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Wow – the cocoa notes in this tea! Rich, dark, cocoa that complements rather than overpowers the tea. Surprised that there’s only tea and vanilla in this blend, since it’s so full-bodied, earthy and complex. I shamefully did not do a second steeping, which is such a waste. Next time I brew it, I’ll make sure to get all I can out of it. Wonderful quality (as one would expect from this vendor), perfect for breakfast on a chilly day. Or after dinner on a chilly evening. Or anytime the mood for a bold tea strikes.

So very good. Not getting much in terms of malt, which is strange as I associate malty flavors with Assam teas. Doesn’t matter – it’s still really enjoyable. Perfect breakfast tea, even better with milk, as expected. I added evaporated milk to this, which made it heavenly. Nice and full bodied, with a hint of sweetness. Love!

This is a wonderful Ceylon Nuwara Eliyah – nice and bright, with a honey-like sweetness to it. It’s the flavor that most represents “tea” to me, and comfort as well. Awesome with milk, even more awesome with a tiny bit of sweetener. Purchased from a charming little tea house in Stockholm with a limited online presence, so when it’s finished, that’s it unless I go back. I’ll enjoy it to the very last.

I really want to like this tea, since Capital Teas only sells it in one pound amounts (very shrewd, CT, very shrewd). Despite their claim that this is a best seller, I find it insipid. Not much almond flavor to it, a little too much cinnamon, and apple from the apple pieces. I’ve been desperately trying to get through it, since I’ve got so much of it. Not sure what made me buy it – I think I really liked the sample and smell of it when I tried it at the NYC Coffee & Tea Festival a couple of years ago, but I’ve been struggling with it ever since. A little better hot rather than iced , but not by much. Strangely, there’s a little bit of viscosity to the brew that I find off-putting (hot or iced). Lesson learned – never buy a pound of ANY tea unless it’s something you drink all the time.

Sipdown (from last year!!!). Favorite autumn tea, perfect balance of chai spice and pumpkin flavor. I am an unapologetic fan and will be replenishing this shortly.

I finally opened this up after it had spent an embarrassingly long time sitting in the cupboard. Why, oh why, do I do this? Too many teas, too little time, I guess. I want, I buy, then I “get around to drinking it.” Terrible behavior, but such is the life of this tea addict.
I clearly like coconut flavored teas, because this is the fourth tea I own that has coconut in it. As others have observed, the scent of the dry leaf is divine – mouthwatering, even. No way the brew could deliver that much taste, and it doesn’t. BUT – it still tastes great, just not nearly as aromatic and flavorful as the scent would lead you to believe. Not the first time that’s happened to me, anyway, so I took that in stride. Cocoa-y goodness with a hint of coconut – what’s not to love? A bit Almond Joy-ish, Bounty Bar-esque, with the coconut definitely there, but in the background. Although a great dessert tea, I had it at breakfast, with no regrets. I did overleaf just a little bit, but the brew didn’t suffer for it -
in fact, I think overleafing just a bit does it good. Lovely with milk, no sweetener, per my usual. I’ll continue to enjoy this one, and it’s too bad I waited so long to open it – will be making up for lost time now.

Since I’m a matcha newbie, I wanted to buy something of decent quality but without spending a fortune. I thought this was a solid purchase, not cheap but not exorbitant, and so far I’m really happy with it. I used this to make an iced matcha latte using almond milk with no sweetener, whizzed up in a blender and poured over ice, no muss, no fuss. Delicious! If I’d known how easy and tasty this is, I would’ve dipped into this ages ago, but for some reason I thought I should first try it as a straight up bowl of matcha. Now that I know how good it is as a latte, I will be trying it more traditionally very soon. Well, when the weather stops being so summery – and I turn toward more hot teas than iced.

Very cool looking leaf – tight little spirals of gold. I did not use a gaiwan, brewing it western style (Bad girl, Sakura!) for the 5 minutes suggested. I’m getting a bit of earthy cocoa, and wish I could detect more than a hint of honey. I’m searching for it, and it’s there, just not as apparent as I hoped for. Really enjoyable tea, though, and I’m finding it comforting, a break from my all-too-usual flavored teas. I tend to not be able to get to a second infusion in one sitting, so what I’ve been doing with the second infusion is to take the brew and chill it for iced tea later. SO GOOD. I love it iced this way, and at least I get a second brewing out of it. I have to say, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the various WP teas I’ve been trying. I’m sticking with blacks, as that’s my preference, and I’m really pleased, overall. Good stuff.

This always comes across as white cake with raspberry filling to me, perhaps because my taste buds translate the black currant and vanilla flavors that way. This is a really nice tea, one that I keep forgetting about, then coming back to and wondering why I don’t drink it more often. Yes, it has bergamot. Yes, I HATE bergamot. But, somehow, it works for me in this tea, perhaps because it’s very much a minor note and works to brighten and complement the other flavors rather than standing out.

This is essentially a vanilla coconut black tea, but it is awesome. The only place I can get this is a coffee (!) place about 45 minutes away, so when I’m in the neighborhood, I make sure to pick up some. The vanilla is very mellow and smooth, more like baked goods than straight up vanilla, and the coconut is mellow as well – a perfect compliment to the vanilla. Neither one obscures the tea taste; it all works very harmoniously. Comforting and delicious, it’s a definite favorite of mine.