I’m hoping I don’t become what many call a “health nut” and that I just become healthy.

I’ve decided to try to incorporate more raw foods into my diet. As a college student, days go by quickly and there doesn’t seem to ever be time to prepare a meal. I know that most of my diet has been McDonalds, Popyes, Panera, Publix Sushi, and other grab and go type of meals. I was able to have my morning and afternoon cups of tea and water, but for the rest of the day it was mostly processed foods and soda.

Now that it’s summer, I want to get into healthier habits. I’ve already started fitting in a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day, but that isn’t enough if I’m shoving unhealthy foods into my body.

The transition to raw

Luckily, I used to be a big into home cooking before college took over my life, so I have a lot of the appliances needed.

This review may or may not be biased as I’m currently catching or getting over the flu. I’ve been taking ibuprofen and popping airborne tablets like there’s no tomorrow. I’ve heard mixed things about Airbourne like it doesn’t work or it’s just a normal vitamin, but it tastes like candy, and getting over sicknesses is mostly mental anyways… right?

Now back on topic. I always hear good things about Verdant Tea, and I hear particularly good things about their Laoshan teas. I ordered some of their Laoshan Black and Laoshan Green teas. I decided to crack open the bag of Laoshan Black to help me feel better while I’m sick.

Be careful when you open this bag of tea. It smells like a chocolate bar or a brownie, and the scent temps you to take a bite.

I used 212°F water and let the tea steep for 3 minutes. Without milk or sugar, the tea is slightly complicated (probably because I don’t know how to judge black teas without milk yet). There are some cocoa notes, and a almost grainy flavor.

Let me start off by saying, this tea is a bit pricy. Teavana’s Golden Monkey starts off at $18.50 per 2 oz. I purchased some during their Friends and Family sale. Teavivre also has a Golden Monkey tea which I’ll be reviewing and comparing to Teavana’s at a later date.

I put 2 heaping teaspoons of this tea in my teapot, added 16 oz of 195°F water, and let it steep for two and a half minutes.

I first drank a cup of this raw (without milk and sugar). The Golden Monkey just seemed to taste like a standard black tea. It was smooth, with a tiny fruity flavor. The fruity flavor might be all mental though because I’ve been sniffing the dry leaves quite a bit.

I’m new to the whole tea thing. I had no idea what rooibos was¹; all I saw when I clicked order was “Vanilla Chai”.

It was quite a surprise when I opened the bag. They sold me dirt. It smelled delicious, but it still looked like dirt. I wasn’t sure if I should drink it or use it for mulch.

I convinced myself that I knew I bought some sort of beverage that needed to be steeped. I hesitated for a second, then decided to go for it.

It’s a sad day for me… I like my teas, and I’m always looking for a good Thai Tea.

So, we used to get the Thai Tea from Teavana. My parents would buy it in bulk, and when they prepared it, it was really good. So the other day, I bought some Cha Yen Thai from Teavana. The scent of the tea was awesome.

I got home and decided to brew a cup. While I sat waiting, the smell filled the air. I couldn’t wait. My timer went off, and I poured myself a glass. I took a sip and… nothing. There was no flavor, no spice, nothing sweet, just color and smell.

It was quite a disappointment.

That Tea was ~$6 per 2 oz. Overpriced, but if it did have good flavor, to me it would have been worth it.

On the other hand, I also got some Maharaja Chai Oolong tea.