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I received a sample of this from a very lovely gal. It’s not normally something that would sound appealing to me. I tend to stay away from teas that sound overly spiced. This is not bad, though. The dry leaf definitely smells like bubblegum, but the steeped tea tastes like what I’d imagine an orange studded with cloves would taste like. I was hoping for a bit less spice, but it’s not terrible. The clove compliments the orange quite nicely. The cinnamon was present but more in heat than in taste, if that makes sense. The blend is very warming. If I still ate steel cut oats, this would make an incredible base for them. It’s bubblegum alright, but the Big Red variety. I don’t hate it, but it’s not something I plan to stock up on. It’s a pleasant tea to enjoy unsweetened while I finish out my Whole30 (which has turned into a Whole100) journey.

I found a bag of this floating around in my collection while purging last night. I have so much tea to get rid of before the end of the year! This is light, a bit fruity, and tastes like green tea without being bitter. It’s not bad. It’s not sweet to me and is absolutely something I think would benefit from a little sweetener, but it’s tasty without it as well. It’s not something I’d stock up on (not that I could because it’s long discontinued), but it’s not something I’ll mind finishing.

This tea smells incredible. I love all things amaretto, so I knew this would be the one tea from this year’s winter collection that I had to purchase. While I like the flavor of the tea straight, it’s just begging for sweetener. Darned whole100 journey! I might try adding a bit of citrus juice to enjoy the bit I’ve got in my cupboard, and I’ll buy a few ounces to enjoy when I start reintroducing things to my diet in a few months.

I took advantage of DT’s recent F&F sale to try a few new-to-me teas in an effort to find teas that I can enjoy without the addition of sweetener. I’ve tried a few oolongs in the past and haven’t been overly fond of them. After hearing people rave about this tea on a FB group I decided to add it to my list, and I must admit that this tea is delicious and very smooth. I might have to rethink my stance on oolongs. The vanilla flavor is sweeter and more dessert-y than I was expecting. I imagine this would be very tasty with sweetener and that it would work really well as a latte. I’m glad I gave it a go. I’ll finish off the half ounce I purchased before making a final decision, but this might become a part of my regular morning tea rotation.

I don’t know what I was expecting. I don’t think I was paying enough attention to the ingredients. It smells like blueberries. The aftertaste tastes like blueberries. It’s the initial floral taste that I’m not crazy about. Thankfully the aftertaste lingers quite a bit. I think I’d really enjoy this iced and sweetened. However, since I’m avoiding sweeteners for the time being, I thought I’d try this hot and I’m not too keen on it. I’m both glad that I only have a few grams to sipdown for now and that it’s a permanent tea should I want to revisit it when/if I start reintroducing sweeteners to my diet.

I’m having this hot this morning. There’s a damp chill in the air, and I wanted something that tasted like fall. I haven’t been drinking a lot of tea lately because I’m challenging myself to avoid sweeteners, but this sounded like a nice way to start the day. I don’t mind that it’is tart, with cranberries and hibiscus I expected it to be a bit sharp. With a lack of added sweeteners, though, I do think I’d prefer it over ice.

Whoa. Holy nutmeg! This blend is a full-on assault of spice. To my tastebuds all the typical autumn baking spices are present and accounted for, so I’m not sure why it’s called Spiced Pumpkin. The pumpkin flavor is so faint that it’s almost an afterthought. Just name it Pumpkin Pie Spice and be done with it. It’s sweet but the sweetness doesn’t read as maple to my palate. I bought 4 ounces and I’ve sipped through about 1 ounce. I’ve had it on its own (hot and cold) and added into other pumpkin teas (hot and cold). This is one to add to the box of unloved teas to re-home.

Also, what’s this thing with calling anyone who likes pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavored things basic and/or basic white girl? I must be behind the times.

Of the three teas in this year’s “pumpkin collection” at DT, this mate blend is my favorite. I don’t mind the roasted, earthy flavor of the mate. I think it compliments the pumpkin/squash flavors really well. There is noticeable spice but, thankfully, it does not overwhelm the blend. I love the idea of a pumpkin tea, but I’ve yet to find one that ticks all the boxes for me. I have such a difficult time explaining the fact that pumpkin spice is not the same as pumpkin. This is a pleasant tea, but I find I enjoy it more hot than iced. If I want hot tea in the morning I’m more likely to grab a black tea than a mate. I have about 50 grams left, and I think that’s sufficient. I wouldn’t be opposed to swapping it away for something I’d enjoy more, but it’s not something that I’m in a hurry to get rid of.

I’m contemplating taking the Whole30 challenge next month. I really need to sift through the teas I have to find something that I’ll enjoy drinking unsweetened. I might have to rely on some bagged teas from Tazo or Republic of Tea. I’ve been able to cut back on “refined” sugar by adding liquid stevia to my tea, but this unsweetened tea business is going to be a whole new ball game for me. Giving up sweetened tea is going to be such a challenge; I reckon it’ll be harder than giving up desserts…or bread. Oh, to be from the South…where you have to make a point to say unsweetened iced tea at a restaurant because sweet tea is the norm.

I’ve been really enjoying this an afternoon tea while at work. It’s a nice sweet tea that helps to curb my sugar cravings that creep up right around 3 pm.

I’m not a huge fan of apples or green tea, but, to my surprise, I enjoy this tea over ice.

I don’t find that the green tea in this blend is bitter or that the hibiscus overwhelms the blend. This tea is essentially all apple. I find that it tastes predominantly of fresh, juicy, lightly sweet apple and has a bit of a candy apple finish. The pear flavor is lighter than I would’ve liked, but I don’t mind that. The tea is called Honeycrisp Apple after all.

It’s a nice tea and I’ll probably keep it in my drawer at work as an afternoon teatime option. It’s not my favorite tea from the fall collection but I have purchased 6 ounces of it to sip over the next few months.

If you love teas with bold apple flavor and don’t mind teas that are on the sweet side, I’d say this is worth a try.