic” chai latte.
I don’t know that I’ll be lining up at Starbucks to get this again soon, but, if I happen to find myself at Starbucks, this is probably what I’ll order.
Darjeeling de Triomphe Black Tea from Teavana
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Teavana
Tea Description:
Glasses lifted high in moments of celebratory triumph- the inspiration for this most coveted ‘champagne of teas.’ Refreshingly young black tea leaves, featuring vibrant gradients of green colors yield a high content of silvery tips and buds. Each and every single leaf is scrutinized for purity in taste and features a harvest of the first flush of leaves from six of our bountiful private reserve tea gardens. Taste a floral aromatic sweet ending with each sip of this victorious crème de la crème of Darjeelings.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I wanted to … I really, really wanted to! I wanted to hate this Darjeeling de Triomphe Black Tea from Teavana. I admit it. I usually go in to my tea tastings with as open a mind as I possibly can, but, I have to admit that I am not particularly fond of Teavana.
I don’t like that when I enter a Teavana store, I am greeted by and then pressured to buy … by a clerk that most likely knows relatively little about the tea they are selling in the store. I don’t like that Teavana is grossly overpriced and that coupled with the fact that they try to “ounce your wallet to death” by adding just a little bit more than the 2 ounces you’re buying and then asking, innocently “is that alright?”
And then they try to upsell you an overpriced tin by telling you that is the way you have to store the tea. You walk into a store, expecting to pay maybe $25 and you end up leaving with $95 less in your bank account because of their sneaky upsell tactics. (These things don’t happen when you’re shopping online with them, just an FYI.)
Finally, I didn’t like that this particular tea – this Darjeeling I’m sipping now – is one of their pricier teas. It’s marked $19.98 for TWO ounces! That’s insanity.
OK … ok … I’m stepping off my tea box now.
There are a lot of things that are wrong with Teavana … but there are some things right with them too. I like that they’re opening up the public awareness to tea. More and more people are learning more about tea – that there’s more to tea than that yellow, white and red box that has been sitting on the grocery store shelf for the last year. That is definitely a positive aspect of this company. I just wish … they were less “corporate.” Tea should be a passion, not a bottom line.
Anyway … on to my thoughts about this tea. It really is good, despite my desire to dislike it. I just can’t. It’s a mighty fine Darjeeling. Is it better than some others that I’ve tried that are less expensive than this one? No, it isn’t. But it is still a good Darjeeling.
It’s a six estate blend of first flush teas. So, we have a nice fruity tone to this cup, but not as much muscatel as you would experience with a second flush. There are some really nice floral tones to this tea and it has a pleasantly crisp taste with a fair amount of cleansing astringency. My mouth feels clean after a sip.
With each sip, I experience a nice complexity. There are layers of wood tones, earth, high notes of flower, and sweet fruit notes. It’s a really nice cuppa.
My final thoughts on this tea? It’s a good Darjeeling. It is a blend, though, so it certainly doesn’t deserve the price tag with which it’s been marked. If this were a single estate tea and Teavana was working closely with the farmers to ensure quality and if it were an organic and fair trade selection, then I might be able to understand the high price on this one. But, for a six estate blended first flush? No. I can’t in good conscience recommend it to you. It’s good, but there are better teas out there.
Thai Tea Blend from Teavana
Tea Type: Black Tea/Rooibos Blend
Where To Buy: Teavana
Product Description:
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. This tea contains nuts.
How to Prepare
Use 1 teaspoon of tea per 8oz of water. Heat water to 195-205 degrees and steep for 2-3 minutes. 2oz of tea equals 25-30 teaspoons.
Ingredients:
Black tea, red Rooibos tea, coconut bits, vanilla pieces and almond bits.
Tasters Review:
It’s been a while since I have been able to try a new (or new to me) Teavana Tea and this past week I was able to thanks to a fellow tea lover and tea swapper! I don’t know if the name Thai Tea Blend would be the first name that would pop into my head to title this tea but here IS what I do know…
I could taste the Rooibos more than the Black Tea and I could taste the Almond more than the Coconut. I did find that the vanilla was a good pairing with the coconut but more of an afterthought or aftertaste, actually.
Overall I did enjoy this blend. It had a pleasant aroma and a satisfying taste.
Vermont Maple Tea from Teavana
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit & Spice Melangé
Where to Buy: This tea is no longer available from Teavana
Company Description:
This herbal tisane tastes of crisp apples, toasted almonds, and cinnamon all sweetened with a rich natural maple syrup taste. Drink year round to remind yourself of chilly winters around the hearth.
Taster’s Review:
I admit that I have a weakness when it comes to maple. So, naturally, this tisane was very appealing to me.
The maple flavor here is blended with the flavors of cinnamon and apple and a faint hint of almond. The combination is truly wonderful. The cinnamon notes are spicy, but not “red hot” hot – perhaps its the maple that curbs some of the spicier tones of the cinnamon. The apple offers a sweet smoothness to the overall cup – and it’s a bit like apple cider with a heavy infusion of maple flavor.
But what is wonderful about it is that even though it is sweet, it is not cloying. It has a wonderful, warming taste that is truly comforting.
A friend sent me some of this tea, and as I sit here sipping it, I can’t help but feel a little wistful that it is no longer available. It is one of the best teas/tisanes I’ve tried from Teavana.