Thursday Tea Time - Trader Joe's Peppermint Tea

This week - Trader Joe's Peppermint Tea

Price:  Around $2
Size:  20 individually-wrapped tea bags
Caffeine:   No
Type of tea:   Herbal
Steeping time:  3 minutes
Mix ins:   A little bit of Pure Beeing honey
Fragrance:  Peppermint
Ingredients:  Peppermint leaves
Opinion:   This isn't like a candy cane peppermint.  It has a mint kick, with a nice warming aftertaste.  Not very strong, you may want to double up or brew a few extra minutes/leave the teabag in the mug like all the cool tea drinkers do.  ; )  Nice to soothe the tummy and your sinuses if you are feeling a bit congested from allergies or the remnants of a cold.
Rating: 3.5 only because of the delayed reaction mint flavor

Nice color for an herbal peppermint tea!

Thursday Tea Time - Tea for Two

This week - Trader Joe's Jasmine Green Tea (revisit)

Cost: $1.99 at Trader Joe's
Size:  20 tea bags, individually wrapped
Caffeine:   Yes
Type of tea:   Green
Steeping time:  7 minutes.  Whoops!  It is supposed to be 1-2 minutes.  But it didn't become bitter.
Mix ins:   A little bit of Pure Beeing honey
Fragrance:  Jasmine
Ingredients:  Green tea, jasmine blossoms (?)
Opinion:   Not as good as my standard bearer for jasmine tea - World Market's jasmine tea with the  jasmine "pearls" - but more like broken up bits and pieces.  However,  it gets points for convenience and price when you can't find or stop by a World Market and I was in the mood for jasmine tea.   Trader Joe's version is more like a floral tea with a green tea finish, and a nice light tea for a little pick-me-up in the afternoon and evening.  Oddly it tastes better warm than iced.  I reviewed this almost two years ago, and I think they did improve it.
Rating: 2.5

Every Day In May - May 13 - The Last Thing You Bought

Birthday flowers for my sweet friend, Regina -- Pink kalanchoe.

Palm Beach State of Crazy Mind

I'm surprised they didn't grab this!
Probably because it looked more like a garden hedge instead of palm tree!
Seriously Target? You had 15 exclusive print designs...

Monday morning, this was all that was left of the heralded Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection.  Excuse me, #LillyForTarget
By Tuesday, the sign was taken down.
The hashtag still lives on to taunt.

The mug set caught my eye, albeit a bit pricey at $30, still could have been cool.  And being able to display on the counter next to the Keurig?  Bonus!  Move over bag of Trader Joe's Classic Potato Chips (*which might I add are the yummiest chips ever?!)

*If I had the Nosie Posey scarf
I could have
sang its praises better

Early imprinting

Or the head/hat/purse/totebag/hand-holding-singing scarf.  I do so love my scarves.

The $35 set of four plates?  Honestly, I have enough mismatched plates as it is.  Lilly and I are very on-trend!  On second thought, $35 spent at Costco for yet another dinnerware box of 4 place settings of two sizes of dishes, bowls and 4 not-quite-as-Lilly-colorful mugs included would probably be a fiscally sounder purchase.  Runners-up for consideration might be a lipstick or a nail polish for the "Funsies Under $10 category, Alex."

The print designs are pretty and colorful, but not all dead-giveaway Lilly-ish.   So I'm not crying myself to sleep over the missed spending opportunity.

I certainly would not have been dragging the hammock set through the parking lot!  But obviously,  people did.  (Thank you to those thinking they would not have put that past me)

Target should know by now their special designer collections will be popular and in high demand, and should plan ahead to have enough merchandise stocked and available, instead of fueling the frenzy of crazy.

Sigh.  Was it silky, too?  Please don't tell me.

What could taste better on these plates?!

Nice design kudos!

Pulitzer Prized Pink?

Thursday Tea Time - Trader Joe's Combo!

This week - Trader Joe's Rooibos & Honeybush Tea

Cost:  $2.49
Number of tea bags: 20
Caffeine:  No
Type of tea:   Herbal - Rooibos
Steeping time:  6 minutes
Mix ins:  Nothing needed.  Perhaps ice if you want to make a terrific iced tea with this.
Ingredients:  Organic Fair-trade Rooibos tea (Aspalathus Linearis), Organic Honeybush tea.
Fragrance:   Sweet
Opinion:   I like it, a lot.  And the health benefits of both teas are bonus.  Kudos to Trader Joe's for combining them and at a great price.  Nice and pretty box, too.
Rating:  4

Gingerly...

Ginger is listed first in the name for a reason!

Over the weekend, I picked up a box of Trader Joe's Just the Clusters Ginger Almond & Cashew granola cereal.  It sounded good.  Even the idea of cashews in cereal.

A serving is 2/3 cup, which when put in a smaller bowl seems more than generous and surprisingly filling.  Calories - 210, total fat 7g (0.5g saturated), sodium 60mg, fiber 2g, sugar 15, protein 4g, total carbohydrate 36g (yeah...)

It is very gingery!  And sweet-hot.  If you like ginger, you would love this.  (The ingredients have two forms of ginger, the crystallized ginger and ginger root)  However, it is almost too-too for eating by itself.  Next time I will add maybe a quarter cup to top my oatmeal.  Or as a topping if baking sweet quick bread or muffins.  I think it is more of a "decoration" cereal instead of a cereal-cereal.

This week - Trader Joe's Original Irish Breakfast Black Tea 

Cost:   $2.99
Number of teabags:  80 (!) tea rounds, vacuum-packed in two "gold" metallic wrappers

Teabag "coin" from the gold wrapper.
I was trying to figure out something witty to say about a tea-
pot and gold and coin…
Perhaps I need to drink another mug of this stuff
and wait for a leprechaun to appear.

Caffeine:   Yes
Type of tea:    Black
Ingredients:   Black tea
Steeping time:   3 minutes
Add ins:   Glug of Natural Bliss cream
Fragrance:  Earthy
Opinion:   The more I drank it, the more I liked it. Plain and black-no way.  You really need milk and sugar, or that Natural Bliss.  And make it light, almost matching the tan box color.  It is very strong. Use two teabags for emergency caffeination only.   I've even dialed down the steeping time, setting the timer for 3 minutes as soon as the Keurig starts.  There is an almost astringent aftertaste if you brew it stronger or try it plain.  I still prefer English Breakfast teas, but this isn't bad as soon as you figure out how to play with it.

Whoa!  Stand back!
It's a beautiful reddish color, though!

Rating:  3 - Would I buy it again? With 80 teabags?!  This is probably a year-long supply for me, even giving splitting the box to my daughter.  Though I do think this would be a fun St. Patrick's Day gift.  As usual, the Trader Joe's box designs are fun, there is even a four-leaf clover on the side!

Thursday Tea Time - Trader Joe's Coconut Green Tea

This week - Trader Joe's Coconut Green Tea  

Cost:   $5.99
Number of teabags:  N/A, it's loose-leaf tea - 5 ounces.  Using one teaspoonful per mug, this is a serious stash of tea.
Caffeine:   Yes
Type of tea:    Green
Ingredients:   Green tea, lemongrass, coconut pieces, natural ginger flavor, natural coconut flavor, organic vanilla flavor

Steeping time:   5 minutes
Add ins:   Splash of Natural Bliss cream
Fragrance:  Coconut and lemon
Opinion:  At first I was thinking this was going to be just another coconut tea.  But the combination Trader Joe's created took it to another level.  I think it was the addition of vanilla and ginger.  Plain, it was OK, but when you added Natural Bliss cream - wow!  Just like the coconut cream tea you would get at a tapioca boba teahouse.  It was light, it was creamy, it was delicious.  I'm grabbing another canister next time I'm at Trader Joe's.
Rating:  5+

Love the artwork!

Yup, it's green!

Thursday Tea Time - Breakfast Served All Day - Part 2

After last week's posting about Harney's English Breakfast tea, I went back to a couple of Targets to see if any were

left on the Clearance shelves.  Nope!  But while shopping at Trader Joe's last weekend, I found their brand - 48 teabags for $1.99.  Worth a try!

This week - Trader Joe's English Breakfast Specialty Tea

Cost:   $1.99
Number of teabags:  48, in individually-wrapped paper envelopes
Caffeine:   Yes
Type of tea:    Black
Ingredients:   Black tea
Steeping time:   5 minutes
Add ins:   Splash of Natural Bliss cream
Fragrance:  Tea-y/Fruit-y
Opinion:   While not as strong as the Harney's, this is pretty good. It's not bitter.  I tried using two teabags and running it through the Keurig twice using the smaller cup setting in a larger mug and it was a bit stronger and still good.  However, I think the Community Tea compared to this is better for a basic black tea.
Rating:  3 - Not bad for the price, and with 45 teabags left, I probably won't be buying any more for awhile.

Lavender Blue

Fragrant fresh-cut Lavender from Trader Joe's 

- $3.49 for this huge bunch!

Trader Joe's Five Seed Almond Bars

Yum!  I like to crumble one of these into a cup of yogurt for breakfast, or by itself as a snack.  They are very filing, you couldn't possibly eat more than one at a time.  I thought they tasted like gingerbread!

$3.99 for 8 bars

Calories 110
Calories from Fat 40
Total Fat 4.5 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 15 mg
Sodium 105 mg
Total Carbohydrate 16 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 2 g
Calcium 20 mg
Iron 0.36 mg

Ingredients:
Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Riboflavin, reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, , Folic Acid), raisin paste, seed mix (flax, sesame, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin), butter (cream [milk], salt), brown sugar, sugar, eggs, oats, honey, almonds, omega 3 refined menhaden fish oil (with tocopherols), baking soda (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), cinnamon, vanilla extract, cloves.

Cream & Cream

New addiction - Trader Joe's Blueberries & Cream and Vanilla & Cream yogurts.
Good thing they are packaged together (I can't decide which I like more!), good thing they are small and filling.
Sometimes when you are just too tired of the gelatinous goo of non-fat yogurts and want something a little more satisfying - this is a tasty dietary diversion.  While I'm not too wild about the saturated fat (3.5g)  It makes a perfect dessert or afternoon snack - filling enough to keep you away from other tempting treats weighing in and weighing you in even higher.  And the price?  6 for $2.99!
140 calories, 19g carb, 4g protein, 17g sugar.

A to Z Blogging Challenge - C is for Chamomile

C is for Chamomile, Anthemis nobilis
I bought a bouquet of chamomile at Trader Joe's - it looked pretty in the vase and imparted a pleasant fruity (apple-ish) fragrance.
Chamomile is gently astringent and healing.  You'll find it in face creams/cleansers and shampoos/conditioners, and of course, tea!  Drinking the tea helps with tummy troubles.

Chamomile

Thursday Tea Time - Trader Joe's Spiced Chai

This week - Trader Joe's Spiced Chai

Cost:   $1.99 at Trader Joe's
Number of teabags:   20
Caffeine:   Yes
Type of tea:   Black Assam
Steeping time:  6 minutes
Add ins:  Natural Bliss Sweet Cream or Vanilla Almond milk
Ingredients:  Black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, Chinese Star anise, black pepper, nutmeg, roasted chicory, natural flavor and vanilla bean
Fragrance:   Nutmeg, cloves, cardamom
Opinion:   Points for additional flavors to traditional chai.  I like the anise and vanilla bean and chicory. Great combination!  This tea is a bargain at only $1.99!  And even had the more upscale tea squared pouches versus a bag with a string.  It's definitely a contender and able to stand up to the more expensive chai teas.    I've happily doubled the tea bags and made (and drank) a huge mug of this when I've wanted a caffeinated chai kick.   I'm running back to Trader Joe's to get more (…and maybe more of those dark chocolate covered almonds, too?)
Rating:  4

Poinsettia Update - January 2014

I love how the stems turn bright red, too.

Here is this year's edition, I found it at Trader Joe's for $5.99.  .  .

Love is all around us

...even as a mystery flower in a bouquet from Trader Joe's.  (I think it may be an amaryllis?)

Thursday Tea Time

This week - Trader Joe's Organic Yerba Mate

Cost:   $3.99 at Trader Joe's
Number of teabags:   25
Caffeine:   Yes
Type of tea:   Herbal?
Steeping time:  Five minutes
Add ins:  Plays well with just sugar or sugar and organic half&half, or honey.
Ingredients:   Yerba mate
Fragrance:  Sweet tobacco-y
Opinion:   Evidently there are many health benefits to drinking yerba mate tea.  Here's a link to a good list.  This has a bit of a kick, but it doesn't hit until about 6 hours later, as attested by waking up at 2 AM.  So not a good candidate for after dinner tea.  It wasn't bitter at all and in fact, had a quite pleasant mellow flavor.  Pretty packaging, too.  I'll be grabbing another bag next time I'm at Trader Joe's.  (Along with another container or two of their dark chocolate almond bark!)
Rating:  4

Fall Friday Flowers

Fall Flowers from Trader Joe's

Their flowers last a long time.  This had a nice assortment of two roses, two Gerbera daisies, pom-pom daisies, celosia and a sprig of eucalyptus and greenery all for $5.99.

Thursday Tea Time - Kermit in a Kup

This week, Trader Joe's Tropical Sweetened Match Green Tea Mix


Cost:  $3.49
Number of teabags:  N/A, powder form - 10 ounces
Caffeine:   A little
Type of tea:   Green
Steeping time:  Mixing time, less than one minute
Add ins:  Ice
Fragrance:   Oddly questioning, "What is that fruity scent?"  (My query, this tea does not talk.   For if it did, it would say, "Haha! You fell for this!")
Ingredients:   Green tea, matcha, sugar and maple (!) sugar, "natural flavors" - aka assorted chemicals.
Opinion:   Aha!  You don't discover it's the added flavors of mango and passionfruit until you rotate the container.  This is one sneaky (and snarky) tea.  Hence the "tropical" orange and purple fruits on the front label.  Instead I got all excited when I saw Matcha in big letters.  Matcha powder can be a little pricey, so when I saw this and the price, I thought I would give it a chance and got it.  It was way too sweet and chemical-y and just odd.  Who thought this would be a good combination and a good result?  My apologies in advance to my husband's workplace.  Actually though not, I decided to return it for a refund.  Yeah, that bad.

Rating:  0  When will I learn to stop buying Trader Joe's tea mixes?

This week - Trader Joe's Specialty Teas - Jasmine Green Tea

Cost:  $1.99
Number of teabags:  20
Caffeine:   A little
Type of tea:   Green
Steeping time:  1-2 minutes
Add ins:  Honey
Fragrance:   Grassy, faintly flowery
Ingredients:   Green tea, jasmine flowers
Opinion:   Cost Plus/World Market's Jasmine Pearls Green Tea is cups down way better.  This had a grassy, funky aftertaste.  Very, very faint jasmine flavor.  
Rating:  1, only if you've never had World Market's version, then you wouldn't know what you are missing.  I'm stopping back by World Market as soon as I can. . .