Tazo Teabag White Tea 'Cucumber White'

Tea Information:
Tea: Cucumber White
Type: White Tea
Packaging: Teabag
Company: Tazo Company
Purchase: Here
Description: Where do cucumbers go to unwind? A spa carved in the crevice of an iceberg, with blue cooling pools, white tea saunas and a swim-up bar lined with lime peel mugs filled with piping hot tea.
Ingredients: White tea, lime peel, dandelion leaves, black darjeeling tea, cucumber, peppermint, lemon verbena, natural flavors, lime essence oil.

Steep Information:
Water: ~500ml at 185°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chemical, cucumber
Steeped Tea Smell: lime, cool, vegetal
Flavor: lime, cool cucumber, tangy
Body: Light
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: translucent yellow green

It's a mojito in need of alcohol.
Nice and refreshing, seems like it would be great iced.

Rating: 2/4 leaves

Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

I purchased this product. All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Starbucks buys yet another tea company

I have thoughts, no feelings yet, on many aspects of this

Starbucks just sent me a (welcome) marketing message (11:30pm) about going to Tazo.com to buy loose leaf tea. The new site is vastly superior to the old one. They used to push you to StarbucksStore.com to buy Tazo, I guess that is over?

Yesterday I found out via Starbucks Gossip that “Starbucks buys Teavana for $620 million in cash“

Starbucks Newsroom

I was a little surprised because Starbucks had already purchased Tazo from Steven Smith (who went on to make another tea company)

Bloomberg

Yahoo

WSJ

NBC news

And was/is planning to make stand alone Tazo store(s) Article at Starbucks Melody

Why two tea brands? Are they going to combine them? Or have them stand independently like Seattle's Best vs. Starbucks

Did they fail to innovate Tazo appropriately? Was it easier to buy more tea knowledge? I would have loved to be head of tea product for Starbucks! (My two loves, combined!)

I do think this makes sense, tea is on an upswing in the US

Starbucks grew through education (good coffee is enjoyable!), before they got large most people had diner or instant coffee in the US. Yes there were independent shops, but it wasn't ubiquitous and mainstream – only certain people appreciated good coffee. Starbucks pushed education, and a third place (they had failures along the way). By making people expect more/better, providing a third place, and making it a chain, it grew!

Teavana is the gateway drug to tea. Much like the early days of coffee in the US, tea is coming along, people are learning there is good tea out there, and that preparation matters. They have been educating (and pushing like used sales people, as well as spreading health misconceptions) helping educate and commoditize good tea. They don't have the best tea, and they company THEY purchased (specialteas.com ) did have some nicer tea but that has since gone below the radar.

So, I wonder what Starbucks will do, but I feel that this is the right time to apply Starbucks knowledge of education, consistency, marketing, and expansion to explode the US tea market. The Starbucks effect allowed local coffee shops to INCREASE business as a result of people having more of an appetite for better coffee, I think the same will happen for tea. I hope this is the beginning of a new age of tea.

Other people's thoughts:
From Starbucks to Star Wars

Tazo Teabag Green Tea 'Zen'

Tea Information:
Tea: Zen
Type: Green Tea
Packaging: Teabag
Company: Tazo
Purchase: Here
Description: A harmonious blend with lemongrass & spearmint.
Ingredients: Green Tea, Lemon Verbena, Spearmint Leaves, Lemongrass and Natural Flavors

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Water: boiling, let sit 1 minute, 12 oz
Steep Time: a little over 1 minute (http://steep.it/)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: mint
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal
Flavor: lemongrass, mint, vegetal
Body: Full
Aftertaste: mint
Liquor: translucent brown-green

not really exciting or delicious, a lemon-grassy green tea.

Rating: 2/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing











I received this product as a gift.
All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Tazo Green Tea Teabag 'Orange Blossom'

Tea Information:
Tea: Orange Blossom
Type: Green Tea
Packaging: Teabag
Company: Tazo
Purchase: local grocery store
Description: A light and invigorating blend of jasmine green tea, goji berries & tangerine peel.
Ingredients: Jasmine Green tea, tangerine peel, goji berries, chamomile flowers, fennel seeds, licorice root, orange essence, tarragon, bergamot essence

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 sachet
Water: 175°F 12 oz
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: floal, perfume
Steeped Tea Smell: orange potpourri
Flavor: perfumy green tea
Body: Light
Aftertaste: chemical
Liquor: translucent green-brown

I am not even sure I will finish this mug.

Rating: 1/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing









I purchased this product. All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Tazo Bottled Black Tea 'Mango'

Tea Information:
Tea: Mango
Type: Black Tea
Packaging: Ready To Drink-Bottled
Company: Tazo
Purchase: local grocery store
Description: All natural mango black tea with apple, mango & other tropical juices
Ingredients: An infusion of (water, black teas*, ginger*, cinnamon*, black pepper*, cardamom*, cloves*, and star anise*), contains 2% or less of erythritol, natural flavor, citric acid, reb A**
*Organically grown
**Derrived from the stevia plant

Steep Information:
Served: Cold

Tasting Notes:
Steeped Tea Smell: inferior powdered ice tea and apple
Flavor: fruit juice blend (pineapple, mango, apple)
Body: Light/Medium/Full
Aftertaste: bitter tea
Liquor: dark brown

It tasted like a powdered reconstituted tea mixed in juice.

Rating: 2/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing







I purchased this product. All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Tazo Bottled Black Tea 'Iced Chai'

Tea Information:
Tea: Iced Chai
Type: Black Tea
Packaging: Ready To Drink-Bottled
Company: Tazo
Purchase: local grocery store
Description: All Natural Zero Calories naturally sweetened iced chai black tea with a blend of exotic spices
Ingredients: An infusion of (water and blended black teas), cane sugar, concentrated apple juice, natural passionfruit and mango flavors, concentrated pineapple and mango juices, ginger juice and citric acid

Served: Cold

Tasting Notes:
Steeped Tea Smell: spiced honey
Flavor: sweet cinnamon and spice
Body: Light
Aftertaste: awful chemical artificial sugar aftertaste
Liquor: dark brown

ICK, I could not finish it

Rating: 1/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing







I purchased this product. All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Tazo Teabag Black Tea 'Joy'

Tea Information:
Tea: Joy
Type: Black Tea
Packaging: Teabag
Company: Tazo (owned by Starbucks)
Purchase: Here
Description: Tazo® Joy™ is a delicate yet full cup, created with some of the finest varietal teas available. Rare Darjeelings and Formosa Oolongs are paired with light-bodied, fragrant Nuwara Eliya teas from Ceylon. Yunnan teas from the high plateaus of Southern China and Southern India Nilgiris add texture and complexity. It's a very special tea to share freely with friends or selfishly hoard by yourself as an exceptional holiday treat.
Ingredients: Black teas, green teas, oolong teas, and natural flavour.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Water: boiling 16oz water
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes (http://steep.it)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vegetal and black and sweet
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet black and a little vegetal
Flavor: black tea with a hint of vegetal
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: translucent dark orange-brown

This is a seasonal tea which is no longer available online at the Starbucks Store, you may still find a tin in your local Starbucks or online retailer.

This year the tea is full leaf and in a sachet as opposed to CTC in a paper filterbag.

Starbucks Tazo Tea – ‘Tis the season of Joy - Guest Post at StarbucksMelody.com

My review of last year's filterbag Joy

Rating: 3/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing