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I’ve been looking for an apple-flavored black tea ever since Adagio discontinued theirs. That’s harder than it sounds, since there are so many apple cinnamon teas and very few that are just apple.

This makes for a decent substitute. While it’s bland when hot, after it’s cooled a little it’s good and strong and appley. Planning on trying it iced next.

With the addition of milk along with sugar it tastes less like a cupcake and more like strawberry milk. Tasty either way, but I prefer it without milk.

Also the second steep brews up pretty much the same as the first.

I was surprised at how light this tea actually tasted. It’s got a very strong, sweet smell to it, not to mention a lot of lavender in the dry mix, so I was expecting something a little more intense than the light flavor I got at first. There’s also a subtle fruitiness, due to the apricot flavoring.

It’s certainly nice for the summer, kind of a “cheery” tea. The flavor becomes slightly stronger as it cools, but not much. Just enough.

I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I do drink it on occasion. I got curious as to what a coffee-flavored tea might be like, so I ordered some. There’s a lot of big pieces of almond in the blend. Not so many coffee beans, but that could just be my bag.

It certainly smells like coffee. It tastes like it too, in that’s what I’m primarily getting. Not so much the almond, but I suppose it’s because I was expecting a sweeter almond flavor like most almond-flavored things have. It’s something I’d drink in the morning really, or when I want coffee flavor without the jitters that strong coffee gives me.

Nope, just not my cup of tea. Nothing I can do makes it taste like anything but perfumed powder or soap. It’s more like something I’d want to wear, not drink. Seems as far as florals go, lilac isn’t for me.

I think I need to use a bit more than one teaspoon per cup for Simpson & Vail teas, since so far they seem to be very mild. That said, this tea’s actually really tasty.

I taste the strawberry and a tiny hint of chocolate; it reminds me a little of Adagio’s Valentines tea. There’s a little something else to it too, guess that’s the “cakey” note other people have mentioned. I’m the kind of person who could drink dessert teas every day, and not just for dessert, so I could see myself going through the 2 oz. bag I got pretty quickly. Next time I might add milk along with the sugar, see if that’ll coax the chocolate out a little more.

Since it’s just flowery tea day for me today, this time it’s lilac. The smell of the dry leaves is powdery and soft, kind of like a sachet. The brewed tea smells the same way.

It tastes like the various scented powders and sprays I used to coat myself in as a teenager smelled. Not entirely sure I’m used to, or really want, that as a flavor. I probably have to play with it a bit more and see what I think.

This is the first time I’ve ever tried a violet tea. Normally rose and lavender are my florals of choice, but I decided to try something new.

Anyone else remember the violet candy that came in the purple wrapper? It smells like that. As it should, considering it’s violet-flavored. I remember wanting it once as a kid because it was purple (my favorite color, ha) and spitting the first piece I put in my mouth out immediately because it tasted HORRIBLE to me. I figured that now that I’m older, I might be able to appreciate a floral flavor more. Like I said, I adore lavender and rose.

It reminds me of that candy when I add sugar. Not quite as in-your-face VIOLET, but I still remember it. I think I like this because the violet is more muted; too strong and I’d probably be spitting it out too. Probably not the first thing I’d go for when I want something flowery, but I could see myself buying it again on occasion.

I’ve been getting into Chinese black teas lately. They’re nice when I want something less bitter. Especially when I forget my cup and oversteep it; I can still drink it rather than throwing it away. This tea was fairly pleasant, slightly cocoa-ey and mild. More like something I’d drink in the afternoon than the morning.

I tried it with sugar as well, and found that I had to go very easy on it. The tea’s already sweet, so too much sugar and it becomes nauseating. No more than a half teaspoon.

It doesn’t really hold up well for a second steep. At least in my opinion anyway; the second steep was very light and bland. I could steep the Black Dragon Pearls three times and the Yunnan Jig twice, so the fact that this is only good for one was a bit disappointing. It’s a decent tea, but I’ll stick to other varieties with more staying power, especially if I’m paying $8 a bag for them.

For a cheap bagged tea, it’s really good. In fact, I think I prefer it a bit over the Twinings English Breakfast that used to be my go-to tea for years.