Trader Joe's Earl Grey

If you haven't heard of Trader Joe's, then you live under a rock and I don't understand how you are even reading this blog since the internet must not be something you're familiar with, but I digress. 

Trader Joe's is a store that sells a lot of organic items for a cheaper price. And while they may promote their organicness, it's really their snacks that keep you coming back for more. And in my case - the tea.

They don't have the largest selection of teas, only offering a variety of your very basics, but this has been my go-to every morning for the past two months. It's not only been a repurchase, but my very reason for wanting to go to the store. 

It is loaded with bergamot, which is something hard to find among off-brand teas. It reminds me of the Bigelow earl grey, but nearly half the price. If you have a Trader Joe's near you and you love tea, it's worth it just to get a few boxes of the good/cheap stuff.

The box is one of those handy ones very similar to Choice teas, where you remove a bottom part on the front of the box and have them readily available. This could be another reason why I have it for breakfast every morning, when whatever is easiest wins.

So get your cheap on as well as your organic, and check this out. 

And as always, enjoy a nice cuppa. Cheers!

Traditional Medicinals organic Chamomile with Lavender

Let me start off by saying this:

     I did it for the blog.

This is yet another tea that my husband traded for at work with the poor chap that raids his mothers teas and brings them to work.  My husband has been working on introducing this poor sap to teas that leave your taste buds with some dignity to them.  I feel as though his complete lack of knowledge on teas may be affecting his work since I would not recommend a relaxing herbal tea such as this as a replacement to the caffeinated glory of more respectable teas such as the blacks and greens.

Herbal teas.  My relationship with them is weaker than any other relationship I have with other teas but probably on par with my feelings towards white tea.  I usually take my chamomile mixed with spearmint or some other variant of mint to help add a little something to the taste - like Sleepy Time tea.  Some puritans don't even include herbal teas among the teas at all.  Especially those from countries that have been doing tea longer than us Americans.

But, for the sake of my blog.  I sadly put aside my delectable black teas in order to do a proper review of this one.

You can see the chamomile with bits of lavender flowers in the bag, and as you pour the hot water over the bag, you can smell a mixture of the both.  It smells almost like an aromatherapy candle.  And it tastes pretty much like it smells.  I would liken the smell to a Yardley soap I used recently.

When you first sip it, you taste the blandness of the chamomile flowers.  After that washes from your palette, you get a flowery aftertaste of lavender.  It doesn't smell or taste like something you should be ingesting.  It brings to mind lavender butter which I remember a friend telling me about.  I couldn't really fathom how that would taste but now I think I would have a better clue.  It probably tastes like you shouldn't be ingesting it.  (I think that will be my new slogan.)

I'm really regretting not having an earl grey right now.

I'm also noticing that my tongue feels cool even though I'm drinking something hot.  What sort of poison is this?

I would not recommend this to anyone unless you're one of those people that end your night with plain chamomile tea and want to spruce it up.  Of course, then I would just recommend Sleepy Time tea by Celestial Seasonings.


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