Hello Friends! Finals are over, and I am way less stressed. Therefore, here is a tea review. And yes, I did take all new pictures because I wanted to make my blog a little bit more festive! Stacey’s Tea Company is a Canadian tea company that wants the consumer to experience an “adventure of flavors” while using high-quality ingredients. They sent me four of their teas to review: Organic Berry Berry, Mind & Memory, Beauty & Skin, and Versailles Lavender Eary Grey. Here are my thoughts:
Organic Berry Berry: I really enjoyed this tea. When opening the tin of tea, I smelled hints of chocolate aroma. I do not know where it came from, but I really, really appreciated it. The Taste of the tea was nicely balanced with a berry taste but with that little chocolate hints as well. I could also taste the sharpness of hibiscus petals. It was fabulous. Like berry flavored chocolate. The tea brewed a wonderful dark reddish color, and it colored very quickly. My mom took my second steeping (how rude! I was going to drink that!) and she said it was quite good and very similar to the first steeping. I ended up drinking this tea quite a few times in between receiving it and posting this review! This one was probably my personal favorite of the bunch.
Ingredients: Elderberry + Currant (aka Corinthian raisins), Hibiscus petals, natural flavors
Mind & Memory: If this helps my memory, I will happily chug a gallon of this a day. After being diagnosed with 2 autoimmune diseases, my memory and short-term memory is not what it used to be. The aroma is quite pleasant, with a fruity and sweet aroma. The initial taste is very mild and slightly fruity, with a nice sweetness that appears somewhere when swallowing. I could even taste a few notes of rosemary through my nose when drinking (that is definitely a hard this to do). We will see if it helps my mind, as I am drinking this before a long boring night class that is heavy in lectures. I have only been recently introduced to the ingredient tulsi but I am quickly associating a certain taste to tulsi which is so difficult to explain. But all teas with tulsi in them, I have found that I really enjoy their unique aroma and taste. The color of this tea was also a nice golden color, which was really different from the colors of the other teas that I was given.
Ingredients: Rosehip, bilberry leaves, rosemary, green mate, tulsi leaves, orange peel, natural flavors.
Beauty & Skin: This tea is not noticeably sweet upon first taste and the taste of turmeric is quite evident in the tea. There is also a certain spice when going down the throat. I could also slightly taste the carrot and beet pieces, which added an interesting depth to the tea. As I go further into the cup, I am noticing more and more sweetness that embraces my tongue. It definitely seems like an acquired taste is needed, but it also seems super complex and the more I am drinking, the more I am liking the tea. I especially love the beautiful bright red/pink color of this tea, though it did remind me off a sweet watermelon juice (but did not taste like it).
Ingredients: Ginger, turmeric root, carrot + beet + pineapple pieces, calendula petals, natural flavors.
Versailles Lavender Earl Grey: This tea was not like a traditional earl grey (it obviously was an earl grey, but had different characteristics than the normal cup). A mouthful brought a nice sharp taste of Bergamot and citrus, but there was also the addition of the floral lavender notes. It really came together in a nice unexpected way. While this tea lacked the normal creaminess that I love in earl grey (which I realize I could totally add with some cream but it’s just not the same), it really packed in flavor and was steps above a normal earl grey. The additional lavender tastes really elevated this tea, and you can tell that it is adding that flavor naturally and synergistically. I am being slightly harsher on this tea since my family and I are so picky about our real grey teas, especially my brother lately. I also gave him some of this tea to bring with him to work, so we shall see what he says (he liked it).
Ingredients: Black tea, Lavender, Cornflower petals, Natural flavors.
Analyzation of the Pricing:
Each of the teas are differently priced. Organic Berry Berry is 50g for $14.97 (on sale for $9.98), Versailles Lavender Eary Grey is 50g for $16.49 (on sale for $10.99), Beauty & Skin is 50g for $23.99 (on sale for $15.99), and Mind & Memory is 50g for $20.99 (on sale for $13.99). I think the prices are quite fair (especially if the sales are still going on when you are reading this). There are also additions that can be added to the teas like gold flakes, French Lavender, and different tin varieties. I really appreciate that you can get quality tea for a nice price, and add customized features (and that both options are available, not one or the other).
Analyzation of the Packaging:
I thought these tins were so adorable! And airtight! I was so excited when I first opened up their package (beautiful branding btw) and saw the two tins. I think tins are just one of the best ways to store tea as they do a great job of keeping the tea fresh and look aesthetically pleasing. The tea pouches were good quality as well, I do wish they would be in tins but since they are almost a medicinal type tea, I think the packaging was fine.
Well, I hope you guys are ready for the incoming holidays. Let me know in the comments if you have bought any tea for any family members (I promise I won’t tell them) and what it was! I really enjoyed writing (and tasting) this review and cannot wait for the next one! Happy Brewing!
-Danielle
