Chad's Chai: Green Peace

I have a secret to tell you! Green tea is my least favorite of all the teas. Seriously. I know, I know. during the green tea craze of 2003 I kept trying to gulp the stuff down in the name of antioxidants and amazing health benefits - Weight loss! Better focus and memory!! Bigger boobs!! (maybe that one I just made up) - and I hated it. I have tried to steer clear of the stuff since then, until today. 

I like it! I'm a sucker for mint, and once the light crisp scent of fresh mint hit me as I opened the packet, I knew this would be a keeper. A very clean tasting green tea (sometimes green tea tastes murky to me). I taste crisp spearmint (my absolute favorite), and the light sizzle of the peppermint as well. So good I didn't even add honey (the mint adds a slight sweet taste), but I will on my next cup just because I'm a sucker for sweets.

The packaging reminds me that I'm drinking something healthy. Very simple, but also is lined and will keep the tea fresh with the "resealable seal" (is that phrasing redundant?). The tea/mint leaves themselves are quality. Large whole and chopped pieces. All in all a fresh cup that I could definitely see myself adding to a daily routine. Maybe I will get bikini body ready by the summer 😉 - I read it online, it must be true! 

Aroma - 9/10

Taste - 9/10

Packaging 10/10

Quality - 10/10

Overall 9.5/10

Yogi: Honey Lavender Stress Relief

You guys! I have totally been holding out on you. I have had this tea every night for the past 2 weeks alongside a nice dollop of raw honey. The results have been amazing. This is going on my "stock up" list. 

Maybe it's because I'm a new mom and need the stress relief, maybe it's because I was reading an amazing book that takes place on a lavender & honey farm in Oregon (The All You Can Eat Buffet by Barbara O'Neal), or maybe it's just because it's pretty darn amazing tea all by itself no matter your situation. YUM.

Out of the bag you get a heavy naturally sweet lavender and mint scent. Steep this bad boy for the full 10 minutes, believe me it's worth the wait! And then taste it on it's own before adding anything. Its a fresh, minty, citrusy, lavender-y flavor. It's medium bodied (not light, not bold) and it is actually very relaxing. 

It comes in a tea bag which is, eh, but the tea bag is foil lined for freshness which is good, the tea leaves are ground pretty small, which is eh again. But for grocery store shelves it's a winner!

A new favorite. 

Packaging 6/10

Quality 6/10

Flavor 10/10

Aroma 10/10

Overall 8/10

Refined sugar and dairy free French vanilla creamer

I've been trying to go refined sugar-free since the birth of my son Owen, and it's been a daily struggle for 3 beautiful months. Along with baby #2 came a serious caffeine addiction. Along with a serious caffeine addiction came the use of creamers and sugar to sweeten up my "morning treat". 

I've been using "all natural" creamers but even those have additives, sugars, and a hefty price tag. So I went on a paleo Pinterest spree and found a few recipes that I've turned into my own.

Enter the non-dairy French vanilla home made creamer: 

If it's in a mason jar, you know it's awesome. 

Ingredients:

1 can additive free coconut milk (Walmart carries the gold star brand that doesn't have any thinners in it)

1 cup dates (my cup was overflowing, because how the heck do you level a cup of odd shaped dates??)

1cup hot water (I microwaved mine - I know..)

2 tbs vanilla extract

Directions: 

Pulse blend dates while slowly adding hot water until you've added it all and then blend-blend (ha) until you've made a thin date paste. 

Add can of coconut milk and vanilla extract and blend some more. 

And you can pour the creamer through a mesh sieve to refine it some more. I didn't and it works just fine. 

Hints/tips? Hmm I think I would go with raw honey next time instead of dates. If you don't like coconut aftertaste, you could use almond milk, but it won't be as creamy and unless you make your own almond milk, there are additives in most that you will find on your local grocer's shelves. 

Let me know what you think!

Celestial seasonings - sleepytime: blackberry pomegranate green tea

The name of the tea is quite a mouthful! The tea itself is a bit better in quality than you expect from a grocery brand level bagged tea. There are tea bits and flakes and fruit bits and flakes, the tea aroma is very light. When you open the packet in the box the aroma smacks you in the face but once it's steeped you have to really put yor nose up to it to get a whiff. Doesn't smell fake or chemical-y, mostly like pomegranates. The flavor is also a light flavor, I steeped for the full 6 minutes allowed by the directions and it was a light pomegranate-ish flavor.

I'm not usually a green tea fan, but this was enjoyable with a dab of honey.

Quality 2/5

Flavor 3/5

Packaging 2/5

Aroma 2.5/5

Overall 3/5 

Numi: Aged Earl Grey

Anyone who knows me knows that Earl Gray is my absolute favorite tea. Bergamot is my favorite scent and flavor by far. I am so disappointed by Numi aged earl gray and I expect better because their other teas blow my socks off. The scent of the dry tea bag should have set me up for disappointment. It doesn't smell like much, black tea with the faintest whiff of bergamot. After a 4 minute steep the tea is a beautiful deep black. There isn't really a scent. The bergamot taste can only be described as murky. And there's a little bit of a burnt after taste. I am happy I didn't steep for the full 5 minutes allowed by the instructions.  Overall a disappointment. 

Packaging 3/5

Aroma 1/5

Taste 1/5 

Quality 3/5

Overall 2/5

Sinus blues

Of course the moment I decide that I'll start reviewing tea again I am hit with the sinus infection from the deepest depths of hell. I can't taste, I can barely breathe. Hopefully I kick this bad boy to the curb in a few days.

Until then it looks like garlic sandwiches are in the cards for me. Gross, I know. What are your top non pharmaceutical remedies for sinus infections? 

Here's a sneak peek at my newest tea!

To be continued...

I have been on too long of a break! On my break I have honestly been indulging on my two new family members!

Owen (2 months) and Ella (23 months). Yes it has been two whole tea-less years but I am back in action. I still have some tea left in my last stash (I truly wonder if it still good after 2 moves and being shoved in the back of my cupboard for so long) and I plan on getting some new flavors going next week, hopefully some Christmas flavors.

I have been surviving on Earl Gray and green tea since I started my too - long vacation. I'm ready to mix it up!

-Alex