Teavana Himalayan Majestic

This is a rather expensive tea compared to Teavana's other options, but this is due to it's exotic origins as labeled in it's title. I've often wondered what factors to the producing plants of many drinks in different locations define a region's trends? There will always be too many to bother trying to figure out, so let's just find out what Nepal's black tea is like.

What I thought of first once this tea passed my lips is Darjeeling because this is a full flavored and thin bodied tea, but not like a breakfast tea. (Oolong tea characteristics are usually similar as well). It's flavor is a light floralness but also a musky smoke. It doesn't taste roasted at all though, and makes me think of a an evening tea instead of a brisk morning choice. There is a slight bitterness to it that I enjoy, but this is an incredibly smooth tea too.

An interesting combination of flavors made me grade this a B (good) with little contemplation. I recommend this tea to anyone who enjoys green gunpowder teas because it has a similar relaxing frequency, and if you enjoy the gunpowder's effect, you'll enjoy this as well.

Teavana Honeybush Vanilla

At the social tea parties I've been attending recently Teavana has been a very popular choice, and I noticed I haven't done any of their products in a long time! So tonight I've chosen to relax with and write about their Honeybush Vanilla herbal tea. I'd like to start by noting that my sense's attention was caught before water even touched the tea. It would make a fantastic potpourri.

Don't think the title labels the taste of this tea though because if you want a dessert level of sweetness you'll have to add some sweetener. The tea is actually quite malty and the vanilla isn't vanilla extract, but vanilla beans! This malty aspect has an overtone of walnuts and gives the body a round feel. There is a touch of sweetness to this tea in the taste of a clover honey. The sweetness and malty aspects are the same element in the taste, and the true vanilla is most sensed in the aura and aftertaste.

This is not what I would expect from a tea with such a name, but I doubt a honey and vanilla-extract tea would be best for a loose leaf tea. As a hot tea I'm grading it with C (decent), but cold brings out more of a balance with a stronger vanilla. And perhaps it could blend with others to taste as an A?

Teavana Earl Grey Creme

Earl grey is familiar with almost anyone who drinks tea. It's a British classic black tea with bergamot oil (a lemon-orange looking fruit), but I always think of the lavender first. Teavana has three earl grey teas, a white one, a regular black one, and tonight's one: Earl Grey Creme (French for cream). Now how could there be cream in amongst the leaves? Let's find out.

Putting my nose over the cup I can easily smell the bergamot. Once sipped in my mouth bergamot happens again but I'm a little surprised. Teavana calls this a creme earl grey because the body of this seems a little heavier somehow! Vanilla is a part of this creme element in a taste but it's not as noticeable as the bergamot. The black tea leaves exist in taste as well, but they're not as strong as breakfast teas.

Teavana has a very different earl grey here, but not just because they added creme. This earl grey is missing lavender! Vanilla is nice here but can't make up for the lack of a floral note in my opinion. I'm giving Teavana's Earl Grey Creme a C (decent) because of these things. If you were never a huge fan of lavender and want something a little more crisp but smooth, give this one a try.

Teavana MatéVana

Teavana must be very proud of this one, they named it after themselves! And a little inspection before steeping showed little pieces of chocolate and nuts of a sort that tasted very good without any steeping. (On a side note, mmmm...) On Teavana's website their sales pitch seems to be health, like a parallel to a nicotine patch for coffee to get you off that addiction (coffee is not a bad addiction though). Let me tell you how this products cup will treat you with your mental health though.

All the elements of this tea are quite merged so it's hard to determine what makes it up. The roasted maté will satisfy all those use to coffee but it has the green grassy note of unroasted maté as well through the smell. I don't have any sweet-tooth with tea but the chocolate didn't turn me away at all. The nuts work perfectly with the roasted maté making it a little more hearty for the coffee drinkers. Lastly there is a herb underneath it all that I can't put my finger on.

It's only fair to note that I can already feel MatéVana starting my day well with "energy without jitteriness". This is a fine roasted maté that I feel is a B (good) and I recommend it to all that want a healthy start. I'd also get it at the mall when all of your friends are in line for coffee but you don't feel like coffee.

Teavana Cacao Mint Black

This might be more appropriate than chai tea for winter! Just think of sitting down in front of a warm fire on a cold winter night with such a tea. I think this title sets a high standard simply listing the ingredients, so lets see if Teavana can live up to it.

I was surprised at how short the steeping time on this tea was, but I can see now it would be too strong if too long. The scent of this tea wouldn't make you think this was a tea, the chocolate and mint are equally perceptible. The actual tea is nonexistent though, but the taste brings this out. In the palate mint and cacao take a back seat. The cacao is even less noticeable as well because it seems to just be a part of the mint somehow. A slight chocolate aftertaste is noticeable to me.

Just the loose tea and steam above my cup has a passionate fragrance, but the palate doesn't live up to it. It's rather dull somehow with a simple tea base that's obviously not darjeeling or a stronger assm. It's plain so mediocre describes it well C (decent).

Teavana Sour Cherry

As I stated in Teavana's last review, Teavana is kind of like the Starbucks of tea. It can be found in malls and they will make you a tea to go and while you wait you can try out different samples they have. Today I have a a tea of theirs that has a bluntly descriptive title. My initial thoughts are "yum cherry", and "how sour?"

The smell of this tea unbrewed is quite pleasant with intense cherry and a manageable sour. Once prepared they become more equal, but this isn't for the best. The aura has sour in the back seat still but once sipped they become one element. It has a little too much pucker for me and you're left with a hint of just that in the aftertaste. The actual tea in this is a blend of black and green, but I find them hard to detect. If I didn't know better I would call this a sort of herbal tea.

Perhaps this would be better iced in the summer but I gave it a C (decent) due to the lack of balance and tea taste. Many others with a taste for sour might like this, I don't.

Teavana Jasmie Dragon Phoenix Pearls

Teavana is kinda like the Starbucks of tea. If you've seen one of their stores before, you can order a tea on the go or buy some of their loose tea and try some new ones with samples available. On their best seller list their Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls are first, and rightfully so.

After steeping for only one minute, the smell of this is surprisingly apparent for a green tea with a floral scent that is hard to describe. It's unlike any air freshener that's sweet or overly "airy-flowery", it's complete and smooth. Once in your mouth it tastes less intense but more "full". Something that's hard to miss as well is the body of this tea, it's smooth and weighted (aka full body). It ends with a vegetable aftertaste that can be common in some green teas.

I recommend this to anyone who's a fan of green or white teas. It's a solid A (excellent) due to the experience given, but it isn't an everyday tea to me. I have this about once a week because it requires your attention to appreciate. Enjoy it while reading a book and going to be, not with a meal or in a cup on the go.