The first of the Tazo bunch up for review is their Earl Grey. It's the perfect tea to wake you up on those ever so difficult Monday mornings. I steep this tea for about 5 minutes to give it a strong, bitter, black tea flavor, but not absorb too much of the bergamot. This teabag is good for one-time use for a thermos or you can reuse the bag once if you're drinking from a regular cup or mug. It has a pretty good overall flavor -- I would rate this an 8.5/10.

For a while, my office break room had Bigelow, which I am not a big fan of. So I would go out, buy my own teas and bring them in. While that was fun and all, buying your own never feels as good as getting what you want for free. Then, after hearing rumors that Tazo was going to make an appearance, it finally happened. Yes, my office now supplies Tazo tea in the break room and it is amazing. And, lucky for you, that gives me a chance to review 6 new teas!

I'll review the teas on separate pages, with links to each here, and end with a final review. (Not all teas are pictured below).

On a trip to Daiso, a Japanese $1.50 store, I found the cutest little green dish. Of course, my first thought was, "THIS COULD BE USED FOR TEA!" I keep it in my office for my morning tea bag, so that I can reuse it for my afternoon tea. It's perfect--the perfect size and a fun pop of color on my desk. And the best part-- it's only $1.50! 10/10, Daiso. Not sure I'm using it as it was intended, but I think it's just right for my tea.

I'll be honest, I expected a lot more from this tea. At first, I didn't taste much at all -- minimal tea flavor, extremely slight spice. I let it brew longer and longer, in hopes of extracting all the flavor I could, and now it definitely tastes over-brewed. I taste some chai spices, but not much of the cinnamon. This blend is quite drying and lacks in flavor. The problem may be due to some flavors developing quicker than others, leading to a partially over-brewed taste, while also missing some. I give this a 4/10 for effort. It's not bad when it is brewed for a very long time, but I wish it was better.

This tea was my go-to night time tea, until i forced myself to drink more of my collection. After a rough day at work, a cup of this minty deliciousness is exactly what I need to unwind and, as it is named, relax. It is the perfect amount of mint-- it adds just the right coolness to the back of your throat without leaving you feeling like you just brushed your teeth. Mint is high in antioxidants, which is why I feel so light and cleansed after drinking this tea. Granted, the amount of mint's nutrients in the tea are probably minimal, I still feel some of the great benefits of it. This tea gets a 10/10 from me.

Happy tea drinking
<3 TTT

In my quest to stay fit whilst having a desk job, I have turned to dessert teas to curb my ever present sweet tooth. My criteria for a proper dessert tea are:
1) Just sweet enough to stop the craving. Not so sweet that I feel as gross as I would have if I had just eaten a real dessert, in which case, I should have just gone for the dessert.
2) Something so delicious that I find myself reaching for the tea as opposed to the real dessert
3) Definitely something decaf. I go for these teas in the evening when any caffeine would keep me up till the wee hours.
4) Variety! I can't have too much of the same flavor or I get over it very quickly, and in turn, will go for a pastry or a cookie.
5) While I am a honey fanatic, I'd prefer that my dessert tea comes with its own sweetness. Having to add sugar negates my desire to have this tea as a dessert alternative.

Here are the three that I have chosen as my favorites. Each has a unique flavor fit for any sweet tooth.

Chocolate Chai is the perfect blend of cocoa powder and chai spices. Neither overwhelms the other, nor is the cocoa too dry tasting. The rooibos has a natural buttery flavor and sweetness that instantly amps up this tea.

Caramel Apple tastes as close to the real thing as a tea could get. It has the slight sour yet sweet flavor of an apple, paired with a creamy caramel flavor. It's like the carnival made a pit stop in your very own tea cup.

Peppermint Chocolate has just the perfect mix of chocolate and mint. The mint cools and calms as a nice relaxing tea to drink to unwind from the day. It's like a spa in a cup.

What are your favorite dessert teas?

Happy tea drinking!
<3 TTT

Hello friends! I bought this tea a little while back, along with my Republic of Tea sampler, but I always forgot to try it. I finally rediscovered that I own this tea and decided to try it!

Let's start with the smell -- it definitely stays true to its name, a warm blueberry dessert straight out of the oven. The smell gave me high hopes for the flavor, but let me tell you, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. At first I didn't taste the blueberry or the cake much. Then the cake came through a bit more, and the blueberry slowly started creeping in. However, those flavors would fade away and come back in waves. I kept trying to put a name to exactly what I was tasting, and I couldn't.

As I am sipping it right this moment, I can taste cinnamon with a  slightly sour after taste. Every now and then I get a sour/sweet blueberry-ish flavor, but it isn't consistent. I won't discard this tea at this point, but I'm not a huge fan of it. I'll give it a 6.5/10 for now.

Happy Tea Drinking,
<3 TTT

Hello fellow tea drinkers!

1. Show the award on your blog.

This tea, my friends, is what I have been reaching for every evening. It is creamy, warming, milky, and still has a strong green flavor that makes me feel like all that gunk I had eaten throughout the day is getting broken up and I feel light as a feather. Ok, I'm exaggerating, I know, but this tea is so darn good. The lotus blossom adds a creaminess that is so nice after a long day, but does not hide the green tea. I even want to argue that there is a natural sweetness in this tea, but that might just be me. 10/10! No complaints.



Happy Tea Drinking!
<3 TTT

 I have already purchased this tea twice, and am ready to go back to get more. It is definitely one of my favorites and a staple in my tea cabinet. It has the perfect amount of sweetness, and gentle floral flavor mixed with fruit. Good job, Lupicia. This one is a winner. Now, brb while I go buy myself some more.

Happy Tea Drinking,
<3 TTT

This season was one to give and receive tea. Below are the teas that my lovely friends gave to me. I'll admit it, half of these I bought for myself, but I won't say which ;)


This lovely pink heap of tea is an assortment of love from a dear friend. On the left you have some Pomegranate Raspberry Green Tea from Stash, Pumpkin Spice Chai from Tazo, and Trader Joe's Jasmine Green Tea. On the right is Gingerbread Spice from Celestial Tea, and let me tell ya, this tea smells up the whole room with gingerbread deliciousness.

Hello 2015! I'm not one to make "resolutions", but here are some things I'd like to work on during 2015.

1. Be more consistent with TTT! This is my baby, after all. Now that I am a college graduate, I will have more time to write and drink tea. I will do my best to post much more consistently and drink much more tea.
2. Be more active. I want to run twice a week, like I did sophomore year in college. I felt great, my asthmatic lungs worked better, and I had loads more energy. Now if I can only muster up the energy to get off of this coach and turn off Netflix...
3. Read more. I have so many books I want to get through, but haven't read much in such a long time. Follow me on Goodreads if you want to see what I'm up to in the reading world!
4. Spend more time with family and friends. I like to call myself an extrovert with introvert tendencies. I love hanging out, but I equally love time to myself to browse the internet, read a good book, and catch up on the many shows I need to get through on Netflix. I need to find the right balance between me-time and people-time so I don't get overwhelmed one way or the other.
5. Get rid of the bad energy. I've had many obstacles in the past few years that I've had to overcome, and I'm realizing that I wasn't as successful in putting them in the past as I had thought. In order to be completely happy again I need to leave those things behind, once and for all. And replace the void with more and more tea :)

Hope all of your New Years are off to a great start, with many smiles and many cups of tea!

<3 TTT