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This is one of the teas that Ost sent me in my surprise birthday package. I got to try this once months ago (thanks to jump62359), and I’m so excited to try it again, since my tastes have changed so much since then.

I (of course) iced it. Juicy and mouthwatering and oh so refreshing. This is such a treat, and one I’m happy to say that I still like! Thanks Ost!

Backlog
After 11:59 pm rolled around on Friday night and all my assignments and quizzes and exams were either finished, or past due, and I decided to celebrate the end of D-day (most things due in one day that I’ve ever had).

I add sweetener to teas, so I don’t mind hibiscus in teas because it’s not overly tart with the sweetener.

Sweetened, I quite liked this. Tart in a pleasant way, citrusy, and just overall pretty tasty.

Backlog

So yesterday, between assignments, I stumbled to the kitchen, eyes blurry from staring at a computer screen, and searching for tea. This was sitting out on the counter, so it was chosen.

This smells like alcohol, something I’ve noticed in 52teas Honeybush blends. But it was already in my hand, and instead of searching for something else I decided to give it a shot anyway.

When I first got really into tea, I thought Rooibos was the bomb, and order a few different Rooibos teas, including 50g straight Rooibos loose and a box of straight Rooibos bags. Now, I realize I don’t like it as much as I thought, and all that straight Rooibos sits untouched.

Anyway, point is, when the Rooibos flavor is stronger in a blend, I’m not as pleased as I used to be. And while I didn’t really notice any alcohol in the taste (huge plus), there is a lot of woody Rooibos taste. There’s also some creaminess, seemingly from the coconut. And some spice.

Overall, not bad, but not my favorite.

I drank this while studying for one of my exams today. The dry scent was sweet and vanilla-y, but the flavor was basic black tea base, maybe a touch creamy, and not much vanilla to be seen. Overall pretty unremarkable, not the worst, but I’ve had better.

Today is going to be a busy stressful day. I’ve got a mountain of coursework to do and no desire to do any of it. As such I wanted something sweet an decadent to encourage myself. I reached for this.

This smells of caramel and a touch of truffle, with the barest hint of something fruity. Steeped up the smell is that of basic black tea, as well as sweet caramel.

I added sweetener (of course) and then because I was feeling indulgent, I added a splash of milk as well. Before added the milk, the black base was just as strong, if not stronger, than the caramel. After milk, the caramel became more creamy and apparent.

Even though the caramel is the star of the show here, there is some truffle at the end of the sip, and sometimes the pear comes out to play as well.

So I haven’t been on much because I started a new job this week, and it’s kicking my butt and robbing me off my time. I leave the house at 6am and get home at 4pm, and by that point, I’m exhausted, and pass out. Next thing I know it’s 7-8-9 o’clock and I’m wide awake. I usually don’t fall back asleep until after 2am, just to wake up in 3 hours and do it again.

On top of that, this Friday is my busiest school day of the semester. I have 3 exams, 2 quizzes, and 3 homework assignment all due, and I haven’t started on any of it because I’m so tired.

So I woke up at 9:30 from a 4.5 hour nap, and wanted a relaxing tea to encourage my body to go back to sleep at a reasonable time. So even though I’ve been off of green tea lately, I reached for this.

The dry leaf smells sweet and vegetal, like spinach, and a bit nutty. The wet leaf also has a bit of an asparagus smell.

The taste is light and nutty and sweet slightly vegetal. Green tea is one of the only teas I don’t sweeten. And this is no exception, delicious, delicate and soothing with no need to add anything.

I don’t know if I’m finally wanting green teas again, but this really hit the spot tonight. If only I didn’t have to be up in 4 hours.

The dry leaf of this smells fantastic. Like cocoa and malt. The flavor is malty and sweet. And there’s a dark earthy almost smokey background. There’s also a sweet, almost molasses note.

The second steep gets more earthy and less sweet. And the third becomes sort of honeyed. This steep is simple, but sweet.

This is a nice companion for my Doctor Who marathon.

I’ve been drifting away for green teas lately, which is a shame because I used to love them so much. I decided to try a genmaicha to see if they too are in that same predicament.

Good news! They’re not. This is an exceptionally good contender because there’s quite the abundance of genmai in here. Roasty toasty comfy goodness in a cup. The toastiness holds up to 3 steepings before fading out. Yum! I’m really glad I haven’t drifted from genmaichas.

I have to say, even though for the most part I’ve been drifting away from flavored teas, I seem to prefer flavored milk oolong over unflavored. I’ve found that unflavored milk oolongs can be a bit too floral for my taste, and the added cream flavors help mask that in the flavored versions.

This is no exception. Sweet, creamy, buttery, almost candy like, without too much floral notes. And the cream flavors hold up and keep going strong through the 3rd steep and beyond.

If you like creamy, milky, buttery teas, then this is worth a try.

L&C TTB

I kept a sample of this to try from the TTB to try, and found a little piece of vanilla bean in it. I love it when that happens! This smells so yummy, vanilla and creamy.
Taste wise, its nice and vanilla-y and creamy. I don’t remember much else, I seemed to have drank it all without realizing it while doing my homework. It’s good, but doesnt replace my favorite vanilla teas. A good contender though.