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Not a great tea by any stretch of the imagination, but this is one that’s still usable in my cupboard because of the purpose it serves. When I’m sick with a nasty coughing cold, I make this (yes decaf, I’m sensitive to caffeine), add lemon (nice big chunk, squeezed), honey, and some rum, and my throat is happy. Sure, there are other decaf greens I could probably use, but I like this one for now.

Awful. Awful awful. This stuff just makes your water (or water and milk) taste like water with some cinnamon added. Does it taste like chai masala (spice tea)? No. Does it taste like tea at all? No. This stuff is a waste of packaging, and the itty bits of spices in the bags are good enough for the compost pile and little else. : (

Tried this once so far, and it was pretty terrible. However, did not attempt to make this on the stovetop with blended water and milk, so I cannot yet judge it. Hoping for a better experience next steep.

Still not qualified to rate this one yet. I brewed up a nice strong cup of this baby today…to mix with rum, lemon juice, and honey. I’m sick sick sick; having caught a cold the Thursday before last, getting the flu last Monday, having my cold worsen this past Thursday, study and take my pediatrics final (Friday night, and Saturday morning respectively), then have the cold get even worse (somehow) last night. So, it was definitely time for a hot toddy today.
My regular 12 oz. cup of tea made with two big teaspoons of this gunpowder,
about an ounce and a half of rum, a squirt of lemon juice (a slice of lemon is best), and a tablespoon of local honey. Yum. Soothes the throat.

Alright, alright. This is much better on subsequent tastings. The leaves are long and gorgeous when unfurled, and the scent of the strawberries really is reminiscent of a late-spring/early summer morning. I’ve gotten rather fond of this tea after trying it a few times, and am starting to open up to more greens of late. This is quite tasty with a short steep, at a normal low green-tea temp.

Meh. Not very interesting. As I drink more teas, I’m getting less and less interested in rooibos and tisanes, thus, this “tea” is not working for me. Weak, fruity-ish, rather boring. I’ll finish the cup since I’m sick with the flu and trying to stay hydrated, but it’s not something I’d choose to drink.

Glad I just had a sample of this. Cannot taste the papaya very much, but there’s a definite note of peach in there. Not much else.

Smoky, some depth of flavor, but not my thing. It’s not as full-bodied as I was hoping, and the smoky bitterness is really not up my alley. Glad to try a Darjeeling, but this one isn’t a keeper for me.

Where was the oolong? Didn’t even see tea in the mix until after it had steeped.

Being my first time with this tea, I made it with my usual half water/half 1% milk and a teaspoon of sugar. WHOA, way too sweet. I’m inexperienced with carob, and I guess that must have added some sweet? Also, the fake cinnamon flavor is more than too sweet and a bit overwhelming. This tastes like lots of other masala chais, just with fake cinnamon added.

How do they charge $12 for this? Glad I got it for free, since I wouldn’t buy it. Will try this with minimal sugar, and perhaps less milk next time. Strange brew.

The story behind my having this tea is rather interesting. I ordered from Teavana back in December, and received a couple of the teas (which I had gotten at deep discount) singly, and shipped via UPS (pretty expensive, especially since I live in a rural area). Then, during later January, then February, then the beginning of March, I just kept getting emails stating that the rest of my order would be shipped within 30 days. Great. I believed them the first time, but after the second identical email, I was less trusting.

Anyway, I then contacted Teavana through their website…No response….Then left a message on their Facebook…That got a response. They explained that my teas were all either out of stock or discontinued and would send a package to make up for it. OK, why didn’t they just say the stuff was discontinued a long time ago?

So, that’s how I got this tea. It arrived with a couple of massive tins and some other bags yesterday in a big box, and I opened this at the behest of my daughter who wanted to smell it. It smells awesome. Reminds me of summer mornings when I would get up early with my Mom to pick strawberries. The green tea smells fresh and grassy-green (in a good way), and the strawberries smell real and juicy. After steeping, it maintains its aroma, but on tasting it falls short of the mark. Just not that flavorful. Maybe, if I added more sugar it would be brighter, but I’m not a big sugar fan. A teaspoon in 12 oz. should be enough, and it’s not with this tea. Drinkable, but not something I would purchase…Except maybe to use it as potpourri.

Lastly, I looked at the packing slip from the Teavana “gift,” and noticed that 1 Teavana mug was supposed both packaged and shipped in the order. It wasn’t. I don’t want or need another mug – I just find their customer service to be weird, disjointed, and lacking in follow-through.

That’s my weird story, and I’m stickin’ to it.