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Snagged a small pouch from the TTB and am just getting around to trying it. I kept it because the dry leaf smelled so interesting—the ginger made it almost effervescent, like cola. I’m not much of a soda drinker (it’s far too sweet) but I do like the spice blends and flavors in some craft sodas.

The steeped blend, though, is just odd. It smells oddly vegetal, and the taste is quite muddy and muddled. The ginger only comes through at the end, and on top of it is something more reminiscent of asparagus or savory herbs! I’m not getting any sweetness at all, or really anything evocative of cola. The Yunomi website suggests cold brewing it and adding sparkling water, so I might try that with the remainder of the package.

I’m a total sucker for anything peach, so I was looking forward to this one! The dry leaf definitely smells very cobbler-y, with creamy pastry notes layered on top of the peach.

The brewed cup is a bit of a letdown, though. Hot, I’m just not getting much of anything beyond the Ceylon base. Once it cools, it reads as more of a peaches and cream flavor than peach cobbler. That base is super astringent, though! It nearly overwhelms all the other flavors.

Reading through the other reviews, it seems like this might be a fairly temperamental tea—others seem to have coaxed more flavor out of it. I could see it being quite tasty cold-brewed.

I won’t be keeping this from the TTB, but I’m glad I tried it.

Yeahhh, no. This is like buttery mineral water.

I enjoyed the the teabag version of Mince Pie in Bird & Blend’s advent calendar last year, so I figured I’d give the loose-leaf version a shot when I saw it in the TTB. I brewed it up and had it ready to go in my KeepCup to enjoy while running errands, and then… completely forgot about it until I returned home. Oops!

I’m drinking it cool now and it’s still tasty. I’m getting gently spiced marzipan. Yep, this is pretty much how I remember it from last December, although the pastry notes are missing. Still, not bad. I’ll keep my rating the same. :)

Oh heck yes! I’m a sucker for dessert teas, and this one is inspired by one of my favorite baked goods of all time. My mom makes a killer lemon loaf (we called it a “tea cake” when I was a kid) and as such, the nostalgia factor is through the roof with this tea.

I snagged a couple bags from the TTB and my partner and I brewed them up last night. He was handling the prep while I read on the couch, and I heard an audible “mmm” when he sniffed the bag. We were both expecting the brewed tea to fall short compared to the aroma, but happily, it doesn’t. It truly does taste like the essence of a lemon loaf has been distilled into tea: creamy, lemony, and pound cakey, with a hint of vanilla and the suggestion of sweetness without sugar. Love it. I wouldn’t say no to a bit more zestiness (I like my lemon loaves sharp!). I might have to pick up a box and tinker with adding some lemon.

The takeaway: Bagged teas can still delight and surprise. :)

TTB sample on a rainy (yet warm and humid!) afternoon. This brews up a very lovely pale neon green—almost chartreuse. The Global Japanese Tea Association website describes it as “a dense liquor with lots of umami” but I’m not really getting either of those descriptors. I have such a hard time describing delicate green tea… it’s maybe a little grassy, maybe a little vegetal, but to me it just tastes like a fresh, clean green tea! I don’t know what else to say! I get no particular notes in the taste or aroma. I like it well enough. It’s tasty. The end. XD

Sampled from the TTB, and I might have to keep some of it! This is so tasty. I wasn’t expecting much because the scent of the dry leaf was verging on that almost artificial vanilla cake scent that can be a bit cloying, but happily the tea itself has a much more refined vanilla flavor. It’s a light but true vanilla, subtle but present.

I don’t think I’ve ever had osmanthus before, and I’m not quite sure I can pinpoint the flavor in this blend—I guess it’s the kind of floral note? Regardless, it works very well with the vanilla. Yum!

Morning with the TTB = trying caffeinated blends! The caffeine is very welcome, as my team is sending the summer issue of our magazine to press today, so I need stamina as we finalize pages.

…welp, I started that note about eight hours ago and am only getting back to it now! Ha! So, Divine Highlands. It’s very mild and thin, even though I added more leaf than recommended. I’m not really getting eucalyptus or mint as the package promises; It’s quite mineral-y and vegetal. I prefer more boldness and flavor in my black teas, so I think maybe it’s a matter of expectations. This is more like a light oolong to my fairly unrefined palate. I don’t mind it, but it’s not giving me the oomph I was hoping for.

The TTB arrived today, to my delight! Of course it came the one day I was actually in the office, so by the time I got home and rummaged through the box, it was too late for anything caffeinated. I opted for this (seasonally inappropriate) rooibos after dinner because my stomach was a bit upset and something minty sounded appealing.

Unfortunately, the stevia was just too overpowering! Part of the reason I dislike stevia is because I feel like it leaves a weird coating on my tongue, and that was happening big-time with this blend.

On the other hand… I was drinking it so slowly that it had gotten cold by the time I finished the mug, and the stevia was much less overwhelming. I got a fairly pleasant, full-bodied mintiness in the cold tea. Still sweeter than I’d prefer, but much more palatable.

This one came in my March Whistling Kettle box, and it’s very nice! The dry blend has a great creamy lemon pastry scent; steeped, it’s still reminiscent of lemon pastry or lemon cake without being too sweet or too lemony. I suspect even the rooibos-averse might be able to stomach this one; there’s none of that medicinal rooibos-ness.

Overall it’s really pleasant and well-balanced. I could see it becoming a go-to nighttime dessert tea… but unfortunately I spilled my sampler pouch and now only have enough left for a measly cup. Sigh.