Product Review: IZZE, Sparkling Peach

♥a.k.a my favorite IZZE drink!♥

Love this one, I'd like to drink it every day! :) Nice and tangy! Very natural peach flavor, almost wild tasting.

And it reminds me of something from my childhood. Can't quite put my finger on what it is though.

Product Review: steaz iced teaz, peach

Steaz Iced Peach Tea is made with green tea which I usually don't like, but this drink wasn't bad at all. According to Rebecca it did not beat "Tazo" Peach tea or "Sweet Leaf" Peach tea, but those are both black, so if you like green tea I bet this would be right up there. Me and Jubi (age 2) did guzzle it down pretty quickly... hehe, so that probably speaks volumes. I want to try out some of the Steaz other drinks, Rebecca was saying they sold sparkling teas. Yummy!

Product Review: New Leaf, Raspberry Blue Tea

Mild raspberry and blue tea (Oolong), with a hint of bitterness. I'd really like it ice cold on a hot, hot summer day. And no high fructose corn syrup.

And I like the glass bottle, my choice iced tea vessel.
Over at NewLeafBrands.com they have a bunch of other flavors, plum is one I wanna try! :)

Product Review: Sweet Leaf, Organic Peach Iced Tea

Yeah, check that out! Only $0.75! :D Picked this up at Big Lots, actually went in to pick up some popping corn, and only had like 3 bucks and some cents in my pocket. ;P
     The only problem with getting drinks from Big Lots is that it comes off a shelf, it's not chilled. So, I took it to my Gram's and popped it in the fridge for awhile.

Me like! It had a very juicy peach flavor, one of the best I've tasted. Perfect sweetness. Wanna go back and get several more!

Check out their site, it's rather cute: http://sweetleaftea.com/

Okay, so I've noticed.......we're kinda crazy about tea.

Product Review: Peace Tea, Sweet Lemon Tea

Lemon, lemon, lemon! Nothing seem so satisfying nor refreshing on a hot spring or summer day. I loved this one, nice and sweet, with plenty of sour lemon. Cool can too. :)

P.S. We were at the laundromat.

http://www.peaceicedtea.com/

Product Review: Arizona, Southern Style Sweet Tea

Not this Thursday, but the last, actually... it was Friday, Rebecca and I were washing the laundry and after we got everything going we headed next door to the gas station for something to drink. Most of the time we get coffee, but with our new self inflicted ban on buying coffee drinks, we were looking for something different. My first reaction to this was "ooooooh!" then "oh" then "ooooooooh!" (hehe!), after realizing there were steamboats on the label. I was sold.

Well truthfully I wasn't as thrilled with the flavor as I was with the lovely label... but I think I would buy it again. I like iced tea and that's what it tasted like :D. It wasn't too sweet for me. I only wish the tea was a little stronger.

Rebi... said I was holding the can like a bottle of beer!! And me a teetotaler! I don't know where she gets ideas like that! hehe. (you should see how I react to the glare of a camera lens! :P )

And the best part of all! It was only 99 cents!

Product Review: Izze Soda Pop!

Love Izze!

It's basically sparkling juice, no sweeteners added! I think that's Mom and Dad's favorite part :P The girls just love the taste. (that sounded like a commercial LOL!). Very simple and natural ingredients, and it comes in glass bottles, neato! You can check out the flavors that are available and see all the nutritional facts on their website, izze.com.

Sparking Peach is my favorite flavor (or course!). In the photos Vi and Lib are enjoying Izze Esque Black Raspberry (esque is the lower calorie version), which they both said tasted yummy!

It's available all over the place, but I would say that the best deal I've seen is the bulk size box at Costco.

Product Review: XingTea - w/ Peach & Honey

Peach, peach, peach.

Naturally I have to compare this to my favorite peach beverage, Tazo Giant Peach, and it rates pretty good. And since I haven't found a place that I can get Tazo at in Pitt, this is a good option while I'm there.

No bitter aftertaste that so many of these kind of teas have, and it was pleasantly sweet. My Grandma Jenny, said that Tazo was too sweet for her, so if you feel the same, this might be more to your liking.

Came across this drink at Ron's in Pitt. I've never seen it any other place. They do have a website, but it appears to be under construction.

Product Review: The Republic of Tea, Ginger Peach

As I have mentioned before, I'm not fond of ginger. Why did I get some ginger peach tea then?

Well, I had a faint memory of liking this one, and it's not that bad.

The ginger is very mild, non of that bite that I dislike so much. Of course it doesn't live up to my favorite peach tea (tazo's Giant Peach), but it was nice. Chilled is best, in my opinion, and there was pretty much no bitterness.


I got this tea at the Whole Foods in KC, but it can also be purchased at
The Republic of Tea.com

Allegro, Kenya Grand Cru

I'd say 4 out of 5. (I'm saving 5 for the ultimate coffee, I expect I'll know it when I sip it)

My sister, Abi, picked this one up last time she was at Whole Foods in KC.
     Sometime or another, I must have gotten a cup of this particular kind to sip while I strolled around the store, because the aroma immediately reminded me of being at Whole Foods.

It said on the package 'light roast', I usually don't like light, but this was quite nice. I'm not fond of anything too bold, but also not too mild either. Happy medium.



I prefer to have plenty of cream and a little bit of stevia with my coffee. I told Susi one time that if someone is drinking their coffee black than they are only drinking it for the caffeine. Okay, I know it's a bad idea to make sweeping generalizations like that. So I take it back.
     But are their people out there who actually like the taste of black coffee? Tolerable, maybe, but not exactly enjoyable. Okay, I know there is some who say they do. But did they start out liking it that way? Acquired taste? :P :D

St. Dalfour, Organic Golden Peach Tea

Peach. I love the smell, the taste, everything! Pie, yogurt, the fresh fruit. I love peach.

But I don't like ginger, why it's so often in peach teas, I don't know. I find that it completely over powers the peach flavor.
     I'm always on the look out for a peach tea without any ginger in it. I picked this one up at a local grocery store in the international foods section, but you can also find it various places online.

I liked this tea cold better than hot, with plenty of sweetener (sugar was preferred) and maybe a little bit of milk.
     On the box it said that if steeped too long it can get rather bitter, which I found to be true. Just a couple minute max.
     I thought the best way to enjoy this drink would be to make a larger batch and then store it in the fridge, let it get plenty cold, could be sweetened before or each glass individually. I usually don't like using ice to chill a drink, especially with the peach teas, because the flavor is rather mild, and any dilution can ruin it.

Penzeys Spices: Hot Chocolate Mix, with a hint of mint.

I just love chocolate and mint. I'd be happy to replace a regular cup of hot cocoa with this any time. And it has very simple ingredients, which I appreciate.

Their website is not the easiest to navigate, I think might be geared more towards the retailers. http://www.penzeys.com

On the side of the jar, they recommended adding a spoon full of this mix to your morning coffee, which I did try, very yummy.

And you can actually see the sugar granuals in this.

Special Teas; Cocoa Cardamon Tango

In my Grandm's kitchen there is a basket full of small packages of teas from this Special Teas company, I'd never heard of them before, so I checked out their website and found they sell all kinds of different loose-leaf teas, among other tea related things.
Grandma had some larger packages and some of the smaller ones, which I really liked. Just the right size to try a blend out, without committing to a bunch of it.

Cocoa Cardamon Tango is the one I decided to try first. I would say that it was more on the cocoa side, then the cardamon, and I liked it that way. When sipped plain it's kinda bitter, I liked it best with plenty of cream and sweetener.

The Republic of Tea, Earl Greyer Black Tea

Rebecca (who's visiting Grandma and Grandpa) sent Abi and I some tea to review on Sippen.

She bought it from a little store called "Bread and Honey" (bakery and health food store) in Mora Minnesota, if you happen to be near, I highly suggest stopping there, it's such a neat store.

Earl Grey is my favorite black tea, I love the citrusy smell of bergamot! This Earl Grey was delicious, I especially liked it brewed very strong :P Being out of stevia :( I used honey and added milk too :D

Here's The Republic of Tea's website www.republicoftea.com

Teeccino, Mocha, Herbal Coffee

Teeccino is a caffeine free blend of roasted herbs, grains, fruits and nuts. They say on the can that it is high in potassium, and inulin.
It can be enjoyed on its own, or mixed with your regular coffee to reduce caffeine and acidity.
It's brewed just like coffee.

And can be served hot...

...or cold.
I can't say I loved it; you just can't beat good old coffee!! :P But as an alternative, it's pretty good. It looks like coffee, brews like coffee; really the only thing missing is the "caffeine".

I've also tried these coffee substitutes: Postum and Celestial Seasonings "Roastaroma" Of the three I think Roastaroma tastes the best and Teeccino is most like coffee. I just read that Postum has been discontinued! That's too bad!

I think it would be fun to compare all the substitute coffees and see which one is best.

Bigelow's Darjeeling

The main reason I picked out this tea was because of its pretty purple box. But now, having tried a cup, I'd be happy to get it again. I couldn't call myself a tea expert, but I thought it was pretty good. It's stronger tasting than other black teas, and I liked it iced best. Darjeeling tea comes from the Darjeeling region in India. On the Bigelow tea box it said that Darjeeling is the "champagne of black teas". Makes me want to try some brands to compare.