Tazo Joy

Country of Origin: not listed
Leaf Appearance: dark and twisted, fairly large in size
Ingredients: black tea, green tea, oolong tea, natural flavors
Steep time: 5 minutes
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: ceramic teacup
Liquor: reddish brown

This particular blend is a seasonal Christmas offering at Starbucks and a recent favorite of mine. Here is what Tazo has to say about it:

Tazo® Joy™ is a festive, full-leaf tea blending rare Darjeelings and Oolongs with fragrant Nuwara Eliya teas from Ceylon. Green teas from China and Assam black teas from India add further texture and complexity to a fine tea that’s a joy to share with friends – or to enjoy yourself.

The first thing that impressed me that this was truly a full leaf tea bag. The leaves were fairly large in size and they had plenty of room to expand in the sachet. Darjeeling was definitely the dominant flavor. A peachy undertone lent an interesting fruity softness. Although Tazo doesn’t hint at what the natural flavoring might be, there is just a bit of cinnamon spice in the finish. The flavoring really was very faint and I thought it was well done. There was some astringency but it wasn’t bitter at all. It’s not available all year but I definitely see myself grabbing another tin before the holidays are over. My one qualm is that they are packaged in a bulky metal tin. It’s fine for gifting but for personal use, I’d much rather have a large package that is more eco-friendly.

I don’t normally mix tea blogging and my personal life but in a way, picking up this tea was a tribute to a dear friend. Niramon was one of the most amazing people that I’ve ever know and she left this world too soon. This was her favorite tea and I think of her every time I drink it.

You can find out more about this tea here.