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The overall flavour is quite nice, don’t get me wrong. There’s a bit of creaminess to it, which is always welcome without the addition of actual cream. But I steeped it hot and there wasn’t even a hint of mango. Maybe if I’d steeped it cold? I dunno.

I really liked this one, but I steeped it in just hot water, which I think impeded its realisation of its full potential. Had I not read the label, I’d have had no idea this was meant to be hot buttered banana bread; rather, it reminded me of Irish cream coffee sample packet I used to get from my local supermarket. I would have liked to have chai’d it up in the banana “milk” I use for my cereal. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to try it that way one day.

My brain keeps waffling between two flavours here: an orange creamsicle and Terry’s chocolate orange. I don’t like orange creamsicles and I love Terry’s chocolate oranges. One sip I’m all about this tea and the next I’m feeling kinda meh. Brain games, yay!

So. Orange (not specifically tangerine, but that’s okay) and marshmallow, they’re both there, which is some kind of sorcery in itself. I’m not completely sold on the cupcake, but the density of the black tea base lends the claim credibility.

Overall, this is a pretty good blend. It’s a great blend half the time—when my brain perceives it as Terry’s chocolate orange.

This one packs a greatly welcome strawberry punch. I steeped it in hot water, but would love to try it with coconut milk, or iced. Really, I could glug this by the litre; it’s simply fantastic. If it ever reappears in their inventory, I’m buying loads of it.

I was greatly entertained by this blend. It’s Juicyfruit. Y’know, the gum? It smells and tastes just like it. No pear or chai in this for me, but I’ve never drunk Juicyfruit, so that was fun.

2021 advent-ure begins! I lost track of just which advent calendar/holiday boxes I got this year, so I’m going to be doing this for a while, I think. =P Starting with my favourite arteasan, 52teas. And off to a great start, too. I can’t find any trace of this blend on their site, so the Steepster entry’s incomplete, but I just had to record it. If it ever goes on sale (again?), I’m grabbing a whole bunch of it.

This blend is bold and delicious. The dry whiff is definitely coconut and definitely ‘nog. There’s nothing weird or fermenty in the steeped leaf fragrance, either—it’s pure dessert, through and through. And it tastes so good! I used my entire sample in one serving, steeped in hot water, which is really unfortunate. I’ve got some plant-based ‘nog in the fridge and I would’ve loved to boil this in that on the stove, like standard chai prep. I think that would’ve been amaaaazing.

Nice coconut flavour! Creamy and toasty. I could smell the banana but I couldn’t really taste it. I still have a little bit left; I’m tempted to throw some banana chips in the next steep to see if I can boost that flavour a little. Also maybe steep it in coconut milk?

This was not a yummy sip.

The dry leaf smelled overwhelmingly like chamomile (which is funny ‘cos in my head I don’t really think of chamomile as having a strong fragrance). Steeped, I didn’t taste the chamomile, just apple and clove. And the lingonberry? I dunno. I think I got some lingonberry jam from IKEA, once, but I don’t remember its taste or whether any of that flavour in this blend.

Taste is a super subjective thing and I think maybe I don’t like hot cider? If you do, I think you’ll like this blend.

This blend is gorgeous. I love jasmine—the fragrance, the flavour, all the things. And while I like it with just about any tea, I think it works best as a white tea blend. (Oolong might be nice, too? I haven’t tried it.) This one’s super simple and straightforward, and utterly lovely.