Maharaja Chai/Samurai Chai Tea Blend

Name: Maharaja Chai/Samurai Chai Tea Blend


Brand: Teavana


Primary Type: Maté and Oolong


Dry Scent: There is definitely a "chai" sort of scent to this, and something a little almost minty. There is also, of course, a scent of maté and the greenish, fresh scent of oolong, but one thing I definitely notice is that this smells a bit sweet. I can actually smell the sugar crystals that are added to the blend


Steeping Time: 4-5 min


Steeped Flavour: This definitely has nice, spicy and warming chai flavours to it, mostly cinnamon and cardamom, but the thing that most stands out in the flavour of this blend is, unfortunately, the amount of sugar that was added to it. This is one of the things I dislike about Teavana's pre-blended teas - they sweeten them. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to sweeten tea now and then, especially if you're cold and are trying to warm up, but I'd rather be in charge of the amount of sweetener added to my tea, rather than having the amount dictated for me.


Food/Drink Pairings: This would be nice with a slice of spice cake or maybe with a splash of rum in it, like a hot toddy.


Rating out of Six Tails:
3/6


Buy/Don't Buy

I'm very much on the fence on whether to recommend a buy on this one or not.  On the one hand, it is a nice chai, but on the other hand....too much pre-added sugar!  Seriously!

Winter Berry Spice

Name: Winter Berry Spice


Brand: Teavana


Primary Type: Herbal


Dry Scent: Sweet, with hints of orange and cloves, and also fruity pineapple and sharp cranberry. Very holiday-ish.  It brings to mind mulling spices and candied peel, and baking Christmas cakes.


Steeping Time: 7-8 min


Steeped Flavour: Juicy, like sweet mandarin oranges with hints of cranberry's sharpness and mellow, well-blended cloves and cinnamon round out the flavour, although they are definitely not the major players here.


Food/Drink Pairings: Rum. This definitely deserves a splash of spiced rum in it, or maybe just a little Cointreau or some other orange liqueur. Surprisingly for a winter tea, I have a great urge to try this iced. I think it could actually be quite good that way as well, and would go well with a picnic lunch.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

My Morning Maté

Name: My Morning Maté


Brand: Teavana


Primary Type: Maté


Dry Scent: This is a complex scent, including earthy coffee scents, sharp orange peel and musty green maté. There is definitely a "breakfast" sort of smell to it.


Steeping Time: 5-6 min


Steeped Flavour: The most predominent flavour here is a coffee-like smooth bitterness, which is mellowed by the sharpness of the orange peel and the deep flavours of the maté. Not bad, as "coffee replacements" go, overall.


Food/Drink Pairings: Breakfast! This is most definitely a first thing in the morning tea, and would cut nicely through toast and peanut butter, or accompany a bowl of cereal very well. It could even go nicely with pancakes!


Rating out of Six Tails:
4.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Swiss White Truffle

Name: Swiss White Truffle


Brand: Naturally for You


Primary Type: Rooibos


Dry Scent: Slightly sweet and very creamy, with the warm, sunny scent of rooibos and a subtle nuttiness.


Steeping Time: 8-9 min


Steeped Flavour: Sweet, rich and nutty, with a slight creaminess and of course the warmth of the rooibos. This is a wonderful tea for a cold night.


Food/Drink Pairings: This is good with dessert, or lunch, and also a good way to warm up after a cold time out in the winter weather. It's also a good "teatime" tea and excellent for dunking cookies into.


Rating out of Six Tails:
5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Peach Tranquility

Name: Peach Tranquility


Brand: Teavana


Primary Type: Herbal


Dry Scent: Sweet and peachy, with a sharp bite of rosehips and a slight tang of spice, cinnamon perhaps? Or allspice. Something warming and subtle


Steeping Time: 7-8 min


Steeped Flavour: Very, very sweet and fruity, with a very "true" peach flavour, along with floral, grassy hints from the chamomile and just a little subtle bite of rosehip. This has a "thick" mouthfeel, almost as if it actually contains peach juice. The consistency is very similar. This almost reminds me of peach cobbler or warm peach pie.


Food/Drink Pairings: Excellent as an iced tea, with a picnic, or with breakfast (if you don't need a punch of caffeine in the morning). It would also be very tasty with a fruity dessert (especially one containing peaches)


Rating out of Six Tails:
6/6

Buy/Don't Buy

Sugar Maple

Name:  Sugar Maple


Brand:  Murchies


Primary Type:  Black


Dry Scent:  Sweet and rich like maple syrup or maple candies...or maybe those maple cream cookies....yumm.....


Steeping Time: 4-5 min


Steeped Flavour:  Sweet from the maple for sure, but not overwhelmingly so.  There is a dark, full-bodied richness from the black tea, almost a little musty and earthy, and there is also a slight fruity hint from the bits of apple in this.  Overall very well blended.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This is definitely something that pairs with dessert, and sweet desserts at that.  This would be great with chocolate cake or sticky toffee pudding...especially the second.  Dang now I'm craving sticky toffee pudding LOL!


Rating out of Six Tails:

5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Strawberry Paraiso

Name:  Strawberry Paraiso


Brand:  Teavana


Primary Type:  White


Dry Scent:  Sweet with the scents of sun-warmed strawberries and juicy pineapple, but with a hint of grassy white tea and notes of buttered popcorn adding richness.


Steeping Time: 2-3 min


Steeped Flavour:  Again, sweet, but with just enough hibiscus tartness to keep from being sickly-sweet.  The strawberry is very much evident, but the scent of the brewed tea carries much more of the popcorn flavour, and the tea does as well, flowing over the tongue with a buttery sort of sweetness.  There is a rich mouthfeel to this tea, and the flavours all play very nicely together.


Food/Drink Pairings:  This could be iced as a picnic tea, but I like it as an after-dinner treat with something light and sweet, like mirangues.   <3


Rating out of Six Tails:
5.5/6


Buy/Don't Buy

Like most white teas, especially from Teavana, this isn't particularly cheap, but it's definitely worth the buy in this case.  Yum.