This was another one of my recent Teavana acquisitions. I had high hopes for this tea, as it smelled delightful when I looked at it in the store.
However, I took it home and noticed when I brewed it, that it was weak and had an artificial grape flavor. Upon researching, I realized that it is indeed, an artificial grape flavor added. And it's not a very good one. It tasted more like unsweetened grape Kool-Aid than a real grape. If it had tasted more realistic, I probably would not have minded the artificial flavor. Basically, this tea was disappointing. I tried it both hot and cold, and it kept tasting like unsweetened Kool-Aid...even when I added sugar.
Rating:
2/5 stars
Buy this tea here:
Grape Wulong
Price: $12.98/2 oz
I have a love/hate relationship with Teavana. They're very expensive, much like their parent company, Starbucks. However, they really do have tasty teas and quality products. I've actually been a Teavana fan since before the Starbucks acquisition, when a friend took me to one of their stores in Nashville. Even though they are expensive, I've managed to spend a few hundred dollars there in the last couple of years.
One of my most recent buys from Teavana is the Raspberry Balsamico herbal blend. They had a blend of this tea and their Limeade Twist herbal tea in their sample station. Though I'm not a huge fan of lime, I found the blend very good.
I ended up purchasing a few teas and accessories and my purchase entitled me to a free store-made beverage. I decided to try the Raspberry Balsamico by itself, iced. WOW. All I can say is amazing. SUCH a delicious beverage. After the first sip, I immediately added a 4 oz bag of the blend to my purchase.
I had heard in the past that some Teavana customers had a hard time replicating the flavor that the store's baristas make when brewing at home, so I read some tips online and gave it a whirl.
I brewed it in 208 degree water and used 1 1/2 teaspoons of tea and 1 teaspoon of rock sugar per cup. I sipped it hot and freshly brewed, but this tisane's star power comes out when it's iced. The raspberry name is kind of a misnomer. Sure there are raspberries in the tea, and the flavor definitely comes out, but it's a perfect berry blend. Blueberries, grapes, strawberries, currants, elderberries and even juniper berries feature in this blend, and they all marry wonderfully. I especially love the inclusion of currants...just enough to give that bright currant flavor, but not so much to make it sour.
As the name implies, there is also a touch of balsamic vinegar in the blend, which is outstanding. I am one of those people that shops at oil and vinegar stores to get the latest and greatest balsamic and olive oil infusions for my recipes. I love balsamic vinegar, and the slight addition of it's earthy twang just caps off this near-perfect blend.
If you hadn't realized, this is pretty much my Holy Grail of herbal teas. So delicious.
Rating:
5/5 stars
Buy this tea here:
Raspberry Balsamico
Price: $9.98/2 oz
