Most of Tazo's products are sold in tea bags, although recently, they moved from the standard, old-fashioned paper bags to newer, pyramid sachets containing whole-leaf tea and herbs. These newer sachets, besides containing higher-quality ingredients, give the leaves more room to expand, resulting in a richer tea experience. Tazo also sells bottled (ready-to-drink) products, although in this article I focus on the products that are intended to be brewed or steeped fresh.
The relationship between the Starbucks corporation and Tazo tea is more close than just a chosen brand. Tazo is actually a brand created specifically by and for the Starbucks corporation. Although Tazo does function as its own company, and its teas can be purchased elsewhere, such as in some supermarkets, or on the internet, Tazo is completely owned by Starbucks.
Is Tazo tea good for you / healthy?
The question of whether or not Tazo tea is healthy or good for you is frequently posed on the internet, if only because Tazo is such a widespread and popular brand. There has been no specific research comparing the health effects of Tazo's tea to other teas. However, Tazo uses ingredients, including the tea plant, and various herbs, which have been found to have various health benefits. Tea shows some evidence of having substantial health benefits, and there is also significant evidence of potent health benefits associated with other ingredients in Tazo's various blends, such as chamomile, rooibos, Yerba mate, various spices, and numerous other herbs.
The health benefits of Tazo's teas and herbal blends are likely similar to those of other products of comparable quality from other companies.
However, the bottled or ready-to-drink products sold by Tazo are not necessarily healthy. Many of the antioxidants, chemicals responsible for the health benefits of tea and herbs, start to break down after a beverage is brewed. Ready-to-drink or bottled blends have been sitting on the shelf for a long time after brewed, and thus carry few of the health benefits associated with freshly-brewed tea or herbs. Also, these drinks often contain large quantities of sugar. It is best to stick with freshly-brewed tea.
How do Tazo's products compare to others in terms of quality, flavor, etc.?
The question of quality in tea can be highly subjective, as different people have different tastes, so here I am sharing my own personal opinion. I have sampled numerous teas from numerous different brands and companies, including many, but not all of Tazo's offerings. I also have seen Tazo shift from basic paper tea bags to whole-leaf sachets, and sampled many of their blends both before and after this shift.
In my opinion, Tazo was always at least a step up from the average tea bags sold in most supermarkets and served in many restaurants in America. Furthermore, Tazo's recent shift to whole-leaf tea in sachets has produced a marked increase in the quality of the brewed cups of tea, which may be a result both of using higher-quality ingredients, and of the fact that the new bag shape allows for better infusion of flavor.
That said, if you are a true tea enthusiast, Tazo may leave you feeling somewhat unsatisfied. Tazo has a good selection of offerings of different styles of tea and teas from different regions, but its focus is on blends, and its selection is dwarfed by that of numerous other companies that specialize in loose-leaf tea. Tazo is definitely a few steps up in quality from many mainstream tea companies, but in the end, it is still owned by Starbucks Coffee, which specializes in coffee, not tea.
Alex Zorach is the founder and editor-in-chief of RateTea, an interactive website where anyone can rate and review teas. This site has a database of teas classified by brand, style, and region, with a wealth of information about different varieties of tea, and herbs as well. You can learn more about Tazo tea on this site, and you can also find information about other brands of tea and tea companies.
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