“Silver Yin Zhen Pearls White Tea” Review

I just got this tea from my parents for the 2012 holidays (thanks!), and I can’t find the exact tea on the Teavana website, but I found one that is almost exactly the same. The Silver Needle White Tea. Contains the same ingredients and preparation instructions, but the Silver Yin Zhen Pearls has hand-rolled leaves. I found the information on the Yin Zhen on the Teavana app.
Ingredients include the following:

• Hand-rolled silver needle white tea

When I first opened the tea tin I smiled. It does in facts look like pearls (green pearls). I even took a picture for you all to see.

When I first smelled it, it smells like green tea only not as strong. Same with the taste, it tastes like a mellow green tea.

The recommended amount to use is 1.5 teaspoons for every 8 ounces of water. The suggested time to steep it says 4 to 5 minutes, but it won’t hurt to steep it longer. It get a little more bitter the longer it sits, but not overpowering. It also contains less caffeine than green tea. This white tea contains about 1% of the caffeine that is in one cup of coffee.

So if you enjoy green tea, but don’t need that much caffeine, this is a good alternative.

Be sure to read all of my tea reviews on the My Tea Reviews page of this blog.

“Tranquil Dream Chamomile Herbal Tea” Review

I’ve had this tea for quite a while, but haven’t written about it until now. This is the Tranquil Dream Herbal Tea from Teavana, also called “Night Night”.

The ingredients include:

• Rosehip peels


• Citrus peels


• Chamomile flowers


• Lemongrass


• Orange petals


• Hibiscus flowers


• Spearmint


• Flavoring (orange, vanilla, tangerine)

They say you should steep this tea for 5 to 6 minutes and use 1.5 teaspoons for every 8 ounces of water. However, I don’t think it would harm anything to steep it longer. There are a few teas where you should be careful, such as green tea. If you steep some green teas too long, they get really bitter. I usually steep this tea for 6 minutes.

On first sniff, you really smell the orange and citrus peels. You also get a whiff of the spearmint. Upon first drinking, the spearmint is most prevalent in my opinion. The lemongrass stands out as well.

If you’re trying to get off of caffeine, this tea has none. It’s very flavorful, and is a relaxing drink.

Be sure to read all of my tea reviews on the My Tea Reviews page of this blog.

"Maté Lemon Blast Herbal Tea" Review

Back in June I bought more tea from Teavana. I bought a caffeinated tea called Maté Lemon Blast Herbal Tea. This tea was seen on The Today Show according to the Teavana site.

This tea includes the following ingredients:

Green maté leaves

Lemongrass

I love teas with a short ingredient list. No strange components to this tea at all. What is my opinion of this tea? This is by far, my favorite tea from Teavana. When you open the package, you're smacked in the face by the lemon scent. To paraphrase my husband, it smells like a lemon pie just out of the oven.

To prepare this tea, you use 1.5 teaspoons for every 8 ounces, and let it steep for 5 to 6 minutes. When the tea is brewing, it fills the whole room with a lemon scent that has you itching to taste it. And the taste? Yum! It tastes just like a warm lemon pie. I made this tea last (as long as possible, it was too darn tasty) by only using one teaspoon for my 16 ounce tea maker. Didn't lessen the taste at all!

I will most definitely be buying this tea again. I can't wait to make my next purchase.

Check out my other tea reviews:

"My Morning Maté"

"Maté Vana"

"Weight To Go Pu-erh Tea"

"Toasted Nut Brulee"

"Roobios Peach Bloom Tea"

"Roobios Peach Bloom Tea" Review

Back in June, I ordered another tea from Teavana. The Roobios Peach Bloom Tea. The website states: “Perfect for hot tea or iced tea” which was what I was looking for. This tea had high ratings so I went for it.

This tea contains the following ingredients:

*Green and red Roobios tea

*Dried peach pieces

*Yellow safflower petals

Simple ingredients, not a lot to it. I tried this tea the first time as a hot drink. First of all, when you open the package, it most definitely smells like peaches. Good sign. To brew this tea, you need to put in 1.5 teaspoons for every 8 ounces, and let it steep for 5 to 6 minutes. After I brewed it and poured it into my cup, I smelled it again. Something seemed off to me. It didn't really smell like peaches. The best way to describe the smell, in my opinion, is that it smelled like Play-Doh. Yeah, not very appealing. But I drank it anyway.

It was OK, nothing more than that. It didn't really taste all that much like peaches. Maybe just a hint. I did try the tea again, only I poured it over ice. It tasted a bit better, but still had the odd smell. I much prefer this tea as an iced tea. I've had it for over one month and I still have a lot of tea leaves left to brew. That says a lot for how much I like it. I'll most likely be drinking this tea over the next few months. I don't hate it, but I have to be in the right mood for it.

I think this is the first tea from Teavana that I have to give a thumbs down to. Maybe my sniffer and taster are off or something, but I don't see how this tea got a 4.5 rating. I'm sort of bummed by it.

Check out my other Teavana tea reviews.

"My Morning Maté"
"Maté Vana"
"Weight To Go Pu-erh Tea"
"Toasted Nut Brulee"
"Maté Lemon Blast Herbal Tea"

"Toasted Nut Brulee" Tea Review

I had the “Toasted Nut Brulee” tea from Teavana as an afternoon drink on Tuesday. This was the tea I was most looking forward to, just by the description on the website:

“Savor each sip of this rich tea blend and its hazelnut cream brulee flavor while giving your body a health kick. It is the best dessert you'll find.” - Teavana.com

This tea's ingredients include:

• Oolong


• Apple bits


• Roobios


• Candied pineapple bits (pineapple sugar)


• Candied papaya bits (papaya sugar)


• Cinnamon


• Roasted chicory root


• Flavoring


• Ginger bits


• Coconut chips


• Roasted almonds


• Hazelnut bits


• Cardamom

When I first opened the package, the most prominent smell was cinnamon. I also could easily pick out the ginger. I smelled a little bit of the hazelnut, but barely. I didn't smell any of the fruit bits when I first opened it.

This tea says to use one teaspoon for every eight ounces. I only used one teaspoon for 16, and I think I may have to use the full two teaspoons with this tea. Either that, or let it steep longer. It said to let it steep for up to three minutes. I actually let it steep for four. I may try to let it go for five or six and see what happens.

This is a lighter brewing tea, and as it steeped, I could smell the cinnamon and ginger the most. I had to take a few sips before I could really taste it (another reason to let it steep longer, or use two teaspoons). The cinnamon and ginger were the most prominent in the taste category. Near the end of my 16 ounces, I was smelling more of the fruits. I could pick out the papaya smell a bit more, and maybe a little bit of the apple. But it was still mainly the spices.

I think I would recommend this tea as a drink to have on a chilly night. It would make a good “comfort” drink during the winter season. If the apple taste was stronger, I would say this would remind me of warm apple pie, so the web site's description of it being a “dessert” is somewhat accurate. This tea does contain nuts, so if you have a nut allergy, be aware.

I may revise this review once I've tried this tea again. Will use the full two teaspoons next time.

Check out my other tea reviews from Teavana:

"My Morning Maté"
"Maté Vana"
"Weight To Go! Pu-erh Tea"
"Roobios Peach Bloom Tea"
Maté Lemon Blast Herbal Tea"

"Weight To Go! Pu-erh Tea" Review

For a post workout drink on Monday, I made up two cups of the new “Weight To Go! Pu-erh Tea” I bought from Teavana. I wrote this review yesterday. This tea contained the following ingredients.

• Rosehips


• Oolong tea


• Apples


• Black tea


• Strawberry bits


• Hibiscus


• Spearmint


• Rose petals


• Peppermint


• Beetroot bits


• Flavoring

I think this is going to be my “usual” afternoon tea. At least in the spring and summer months. It's a very light tea, but the flavoring is strong. When I first opened the package, I smelled the strawberry right away. I also got a hint of the peppermint or spearmint (I can never tell the difference in these mints) aromas. It said to add one teaspoon for every eight ounces, but once again, I used one teaspoon for 16 ounces.

This tea is a light brewing tea. It says to let it steep for three to four minutes. I let it steep for about five or six. I really don't think you can over steep this tea, in fact, I think this tea is better the stronger it is. I've only come across one tea that tastes “too strong” when you brew it longer than recommended, and that was the green tea. But the “Weight To Go” tea tasted just fine.

I could definitely taste the strawberry flavors, and the mints as well. I couldn't pick out the apples, but I'm sure it was there. I think this would make an excellent ice tea, and I may try that sometime this week. Maybe after my next workout. Just brew it normally, then pour it over ice. Refreshing.

So, one more positive tea review. So far, I've liked all of the teas I've had from Teavana. There have been a few I've had, but didn't review them. I never thought about writing up reviews for teas, until I got this batch in.

I have one more tea to try out, and that's the “Toasted Nut Brulee”. I'm excited to test that tea out, just from the description alone.

My other Teavana tea reviews.

“My Morning Maté”

“Mate Vana”

"Toasted Nut Brulee" 

"Roobios Peach Bloom Tea"

"Maté Lemon Blast Herbal Tea"

"Maté Vana" Review

My second Teavana review is on the “Maté Vana” tea. This is another caffeinated tea that I'll be drinking in the mornings. This tea contains the following ingredients.

•    Roasted Maté
•    Cacao nibs
•    Roobios
•    Chocolate chips (sugar, cocoa)
•    Flavoring
•    White chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, dextrose)
•    Almonds
•    Cactus flower
•    Sunflower and cornflower petals

When I opened the package, the chocolate scent was the strongest by far. I could also smell a hint of the almonds. It says to use 1.5 teaspoons per eight ounces, and to let it steep for five to six minutes. Again I only used 1.5 teaspoons for 16 ounces and it turned out just fine. As it steeped, it kept getting darker, and darker. And the smell got a lot stronger.

The taste was smooth, and I could definitely taste the chocolate. I had to think about what the taste reminded me of, and it finally hit me. It tastes kind of like as tootsie roll pop. I would definitely recommend this particular to tea to anyone who loves chocolate. It is a maté tea, so it does contain caffeine, but doesn't give you the jitters like coffee does.

Just like the “My Morning Maté” tea, this tea does contain nut products, so if you're allergic, be aware.

Check out my other teavana tea reviews:
“Weight To Go! Pu-erh Tea"

"My Morning Maté

"Toasted Nut Brulee" 

"Roobios Peach Bloom Tea"

"Maté Lemon Blast Herbal Tea"

"My Morning Maté" Review

For my first Teavana tea review, I chose the “My Morning Maté” tea. The tea contains the following ingredients:

・    Maté
・    Roobios black tea
・    Cocoa kernels
・    Carob bits
・    Orange peel
・    Chocolate flakes (cocoa, sugar)
・    Almonds
・    Cactus flower
・    Coriander
・    Pistachios
・    Cracknel (sugar, hazelnuts)
・    Pink pepper
・    Macadamia
・    Sunflower
・    Cornflower and safflower petals

I could definitely smell and taste the macadamia. It has a very strong nut flavor to it. It says to use 1.5 teaspoons for ever 8 ounces. My Teavana pot hold 16 ounces, but I still only used 1.5 teaspoons. It was enough. If I had used any more, it would have been too strong. Although, maybe the other flavorings would have jumped out more, who knows? Maybe I'll try adding more next time.

I did like the tea though. It brewed really dark, and smelled great the entire time. It says to brew it for 5 to 6 minutes, and that seems to be enough. I think I would recommend this tea to other people, if they really like a nutty flavor. Obviously, this tea does contain nuts, so if you have any type of nut allergy, this tea is not for you.

So, my impression of this tea is favorable. I don't know if I'll drink it every morning, but it makes a nice change.

Check out my other Teavana tea reviews:
“Maté Vanna"
“Toasted Nut Brulee”
“Weight To Go! Pu-erh Tea"
Roobios Peach Bloom Tea
"Maté Lemon Blast Herbal Tea"