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So this is the second steep of the cup I had yesterday. I pretty much followed the same brewing instructions.

I’m getting more of the coconut today. The spices are still there, but they’re not overwhelming everything else this time. I can also pick out the cumin today, peeking out from behind the coconut and spices. Still subtle, and I still have to look, but it’s definitely there.

This cup was nice yesterday, but I’m enjoying being able to pick out all the different flavors today. It makes it a little more unique, whereas yesterday, I was getting almost coconutty chai. Today, it’s all there. And it makes me happy.

I think between the two, I’m going to go to 52Teas Smoky Spice Chai for my cumin fix, but I’m definitely going to enjoy the rest of this.

I followed the instructions this time! Although it was sitting for a lot longer than ten minutes before I got to drink it.

While the smoky spice chai was very strong on the cumin, this one is a bit more subtle. I’m not getting it as a flavor so much as a warmth in the flavor of the tea. I’m definitely getting coconut, but it’s not as strong as in some other coconut chais I’ve had. It’s more of a background player, with the chai spices taking center stage. It’s like three tiers of flavor, with the chai spices (particularly cardamom) on top, the coconut kind of supporting it, and the cumin beneath that. It’s very pleasant, and blends together nicely.

Ok, so I actually followed the brewing recommendations on this one today. The leaves o this were pretty spread out, so the 4.5 teaspoons isn’t quite as much tea as I keep thinking it is. At least for the first steep. It smells like this beautiful malted chocolate in the cup. It reminds me a little of the Horlicks/Bournvita I drank growing up as a kid.

The first sip takes that away, since I don’t have the sweetness from those blends, but I’m pretty sure some milk and sugar would transform this to a near taste-alike, if not an exact match. But I shouldn’t do that, or I’ll be drinking this late at night and not be able to sleep.

This is still pleasant, though, with only the lightest touch of bitterness, even brewed at 205 degrees. It’s mostly an unsweet chocolate malt to me. I can glean some of the citrus in this, but only if I look really hard. I’m already thinking of trying to do the second infusion today, if I can finish this first cup quickly enough. I want to see how it works with the milk and sugar.

Second steep: This was brewed between 195 and 200 degrees, for 5 minutes (didn’t quite manage to hit the exact temperature with the microwave this time). I also added milk and sugar this time. It was nice, but the milk and sugar kind of muffled the taste notes. Rather than the malted hot chocolate taste I was hoping for, it just like simple black tea, with a little bit of malt powder in it. Maybe I’ll try it again with half as much sugar and milk, but I think so far, I prefer this one without them. They just tend to drown the flavor out a lot more than I’d like.

This version is from the 52Teas reboot.

Good tea with a touch of sweetness. It takes a bit of resting on my tongue for the banana bread to come out, but it’s definitely there, just hiding in the background, waiting for the tea to step out of the spotlight so it can peek out from behind the curtain.

This is a very nice tea, but I’m not getting quite enough banana bread flavor. What’s there blends beautifully with the black tea, but there isn’t quite enough of it to stand out. This might be another case of my needing to enhance it with a bit of milk and sugar but… I almost never remember to do that. I like others from this brand better.

I am starting to wonder if I’m doing so wrong, or maybe I’m still developing my tea tasting buds. I’ve enjoyed all the teas I’ve tasted from 52Teas so far, but there seem to be several where I don’t quite pick up on the flavors as much as I’d like. Then again, when I do get it, it’s generally a home run for me. It’s like the tea equivalent of BPAL for me.

Ok, I had to just let this steep while I did things (like reboot my laptop to get it running smoothly again), so this has been sitting for awhile. I can smell the slightest hint of sweet toffee in the air, though. Mmmmmm…… toffee. I was really excited when I received this one in my subscription. One of my favorite types of candy combined with my favorite kind of tea? This has some serious possibilities.

I may have let this one get a little too cold, but ……….mmmmmm……. toffee. I am getting it, but it’s pretty subtle behind the chai, like a background flavor. Maybe a little sugar would bring out that flavor more. At the moment, those gorgeous chai spices take center stage, and almost all the attention.

In subsequent sips, the toffee flavor comes out a little better (kind of how like in certain spicy foods, you don’t notice the spiciness at first, but it builds up to a slow, warm burn I love that kind of kick). Also, the aftertaste of the tea as it goes down is heavier on the toffee flavor.

This is very ice, but I think I’m going to want to experiment with this one a little. Namely – a little bit of sugar to bring out the sweetness a little more. (I’m almost tempted to add a little bit of butter to my next glass to see how that would come out. Nah. Better yet, I could melt little toffee bits with it (Mmmm… need to munch on some of my Brandini toffee).

Mmmmmm……….. delicious smokiness

Odd, I thought I’d reviewed this one already. My fiancee brewed this one for me, so I don’t have the temperature, though I think he gave it to me within the first 2-minute steep time (though the ball is still in the tea).

Definitely strong on the mint – the is the kind of mint that reminds me of wintergreen gum – minty and sweet at the same time. It’s extremely pleasant.

Note: This is the reblend from the new 52Teas.

Forgot to log this yesterday, so I don’t have temperature information. I think I left the tea ball in, too. Strangely enough, it seems like I didn’t review this the first time I tried it, too.

This is delightful. It’s not a tea I’d be in the mood for all the time (I seem less inclined to citrus flavored teas than others), but it is very nice. It’s very heavy on the lemon, but the lemon is also very well blended with the sweetness. It’s like 60% lemon, 40% marshmallow/sugar/cream in my mouth. Or maybe 20% tea, 40% lemon, 40% sugary creaminess. Perhaps I should try this one with a bit of cream and sugar. I haven’t had good luck with citrus teas and milk (tends to curdle it), but I feel like the milk could enhance this one. Then again, I’ve felt that for a lot of dessert-y teas, and I’m usually pretty content without it. _