Author: Michelle

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Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Green Tea

Candy Cane Green Tea by Trader Joe’s
Green Tea / Flavoured
$1.99USD for 39g (20 tea bags)

First Impressions

I’m forever fascinated by Trader Joe’s – I think it’s mostly because the stores and their products aren’t available in Canada and that is part of their charm! So I’m sharing my thoughts on the Candy Cane Green Tea, which is a decaffeinated seasonal offering. Like the Harvest Blend Herbal Tea, it’s happily illustrated (with a bonus narwhal on inside flap of box). The tea comes in a cardstock box that is sealed under cellophane. Inside the box, the tea bags are inside of a waxed paper pouch that is resealable.

Candy Cane Green Tea is a delightfully minty smelling blend and the ingredients in this seasonally appropriate green tea blend are: peppermint, decaffeinated green tea, orange peel, natural flavours, cinnamon, milk thistle seed, blackberry leaves, roasted carob pods, vanilla beans and roasted chicory. There is hidden soy in this green tea blend though – there’s soy bean oil used to roast the chicory root.

Preparation

Trader Joe’s recommends heating water to “just below boiling” and allowing it to cool before steeping the tea for 3 minutes. I opted to use my variable temperature kettle and heat water to 175°F (79°C) and steeped the tea for 3 minutes.

First Taste

Candy Cane Green Tea steeps to a golden brown colour. There’s a strong minty aroma from the steeped tea, which is what I was expecting considering what the dry leaf smelled like. The flavour is a mixture of minty and sweet. The peppermint aroma is strong and I like it. It does make me think of candy canes, which is such a quintessential holiday flavour. There’s a hint of vanilla in the background, which make it all the more well-rounded in terms of flavour. I don’t really taste the green tea base, but that’s perfectly fine considering I’m drinking it more for the minty goodness than anything else.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Candy Cane Green Tea but found that the peppermint wasn’t nearly as strong as the initial steep. I would say that Candy Cane Green Tea is good for just the one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Green Tea. I love a good seasonal tea, and the peppermint in this green tea blend really ticked all the boxes for me. Luckily, unlike my favourite mint-laced black teas, Candy Cane Green Tea is decaffeinated, which means I’m able to drink it at all times of the day and be less concerned about the caffeine hindering me from sleeping (a nice option for shift workers). Bonus, it’s an inexpensive holiday tea option that’s going to work with me that’ll be good for both twelve-hour day and night shifts alike – and it’s very tasty!

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Celestial Seasonings’s Country Peach Passion

Country Peach Passion by Celestial Seasonings
Fruit Infusion / Flavoured
$3.49USD for 41g (20 tea bags)

First Impressions

I picked up the Fruit Tea Sampler a while back and sort of forgot that I had it (why do I keep doing that?), so decided when I rediscovered it in my tea stash that I should give it a try. This sampler consists of five fruit infusions, each of which will be getting their own review so I can properly give attention to each one.

The first of which is Country Peach Passion, which came with 3 tea bags packaged in a thick foil wrapper to keep the tea fresh. The tea bags are simple square bags, with no string. The aroma of the dry leaf is peachy with a hint of floral notes in the background.

Country Peach Passion consists of: orange peel rosehips, hawthorn, chamomile, natural peach flavour with other natural flavours, blackberry leaves, hibiscus, peaches, citric acid and paprika (for colour),

Preparation

Celestial Seasonings recommends pouring freshly boiled water (100°C/212°F) water over 1 tea bag and to steep for 4 to 6 minutes. For iced tea, it recommends using 2 tea bags and 1 cup of boiling water, and then adding 1 cup of cold water and to chill.

I followed the hot tea recommendations and steeped Country Peach Passion for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Country Peach Passion is a slightly cloudy orange colour. The aroma is a blend of peach and orange. The flavour however, doesn’t quite match up with what I was expecting. It’s a curious blend of citrus, chamomile, a hint of peach, and something that reminds me of pineapple. It’s not as sweet as I expected with all the fruity ingredients, but it does have a nice fruit punch flavour to it. I do wish that the peach itself was stronger.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Country Peach Passion but found the flavour to be lacking in comparison to the initial steep. I would recommend Country Peach Passion for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Celestial Seasonings’s Country Peach Passion was just okay. While I found the flavour to be pleasant, it just doesn’t screamed ‘peach’ tea (or tisane!) to me. I wish that the peachy flavour was stronger overall, although I did enjoy the citrus and pineapple-y flavours in the tisane. I think it would be pleasant iced (I did enjoy it hot!), I just wish that it tasted the way that it smelled to me.

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Buddha Leaf’s Ceremonial Grade Matcha

Ceremonial Grade Matcha by Buddha Leaf
Green Tea (Matcha) / Straight
$17.99 for 40g

First Impressions

I picked up Buddha Leaf’s Ceremonial Grade Matcha at a local grocery store in the coffee & tea aisle… because it was on sale. At first I thought the powder would come preportioned because it said “20 serving portions” on the packaging itself. So the packaging of Matcha is a resealable pouch and inside of that pouch is a sealed (non-resealable) silver packet with the matcha inside of that. I do feel like it’s double packaging, and needlessly so. The outer packaging could have been heat sealed and it would have been okay.

Ceremonial Grade Matcha is a light spring green colour. The aroma is grassy primarily, with a hint of saltiness in the background. I’m curious about how well this will taste since it’s described as being “ceremonial grade”. Ceremonial Grade Matcha consists of organic Japanese matcha.

Preparation

There were no preparation instructions on the packaging that I could find, so I relied on my matcha knowledge. I sifted the powder into my matcha bowl, and then used 175°F (79°C) water and whisked it until it produced a thin layer of bubbles across the top. It was easy to whisk up.

First Taste

Ceremonial Grade Matcha has some bright spring green bubbles across the top, and a dark green tea. The aroma is grassy. I found when I drank it, that it was quite astringent and bitter. There’s some grassy notes, as well as umami flavour. But I did find the astringency to off-putting. The back of the packaging suggests that it could be used in smoothies or lattes, which I think it might be a good idea. I think it’d be great for baking with as well, or at least adding some sweetener to it to make it more palatable.

A Second Cup?

No second steepings with matcha.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Buddha Leaf’s Ceremonial Grade Matcha was just okay. While I think the grassy notes were pleasant, I found it to be quite bitter and not very pleasant when it was drank straight. But with a little bit of sweetener and milk, it makes for a nice latte so I would recommend using it mixed with something if you’re not a fan of the bitterness.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.