Stash tea is now carrying Yamamotoyama tea. Yamamotoyama’s slogan is “perfecting the art of tea since 1690.” That’s quite a few years in case you’re counting. The chrysanthemum tea I’m drinking today claims to contain 100% natural ingredients. It’s basically Pu-erh oolong tea and chrysanthemum flowers in a tea bag. Chrysanthemums are perennial flowering plants. There are many of you that may have a variety of this plant in your backyard.

This particular tea is said to contain a yellow-pedal variety of chrysanthemum. The Pu-erh oolong is very interesting in this blend. The earthy tones of Pu-erh are very pronounced. The earthy flavor of Pu-erh mixed with the light fragrance of the chrysanthemum makes for a very complex pairing. As I always say, if a tea has character, I’m a fan. For example, I may drink the tea and say that Pu-erh is the dominant flavor of the mix. You may try it and enjoy the floral notes of the tea. Regardless, this tea is meant for those that are not looking for a “normal” Lipton-like tea bag experience. This is a tea that will help you appreciate the complexities of tea, or it will let you know that this is clearly not for you.

Either way, I like this tea. It has a bit of an aftertaste that I’m trying to get used to. Other than that, the aroma and taste are pleasing. Only purchase this tea if you are familiar with Pu-erh. Otherwise, I’m afraid you may have strayed too far our of your comfort zone.

Wikipedia: chrysanthemum

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I’ve discussed in previous blogs about how much I depend on caffeine. In the event I had to stop drinking beverages that contain caffeine, I would be in serious trouble because other than Rooibos, I have no idea what products are out there that actually taste good and are decaffeinated. In addition, I’m always asked about decaffeinated teas, and teas that can be purchased at a local grocery store.

So, that leads me to my next beverage selection: Bigelow French Vanilla. I do like this one! It has a creamy french vanilla flavor that almost reminds me of a cappuccino. Without adding any sugar, the Bigelow tea has a very sweet flavor. The key to this tea is the fact that it tastes how I would expect it to taste. The good news, it’s a decaf. I do recommend this tea for those of you wanting a nice warm and relaxing beverage to sip at night without worrying about the side effects of caffeine.

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My “decaf” blogs are for those of you wanting to drink tea, but need to cut the caffeine intake…

from a previous blog.marTEA.com blog on Earl Grey: Earl Grey is a popular black tea blend often referred to as an afternoon tea. I like it anytime of the day, especially in the morning. There’s one catch to liking Earl Grey, you have to like the flavoring of the Bergamot oil. Bergamot is a citrus fruit described as a cross between the pear lemon and a grapefruit. Whenever I hear someone say they don’t like Earl Grey, they are usually trying an Earl Grey from a supplier that might have overpowered the tea with Bergamot oil.

I have read that most teas are made decaffeinated by additional processing. Tea naturally contains caffeine. The processing needed to rid tea of its caffeine is completed in a safe and natural manner (or so I’m told). One way to remove the caffeine is Ethyl Acetate processing, and another way to remove the caffeine is to basically “pressure cook” tea using Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

Now, let’s get to the taste test. I know when I started drinking diet pop/soda/cola it took me a while to get used to the flavor. The same is going to be true with decaf tea. The smell of the Earl Grey tea before it was brewed was excellent. The popular Bergamot scent was pronounced and pleasant. However, after brewing the tea, it lacked the flavor that I was expecting. It did not taste bad. The tea was just weak in flavor. In addition, the scent of the brewed tea was flat and not at all as pronounced as the dry tea. Unfortunately, after a few cups of this tea, I’ll have to pass.

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I wanted to blog about another bottled RTD product from Snapple. Today, I’m drinking Snapple’s all natural green tea original recipe. The bottle is neatly designed, and it describes all the great health benefits that can be derived from drinking tea. They continue to tout the fact that EGCG can boost your metabolism. My only problem with this tea is the fact it contains over 30g of sugar. It’s still lower in sugar than a lot of other non-diet teas on the market, but it’s a lot of sugar to intake for 55mg of EGCG. Anyway, I cannot give Snapple enough credit for their witty marketing campaigns. I especially like the “Real Facts” under the lid. They give you a funny and/or interesting random fact under the lid of each bottle. You start to look forward to it - sort of like a fortune cookie.

The tea has a great flavor. The thing I like about this tea is that you can taste green tea. In other words, some people will not like it because it actually tastes like tea, and whether we like it or not, green tea is not for everyone. That said, this is a tasty and refreshing beverage. If you are not trying to control your sugar intake, and you like sweetened iced-tea - give this a try. The bottle clearly states: “Studies of green tea consumption recommend 300mg of EGCG per day to effectively boost metabolism.” - That’s straight from the bottle.

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Now this certainly sounds like a match made in heaven, tea stuffed in the middle of a candy bar. Well, maybe not actual tea leaves, but some type of special formulated green-tea cream. I’ve been going to Hershey Pennsylvania for many years. I’ve eaten several types of candy bars. I think I’ve tried every variety of Reese’s cup ever invented, but a green tea candy bar? This is a first for me. The tea-filled chocolate bar was purchased at Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey PA.

As far as the taste, it appears to be the same-great Hershey’s chocolate found in their signature Hershey’s bar. You can definitely taste a hint of green tea in the chocolate. The tea flavoring gives the chocolate a bittersweet flavor. It’s not gross by any means. However, it is not the greatest chocolate bar I have ever tasted… I’m not sure if the green tea filling makes this a healthy choice; however, it is most likely healthier than a lot of other ingredients usually found in a candy bar. Regardless, it is very interesting and rare in the U.S., and it would make an excellent gift or snack for a green tea lover.

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To those of you that want to know more about decaffeinated tea, I’m going to breakdown and drink some decaffeinated Bigelow products.  It’s hard for me to do, but I’ll do it for the sake of my blog-reading, tea-loving friends.  So, look for a few decaf reviews in the near future.  It’s not that I don’t like Bigelow tea, I’m just a fan of caffeine.

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If you are a black tea lover at heart without all the fancy added flavoring, a Yunnan tea is a must. This is one of my favorite black teas. The tea comes from the Yunnan province of Southern China. Yunnan tea has character from start to finish. The dried leaves have a noticeable freshness about them. The leaves are soft and lush as if they are still retaining their original moisture from the fields. The scent of the dried leaves is divine. It smells so good, you’d think it was removed from a spice rack rather than a tea caddy. The tea is known for its unique peppery flavor. Peppery flavoring alone did not sell me on this tea. It’s so much more, and to try to say that’s the only thing that sets it apart from other black teas is just - wrong.

Yunnan Gold from Adagio.com is a great introduction to Yunnan black tea. The flavoring of the tea is so complex, that it was funny to read the feedback from other Adagio customers before I purchased the tea. The feedback ranged from Pu-erh to jasmine Oolong as far as what it tastes like. The bottom line is it’s so good you have to decide for yourself. One thing I can say for sure is you’ll quickly form an opinion because the tea has a lot of character. The only “problem” I have with this tea is its price.

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Do you know what a currant is? I didn’t, and that’s exactly why I’m blogging about currant flavored tea today. I ordered this particular currant tea from Adagio.com. The currant flavored tea from Adagio is black tea from Ceylon mixed with what appears to be pieces of currant leaves. Currants are a grape-like fruit. There are red, pink, black, and white currant berries. Each color has a distinct flavor and culinary use. I’m not sure what color of berry is used with this particular currant flavored black tea. I would assume it’s a red variety, but I just don’t know.

Currant tea has a sweet grape-like scent and flavor to it. Right before you take a sip of the tea, you are quickly reminded of a grape flavored beverage. However, with this blend, you can actually taste the tea. If you like to add sugar to your tea, this is a good tea to sweeten. In fact, I think it tastes great iced. The first few cups of hot tea I made, with the currant flavored blend, turned out a little bitter. I could tell the tea would taste great, but it was going to take some experimenting to get it right. In the end, I found that if the water is not heated to a complete boil the tea tasted great. I would suggest steeping the tea in water temperatures just below 200 degrees (just my suggestion) for 5 minutes.

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