QueenOfTarts

If you can believe it, this is the cause of one of my first memories with tea. I remember this and many other Celestial Seasonings boxes at my friends’ house. We would have cups of Sleepytime and Mandarin Orange Spice! For me, this is a go-to blend from Celestial Seasonings. It’s got a nice blend of flavors and the spices don’t overpower the orange if it’s steeped well. I have left my bag too long in the cup before.. resulting in a very unpleasant cup. While it’s not the best tea I’ve ever had, it is nice occasionally.

I must admit that I was nervous to try this tea. I opened up the pouch and found that there were large pieces of cinnamon, small beads of pepper and very little rooibos! I don’t like spicy or peppery teas in the slightest.. but this tea intrigued me. The smell is definitely of spices, cinnamon and a hint of sweetness.. similar to a cinnamon bun.
The taste is a bit mild compared to the smell. I don’t taste rooibos or cocoa/chocolate. It makes my tongue and throat tingle. The flavor is really just cinnamon and spices with an odd sweetness in the background. This is too peppery/spicy for me. I won’t be buying this.

Quite sweet and pleasant, as usual.

Less of a biscuit flavor today, but still good!

I was looking forward to trying this tea, and thought that it might be the most chocolate-flavored one out there! The scent from the package to the mug to the steep was pure, rich chocolate. It smelled like a fresh and sweet cup of hot chocolate! My brother even commented and said, “it smells like so much chocolate in here.” I was preparing my mouth for a pure chocolate sip (but tea-style, of course). Like others have said, I found this tea to be a bit bitter. Yes, I tasted chocolate, but I wasn’t pleased with the bitter flavor that came with it. Usually with some flavored teas, you get the flavor and then a nice dimension of tea leaf. I found this tea to be completely one-dimensional: just a single layer of chocolate+bitterness. I kept waiting to taste some black tea or something in the background, but it just left me disappointed. I know this tea is popular with some, but it’s just not for me.

Oh, this tea is good! I really am loving it! The flavor is a very smooth & toned black tea with the nicest mix of biscuit and something that tastes like fruit. The dry leaves smell of a sweet & tart candy – which originally had me worried that it would be too sweet or artificial.
I don’t know how it’s possible, but DF managed to fit the flavor and scent of a biscuit in a cup of tea. I’m not sure what the other flavors are.. if it’s really almond, or something fruity or floral.. but I like it.
It’s not too much black tea, not too much biscuit.. everything is just right. It all swims around together so nicely. Delicious! Thank you to Meghann M for this delightful treat.

As far as a chai goes, this is pretty smooth! It has toned down the spices (which I like) that usually plague some chais. I feel like half of the flavor is there… the chai, but where is the vanilla bean cheesecake? I don’t taste vanilla or cheesecake.. mostly just the chai. It’s a decent cup, nevertheless. I just wish that it had more sweetness or more of a creamy cheesecake quality. Thank you Meghann M for a sample!

This is a smooth tea that has the lovely scent of a lemon dessert. I appreciate its creamy aspect and was actually expecting more of a tart flavor from the lemon. This is a great tea to have before bed. It’s creamy, sweet & very nice all on its own.

I want to like this tea, but I’m not impressed. I mostly taste black tea with a flavor that wants to be caramel, but isn’t. Now, it’s not terrible, but I can hardly call it a dessert tea. It lacks the nice sweetness of caramel.

Thank you to Meghann for sharing some of this tea with me! This is a good & solid flavored black tea. I like the sweetness that turns into coconut in the swallow. I’m not tasting any of the creamy or pie parts, just the coconut against a black background. The black tea is a bit stronger than I would have liked, but this is a pleasant cup!

I’ve tried many different chocolate teas in the past.. MANY and most of them have been mediocre. I was thinking about just drinking hot chocolate instead of tea until I brewed a hot cup of Chocolate Truffle! This tea is fantastic. It’s dark, has a rich smell and to be honest, doesn’t taste like tea. I wouldn’t say that the flavor is PURE, dripping and thick chocolate. Yes, it’s chocolate.. but it’s more of a bitter/baking chocolate taste. This tea strangely feels thicker in the mouth. This sensation combined with the flavor has me gulping it down without thinking that it’s tea. The aftertaste is of black tea leaves.. making me feel that the tea doesn’t want to be forgotten. “I’m here, too!” it whispers. A nice combination of a bitter chocolate & black tea. Delish.

Spot52 was kind enough to trade some of this tea. I popped open the bag and found that it was just a hint of rooibos smothered by a bit of a medicinal scent. Brewed, I’m not tasting any white chocolate or toffee. The scent is familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It reminds me of some kind of liquor or medicine. This tea has so much potential, but there is just so much going on.. and way too much power from that odd flavor/scent.

I’m just about out of this bag! I have been having a pot at least once a day. I don’t know why, but it’s not tasting as sweet as my first few cups. I’m tasting more of the rooibos than the coconut/sweetness as before. Still good!

I saw this and wanted to try it so I grabbed a bag today from a restaurant. It actually reminded me of TeaFrog’s chocolate cream except it was far less bitter! I was a little concerned with the 5 minute steep time, but it wasn’t really bitter. It definitely brewed a deep, dark brown.. So much that I was expecting something too bold. This was just a nice black tea with a hint of chocolate and a bunch of coconut. The coconut stood out to me the most. I will try this tea again next time I’m at that restaurant. Not my favorite dessert tea, but still makes a tasty cup!

This is very good! I haven’t tried it with milk or sugar yet, but I’m not sure if I want to. It’s sweet with just a hint of black tea. I typically like it when my black tea is swallowed up by a sweet flavor. I taste a bit of chocolate (not a large amount, but enough) and none of the cream, unfortunately. The flavors blend nicely with the black tea. Delish! Thanks lori! I’ll be ordering some of this later.

Okay, but I still like Coconut Custard more! The dry leaf has almost a tangy yogurt smell. It reminded me a lot of some sweet yogurt drink I had when I was younger. When steeped, there is a bit of a floral scent. This tea is just alright. A tiny bit drying after you swallow. It’s sweet, but I don’t really taste individual honey or vanilla.

This is probably my new favorite rooibos! I love rooibos and I love sweet dessert teas… what a perfect combination this is! I don’t detect something that is pure coconut.. I’m just getting a creamy, almost honey-like sweetness instead. This is so smooth! The perfect balance between rooibos and sweetness. I don’t know how, but it’s quickly soared to the top of my list. Delicious! I won’t ever go without this blend in my cupboard.

Yum! This is definitely chocolate and strawberry. Sweet with a bit of black tea in the background. Thank you Lori for letting me try this.

Big big thank you to lori for this one.
I have been waiting anxiously to try this tea.. and happily, I did this evening! I tried the tea without any milk or sugar just to see how it was on its own. Delicious. I love the flavors! It seemed to be a smooth black tea taste with just a bit of natural sweetness and almost a bakery-type flavor at the end. The black tea was not overpowering or bitter (even without sugar!). I’m sure it would be even MORE rich with milk and sugar. I almost don’t want to spoil it with additions! This cup was like nothing I have tried. It has a really mellow and complex taste. Very yummy. Definitely excited to drink this one again and again. I’ll have to purchase this!

Yummy! Thank you to Jaime for this one. :)
This is delicious. It reminded me a bit of American Tea Room’s Extreme Vanilla. I wouldn’t say that I could taste any of the individual caramel or the apricot flavors, but more of just SWEET + green tea. Really very tasty!

I normally love rooibos tea blends from Republic of Tea. I was really excited to try this flavor since it seems so appropriate for fall. The flavors are just uneventful for me. The chocolate and the rooibos seem to clash a bit (more rooibos than chocolate, for me) & I don’t really detect the ginger, but something not very pleasant. It’s not bad… just not as flavorful or tasty as I expected.

I, like Jaime, was really excited to try this tea. The thought of rooibos + the flavor of red velvet was just too marvelous to pass up! This is my second cup of this today.. and I’m trying to get a grasp on the flavor. It does brew to a pretty red color and still has that distinctive wood flavor rooibos always seems to have. The chocolate scent reminds me of a scratch-and-sniff sticker from my childhood. It’s not completely artificial, but is on the border of being so. The flavor is sweet and balanced with the rooibos. I do very much like this tea and think it’s quite yummy.. but I wouldn’t necessarily call it red velvet chocolate. There are moments when I think “yes! That’s definitely it!” but it keeps slipping away. There are layers of chocolate, almost a berry tone and the rooibos. Overall, a very nice cup. Lots of flavors to keep your tongue occupied and your belly happy!

This is exactly what I want in a fall tea. Love the cinnamon and the apple. I find that the spice/cinnamon is prominent, but that it’s balanced with the apple or sweetness. This is a great, sweet tea without the need of sugar or honey. I admit that there is a strange aftertaste.. and I’m not sure what that is. I’m too distracted by the other flavors, though. Perfect for this time of year!

This cup of tea is decent today. I needed something different.
A bit drying in the mouth, but the flavor is smooth & definitely coconut. I’ve been trying to stay away from Golden Moon ever since my disaster experience with their honey pear. A good, drinkable tea. I don’t think I’ll purchase this, but it’s pleasant tonight.