This shit is really fucking good oh my god, I’ll write more about it when I wake up, I just had to mention that it was delicious.

this ain’t mr. rogers neighborhood nigga

I’m not too familiar with Mates and I’ve only had this one about 3 times. The blend seems similar to a rooibos chai but favors sweetness over spice, instead of using things like cinnamon and ginger, this blend uses various bits of cocoa and chocolate chips as well as rooibos. The flavor is semi-sweet and a tad earthy, the chocolate and cocoa flavors are the most noticeable though. I suggest mixing with milk, the Mate alone is a bit bitter.

edit: FUCK THIS SHIT IS COTTON MOUTHY AS FUCK WITHOUT MILK

It’s pretty much Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea, I can’t really taste much of a difference between the two, maybe Thrive has a bit more of a green taste to it and is a bit less minty but they are almost identical

If you are on a budget and are a fan of fruity teas, lipton pyramid tea is great. You can get 30 bags or so for under 2 bucks at walmart and it’s pretty damn delicious and smells great for what it is, I usually opt for this over Bigelow or cheap teas like that just because the quality is rad for the price.

If you are a fan of some more traditional black teas check out Twinings Earl Grey and Lady Grey. They seem to be the bread and butter of black teas, priced very reasonably at $3.99 most places, cheaper at other random spots. I tend to favor the Lady Grey over the Earl Grey because it has a light citrus flavor but still has that kick that the Earl Grey has, but if you wanna stay traditional or some bullshit grab some Earl Grey.

For green teas and other stuff, the best cheap green tea I’ve had is Tazo Thrive, it’s basically green tea with a slight hint of mint, not bad for just a bit under the price of the Twinings teas.

When I just want tea because I have nothing else, I don’t think you can go wrong with Celestial Seasonings’ Sleepytime, no frills minty goodness

The best way to find what you like is to do what I do and just grab whatever whenever you are at the store.

Gave this a shot today like I said I would, I have to say I’m very pleased with it. First things first, check out that goddamn color, that shit looks so good.

I tried this tea three different ways today, with milk, milk and sugar, and black.

Black: Superior to the Napa Valley Aromatherapy Rooibos chai I had before, lacks the after taste completely and has a stronger cinnamon flavor. It’s very spicy and bold tasting, fans of Earl Grey might enjoy this if they are a fan of cinnamon. My problem with this tea served black is that it dries your mouth out really quickly, which may have something to do with the ginger.

Milk and Sugar: Bold and lightly sweet tasting, I’m not a big fan of sweetness so this wasn’t really for me, but definitely wasn’t bad. Tasted very similar to chai you’d get in a carton but a lot more bold and less sweet.

Milk: My favorite way to prepare this tea, goes down really smooth with no cotton mouth or after taste. Once again, similar to that of a cartoned chai but bold and without and sweetness. Probably one of my favorite teas. And just look at that color

 I’ve never tried it but maybe I’ll check it out if I get the chance

Recently got a hold of some Teavana Rooibos Chai but haven’t had it in me to try it. The last one I tried was Rooibos Chai from Napa Valley Aromatherapy and it didn’t sit too well with me. I loved the cinnamon taste but I can’t figure out if it were the rooibos or the ginger that left a weird after taste, the initial flavor is really bold and has a good spicy feel to it, but leaves a very subtle and annoying lightly sweet after taste that reminded me of a sugar substitute. I didn’t finish the pot I made, let alone the first cup. 

From what I’ve read, Rooibos Chai is much more enjoyable with sugar and/or milk so when I give the Teavana a try I’ll be sure to try it a few different ways when I get the chance, I just don’t want to waste that shit. I’ll post more after I’ve given it a try, hopefully with a changed mind.