Daylon R Thomas Send Message

I have a love hate relationship with Yerbe Mate. I either think that it tastes literal butter mashed with land grass and perhaps some cannabis on the side (I hate the smell of it), or buttery greenness that can go with almost anything. They are good as chais. They are good with flavors and cream. They are also good with chocolate, which is what this is, and it is one of the closest teas that you can get to a mocha, yet not the first nor the best example to do so.

How they are near to accomplishing this task is by using a roasted mate and chicory for the base, which provides the coffee like aroma and taste. The cocoa umphs up the mocha parallel. So, what you get is a roasted, light herbal cocoa with an extra kick of caffeine.

Cream, sugar, and honey can work with this, but more so with the sugar. I personally think that it doesn’t need anything. Honestly, this is best as an alternative to coffee for those who want something different, want a light hot cocoa, or trying to give up their coffee. This is one of the tea drinker’s mochas, but one of many others nonetheless.

This is a cool idea for bagging a matcha. Sencha is the leaf base of this tea, with the powder diffusing in the smaller pores of the biodegradable bag. I really don’t need to describe this tea in detail if you know what a Sencha and a Matcha taste like. If you don’t, it’s clean, green, grassy, and sea mist goodness. Matcha is probably one of the healthiest drinks out there without sugar and cream added, and you can definitely drink this one without those additives. It comes very close to Aiya’s ceremonial matcha in terms of taste, but only lighter and not quite as fresh though still good quality matcha.

I’d highly recommend this tea if you want to try Matcha, Sencha, or are looking to budget for a matcha if you can’t find a close, cheaper Asian market. Though 13 bucks may seem hefty, you are getting 50 tea bags out of it-A LOT OF TEA.

I have to say, I didn’t think that I would like Rooibos plain, but I did. I especially wonder what it tastes like as a pure matcha now. This is the closest that I can get to it then, I really like it. If you know what a rooibos tastes like, then there’s really nothing further to add then citrusy, sweet yet partially creamy candy. With the added powder, the enhanced profile almost reminds me of the smell and taste of dates. I may buy it again, but otherwise I’ll be saving my money for other teas.

I actually got this as a loose leaf at Schuler’s Books in a french press. I really enjoyed it (and need to find better verbs than “enjoyed”). The day was frigid in East Lansing, and I was hanging out with one of my friends in desperate need of warmth and conversation. I got both while drinking this tea.

Rooibos is an interesting one, being an herbal, but also being naturally sweet and almost citrusy, yet oddly smooth and maybe creamy like a candy. The vanilla adds more cream to it, and while Vanilla is either overused as a flavor or just the right accent, it was a good pick for the rooibos. It’s vanilla profile was also enhanced by having actual vanilla beans with the flavor.

I would be willing to buy this if I was looking for a good Rooibos that I could afford, but I wouldn’t immediately go to this one. I linger back and forth from this to an Early Grey version if I could find it. There might be other vanilla rooibos that are better, but this one is still pretty good.

I got this one at a Schuler Books and Music store in the form of an iced tea, and it was exactly what I needed at that moment. This tea is naturally sweet, and tart making sugar unnecessary. I primarily tasted the black tea body which was smooth and slightly astringent, but complimented nicely with the black berry and accented by the sage. Very refreshing. Also, I got both the loose leaf version and this one, which are pretty similar…they must have pre-brewed it and then put it in the fridge.

I wonder how it would have tasted hot, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy my own tin of it. Still, I was amazed that a chain bookstore coffee shop offered this quality of tea, and I would definitely buy it again as an individual option.

Okay, this time I’m drinking it again, but with less water and between 4 and 5 grams of tea leaves. I tasted the milk MUCH more this time with the vegetal notes. I also get a little bit of walnut. I still prefer the Milk Oolong and the Tie Guan Yin, but I am enjoying this tea a lot more right now.

And yesterday, August 24th, 2015, I liked it even more. The cream and butter qualities were more apparent this time than the last one. The tasting notes were the same, but more balanced and it resembled the Milk Oolong more but toned down (though that’s exactly what it is. I enjoyed every steeping and appreciated it more.

I hate that I can’t edit the information on this one yet never mind I wasn’t finished updating it…grrr….
Anyways, this tisane has Jiaogulan as its body with ginger to spice it up and monk fruit to naturally sweeten it. The monk fruit is not needed in my opinion, making it taste a little more artificial than it is in reality. I honestly got this one mostly for the health benefits, especially as a more natural pre and post workout supplement that would help me with focus and recovery. It does help me out, and even relaxes my blood vessels enough for me to sleep, but the healing aspect really is stronger in terms of immunity. I was drinking this daily when my roommate, mother, grandfather, and aunt all caught a cold I did not catch it, which is amazing considering how my type 1 diabetes makes me more vulnerable to infection.

As for the actual taste, Jiaogulan is very earthy, almost similar to carob but more grassy and less sweet. The smell is not great either, again coming out as wet earth and ginger. The ginger is what I like best about this tea and what makes it more drinkable. I like it with honey, straight, and sometimes with milk….which is bizarre because you would think that earthiness clashes with the milk, making it sour. But no, it turns into a mini ayuverdic drink, just like the Tulsi Sweet Rose does with milk.

In summary: this is an herbal supplement or medicinal tisane. As an adaptogen, it works for immunity and stress, and only slightly as a fitness supplement. I like it, but I would not recommend it.

Amazing with the Canadian Ice Wine flavored cookies…..same with the ice wine tea. Otherwise, another malty Ceylon with a syrupy taste. I like it in the evening in the cold despite my inherent restlessness. Also, honey really pushes forward the syrupy nature of this tea. Again, my friends love it but I wouldn’t recommend this tea to every one on here. If you were looking for a decent bagged tea, though, I would say that this company would leave you with a more satisfied, full taste.

Sometimes I prefer this one over the Ice Wine, other times I prefer the Ice Wine over this one. I need to add honey to this one, but I don’t add cream or sugar. Nice blueberry smell and taste with a champagne and malty background. Malty is honestly the best description for most of the Metropolitan teas. Again, this tea is very Canadian, or European influenced. I’d give it to a friend, but I don’t think I’d recommend it on here.

I really like this flavor. The sweet, lingering grape wine aroma and merlot color are aspects of this tea that makes me enjoy it so much. Most of the color is attributed to the dust fanning of the Ceylon, but the main leaves are pretty descent quality. To me, this would seem like a really European tea, which is no surprise considering Canada’s stronger ties to England and France. Cream and sugar are the bread and butter to this tea, and almost needs a cookie or biscotti for company. Honey also doesn’t go bad with the wine taste, but overwhelms the better malty qualities of the Ceylon. I have drank it without any cream or sweetener, but it’s only okay. It depends too much on sugar or honey to bring out the flavor. I would have probably rated it higher if it weren’t for that fact.

Like I’ve said with other bagged teas, this one is really best out of the bag in the first few weeks. During that time you’ll be having your after dinner wine and tea in the same cup. I’d recommend this almost to any guest I have over or any one of my friends (who steal a lot of it anyway). I’m not sure that I would recommend this one on this particular site though.