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My third in the TF sampler. A few months ago, I had mojitos in Boracay. That’s the best. There can only be one. Happy Hour from 2-8pm. 2 for 1 special. Lounge chair on the beach, 20ft from the water. Calamansi limes. Boracay sunset. Mmm…

…so I wasn’t expecting much from a marmalade mojito tea. Out of the packet it smelled like orange toothpaste. Kinda sweet in an artificial way. Kinda weak minty, like flavored toothpastes. It tastes the same as it smells. Spearmint dominates but the sweet orange comes through and mellows it out, with rooibos and honeybush adding more sweetness. It still reminds me of toothpaste. Or maybe the jelly filling in those orange-mint chocolates that I see around Christmas time. It’s good, but not mojito good – by any mojito standard, not just Boracay mojitos.

Most mojitos I’ve had use lemon, lime, and mint (which type of mint depends on the place). The flavors create kind of a sharp punch. Tart, minty, refreshing. The sweet orange in this tea mellows out the flavor combo and the spearmint is a weak, sweeter mint to begin with. Overall, it’s a sweet, pleasant dessert tea. A mojito, it is not.

My second from the Herbal Retreat sampler. Out of the packet it smells great, like blueberry muffins. It tastes like blueberry syrup though. Hot blueberry syrup with tartness from the hibiscus. Sage is somewhere in the background. Seems like it would be great iced. I’m not really a huge fan of this kind of tartness in a warm drink. It’s almost like a blueberry lemonade. Lemonade always seems better cold to me. Could definitely see it being delicious and refreshing on a hot day.

The first I tried from the sampler. It actually does smell and taste a bit like amaretto. Not exactly amaretto but reminiscent. Props for that. The apricot/peach flavors are like candied or dried apricot/peaches. Sweet, tasty, pleasant. I enjoyed it. It tasted best at a certain point between hot and warm, before it started approaching cool. I couldn’t really taste all of the flavors until it got to that perfect warm point. I also had to hunt for the flavors a little bit. It wasn’t bad, just wasn’t impressive. If I could put the tea on some kind of flavor steroids that would just enhance and boost the existing flavors, I’d like it more. It’s like, if you had a hot peach amaretto cocktail and watered down all the flavors you would get this tea. Pleasant enough to drink if it’s around, but not something I’d see myself going out to buy.

First time I tried this tea was pretty fun. The overall experience, that is. I spent pretty much the last half of Legion (terrible, but almost funny in a terrible way, zombie apocalypse movie) smelling the dry tea. Every time I opened up the bag it smelled like something different – vanilla one time, old lady potpourri another time, cookies another time, the tea incarnation of diabetus the next time. It was fun. Real pretty tea too. Taste… not so fun. I was expecting it to be sweet vanilla-y goodness, or sweet something, since it smelled so sweet out of the bag (most of the time). It was sweet, but the licorice went zombie apocalypse on the flavor on the back of the tongue and on the way down. On the tip of the sip it’s chamomile, vanilla, lemongrass and honeybush – a decent enough combo. Right before the swallow though, the licorice swoops in and claims my taste buds in the name of The Land of Eww. I’m not the biggest fan of licorice but I enjoy it when it complements other flavors in a blend. Here it just destroys the other flavors in a death match. I think I’d like it better without the licorice.

After some experimentation I’ve found it’s decent with some almond milk.

Finally, I bought this tea because I’m always looking for a great sleep aid tea. To me, chamomile teas are usually sleep aid teas. I didn’t feel any relaxing or calming effects from the tea though, so it’s a little disappointing in that respect. However, it seems like an alright digestive aid tea between the chamomile, lemongrass, and of course, the licorice.

Full Review: http://www.tea-tank.com/?p=83

This is an old standby from before I got into loose leaf. Despite its lack of flavor, I find it’s actually somewhat relaxing. The lotus, passion flower, and spearmint are stronger than the chamomile, though the chamomile is in there somewhere. It doesn’t taste terrible, but that’s because the flavor is so weak overall. Ultimately, it’s still in my cupboard because it’s got a decent chillout effect and since it works, it doesn’t have to taste amazing. Until I find something at least as effective and tasty, this will have to do.

This tea was discontinued, which is too bad because it’s pretty good. A tasty everyday tea. Multiple steeps with good strong flavor. Many steeps if you don’t mind the flavor tapering off a little bit. It’s a clean black tea with some delicate floral notes. Slightly roasty.

I love ginger teas and this one is pretty damn good. The ginger is warming but not overly spicy and the orange is sweet and mildly tangy. The berries kick in a little sweetness too. Good dessert tea. Good tea for an upset stomach. Good tea to cuddle up with. It’s becoming a regular in my caffeine-free lineup.

Full Review: http://www.tea-tank.com/?p=59

This is one of the first teas that got me into loose leaf. I picked up the bagged version on Woot in a really good deal. Huge eye opener to what tea could and should taste like compared to the tazos and stash I was drinking.

It’s a good, straightforward, no nonsense black tea. Has a good roasted flavor to it. Almost a honeyed kind of sweetness. No bitterness as long as it’s not oversteeped. Good, clean taste – especially for a bagged tea. One of my staples.

Full Review: http://www.tea-tank.com/?p=46

A very tasty tea. Buttery, honeyed, and a bit floral, the dreamy creamy tea pleases all the way down. It’s one of my favorites right now. The aroma is great right when you tilt the gaiwan lid. It just punches you in the face with awesome. Good for many many steeps depending on how you brew. I’ll be keeping this stocked in my cupboard.

Full Review: http://www.tea-tank.com/?p=10