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I finally got to go back to my regular haunt, Cuppa, today. It’s an amazing tea place here in town owned by an amazing lady and her family. I’ve missed them so much, and I got to stay and chat with them while they were doing their end-of-day routine.

Bought three teas there, and got a cup of this to go. It’s one of my favorite Art of Tea blends. It really, truly tastes like a pear that you’ve sliced and dipped into caramel fruit dip. The rooibos is not strong at all; the pear is definitely the star of this show. Makes a perfect dessert tea, or a before-bed treat.

Brewed for 10 minutes…love having a place where I’m such a “regular” that they remember how long I like my teas steeped!

What?! It’s 1 pm and Jaime’s drinking caffeine!! It had to be done. 1:30 meeting, 2:30 meeting, 3:30 meeting…all of which last 2 hours each. Not sure how it will be done, but it must be done with caffeine.

So I pulled this bag out of my tea chest at work. It’s not my favorite, not gonna lie. There’s this strong, slightly burnt taste that throws me off. And while I think it would probably go away with milk and sugar, a raid of the fridge only revealed Chocolate Raspberry creamer. And while I might put that into some hot chocolate, it ain’t about to go in my tea.

This is my absolute favorite breakfast blend. The taste is reminiscent of a cinnamon apple dumpling. The black tea base stands up well against the flavorings, and isn’t covered up at all. This is one of the teas that I’ll always have on hand.

Third steep: 7 minutes with boiling water. Tea is a little weak, but doesn’t taste too bad. The cashew is much more pronounced this time around, and there’s a bit of vanilla rather than white chocolate. Not sure if a fourth steep would be possible; I’ve got to figure out exactly how this re-steeping thing works. Any advice?

Accidentally brewed for oh, 11 minutes instead of the 5 I usually brew this for. Over-steeping doesn’t bother this infusion at all (apart from it getting cold). This is an amazing blend: fruity, full-bodied, with just the perfect hint of vanilla. It reminds me of a tea that I had at the tea room at Down House in Kent. I wish I knew what that exact tea was now; until I figure it out, this is a really good substitute. This is my second box; I’ll always have some of this on hand.

These hibiscus teas are just plain good. This one is very sweet, but is more apple-y than Asian pear. It’s probably the sweetest out of all the hibiscus teas I’ve had.

Put a tea with pineapple in front of me, and I’m a happy camper. This one is no exception to that rule. The pineapple is crisp, and the guava flavor gives it a nice tang. The fruit doesn’t overpower the taste of the white tea, either. A very good tea for summer; it’s also good iced.

Today’s one of those days at work. You know, the kind where you can get nothing you want to get done accomplished because the phone is constantly ringing? Yup, it’s that kind of morning. So I needed a happy, yummy tea to both calm me down and give me a bit of energy. Green tea it is!

I can taste more of the goji berries in this tea than the raspberry, and both more than the green tea (which seems to be common for Republic of Tea greens, or is that just me?). This is sweet and just the perfect shade of tart.

Think it’ll sweeten my disposition whilst answering the phones? Yeah, I don’t think so, either.

2 minute steep this time. Still not getting the raspberry, but at least the Bergamot doesn’t smack you in the face quite as hard. Lowering my rating; there’s much better Earl Grey blends out there.