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This came in my Lupicia Happy Bag and I’ve been afraid to try it…I’ve never had a barley tea before and the strong roasted aroma had me convinced it was going to be way too strong and bitter for me. But I finally tried it and it’s actually quite tasty! The flavor reminds me of whole-grain toast…very comforting and not bitter at all. A nice surprise!

Thank you to beelicious for this sample! I’ve been really impressed with the Mariage Freres teas I’ve tried so far and this one was no exception: smooth and creamy with a fantastic rich caramel flavor and a hint of dark chocolate in the aftertaste. I noticed no bitterness and just the slightest bit of astringency after a 5-minute steep. And as a bonus, the teabags are adorable: little cheesecloth sacks that look to be hand-tied with very elegant black and gold tags. I will definitely be ordering from this company at some point in the future!

Overboard TTB #10

This tea doesn’t taste like fresh strawberries…but it DOES taste remarkably like melted strawberry ice cream! Not quite sure how they did it, but it’s all there: the creaminess and the sweet, slightly artificial strawberry flavor. It’s great on its own and I’m guessing it would be even better with a splash of milk!

Overboard TTB #9

I love yerba mate, but I’m not a big fan of red rooibos. Wish I had realized this was a blend of the two before sampling it. The dry leaf has a nice banana scent, but the woody rooibos flavor completely took over my cup, with just a hint of artificial banana lingering in the background. Not a fan!

Overboard TTB #8

This was the rare cup of tea that I ended up dumping out after just a few sips. Cinnamon and hibiscus fighting each other in my mouth is not my idea of a cheery holiday sleigh ride!

Overboard TTB #7

For some reason, there were a lot of maple-flavored teas in this box and I seem to have grabbed all of them to try! This one was tasty, but not my favorite. The base has a great silky mouth feel and supports the flavors well. I’m getting a definite maple flavor, along with a nutty/buttery taste that I can imagine to be pancakes. This isn’t something I need in my collection, but I enjoyed sampling it and would definitely drink it again.

Overboard TTB #6

I really enjoy green teas with tropical fruit flavoring, but this one wasn’t my favorite. The flavoring was very light (although it did pop a bit more as the tea cooled) and I didn’t find the base tea terribly flavorful either. The flavor definitely wasn’t unpleasant, it was just…boring.

Overboard TTB #5

It seems that almost every tea company offers some variation on a tropical fruit green tea. This is one of the better ones I’ve tried! A nice smooth, lightly grassy base that would probably be tasty on its own accompanied by a sweet, natural pineapple flavor and a hint of something else…apricot, maybe? I thoroughly enjoyed my cup of this and am hanging onto the sample to try it again iced.

Overboard TTB #4

Although I haven’t been impressed with the Adagio blends I’ve tried in the past, I love pretty much anything caramel-flavored, so I had to give this one a try. I don’t like it as much as David’s Salted Caramel, but it was quite tasty! The caramel flavor came through strong and sweet and the base was pleasantly smooth. I drank it plain, but I’m guessing it would make an amazing tea latte!

Overboard TTB #3

Not sure if I got an older sample of this one or if it’s just a lightly flavored tea. I did pick up on a slightly fruity note and a tiny hint of vanilla, but this didn’t really come across as flavored to me…it mostly just tasted like a nice (if slightly generic) black tea. Nice, but nothing special!