Amani

Got this as a sample sachet in my last Harney order. When you open up the sachet, you really do get a smell of Caribbean fruits! It was a short mental vacation to the beach :)

The liquid is less fruity than the smell of the dry tea would suggest, though. Not sure how I feel about green-black tea mixes. Don’t think I’ll be investing in this one.

I love this tea. Maybe more than I should. But what can I say—it’s delicious and magical and brings back fond memories. And did I mention peachy, gingery, and delicious? Not to mention the tin is ADORABLE.

I recently had a friend bring two tins of this back from Disneyland for me :) Looking forward to LOTS of MAD tea parties!!

Ok—this is one of my favorite greens of all time. I was actually in the mood for a black tea tonight, and pulled this out thinking it was a black until I poured the light colored liquid into my mug. It smelled so nuttily delicious I didn’t mind a bit. It has a full enough flavor for black tea lovers, which is awesome.

What a win DT has here! No wonder it’s so popular. DT has managed to combine the two things you most want to do on a high-of-15-degrees-Fahrenheit day like today: 1) sit on a beach under a palm tree, and/or 2) snuggle up next to a fire. Pineapple, coconuts and walnuts together (with emphasis on the nuts)—who would’a guessed? It’s the perfect cuppa right now. :)

You have to be really careful not to overbrew this tea. Most blacks I steep for 3-5 minutes. I wouldn’t go over 2.5 for this one. It gets pretty bitter.

When you brew it properly, though, it’s a pretty nice earl grey. I still feel like there’s a little something off about it, though. Maybe I’m just not a fan of the added vanilla.

omigosh, now that’s a yummy tea! DT’s advent calendar is giving me a new appreciation for rooibos! This one is fruity and sweet, but not toooo much of either. It’s not a fake fruity taste, just a nice clean simple fruitiness, with a tad bit of tang. Just right. Now if only rooibos had caffeine!!…said the law student :)

BF liked it as well—we might have to stock up!

This is my go-to breakfast tea. I’ve always got a box or two in my cupboard. I now live in the Midwest, and on winter mornings below 20F, when I have to be in the car before 6am (and stay in it for >1 hour commute), this tea is what gets me going—sans jitters.

There’s also something I love about the artwork on the Celestial Seasonings box. I feel sucked into it every time I look at it, and can almost feel the brisk morning air that the bison is snorting back out of his nostrils. I love the gorgeous sunrise, and the feeling I get that there’s a big, grand day ahead.

For those of you who drink your tea black, I think you’ll enjoy this one black. The roasted mate gives it a nice flavor on top of the black. For me though, a bit of milk and sugar makes this tea a treat and makes “everything” (the wee hour, the ice, the long drive, my carpooler) better… :)

Reminds me much more of a cornucopia than a sleigh ride…might be nice in November. It’s also pretty much fruit/nut/spice-infused water; no tea or really even herbs in this one.

That said, it is tasty. I could even taste the popped rice!

The obvious comparison (given that many reviewers have mentioned it, and it was my first thought as well) is to Harney’s Hot Cinnamon Spice black tea . Which personally, I find is like getting kicked in the face with cinnamon (which sometimes I am in the mood for…but usually not).

This one is slightly less cinnamony, and it does have a little kick to it, but from the chili peppers! I never imagined having a “hot,” in the chili peppers sense, tea but … I like it :) The heat comes right at the end, and it’s pretty mild. If you enjoy Mexican hot chocolate, which usually has cinnamon and some kind of chili, then you should try Hot Lips!

I should add that sometimes I find that green tea tastes like soap…this one doesn’t :)

I love strong, sweetened ginger flavors (like ginger candies, and practically the only carbonated beverage I drink is ginger beer—and then the stronger the ginger and the less citrus, the better!) and I also enjoy licorice/anise teas. So I thought this one would be a good one to try and threw in a sample order with my latest Harney order.

When I opened the bag and took a whif, my nose tingled and I coughed (as good strong ginger will make you do!). I agree that the steeped tea has a medicinal smell, but then I tasted it…

How lovely! It really is a perfect blend of both! And the great thing about the licorice is that I don’t even have to sweeten the tea (and I almost always put honey in my tea!). This tisane is…fantastic. At least if you love these two flavors as much as I do. I wondered how they would work together, without any other base—and now I know: awesomely.

I found it very similar to Yogi’s Ginger tea, which has ginger and licorice along with lemongrass, peppermint, and black pepper. The quality and simplicity of Harney’s tisane sets it apart though :)

Wish I had bought more!

This is #6 in my DAVIDsTEA 24 Days of Tea advent calendar—and what a treat! It’s gorgeous dry, with the gold pearls and sugar crystals. But the best part is when you steep it. The gold pearls partially dissolve in the hot water (some of the filigree is left with the leaves)—and they give you a tea that actually glitters with a million dancing sparkles! I’ve never had so much fun watching my tea—the warm water swirls and shimmers in my mug. The cinnamon is veeeery subtle, but the tea has a nice flavor – mellow black tea with perfect sweetness; I taste the vanilla and clove more. Now, at the bottom of my almost-empty mug, along with small bit of tea leaves, there is a silver swirl of sparkles. This tea is bringing out the girl in me (shiny!)

I used my travel mug with loose leaf steeper this morning as I was running out the door for the bus, which means it probably steeped for 10 or so minutes. It didn’t turn bitter, and was such a pleasant surprise as I got to sip it in the cold outside!

When I tried it again tonight, I steeped for 7 minutes, and it turned out great once again.

It doesn’t seem to make a very strong second steep, and there are still sparkles, but less. But the first cup IS magical…I may need to get more of this. Of course, it’s perfect this time of year, with my Christmas tree lit and glowing across the room :)

(added dollop of honey, no milk)

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

I really, really wanted to like this tea—salted caramel sounds amazing, and some other reviewers seemed to actually pick up that flavor. Unfortunately, I just don’t taste much besides a decent black tea with a smooth finish.

Maybe my sample was stale (though it shouldn’t be—from the 24 Days of Tea advent calendar) or something, but there just isn’t much caramel flavor.

Added milk, with an open mind, hoping it might bring out some of the flavor. After all, caramel candy is made with milk or cream. Much better! I did start to pick up some of the flavor. It could be a nice dessert tea, with milk. But it won’t be a tea I buy more of, likely.

I like the idea of a caramel tea, so maybe I’ll keep my eyes out for another option.

really easy to oversteep, smell is better than the taste. I got this free when I bought a teacup at Whittards, and I’m glad I didn’t pay for it!

At first, I didn’t like this tea. I thought it was an odd flavor, and wondered how I’d ever finish my box of it.

But after a few cups I fell in love. I usually add honey to my tea, but no need with Licorice Spice! It’s sweet and flavorful enough as it is! I’ve shared this with friends who love it as well. It’s a great pick me up when I need something a little sweet during afternoons at work :)

I typically stick to flavored blacks, but this is a divine white tea take on earl grey! I’m on my second tin of sachets and know it will always be a regular menu item in my tea cupboard :)

Like many, I enjoyed this tea as part of DAVIDsTEA’s 24 Days of Tea advent calendar. It’s one of my favorites of the set so far! It has a delightful butter rum flavor.

For a little extra fun, I made what I dubbed a “Pirate’s Hot Toddy” with it — buttered rum tea, dark rum, a little buttershots schnapps, and a splash of creamer. It was delicious! :)

I’m not a huge fan of oolong personally, but this one was alright. Light, earthy ginger flavor. Personally, I like my ginger stronger and sweeter :)