Ito En Mango

This was really interesting for me.  The majority of the Ito En teas I’ve tried have been serious with pure and authentic strong tea flavors. You had to be an experienced tea drinker to appreciate the quality of the ready-to-drink teas they offer. Until now…this Mango flavored black tea changed all the rules.  I didn’t look at the label before taking my first drink.  Other than knowing it was mango flavored, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  When the lush mango flavors mixed with sweet natural cane sugar hit my tongue, I was pleasantly surprised.  The flavor of this tea is simple: Sweet Mango.  The tropical fruit flavor definitely out weighs the black tea in this mix.  I think this is a great addition to their line of products because it has a fun factor to it.  I could see me drinking an Oi Ocha when I’m craving a pure and unsweetened green tea. Then I can switch to this sweetened mango flavored black tea when I’m in the mood for something with a few more calories. The bottle label states that there are 50 calories & 14g sugars per 8 fl oz.  There’s no doubt that this was a good tasting beverage - if you like sweet mango flavors.  If you are looking for a strong black tea flavor, you’re not going to find it in this bottle.

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Anteadote White Tea

Moving on to an unsweetened RTD from Adagio - Anteadote Organic White Tea…

I wasn’t anticipating wonderful things from the Anteadote White Tea.  The Jasmine and Oolong have easily been my favorites in this product line.  They were packed with natural flavor and freshness.  The white tea fell short for me in the flavor department.  I can barely detect the white tea flavor.  The beverage starts with a quick crisp sweetness, but the bitter finish washes the faint white tea flavor away.  It tasted very similar to the green tea.  The white tea had a noticeable vitamin flavor to it, which I noticed in the green tea (Vitamin C is an ingredient).  Although I appreciate the addition of Vitamin C, I don’t necessarily want a beverage that tastes like a vitamin.  The good news, this is a refreshing beverage.  Even though I think there is a lot of room for improvement, I enjoyed the fact that it was a healthy/unsweetened beverage that I could drink after working out or coming in from the hot weather.  The plastic 16.9 FL OZ bottle makes white tea more convenient for those that aren’t comfortable steeping loose leaf teas.  If Adagio can get the white tea to shine a little brighter, I’ll give it another shot.

Visit Anteadote - Adagio Teas for more information

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Mango Açaí White Tea

Welcome to all the new marTEA.com visitors.  I’ve enjoyed many teas over the years and picking one favorite sweetened iced tea (ready-to-drink) was really difficult.  I selected Honest Tea’s Mango Açaí White Tea when asked in a recent interview with Woman’s World Magazine (The Best Iced Tea - June 29, 2009 edition).  It was nearly two years ago when I first reviewed this delicious and organic tea.  If you are looking for unsweetened teas, many of the tea brands I’ve blogged about carry unsweetened teas.  I learned a long time ago, if you find a tea that you enjoy, drink it and enjoy it often.  I know my taste preference is not always going to be the same as yours.  So explore the vast variety of flavors offered by the numerous tea companies and find the one that is right for you.

Here are a couple of links from my blog that might help:

• Ready to drink (bottled teas)
• Honest Tea: Mango Açaí White Tea

Thank you for visiting,

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Keemun Golden Buds (Organic/Fair Trade)

Rishi Keemun Golden Buds

I just noticed that according to my blog counter that this is my 100th black tea blog.  Rishi’s Organic and Fair Trade Keemun Golden Buds from the Xuan En Yulu Fair Trade project in southwestern Hubei, China definitely makes for an excellent 100th black tea blog.  The Keemun Golden Buds experience starts with its presentation.  The small golden and dark colored leaves present well.  The scent of the Keemun is fantastic.  The scent is a harmonious blend of a bold and malty black tea mixed with a sweet grape-like aroma.  After steeping the tea in a water temp of 200°F for about 5 minutes, you are left with a dark liquor.  The flavor of the tea is perfect for me in the morning.  It has a way of waking me up with each sip.  It has a strong flavor mixed with a natural sweetness; which makes for a perfect combination early in the morning.  I have to say, this tea reminds me of an Assam.  It’s very bold, but yet with a mild astringency it’s very easy to sip.  Although the color of the liquor is very dark, this tea is very smooth in texture.  The natural sweetness in the flavor will make this more appealing to those that don’t like their black tea over-the-top strong.  All-in-all I really had fun drinking this tea.  Another awesome selection by Rishi.

Rishi describes the tea as: “Our Keemun Golden Buds is a very unique Gong Fu tea, which is hand harvested according to a one leaf and one bud standard. This tightly rolled, well-fermented tea is super tippy with a very unique leaf style. Its deep red infusion is full flavored with rich notes of caramelized sugar and fresh pine. This is one of our premier black teas from the Xuan En Yulu Fair Trade project in southwestern Hubei, China.”

My only disagreement with their description is that I’m not picking up on the pine flavor.  I’ve spent a couple of weeks trying to find it - to no avail.  I can’t say I miss it.

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Anteadote Organic Oolong

I can’t say I know too many people that actually know what Oolong truly is.  For those of you that are new to tea, Oolong is tea (camellia sinensis) just as much as black, green, or white.  In fact, many of the most popular Oolongs steep to reveal a much fuller and greener tea leaf than green and black teas.  I like steeping Oolong for people so they can connect to what tea really is - a leaf.  Often, Oolong is loosely described as being in-between a green and black tea.  In other words, it is processed using a particular method to where the leaves are semi-oxidized.  To me, some of the more enjoyable teas I’ve had over the past few years have been Oolongs.  Do not be afraid to try an Oolong if you haven’t.  It has such a clean, fresh, slightly floral, nutty, fruity, and lasting flavor that creates for a unique tea experience with a high value.

As far as Anteadote’s effort to make an unsweetened iced tea from organic oolong - excellent work.  I really enjoyed this.  Every sip was rewarding.  This was so much better than their green tea for me.  It was identifiable from the get-go.  When I opened the bottle, I could smell the freshness that was captured during production.  I was immediately reminded of the many loose leaf Oolongs I’ve enjoyed over the years.  I know my friends and family would enjoy this tea.  It’s going to take a lot of bloggers and marketers to get the word out that Oo”long” is not short on flavor and value.  The word “crisp” comes to mind as I’m drinking this.  I’m simultaneously being relaxed as I refresh with this beverage.  I had to pace myself not to drink the entire bottle before I took a few notes.  I was impressed with Anteadote’s Organic Oolong.

Visit Anteadote - Adagio Teas for more information

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Anteadote Green Tea

If you are a green tea drinker and you are looking for a convenient way to take a refreshing, organic, unsweetened green tea on-the-go, Anteadote has an option for you (16.9 fl oz plastic bottles).  I’ve been drinking unsweetened iced teas for a while and it’s fun for me to finally get to try Anteadote.  For the most part, I enjoyed the green tea.  Green tea is such a general term so it’s important for me to try to define the characteristics of this green tea.  It reminds me of a Dragon Well without the sweet buttery flavor.  It has a strong flavor that is slightly grassy with a light bitterness.  At times, I can really pick-up on a vitamin flavor and scent (vitamin c is an ingredient of Anteadote).  I wasn’t very impressed with this tea, but I’d have no problems drinking a couple of bottles on a hot day.  There’s no doubt that the filtered water and unsweetened green tea makes for a refreshing beverage.  Without the preservatives, the green tea tends to quench my thirst more than a sweetened beverage.  Green tea lovers will appreciate this beverage, but I was left hoping for a more defined green tea flavor.

Visit Anteadote - Adagio Teas for more information

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Anteadote Jasmine Tea

I literally have every variety of Anteadote offered by Adagio and I can’t wait to drink all of them (16.9 fl oz plastic bottles).  I grabbed Ateadote Organic Jasmine Tea to start my reviews.  I had a feeling this was going to be really good.  I’ve had a lot of excellent green teas and oolongs that were infused with jasmine over the years.  Jasmine, to me, is one of the few floral flavors that I absolutely enjoy.  It has a mix between a flower and fruit scent and flavor; therefore, jasmine makes an excellent complement to tea when it comes to my taste buds.  The great/healthy thing about the Jasmine Tea is it is unsweetened.  So, you have a beverage that has zero calories with plenty of flavor.  Trust me, if you enjoy jasmine flavored teas, this will floor you.  I’m talking from the first sip - WOW!  It’s early in the game, but I’m going to say Anteadote Jasmine Tea might be one of my favorite unsweetened teas of all-time.  I can’t get over how well the jasmine flavors explode with a smooth and satisfying freshness.  I sat in the sun for hours before breaking the seal on the bottle.  The unsweetened teas are very refreshing.  My only issue with this tea - I’m not sure what kind of tea was used in the product.  I’d at least like to know if it’s black, green, or oolong.  If I had to guess due to the color (pale brown/yellow) and sweet flavor, I’d say it was an oolong.  Either way, I think this tea will be enjoyed by many.  A fresh jasmine tea with no preservatives and a touch of vitamin c  is much appreciated by this tea drinker.  I’ve been drinking a lot of sweet teas lately, so it’s a great time to start drinking more zero calorie bottled teas (everything in moderation).  This one is simple, if you like jasmine infused teas - this is a must.

Visit Anteadote - Adagio Teas for more information

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Inko's White Peach

Inko’s bottled iced teas are really starting to grow on me.  A product line of bottled white teas is an intriguing idea to me.  Inko’s flavor selections give the consumer a wide variety of familiar flavors (with a few that our slightly out of the norm).  When I tried Inko’s teas last year, I was impressed with the overall flavors and quality of the products.  Inko’s White Peach continues to impress me.  Although the beverages are not labeled as organic, they still have a very fresh and natural flavor.  The bottle label makes a point to stress that Inko’s uses fructose crystals (not corn syrup).  There are only 28 calories and 7g of sugar per 8 fl oz.  That’s not too bad.

As for the flavor of the beverage…The white peach shines through and balances well with the white tea.  That’s what sells me on this product - I can actually taste white tea.  For those new to white tea, it’s a step closer to enjoying organic whole leaf white teas.  This beverage is very easy to drink.  It’s smooth, refreshing and flavorful.  The description of the product closely resembles the flavor.  The beverage is sweet, but it’s not at all overly sweet.  The white peach flavor was natural and inviting.  Inko’s does an excellent job of balancing the dominating flavors of a peach with the delicate white tea flavors.  The sweet white peach flavor makes this a perfect beverage on a hot summer day.

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