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I also had this one at Starbucks and for $3, I’m pretty glad I did… This is one of the teas that I was hemming and hawing about, trying to decide if I wanted it and well… I don’t.

It’s nice, it’s peachy, sweet (a bit of stevia added in possibly? that’s a big thing with flavored teas) but there’s really nothing more to it. Even peach juice has a bit more flavor to it. I’d definitely pick up a $3 box of Celestial Seasoning’s peach tea over picking up some of this as loose leaf.

One thing to note: since both this and the Passion Tango were just not quite to par, my date suggested blending them. After telling him that was gross, we did and it was actually much better. The (over) sweetness of the peach tranquility cut the (extreme) tartness of the passion tango really well. Why is Teavana blending such a big thing? Just make a tea that tastes well on it’s own, guys…

I got this one yesterday at Starbucks (actually the guy I went with did and then I pretty much ended up drinking both of our teas…) and it was okay. Definitely not my favorite tea but something I might end up getting if I need something warm but not caffeinated.

This was super duper tart with a lot of hibiscus and berry flavors to it (raspberry and cranberry mostly), I can taste the passion fruit (so it’s true to it’s name) but it doesn’t really round out the cup of tea well.

Holidays TTB

Getting to the end of the teas I wanted to try from this box – I picked this one out because it was intriguing to me. Normally I’m all for “strange teas” and teas that taste like other things but this one tastes and smells like straight up cantaloupe and honeydew and it makes me uncomfortable :P

My first whiff of the tea, I couldn’t smell anything but cantaloupe and honeydew but the tea itself does have a bit of a vegetal flavor to it. I’m not as familiar with oolongs but this does have a more earthy flavor to it beneath the initial melon flavor. It was definitely interesting to try!

Holiday TTB

I tried this a few days ago and forgot if I liked it (this TTB has so much tea..) so I had another cup today. It’s not a tea that I would pick up but it’s incredibly similar to Wegman’s Almond Ode to Joy tea that I kind of enjoyed. There’s a bit of apple and the nutty flavor is pretty prominent. The oolong to me is totally missing, as is the rooibos, but overall, it’s a meh tea. (But I also don’t care for nutty teas in the first place.)

Holidays TTB

Yesterday I learned that caffeine jitters are actually a thing. I tried getting through this TTB box too quickly apparently so today I took a break, this is one of few teas I tried today from the box.

I was hoping it may be similar to the Mango Ceylon I like so much but the Mango in this one is a little more mild. It’s there but overshadowed by the black which is a bit sad.

Holidays TTB

This is phenomenal. I snuck a look at the reviews before tasting it so I was excited to wait for it to brew (who doesn’t love fun colored teas?) and sure enough it’s a wonderful indigo color!

The floral and fruity notes in this are very well balanced and it’s sweet but not too terribly sweet. I can’t exactly place all the flavors but that’s part of why I enjoy it. The currant is definitely there, along with the passion fruit but it’s not too much to overpower the jasmine/peony base. Definitely, definitely picking up some more of this from Liquid Proust so I can leave the sample in the box for everyone else to try because it’s that good!

Holidays TTB

There’s only enough left in here for one, maybe two cups. This is good though, it reminds me a little bit of England – there were a few days where I just hung out in my pjs before bed reading and drinking Lemon Ginger tea and this is extremely reminiscent.

This one of few green teas that I’ve actually enjoyed and the green tea base is prominent. I can’t taste any creamy notes, but the lemon/citrus flavor is not as distinct as I would have expected, so it very well could be that there is creamy notes but they are just cutting the initial sour lemon flavor.

Holidays TTB

…what..
I’ve had pu’erh before and I know I don’t like it, but …what? Maybe this is low quality pu’erh? Maybe I just had bad pu’erh before? Who knows? I only made half of a cup to try it because the coconut sounded promising. I love doing TTB’s because this is not something I ever would have picked up for myself but I really do like it.

It’s definitely not as tannic or strong as a ceylon or assam base which I enjoy, but the coconut is lacking. It’s creamy, a bit of vanilla, and it coats my mouth well (if that makes sense.) It’s generally not bland, but not the most flavorful of teas which is a nice change of pace for me.

Holidays TTB
I’m going to guess that this was a donation to the box by Liquid Proust, so thank you!
I’m not going to rate it, because I actually hate lapsang souchong and don’t want to give a bad impression to those who enjoy it, but I feel it’s necessary to take notes on this one.

The lapsang is much less prominent than others I’ve had in the past, still smoky & campfirey, but it’s blended really really nicely. The hibiscus cuts the smoke really well and it tastes a bit citrus-y, also something I don’t enjoy typically, but this one is really good in my opinion, all things considered. I could actually grow to enjoy this one. It tastes like summertime in New York City.

Holidays TTB

I didn’t pick any of this up around Christmas time because I really disliked Adagio’s Candy Cane and figured this would be similar. But this one is actually quite good and kind of a more caffeinated, less chocolatey version of Tea Guys’ Peppermint Chocolate Vanilla. It’d probably be fantastic with chocolate chip cookies.

It’s minty, but similar to Andes candies, the mint doesn’t take over, there’s some creamy notes to it and it’s comforting in a strange way. It really enjoy this one because it’s actually blended quite well and you don’t get the whole picture in one sip.