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Backlogging from a couple of mornings ago. My mom got us this tea as a part of her present to my hubby (which was a cast iron tea warmer _). We tried it one evening and liked it pretty well, but I always give a tea at least two tries before I pronounce a verdict, just as a failsafe. (I probably should give it more trials than that, but I’m not sure I have the patience or perseverance.)

Anyway, I was very enticed by the smell of the tea—I love sour cherry, and this tea smells pretty much exclusively of that flavor. While I am generally, on principle, opposed to one-note-flavor teas, I was intrigued about the bamboo and decided to look for it more this time (I hadn’t known it was in there the first time we tried the tea, and so I wasn’t looking for it).

Well, I couldn’t find the bamboo. I’m not certain bamboo even has a flavor when steeped in hot water, so I couldn’t really be sure… but I know what bamboo tastes like, so I was sort of looking for that woody, mildly celery-like flavor, and I couldn’t really find it. Nor could I find any of the other fruits mentioned in the ingredients, except the cherries. Not even the hibiscus, which is a fairly familiar flavor to me, as it’s in lots of other teas I have. As far as the flavor of the tea goes, I could tell that there was a middling-quality green tea in there, but that was about as far as it went. I’m not saying this tea was a let-down, but it probably won’t turn into a favorite. It’ll get drunk, but probably not re-bought. I think I will give it another trial, since I was on the fence about it the second time around. More to come.

This tea is by far the best blend of spicy and fruity I’ve ever found. It gives the impression that you’ve popped a Red Hot, candied ginger, dried pineapple, and maybe a couple of other dried fruits into your mouth. The ginger flavor is really what ties it all together for me. Delicious. :3

I’m so sad that Teavana has discontinued this tea. If there’s anyone out there who knows of a tea that’s similar to this one, please let me know! I don’t really have any other options for spicy and fruity at the same time (besides blending teas, to which I will have to resort if I can’t find a substitute for this one when it’s gone).

Mmm, a great tea to finish the day with. I’m sticking to our tried-and-true teas more and more nowadays, because I just don’t have time or energy to devote to trying new ones lately. I do have a few new ones to try, courtesy of IrishBreakfastLass and darby, and I will get to them, but for now, with as cRaZy as life has been, it’s enough for me to just make the teas I know I like. I feel like sticking to something familiar will help me deal with all the crazy. :) Like the mound of research papers I have to grade before the night is out. Onward and up!

My husband broke this one out last night when we arrived home from singing in a Christmas concert. We were both exhausted, but not quite ready to go to bed. This tea was pretty much the perfect ending to a not so perfect day. (I came home and discovered that my cat had peed on my tree skirt. Instead of being greeted by the briskly inviting smell of pine needles, I got hit in the face with the aroma of cat pee.)

This tea is both invigorating and calming at the same time, which is fairly typical of green teas. I believe my husband said this was the fourth or fifth infusion that he’d done with these particular leaves (and it may have been higher than that, I don’t quite remember). Anyway, this tea is great for multiple infusions, as anyone who’s familiar with it will know.

Got this in a swap from darby. :) So glad I did! My husband made this for us when it was rather late, and we wanted something to sip while watching a movie. I think what I love best about this tea is how powerful each flavor is! The brew smells mostly of ginger, but as you sip, you really do get the flavors in the order they’re in in the title—first the kiwi, very juicy, then the lime, and then the ginger, making a tangy finish. I love it, even if I’m not sure I’ll be in the mood for it all the time. Again, I’m very grateful for a chance to try it! I’ll be logging this one again. :3

Thanks to IrishBreakfastLass for this little tidbit! I was honestly expecting this to be a black tea, so much that I didn’t realize it was a rooibos until I was actually steeping it. It turned out to be an extremely pleasant surprise! There wasn’t much pumpkin flavor, I’ll be honest, but it wasn’t quite just a spice tea, either. It was somewhere in between. I’m quite okay with it not being a very pumpkin-y tea. The rooibos filled in some flavor where the pumpkin notes were missing, making it taste more like a pecan or walnut spice tea. Very delicious, and I will be looking out for this one to see if maybe I can snag some at a store somewhere!

Thanks to darby for this tea! Got it recently in a swap, and I was excited to try it.

The loose leaf smells very much like raspberry, but the full spectrum of the raspberry flavor doesn’t really come out in the brew. Most of what I get is a tart sensation laid over some decent quality black tea. Perhaps I needed to sweeten it more… I will try that next time I make this. Not saying I like it, not saying I don’t, just reserving judgment. :)

I had rather a bad morning, gastronomically, so once it looked like the worst was over, I made myself some of this tea with a half scoop of dried spearmint. I drank it unsweetened, and it turned out to be a pretty good balance. I couldn’t really speak to the quality of this tea by itself, because, well, I haven’t really tasted it by itself yet. That’ll be another tasting note on another day. I have quite a bit of this, because I bought it in a package of three teas that were all on sale, and all of the tins were filled to the brim (altogether, this is probably around 6 oz. of tea, which means I’ll have plenty of opportunity to play around with this one!). The spearmint did help my stomach, which was what I was going for. Verdict: success!

I went to this tea again this morning, ‘cause I wanted something that would give the illusion of a flavored black tea but not actually have any distinguishable non-tea flavor. (After rereading that sentence, I realize that it doesn’t really make much sense, but that’s the best way I can think of to explain my mood… xP) I just wanted something not quite so heavy as a straight black, but I wasn’t ready to commit to any one (or even two) flavoring(s). Even Earl Grey Creme, my dearest morning friend, smelled too strongly of cornflower to me. (I guess this is what pregnancy does to you… makes you lose your blinking mind.) So anyway, this tea fit the bill, unnecessarily long story short.

It’s very nice with milk and a little sugar (the usual amount, two of Teavana’s “tea spoons,” which are not real teaspoons but rather about 2/3 tablespoon).