Tea And Garden

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

Good Teas Overall, But Tazo Disappoints, September 15, 2006

****
Tazo Assorted Black and Green Teas and Herbal Infusions includes one or two of each:
AWAKE: plain ordinary black tea, a little bitter
CALM: nice chamomile tea
CHAI BLACK TEA: an okay chai black tea with caffeine
CHINA GREEN TIPS: great green tea experience, Tazo’s best, no “natural flavorings”
DECAFFEINATED CHAI: an okay chai black tea without caffeine
EARL GREY BLACK TEA: a disappointing perfumy, intense, black tea experience
LOTUS: decaf green tea with lotus flower, one of my favorite Tazo’s
PASSION HERBAL INFUSION: hibiscus-y, intense, caffeine-free, and luxurious
WILD SWEET ORANGE: orange herbal tea, some complex overtones perhaps
ZEN: mild, relaxed green tea

Their ingredients include: black tea, green tea, hibiscus flowers, chamomile flowers, lemongrass, citric acid, natural flavors, spearmint leaves, blackberry leaves, cinnamon, rooibos, ginger root, rose hips, orange peel, rose petals, licorice root, safflower, black pepper, lemon verbena leaves, cardamom, cloves, peppermint leaves, chicory, sarsaparilla root, lemon balm leaf, star anise, and red poppy flowers.

Tazo is an interesting company that makes only super premium teas. They are socially responsible, based in Portland, and have the motto, “The Reincarnation of Tea”. Tazo is owned by Starbucks. Their web site is fun and quirky, with a Zen-type focus, definitely worth checking out. It is unclear, though, from their web site, how many of their ingredients are organic or kosher, and they do use some “natural flavors” in their teas–this wording seems a little vague for a super premium tea. In general I’m not a big fan of tea with flavorings added, preferring the subtleness and authentic taste of the real thing.

Overall, the green teas seem good. The herbal infusions are fine. The black teas tend to turn bitter if you don’t brew them very briefly…even then they have bitter overtones. Tazo’s assortment, and Tazo teas in general, are fine—better than premium teas like Stash or Celestial Seasonings—but not anywhere near as good as Numi, or Aspen, or other super premium teas made with only “real” ingredients and minus all of the flavorings. I’m more used to these high quality teas, which Tazo attempts to be, but disappoints…so overall Tazo Assorted gets a 3.5 to a 4. For this review, I’m rounding up, since so many people seem to enjoy these teas, and I’m in the clear minority. If your tea experience so far is drinking commercial teas of a lower quality, no doubt Tazo’s teas will appeal to you, as they are a great improvement. They have a lot of variety and many interesting tea experiences. If you don’t enjoy Tazo’s teas, though, know that there are many, many teas made with all real ingredients, teas that cost only a fraction more, that may be just the thing you were looking for.
****

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

More like 3.5 stars, March 22, 2007

I agree with most points in Ms Brown’s review. I have to admit that Tazo always seemed to me to be just a marketing ploy to get us to pay more for regular tea. After trying this sampler, my opinion hasn’t been swayed much. However, the teas in this pack are quite pleasant and do seem to have more intense flavor compared to other commercial bagged teas. What impressed me was how quickly the Tazo infuses and how rich the colors are! The Passion tea makes a deep, beet-red infusion! This makes me wonder if Tazo is impregnating their leaves with food-coloring or other additives. If you open the packet of Earl Grey, you will see for yourself that the teabag itself is stained with a yellow coloring. The tea tastes good, but if you’re a tea purist, this may seem like cheating. I have no proof so I’ll leave it to you to decide. After a tasting you might not care afterall. Personally, I like the tea, but I don’t achieve Nirvana from it.

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

The Tazo Experience, May 13, 2005

My first Tazo experience included a box of interesting items from a friend and packets of Tazo Green Ginger tea, which was slightly bitter and delicious with orange blossom honey.

This box of Assorted Teas:

Awake – Keeps you very, very awake!
Calm – Chamomile
China Green Tips
Earl Grey – Perfumed
Tazo Chai – Spicy
Passion – hibiscus flowers and orange for a calming blend
Decaffeinated Tazo Chai
Wild Sweet Orange – really delicious when blended with Lotus and poured over ice
Lotus
Zen – Nice alternative to black tea and has a lemon verbena,
spearmint and lemongrass twist.

The ingredients include: Black tea, green tea, hibiscus flowers, chamomile flowers, lemongrass, spearmint leaves, blackberry leaves, cinnamon, Rooibos, Gingerroot, rose hips, orange peel, rose petals, licorice root, safflowers, black pepper, lemon verbena leaves, cardamom, cloves, peppermint leaves, chicory, sarsaparilla root, lemon balm leaf, star anise and red poppy flowers.

I use 16 ounces of water and two tea bags for each experience. When you drink these teas you can transcend reality for moments at a time and that is all the truth I need about these teas. Some of these teas even evoke a sense of wonder.

Warning: HIGHLY ADDICTIVE TEAS. Once you taste these teas, you will want to try them all and forever be on a search for new Tazo teas. Fortunately they have enough tea blends to entertain you for years.

~The Rebecca Review