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I forgot to log this one last night, so I am backlogging it now! I may update this in a bit though. I was so excited to receive my samples in the mail! The dry smell is warm and buttery. It took me a minute to realize that it smells nearly identical to David’s Tea Red Velvet Cake (which is one my my favorites). It also smelled similar while it was brewing and tasted nearly identical. I did not taste the coconut in this one.

I enjoyed the cup, though I think I will make this and Red Velvet Cake and try them both simultaneously to see if they are essentially the same tea. In good news, I only have one more class to complete work for before I have the week off! I designated this as my work day, so I can try to get it all done and not have to worry about anything next week. Thank you Courtney! :-)

I have to say I’m quite disappointed by this tea. The dry smell was wonderful, but it brewed rather weak. I steeped for seven minutes to see if it could get stronger. Unfortunately this was not the case. The flavors are nice, but light. I was in the mood for a full-bodied tea. At least I tried it! I’ll tinker around with it a bit to see whether or not I’ll offer it up for a swap.

I decided to make this again after some time passed. I’m still not the biggest fan of it, even after making it into a latte. Meh.

I like how I wrote this note under the wrong tea! Shows how tired I am… I am surprised at the random samples I find lurking in my cupboard sometimes. I am more surprised that I haven’t tried this tea yet! Since I still have work ahead of me, I thought I would make a cup.

The dry scent is sweet with a hint of vanilla. Brewing, it smells delicious. I took this with a bit of cream and sweetener and it is fabulous! It really does remind me of a yellow sheet cake with vanilla buttercream. I am trying to make this cup last while writing my essay, but I’m not sure if that will happen.

The only thing that made me think twice about making this tea was the amount of sugar compared to other teas. While the sugar content is still low, I am really strict about how much I consume. I’m sure I’m just being overly cautious; it’s not like I’m eating a piece of cake! Though that reminds me that I cannot wait to try out some new recipes for the upcoming holiday! My heavy school schedule prevents me from baking at the moment.

Anyhow, back to the essay before the power goes out!

I’m trying my best to keep focused on school work and studying, but I still have little motivation at this point. Random rant: I have been writing APA style papers for a couple of years now and apparently my writing skills are sub-par for this particular professor. Every paper I have written for that class is marked down one point over tiny details that none of my professors in higher level courses ever marked me down for. I may have a heart attack if I get full points on one paper! Ah well, onto the tea!

I’ve had this tea in my cupboard for a while, but finally got around to trying it. The dry smell is so good! It’s spicy from the clove and has a lot of citrus notes. Kind of reminds me of an orange clove pomander! I used one teaspoon, which was plenty for this cup.

I seem to be in the minority, because I actually like this tea. That said, I think it could be improved upon. It is rather tart from the cranberries and hibiscus, but the clove is nicely lingering in the background. I am drinking this with sweetener, which helps cut down on the tartness. I wish the orange was more present, but is overpowered by the tartness. It’s not an everyday tea, but it will be nice when it’s colder outside. I think I need to play around with this more.

Ah well, back to the grindstone I go. I cannot wait for graduation! :-)

I have been making a lot of tea lattes lately and thought this one might hold up well being in a latte form. I was correct! It is absolutely delicious. I used unsweetened almond milk and a touch of sweetener and it is perfect. I only have a small amount left, so I need to make it last. This is still one of my favorite pu’erh blends. :-)

I can’t say this tea is bad, but something seems off about it. The main taste I’m getting is a fake, chemical apple flavor that is off-putting. I can’t say I’m too disappointed, as this was a surprise sample I received a while ago.At least my curiosity is satisfied!

I discovered this sample in my cupboard and was surprised I didn’t get to it sooner! There was a lot of marshmallows in the bag, but I was still hopeful that other flavors would shine through. There is a hint of chocolate, but the primary flavor is marshmallow. Maybe I need to add more leaf next time. I think the one note this tea is missing for me is a bit of smoke that you get with a toasted marshmallow. I may have to experiment with this one for a bit before I have a definitive opinion of it.

In theory the flavor of this tea works. While I do not dislike this tea, I don’t particularly care for it either. It brewed a bit on the weak side for my liking. The taste is watered down orange with a bit of spice. This tea would be an improvement with more depth and body. I was happy to try it, but it’s not for me.

So I love apples, I’ll admit it… not only do I love apples, I love nearly anything maple. Of course, these are two things that I rarely have, due to the amount of sugar in both. I had high hopes for this tea due to the description and the ingredients: apples and maple sugar?? Sure, this tea contains some sugar, but not nearly enough to do any damage as drinking apple cider or using real maple syrup would.

Unfortunately I don’t feel this tea lives up to my expectations, though they may have been a little high. The tea in itself is on the weaker side. I taste apple, but no maple. Additionally I don’t taste any richness. I’m glad I purchased a sample to satisfy my curiosity, but I won’t be purchasing a full amount.