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Not a big fan of herbals, but this one isn’t bad.

Chamomile-y, peppermint-y, and slightly chocolate-y.. I think this would be a great sick-time tea for me.

I wrote up a nice long review earlier, but steepster didn’t seem to want to save it… and I’m feeling too lazy to rewrite right now. I may do a more detailed note the next time I drink this!

Tried grandpa brewing this using some already steeped leaves, and I really like how it tastes. I wasn’t really expecting much, since I’ve been resteeping these leaves all day at work, but wow it still tastes great. I taste more of the nuttiness in this steep, and it’s a really convenient way to use some of my old leaves and unwind at the end of the day (I’m not a fan of having to wash out my infuser when I’m tired after work).

This is the first sample from Good Life Tea that I haven’t brewed as per instructions. I was a little worried that this tea would be too much cinnamon for so early in the morning, and brewing at work limits my water temperature options, unfortunately.

That being said, I really like this tea. I used about 1tsp/16oz, which gave me just enough cinnamon without smothering me in the spice.

Aside from the prevalent cinnamon taste, this tea also has an elusive sweetness that I can feel on my tongue during the sip, but not after. The initial sip has a sugary sweet feel, which morphs into cinnamon in the aftertaste.

Adding sugar actually makes this tea a little too sweet for me (which is fine, since I don’t exactly need the extra calories). It brings out more of the cinnamon taste, and the initial sweetness is stronger.

If you’re a big cinnamon fan, I’d definitely recommend this!

Third sample from Good Life Tea!

This tea smells wonderful, both dry and brewed. It has a sweet, almost floral scent, with a hint of vanilla.

The initial sip was very bitter and reminded me of fennel. After that first bite, it’s very smooth on the tongue, and the licorice taste slowly gives way to the floral-vanilla that was in the aroma. It ends with a slight (but not unpleasant) astringency, which leaves a nice, crisp feeling. If it weren’t for the initial bitterness, this would be a tea I would want to drink unsweetened.

Adding white granulated sugar changes everything.

After I added the sugar, the bitterness was completely gone. The first note is smooth and sweet, gradually building up to a nice creamy flavor before melting away into the floral vanilla with a slight citrus-y tang at the end. The astringency is gone.. Much better than the unsweetened version.

If I hadn’t tried this tea with sugar, I wouldn’t have liked it.. but now I think it’s one of my favorites. Definitely recommended.

(2nd steep update)
Steep time: 4 mins, Temp: 212 F

There’s barely any bitterness in this steep. Very smooth, but it’s lost the majority of the flavor the first steep had. Adding a bit of sugar brings out more of the vanilla flavor, but it’s still a little weak (which is actually perfect for me, since I don’t like to be overwhelmed by my tea).

I’ve never had a rooibos tea before, or a chocolate tea, so this was an interesting experience for me.

I didn’t really care much for the smell of the dry leaves, but after brewing, it gives of a delicious chocolaty/minty/earthy aroma.

When I took my first sip, all I tasted was mint.. which was a little confusing since the description didn’t mention it being a mint chocolate. Maybe it’s the rooibos? I don’t know, since I don’t know what rooibos tastes like.

There’s a faint mint chocolate aftertaste, but I’d say that the overall flavor is mint. I added some rock sugar after the initial taste. It brought out more of the chocolate notes, and added a nice sweetness.

I let my unsweetened cup cool down a bit, and now I can taste more of the chocolate. The chocolate taste becomes even more apparent when I let my sweetened cup cool down. I definitely prefer this one as a slightly warm tea, rather than hot.

I tried another cup with a bit of honey, just to see how it would taste, but I didn’t like how the honey mixed with the mint taste. I’ll be sticking with the rock sugar for this one.

I brewed 16oz of this, but I don’t think I can finish it.. the mint is becoming a bit too much for me (mint and I don’t regularly mix well when it comes to drinks). If you like mint and sweet mixed together, I’d recommend this, but unfortunately this tea just isn’t for me.

Maybe I’m just not a fan of rooibos..

After only two days of waiting, my 6 tea sampler pack from Good Life Tea arrived! Since it’s a bright and sunny morning, I decided that the Kyoto Cherry Rose Green Tea would be a good way to start the day.

This tea has a nice, light aroma. The sugary scent isn’t overpowering, and the cherries mix nicely with the floral.

The initial sip is more floral than cherry, but the cherry makes its appearance later on, slowly rising to blend with the floral and leaving a pleasantly sweet aftertaste. The green tea base gives this a light, refreshing body, with a smooth consistency throughout.

While writing this review, I’ve been avoiding using the word “rose” to describe the taste, because I don’t really get a rose taste from this… it’s far too light. As I continue to sip this tea, I realize that the taste reminds me more of cherry blossoms than roses. It’s very pleasant, and not overbearing.

I purposefully followed the instructions on the packet (1tsp/cup at 212 F for 3-7 mins) for this first test, but I think I’ll cut down to .5tsp/8oz ratio in the future (or maybe a 2 min steep time), since I prefer my teas a little weaker. I didn’t add any sugar, since I wanted to get a good taste of the tea itself.. and frankly I don’t think this tea needs any additional sweetening.

Overall, I enjoyed this tea and am considering purchasing more to give as a gift.

(2 cups later)
Okay, so I tried adding a little rock sugar to the tea (1st steep still), and boy was that a bad idea… it ended up bringing out the floral sweetness, which was too much flower for me. If swimming in a pool of flowers is your thing, then by all means go ahead, but I had a hard time finishing that cup.

I tried it with a dollop of honey too (new cup, same steep), and that turned out much better. Adding a bit of honey gives it a nice sweetness, without being in-your-face sweet. I think I still prefer this tea without any sweetening though, but I’m the kind of person who usually prefers unsweetened tea.

No recommendation solely for the price.. Also, keep in mind that I brew my tea much weaker than most people here.

I normally drink MPO blended with Teavana’s Youthberry, but tonight I decided to brew a straight pot of oolong.

First steep has a nice floral aroma with faint honey tones. Starts off with a smooth, distinct orchid taste, followed by a slight vegetal note, before finally ending with a faint, nutty astringency.

Second steep brings out the oolong’s buttery mouthfeel and leaves very little of the astringency the first steep had. The orchid is still there, but I taste more of the nuttiness than before. I definitely like the second steep better than the first.

It took me a little while to remember exactly what that nutty flavor is, but I finally got it… chestnut. The aftertaste reminds me of delicious chestnuts.

I have not tried this tea by itself yet, but I do like how it blends with Teavana’s Monkey-Picked Oolong. I don’t brew it according to the instructions, as I prefer this one on the weaker side (I think I add about 1/4 as much as they tell you to), so I’m not overwhelmed by the aroma and/or fruity flavor.

When it’s blended with the Oolong, I don’t get the tartness that others have complained about either, but it did take me several attempts to brew it correctly… this tea gets oversteeped pretty easily and acquires a gross bitter taste if you don’t pay close attention to how long you’ve been steeping it (the difference of 30 secs is the difference between a tasty treat and an undrinkable mess).

The youthberry gives the Oolong a nice floral spice with an almost-honey aftertaste, and adding a little sugar gives it a faint lingering sweetness. (I personally don’t usually put much sugar in my tea, but I do add about 7 small crystals of Teavana’s rock sugar per 16oz to this one.)