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I received this as a free sample with my first order from A Quarter to Tea. This isn’t necessarily something I would have ordered for myself, but it’s tasty! The base tea is smooth and light, really letting the flavorings shine through. The bergamot is strong, but not overpowering. The vanilla flavoring is surprisingly natural and brings a nice creaminess and the maple adds sweetness and depth. I found it enjoyable plain and even better with a splash of milk. This order is off to a good start!

This is a new blend that TeaSource came out with before Christmas and I just had to try it when I placed an order during their recent sale. Butiki’s Pistachio Ice Cream is one of my all-time favorite teas and I was eager to see how this one compared. As it turns out, there is no comparison! Despite the name, this tea doesn’t have much of a pistachio scent or flavor. Instead, there are strong almond notes, along with a rich, buttery scent that really does remind me of a shortbread cookie! Although it’s not at all what I expected (Spritz Cookie would have been a better name), this is a delicious dessert tea that I’m happy to have in my cupboard!

Indigo Tea Company has some really lovely blends, but I rarely buy from them because of their 4oz minimum. This was a random 1-cup sample I found kicking around in my tea box…I think it came from skysamarai via a TTB. The last green Earl Grey I tried was unpleasantly grassy and bitter, but this one was really nice! A very smooth, slightly fruity green base layered with a strong but not too sharp bergamot flavor.

Adagio blends have been pretty hit and miss for me in the past, but I do like their caramel flavoring. So when I saw this was supposed to be a caramel blueberry tea, I got excited! The scent was delicious caramel-sweet fruity goodness. The flavor was heavy on the caramel with little hints of fruitiness that didn’t really taste like blueberries to me, but it was still a very pleasant combination. I enjoyed this one!

Working from home today and trying to make a dent in my sample pile before more new tea arrives next week! I believe this one was from Flyawaybirdie’s Christmas card. The leaves are long, dark, and wiry with a light honey aroma. But steeped, this tea has an unexpected scent of green beans! The flavor is also a bit vegetal, reminding me more of a green tea than a black tea (although the color is a deep mahogany brown). The honey flavor comes through mainly in the aftertaste. The tea is super smooth with not even a hint of bitterness or astringency…the silkiness is similar to an oolong. Not really something I’d purchase, but I’m so glad I had the chance to try it and experience a completely black tea from anything else I’ve ever tried!

I have two big tea orders coming my way, so time to sip down my sample pile and make room! This was my breakfast tea of choice today. The leaf is pretty: small, dark, tightly-curled leaves. It brews up to a clear reddish-brown with a warm, malty scent. I often add milk to straight black tea, but this one is lovely all by itself: smooth and flavorful with notes of malt, plum, and dark cocoa. No bitterness or astringency even after a 4-minute steep. Delicious!

I tried this one at work today and was pleasantly surprised. For a grocery store bagged Earl Grey, this is really good! The black tea base is super smooth and silky (it almost reminds me of an oolong) with absolutely no bitterness or astringency. I typically drink my Earl Grey with milk, but this is one I enjoyed plain. I wish the bergamot flavor had been a little bit stronger, but that’s my only complaint.

Mmm, this is tasty! It has a rich nutty flavor with notes of caramel sweetness and just a touch of spice. It also has an unexpectedly creamy mouth feel which adds to the decadent experience. For me, this is one of those teas that can actually stand in for dessert. Delicious!

Despite the name, this blend really didn’t taste much like vanilla. The base tea is robust and malty (actually, I think I’d quite enjoy this one plain) and I’m also getting a fairly strong cocoa note from the carob bits. It’s pleasant enough, but poorly named in my opinion!

I’m still battling the tail-end of a cold, so decided to give this tisane a try at work today. Based on the name, I was expecting a straight ginger tea. But to my surprise, I’m also picking up on some lemony notes and a peppery kick at the end of the sip, followed by a licorice-sweet aftertaste. On an ordinary day, I think I’d find this mish-mash of strong flavors way too overpowering, but on a sick day, I’m actually finding the strong flavor rather enjoyable. It’s also proving quite soothing to my throat. I may need to add this one to my list of teas to keep on hand for illness!