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This is the tea equivalent of that fireball candy you ate as a kid. There is black tea in it, but all I taste is cinnamon. It’ll clear out your sinuses maybe, but… It’s not really my kind of tea. I’d rather drink a chai with a more balanced flavor.

I’ve tried a few different Darjeelings from Teabox, and I like this one best. It’s mild but complex. The light amber color makes it appear a bit weaker than it actually is. The leaves are beautiful and big — and the wet leaves smell sweet like dried tobacco leaves. I got 3 good steeps out of this — I tried a fourth, but noticed it was significantly weaker after that.

This was a good oolong for me — it’s strong enough that it appeals to me even though I generally prefer black teas. It’s not even a very dark roast, but the flavor is robust enough that I don’t get bored. It’s significantly less bitter than black teas and very, very smooth. .Teabox describes this as full-bodied, and I’d agree with that. It has a lovely, sweet aftertaste.

I tried the tea plain, then with a little sugar added. Finally, I tried it with a bit of milk and honey — and was surprised that it’s robust enough to stand up to both even though it’s a bit light.

I’ll definitely order more of this — it’s a complex and very satisfactory tea for such a reasonable price point. And I’d say it’s a good oolong for black tea drinkers .

I’m adding the flavors and scents from memory — it’s been several hours since I drank the tea.

I ordered several samples from Tea Licious that arrived in the mail today. I liked the smell of the dry tea so much that I decided to try this one first.

The dry leaves smell incredible, almost like fresh oranges. While hot, the tea is a little disappointing, but I can tell it’s one of those teas that will be better iced. I have enough left to try it that way another time. It’s naturally sweet, but a tiny bit of rock sugar brings out the fruit flavor a bit.

I wish I could detect more cranberry — I don’t really taste it in there. I just notice a kind of unfamiliar tartness. I dislike the smell of the wet leaves, so I won’t bother trying to resteep. I’m not sure how to describe it, but the wet leaves smell a little off to me, sort of musty and cloying. I notice a bit of a musty aftertaste as well — it’s unpleasant. Also, I’m not a big fan of hibiscus and find it overpowering.

You can get a good-sized sample for just $1, so it’s definitely worth checking out if you like this sort of thing. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it to anyone, and I probably won’t buy it again.

This is the first tea one could describe as " slightly smoky" that doesn’t taste like liquid smoke or cigarettes to me. The smokiness is very subtle — it doesn’t overpower the flavor, which is really more nutty. The product description calls the finish mildly sweet, but the sweetness is not as subtle to me as the tea’s other flavors. Or maybe it’s just striking because the tea doesn’t seem sweet at all until the finish, and then it’s a bit tangy or citrus-y . The “over roast,” as the company calls it, would maybe make this popular with coffee drinkers.

I used 212 degree water (since last week, I want to be more careful about possible bacteria in tea) instead of the recommended 195, and it didn’t cause any bitterness . Honestly, it’s hard to imagine this tea becoming bitter at all.

The tea is very reasonably priced, and I would try it again.

Huh. So I just got my 5 for $5 Verdant Tea sampler in the mail and decided to try this first. This is good, and maybe it’s because I’m not as sophisticated a tea drinker as most of you, but… I’m not really blown away by it the way I expected to be after reading your reviews. It’s nice, and definitely not at all bitter. I’m on the 3rd steep, and I do think it’s improving as I go. I followed the Verdant Tea directions for brewing, starting out at just 30 seconds. I’ve quickly shifted to 90 seconds, and it’s an improvement. I thought it was too weak after the first steep, but it’s much better now. I also added a small amount of rock sugar — it’s not crucial, but it rounds out the flavor a bit for me. I think I’d appreciate this more if I were eating it with spicy foods — it’s very, very much like the black tea we would be served at a Chinese restaurant my family frequented when I was a child, but I haven’t had anything like it since. Maybe that’s why I’m feeling like I need something savory and spicy with it rather than the sweet breakfast I’m eating. eat I’ve got 4 g. left, so I’ll try to leave a better note next time I try it.

Also… I’m using unfiltered water. Actually… I’m doing that in general because I have very good tap water. Maybe the flavors of this are subtle enough that unfiltered water really would make a significant difference. It’s definitely not as strong as most of the teas I like, but it’s… I can tell it’s very good quality as you all say. Just maybe not my favorite type of tea.

But after this tasting… The tea’s good, but I’m unlikely to pay a premium to try it again after this.

Lovely, rich, robust black tea. I’d begun to worry that my Golden Moon Tea sampler might turn out to be a total bust, but this is by far the best and most flavorful tea that I’ve tried from the company so far. I added a small amount of milk and beet rock sugar, which enhances the flavor of this tea. It’s really nice with the banana nut bread I’m having for breakfast.

It’’s not the best black tea I’ve ever had. I’d like it to be a little stronger, but it’s good. I may be overrating it a little since the other 2 Golden Moon Teas I tried were so disappointing, but I’d definitely buy this one.

I used 1.5 tsp. per 8 oz. water since I’d found the other Golden Moon samples rather bland. It worked great, but the tea is flavorful enough that I’d probably try 1 tsp. per 8 oz. next time. Also, I followed the company’s brewing instructions and steeped this one for 4 minutes, and I did not think it became bitter, not even when I tried it before adding milk.

A quick note about the ingredients list — I entered the list, but it doesn’t include some of the options I needed to add. So, the ingredient is cardamom pods, not seeds, and the final ingredient is organic black pepper. Also, I’m not sure whether or not this is the same tea others have reviewed called Kashmiri Chai — in this sampler, the label says Masala Chai.

This is the second disappointing tea I’ve tried in my Golden Moon Tea sampler. I brewed it in a teapot and then added warmed milk, but I suspect it would have been better brewed on the stove and steeped in the milk. A couple of days ago, I brewed this using 1 tsp. per 8 oz. water, but that tasted very bland. This time, I increased it to 1.5 tsp. per 8 oz., and I guess there’s slight improvement. Still, I mainly taste cinnamon and cloves, and certainly not black tea. Also, I like for my chai to have a peppery kick, and this doesn’t have that at all — I’m shocked that black pepper is actually one of the ingredients.

I haven’t had many bad chais, and this qualifies as one of the worst. I would rather brew my own chai using my own black tea and spices than drink this regularly. Honestly, even Stash makes more flavorful bagged chai tea than this. I don’t think the spices are very fresh, as they are far less potent than some of the spices in my own pantry — and some of my spices are quite old. I’d considered adding some of my own cardamon pods, black tea and maybe fennel seeds to see if I could improve this — if I had more of this tea on hand, I’d definitely do that next time.

It’s not bitter or anything. It’s just…boring.