Bigelow | Vanilla Chai Latte

Bigelow’s Vanilla Chai Latte is a vast departure from the boxes of Bigelow tea you will find in your local grocery store.  A product such as Bigelow Vanilla Chai Latte (creamy spiced black tea) has the potential to attract customers that otherwise would not buy loose leaf tea or tea bags destined for hot tea steeping (or iced tea).  I heard this product was coming, so I’ve been looking forward to this moment.  First of all, let’s start with the bottle.   My entire family thinks the bottle is cool.  There’s no way you can drink this without someone asking about it.  So, great concept for the bottle design on Bigelow’s part.  It does remind me of the vibrant colors you would see in India.  It’s one of the happiest bottles I’ve seen.  I’m glad to see Bigelow bring this product to the marketplace.  As an RTD consumer, it’s one that I’ve been waiting to try for a long-time.

Taste: Creamy and sweet with a splash of cinnamon, vanilla, honey and a touch of black tea.  It’s almost dessert like, but not over-the-top sweet.  I can’t stress enough the creamy-smooth texture of this product.  In addition to liking chai, if you enjoy coffee flavored RTDs (lattes, cappuccinos, etc.), you’ll most likely enjoy this beverage.  I’ve drank a ton of chais over the past couple of years, and this one is definitely more tame than the traditional Masala Chais as far as overall spice.  Having said that, it’s right on par in the spice department with many Chai RTDs I’ve tried.  You’re not going to get a mouthful of cardamom or cloves with this tea.  I know for most of my friends and family, that’s a good thing.  If you’re in the mood for a sweet, creamy, chai to take on-the-go – definitely try this.  It was a lot fun to drink.  I only wish the bottle was bigger.  The (10.5 fl. oz.) bottle states: Calories 160, Calories from Fat 25.  Another note at the bottom of the label: contains milk, soy.

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Sweet Leaf Raspberry Sweet Tea

It’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed a Sweet Leaf product, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been drinking their teas.  The Mint & Honey green tea has become one of my favorite sweetened green teas (RTD).  Back to this tea… I’m not a major raspberry flavored tea fan; however, I know a lot of  you enjoy raspberry flavored iced tea.  So, I thought I’d give this raspberry flavored iced tea a try.  I knew Sweet Leaf would deliver a quality product.  Just a note about Sweet Leaf: If the bottle says “Sweet Tea,” that’s what you’re going to get.  If you’re used to watered down unsweetened teas, your mouth is in for a shock.  The good news, the sweet stuff in the bottle is pure cane sugar (definitely check the bottle label for calorie counts).  I thought the overall flavor was pretty good.  It has a serious blast of flavors.  The one-two punch of sweet tea and mouth-puckering raspberry flavors will be sure to leave an impression on you.  After a couple of drinks, it’s not quite as powerful and the beverage becomes more refreshing.  The raspberry flavor blends well with the black tea.  The sweet tea and raspberry flavors are equally matched in this brew.  It does have a candy flavor aspect to it, but this tea is all about fun.  As I mentioned, I’m not a raspberry iced tea drinker, but I did find some enjoyment from this product.  If you like sweetened raspberry flavored iced teas, this will be an excellent choice for you.

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Anteadote Black Tea

I’m glad I finally had the time to try all of the Anteadote selections from Adagio.  Ending with the Black Tea was definitely a good choice for me.  I wasn’t very impressed with the green and white Anteadote options, but the black tea was a hit with my taste buds.  It had an authentic China black tea flavor to it (reminiscent of a Yunnan vibe).  It’s not too strong or too weak and that’s what makes this organic and unsweetened black tea a hit.  Each drink had a satisfying black tea flavor to it and the vitamin c flavor was not nearly as present as it was with the green and white Anteadote options.  Organic ready-to-drink beverages are a great way for people to conveniently enjoy organic tea.  If you brew your own iced tea, there’s no need to bother with RTDs.  Fortunately for the bottled tea distributors of the world, ready-to-drink teas are in high demand.  Anteadote is a great option for those that want to grab a bottle and drink organic iced tea on-the-go.  All Anteadote organic teas have zero calories.  The heavy-duty plastic bottles contain 16.9 FL OZ of delicious tea.  I can’t stress enough how refreshing an unsweetened tea can be to enjoy on a hot day.  I enjoyed most of Adagio’s Anteadote selections.  The two that didn’t impress me (white and green) had an odd vitamin flavor to them, which overpowered the natural tea flavor.  However, I thoroughly enjoyed this black tea option as well as the oolong and jasmine tea.  I definitely recommend that you try one of the selections and judge for yourself.

Visit Anteadote – Adagio Teas for more information

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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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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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