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I tried this one iced in the store, and after the first sip, decided not to take it home (not for lack of effort on the barista’s part, I might add). I thought the copious amounts of hibiscus I saw in the tin would mellow out in an iced brew, and I may have been correct, but I don’t think I’ll ever know, because it was steeped a bit too long for my liking, and all I could really taste was bitterness from oversteeped oolong and a bit of artificial grape flavor, kind of like Kool-Aid. I won’t be getting or trying this one again.

Sipdown! This is actually a backlog from a few days ago. I was staying with a friend, and she was feeling nauseous, so I brought out the only red tea I’d brought with me—this one. I remembered when I’d had nausea from being pregnant, I drank a red tea I have with lemongrass in it, which pretty much knocked the nausea on its ass, so I thought it would help her. She said it didn’t really make it better or worse, but it did taste good, so I guess that’s something. :)

I had forgotten how much I really like this tea by itself. It’s got enough flavor in it that the red rooibos doesn’t bother me, and the blueberry is very present (and lends a wonderful purplish color to the brew). I hope Teavana hasn’t discontinued this one, ‘cause I’d like to look into getting some more…

Hey, a maté I actually really like?? Sweet!

I have been on the fence about maté in general for a while, but THIS tea is solidly in the “Love” category. :) I really appreciate that both spearmint and peppermint are present, because it just rounds out the minty experience. The chocolate and the roasted maté just complete each other so smoothly. Delicious!

Okay. I gave this tea a second try. I thought maybe the first time I didn’t brew it right, or it just wasn’t what I was in the mood for, or… who knows? Anyway, I searched for anything in the flavor that I might call “pancake-y,” and I just don’t think I ever found it. I definitely got the maple, no issues with that. I even added milk, which usually helps to bring out “baked goods” flavors in tea… and it just didn’t help. I want to like this one, but without the pancake flavor, I am not prepared to say I do.

I bought some of this when Teavana was having its piddly Valentine’s Day Sale (it was only 20% off, which barely counts as a sale, in my book). It smells very strongly of strawberry, with some hints of hibiscus lurking in the background. I didn’t see a whole lot of hibiscus in the loose tea, so I thought that boded well. :)

It turns out I was right! The brew came out a lovely amber/pink color, with a bit of haziness from the fruit pieces. The flavor was divine, like strawberry angel food cake. The oolong played nicely (although truth be told, I could have used more oolong flavor), and the hibiscus was very subtle! I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be trying this iced!

I made this one to have with some gluten free scones this morning (which came out really tasty!). It seemed like it would be a good pairing , because the leaves of this tea are very dark in color, almost completely black, with just a few streaks of brown. Another thing I noticed, as I was scooping it, was that the leaves are very very skinny and brittle.
The dry leaf doesn’t smell like much, mostly just that toasted almond-y orange pekoe smell. The brew, however, smells quite good—I’m getting chocolate and honey and a little hay. I didn’t sweeten it at all, just had it straight and black (which is, as I understand, how you’re supposed to enjoy Chinese blacks?). I do have to say, though, that even though I know the Chinese call black tea “red,” this doesn’t really look red to me, lol. Oh well. Not criticizing, just observing. Anyway, it was rather a smooth cup going down, great for if I’m looking for something a little nondescript. Thank you, Angel, for the sample!

So, the first time I tried this tea, I oversteeped it. This morning was much better, though, so I thought I’d weigh in.

The smell coming off the loose leaf is intoxicating. I could almost just sit there for five minutes smelling it and be totally satisfied.

Almost. ;)

I tried it first black, with just a single tea scoop of sugar. The pumpkin was there, but the black tea tasted off somehow, and the caramel was almost toasty, like it had been cooked right to the point of being almost burned. However, after I added a TINY splash of milk and a little more sugar, WHAM, the caramel mellowed and sweetened, and the creamy, tangy cheesecake made itself known! So, boys and girls, the lesson here for me is simple: never have this tea without some sort of cream/milk element. :) Super delicious!!

Welp, I have to revise my opinion on this tea. I apparently didn’t use enough leaf the last time, so the flavors were off. The coconut comes through much more strongly this time, with a little tangy-ness that seems to be trying to be cheesecake. I think I have enough left in my sample for one more cup, so I think I will try it with some almond milk next time, to see if I can coax more of the cheesecake flavor out. Much improved from last time!

So, I’ve FINALLY gotten to taste this one, thanks to the sampler pack from Frank’s fundraising efforts! I’ve long wondered what this one is like, since it’s an award-winner. :)

My first sip was a very positive impression! The honeybush has a good flavor here, not so medicinal or astringent. The pineapple could be stronger, as could the coconut, but somehow the combination of the three flavors melds together to make a totally unique taste that’s so impeccably addictive… I think I maybe set the mug down once or twice between start and finish.