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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Tavalon | Purity

Purity by Tavalon: “A detoxifying blend of premium Ceylon black tea with peppermint leaves and ginger root”

This was a fun tea to drink.  I wasn’t certain if I was going to enjoy the peppermint leaves mixed with Ceylon black tea.  I really like the overall presentation of the tea.  It has a nice mix of dark tea leaf and vibrant peppermint green colors popping out at you.  The scent is just as inviting as you can imagine (unless you absolutely dislike peppermint, ginger root, or black tea).  The peppermint is the absolute dominate scent from the dried product.  Having said that, you can still detect the black tea and a little ginger root on the nose.

I typically steeped the tea for about 3 minutes in water that I let cool slightly from a boil (around 200 degrees).  The liquor is very dark.  The peppermint leaves float to the top of the pot while the Ceylon tea leaves rest on the bottom during the steeping process.  The first sip is full of peppermint flavor.  It really awakens the senses – must be part of the detoxifying experience.  It’s interesting to me how the black tea supports the peppermint.  The Ceylon is not totally lost in the flavor despite the strong flavors of peppermint.  The ginger flavor accents the black tea and peppermint well.  The ginger is present in a mild dose and  it’s not too intrusive to the overall tea.  The Ceylon flavor continues to shine through as the tea cools.  I really like this tea…  I don’t add anything to it.  There are plenty of natural flavors that make this tea a great option for me.  It is perfect to help get you going in the morning.  I find it enjoyable any time of the day (keep in mind it does have caffeine).

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Adagio Chai

By now, most of you know what tea vendors are talking about when Chai is mentioned.  Sure the word “Chai” means tea in many languages, but most of us relate to Chai as an often spicey/sometimes sweet/always aromatic/great tasting black tea that originated in India – known as Masala Chai.  You can find Chai at your local grocery store or online tea shop in the following types: powder form, liquid concentrate, standard tea bag, and loose leaf.  Many tea vendors keep evolving their product lines and now you can find chais that use green tea and rooibos as its tea base.  These alternatives to the traditional Masala Chai give the consumer more variety.  Adagio has recently started its own line of Chais.  I was fortunate to try all of the selections.  Chai is a fun tea that is full of character.  It’s not for everyone because it is packed with intense flavors and aromas.

Adagio Chai

Adagio’s Masala Chai (black tea/caffeine): This is a solid effort at the traditional Masala Chai.  You can see a mix of cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, and ginger mixed throughout the Ceylon black tea.  Of the 6 chais I tried from Adagio, this one had the most intense flavors.  If you like chai that makes your tongue tingle, this is the one for you.  The dominant flavors found in the mix of spices blend to create a very powerful flavored black tea.  If you’re new to Chai, the flavor comes from the spices.  The quality of the spices and tea used by the tea vendor are crucial to the end result.  My only complaint about this version is the use of Ceylon tea.  I would have preferred an Assam black tea base.  Assam black tea (in my opinion – especially CTC) supports the flavors of the spices better and it can withstand longer steeping times without tasting bitter.  Having said that, I enjoy Ceylon teas – just not as the base of the chai.

Adagio’s Thai Chai (black tea/caffeine): Thai Chai just might be my favorite in the bunch.  It was the one that I found myself picking over the others.  It has a creative and inviting personality.  It tastes and looks like they left the clove out of the batch and inserted coconut and lemongrass.  The addition of the coconut and lemongrass gives the chai a sweeter flavor and silkier texture.  It’s a bit more tame than the traditional Masala Chai.  Thai Chai might be more suitable for the casual black tea drinker.  Although the tea is not as spicey, that doesn’t mean it is any less flavorful.  In fact, this tea bursts with flavor.  The aroma of this tea is mouth watering.  The lemongrass gives the tea an excellent finish.  If you enjoy lemongrass in your black tea, I definitely recommend Thai Chai.

Adagio’s Bengal Green Chai (green tea/caffeine): Very similar to the Masala Chai, but you will find China green tea in place of the Ceylon black tea.  All of the same fiery spices are present in this Chai.  I really like this…  The texture of the liquid is changed simply by substituting black tea for green tea (very smooth).  There is a slight vegetal flavor, but it’s quickly masked by the spices.  This tea has a very clean finish to it with a pleasant aftertaste.  If you are more of a green tea drinker than a black tea drinker, this is your obvious choice to enjoy spiced Chai.

Adagio’s Spiced Apple Chai (black tea/caffeine): I thought the apple flavor paired well with the chai spices; which made it an incredibly warming beverage.  This is perfect for a cold evening.  I haven’t tried it iced, but you might be able to sweeten-up the tea to make a tasty iced chai.  The apple flavor is certainly present, but it’s just an accent to the already powerful blend of spices.  I think it’s an excellent compliment, but you still have to like Chai to enjoy this tea.  Simply liking apple flavored black tea might not be enough to enjoy Adagio’s Spiced Apple Chai due to the spiced nature of the Chai.  The aroma of this Chai is sure to get your attention and anyone standing within 10 feet of your cup – very aromatic.

Adagio’s Chocolate Chai (black tea/caffeine): I love chocolate, but I wasn’t thrilled with this Chai.  It lacked the same zing as the other flavors.  It does have a pleasing aroma – sweet chocolate, but the flat flavor really brought this one down.  With the Ceylon black tea used as the base, Adagio’s Chocolate Chai simply tasted like a flavored version of black tea.  It wasn’t bad, I just couldn’t get into the chocolate flavoring while still considering this to be a chai.

Adagio’s Rooibos Vanilla Chai (herbal-Rooibos/caffeine free): This is a great offering for people trying to avoid caffeine.  Rooibos is a South African shrub that is loaded with antioxidants and it’s naturally caffeine free.  I was really surprised to be able to taste the silky-sweet Rooibos through the mix of powerful spices.  The addition of vanilla is a tasty compliment to the Rooibos.  If you’ve never tried chai spices with Rooibos, this is a good place to start.

Have fun with Chai.  Sweeten it to your liking.  Add milk or soy to give it more of a creamy texture.

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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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