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I love, love, LOVE this stuff.

It’s fragrant, and stress-relieving… and just beautiful. I need it, especially lately. I’ve been feeling very down the past few weeks. I hate November. And stress.

One of my housemates is ill… We thought it was what I had last week, but she’s lost her voice, and that never happened to me, so it must be laryngitis or something awful like that…

Anyway, that’s what prompted me to make a cup of this before bed last night. According to The Walking Dead, elderberries are good for fighting sickness like the flu and colds and such, so I was like, Bring it on!

This tea is good, but also very tart. I should try adding some sugar to it. Or maybe cold-steeping it?

Some one of these days, I’m definitely going to make a pot of it iced. Perhaps a shot of vodka might find its way into my glass as well…? We’ll see.

This is a “whatever” tea. I’m indifferent. I got it in the college cafeteria, so what does that tell you?

It’s a plain light tea. Pretty good with a lemon wedge and some honey, but nothing special.

I like Choice Organic’s Earl Grey much better.

I picked this up at the grocery store on a total whim. I’d never even heard of Tulsi before, but the box said it was supposed to relieve stress and provide a number of other health benefits. And I decided, Well, last night sucked for me and I feel gloomy today, so why not give it a try? If it doesn’t work, at least it won’t hurt anything. It’s benign basil.

It tastes very earthy, rich, and refreshing. It’s very definitely an herbal brew! It was very enjoyable. If you let it steep for a long time, it starts to have a minty note, too.

I did feel better emotionally after drinking it, too. So I’m glad I bought it! It’s also organic and fair-trade.

Good tea to have with dinner or before bed. It tastes like honey, but not so much lemon. Fine by me!

This time I tried a lower water temp, and it tasted much better. I’m getting into the science of proper tea-making, I think. I read somewhere that using boiling water on greens “cooks” the leaves, thereby damaging the quality of the flavor. So, no more boiling water on greens for me, even on my bagged teas.

Yum! This tea brews a lovely red color, and it’s chock-full of berries! The hibiscus is strong. But not so tart that I want to pour it down the drain and forget I ever tried it. Normally, I hate rooibos, but I can’t even taste it in this blend. I wish I actually liked rooibos, because it’s full of antioxidants. But if this blend makes it tolerable, than that only gives it more brownie points, as far as teaqueen is concerned.

I also know that rosehips, hibiscus, and cranberries are full of vitamin C and other assorted good things for you, so I shall keep drinking to my own health. Because I am just that kind of person.

I can’t wait to try this iced!

I’m in a Pyramid Tea mood today, apparently. Most of the time, they just kind of chill in my tea chest, waiting for my mood to shift in their favor.

Today’s the day! I still don’t taste passionfruit. And at this point, I probably never will. The rooibos is strong, and I let it steep too long because I got distracted by the Internet, so it got very strong, and now it leaves an olive-y aftertaste.

I despise olives. And rooibos. So now it’s time to bury this box of tea again for a while until I forget again why I never drink it.

Yeah. It’s that kind of tea, unfortunately.

Num num num… berry flavored black tea! And now that I know a little something about steep time, I pulled the pyramid bag out earlier than I ever had before, and it was perfect. I could taste the cinnamon better! Lovely.

You gotta brew these Lipton Pyramid Teas in glass containers, though. Glass mug, Mason jar, beer stein… whatever tickles your fancy. But they definitely taste better in glass. It’s like, super noticeable. I’ve tried three different Pyramid teas now, and this rings true for all three flavors. So I’m gonna go ahead and apply it to all of them, even the ones I haven’t tried yet.

Mmmm, this is perfect for a cold night like this! The warm chai spices and cinnamon always remind me of Christmastime and the holidays. I usually add just a spoonful of sugar, too, although this is good straight, too.

I’ve had these sachets for a long time, so they’re not as fresh. But it’s still a nice, warming blend that I can feel all the way to my toes.

One of my absolute favorites from Celestial Seasonings!

Oldie but a goodie. So perfectly blended and flavorful! This tea is what made me realize that I love green tea.

I know Lipton is considered low-end tea sometimes, but I like it because it’s familiar. Drinking a cup of Lipton is like visiting your best friend from college after not seeing him or her for six years, and picking up right where you left off. I feel like I’m ten again, taking my first faltering steps into the tea world.

I’m probably the only person around who can wax poetic over a cup of bagged commercial tea. I love being me :)