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I went into my local market hoping to find Hella Tea in stock only to find some hella empty shelves so I bought a box of this as a consolation. I thought this was a tea with oak bark in it, but it’s only oak bark in the ingredients. It smells very puer like with that rich wet and watery earth fragrance. It kinda tastes like it too! The first few sips were like a watery alkaline puer, but the alkaline part mellows some sips in. It’s not as heavy as tea is. It’s flavorful, but lighter at the same time. I’m not a huge pure puer fan. I can drink and enjoy a plain puer, but I prefer flavored puers where they add a depth to the overall profile, like in Lupicia’s Chocolate Strawberry Puer. That said, I’d love to see what else they could do with white oak bark to make a cup that is more complex and exciting. We’ll see if this makes it’s way into my normal evening rotation.

Got this as a sample with my order! I’m not into oolongs, or maybe I should say I’m rarely into oolongs, so I never feel like my thoughts on an oolong are a fair reflection. This tastes… oolongy. It has that flat cardboard flavor that I associate with most oolongs. I really don’t notice any added flavor at all. shrug

I’m getting a caramel orange flavor from this tea. I thought that it was Melange O for most of the cup, but a light steeping of it. I’m not getting the jasmine or other flavors mentioned, but I also had some of those Indian candy breath mint seed mixes about an hour ago which could still be throwing off my sense of taste. I’ll have to do a side by side tasting of those two teas.

This tea smelled so promising in the bag, but the flavor didn’t translate into the cup. I get a little hint of dull lavender when I’m focusing on it. Maybe something masquerading as citrus? The whole cup is dull and depressing and I overleafed this one a touch. I don’t know what it is about Harney teas, but it’s rare that I find one I enjoy!

Following the advice VariaTEA gave when sending this sample and having it as a latte today! It’s something I don’t normally do, so it’s extra fun for a change. The coconut blends into the creaminess of the milk and almost disappears, but comes back out in the finish. The sip is filled with a nice mixture of warming spices that merge at the start of the finish with the coconut. Migraine meds have kicked in so I’m extra enjoying this cup and the feeling of relaxation. Today makes day 5 of migraines which is a new record for me! :( These DBD teas, especially the spiced ones, have a certain flavor profile or mix that I’m starting to associate with this brand. It’s almost like there is a little bit of ginseng mixed in, which I think I have mentioned in other DBD tasting notes. I’m quickly nearing the bottom of my cup and am wondering if I can get a second steeping out of this or if I’ll have to use the last of the sample to get another round. This cup was so soothing!

I need more evening teas! I haven’t been impressed with most of the Harney teas I have tried, so I’m surprised to find I like this one! It has a good EG/bergy flavor that is smooth with something fruity in the finish. A berry of some sort. I like this, I’d buy it again to have more decaf options, but it’s hard to type much right now with a playful feisty bird insisting that hands are for playing with birds, not typing on the computer.

This mixture of flavors in this tea is striking me as such an odd mix. Almond, chocolate, cinnamon… I should love it. The cinnamon is at the front of the sip where it dominates and lets a little of the chocolate peek out near the end. The chocolate dominates the finish and the almond is in there somewhere, but it’s kind of in and out. The chocolate tastes like the smell of scratch and sniff stickers. Not really chocolate, but what artificial recreations come up with to represent the flavor. It’s light, airy and perfume like. It’s unpleasant and it bothers my throat a little after the sip. There is a scratchiness that creeps in and it’s really weird. This is going in the get rid of bin. I’m not into it.

I recall liking Sun Cloud and Mist years ago and was excited to acquaint myself with it’s reincarnation. As I was preparing it I was noticing a similarity to Butiki’s Lemon French Macaron which was a favorite of mine. It tastes very similar, but there are a few differences. The lemon in this is sharper and more tangy. Like a fresh squeeze of lemon compared to a more baked flavor. LFM has almond in it and I don’t think this one does. Both have hints of lemongrass and this one has flickers of something that I can only think to describe as ashy, which sounds unflattering in a way I don’t mean. Maybe it’s the hay notes? Either way I’ve found myself quickly at the bottom of this cup and thinking of a resteep to prolong the enjoyment. This is the closest thing I’ve found to LFM and I’m really happy to have it in my cupboard for the brief time it will last before being consumed.

I was really hoping to find the next Teavana’s Almond Biscotti or Butiki’s Almond Indulgence or ATR’s Brioche in this cup and it’s just not happening. It smells hopeful when the tea is dry, but it’s not even close to the others when steeped. It has a nice malty flavor and I totally get the French cookie part. It’s sort of a buttery malt with a little almond mixed in at the end of the sip, but it’s bland. It’s okay if I’m not comparing it to long lost favorites, but it’s just okay. It doesn’t have anything that grabs me and makes me want more. I’ve tried steeping a few cups and keep coming to the same conclusion. To the reject pile it goes while my search for a new favorite almond black continues.