I think I am going to start off and say I was never expecting food or tea when I signed up for all of these sample boxes. But now that I have started trying most of them I think it was about time to write up a little review.
Le Palais des Thés Tea Bags
Thé du Hammam
So I was hoping this brand of tea would be a bit better quality since it is from France but I couldn't really tell the difference between this one and regular green tea but out of the two types I tried I preferred this one. I was able to enjoy it without adding any sugar or other sweeteners to it. It seems to have a good enough tea flavor that I might try it again in the future.
Thé des Alizés
This one compared to the first seemed a lot weaker and I didn't enjoy it as much. The flavor wasn't the same but nothing stood out to me from this on.
Think Thin Crunch
Chocolate Dipped Mixed Nuts
I was pleastenly suprised I actually liked this bar, I always hate how granola/protein bars have a lot of sugar in them. This one wasn't as sweet but it did have a nice amount sweetness to saltiness ratio. I will buy this one again in the future if I find it in a store near me.
Larabar Uber
Apple Turnover
This one wasn't too bad but I did not like how sweet it was. It was really gooey but I did enjoy the combination of nuts and dried fruit. I don't plan on buying any of these in the future.
Bananas Foster
So I am not a fan of bananas at all so I ate this reluctantly for this review. Noting that the last flavor I tied was really gooey, I popped this one in the fridge until I was ready to try it. After opening it and sniffing it (yes I did smell it) to see how much it smelt like bananas ( it didn't really smell like bananas) I took a bite, no banana taste?! After looking at the bar again I couldn't really see any of the dried bananas. I think banana bread would have been a better name for this bar because I'll I could really taste was the walnuts, but the sweetness is a deal breaker for me to buy this.
Madhava Natural Sweeteners
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Image from http://www.madhavasweeteners.com |
Organic Coconut Sugar Blonde
This is very similar to brown sugar and in fact I liked it just as much. For some reason I thought it was going to be more like white cane sugar but when I opened up the packet to put on my cereal I was brown. I do plan on buying this instead of brown sugar considering it is better for you than white sugar or brown sugar. What makes it even better is that it is Organic.
Organic Agave Nectar Light
I really did like this I
think the flavor is along the lines of honey. Now if I needed to make a
recipe that calls for honey more vegan friendly I would find this a
perfect substitution. It also works well in teas to give them a little
sweetness. I would love to buy this and be able to try it out in
different recipes where honey is called for to see if it really would
work as a honey substitute.
Yogi Tea
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| Image from http://www.yogiproducts.com |
Raspberry Passion Perfect Energy Tea
I know I just drank this tea but I honestly cant really remember it all that well. I did remember finishing the entire cup but I did not feel energized like the tea is supposed to. It was better than some of the other tea samples I have tried but it doesn't replace my Wild Raspberry Hibiscus Herbal Tea from Stash.
Soothing Caramel Bedtime Tea by Yogi Teas
I was
really hoping that this one would taste different from the other
camomile teas I have tried in the past. This one fail to wow me and I
did not enjoy it at all. I don't think I awoke refreshed since I was
tossing and turning all night (not from the tea but from the horrible
mattress in my hotel room.) Once again I am finding that this tea is
forgettable and I would rather have a cup of hot chocolate before bed
than this tea.
Tea Forte- Skin Smart Teas
Honey Yuzu
This is not my favorite flavor at all. It doesn't smell good, it doesn't taste good. I even tried sweetening it up and it still just didn't make it taste better. The only redeeming thing about this tea is that it is USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certified. It also doesn't help that I can't really handle green tea as well as some, I prefer black tea or chai teas.
Cherry Marzipan
Before I even seeped the tea bag I smelled it to see what it actually smelled like and I could pick up a hint of almond so that seemed promising. Out of all the different teas I have been trying from my sample boxes I think that this one is the best green tea I have tried. The aroma is actually very pleasant and I found that I could detect a light hint of almond flavor. This tea is definitely on my maybe list for teas that I might buy from birchbox
Cucumber Mint
This one disappointed me a bit more than it should have, I was hoping for a fairly strong mint flavor and smell but it barely had any. It seemed to be a typical green tea with a hint of mint, I usually love mint teas but this one just didn't do it for me at all. I can honestly say that it didn't have a cucumber scent or taste, I won't deny the antioxidant properties of these teas but I would like to find some that actually tasted better.
Tea Forte - Minteas in Reboot
I actually really like these despite the smell. They smell awful but they actually taste quite well. I can't vouch for how well they energize me but I can say that they do give me fresh breath.
Artisana Pecan Butter
I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I at first tried it by itself and I liked that it had a very nutty pecan flavor. I then used it to make a Pecan Butter and Jelly sandwich, not the best use for it but I was living out of a hotel with very limited resources. The nice thing about this particular pecan butter is that it was just pure pecans and cashews, although I did not taste the cashews at all. I would have liked for it to be a bit creamier since it was a bit dry by itself. I highly doubt that I will be able to find this brand in Germany but I will be looking for some other pecan butters or other nut butters.
Well that seems to be all the food and tea that I have received in my Birchboxes and my Eco-Emi boxes.
