62 Tasting Notes
This tea is good! Not quite so good as Hot Cinnamon Spice, but that’s almost an unfair standard of comparison.
The blend of flavors is simple, but very well-balanced….it seems to me that the flavors cooperate rather than compete. And the blend is definitely reminiscent of warm, joyful holiday scents…it puts me in a festive mood!
Update: this tea just got even better.
I prepared it more “properly” this time. I used only 1 cup of water, rather than stretching the capacities of teabag with nearly 2 cups as I usually do. I steeped it for only 5 minutes, as is recommended. And, reluctantly, I did something that I almost never do—namely, added two tablespoons of unsweetened hemp milk to the tea.
Wow—even better! The milk really did eliminate the “sequential flavor” phenomenon. I’m sure any sort of milk (dairy or non-) would work just as well. Everything was much more blended and balanced…! Delicious _.
Preparation
I LOVE this tea. It is, hands down, my favorite tea so far. It’s so good that I consider drinking it a “treat”.
My first experience with this tea was, strangely enough, at Uno’s Pizzeria. I was there with my parents, and my mom wanted to order tea. I warned her not to. “It’s Uno’s”, I said. “You probably don’t want to try their tea.” Little did I know that Uno’s stocks tea by the amazing Harney & Sons company…
My mother sipped from her mug and made a face: unmistakably, surprised delight! I asked if she had put sugar in the tea yet, which she hadn’t, and I sipped it. “Mom,” I said, annoyed, “you said you didn’t put sugar in it.” “I didn’t!” she exclaimed. Incredible. A plain black tea that naturally tastes sweetened…!?
This tea is perfect for fall, and for the holidays. It tastes like holiday potpourri smells—warm and full-bodied. The smooth “black tea” taste comes after a wave of sweetness caused by the spices. It tastes like apple cider, minus the apple. My only criticism is that the flavors don’t exactly “blend together” properly, so that sweet follows neutral follows spicy in a somewhat haphazard way—do you agree?—or maybe that actually adds to its charm.
This tea is very neutral. It will satisfy one’s craving for a hot beverage, but it’s got a rather uninteresting flavor. I think it’s not really Lipton’s fault, though; straight “hot tea” seems to me sort of tame and wimpy, the milquetoast of tea, the lowly shepherd-boy of teas, the palette-cleanser that you would sip between sampling multiple varieties of “worthy” teas. It’s probably better sweetened, or as a meal accompaniment, rather than a stand-alone beverage.
…But it’s tea. So I must soften my review and give it some love. <3.
This is a delicious tea that manages to give off a truly tropical, summery vibe—impressive for a hot beverage! The sweet fruit flavors do mask the acerbic taste that is standard for non-blended white or green teas, reducing it to a tingling afterthought; whether this is good or bad depends largely on your personal preference and state of mind. But all in all, I think Lipton has done well with this blend, which is a definite mood-lifter.
This is definitely different than most teas I drink. It’s not particularly dark, complex or full-bodied; its smell and initial taste is fairly sweet. The sweetness is dampened only upon swallowing. From this experience, I can say it works wonderfully as a palate-cleanser for chocolate _. But in its own right, it’s enjoyable in a lighthearted, scherzo-like way…
The flavor is so delicately sweet..it’s almost feminine! It conjures up in my mind an image of a cute little tea party complete with doilies and miniature pastries. To those in Harvard Square…I bet this would taste fantastic with a cupcake from Sweet next door…!
…But I hope I haven’t deterred the he-men. It’s delicious—do try it.
This is a pretty nondescript, mild tea. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it really doesn’t stand out. The lemony aftertaste is reasonably pleasant.
This is a great herbal tea, and I really like it, although I admit that it does taste somewhat “medicinal”. I do like how the minty taste dances in my mouth for several seconds after each swallow, but ultimately fades to a more subdued flavor. The inclusion of B-vitamins is an added bonus!