Guide To Good Taste On A Budget
If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you. ~Gladstone, 1865
I dedicate this page to all who understand the joy of a good cup of tea.
My Tea Reviews S-Z
These are my impressions of a few of the teas I have tried. They were generally obtained at the local grocer or ethnic food mart with a few exceptions. Most of them are every day teas for everyday people.
I have listed the reviews by company name in alphabetical order.
Salada
Founded in 1872 by Peter C. Larkin or in the 1920’s depending on what you read. The company is now owned by Redco Foods, Inc.
White Tea With Green Tea Blend
While this isn’t great tea it is pleasant. It is also inexpensive. In the tea deprived wasteland of our local grocer’s shelves this is a little oasis. It will hold you over until you find something better.
Green Tea
This is an inexpensive non-spectacular tea. While there is nothing particularly wrong with it there is also nothing particularly memorable about it either. It does however stand miles above Stash or Kroger green tea.
Stash
Originally an American company that was recently bought by a Japanese company. Stash has been blending and selling tea since 1972.
Chocolate Mint Oolong Tea
Contains wuyi oolong tea, peppermint, chocolate flavor, cocoa powder, and carob powder. Doesn’t this just sound delicious? It’s like a York Peppermint Patty in a cup. Tearing open the envelope I caught myself going, oh yeah! The aroma after brewing was, oh man! Took the first sip and, hey where did the flavor go? Added a little sweetener and Mmmm. Without the sweetener the tea flavor was far more pronounced but the chocolate seemed nonexistent. With the sweetener all the flavors blended and the peppermint added that icy blast I was hoping to get. Seriously good.
Christmas Morning
This was given to me at work in bag form. I normally shy away from Stash black teas. I generally find them too weak. This was not even close to what I expected. I thought it would mint or something. When I read the label it started sounding interesting, Ceylon, Assam, Keenum, then I read Jasmine and I flinched. I don’t like Jasmine tea, well, until now. It adds a slight pleasant aroma but is so subtle in the sipping that I found myself really liking it. The blend of black teas comes alive with a little sweetener. Really impressed with this one. This is my second Keemun blend and I am
already a fan.
Cinnamon Vanilla
This caffeine free herbal infusion contains, cinnamon, chamomile, rooibos, sarsaparilla, and vanilla extract. Red tea (rooibos) is not tea but since Stash labels this as tea I will go ahead and review it here. This is in reality a herbal infusion. Even so, I have a bit of a fascination with red tea. This one makes a lovely light reddish brown drink that is sweet and flavorful. It kind of reminds me of a warm apple cider with a red tea twist. It is pleasant, dessert drink for times when you don’t want the caffeine or calories but need to satisfy the sweet tooth.
Earl Grey
It’s Earl Grey so I give them an E for effort on this black tea. The problem for me is the brew is too weak to enjoy (1.6g). The taste is pleasant enough. There just isn’t enough of it.
Fusion Red & White Tea
This is one of my favorite Stash teas. It is a blend of Red and White teas. White tea is similar to green tea in its processing as it is not fermented. The difference is white tea uses very young leaves giving it its unique taste, which I think has more in common with black tea. Rooibos or red tea is not a true tea. It is made from a small African shrub. It has a naturally sweet earthy taste to it. This is labeled as caffeine free so it is a perfect late evening drink. The taste of red tea is impossible to describe. If you are curious this is the one I would try first.
Green Tea
This tea is just plain bad. It tastes – and I do not exaggerate here – like a cupful of dried grass clippings. If that appeals to you fine, otherwise look elsewhere.
Kopili Assam Black
Sold under the Teas of India label. Assam is often used as the base for breakfast teas. If it seems familiar when tasting, that’s because it is. Upon first sip this had a smooth milky quality, but I found it too weak, as is often the case with Stash black tea. So, I left the bag in the cup a little too long and it became bitter. It was still weak. This just tastes like everyday run of the mill weak tea. It is just OK, nothing spectacular. I wouldn’t buy it again, Stash is too expensive for run of the mill tea, but if offered to me I would accept graciously, use a tiny cup, and enjoy.
Lemon & White Tea
White tea has less caffeine than other true teas but this one is apparently further decaffeinated making this another fine choice for late evening. What I really appreciate about this tea is how understated the flavoring of lemongrass and pure lemon oil is in the blend. For some peculiar reason most companies think that if a little is good a lot must be great. Stash did not follow that maxim with Lemon & White and I appreciate it. This is a very good tea.
Orange Spice Decaf Tea
A Blend of naturally decaffeinated black teas, cinnamon, orange peel, chicory, hibiscus flowers, and natural flavors of orange and clove. Not at all what I was expecting. I had tried a different orange spice and hated it. This is a pleasant little tea. It is spicy enough that I would not call it mellow. It is more comfortable. The cinnamon and clove taste dominate and I really could not distinguish the orange in the blend. It is not Lady Grey but it is not bad.
Peach Black Tea
Ingredients include blended black teas and peach flavoring. Out of the envelope it smells like peaches. When brewed you can taste the black tea, as the peach flavoring is not overwhelming. The taste is a little more complex than some peach teas I’ve tried. Overall this is a pleasant and nicely done cup of tea that only improves as it cools.
Pumpkin Spice
Naturally decaffeinated black tea, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin spice flavor, and clove. I wouldn’t want this all the time but it is a fun drink. The box says to add milk to compliment the luscious flavor.
Vanilla Nut Crème Decaf Tea
Ingredients are listed as naturally decaffeinated black teas, sarsaparilla and natural vanilla nut flavor. The brew is a beautiful chocolate brown in the cup. The aroma even hints at chocolate. The taste is smooth and the vanilla does not overpower the drink. The package says to add milk and sugar. It takes on a vanilla ice cream taste when you do this. I actually preferred it without the milk, though it was enjoyable either way. Not bad. Not bad at all.
White Peach Oolong Tea
Contains Wuyi oolong tea, orange peel, lemongrass, and white peach flavor. When you tear open the envelope you are immediately surrounded by flowery, sweet, fruity goodness. The aroma in the cup is a little more subdued but wonderful. Upon sipping the white peach flavor is very obvious. Not in an overwhelming way but just right. The other ingredients support the peach to perfection. I think I have found a new favorite peach tea.
White Tea
I like this tea a lot. Similar in taste to a black tea but it is much more mellow. I can’t think of a better way to describe it. It does not have that after bite that most hot black teas have.
Yumberry Blackcurrant
Not tea but a caffeine free herbal infusion containing hibiscus, rosehips, lemongrass, yumberry flavor, chicory root, black currant flavor, blackcurrant powder, and licorice powder. Also noted that it contains soy. I am always leery when there is that many ingredients listed on the envelope. As I opened it my first thought was I hope it tastes better than the bag smells. This brews up a purple tinted light brown in the cup. The aroma brewed is kind of like a blackberry wine. The taste hot is a bit under-whelming. As it cools the flavor is a little more obvious but it is just not something I want to be sipping late in the evening or any time of day. I did not finish the cup.
St. Dalfour
A French company. That is all I know about them.
Earl Grey
The box says this contains organic Ceylon tea with the all natural flavor of bergamot. The bags are individually wrapped in foil envelope. I don’t know if the box I tried was mislabeled or if it really is their take on Earl Grey tea. I enjoyed it but it tasted like a cinnamon flavored tea not Earl Grey. Much more subtle than the Bigelow cinnamon tea I drank years ago. Not bad but not what I was expecting.
Tazo
Tazo was started by, among others, a couple men who originally founded Stash. Though only a recent entry in the tea market Tazo was purchased by Starbucks and has become their house brand of tea.
China Green Tips
A generous size bag of spring harvested green teas. This tea makes me wonder if I shouldn’t retry some of the greens I disliked in days past. I don’t know if my tastes are changing, possibly maturing (not likely), or if this is just an extra pleasant cup of green tea. It reminded me of Golden Moon Sencha which I thought was extremely good. This is a green tea, so yes there is a grassiness to the aroma and a bit of a grassy aftertaste. Somehow I found myself enjoying it anyway.
Earl Grey
You should be able to tell by now that if I am out where tea is on the menu, I am going to go for the Earl Grey before anything else. So when my son forced me into going into a Starbucks against my will, I ordered my favorite blend. I was underwhelmed. If it said English Breakfast on the label I might consider it a passable cup of tea, but it doesn't. I detected no bergamot flavoring or oil at all. If it is in there it is in such small quantities as to be of no value. My first thought was the tea had been on the coffee shop shelf too long and lost its flavor but my son brought a box, he had bought elsewhere, home to try and the flavor was the same. It is strong black tea that leaves the standard black tea aftertaste but there is no citrus flavor to this blend. It might have made a pleasant iced tea but it is a not worthy of the name Earl Grey.
Lotus
A blend of naturally decaffeinated green tea and natural lotus flower flavor. This is my second Lotus tea. The first was Ethnic Gourmet’s “Honey Lotus Oolong”. That tea was sheer heaven in a cup. This tea I like but, in my opinion, it is not a great tea when comparing the two. On my first attempt at brewing, I thought there was not enough tea in the bag to make a flavorful cup but at 2+ grams that should not be the case. I understand they were going for a light flavor but I thought this was simply too light. On the second attempt I heated the water as for black tea – boiling. This made a world of difference and released a lot more flavor. The green tea is a typical grassy Japanese blend. The redeeming factor of this blend is the lotus. It adds a wonderful delicate aroma and taste without overpowering. Adding honey to the cup really brings it to life. Other reviews say do not over brew or it will become bitter. That was not my experience. It required hotter water than other greens I have tried and close to 5 minutes steeping time. I will buy this again, at least until I find a lotus blend I like better.
Orange Blossom
My wife wanted Starbuck’s. I thought sure I can have a nice cup of tea. Wrong. Wish I had read the reviews first. As a general rule I avoid tea with more than say 3 ingredients. This rule has served me well. Too bad I violated it. Another rule is tea shouldn’t be served in paper cups. The leaf looks interesting in the sachet. It smells interesting – kind of orangey. The taste at first was too bland. I can’t taste any tea. Put the bag in to steep longer. Now the fennel and licorice overwhelmed the brew causing my mouth to pucker and I still couldn’t taste tea.
Tazo Chai
Ingredients: black teas, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, and star anise. Like other Tazo teas I have tried there is a generous portion of tea in each bag. The aroma of the brew is quite nice. The liquor is dark brown. At first the taste is not at all what I expected. It is far more tea like than the aroma suggests. After a few more sips the cinnamon and black pepper slowly begin to dominate. At this point I added some creamer. Big mistake. The tea taste completely disappeared and the pepper jumped out as the predominate flavor which is typical of the chai teas I have tried. While this seems to be a good quality tea, I am just not a big fan.
Vanilla Rooibos
Not a true tea but an African shrub. As much as I disliked Tazo’s take on Earl Grey, I thought it only fair to comment on how much I enjoyed this drink. The smell of the tea bag is simply wonderful and brews up a beautiful red liquor in the cup. Naturally sweet, adding sweetener is almost too much. Blended with rooibos, vanilla, apple pieces, peach pieces, and other herbs and spices. I have not tried an instore latte yet but after trying this tea in bag form, I believe it would be enjoyable.
Zen
Ingredients: green tea, lemon verbena, spearmint leaves, lemongrass and natural flavors. I tend to avoid teas with cute names. I also tend to avoid teas with spearmint. Since I have come to respect and appreciate a couple Tazo blends recently, I thought I would violate both of my rules and try this blend. Hoping their idea of spearmint was like the invisible untasteable bergamot in their Earl Grey, I tore open the envelope. The smell is heavily spearmint. Brewed for 3 minutes. The aroma is spearmint. On the first sip, I tasted the spearmint followed by a hint of the lemon and then the green tea. The spearmint is much more subdued than it smells and is supported yet tempered by the other ingredients. I have to admit this is the first cup of spearmint tea I have ever finished, and more important, I actually enjoyed it.
Twinings
They have been making tea since 1706 so I suspect they know what they are doing. Maybe that explains why I can’t think of a single Twinings tea I have tried that I haven’t enjoyed.
Chai
Ingredients listed are black tea, natural chai, cinnamon & ginger flavors, other natural flavors, cardamom, clove. This is kind of like Lady Grey meets Constant Comment. It is a very enjoyable cup of flavor. The black tea is bold and like other Twinings offerings is not bitter and leaves no nasty aftertaste to ruin the pleasure. My first cup I used only a little sweetener and it was good. The second cup I added a little French Vanilla creamer to the mix and it made a night and day difference. At first it seemed a little peppery tasting, which I wasn’t sure I liked but as it cooled it took on new life and became quite nice. If you enjoy Chai teas I highly recommend this blend.
China Oolong
This tea is one of Twinings Origins blends which according to the press release means it is made of the finest teas from the world's best tea growing regions. This particular tea is not for everyone. Unless you are the adventurous type you might want to avoid China Oolong. Don't get me wrong, I like this tea. I just don't want to mislead any one. This tea has a slightly sweet flavor. It has a earthy taste that reminds me of the smell of a forest floor. Oolong is partially fermented and that may explain the taste. This is only my second Oolong and is very different from anything else I have tried. To really enjoy this tea I personally prefer to prepare it differently than per the instructions on the box of pouring fresh boiling water over the tea bag. Labeled to be a light flavor tea I find it is a little too bold for my tastes prepared by the directions. I pour near boiling water into the cup and let it cool a few degrees before adding the bag. This is similar to the way a white tea should be brewed. I like most teas strong but find this one works better if the brew is not so in your face. A cooler starting temperature mellows out this blend nicely. Still it is not a tea for everyone.
Earl Grey
I switched to this tea from Bigelow brand because this is a bergamot flavored tea rather than containing the actual oil of bergamot. That might sound strange to some but I made the change on purpose. The oil has a more complex taste but it seemed to be harder on my system. Your mileage may vary. Twinings Earl Grey allowed me to continue to indulge. However, recently Twinings has reformulated this blend and increased the bergamot flavoring. I liked the original blend better but maybe you will enjoy the change. It is still very good - just different. The citrus is brighter, and a little more tart, in the new fomulation. There is 2g of good quality black tea in the bag.
Earl Grey Green
I really enjoyed this tea when I first discovered it. I had it hidden away everywhere. Then they discontinued sales in the United States for a time. I was sad but I moved on after a time of mourning. Now it is back (who knows for how long). I immediately grabbed a box to celebrate its return. Seems the time off was to reformulate the blend. It is now a 3% bergamot flavored tea. I personally liked the old formula much better. There is enough actual tea in the bag (2g) that I can make a strong enough cup for my tastes but I prefer a slightly less amount of the citrus flavor. I am sure they have done their research. I hope they do well. It is not that it is bad, it isn’t. It is just not my, ahem, cup of tea. Oh, come on you knew I was eventually going to say it.
English Afternoon
A black tea blend of Ceylon and Keemun. I have seen this tea on the shelf before but was never tempted to try it. I am not a big fan of English breakfast teas as I find them uneventful. I expected Twinings English Afternoon to be a toned down version of the same. I was very wrong. The liquor is a beautiful deep reddish brown. The instructions say to add milk and sweetener. I added only sweetener. The first sip is clean and brisk. It has a natural sweetness that adding sweetener only amplifies. Next I notice a fruity flavor in the brew. Other reviews note Keemun tea has a lotus undertone. I did not get that impression to me it was almost a subtle apple, either way it is very good. The taste has an almost Darjeeling quality about it. Keemun is called the burgandy of teas for a reason. I continued to enjoy every sip as the cup cooled to room temperature. It left no unpleasant aftertaste. I feel comfortable recommending this tea.
Pumpkin Spice Chai
My son brewed a cup of this for me when I wasn’t feeling well. He didn’t really prepare this correctly. He used the microwave, which I am opposed to using for tea. The water was not boiling. I added a splash of milk and some artificial sweetener. I am certain this would be better under more controlled preparation. Even so, this was quite tasty. The spices were balanced and pleasant. I only want a pumpkin tea a couple times a year. I am glad my son sprung this one on me.
Pure White Tea
Another of the Origins teas. I don't think I have met a white tea I didn't like. This tea I love. No bitterness. No aftertaste. Smooth and delicious. Much more mellow than black tea but similar in taste. Made from handpicked buds and air dried this tea rocks. If I weren't seriously addicted to Earl Grey I would probably drink this every day.
Vanilla
This reminds me of Vanilla Coke without the bubbles. Not that they taste the same but rather they suffer from the same problem. Both are way over done. This is simply too much of a good thing. Often I take a Coke and add a tiny portion of vanilla syrup to it and the result is quite tasty but the canned product I find nearly undrinkable. I think the same thing applies to Twinings Vanilla. Half the vanilla would have been more than adequate. This tea was recently removed from the Twinings lineup.
Taylors of Harrogate
Founded in 1886 by an enterprising Yorkshire tea merchant, Charles Taylor.
Yorkshire Gold
An English chap informed me that when the British sit down to tea this is their drink. From an American point of view, I don’t think it makes a good iced tea, however as a hot tea it shines. This is especially suited in my opinion as a morning replacement to coffee. Their oversized bags make for a strong brew that tastes stout. I suggest using a bigger cup. This is not a tea for wusses.
Yamamotoyama
They have reportedly been blending tea since 1690. Yamamotoyama of America has owned Stash Tea Company for several years now and distributes their Yamamotoyama tea under the Stash banner.
China Oolong
The only ingredient listed on the bag is pure China oolong. I have yet to meet an oolong I didn’t like. Admittedly, they take a little getting used to. The earthy damp forest floor taste may not appeal to everyone. The brew is clear and chocolately in color. The aroma is mildly earthy with a hint of smokiness (to me at least) that is not present when sipping. The taste is mellow but flavorful. The smaller bag size may actually be an advantage with this tea. It makes for a subtle cup of tea. This is a good choice for the curious.
Pu-erh Tea
Here it is called an Oolong tea, which is lightly oxidized. Pu-erh is generally considered a green tea. After drying and rolling, it is compressed into bricks and aged. High dollar tea is aged for years. This is not high dollar tea. During aging, microbes ferment the tea. Here that aging does give it a mild oolong taste. It makes a dark cup of tea. The leaf pieces in the bag look black after steeping. The taste is very mellow with a light earthiness. I have read other reviews that claim this tea, while not a great tea, captures the essence of pu-erh. It doesn’t taste exactly like ‘normal’ tea. It is mildly exotic. It is also a little bland in my opinion. I did get two cups from one bag and must admit the second was a much earthier tasting, which I did enjoy. If you have been curious about pu-erh tea, this is a relatively inexpensive opportunity to try it.
