Food and Drink: Tazo Passion Tea and Joy Tea

It was when I arrived at the young age where my friends "discovered" coffee that I realized I hated the stuff. Coffee is not my friend. The strong flavor that seems to drown your mouth, nasal cavity, and throat so that you're breathing it all day, just didn't work for me. When my friends would ask, do you want to grab a coffee? I would hem and haw over my decision because the last thing I wanted to do was drink it. 


I had to come up with something to drink and after numerous occasions of being roped into attending the well known and not so well known coffee houses, I discovered tea (hot tea). It is important to mention that I had been drinking iced tea for years both sweetened and unsweetened. As weird as it may sound, hot tea is a very different animal than iced tea. The way the flavors hit your mouth is entirely different depending on the temperature. 


Eventually a friend had me try the Tazo Passion tea. It's really my go to tea, whether its hot or cold, it will always be my favorite. It has a bitter sort of flavor that I love. I usually tell people its the worst tasting best tea you will ever have because the flavor is so strong and pungent. I can understand why many won't like it but I think its fantastic. It is much more of a spring/summer drink with its light flavoring of hibiscus, papaya, mango, and passion fruit. 

I was left with the dilemma of finding the right tea for fall/winter. My cousin gave me the Tazo Joy tea as part of a Christmas gift and I've been drinking it obsessively since. The Joy tea is only released around the holidays--why? I have no idea. I think they should make it year round because it is THAT good. It is a fantastic blend of black, green, and oolong tea. If you can't find it in stores, try searching around online because it is definitely worth a try. I recommend drinking it without sugar so you can really enjoy the flavoring. 

If you would like to find out more about Tazo teas or purchase them, click HERE.