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I first had this tea brewed from a Teavana store, blended with Maharaja Chai Oolong. I was surprised that this unlikely combination was so good! I decided to order this one alone, and it is nice as well. It brews to a pretty pinkish shade. The almond and plum notes come through quite nicely. I was afraid that this would be to fruity for me, but it isn’t. The almond and plum balance out & compliment each other quite nicely. There is also a hint of spice. I like my tea on the sweet side, so I added sugar. Those who don’t need their tea as sweet would probably like it plain. This is one that I’ll probably buy again.

This is my favorite tea so far. I discovered it after trying the blend in a Teavana store. I purchased the Samurai Chai Mate and this one seperately to mix myself. I discovered that I like this one better on its own. It smells very spicy, with a strong cinnamon smell. It brews to a nice color & tastes like it smells. Strong notes of cinnamon & cardamom, and the warmth of ginger. It is a strong cinnamon flavor, which can be offputting to some, but I like it. I like my chais on the strong side, and this delivers nicely. Adding some sugar rounds out the flavor.

This tea disappointed me. From the name and description, I was expecting a firey, chocolate concoction. Instead, I got weak chocolate water with no kick. I’ll try different things – steeping longer or mixing with other teas, but for now, this one gets a low rating from me. :(

Heine Bros is a local coffee shop here, and they also carry a modest selection of teas. This one is a jasmine flavored green tea. I was looking for something similar to the cold jasmine tea that a local Chinese restaurant sells, and this is pretty close. The jasmine flavor comes through, nice and fruity – other than the fact that the underlying tea flavor is not as strong, my palatte can’t tell that it’s a green tea, but that’s probably just me. You do have to be careful when steeping though – the first time I steeped too long, with water that was probably too hot and it was very bitter. Afterwards, I steeped properly (no more than 1 minute with 175 degree water) and it was good. I sweeten with sugar, but if you aren’t partial to sweetened teas, it is probably good without (I just prefer sweet teas – I’m from the South :). All in all, a good tea that I would probably buy again.

I initially wasn’t going to buy this tea, even though the sales person was pushing it. She must’ve thought that I needed some more convincing, because she made a to-go cup for me on the house. After tasting it, I did get 2 oz, because I liked it – I was quite surprised at how the pumpkin & clove comes through. I make it with sugar and a splash of cream & it is perfect for me. Yes, it does have a bit of oiliness, but that is toned down a little with the milk/cream. It helps to think of it not as a tea, but as a creamy drink, if that makes sense. I had grown tired of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte this year, and this is a good replacement…not as heavy, but with good fall flavor. It’s definately a “dessert” tea (if you can call it that – not much leaf to be seen) & I only drink 1 cup at a sitting, as opposed to other teas that I resteep & drink multiple cups.

I’m new to Steepster, so this will be my first note…hopefully, I’m doing this right. I find this mate to be very nice – although I wouldn’t consider it a replacement for coffee, it certainly has a place in my morning routine. I still like my coffee though, but I’ve found that since discovering loose leaf tea earlier this year when I stumbled into a Teavana store, that I’ve been drinking more tea & less coffee. Anyway, back to the review. The taste to me is a bit of a smooth caramel flavor. No bitterness at all. There are some chocolate notes too, but the caramel stands out more to me. I sweeten mine with either the German rock sugar (when I have some) or Sugar in the Raw, plus a tiny splash of heavy cream. It is a sweeter tea, which suits me fine. I steep it for between 5-6 minutes, with near boiling water.

I find that this resteeps just fine for me – I increase the steep time to 8 minutes. I’ve left it for as long as 10 minutes before without any bitter taste. If I recall correctly, mates can be steeped for long periods. Because it’s a “thistle” type tea, a little goes a long way for me, especially when I resteep, making this quite economical. All in all, it’s one of my “go to” teas.