Accessories Reviews

This classic Swiss Army knife will serve you well -- I've had mine for going on 10 years. However, this model does not have a Phillips-head screwdriver function, which I find extremely useful. If you can deal with that missing element, I'd say, buy away!
Enjoy!

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." -Henry James, Portrait of a Lady

My first Tazo experience included a box of interesting items from a friend and packets of Tazo Green Ginger tea which was slightly bitter and delicious with orange blossom honey. I then progressed on to the assorted teas.

This box of Assorted Teas includes:

Awake - Black teas from India and Ceylon.

Calm - Chamomile flowers, hibiscus flowers, spearmint, lemongrass, rose petals, blackberry leaves, safflowers, peppermint, sarsaparilla, lemon balm, licorice and natural flavors.

China Green Tips- spring-harvested green teas from China.

Earl Grey - High-grown black teas scented with the essence of bergamot.

Tazo Chai - Black teas, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves and star anise.

Passion - Hibiscus flowers, tropical flavors, citric acid, orange peel, licorice, cinnomn, rose hips, lemongrass and red poppy.

Decaffeinated Tazo Chai - Naturally devaffeinated black teas, rooibois, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, chicory, cloves, black pepper, natural flavors and star anise. (I think they should also add rooibos to the regular Tazo Chai! It makes this more delicious than the regular Chai tea.)

Wild Sweet Orange - really delicious when blended with Lotus and poured over ice

Lotus - Naturally decaffeinated green tea, natural lotus flower flavor and other natural flavors. Best blended with Wild Sweet Orange and poured over ice.

Zen - Green teas, lemon verbena, spearmint, lemongrass and natural flavor.

I'd like to say that their teas are best steeped for an extra 5-10 minutes to draw out all the delicious flavors. I use my coffee maker to make tea. Simply putting the tea bags in the coffee pot and allowing the boiling water to drip down into the pot and swirl about with the tea bags. I use 16 ounces of water and two tea bags for each experience.

Apparently the formulas for these teas were found on a stone uncovered by a low tide in the Red Sea. I decided to research this mysterious history and found:

"The earliest known record of Tazo is the Tazo Stone, discovered by a team of archaeologists and tea scholars in the late 1980s when a solar eclipse caused unusually low tides in the Red Sea. Once the arcane language of the stone was translated, it was a simple matter to recreate the formulas for these remarkable beverages and reintroduce Tazo to civilization." - the exact phrasing at many sites that are selling the teas

At least this is the mysterious explanation for how they blend their magical tea. I had to go research this topic. Undaunted by pop up ads galore, I searched endlessly for information on this great mystery, all while Freedy Johnson was singing "you think I'm made of stone." That should have been sign enough, but onward.

This then led me to stories of "the lusty bellow of bull water buffalo" and Lost Cities. All the sites discussing this ancient stone are either selling the tea or have copied the information directly from tazo's site. " tazisto modif of Ba, tazor" brings up every listing for tea at a well-known online store. I then found information on tea drinking during the "Tang Dynasty" which appeared at a number of sites in the same wording with no reference to accompany this excerpt:

"At various times throughout history, Tazo has surfaced among the more advanced cultures of the day as a calming and lyrical addition to the routines of daily life. During the Tang Dynasty, around seventh century A.D., gifts of Tazo were used to coax various moguls into attending a summit meeting where China was, for the first time, unified. The formulas for these ancient beverages have recently been rediscovered by a team of archeologist and tea scholars and are once again available to stimulate your taste buds and renew your spirit."

Then, onward to researching the court of King Zoser, a Lost Princess of Oz, Minoan civilizations and then herbal medicines. It is a good thing I have lots of tea to drink. Now if only I had a chief philosopher with whom I could contemplate the mysteries of this tea.

Anyway, when you drink these teas you can at times transcend reality for moments at a time and that is all the truth I need about these teas. Some of these teas even evoke a sense of wonder.

What does one have to do? Does one have to travel to the Nile and drink Hibiscus tea while talking to an archeologist to find more information? I also visited a few forums and found others discussing this mysterious tea.

Ok, so as predicted by the song, maybe this is all steeped in romanticized tea lore. Yes, this tea company has been mingling fact and fiction in the most amusing of ways. The rock slab carved with mysterious hieroglyphs and titled "Tazo Stone" is just an amusing fantasy and there is nothing wrong with having a little fantasy mingling with your tea leaves. Please tune in next week for a discussion about "stone soup."

~TheRebeccaReview.com
Part-time Online Researcher solving mysteries by the hour with cups of Tazo tea in hand for the online journey.

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." -Henry James, Portrait of a Lady

This "English Breakfast" style tea is quite satisfying and has a darker color than most teas I've made. I just drank a cup of "Awake" and definitely feel invigorated and ready to write reviews. I always get a kick out of their little notes on the back of the tea bag packet that gives the address and then says: "Allow two weeks of this lifetime for a written response."

I'd like to say that their teas are best steeped for an extra 5-10 minutes to draw out all the delicious flavors. I use my coffee maker to make tea. Simply put the loose tea in a coffee filter or the tea bags in the coffee pot, then allow the boiling water to drip over the tea leaves.

Tazo has quite a good variety of teas, although I tend to prefer the herbal infusions and black tea blends to the green tea. I'm probably brewing the green tea in much hotter water than is required.

The sensual blend of exotic spices, teas and herbs used in their teas include a mixture of the following: Black tea, green tea, hibiscus flowers, chamomile flowers, lemongrass, spearmint leaves, blackberry leaves, cinnamon, Rooibos, Gingerroot, rose hips, orange peel, rose petals, licorice root, safflowers, black pepper, lemon verbena leaves, cardamom, cloves, peppermint leaves, chicory, sarsaparilla root, lemon balm leaf, star anise and red poppy flowers.

Apparently the formulas for these teas were found on a stone uncovered by a low tide in the Red Sea. I decided to research this mysterious history and found:

"The earliest known record of Tazo is the Tazo Stone, discovered by a team of archaeologists and tea scholars in the late 1980s when a solar eclipse caused unusually low tides in the Red Sea. Once the arcane language of the stone was translated, it was a simple matter to recreate the formulas for these remarkable beverages and reintroduce Tazo to civilization." - the exact phrasing at many sites that are selling the teas

At least this is the mysterious explanation for how they blend their magical tea. I had to go research this topic futher. Undaunted by pop up ads galore, I searched endlessly for information on this great mystery, all while Freedy Johnson was singing "you think I'm made of stone." That should have been sign enough, but onward.

This then led me to stories of "the lusty bellow of bull water buffalo" and Lost Cities. All the sites discussing this ancient stone are either selling the tea or have copied the information directly from tazo's site. " tazisto modif of Ba, tazor" brings up every listing for tea at a well-known online store. I then found information on tea drinking during the "Tang Dynasty" and information about china, which appeared at a number of sites in the same wording with no reference to accompany this excerpt:

"At various times throughout history, Tazo has surfaced among the more advanced cultures of the day as a calming and lyrical addition to the routines of daily life. During the Tang Dynasty, around seventh century A.D., gifts of Tazo were used to coax various moguls into attending a summit meeting where China was, for the first time, unified. The formulas for these ancient beverages have recently been rediscovered by a team of archeologist and tea scholars and are once again available to stimulate your taste buds and renew your spirit."

Then, onward to researching the court of King Zoser, a Lost Princess of Oz, Minoan civilizations and then herbal medicines. It is a good thing I have lots of tea to drink. Now if only I had a chief philosopher with whom I could contemplate the mysteries of this tea.

Anyway, when you drink these teas you can at times transcend reality for moments at a time and that is all the truth I need about these teas. Some of these teas even evoke a sense of wonder.

What does one have to do? Does one have to travel to the Nile and drink Hibiscus tea while talking to an archeologist to find more information? I also visited a few forums and found others discussing this mysterious tea.

Ok, so as predicted by the song, maybe this is all steeped in romanticized tea lore. Yes, this tea company has been mingling fact and fiction in the most amusing of ways. The rock slab carved with mysterious hieroglyphs and titled "Tazo Stone" is just an amusing fantasy and there is nothing wrong with having a little fantasy mingling with your tea leaves.

I can highly recommend these Tazo Teas:

Awake
Earl Grey
Decaffeinated Tazo Chai
Passion
Wild Sweet Orange and Lotus make a nice iced tea when blended together

P.S. I'm in Complete Bliss now that I just found out that TAZO also makes a "Plum Delicious Juiced Tea" made wtih iced green tea, plum and pomegranate juices. It is just delicious, but I can't find it here at Amazon to review. It is aromatic and pomegranate juice makes a perfect flavor partner with the more bitter flavor of green tea. It is not overly sweet and tastes like a combination of pomegranate juice and honey. I love the taste of pomegranate juice, but eating a pomegranate is quite the time consumming experience. I used to pick fresh pomegranates off bushes on the way home from school in Africa. Yes, they are best eaten outside.

"There is a garden overlooking the Yangtze River gorge where an elderly man contemplates his life while sipping a cup of Green Ginger. Perhaps you would like to join him." ~on each tea packet

A friend sent me this tea and I've been in love with the slightly bitter flavor. It is quite exotic and fragrant. The ingredients are green teas, natural flavors, ginger and lemongrass.

This tea begs to be blended with orange blossom honey.

I've tasted many teas and this is by far the most exotic tea I've tried yet. This is pear ginger bliss.

This is the story of two Tazo teas. I found that they almost need one another to produce a tea of exceptional quality. I tried each tea separately and finally blended them together.

Tazo Lotus and Tazo Wild Sweet Orange make a wonderful lemony hot tea in the winter or enjoy being tossed about with ice cubes in the summer. The way I make this tea is by steeping two Lotus and two Wild Sweet Orange filterbags with 16 ounces of water. I make this in my coffee maker so there is plenty of time for the flavors to seep out into the steaming water. Then, you can add 2 tablespoons of orange blossom honey for hot tea and a bit more for ice tea.

Drinking this blend is an aromatic experience. Lotus Decaffeinated Green tea is a blend of naturally decaffeinated green tea, natural lotus flower flavor and other natural flavors. Wild Sweet Orange is a blend of lemongrass, blackberry leaves, citric acid, rose hips, spearmint leaves, natural flavors, orange peel, safflowers, hibiscus flowers, rose petals, natural orange essence, ginger root and licorice root.

I love the crinkly sound of the paper bags protecting the precious contents. The boxes are also quite intriguing and the stories on the tea packets are always mysterious and playful.

A romantic tea with a golden-orange color. I can never decide if I like this best hot or cold, so I end up drinking it hot and cold. Half on ice and half in a mug. When this tea is hot, it is much more romantic and aromatic. When chilled it takes on a more bitter component.

For a research story, look for the Tazo Assorted Teas. For something even more exotic, try the Tazo Green Ginger tea.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

This is hands down the best tea that I have ever had! It was so sweet and cinnamony... it didn't need a drop of sugar! Don't pass this one up... it is a must have! Buy in bulk and give the extras as gifts!

This is the story of two Tazo teas. I found that they almost need one another to produce a tea of exceptional quality. I tried each tea separately and finally blended them together.

Tazo Lotus and Tazo Wild Sweet Orange make a wonderful lemony hot tea in the winter or enjoy being tossed about with ice cubes in the summer. The way I make this tea is by steeping two Lotus and two Wild Sweet Orange filterbags with 16 ounces of water. I make this in my coffee maker so there is plenty of time for the flavors to seep out into the steaming water. Then, you can add 2 tablespoons of orange blossom honey for hot tea and a bit more for ice tea.

Drinking this blend is an aromatic experience. Lotus Decaffeinated Green tea is a blend of naturally decaffeinated green tea, natural lotus flower flavor and other natural flavors. Wild Sweet Orange is a blend of lemongrass, blackberry leaves, citric acid, rose hips, spearmint leaves, natural flavors, orange peel, safflowers, hibiscus flowers, rose petals, natural orange essence, ginger root and licorice root.

I love the crinkly sound of the paper bags protecting the precious contents. The boxes are also quite intriguing and the stories on the tea packets are always mysterious and playful.

A romantic tea with a golden-orange color. I can never decide if I like this best hot or cold, so I end up drinking it hot and cold. Half on ice and half in a mug. When this tea is hot, it is much more romantic and aromatic. When chilled it takes on a more bitter component.

For a research story, look for the Tazo Assorted Teas. For something even more exotic, try the Tazo Green Ginger tea.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

When I used to work at the campus pub, one of the most requested items was this tea. It started with one or two people having colds, needing a tea, and all we happened to have on hand was the Tazo. What a smart decision by our managers to purchase this product! It caught on like nothing else had there! Soon, we were serving more tea than beer!

From a personal standpoint, however, I can attest to its flavor and qualities. It is the best tea I have ever had the pleasure to drink myself. The Zen flavor is no exception. I would highly recommend that you try out all of them (or at least as many as you can) and decide on your own personal Tazo, as the myriad of blends can be a bit overwhelming. Zen is probably the best green tea I have tried, though. It's one of my personal favorites.

The price really is a bargain. I've compared in grocery stores and you're better off buying the 6 count dispenser (144 bags in total). Trust me, you will definitely drink that much tea. During the summer months, it makes a truly unique and exceptionally tasty iced tea as well and in the winter with a little honey and lemon, it's a perfect suppressant of cold symptons (I would still claim there is no CURE for a cold yet). Drink in good health and enjoy!

Some of HEPA filter units put the carbon behind the HEPA filter, and some put it in front. The Vornado has the carbon as a pre-filter, saving the expensive HEPA portion for particulates. I find I change the carbon filter rather often, and so a four-pack for me is a sensible idea. I absolutely notice when the carbon has loaded with whatever muck is in the air. Then it's time to install a new one, which is not terribly difficult. I'd rather not have the HEPA filter pick up volatile components from the air, so I'd say this pre-filter works very well.

I bought this as a gift for someone who loves martinis and barware. This set is really striking and classic. I can't see this ever going out of style, truthfully. It has a great *feel* when your holding it and a great look if you keep it out on a counter. The pattern (dots) has just enough design to make it interesting...but not so much that it is kitchy. Yet it has a retro feel to me...

I really loved this set and wished I was keeping it for myself :)