Well, I like green tea and I like mint…so, let’s give this a shot.  The package indicates 100% natural ingredients: Maltodextrin, and 100% pure powdered Japanese green tea and natural peppermint flavor. The powder looks similar to Matcha - it’s very fine with a dark shade of green.  The package opens easily and it mixed with a few seconds of shaking my 16 ounce bottle of water.  The taste is very balanced.  Each drink has a splash of Sencha with a welcomed hint of mint.  I have to say for a powdered mix, I like it.  The beverage is only a tad sweet.  You will not feel like you are drinking sugar water.

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Let me start by saying caffeine gets a bad rap. Now that I got that out of the way, I have a festive decaffeinated tea that I’d like to share with you. It’s a pumpkin spice flavored black tea offered by Stash Tea. I’ll admit it right now, I don’t eat a lot during the main course of Thanksgiving dinner so I can eat a lot of pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin spice flavored desserts.  So, the timing is right for me to enjoy this tea. I guess since sleep is important for our well-being, I’ll tone it down a bit and enjoy a few cups of decaffeinated tea this week. First off, the decaf pumpkin spice tea reminds of a lighter version of the Holiday Chai tea I blogged about a few weeks ago from Stash. The pumpkin spice tea is not as flavorful, but it certainly has a pumpkin spice flavor to it as suggested by its name.

The main ingredients: Naturally decaffeinated black tea, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, natural pumpkin spice flavor, and clove.

The scent of the tea in the tea bag does remind me of a a household cleaner. The dried scent is very strong. That said, I took the suggestion on the box and added a bit of sugar and milk to the tea after it brewed in 200 degree water for about 3 minutes. The overall experience of the tea when you combine the brewed scent with the flavor is average for this variety of tea. This tea is far from my favorite, but if you have to watch your caffeine intake, this is a flavorful choice around the holidays. You’ll need to try it for yourself. If you don’t mind the scent, you’ll probably love the tea. This is one of those teas that you’ll either like or dislike.

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Well, we no sooner wrap-up Halloween and Christmas songs are now playing in department stores. Not that I mind, but I get excited for the holidays. When the music and decorations start this early, I know I have a long time to wait. I don’t mind the “holiday” flavored teas that are available this time of year. Stash offers a holiday tea that I’ve been enjoying for about a week. The first day I tried it, I had 4 cups.

The Holiday Chai has all the same flavors as Stash’s normal chai (black tea, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger root, allspice, clove), but this one is infused with gingerbread and rum flavors. It’s a festive treat for black tea drinkers. You can add milk and sugar to the tea; which will make for a creamy dessert treat. I drink the tea without any additives. This is a great tea to have around for guests during the winter months.

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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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There were several bagged teas from local grocery stores that kept me drinking tea and wanting to learn more about tea as I developed an interest in loose tea. Stash’s chai spice black tea was one of the bagged teas I enjoyed along the way.

Its main ingredients are blended black tea, ginger root, cinnamon, cinnamon oil, clove oil, nutmeg, clove, and cardamom oil. It has a very pleasing aroma, similar to a mild potpourri, and the taste is very strong. If you prefer any of the listed ingredients, and you enjoy bagged tea, this is a very tasty tea option. There’s no doubt this tea blend tastes incredible. The black tea, however, is somewhat overpowered by the cinnamon and other spices.

Regardless of what I enjoy today, this was a tea that helped me get there. For that reason, if you are not prepared to brew loose leaf tea, go ahead and give this a try.

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