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Herbal TTB

After the watery flavor I experienced with the other 52Teas honeybush I tried today, I decided to give this one the full 10-minute steep. Not sure if the longer steep time helped or if this is just a more fully flavored tea, but I’m definitely having a better experience with this one. It actually does taste a lot like a slice of pie! The front end of the sip is all strawberry, but there’s a bit of a pastry flavor and just the tiniest bit of cinnamon in the aftertaste. Very tasty!

Herbal TTB

This tisane may win the award for strongest chocolate scent of any blend I’ve tried so far! My kitchen smelled like I was baking brownies while this was steeping. Chocolate is definitely in the forefront of the flavor as well, with the chai element coming in as a gingery heat at the end of the sip. Personally, I would call this blend “Chocolate-Covered Ginger”. It’s not my favorite combination, but I’d be interested in trying some other chocolate teas from this brand, because their chocolate flavoring is excellent!

Herbal TTB

I’ve had some delicious melon teas from Butiki and Lupica in the past. This one smelled good, but fell short of my expectations. (I feel like I say that a lot in my tasting notes; I tend to choose what teas to buy/drink based on aroma and that can be deceptive.) I definitely get honeydew from this, but it’s mixed with another vague, artificial fruity flavor (I guess that must be the kiwi?) that I’m not enjoying. It’s also unexpectedly sweet; a bit too sweet for me. Although I don’t see stevia in the ingredients list, this is definitely reminding me of some of the pre-sweetened teas I’ve tried from Republic of Tea. Overall, I’m not a fan.

Herbal TTB

Ooo, this one is tasty! Some gingerbread teas that I’ve tried have come across as just a heavy-on-the ginger chai, but this one has a legitimate gingerbread flavor: warm and nutty with just the right amount of spice. The aftertaste is perfect…sweet and almost cake-like with none of the woody flavor you sometimes run into with rooibos. I would definitely consider purchasing more of this one!

Herbal TTB

My first thought when I wake up in the morning is often, “What kind of tea should I drink with breakfast today?” (Surely I’m not alone?) This morning, I was really craving Butiki’s Hello Sweetie. Sadly, it’s gone forever, so I decided to try this similar-sounding blend from 52Teas. The scent was very promising…lots of sweet banana and coconut goodness, just like Hello Sweetie. But for me, the flavor just wasn’t enough. I mostly tasted the honeybush base with little bit of mild, watery banana flavor. I didn’t get anything that was reminding me of coconut or cake. Guess I’ll have to keep hunting for the perfect replacement!

Tried this one at work today. I love raspberries but dislike hibiscus, so I didn’t have super-high hopes. As I expected, this was quite similar to Celestial Seasonings’ Raspberry Zinger. It brews up to a deep pink color with a heavy raspberry aroma. The flavor starts off with sweet berry, but then shifts into tart hibiscus at the end of the sip. A bit of astringency lingers in the aftertaste. I would drink this again, but only if there were no better options available.

Flyawaybirdie kindly included a sample of this tea in her Christmas card. While I ordinarily prefer Chinese black teas to Indian, I quite liked this one. It’s surprisingly robust with a strong fruity flavor and another taste that I can’t quite put my finger on…it’s a bit earthy, but not in an unpleasant way. There is just a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste, so I may try a shorter steep time or a splash of milk next time.

Tried this one at work today. It wasn’t as bad as some other Bigelow blends I’ve tried, but I still wasn’t a fan. It’s very tart and slightly floral, thanks to the hibiscus (which also makes it a bright pink color). However, the lemon flavor itself isn’t the worst I’ve had; it’s fairly natural and not overly aggressive. I wouldn’t buy this one, but I’d drink it again if there weren’t any better options available.

Holiday TTB

I received the decaf version of this tea in my Happy Bag last year and wasn’t a fan…the base tea had an odd aftertaste that really ruined the experience for me. I definitely prefer this one! The strawberry vanilla flavoring is sweet and natural and the base tea is nice and smooth. I still like Lupicia’s Strawberry Vanilla Green Tea better, but this one is good too!

Holiday TTB

This is an absolutely inspired flavor combination! The sweetness of the peach flavoring balances the sharpness of the bergamot perfectly and the Formosa base adds an interesting complexity that makes it a bit more special than a typical earl grey. I’m hanging onto this one!