Tisano Review

I hope your new year is off to a good start and that you are sticking to any resolutions you made. I've been doing fairly well with my resolution to eat more mindfully, so let's hope I can stick to that! 

I recently received a couple samples (pictured below) from Tisano to review.  Tisano is "a family run chocolate herbal tea company that lives by three simple truths: - integreiTEA - qualiTEA - sustainabiliTEA." I think those three truths are both clever and noble. I can personally attest to the high  quality of their tea.

100% Organic Cacao Tea: 10 of 10. This tea has a rich, smooth flavor and is a delicious calorie-free treat. I was impressed!

Dark Chocolate Cacao Nibs: 9 of 10. These nibs are slightly bitter, which is to be expected I'm sure. There is a soft, smooth chocolate coating concealing a crunchy chocolate inside.

Chocolate is one of my guilty pleasures, so this was definitely a fun review for me. I never thought chocolate tea would be so satisfying, but it was!

~



Tea Tasting!

Mighty Leaf Tea Company sent me two tea flavors to sample and review. You should definitely check out their website here: http://www.mightyleaf.com/. While their prices are a bit higher than store bought tea, they do have a good sale section. They'll also send you 2 free sample tea pouches with every purchase. And their tea is superb, as you'll find out in my reviews.

I first tried Chocolate Mint Truffle. I give it a 9 out of 10. Honestly, this is the best tea (in a bag or pouch) I've ever had! It's is a flavored herbal tea with a blend of chocolate cacao nibs, mint, and rooibos leaves. It was so smooth and rich, and it had a wonderful "chocolaty" aroma when I opened the bag. The tea tasted somewhat complex, and I was pleased to notice the slight hint of mint. I liked the aftertaste too, for it was light and pleasant, unlike previous teas I've had. Granted, the only previous teas I have tried have been pretty cheap like Lipton and Bigelow (not that these teas are bad - they're just not as high of quality I think). Here are my pics:

Is this not the sweetest pouch ever?! I've never seen anything like it before - it's silken!

I next tried Orange Dulce, a flavored black tea with bergamot, orange, vanilla and jasmine blossoms. I give this a 9.5 out of 10! It had a rich aroma, and I picked up on the hints of vanilla and orange - yum! It was sooo smooth too and again it was better than other teas I've tried. Here are the pics for your viewing pleasure:

So, now I know the difference between cheap tea and more expensive tea. Now I really want to go out there and try more brands and flavors, especially Celestial Seasonings since everyone keeps talking it up.

And in other news, there's supposed to be another winter storm here in Iowa :-(. I am REALLY ready for spring now, and I'm guessing everyone out East is too! Ah well, I'll just keep doing my exercises inside, using the elliptical and workout videos. I know I'll relish my first run outside though once the weather improves!

To keep my spirits uplifted for the time being, I've got a beach picture for my computer screen saver. Since it might be subject to copyright though, I'll leave you with this field of flowers I got from Picapp, a place where you can get free, legal pictures for your blog - good to know I think :-).

Red Raspberry Tea on Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!! I thought I'd share one of my favorite tea flavors with everyone since I don't often share food pics since they just aren't that pretty... or they're in a dining hall (and I'd be too embarassed to take pics there!). Anyway, while I do drink green tea occasionally, there's just nothing like flavored fruit teas, at least in my mind. I love this tea, though the flavor is very strong and sweet, so I don't steep it too long, or I use a bigger mug :-). And check out this close-up of the ingredients - they look good to me!


Otherwise, I've been enjoying some down time and am now reading a great fantasy book by Kristin Cashore titled Graceling. I love breaks for the fact that I actually get some time to do some "fun" reading ;-).

a space!