Type: Herbal/Tisane
Producer: Tazo
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 100°C, 5 minutes, 8 fl. oz, 1 1.6g teabag (recommended)
Appearance: Bleached trapezoidal tea bag with a variety of herbs, including flower petals and grasses
Rating: B | 87/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Quick story about chamomile tea. While I was off exploring my obsession with tea, my ex only drank chamomile teas. I think that was her favorite, so I ended up calling her Cam as a nickname. It's dumb, but just something I remember from that time in my life. We started talking again, funny enough.
While she drinks a lot of chamomile, I don't at all. I don't know if it's just this tea, but I think it has a weird smell– the dry leaf is floral and sweet. The brewed tea is a very interesting color, a clear blend of olive drab green and golden yellow. It smells the same as the dry leaf, but the sweet aroma is a lot more prevalent. For some reason, it reminds me of the rooibos tea I've had a long time ago. Like you'd guess, the tea itself tastes incredibly floral. The chamomile is the main taste, lingers long after drinking, and permeates into the back of the nose. The closest flavor to this, I can think of, is any jasmine tea. It's slightly sweet, but as with most floral teas, there's a dull sourness or tanginess. Overall, it's surprisingly really good; I need to pick up more chamomile tea sometime.
Other Notes
Today's album is Forever by Mystery Skulls. I actually preordered this album on CD a long time ago; I've been a big fan of him after his first EP came out. Not much to be said– super catchy songs, great vocals. If you like electronic pop, check him out! All of his work is great.
I finally got my license today! Only 4 errors. It wasn't very eventful; we drove all the way to Vallejo, waited about an hour and a half, took the test, had brunch, and drove back home. At the DMV, a Filipino lady wanted me to tell her the course, which was a bit sketchy (and a very Filipino thing to do, heh). We got food at the Good Day Cafe, where I got french toast and my dad an omelette– it was really good and the service was great. We also saw the ferry terminal and walked through downtown Vallejo, which reminded me a lot of Sacramento. Oh, and we also almost got hit by a car that sped through a red at an intersection.
Yesterday, we had lunch with our AP Gov teacher at a Thai restaurant. It was nice; we talked about college, a lot about competition civics, and what's happened to us over the summer. To be honest, our government teacher felt a lot more like our coach than our actual competition civics coach (whom he called more of an advisor, which I agree with). I learned a lot in his class and spent a lot of time in his room. I'll miss it. Afterwards, we went to the mall and I bought my dad a jacket from Uniqlo for his birthday, and we got boba and went home. I haven't done that much work lately, which probably isn't that smart since I have an essay due Sunday and a testimony written for another competition civics summer session on Saturday.
Tomorrow, I go with my unitmate and Cal friend to the mall to hang out, play games at the arcade, and watch a movie. It's probably not the best thing to do with those deadlines looming over my head, but hell, it's summer and I want to have fun.
Showing posts with label Tazo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tazo. Show all posts
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Review: Passion - Tazo
Type: Herbal/Tisane
Producer: Tazo
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 100°C, 5 minutes, 8 fl. oz, 1 2.8g teabag (recommended)
Appearance: Bleached trapezoidal tea bag with small chunks of various spices, grasses, and herbs
Rating: C+ | 78/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
I forgot the story where I got this tea bag, but I'm pretty sure I mentioned in one of the previous Tazo reviews. The liquid for this tea came out a very deep purple and red color, like a red wine or sangria. For some reason, most fruity tisanes have this color and tend to stain whatever they land on– in this case, I think it's because there's been fruit juice added to the tea. As for the smell, it's very fruity (pomegranate) that's somewhat soapy and sweet. The taste is a lot more sour than I expected. It's very tart, similar to lemon juice; but, like lemon juice, it becomes slightly sweet at the end of the drink. I can taste some citrus and grape flavors, along with the rose hip (most likely the source of the sour) and passionfruit. It's mostly smooth, but the sourness made my throat feel a little dry after drinking. This would be much more better as an iced tea, but it seems a bit one-dimensional and similar to some other fruity herbal teas, especially those by Tazo.
Other Notes
Today's album is the Pyre Original Soundtrack by Darren Korb. I've been a big fan of Supergiant Games, and although I haven't bought Pyre yet, I'm already loving this soundtrack. Bastion and Transistor were amazing too– the vocal tracks are some of the best songs I've heard in games yet. I'm planning to attend MAGWest to see Darren Korb live.
So, I got my phone repaired yesterday, walked in the morning with my Cal friend (gave her a teddy bear, too, for making some art for me), and had lunch with a girl I dated for one day in middle school. She's been my lab partner in science classes for the past two years, and after her sister passed from cancer (seriously– fuck cancer), she's been worried about school and her family. I haven't seen her for a while since my AP Biology teacher's funeral, but we've been snapchatting and texting each other throughout summer. She seems a lot happier now and I'm glad for that; she's heading off to UC Santa Cruz and I think she'll do great there. I promised her that we'll keep in touch and that I'll make sure she'll go to medical school. I also got my roommate assignment! It's the guy I roomed with during the Regent's overnight host program, which is pretty awesome (what are the chances?). He's a global studies major from LA, and seemed pretty chill when I met him. I feel like he's kind of needy– he asked for the right bed specifically– and is wealthy, considering he travels a lot, but I think we'll get along. Online, he's very nice, and in person, I thought he was kind of awkward/quiet but very chill. He's also very clean and neat, which is great.
Today has just been a work day. Just did the usual schedule– woke up, exercised, practiced handwriting, cooked, worked on this review, did summer class stuff, and so on. I hate staying indoors all the time, but it's hard when you have nothing else to do and all of your friends are out travelling. To be honest, I can see why drugs are such a big problem in my town and in suburban America in general; there's nothing to do unless you have a car and money. Tomorrow I'm having lunch with the unit, Cal friend, and one of our teachers, so that's exciting. I'm probably going to spend the rest of this day finishing homework and practicing driving.
Producer: Tazo
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 100°C, 5 minutes, 8 fl. oz, 1 2.8g teabag (recommended)
Appearance: Bleached trapezoidal tea bag with small chunks of various spices, grasses, and herbs
Rating: C+ | 78/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
I forgot the story where I got this tea bag, but I'm pretty sure I mentioned in one of the previous Tazo reviews. The liquid for this tea came out a very deep purple and red color, like a red wine or sangria. For some reason, most fruity tisanes have this color and tend to stain whatever they land on– in this case, I think it's because there's been fruit juice added to the tea. As for the smell, it's very fruity (pomegranate) that's somewhat soapy and sweet. The taste is a lot more sour than I expected. It's very tart, similar to lemon juice; but, like lemon juice, it becomes slightly sweet at the end of the drink. I can taste some citrus and grape flavors, along with the rose hip (most likely the source of the sour) and passionfruit. It's mostly smooth, but the sourness made my throat feel a little dry after drinking. This would be much more better as an iced tea, but it seems a bit one-dimensional and similar to some other fruity herbal teas, especially those by Tazo.
Other Notes
Today's album is the Pyre Original Soundtrack by Darren Korb. I've been a big fan of Supergiant Games, and although I haven't bought Pyre yet, I'm already loving this soundtrack. Bastion and Transistor were amazing too– the vocal tracks are some of the best songs I've heard in games yet. I'm planning to attend MAGWest to see Darren Korb live.
So, I got my phone repaired yesterday, walked in the morning with my Cal friend (gave her a teddy bear, too, for making some art for me), and had lunch with a girl I dated for one day in middle school. She's been my lab partner in science classes for the past two years, and after her sister passed from cancer (seriously– fuck cancer), she's been worried about school and her family. I haven't seen her for a while since my AP Biology teacher's funeral, but we've been snapchatting and texting each other throughout summer. She seems a lot happier now and I'm glad for that; she's heading off to UC Santa Cruz and I think she'll do great there. I promised her that we'll keep in touch and that I'll make sure she'll go to medical school. I also got my roommate assignment! It's the guy I roomed with during the Regent's overnight host program, which is pretty awesome (what are the chances?). He's a global studies major from LA, and seemed pretty chill when I met him. I feel like he's kind of needy– he asked for the right bed specifically– and is wealthy, considering he travels a lot, but I think we'll get along. Online, he's very nice, and in person, I thought he was kind of awkward/quiet but very chill. He's also very clean and neat, which is great.
Today has just been a work day. Just did the usual schedule– woke up, exercised, practiced handwriting, cooked, worked on this review, did summer class stuff, and so on. I hate staying indoors all the time, but it's hard when you have nothing else to do and all of your friends are out travelling. To be honest, I can see why drugs are such a big problem in my town and in suburban America in general; there's nothing to do unless you have a car and money. Tomorrow I'm having lunch with the unit, Cal friend, and one of our teachers, so that's exciting. I'm probably going to spend the rest of this day finishing homework and practicing driving.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Review: Zen - Tazo
Type: Blend (Green and Herbal)
Producer: Tazo
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 236 ml hot water, 80°C, 3 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Trapezoidal paper tea bag with green tea dust, lemongrass, and spearmint
Rating: 88 | B+/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
As I mentioned in a previous review, I got this tea at the California mock trial state finals when I raided the hotel's tea display. When I brewed this tea, it came out a very dark orange/amber color– the same color that mint tea usually comes out as (the spearmint here I think is the culprit). Same with the smell, it's more minty than grassy or citrusy. It actually has a very pleasant taste, too. I'd say it's a predominantly a mint tea; the first and foremost taste is spearmint. After that, it goes into a mellow, grassy flavor with a vague sweetness, and finally, it becomes sour and stays in the mouth for a few seconds. It feels like an interesting in-between for green tea and a tisane, and it's not bad at all. Overall, I like it; my only problem I have with it, but that's with all Tazo tea in general, is that the teabags are never really have any good quality leaf in them (I wonder if they sell loose leaf?).
Other Notes
Today's album is EP by little xs for eyes. Found this band through the remix album by Sounds of System Breakdown, and this has always been one of my go-tos for relaxation music. It's mainly acoustic, slow, and very chill, but from what I've heard, their new stuff has gone to a more upbeat, pop/indie/folk sound. I like it; check them out sometime.
So, yesterday was my last day of work. It went the same as usual; only notable thing was that I helped an old Mexican man pick up his keys, and after we went through security, he almost accidentally grabbed my wallet instead of his. I stopped him and gave him his, but he began to talk to me in Spanish and I didn't really know how to respond (I don't speak Spanish). So, I mostly just nodded and said yeah, and wished him a good day as I walked away.
The day before that, it was my friend's grad party. Quick backstory: she's from my main friend group from freshman and sophomore year, and we took African American Literature together this year. The group broke apart around junior year; people had left in small groups before because they made new friends or started dating people, but there was a big fight and a lot of drama between my ex and this friend. The group broke after that. At the party, though, some of the group got back together and it was fun– we got in a limo and went to an Indian/Pakistani restaurant to eat. Food (samosas, curry, chicken, fish, naan, and interestingly a chocolate fountain) was amazing, and we watched a Muslim prayer. The drive home was the best part. We got glow sticks and blasted music like Bohemian Rhapsody, All Star, Panic! at the Disco, and a few others, and just had fun screwing around. Someone mentioned this at one point, and I think she was absolutely right: we're all great people, but when we were together in that group, it was just very toxic.
One thing that came up often was my ex. Apparently, she used to talk badly of almost everyone behind their backs, and there was a lot of drama over relationships (not with me, but from crushes carrying over from middle school). We don't talk anymore. We used to chat on messenger and snapchat pretty often, but she suddenly stopped one day. I was told at the grad party, though, that she had posted on her tumblr that she had said she wanted to distance herself from her ex (i.e. me) and mentioned stuff like never snapchatting your ex when you're having emotional struggles. Oh well. It's been a while since we last talked– we had a quick conversation about AP scores last week, and it felt very strained– and I guess I've moved on. It hasn't bothered me too much, but she does cross my mind sometimes.
Today, I have to enroll for my classes for Berkeley. I'm planning on taking general chemistry, intro to sociology, foundations of data science, and single variable calculus; hopefully I can get an Asian American studies class on musicals, too. I feel like it might be a lot and that I should take only three classes my first semester, but since I'm interested in double majoring in biological/environmental sciences and a social science, I have to take a lot of the boring, general classes to be able to declare before I get into the fun stuff in upper divisions. Also, I need to take breadths which forces me to take interesting classes (data science is one of those). The great thing is that, if it's too much for me, I have time to drop a class before I'm stuck. I want to get good grades in college, but I'll have to put a lot more work if I want to keep the straight As I earned in high school. My realistic goal is a 3.0, to keep my scholarship, but the dream is over a 3.5 GPA.
Tomorrow, I graduate from the justice academy and have to present a speech that we haven't necessarily practiced that much, but I feel like it'll go fine. My parents won't be able to attend since they'll be on a flight to Minnesota; I think that's good since my group isn't so polished. I'm going to spend the rest of the week relaxing and hanging out with friends, since I have the house until Sunday or Monday. On Saturday, I'll be going to San Francisco to watch the first summer session for next year's We the People teams, so that'll be fun– I'm excited since I'm going with a few friends.
Producer: Tazo
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 236 ml hot water, 80°C, 3 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Trapezoidal paper tea bag with green tea dust, lemongrass, and spearmint
Rating: 88 | B+/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
As I mentioned in a previous review, I got this tea at the California mock trial state finals when I raided the hotel's tea display. When I brewed this tea, it came out a very dark orange/amber color– the same color that mint tea usually comes out as (the spearmint here I think is the culprit). Same with the smell, it's more minty than grassy or citrusy. It actually has a very pleasant taste, too. I'd say it's a predominantly a mint tea; the first and foremost taste is spearmint. After that, it goes into a mellow, grassy flavor with a vague sweetness, and finally, it becomes sour and stays in the mouth for a few seconds. It feels like an interesting in-between for green tea and a tisane, and it's not bad at all. Overall, I like it; my only problem I have with it, but that's with all Tazo tea in general, is that the teabags are never really have any good quality leaf in them (I wonder if they sell loose leaf?).
Other Notes
Today's album is EP by little xs for eyes. Found this band through the remix album by Sounds of System Breakdown, and this has always been one of my go-tos for relaxation music. It's mainly acoustic, slow, and very chill, but from what I've heard, their new stuff has gone to a more upbeat, pop/indie/folk sound. I like it; check them out sometime.
So, yesterday was my last day of work. It went the same as usual; only notable thing was that I helped an old Mexican man pick up his keys, and after we went through security, he almost accidentally grabbed my wallet instead of his. I stopped him and gave him his, but he began to talk to me in Spanish and I didn't really know how to respond (I don't speak Spanish). So, I mostly just nodded and said yeah, and wished him a good day as I walked away.
The day before that, it was my friend's grad party. Quick backstory: she's from my main friend group from freshman and sophomore year, and we took African American Literature together this year. The group broke apart around junior year; people had left in small groups before because they made new friends or started dating people, but there was a big fight and a lot of drama between my ex and this friend. The group broke after that. At the party, though, some of the group got back together and it was fun– we got in a limo and went to an Indian/Pakistani restaurant to eat. Food (samosas, curry, chicken, fish, naan, and interestingly a chocolate fountain) was amazing, and we watched a Muslim prayer. The drive home was the best part. We got glow sticks and blasted music like Bohemian Rhapsody, All Star, Panic! at the Disco, and a few others, and just had fun screwing around. Someone mentioned this at one point, and I think she was absolutely right: we're all great people, but when we were together in that group, it was just very toxic.
One thing that came up often was my ex. Apparently, she used to talk badly of almost everyone behind their backs, and there was a lot of drama over relationships (not with me, but from crushes carrying over from middle school). We don't talk anymore. We used to chat on messenger and snapchat pretty often, but she suddenly stopped one day. I was told at the grad party, though, that she had posted on her tumblr that she had said she wanted to distance herself from her ex (i.e. me) and mentioned stuff like never snapchatting your ex when you're having emotional struggles. Oh well. It's been a while since we last talked– we had a quick conversation about AP scores last week, and it felt very strained– and I guess I've moved on. It hasn't bothered me too much, but she does cross my mind sometimes.
Today, I have to enroll for my classes for Berkeley. I'm planning on taking general chemistry, intro to sociology, foundations of data science, and single variable calculus; hopefully I can get an Asian American studies class on musicals, too. I feel like it might be a lot and that I should take only three classes my first semester, but since I'm interested in double majoring in biological/environmental sciences and a social science, I have to take a lot of the boring, general classes to be able to declare before I get into the fun stuff in upper divisions. Also, I need to take breadths which forces me to take interesting classes (data science is one of those). The great thing is that, if it's too much for me, I have time to drop a class before I'm stuck. I want to get good grades in college, but I'll have to put a lot more work if I want to keep the straight As I earned in high school. My realistic goal is a 3.0, to keep my scholarship, but the dream is over a 3.5 GPA.
Tomorrow, I graduate from the justice academy and have to present a speech that we haven't necessarily practiced that much, but I feel like it'll go fine. My parents won't be able to attend since they'll be on a flight to Minnesota; I think that's good since my group isn't so polished. I'm going to spend the rest of the week relaxing and hanging out with friends, since I have the house until Sunday or Monday. On Saturday, I'll be going to San Francisco to watch the first summer session for next year's We the People teams, so that'll be fun– I'm excited since I'm going with a few friends.
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Review: Wild Sweet Orange - Tazo
Type: Herbal/Tisane
Producer: Tazo
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 100°C, 5 min., 8 fl oz. water (recommended)
Appearance: Paper, trapezoid shaped tea bag with a variety of small, light-green and yellow herbs (orange peel, lemongrass, herbs, and licorice root)
Rating: C | 74/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
As for the story about this tea bag– and a few more Tazo brand teas– I picked it up during the California state mock trial competition. There was a rooming mishap, so we ended up stuck in the lobby for over three hours, during which I raided a few tea displays. It was free, the ones they offer at breakfast, so I grabbed one of each. It was a pretty fun weekend, overall. Not as memorable as competition civics, probably because I didn't have to put too much work in my position, but fun anyway.
One great thing I've found about herbal teas is that they tend to be very aromatic; this tea smells strongly of oranges. The liquid brewed to be a dark orange color, and interestingly, some droplets of oil formed, floating at the top. And man, did this tea catch me off guard. I followed the instructions, and when you first sip this tea, it's very flavorful. Sour, too. The orange and citrus taste is ridiculously strong; if you've ever drank lemon juice and water, that's what it reminds me of. The next strong taste is the rose hips, but most everything else was overpowered by that orange taste. It did get sweeter as I finished more of the cup, and it does leave a sweet aftertaste in the mouth, however. Overall, I think it's a decent herbal tea, but too sour for my tastes
Other Notes
Past few days have been pretty chill. I went to the fair, as I mentioned in my last post, and we hit it off with them. They're nice people, but my unitmate isn't that interested (romantically) in the guy. They're fun to hang out with, though; we got dinner with them afterwards at a Mexican place, and today, we watched Baby Driver with them. The whole situation is kind of funny. My unitmate wanted to bail before the fair because she said she wasn't interested in him anymore; I talked her into giving him a chance; after two dates (technically), she's lost all interest because she thinks he's a boring guy. Hot, but not someone you could date because he doesn't start conversations and can only really talk about TV shows. So it goes.
One thing I've learned: a good way to make friends with people is to act like you've been friends with them for a long time– they tend to say it makes you seem chill.
Producer: Tazo
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 100°C, 5 min., 8 fl oz. water (recommended)
Appearance: Paper, trapezoid shaped tea bag with a variety of small, light-green and yellow herbs (orange peel, lemongrass, herbs, and licorice root)
Rating: C | 74/100
# of Brews: 1
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
As for the story about this tea bag– and a few more Tazo brand teas– I picked it up during the California state mock trial competition. There was a rooming mishap, so we ended up stuck in the lobby for over three hours, during which I raided a few tea displays. It was free, the ones they offer at breakfast, so I grabbed one of each. It was a pretty fun weekend, overall. Not as memorable as competition civics, probably because I didn't have to put too much work in my position, but fun anyway.
One great thing I've found about herbal teas is that they tend to be very aromatic; this tea smells strongly of oranges. The liquid brewed to be a dark orange color, and interestingly, some droplets of oil formed, floating at the top. And man, did this tea catch me off guard. I followed the instructions, and when you first sip this tea, it's very flavorful. Sour, too. The orange and citrus taste is ridiculously strong; if you've ever drank lemon juice and water, that's what it reminds me of. The next strong taste is the rose hips, but most everything else was overpowered by that orange taste. It did get sweeter as I finished more of the cup, and it does leave a sweet aftertaste in the mouth, however. Overall, I think it's a decent herbal tea, but too sour for my tastes
Other Notes
Past few days have been pretty chill. I went to the fair, as I mentioned in my last post, and we hit it off with them. They're nice people, but my unitmate isn't that interested (romantically) in the guy. They're fun to hang out with, though; we got dinner with them afterwards at a Mexican place, and today, we watched Baby Driver with them. The whole situation is kind of funny. My unitmate wanted to bail before the fair because she said she wasn't interested in him anymore; I talked her into giving him a chance; after two dates (technically), she's lost all interest because she thinks he's a boring guy. Hot, but not someone you could date because he doesn't start conversations and can only really talk about TV shows. So it goes.
One thing I've learned: a good way to make friends with people is to act like you've been friends with them for a long time– they tend to say it makes you seem chill.
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