Crocuta

Very… interesting. I’ve never had dried bilberries in a tea before, and it’s a little interesting that they’re brown. I would have expected them to be blue. I’m not sure that they come through in the tea very much. What we get is a strongly floral tea with a lemony finish. I wouldn’t say I entirely dislike it, but I would say that it’s a spritzer and a fancy label away from being perfume.

I was so confused by these little leaves before I tasted them. I’m accustomed to my black tea turning large and leafy during brewing, and these just look like coffee grounds! But rest easy—this is not tea dust.

The taste is best summed up in one word: Robust. More robust than any English or Irish breakfast I’ve had before. If you like your tea weaker you might want to give it a pass (or brew with half the recommended amount), but if you’re like me and you want a strong, flavorful tea to knock your socks off in the morning this is a worthy contender. It’s like the hardy Dwarven warrior of teas coming down from the mountain halls to smack you awake, and I respect that.

An interesting tisane with just a bit too much going on to be truly successful. I love a good herbal, and I appreciate what they were trying to do here, but every sip has several herbal flavors vying for attention. Each sip starts nice and ends nice, but there’s quite a bit of turmoil in the middle. I also wish there was a bit more rose to add some sweetness and round things out. I’m sure I’ll finish the packet eventually, but this won’t be my evening blend of choice.

A lovely sample from Nature’s Tea Leaf!

I’m a huge fan of Hong Kong milk tea, so I was interested to see how that would translate into a normal tea that doesn’t need anything mixed in. Amazingly, it’s very spot-on! The black leaves (amusingly mislabeled as “red” on my sample packet. No, I know black when I see it) smell very strongly of condensed milk, hitting your nose as soon as you open the packet. When you pour the water, you can see the milk seep out from the leaves. The brewed smell is quite a bit softer than the leaf smell, but both the tea and milk scents are there. The flavor is one of the smoothest I’ve ever tasted, with the milk and sugar flavors right there in the tea! I suppose you could add extra milk and sugar, but wouldn’t that ruin the point?

I do imagine I’ll be buying the full size in the future. I highly recommend this tea to people who love a good milk tea!

I had been very disappointed with this tea when I first started sipping it, as none of the fruity notes were coming out over the very powerful and slightly vegetal green tea. But as the cup cooled, the fruity notes began to hit my tongue first followed by the tea itself. Still mildly disappointing, because while the loose leaf (very attractive stuff despite being in a bag) smells like honeydew, the tea itself is far more dominated by the apricot. But it’s still very drinkable, and I think it’s begging to be iced.

I was delightfully surprised by how much I loved this blend! Rooibos is usually something I can take or leave—I’ll take it if there aren’t any good black, white, green or herbal teas around. I definitely didn’t have high expectations for a rooibos that comes in 50-count/container bags. But it had real vanilla pieces, and it smelled amazing, so I had to give it a try.

I never would have thought to pair rooibos and peppermint, but the combination is amazing. The sweet flavors of the orange peel, cinnamon and vanilla come through, too. It’s sweet enough on its own not to need sugar! Each sip ends with a lovely minty finish softened by vanilla. Delicious!

I’ve been drinking it in the mornings and at night. Since it’s caffeine-free, it’s suitable before bed, but the mintiness helps wake me up on a weekend morning, too. Definitely recommended to mint and dessert tea lovers.

It’s alright. Not among the better chai blends of the world, or even among the better Celestial Seasonings blends. The coconut and tea flavors are there, just kind of weak. Being caffeine-free is a nice touch, too. The one thing this tea really has going for it is mouthfeel. It’s very creamy on the palate. I usually pair it with an evening dessert—right now it’s complimenting a carrot-coconut cupcake rather nicely. I’m sure I’ll finish the box, but I doubt I’ll buy it again.

This was my father’s tea of choice when I was growing up. Now that I work a nine-to-five myself, I can see the appeal. A very bright and surprisingly complex blend, definitely one of Celestial Seasoning’s better offerings. Definitely a relaxing cup to enjoy after work.

I got this in a three-piece set as a graduation present, and this rapidly became my favorite of the three. And of course, now that I’ve brewed the very last tea bag, it was the one I had finished first.

I hadn’t really thought too critically about this tea up until now other than “YUM!” But now that I’m on my final bag (sniff sniff), it’s time to wrap things up with a real tasting. I raised an eyebrow reading the other reviews. “Strawberry jam? What the? I never noticed any-(takes a sip)-Oh, there it is!”

Lucky, the flavor notes of strawberries, vanilla, bergamot, and black tea marry into something excellent. I enjoy an earl grey now and then, but sometimes it can be just a little… “earl-grey-y.” This tea does not have that problem. It is earl grey’s much tastier cousin who studied abroad in Paris and came back delicious.

It’s been great, Paris. I’m going to keep your tin around to remind me of you. Maybe keep some pebbles or art supplies in it. But most likely I’ll be seeing you again real soon.

I first tried a cup of this at my brother’s house while I was puppy sitting. That was on Friday. On Tuesday, I went to Adagio and got a bag of my own. So yes, I like this tea. A lot!

The scent is lovely, both dry and steeped. I know the chestnut flavor is probably artificial instead of natural, but as long as it doesn’t smack me over the head with artificiality I’m just fine with that. The flavor is good, a rich strong black tea tempered with an earthy nuttiness and something that reminds me a little bit of raw cocoa. It’s incredibly full-bodied, which I love. Even the color is a beautiful chestnut brown.

This is probably my new favorite Adagio blend. I will be keeping it as a standby in my cupboard. And apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so, because it’s the only “seasonal” tea that Adagio is keeping in stock in March.

Sharp, bitter, and thoroughly decent. I wasn’t able to pick out any fancy caramel, malt, or cherry flavors through the astringency, but maybe others have more luck. I don’t find that milk or sugar make a lot of difference in the drinking experience, so I’ll take it with or without.

It’s a step below a good English or Irish Breakfast, that’s for sure. But it’s drinkable. I keep a box at work with me because it’s one that I don’t mind sharing.

This is probably the most mediocre herbal tea I could possibly imagine. Celestial Seasonings? Check. Chamomile? Check. Artificial fruit flavor? Check.

The flavor is primarily that typical Celestial Seasonings chamomile dust, although the apple and honey so show up just a touch at the end of a sip. This is not an exceptional tea. This is not even a good tea.

And yet, I am typing this as I finish the last bag from a box I bought less than a month ago. I cannot honestly recommend this tea to anyone as something to seek out, but if you have a box around and enjoy chamomile, you will probably finish it the same way I did. It’s the kind of tea you can break out every night after work without even the thought of rationing it out. Will I buy it again? Probably not. I do like Celestial Seasonings Chamomile, but the other blends just do more for me. But, like I said, I drank an entire box in just a few weeks, so there is obviously something about it that works, even if it only manages to be dully “okay.”

This tea tastes like nostalgia to me. I’ve been drinking it since I was a little girl. Of course, we all know it isn’t really a “tea,” but let’s not hold that against it. Sleepytime accomplishes exactly what it promises. If I need a little help chilling out before bed, a cup of this does wonders. It doesn’t hurt that it tastes pretty good, too. Strong chamomile up front, with the spearmint finishing up each sip in a nice cooling kind of way. A lot of people like it with honey. I can go with or without, depending on how I’m feeling. Which, after a mug of this liquid herbal comfort, is always chill, chill, chill.

I’ve never had a genmaicha that I didn’t like. This one is thoroughly decent and drinkable. The green tea is pretty standard bagged quality, so it probably won’t knock the socks off of seasoned tea drinkers. It’s greatly improved by the brown rice, though, so the drink as a lovely toasted earthiness—kind of like popcorn. Sometimes that hits the spot better than anything else!

Price is definitely another factor this has going for it. I got a box for around 2 bucks, so it’s affordable to drink every day if I wanted. And actually… sometimes I do. :)

I was so anxious about brewing this tea. I don’t brew loose leaf white tea very often. If you get the water too hot it’ll scorch the leaves, but of course you don’t want a bunch of leaves floating in lukewarm water. The Joy’s Teaspoon website recommended a 2-3 minute brewing time, but I’ve usually read that white tea needs a longer than average steeping time, so I let it go for around 8.

I’ll never really know whether I butchered it, because I found it very enjoyable. It gets better as it cools. A bit of sweet grape with some very lovely floral notes on a white tea base. Smooth, light, and lovely to sip. I’m very curious as to how this would taste iced, even though I almost always prefer hot tea.

I will also add that the dry leaves smell like candied grapes (not artificial grape flavor, but like real grapes covered in sugar). I’m glad that the super sweetness of the smell wasn’t in the taste, but I have to admit that I enjoyed sniffing it.

Oh, I love this tea. Love, love, love. As much as I love complex and fascinating teas with 25 or so different ingredients, there is so much to be said for simplicity. Blue Sky is a delicious tea that needs only three ingredients to be wonderful.

And oh, how they combine! The sencha is a good grassy flavor mellowed out with a light sweetness from the mallow and roses. It’s floral without being perfumey. It tastes bright and delicate and it brews to a lovely pale yellow. It always makes me think of spring! And in the middle of a Chicago winter, I need spring.

If you can’t tell, this is one of my favorite teas. I drink it whenever I need something to make me feel happy or calm. Definitely recommended to anyone who likes flavored sencha and herbal teas.

Mmmm. This is a great tea to drink when you have an upset stomach. One cup of this and all your tummy woes just disappear.

I primarily drink this when I’m not feeling well, but it certainly doesn’t hurt its case that it also tastes pretty good. It’s very strong peppermint with a hint of ginger spice at the end. The delicate white tea is probably there, but my palate isn’t quite sensitive enough to pick it out. I imagine it soothes the overall blend a bit, though.

One thing I do have to warn about is that this is a strong tea. You WILL be hit with a sack full of peppermint bricks and then drizzled with burning ginger. It is not for the weak of heart! But if your mouth can handle it and your stomach has a need for it, this is a good tea.

I was given a bag of this as a holiday present from a professor that I was a TA for. What a thoughtful woman! She really knows my tastes. :)

One thing to be careful about with this tea is not to overdo it—it calls for one tablespoon per 16 oz, and if you put too much leaf in you will be tasting jasmine for the rest of the week.

Unfortunately, that’s really all that you taste anyway. Jasmine with undertones of jasmine and just a hint of jasmine. The jasmine completely dominates the sencha. I suppose I can’t really fault the tea for this—it’s sort of what it promises. But it would have been nice if they were balanced a bit better.

If you’re a jasmine fan, go ahead and give it a try. Just remember, a little bit goes a long way!

I liked the look and feel of this before I even brewed it. Real, whole-leaf tea in a bag, that I can actually feel the texture of as opposed to little tiny bits of fragments and dust! The smell was nice as well.

After brewing, the tea is a lovely amber color and medium-bodied. The taste is very good oolong, with a touch of peach and apricot that isn’t overly sweet. I savored my cup and will be saving the bag for a resteep. I have a feeling it will hold up well. :)

I tried this as a sample from Joy’s Teaspoon, and I’m glad that I did.

This is one of the better green/black blends I’ve had. A sip starts out light and peachy, then is taken over by the black tea. That might be my only real complaint: I would have liked more of the green tea and peach flavor. Still, it’s very nice. The peach flavor isn’t obnoxious like some fruit flavoring can be, and helps to mellow out the black tea bite. It’s most apparent in the smell, which is incredibly delicious.

I would recommend this to anybody who wants green tea with a little more oomph, or people who want a more mellow fruity black tea.

I always get my hopes up with Republic of Tea. Maybe it’s the fancy circular casing, or the endless promises of SUSTAINABLE INGREDIENTS and RICH BURSTING FLAVOR. Or even just the fact that the blood orange art on the case reminded me of a wagon wheel. I always WANT to like Republic of Tea.

Unfortunately, I just never do. While I’ve only tried a handful of their teas, they are always disappointingly bland and musty. I snagged this one 50% off after the holidays so it was less of a price gamble, but I really should have learned my lesson being disappointed by their chocolate strawberry tea last year. I just don’t think that Republic of Tea handles chocolate flavoring well.

See, this is really where the problem is. I could be satisfied with this as a slightly bland and musty blood orange rooibos. Really, I could. But for me, every sip is overpowered by that artificial, waxy flavor that might be considered chocolate in some universe. That universe would be inhabited by people with only one taste bud on their tongue, but I could buy it. For me, however, it tastes like chocolate lip smackers, and I’m going to leave THOSE in the past where they belong!

Well, it’s… okay. And nothing really more than okay. The sweet lemon flavor is strong enough, especially in the aroma, the taste is a bit artificial.

It’s not undrinkable. I finished a box today after several months. But I doubt I’ll ever buy it again. But I can recommend this if you love artificial lemon, have a sore throat, or need to entertain guests that you aren’t particularly fond of.

I’ll start off by saying that this is a Celestial Seasonings tea that I buy regularly and drink often. So naturally, I find it very enjoyable.

I usually drink this in the mornings when I need a little energy. It never jolts or makes me feel dehydrated the way that coffee sometimes does. The flavor is incredibly mellow and earthy, just like the reassuring little buffalo on the box. I prefer it with a splash of milk (and maybe a pinch of sugar if I really want to go nuts), but it’s alright without. It’s not the highest quality of black tea or mate, but for the price and convenience it’s hard to do better.

I picked up a box of this when I had a coupon, but it’s worth the six bucks or so that they normally charge if you want quick and convenient green tea that actually tastes… dare I say it? Good!

Sometimes I just want a quick cup of green tea without any fruit or jasmine flavors. This tea gives me exactly that. The flavor is very nice, clear and strong without being overpowering and not at all bitter. And it doesn’t taste artificial at all! This is especially impressive for a bagged tea!

If I had any complaints, it’s that the tea bags seem a little skimpily filled. While it flavored my little teapot’s worth of water well enough, I doubt it would stand up to a larger teapot or any re-steeping.

But overall, this is a worthy tea.