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Well…..I really wanted to like this tea, but had a feeling that I wouldn’t. Now, my girlfriend on the other hand likes it alot, she more of a cake person than I am. In regards to my impressions, this tea was a little artificial tasting. I think the beet and vanilla flavors may have been a little over the top. Once I added milk, well, it didn’t get better for my unfortunately. I could not finish the tea, it was just not my taste. The key word here is “my” since others have certainly enjoyed it.

Disclosure: I’ve recently come back to tea and have been experimenting with different types. I’m starting the realize that the more “traditional” (I’m referring to teas with more natural flavorings) teas are more to my liking, which this tea is certainly not.

What can I say about this wonderful black tea that has not been said already…Well, probably not much, but I will try to add to this collection of reviews with my impressions.

Sipping this tea has in many ways brought me back to my childhood. No, I was not raised in Taiwan, and am not Taiwanese, but this tea reminded me of the tea that I sipped at 12 years old when visiting family in the mountains of Syria. As i’m sure the tea that i’ve had there is not what i’m drinking here, I cannot help to be taken back.

This tea is a rich and delicious black tea. I taste the hints of chocolate in it, and it has a nice subtle astringency. I am not seasoned in describing teas, so I will stick to my emotions. When drinking this, I feel calm…a smile comes across my face and I take a moment to enjoy the present. However, I think that I can also enjoy this on the run, but I would not try to make this my quick on the go drinks. It’s too good for that, if that makes any sense……The leaves themselves…well, I must say that they don’t have much of a scent, but after being brewed, the tea has a nice hint of honey (no I did not add it in).

To conclude, I am very happy to have ordered this tea, and am thrilled that shipping is pretty much next day to my area :). Will certainly be ordering again!

Hmm, so this is my first taste of a pu-erh tea, which means that I don’t have another to compare it to. Regardless, In terms of taste, this tea was not for me. It was very “muddy” tasting for lack of a better word when combined with milk and a little sugar. Perhaps, I’m not as big a fan of mint tea as I had previously thought, but this did not rub me the right way….

For a beginning tea drinker who is coming from espresso and coffee, this tea was an interesting experience. I am new to green tea, and feel that this is a nice introduction. It’s very light, and I enjoy the hints of Jasmine. Certainly a tea that I would love to drink outdoors around some greenery, which i’m sure probably only makes sense to me! :)

LOVE this machine. It really is such a fun way to brew tea. Your able to see the leaves infuse into the water, don’t have to worry about temperature, and clean up is fairly easy (simple rinse for me after use). It’s also a stylish piece of kitchen equipment. The bottom plate inside the kettle can discolor, but that is likely from the tannins and can be cleaned easily from my understanding. I’m leaving it the way it is for now to help build up flavor. Also, I wish that it had increments beyond 5 degrees, but that just nit picking. :)

So this is my first review! Hurray! I’m new to drinking loose leaf tea, and figured that a black would be a great way to start. I ended up at teavana, which may not be the most loved place in the world, but the staff at my local store were not pushy and were very beginner friendly. However, i’m sure there are better teas and places. Anyway, i’m making this tea in the Breville one touch and use the Breville’s settings of 212 deg for 3 min (strong). I feel that with teavanas recommendations that the tea can be a bit weak for my taste (coming from a coffee background). However after adding 50% or more of the recommended amount, I really started enjoying this tea. It’s has hints of cocoa and goes nicely with a little milk, sugar and honey. I don’t have much to compare it to, but have an order of different black teas from DAVIDSTea coming soon. :)