VariaTEA Send Message

Something in my package from Sil smelled amazing – like light and creamy french vanilla. When I couldn’t figure out what, I asked Sil and she told me to give this a try and turns out she was right because this is definitely what I was smelling.

I was actually a little hesitant about this because of the lemon and my tendency to not be a fan of huge citrus flavors but so many reviews talked about a creamy vanilla-lemon combination that sounded too good to pass up. I am happy to report that this is definitely a take on a lemon tea that I can get behind. The citrus is very faint and merely acts as a compliment to the more prominent vanilla cream element and white base. I don’t know if I am entirely sold on a 50 g tin given the base might be a touch overpowering in this cup, but I certainly would not turn away another cup if offered. Thank you Sil for the chance to try it out :)

Great Canadian TTB and sipdown!! (202)

I pulled this out of the box because I was thoroughly intrigued. The Tstix is an interesting concept and so I am glad I got to try it (Thank you Dexter3657!) however flavorwise this is a pretty generic mint tea. Nothing offensive but nothing remarkable (aside from the stick brewing technique) either and for that reason it won’t be missed now that it is gone.

So I was about to place an order for this but then I saw Red Leaf Tea has both Strawberries & Cream and Bananas & Cream on sale for another hour so I may order that instead (although I really don’t NEED matcha right now since I have a lot). Normally I would just cave and order both but I just bought this: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/4130236200002.jsp and I can only afford so much :P. However, I am going to be reimbursed for the dress so…hmmm…..decisions, decisions.

Sad, sad sipdown!! (195)

Goodbye Buddha Bamboo, you will be missed a great deal! I am so grateful Roswell Strange was able to part with some because I don’t know if I would have been able to. Thanks Roswell Strange!!

Thank you TraceyC for sending me some of these teabags to try. I am actually very confused because I was immediately reminded of Bigelow’s Eggnogg’n Tea when I smelled the steeping cup and there is no reason I should be. Sipping away at this now, I am pleasantly surprised as it is slighty nutty and has a nice vanilla-caramel flavor. However, it is a tad thick for my liking and so for that reason, I probably won’t seek it out once I finish what I was sent. Nonetheless, not bad for a teabag.

Thank you Roswell Strange (and aisling of tea) for yet another sample of matcha to try. I am having this as a matcha milk and though the start of the sip is delicious (think cotton candy ice cream – YUM!), it quickly goes downhill when the flavor becomes very grassy. If only the cotton candy flavor could last through the whole sip. I wonder how this would be on a white base…

Thank you Roswell Strange (and aisling of tea) for the chance to try this matcha. A while back Cavocorax sent me some Pumpkin Pie matcha on a white base so I was interested in seeing how this differs. What I am finding is that the pumpkin spices I enjoyed so much in the white matcha are still present but they are toned down by the presence of a slightly vegetal component from the base. Personally, if given the choice, I would probably get the white matcha version again over this but it still nicely captures the pumpkin spices.

Sipdown!! (196)

Thank you Roswell Strange for the sample of this. I finally figured out what it reminds me of and that is Queen of Tarts so it all makes sense as to why you did not like this at all and I did not mind it. With that said, I still have a fair amount of Queen of Tarts and I never touch it so once that is finished I think hibiscus heavy teas will be kept out of my cupboard.

Chocolate and strawberry are both present in this cup but it is not sweet or creamy like a Chocolate Strawberry Truffle should be. The rooibos is contributing a hint of woodsiness that I am not loving. It is not bad but not something I think I will be getting again. However, I have about 50 g to play with and hopefully change my mind.

Thank you Fjellrev for the chance to try this delectable sounding treat. This smells A LOT like the Sweet Temptation tea I had last night which makes sense as they are both nougat teas. Sipping on this now, I think I prefer this to the Sweet Temptation as I think the black base and hazelnut mellow the nougat flavor and really round out the tea. I would happily stock this in my cupboard if it were more accessible and if I didn’t have 25g of the very similar Sweet Temptation.