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This smells like Creme Savers yogurt, the strawberry one, so I guess in aroma it accomplishes its mission. But, it tastes. . . not quite like that. I get more watermelon candy than strawberry, a hint of something tangy that I guess is the rhubarb doing its best, wax that must be yogurt, and something unsettlingly sweaty. The yogurt, despite tasting very unlike yogurt, did make it nice and smooth. It actually isn’t bad, but it’s not good either. I enjoyed smelling it.

What is happening? I don’t bloody know. This tea really comes out of left field. I assumed it would be a chai type option, because I didn’t consider what the ‘natural flavors’ would add to the equation. It does indeed smell exactly like eggnog with a splash of rum and spices in it. 100%.
But does it taste like that? No. 0%. What it does taste like, 100%, is a cinnamon poptart. Spot on down to the icing. And, it turns out, the experience of slowly drinking a cinnamon poptart is high on my list of great times. It doesn’t make sense! I don’t care!
This can be resteeped without loss of character or quality because despite containing black tea, it never makes itself heard.

Something different, and something good. Lemon lands first but is swiftly obliterated by smokey dry pine. It’s easy to think of brush piles around this stuff. The juniper shakes loose at the end, and that berry note neatly caps the experience. It’s unlike any other tisane I’ve ever had. Plus, it’s snazzy looking stuff. Holds its own paired with lunch and dinner, too.

Got a sample of this and I’m gonna have to get a larger portion once there’s room in my tea chest! Man I wish I could use curse words to describe this. What a striking rendition of Mao Xie- this hits all of the notes you expect in grand fashion. Wheat crackers predominate, giving this a full body, accented by cinnamon and cut grass, with a little lemon or pear, finishing with chamomile and spring meadow. Sweet-smelling steam with a vegetal undertone sets the mood. The leaves unfurl beautifully, which in my opinion is a highlight of hairy crab.

Boring. ‘Soft’ mouthfeel is right- there’s not enough happening in here for anything to wake up your tongue. There’s okay-ish white tea and a blueberry note. If you don’t like your tea slapping you in the face, maybe this is for you. It was not for me. It’s not offensive, however, which fruited teas can certainly be if they go too far in the direction of lively, so I understand the rational behind being conservative.

This smells like some truly wretched dessert teas which will remain unnamed, but I was pleasantly surprised when it proved to taste nothing like them. That said, there’s scarcely any tea flavor, if at all, and the chocolate is pretty faint as well. It tastes like slightly coconutty caramel, which isn’t a bad thing, and honestly, is probably a nicer flavor than the intended.

Pleasant and extremely drinkable. Classic honey scent and flavor dominates, with a lightly leafy middle and a slightly malty finish. This is nothing remarkable, but sometimes you just want to aimlessly drink some nice, sweet light tea. This is the sort of thing to sip on when otherwise engrossed in something else. Resteeps pretty well too.
The ball does need a little encouragement to break up, mind you. I hassle it briefly with a fork once it begins to expand.

I really wanted to love this one. It smells exactly like a red apple Jellybelly jellybean; definitely apple & cranberry, with some elderberry. I’m normally wary of apple in tea blends, because usually it’s just there to be a fruit-ish filler, and doesn’t really go, but this is apple forwards and I like apple, so I had hopes I’d found a cider analogue. Unfortunately, although it’s a super awesome shade of pink and delicious smelling, all it tastes like is hibiscus with a dash of rosehips. Could’ve been so much more; wasn’t.

Firstly, my apologies if this has a proper name; I am going only off of what Yandex could translate off of the box. This was purchased from Teatrekker way back when it was still CooksShopHere, around 2010 or so. It sat in the back of my cupboard until early 2020, when I finally decided it was time to unwrap it. It smelled woody, earthy, and clean.
Steeped, it is a beautiful pumpkin color, and an almost balsamic note enters the aroma. Drinking it is a wonderful adventure. The scent matures in the cup to unripe plum. At first touchdown on the tongue, it’s underwhelming; smooth and oaky. The finish is tannic, but it evolves, and there resides the experience. Plain tannin and oak gives way to sharp leaf and smoked wood, and then cooling notes bloom out of the dust. Suitable as a daily drinker, in my opinion. Perfect to wind down with; it evokes feelings of deep time.

This smells strongly enough through the bag I dubbed it ‘peppermint danger,’ but I was hasty in giving it the moniker. Happily, the mint smell did not get stronger and sharper upon hitting the air, which is what my fear stemmed from. It does simply smell like peppermints! And the little candies and chips taste like those soft mints you give horses and/or me and mint white chocolate respectively. On the other hand, adding water genuinely resulted in such a horrible turn of events I was glad to put the lid on the pot. The liquor looks like mulm water. Heavily mulmy water. ‘Gravy’ is the most charitable, appetizing way to describe the color.
As for the taste, it’s unremarkable but nice enough- another buttermint, and not one with striking buttermintisity, although it is creamier, which is a nice touch on the tongue. It is, however, not a nice touch on the teapot. The film it left behind makes it rather not worth it. A very fine strainer might catch some of the sludge and make this worth a go.