Aslan Chai is ground from whole spices. The ingredients are real and the list is small: green tea, cinnamon, black pepper, fennel, cardamon, brown sugar (not included in their sugar free version)
I have tried several preparations of the tea to find my favorite one. I tried it over the stove with half almond milk and half water. This method was quite nice and muted the spice a bit. If you are not a fan of spice, this preparation method is for you. I, however, love the spice, so my favorite method is to brew the tea in all water, and add a splash of almond or coconut milk. I do this over the stove if I have some time, but if I'm feeling lazy, I just put the tea into a mesh trainer and go.
My final thoughts are that I do really enjoy this tea. The spice is perfect and the combination of spices is great. I do wish that the tea flavor was stronger, but they have the spices down. The powder does separate to the bottom of the cup if you brew via tea mesh ball, so you'll have to stir it every now and again. I give this a 8.5/10.

Happy Chai Drinking,
<3 TTT

Hello everyone! If you feel to lazy too go to the store to stock up on tea, are new to tea, or want to try something fun, how about a tea subscription box sent right to your door? I was super excited when this company reached out to me, because it is such a cool concept. They have four different boxes you can choose from and you get four teas in each box, once a month or every other month. You can choose how many months you want to commit to for no more than $25, which is a great deal for the amount of tea you get! You could even buy the teas individually on their website as well. Today I'm reviewing the August Original Box from The Tea Runners.

Hello world! Yes, It's been a little while. Yes, I've missed you. Yes, there are many many posts coming your way that I have been preparing, including one about how I've coped with some major life changes. But all that excitement aside, let's get on with it, shall we?

Rooibos Rocks was kind enough to send me their Rooibos Sampler Tin, which has 10 tea bags each of Natural Rooibos, Chai Rooibos, Honeybush, and Green Rooibos. As many of you know from prior reviews, I love rooibos. I think it is a perfect alternative to caffeinated teas or coffee in the evening as it has a full-bodied flavor that is rich and creamy without the caffeine. It's loaded with antioxidants, it decreases blood pressure, aids in digestion, and has many more benefits.

Hello everyone! Since today was a gloomy, rainy morning, I needed some Chai to perk up my day. Luckily I had some from The Chai Box handy. This is a brand that I first learned about and interacted with on Instagram, and I am so happy that I did. It is owned by a sister duo who grew up drinking Chai and blending it themselves at home. I got a pack of All Chai'd up from them and I tested it numerous (you don't want to know the number) times to make sure I had a comprehensive review for you. Verdict: Love it!
Those of you that know about me and my tea tastes know that I am super picky with chai. I have a certain expectation of flavor profile -- no fake cinnamon, balanced, right amount of spice, not too dainty. All Chai'd Up is described as "Full Body + Balanced" and I could not agree more. This is a true Indian Chai -- the exact flavor I would expect from a home brewed chai. None of the flavors compete with one another; you can distinctly taste each and every spice. My only critique is that I would have liked more ginger taste, but I think that's just a personal preference.

Hello everyone! I was recently introduced to this brand, Pique Tea, when they offered to send me a set of their Organic Mint Sencha. They make instant brew tea, which is a concept I hadn't heard of before. To be honest, I was also skeptical. I was worried that an instant brew tea would be low quality, because I picture the powdery, tasteless tea leaf crumbs that you find in some tea bags. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Pique Tea!
I would honestly put the Organic Mint Sencha alongside some of my favorite green teas. You get the complex earthy and flowery taste you would expect from Sencha. This is paired with a subtle, yet welcoming hint of mint. What I really enjoy about their concept is that you can take it with you on the go easily. If you have a quick morning and don't have time to brew a proper tea, just grab some hot or cold water, dump the powder in and you're good to go.
It's also a fun way to experiment with cooking. I have added this tea powder to my chia pudding. I have seen it incorporated into smoothies, pancakes, and I can even imagine it to be a lovely addition to macaron batter.
Overall, I would give this tea a 10/10. No complaints whatsoever. The green tea is high quality and the mint is perfect.

Happy Tea Drinking,
<3 TTT

We are on to number 5 of the Trader Joe's Tea Party Set review! Links here for the first 4: Bergamot Black Tea, Vanilla Rooibos, Moringa Matcha, Raspberry Black). Today, I am reviewing the Calming Herbal Tea Infusion.
This tea is quite delicious! You get a perfect blend of all of the flavors and do get to taste each one. The peppermint leaves and lemon balm create a soothing cooling feeling. The lemongrass adds a touch of citrus. You get a fresh chamomile and lavender flavors that are instantly calming. The remainder of the flavors are subtle, but add a nice floral and earthy balance to the others; blackberry leaves, orange blossom, rose petals, and heather blossom.
Chamomile is known for easing tensions, from headaches to stomach aches. Lemon balm and lavender can be used to help stress and anxiety. Rose petals and blackberry leaves are actually pretty high in Vitamin C.

You can see that the blend has real, good quality ingredients. I was very impressed with this one! I have been adding this tea to my evening routine and it does help me relax! I would give this one a 10/10. No complaints, in fact, only love!

Happy Tea Drinking,
<3 TTT

This is one of my all time favorite decaf teas. I initially tried Forever Nuts at the David's tea store, looking for a hot beverage to keep me company while walking around. I smelled this tea and instantly fell in love. It smells strongly of almonds, cinnamon, and apple.
Can we also talk about what a beautiful color this tea is when steeped. The beetroot gives it a pink tinge that is just stunning. This tea tastes exactly as it smells -- strong nutty notes with warming cinnamon, toned down by the tart apple.
You can see the big chunks of apple and almonds in this mix. There is also artificial flavoring, which is why the almond taste comes across so strongly. It is a hearty decaf tea, like a rooibos, where it tastes almost as if it isn't decaf. For those of you like me who are sensitive to caffeine, this is a great choice to have on hand for an afternoon pick-me-up.
I prefer drinking this tea with some sort of milk -- typically either almond milk or coconut milk. The creaminess balances out the nuttiness in perfect harmony. I give this a 10/10.

Happy Tea Drinking
<3 TTT

I believe this  Zhena's Gypsy Tea Hazelnut Chai was a gift, because I have no recollection of buying it. This morning before work I was looking for something to put some perk in my step, which made me reach for a chai.
(Thought I'd give you all a different angle of my tea mug on this review.) I'm sad to say that I was not impressed! There was no flavor. I was trying so hard to find SOME kind of flavor. Near the end, maybe after 15 minutes of brewing, I was able to taste a little bit of some spice -- I'm thinking it could have been the clove but it wasn't strong enough for me to be sure. There was some creaminess, which I think could have been from the vanilla bean or the natural flavoring that should have provided us with the hazelnut. In any chai you expect a punch of spice -- this tea did not give me that satisfaction this morning.

Well isn't that name a mouthful! This is one of the staple sample flavors they have in their store -- it's typically the Youthberry / Wild Orange Blossom Tea Blend and a chai tea blend (don't worry, we'll review that one at a later time as well). I won't lie, this one took me some getting used to. My mom and I used to go to Teavana every time we went to the mall. She would love the Youthberry blend while I preferred the chai. To me, for some reason, I equated the taste of the Youthberry blend tea to medicine. Man, do taste buds change, because now I quite enjoy this one!
You get a gorgeous red color from the hibiscus, rosehip,  and beetroot. Just look at that bright red collected at the bottom of the mug!
 The tea tastes sweet, mainly due to the candied mango and pineapple, the orange juice pieces (funny ingredient, I know), as well as, of course, the natural and artificial flavoring. There's a nice tang from the orange slices, red currants, and acas fruit powder. There's a nice floral overtone that ties in the sweet and sour brought to you by the rose petals and orange petals. All of this deliciousness blended with a gentle white tea.
Overall, I would rate this a 9/10, given that I like sour, fruity teas. If sour isn't your thing, I would stay away. However, if you're down with the get down, this sour, floral, sweet tea is a good one. There's a reason it's always used as a sampler in front of the store!

Happy Tea Drinking
<3 TTT

Hello world!

I know, I know, it's been a while. Did you miss me or what? I could go on and on about how I was in a transition phase and everything was up in the air for a while, and even though TTT was always in my heart, it was difficult to find the energy to sit down and type -- but I'm just going to jump right into a review! Also, please note the updated layout by my favorite, Natalie! Isn't she great?

So this tea instantly caught my eye at Trader Joe's. It was one of those moments where I'm walking, see something delicious in my peripheral, and before I know it, it's in my cart. Black Forest Cupcake. Doesn't that sound just delectable? I ended up with two tins of this on my tea book shelf because my step mom was not a fan. It does have licorice root and sarsaparilla root (root beer type of flavor), so if you're not a fan of either of those, I would not advise purchasing this product. Instead, you should persuade a friend to buy it and try it at his or her place before making your own commitment.

Now, let's get down to business. Personally, I like this tea. I'm not in love, but I am definitely in like. It is sweet tasting from the cocoa and carob, so it's a great breakfast tea. Pairing the cocoa with chicory root (often used as a coffee substitute) is brilliant and enhances the chocolate flavor. As it is a black tea, I would not advise this as a dessert tea, unless you are one of those magical unicorns who are immune to caffeine. The hibiscus gives it a slightly sour taste, alluding to the sour cherry portion of a traditional black forest cake. I like adding a splash of almond milk for a slightly more decadent taste. Overall, I would rate this tea a 8/10. It's tasty, gets the flavor across, but isn't something I would write home about (yet clearly enough to write a blog about).

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).

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

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