Kaylee Send Message

Thanks so much for this one, MissB! Sweetness, peppermint… dead on for a candy cane! I still haven’t decided whether I like this one or Tiesta’s Minty Winter Wonderland better. They’re similar enough that I don’t feel the need to regularly stock both, but one of them definitely needs to be on hand.

Whispering Pines has yet to disappoint. This blend is both simple and simply perfect. It has a rather thick mouthfeel, though I wouldn’t go so far as to call it bready. The initial flavor is sharp ginger. Spicy cinnamon finishes the sip and builds over time. Definitely lives up to its name. Thanks for checking another tea off my wishlist, MissB!

Reluctantly going caffeine-free for the rest of the day. Silly doctors, trying to help me get/stay healthy!

I still quite enjoy this one. Mmmmmminty! It’s unsurprisingly similar to Simpson & Vail’s Candy Cane Rooibos, though this one is creamier and not quite as sugary-sweet.

Hmm. This one really isn’t working for me today. The cream isn’t coming through, the strawberry tastes rather artificial, and there’s an unpleasant dryness going on. I’ve been storing it in an airtight package in a dark, cool place, so hopefully the tea hasn’t gone bad since I bought it 10 months ago… I won’t change my rating for now.

Whoa. This is hands down the best chocolate tea/tisane that I have ever had. Rich, thick, creamy, and a touch spicy. Just fantastic. I think the vanilla is contributing to the creaminess, but I can’t taste any vanilla flavor per se. It makes me terribly tea-sad that this blend is also giving me more tingling in my mouth and throat than should be happening. I think I’m allergic to some ingredient here, though I can’t figure out what it is. This would absolutely be in my must-have regular rotation otherwise.

This one comes to me courtesy of the ever-thoughtful MissB, who noticed that this was on my wishlist and included it with my stash sale purchase. Thanks!

I really wanted to like this one. I’ve tried different amounts of leaf, different steeping times, with and without sugar… this just doesn’t work for me. Hot, the mango taste just doesn’t sit right. I do find this more pleasant when it cools. It tastes almost like mango nectar. I’m learning that I don’t often like tea that tastes overly like juice, though. If I want juice I’ll just drink juice, dangit. But this could be nice for anyone who can’t have juice for some reason or another.

I find this one really phenomenal. I’ve never had anything quite like it. Floral, but not overly perfume-like. Layered. I got at least 4 good steeps out of this one and each one was nuanced and lovely. I’ll write up a proper tasting note eventually, but I wanted to get it down that I enjoyed this blend.

I picked this up during MissB ’s stash sale. Or, more accurately, she noticed that this was on my wishlist and threw some in with my actual order. Thanks!

Experience has taught me that Frank’s dessert honeybush/rooibos blends demand sugar to really bring out their best flavor. This one surely does. With the addition of some brown rock sugar, this tastes of peanut butter cups. Not peanut butter, not chocolate, but precisely the combination. It’s interesting. I’m not picking up cheesecake flavor per se, but there is an underlying creaminess. Nice.

Well, this smells like figs and nuts. But it tastes like hibiscus juice. Tartness tempered by ridiculous sweetness and a thick mouthfeel. I picked up 2 oz for $2 at the Heavenly sale, which is honestly about what I think it’s worth. It’s certainly drinkable (what’s not to like about tart & sweet?) but it’s far more like a juice than a tea or tisane.

Thanks to the mahvelous MissB for noticing that this was on my wishlist and including some in my order.

All I’m getting out of this is cinnamon. Just… cinnamon. Not unpleasant, but one-note. I tried adding brown rock sugar to coax out some creaminess. It didn’t work. This is a nice basic cinnamon tea but nothing special for me.

sipdown