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Dry: Lovely green tea leaves blended with white and dried apple chunks. Smells sweet and apple-y, almost like green apple candy (Jolly Ranchers, anyone?).

Steeped: Clear amber liquor. Warm and cozy aroma of tea and apple blended together in harmony. I was really excited about this from the dry leaf and the smell wafting from the infuser.

Taste: Unfortunately, this one did not live up to my expectations, at least per the directions. I steeped exactly as the label stated at 3 minutes. It isn’t awful, but it tastes like a light and basic apple tea with a pretty significant bitter bite. I only had a small amount of this, so no second chances unfortunately. If I ever try this again, I would not steep for longer than 2 minutes.

Dry: Pretty fruit and petal blend with little red heart sugar cubes. Smells very sweet, primarily like candied pineapple with a hint of coconut. I love pineapple and coconut, so high hopes!

Steeped: Brown-gold slightly cloudy liquor. Slightly concerned about the aroma- has a bit of a sour smell? Almost like hibiscus tea instead of a sweet fruit blend. I brewed it strong, so I added some cold water and the caramel and pineapple are starting to come through as it cools more.

Taste: This tastes entirely different from how it smells alone, at least to my nose. I am getting creamy coconut and pineapple with hints of apple. Quite nice! I tried it hot first and it is fruity and lovely. Cold is even better. This really shines as a summer iced tea. I think it would be a nice pick-me-up in winter when dreaming of the beach, too.

As far as fruit herbal blends go, I really like this. I know it is unorthodox, but I might try this with a dash of milk and see if it enhances the creaminess even more. If you like pina colada, then this would be a good one to try out.

This morning I had the last of this beautiful white and I enjoyed it just as much now as I did before. I will need to order more of this, though I keep telling myself I need to stop falling in love with some of the more pricey teas. I just recently picked-up a larger size of David’s Gyokuro Yamashiro and I told myself that then, too. :)

Anyhow, short re-steeps are lovely with this gorgeous Silver Needle so I should be able to enjoy it quite a bit longer today. Subtle, sweet, and fragrant. What’s not to love?

Dry: Pretty blend of loose black tea and what appears to be broken pieces of star anise. There are also orange bits that I am guessing are tea-stained coconut from the ingredient list. I don’t see any cocoa or white chocolate nibs in the blend, but can taste it once brewed. Dry leaf smells sweet with a hint of spice and cocoa.

Steeped: This brews into a slightly cloudy gold-brown liquor with a very slight film. The aroma is that same sweet-spice and chocolate from the dry leaf that is really quite appealing and makes me think of the cooler months ahead.

Taste: At first, I thought this was rather bland with nothing really standing out. As it cooled a little though, the Ceylon tea is quite lovely. The star anise is a flavor I never really appreciated in cooking, but it is nice in this tea. The cocoa adds a warm sweet note to what is already pleasant to begin with. I wasn’t getting much in the way of coconut, but it didn’t seem like it was missing it either. This was noticeably weaker in the second steep, I don’t think it would hold up to three without losing considerable strength.

I didn’t think I’d like this tea because I hate anything remotely licorice, but it turns out I actually like Ceylon Star for what it is worth. Not my favorite tea ever, but certain worth giving it a go for a sweet and relaxing experience.

Dry: Very dark green tightly rolled leaves, somewhat glossy. Lovely light slightly floral and sweet green fragrance. Fresh is the word I would use to describe this tea right out of the bag.

Steeped: I steeped 7g in my large infuser. Like other oolongs, this one needs a lot of room to expand and the large whole leaves unfurl nicely. Lovely clear yellow (tinted towards olive) liquor. Smells sweet and light with a floral-fruity oolong note.

Taste: Smooth and sweet from the first sip with a silky mouth feel. A little bit drying on the tongue, but not in an unpleasant, sour, or bitter way. Fresh and fragrant oolong with a slight fruity note. Not tasting anything buttery, vegetal, or roasted in this tea- just a light, pleasant, and enjoyable oolong. Holds up to several re-steepings, though I stopped after three to move onto something else. I have really been enjoying my Teavivre order- everything has been wonderful so far.

Dry: This one smells just like sweet and tart passionfruit. Really deliciously fragrant! Lovely dry blend of fruits, leaves, and flowers. As much as I like Harney, right off the bat this one blows the Harney raspberry herbal from last week right out of the park.

Steeped: Bright pink-red slightly cloudy liquor. Smells just like juicy passionfruit. I made this one hot, but I think it would be divine iced.

Taste: Lovely tangy blend where passionfruit meets apple. Tiny hint of sour hibiscus, but really everything goes together nicely to my palate. As it cooled, I was getting more of an apple juice note and less passionfruit, but still very good. I am apparently picky about tisanes from previous experiences, but if you like passionfruit flavors like I do, then this one is a keeper for sure. Not much of a fan of artificial ingredients, but happy to have found a caffiene-free herbal that I like so much.

Dry: I was excited to try another Harney tea after enjoying Florence quite a bit. As soon as I opened the tin, a wonderful aroma met my nose that reminded me of some sort of tart berry confection. Black tea meets black currant or maybe tart cherries, with a touch of citrus and sweet vanilla. Really wonderful dry scent- love at first sniff.

Steeped: Clear dark brown liquor for the first steep. Second steep was medium brown liquor. The amazing fragrance of this tea carries over nicely.

Taste: This one reminds me a little of the creamy Earl Grey blends, though with more complexity. Lovely black tea with a tart fruity scent and lingering note. A touch of vanilla and perhaps caramel rounds it out nicely. I really like this. Nothing overwhelms the blend and it may become one of my daily staples. I tried it with and without 2% milk and I found that I preferred it without. I plan to try it iced as I am sure the fruity notes would be delightful in the long summer afternoons.

I only had a sample size of this, but my husband and I both loved it as an afternoon iced latte. We made it according to the instructions with 2% milk as the base. The matchaccino powder blended right in without any fuss and it made the kitchen smell like creamy caramel goodness in the process.

The latte itself was a beautiful bright jade green, very attractive color. When I first sipped it, I was kind of braced thinking the caramel might taste artificial. I shouldn’t have worried though, it was delicious! This was my first matcha experience and it was a good one. For my household, this could easily substitute for dessert, though I am sure it will also be a sweet matcha treat whenever the mood hits. Yum!

Dry: Downy jade-colored tea buds. Fresh, soft, delicately fragrant, and notably sweet.

Steeped: Lovely clear gold liquor. The steeped aroma is more subtle than the dry buds, very slightly floral in a pleasant way.

Taste: This tea is a lovely experience. I am having a difficult time describing the taste because it is so mild and pleasant. I picture a dewy wildflower meadow, green with lingering sweet aromas and subtle floral notes. This is very fresh and delicate. I can see how some people are tasting melon or cucumber. All I can say is that I am really enjoying it!

It’s my birthday and my husband gave me a variable electric kettle (yay!). This is my first tea brewed with it! :)

Dry: Oolong rolled loose tea leaves and large chunks of dried pineapple. Smells like candied pineapple straight out of the sample bag, very sweet and delicious. My husband (who loves pineapple) said, “What is it? Smells good!”

Steeped: The pineapple fragrance dry smells more like dried apricots with a floral note steeped. Lovely unfurling oolong leaves always pleasant to watch in the infuser.

Taste: This is a nice light and fruity tea. The floral oolong note is lovely, with the dried apricots and pineapple really shining through. If you are looking for something with a lot of complexity, this is not it. Very pleasant oolong though overall. I think this would really shine as an iced tea in the summer. This was sent as a sampler, but I might need to pick up a bag at some point.