(thing) by nasreddin Thu Oct 30 2003 at 22:40:26

The Stash Tea Company was founded in 1972 in Tigard, Oregon (a suburb of Portland). It was initially a homebrew (no pun intended) tea supplier for health food stores in its area. Later, it started selling teas of more varied flavors and in bags, to restaurants and through mail order. Its products are now sold practically everywhere tea is sold (at least in the US), and in several foreign countries (including Canada). Stash Tea has been selling online since 1995, which is fairly unique for something so untechnological.

I would like to draw the reader's attention to the flavor of Stash Tea known as Earl Grey. Experienced tea drinkers, of course, know what Earl Grey is and what it tastes like. Many, including me, have their own preferences. However, the Stash Earl Grey Tea (sold since 2002 in a nifty modern-style purple and black box--not the Double Bergamot version) is something completely beyond comparison. Now, it is entirely possible that this is merely something in my organism that predisposes me to this tea; I do know, however, that I have gone in the last two months from drinking maybe three cups of tea a month to at least four cups of Stash Earl Grey Tea a day. This is strange, because the English Breakfast tea made by the same company (English or Irish Breakfast is usually my preference) is totally unremarkable. This Earl Grey tea has a flavor that goes equally well with obscene amounts of sugar or none at all--something rare, given that I'm normally much more on the 'obscene' side of things. I would highly recommend trying it--as drug habits go, $3 a week isn't much.

Here is a list of Stash Specialty Tea flavors, taken from the website at www.stashtea.com1:



    Black Teas

  1. DARJEELING: "Rare, fragrant amber-colored tea from India. Full-bodied but delicate, with exquisite floral flavor."
  2. DOUBLE BERGAMOT EARL GREY: "We made a good thing even better, adding double 100% pure bergamot to our award winning Earl Grey tea."
  3. EARL GREY: "Premium black teas scented with oil of bergamot. Smooth and aromatic."*
  4. ENGLISH BREAKFAST: "This old favorite is full-bodied and stimulating. Adding milk gives it a silky texture." *
  5. IRISH BREAKFAST: "Hearty blend of strong, robust teas. Perfect for those who enjoy a rich, full-bodied morning cup. Delicious with milk."


    6. Green Teas

  6. FUSION GREEN & WHITE: "Rare and expensive white tea from China has been blended with top quality green teas for our fusion blend. Pale gold in color, this tea has a unique smooth flavor and a hint of sweetness."
  7. JASMINE BLOSSOM: "A delicate China green tea scented with jasmine flowers."
  8. LEMON SPICE: "Zesty citrus peel and sweet spices accent choice black and green tea in a blend that is light, smooth and refreshing."
  9. MOROCCAN MINT: "Exotic blend of green teas and mints, with a hint of lemon."
  10. PREMIUM GREEN CHAI: "A full-flavored blend of green tea and sweet spices. Brew it up strong with milk and sugar for a rich, delicious drink. Its fragrant spicy aroma and flavor lingers from sip to sip."
  11. PREMIUM GREEN TEA: "A blend of top quality green tea leaves with classic flavor and bouquet. It is refreshing and lightly caffeinated, has a beautiful golden color in the cup, and a slightly sweet, slightly nutty flavor."*
  12. SUSHI BAR MILD GREEN: "Inspired by the green tea served at sushi bars, much milder tasting than our Premium Green tea."


    13. Flavored & Spiced Teas

  13. CHAI SPICE: "Captures the authentic flavor of India in this exotic, aromatic blend of black teas, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove and cardamom."
  14. DOUBLE SPICE CHAI: "For Chai lovers, more spice than our Chai Spice, and coriander and whole cardamom for an even more flavorful drink."
  15. DECAFFEINATED VANILLA NUT CREME: "A deliciously smooth, full-bodied black tea with a rich vanilla nut aroma and flavor. Add a splash of milk and sugar for a sweet, creamy dessert-like drink."
  16. ORANGE SPICE: "Orange zest, cinnamon and natural sweet spices added to fine tea create a rich, aromatic blend." *
  17. PEACH: "Choice black teas combined with fruity peach and exotic passionfruit flavors for a luscious Peach tea."
  18. DECAFFEINATED CREME CARAMEL: "Delicious blend of naturally decaffeinated black teas and natural flavors of chocolate and dulce de leche. Add a splash of milk and sugar for a rich and creamy dessert drink."


    19. Herbal Teas

  19. APPLE CINNAMON: "Flavorful blend of freshly ground cinnamon, natural apple flavors and other herbs and spices."
  20. BLUEBERRY: "The mellow sweetness of blueberries and the tart flavor of orange, lemongrass, and spices combine in a refreshing herbal tea."
  21. CHAMOMILE: "Classic, soothing herbal tea with apple-like flavor notes."
  22. LEMON BLOSSOM: "An artfully crafted herbal tea with a refreshing tart lemon taste."
  23. LEMON GINGER: "This lively tea offers wide-awake flavor without caffeine. Smooth lemon flavor with a lingering bite of ginger."
  24. LICORICE SPICE: "Naturally sweet, dessert-like tea, flavored with pure spices and licorice."
  25. MANGO PASSIONFRUIT: "A delicately fruity mango flavor with a hint of passionfruit."
  26. ORANGE STARFRUIT: "Fruity herbal blend of soothing chamomile flowers with orange and starfruit. Starfruit has a distinctive five pointed star shape and a juicy, sweet-tart taste. Chamomile lends its soothing qualities and golden color to the blend, and our orange peel is from juicy California Valencia oranges."
  27. PEPPERMINT: "Captures the delicate, refreshing flavor of Oregon Peppermint--the world's finest. Excellent after meals."
  28. RUBY MIST: "Fruity ruby red hibiscus blend with a whisper of cool mint."
  29. SANDMAN: "Soothing and relaxing, flowery chamomile blend has a minty-lemon taste."
  30. TRIPLE GINSENG: "100% pure ginseng root in a refreshing, citrusy blend. 1800 mg of ginseng per cup."
  31. WILD BLACKCURRANT: "A blend of citrusy herbs and natural berry flavors with a delicately sweet wild berry taste."
  32. WILD RASPBERRY: "An enchanting blend, lightly sweet and fragrant with the flavor of fresh picked Northwest raspberries."
  33. WINTERMINT: "A cool blend of spearmint leaves, wintergreen and peppermint oils with orange peel and spices. One of the ingredients, parsley seed, is a natural breath freshener."


    34. *: available in decaf



1: HTML-ized and E2-ified, of course.
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