18 Tazo Tea Flavors, Ranked
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Tea has long been celebrated in cultures around the world for its flavor, aroma, and health-promoting properties. There are folks who drink it for the flavor, people who are after its antioxidants, and others who cannot imagine their morning routine without a freshly brewed cup. Sometimes tea needs a little doctoring up, and blends can even be designed with other ingredients in mind. For example, black tea with milk and sugar, green tea with a spoonful of honey, and herbal tea served over ice are all popular preparations. I love that Tazo provides so many different types of tea and that the brand keeps one eye on sustainability.
Living in India for the majority of each year, I have tasted many, many different blends of spices and tea leaves. In my experience, loose-leaf tea is usually superior to tea bags and temples, but the latter certainly have their time and place. Whether you need to get out the door in a hurry or want a more reliable brew, tea bags can be a great staple to keep in your cupboard. To that end, here are 18 different types of Tazo tea, ranked according to flavor and aroma. More information on methodology can be found at the end of this article.
18. Vanilla Caramel Chai
Tazo's Vanilla Caramel Chai features a blend of black teas, cinnamon, licorice root, cloves, black pepper, ginger, and natural flavor. It has a medium caffeine content, making it a product you might reach for in the first half of the day. Adding vanilla and caramel to chai is not a new concept, but each brand does it differently, so I was excited to try this product.
As a fan of caramel and an even bigger fan of chai, I wanted to like this tea. Its sweet aroma was enticing, reminding me of a gorgeous autumn day. Sadly, I was disappointed by the tea's weak flavors. The caramel and vanilla flavors, presumably hidden within the "natural flavors" on the ingredients list, were not strong enough. Similarly, the spices were not sharp enough. I like Harney & Sons' Salted Caramel Tea as a better alternative to this product.
17. Organic Dream
I was delighted to find that Tazo's Organic Dream Herbal Tea smelled like blackberry jam even before being dipped into hot water. This made sense, given that blackberry leaves are its fourth ingredient. While this is unmistakably a chamomile tea, other ingredients like orange peel, licorice, chicory root, passion flower, valerian root, lavender, fennel, and vanilla can be found on its ingredients list. Some of these ingredients, like chamomile, valerian root, and lavender, are commonly used to promote relaxation; hence, the name of this product.
This tea tasted great, but it was admittedly too heavy on the chamomile flavor. Fennel and licorice added a slightly savory twist to the blend, but most people would only be able to identify their flavors after being made aware of their presence beforehand. While I enjoyed this tea and thought that it would make a pacifying beverage before bedtime, I took off points due to its overpowering chamomile flavor.
16. Organic Earl Grey Black Tea
Earl Grey tea is characterized by bergamot oil, which is derived from a type of citrus fruit primarily grown in the Calabria region of Italy. Bergamot's zesty flavor helps balance out the bitterness of black tea, while its aroma makes drinking this type of tea a heavenly experience. It's not uncommon for manufacturers to use artificial bergamot flavor in their blends, sometimes in conjunction with real bergamot flavor.
Tazo's blend features only two ingredients: organic black tea and organic bergamot oil. While the bergamot flavor was lovely, it was overshadowed by the black tea. Simply put, the blend was too bitter when served without milk or sugar. I found that adding these two ingredients cut down the bitterness, allowing the bergamot flavor to shine more. I have had smoother Earl Grey teas before that did not necessitate the addition of milk and sugar, which is why I have given this product a relatively low ranking.
15. Passion
Tazo's Passion Herbal Tea, which is hibiscus-based, smelled absolutely divine, with a potency that far exceeded any other tea on this list. Sweet, floral, and sharp, I held my breath hoping that it would not be too tart. To my disappointment, my mouth puckered immediately upon tasting this tea. While I recognize that some folks enjoy this flavor profile, I am among those who need to sweeten my cup considerably with honey or instead transform it into a mocktail with a tart twist. This blend would also taste great when iced.
That said, I appreciate that the aftertaste of this tea differed from other hibiscus teas I have had in the past. Licorice and cinnamon give the beverage darker flavors, while orange peels and lemongrass suffused my mouth with bright citrus aromatics. Make sure to steep the bag for the recommended five minutes to allow each flavor its chance in the spotlight.
14. Organic Chai
I have tasted better blends than Tazo's Organic Chai, such as Teapigs' Masala Dream, but I have also tasted much worse. For the most part, the spices were well-balanced. The cloves lent a fantastic complexity to the tea's aroma, and the star anise added a lovely licorice-like flavor. The ginger also lent a nice amount of heat without being too overwhelming. There are no "natural flavors" on the ingredients list, so the spices are really doing all the work.
This tea had its shortcomings, though. The cardamom and black pepper could have been stronger, and so could the flavor of the tea leaves. Using CTC tea (referring to the "crush, tear, curl" method of tea production) from Assam is one of the best ways to evoke malty, dark flavors from a cup of chai. However, it is unclear what kind of black tea Tazo uses. This blend was not very acidic, and one can add milk and sugar for an even smoother cup. If that's something you enjoy, make sure to try Tazo's Organic Chai Latte Concentrate.
13. Organic Awake English Breakfast
Tazo's Organic Awake English Breakfast Black Tea is a solid choice for those who want a no-frills, caffeine-rich cup of black tea to start each morning. This product doesn't distinguish itself too much from the other types of English breakfast teas, which are traditionally strong in both flavor and aroma and feature nothing more than a blend of black tea leaves from different origins and varieties.
Tazo's version of English breakfast tea is, thankfully, not too bitter. In fact, it impressed me with its smooth mouthfeel and ability to stand up on its own without milk or sugar (though I nevertheless enjoy it more with these additions). Because I have had a few better English breakfast teas, this product did not score as highly as some of the others on this list.
12. Organic Refresh Mint
Mint tea is generally caffeine-free and an excellent choice for ending a meal, given that peppermint in particular is known for supporting digestion. Tazo's Organic Refresh Mint Herbal Tea features not only organic peppermint leaves, but also organic spearmint, organic tarragon, and organic spearmint oil. The two types of mint are readily apparent without tasting too bitter. In fact, the tea had a slightly mellow and sweet aftertaste that I enjoyed.
While I thought this tea was wonderful, I was also of the opinion that it did not live up to its full potential. Though the tarragon flavor was just barely detectable in the tea's aroma and aftertaste, it was not nearly strong enough. I had hoped for the herb to make a bolder statement in this tea; its licorice-like flavor would have added an interesting twist to a classic blend.
11. Elderberry Blackberry
Tazo's Elderberry Blackberry Herbal Tea is part of the brand's exclusive Foragers collection, and it is inspired by New England's forests. Real elderberries are present in this product, but orange peels, chamomile flowers, hibiscus flowers, and natural flavor also join the party. I was pleased to taste a satisfying equilibrium between this blend's sweet, tart, and citrusy flavors. Neither the orange nor the chamomile was overpowering (a great change of pace for the latter ingredient), and the hibiscus was not too tart, as it can sometimes be.
What I found myself yearning for, though, was richer, darker tasting notes from the berries — akin to Tiesta Tea's Blueberry Wild Child. This product might be better served as an iced tea, where its light flavors can live up to their refreshing potential.
10. Organic Calm Chamomile
While Tazo's Organic Calm Chamomile blend shares some similarities with its Organic Dream blend, the two are nevertheless remarkably different. For instance, the Organic Calm Chamomile variety features passion fruit juice concentrate, pineapple juice concentrate, and lemongrass but not passion flower, orange peel, or fennel. This blend also introduced me to sarsaparilla, a plant that used to be favored as a health ingredient in the 19th century and was once included in root beer recipes.
Overall, this product had brighter flavors than its Organic Dream counterpart and a superb floral aroma. The first ingredient, chamomile, was omnipresent and a bit too strong, but nevertheless, a few other flavors were readily detectable. The second ingredient, hibiscus, added just a hint of tartness, while the third ingredient, spearmint, added depth to each sip. This caffeine-free product is an excellent choice for the evenings and does not need to be jazzed up with sugar or milk.
9. Pumpkin Spice Chai
Tazo's Pumpkin Spice Chai, with its smoothly balanced spices and lovely autumnal aroma, was a welcome addition to my tea cabinet. It includes black tea, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, licorice root, and natural flavors. Despite being a black tea, it was not very bitter, and I even preferred the flavors of this product more when prepared without milk. Even so, it could be used to imitate Starbucks' tea lattes – more specifically, of course, its Pumpkin Spice Latte.
The black pepper in this blend was not too sharp, while the cinnamon kept the tea naturally sweet. Another noticeable flavor was the licorice root, which not only lent a husky sweetness to the beverage, but also added warmth and a velvety mouthfeel at the back of the palate. I harbor few complaints about this product, except that its flavors could have been a smidge more potent.
8. Organic Zen
Tazo's Organic Zen is a pleasant and well-rounded green tea blend. Although I was initially unimpressed by its aroma, which was on the grassier side, this tea came through on the basis of taste. Its bitterness was offset by the perfect amount of spearmint — enough to be detectable, but not so much that this became a mint tea. Similarly, the hints of lemon verbena, lemongrass, and lemon oil were fantastically proportioned and not excessively citrusy.
This tea has a relatively short steeping time (three minutes), which I would not recommend exceeding, as well as a lower suggested water temperature at 180 degrees Fahrenheit. With a moderate amount of caffeine, enjoy this blend earlier in the day. It goes wonderfully in a copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball drink.
7. Organic Peachy Green
Tazo's Organic Peachy Green blend offers a medium amount of caffeine and a generous amount of flavor, making it one of my favorite green teas on the market. This product also has organic black tea, helping safeguard it from tasting too grassy. With a combination of organic natural cucumber flavor and organic natural peach flavor, it might even win over the hearts of folks who don't generally enjoy green tea. It should only be steeped for three minutes, as per the package's instructions, and I recommend sticking strictly to that limit to avoid a bitter cuppa.
This green tea was, indeed, peachy; the fruity namesake was obvious in both the tea's aroma and flavor. This beverage transported me to the hot summer days of my childhood when I ate countless peaches. Cucumbers, too, added brightness and natural sweetness to the blend. The tea's refreshing nature leads me to think that it could function well as an iced tea, too.
6. Vanilla Bean Macaron
Tazo's Vanilla Bean Macaron Black Tea was released under its "Dessert Delights" line, and I agree that this is a wonderful choice for ending a meal (just be careful around dinnertime, as this product scores a two out of five on the caffeine scale). Alongside black tea, the earthy flavors of yerba maté add another layer of complexity to this product. Chicory root, cinnamon, cardamom, and natural flavors are also present.
The brewing instructions note that "for an extra indulgent cup, use two tea bags, and add milk and sugar." However, while I generally prefer drinking black tea with these modifications, I enjoyed this product more when plain. That way, the subtle notes of cocoa peel could more easily shine without being overpowered by milk. This tea was not acidic, either, which is a common reason that milk is necessary in the first place. That said, adding milk helps bring the flavor of this tea closer to its vanilla bean macaron namesake, so try preparing it both ways.
5. Wild Sweet Orange
Tazo's Wild Sweet Orange Herbal Tea took me back to my favorite soda variety as a child: Orange Crush. This tea smelled a lot like it, but it satisfied my matured palate with more subtle, complex flavors. If you like from-scratch Russian tea but are looking for a caffeine-free alternative, you ought to give this product a try.
While certainly tart, this tea was not as high on the spectrum as, say, hibiscus tea tends to be. It helped that it boasted sweet undertones with multiple layers of flavor thanks to the presence of rose petals, licorice root, and licorice extract. Finally, ginger added heat, while turmeric added a natural pop of color. I loved the tartness of this tea, yet found it a tad too tart, which is why it didn't quite break into the top ranks.
4. Organic Green Ginger
Tazo's Organic Green Ginger Tea easily marched its way into being one of my favorite green teas of all time, largely because it was not overly bitter or grassy. Make sure to let the water cool slightly before steeping the tea bag for five minutes, as per package instructions.
This tea's light aroma was followed up by bright flavors from the lemongrass, peach, and pear. The latter two ingredients lent a distinct fruitiness to the beverage that stood in wonderful contrast to the more vegetal notes of the green tea. The lemongrass was even a bit zesty. With its array of vibrant flavors, this would make for a wonderful summertime tea.
3. Juniper Mint Honey
As one of the brand's herbal blends that falls under its exclusive Foragers line, I was pleased to find the flavors of Tazo's Juniper Mint Honey Herbal Tea transported me to nature, with the Rocky Mountains serving as the inspiration for its recipe. Immediately, I was struck by the minty aroma of this tea, provided by both peppermint and spearmint leaves. It was complemented by the citrus-like aroma of juniper berries and a backdrop of pine that reminded me of treasured camping trips.
This tea's flavor was very bright yet very complex as well. The balance between peppermint and spearmint was impeccable, with neither one overpowering the other. When brewed for the recommended four minutes, just a hint of bitterness was detectable, so I don't recommend over-steeping this product. Meanwhile, honey (which was presumably added via "natural flavor") contributed a subtle sweetness. Finally, the mid-notes of pine were very smooth. This tea would be perfect for a Christmas in July celebration.
2. Glazed Lemon Loaf
Tazo's Glazed Lemon Loaf Tea surprised me in the best way possible. I am not usually a fan of lemon teas (I find most of them too tart), but this one was balanced by the inclusion of apples, green rooibos, licorice root, orange peel, chamomile, ginger, rose petals, and natural flavors. The beverage's aroma was rich and ever so slightly floral, reminding me of a lemon loaf straight away.
Upon taking my first sip, I was not disappointed. I liked this tea plain but found that its vanilla flavor was enhanced by the addition of milk and sugar. Indeed, when I added those two ingredients, I truly felt like I was sipping on a liquefied lemon loaf. The package directions also advise that "for an extra indulgent cup, use two tea bags," but this is not necessary in my opinion.
1. Prickly Pear Cactus
Tazo's Prickly Pear Cactus Herbal Tea easily stole my heart and became my favorite tea on this list. Like the box promised, this blend, which is part of Tazo's exclusive Foragers line, reminded me of the deserts in the American Southwest. Having eaten prickly pear in a variety of dishes before, I can also confirm that this tea lives up to its namesake.
Though hibiscus teas can often be too tart for my liking, this one was actually quite mellow in both aroma and flavor. The slightly tart hibiscus flowers were balanced by sweet and soothing chamomile flowers, as well as citrusy orange flowers and natural flavor. I would drink this tea any time of the day, and serving it over ice would be a spectacular idea during the dog days of summer.
Methodology
I chose the 18 teas featured here because they make up Tazo's core line of teabags (I did not taste test seasonal variations like Joy). Over the course of one week, I tasted and took notes on each tea, scoring the blends from one to 10 to help keep track of my preferences. I ranked these teas according to flavor and aroma, often comparing products to similar varieties from other brands. I tasted each tea plain, without additions like milk or sugar, before making adjustments. I also took care to prepare each tea exactly as recommended by the package in terms of steeping time and water temperature.