Inkling Send Message

Strange VariaTEA TTB #34

I grabbed one of these sachets from the box to take to work with me. I don’t usually brew green tea at work, since I don’t have access to a temperature-controlled kettle there. I was pleasantly surprised that, despite probably being brewed with too-hot water, this one was nice and smooth with no bitterness or astringency. It had a vegetal, slightly nutty flavor that reminded me of green beans. Never run across this brand before, but I would drink it again!

Strange VariaTEA TTB #33

I mostly get the anise from this one, but the vanilla and sarsaparilla come through in the aftertaste, leaving me with a lingering impression of root beer. This probably isn’t something I’d normally gravitate toward, but the licorice root is soothing my throat this morning and I’m enjoying it.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #32

This was a very straightforward vanilla green tea with no other flavors going on that I noticed. It was pretty well-balanced from what I could tell and with a touch of honey I found it very soothing for a sore throat this morning.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #31

I haven’t had many watermelon flavored teas, so I was curious to give this a try. The watermelon flavor was surprisingly authentic! There was some hibiscus in there too, but thankfully the watermelon predominated. The lemongrass came out mainly in the aftertaste. Overall, this was a very refreshing, fruity tea which I probably would have hung onto for summer iced tea if it were a different time of year.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #30

This blend had a strong cherry aroma when I opened the bag (almost like cough syrup), which made me a bit nervous. But I’m glad I gave it a try, because it’s actually quite delicious! Cherry is definitely the predominate flavor here, but there’s a nice rich dark chocolate note that comes in at the end of the sip and lingers in the aftertaste. I drank it straight today, but I’m guessing this would be absolutely decadent as a latte!

Strange VariaTEA TTB #29

This has more of a light, floral flavor profile than I’m used to with milk oolong. I might have thought it was just an unflavored green oolong drinking it blind. It’s pleasantly smooth and buttery, though, and re-steeps really nicely.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #28

I think I would have enjoyed this one a lot more if they had used black tea in the base instead of puerh. It has a nice rich dark chocolate and almond flavor that reminds me of a candy bar. But the slightly funky note of the puerh base is unfortunately making me think of almonds that have gone rancid. I do appreciate how the blend fits the name/theme here; the flavor just missed the mark a bit for me personally.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #27

I was pretty surprised when this blend steeped up pink! Despite all the tropical-sounding teas that went into this tea, it had more of a berry/hibiscus flavor with just a bit of pineapple and coconut coming through. Thankfully the hibiscus was mild enough not to overwhelm the other fruity flavors, but this was still a bit of a letdown for me, as I was definitely hoping for more of a pina colada vibe.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #26

The dry leaf of this blend is LOVELY, with big chunks of cinnamon sticks and curls of coconut and it actually does smell like a cookie! I brewed it as an unsweetened latte and found the flavor to be more “cookie” than “chai”…definitely leaning more into a sweet, baked goods cinnamon flavor than the more spicy ginger and cardamom I associate with chai. I really liked the flavor as I was sipping, but (as with too many David’s Tea blends) the stevia took over in the aftertaste and tainted the experience for me. Without the stevia, I think this would be a favorite for me!

Strange VariaTEA TTB #25

There was no description on the bag, but I smelled the Lapsang so decided to give it a try. It really threw me when I realized there was jasmine in here too! I’m not sure the combination of floral and smoke is working for me, but it was certainly an interesting blend to try.