shameless shilling for tea

Maté tea has started to become a big thing now-- I got to watch its rise from relative obscurity in the Spanish section of the grocery store from companies like Badia to having a bunch of blends available at big name retailers during my course of compulsive tea buying. I grew up in Miami, I can get the stuff in soda form if I really want. While I'm mostly a black tea or herbal person (green is too grassy and oolong is too green, but the rare amber oolongs like Oooh Darjeeling are divine), maté has hit the point where it's my go-to tea for getting my keister out of bed, and black tea is relegated to when I feel like it/taking to work.

And I just want to tell you: it's the best thing since sliced bread.

It's generally cheaper than black tea, and the caffeine content is far more intense than what you'd get in black tea or a cup of coffee despite not having more caffeine. It's metabolized differently, apparently. They probably won't suit people who like the strong, bitter taste of black teas, but if you like delicate ones, this is probably a good idea for you.

Adagio has a sampler, but I'll tell you the best ones are spiced and citrus. Depending on how you like your tea. Obviously.

Teavana has a bunch of blends to appeal to different tastes, but if you like sweet or herbal teas like I do: Caribbean calypso almost tastes like soda even without sweetening, so it's great for making iced blends. Raspberry riot is tart like hibiscus teas, and samurai chai is a very nutty, chai-ish tea.

You're welcome.

And maybe later I will review the black teas I got from the tea-of-the-month membership coanteen got me, in her infinite awesomeness, if anyone's interested. Because man that was full of amazing stuff.