Starbucks, Teavana Loose-Leaf Tea Infuser

Starbucks Description:
Love loose-leaf? Brew your preferred tea easily in a favorite mug with this stainless steel infuser.

Simply scoop tea into this infuser, place in your mug and pour water directly over tea. Even the smallest tea leaves will steep perfectly through the tea infuser's fine mesh. Made of 18/8 stainless steel. "Teavana®" printed on handle. Dishwasher safe. Do not microwave.

My Review:
My wife bought this Teavana infuser basket for me at Starbucks, so I would stop stealing her Finum baskets. Now she wants one of her own. Since I have more teaware and gadgets than necessary (according to her), I don't see how I can complain. Besides, it is better than her stealing mine in retaliation.

OK,  besides our apparent sharing issues, what makes this one worthy of packing home?

First off, it is made entirely of stainless steel. There is no plastic housing, like on the Finum basket - that we have used for years and love.

Secondly, it has a wide flat steel lip around the top so that it rests nicely on top of a twelve ounce mug and still has space for water movement between the bottom and the mug.

The third selling point, for me, is the fine mesh of the infuser. I have not tried yet but fell absolutely confident that rooibos will present no issue preventing the leaf from making its way into the mug. On the other hand, and just as important, the water is able to flow freely around the mug.

And finally, the overall size of the basket is large enough to provide ample freedom for the leaf to expand. Leaving the leaf free in the pot would be preferred but there are times it just isn't convenient. This is an excellent compromise.

Clean up is no more difficult than with the Finum basket. Tapping the infuser over the spent leaf bowl takes care of most of it. A rinsing will finish the task..

The only complaint I can find is the lack of a lid to hold in the heat while steeping and serving as double duty as a stand after steeping.

Around $10 at Starbucks, Gets a thumbs up from me.

Starbucks, Green Tea Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino

I am not a coffee drinker. I honestly don't even care for the smell of it. My wife on the other hand, loves coffee. When we are out and about, she often has, not wants - has, to stop in Starbucks. It's like a junkie on crack. The fact that, in my den, I have a four foot cabinet full of tea, tea covering a work table, and boxes of tea on the floor, is totally different. I can quit any time I want. Yeah right.

I have tried some of Starbucks non-coffee drinks and mostly I am not impressed. With their hot tea, I think it is because they over steep everything. Same with most of their iced teas. They are just too bitter.

The Green Tea Frappuccino is another thing all together. Made with matcha stirred into cold milk with their syrup and ice. Most people top it with whipped cream. It is delicious.

It is also jammed full of calories. I order mine with 2% milk, no whipped cream, and only half the usual pumps of syrup. The drink is still really sweet but not quite so bad for you.

Lately, I have grown a little bored with it. Besides, I make a similar breakfast drink with Chinese green tea powder, 2% milk, and a splash of vanilla and caramel sugar free syrups that I found on the coffee aisle at Walmart. I like mine better. It has only the calories of the milk. It is less sweet and still delicious - just different.

Yesterday, while shopping, my wife needed her fix. My son was with us. At first I said I didn't want anything. My son suggested a pumpkin spice latte. I reminded him I don't do coffee. He fired back that they can leave the coffee out. Well, that does sound better, but kind of boring.

That is when the idea popped into my head to combine a coffee-free pumpkin spice with my old standby green tea frappuccino. The Barista and my family flinched when I ordered it. What do they know? They're coffee people. So 2% milk and half the syrup - And just why don't they have sugar free syrup for diabetics and those of us who don't want a 600 calorie cup? But I digress yet again.

This creation isn't on the menu, as far as I am aware, but it should be. This was absolutely delicious. The matcha mixed seamlessly with the pumpkin spice to create a sensation like biting into an actual piece of cold pumpkin pie. I realize their are an endless variety of recipes for pumpkin pie, each tasting a little different. The drink is spot on with the family recipe I grew up eating. This is creamy and lightly spiced. It doesn't just taste of pie spice, it actually has a pumpkin taste. Very satisfying.

I didn't need a nap afterwards. I didn't need to loosen my belt. I think I may have found my new old standby at Starbucks. At least through November... I wonder how a candy cane matcha frappaccino will taste? Hmmm.

Starbucks, Tazo Shaken Iced Green Tea Lemonade

Starbucks Description:
Remember that lemonade stand the kids down the block used to run? No? Well, had they offered this exotic blend of full-bodied green tea, luxurious lemon and mellow mint, we’re pretty sure you’d remember. In fact, you’d probably still be there. But no worries. We have plenty in here.

My Review:
I think my wife is addicted to Starbucks. I often joke that I think they put crack in their drinks. When my wife says, "I need coffee" what she really means is, "I NEED Starbucks!" When she drags me in with her, I normally order a green tea frappuccino. This day I thought I would try something new.

This was cold. It was wet. It was 90 degrees outside. So, it wasn't bad. It just didn't really grab me. The lemonade is the main flavor. I could not single out the green tea. The lemonade tastes kind of like lemongrass to me. Actually, it reminds me more of pink lemonade. There is a kind of fruity berry or spicy taste late in the sip.

As I said, it isn't bad. I just prefer the green tea frap.

Starbuck’s Green Tea Frappuccino Blended Creme

A unique combination of Premium Matcha green tea, lightly sweetened and blended with milk and ice, topped with whipped cream (optional).


My wife loves Starbuck’s. I hate coffee. Hate is a strong word, but I really don’t even like the smell of the stuff. In the interest of compromise I have tried many Tazo teas while she is satisfying her coffee craving. Tea in a paper cup that has been prepared by coffee people is not my idea of yum but at least I try.

So, one day she says I should try a green tea frap. I’m thinking iced green tea with milk is going to taste like crappucino. Turns out I actually like this. Of course part of the reason is probably because these really aren’t that good for you. There is 430 calories in a 16oz cup. Sure you can save a 100 calories by not adding the whipped crème. That is still a lot of calories. You can also select whole, 2% or skim milk though the difference between whole milk and skim milk is only 20 calories.

So what’s in this that adds all those calories? Sugar, lot’s of sugar. They call it lightly sweetened, yet the calories of three cans of soda are in this thing. On the other hand that is about what one would expect when ordering a chocolate milk shake, right?

Besides the milk, sugar, and ice, there is green tea matcha. This is a powder made from pulverizing the entire tea leaf. Matcha, at least this matcha, has a bit more of an intense flavor than normal Tazo green tea. It also packs a pretty good caffeine punch at 70mg/16oz serving.

With the milk, the consistency is more like a shake than an Icee. It is a sweet, creamy, icy, green tea delight. At least I think it is fun. You have to be careful to drink it slowly. Yeah I got brain freeze.