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Slowly working my way through my untried Della Terras. I used 1.5tsp of leaf, and gave it 3 minutes in boiling water. No additions. The dry leaf contains small-ish pieces of dried cherry and a generous amount of chocolate chips, so I’m hopeful that it’ll turn out well.

To taste, this really does resemble a chocolate dipped cherry! Maybe not as intensely flavoured as the actual thing, but definitely on the right lines. I can taste the cherry first, and it’s a sweet, juicy, black cherry flavour that’s not at all artificial. The chocolate emerges mid-sip, and adds a little hit of sweetness that really helps the cherry flavouring along. Both flavours meld and linger in the aftertaste, making this a wonderfully decadent dessert tea. I could happily sit and sip a mug of this while others tucked into a slice of black forest gateau, and I wouldn’t feel left out at all. Black forest gateau is another good flavour comparison here – it really captures the chocolate/cherry element THAT well. The black tea base is unobtrusive, and I can’t really taste all that much of it. The flavouring is definitely the star here.

I like this one – it’s a very enjoyable cup, and one of the more flavour accurate, satisfying dessert teas I’ve tried. It’s one I’d perhaps look to repurchase in the future, once my stash is a little more under control. Like that’ll ever happen, though! I’ll certainly have no problem finishing this sample.

This was last night’s pre-bedtime cup. I remember trying this iced last summer, but I’m not sure that I’ve ever tried it hot before. I used 2 tsp of leaf, and gave it 4 minutes in boiling water. The resulting liquor is a tell-tale pinky-red, which immediately had me looking at the ingredients. Yes, my old friend hibiscus lives here.

Hibi and I have a love-hate relationship. Every time we meet, I wonder how it’s going to go. This time, it’s actually okay. The main flavour here, as I was hoping, is lemon. It’s a wonderfully fresh flavour, almost bitter. It’s almost like an actual lemon has been squeezed into a cup of hibiscus tea, and it’s a pretty good pairing. The hibiscus adds just the right amount of sweet tartness to counteract the sour lemon, without completely overpowering it.

I actually like this one a lot more hot than I did iced, and I think it’ll be a great herbal blend for a cool spring or summer evening. Drinking this makes me sad that RiverTea have gone. They had all too short a life in the tea world. I suppose the only thing to do is remember them fondly through the teas I have left, and this one makes that easy.

I love Sherlock. By which I mean the BBC series, although I’m also rather partial to the original books. Anyway, I had to try these teas when I saw them, and this was my first pick from the sampler! It seemed like the obvious choice.

I’m not generally partial to lapsang blends, but I’m open to being proved wrong. How will I ever know if my taste for it changes if I don’t try every so often? I gave 1 tsp of leaf three minutes in boiling water, and added a splash of milk. The dry leaf smells quite smoky; it’s like opening the tin releases a little puff of it. Once in the water, it seems less pungent.

Upon taking a sip, it’s immediately obvious that this IS a smoky tea. BUT…it’s somehow a soft smoke, and it’s actually quite palatable. I think the smoky blends I’ve tried previously have mostly been rather acrid and bitter, but this one’s not like that at all. It’s like the smoke at a barbecue, almost. I think the assam helps to tone down the LS a little, and the oriental spice adds a little bit of background flavour that distracts from some of the initial smokiness. The milk probably helps a bit, too. I’m not sure I could drink it without.

Anyway, this blends seems like a fairly fitting tribute to Sherlock to me. It’s a dark and a little mysterious with its background of almost hidden spice (shrouded in smoke, perhaps?) It tastes like I imagine Sherlock’s coat might smell. Not that I imagine that often, of course. Honestly.

This one is typically my weekend breakfast tea, even though it’s a rooibos blend. I’m actually quite sad that Della Terra don’t make it anymore, because it’s one of the strongest and most flavour-accurate maple teas I’ve tried. I had my doubts about the bacon pieces at first, but they don’t play much of a part in the overall flavour. Maybe a touch of smoky sweetness, but nothing outrageous.

Anyway, in my bid to finish up older teas, I allowed myself a cup of this today. I have a couple more teaspoons of leaf left, so it’s not over yet, but I’ll miss this one when it’s gone. This is a rich, delicious, sweet maple tea. One word: yummy!

I’ve been drinking this a couple of times a week since I went back to work, pre-bedtime. This year’s blend is a lot more chai-like than the one I originally tried – there’s a wonderful spicy ginger warmth that’s really lovely on a cold night. The initial sip is still very cake-like, though, and retains the sweet, almost perfumey, notes of freshly baked gingerbread that I enjoyed so much last year.

I’ve been drinking this one both with and without milk, and it works well either way. The spicing comes out better plain, as you might expect, and the cake notes better with milk. It’s a tea to suit all moods, really, and one I’d definitely keep around during autumn-winter.

Long time no drink. I was musing on my tea stash last night, and I’ve decided to try and pull out some of my older teas again and have a bit of a blitz on those. It’s so easy to get caught up in fabby new teas, but I should really be more disciplined, at least from time to time.

I used 1.5 tsp of leaf for my pre-bedtime cup, for three minutes in boiling water. I added a splash of milk. Although it’s one of my older teas, it’s fortunately still as nice as I remember. The main flavour I can discern is strawberry, and it’s a wonderfully syrupy, sweet tasting strawberry. Not exactly natural, but very candy-like and pleasing. With milk, this one actually reminds me a little of strawberry milkshake. The rooibos is a little bit too prominent for a completely convincing effect, and there’s a touch of something floral in the background that doesn’t really fit the whole “milkshake” image, but it’s a pleasant cup all the same. A potential future repurchase.

Went for the full 1 tbsp of leaf this afternoon, and a 5 minute steep in boiling water. It came out quite dark and strong-looking, so I added a splash of milk. I’d secretly hoped that might be the case, because I adore a lovely milky chai. It’s one of my favourite things about winter!

I like this as much as I did my first cup. The spicing is perfect for my tastes – lots of ginger/cinnamon to add a spicy warmth, and enough clove to contribute that deep, almost damp-tasting depth. I can also clearly pick out the orange. I like the creaminess the milk gives this one. It’s such a smooth tea anyway, but it’s delicious and comforting like this.

I think it’s safe to say that this one is well on its way to becoming one of my favourite chai blends!

My first experience with Keemun wasn’t a great one; I found it bitter and kind of smoky, and I’ve more or less avoided them ever since. I received this as a sample with my last Whispering Pines order, though, and based on the success I’ve had with their teas recently, I felt encouraged to give it a try. I followed the recommended parameters and used 1/2 tbsp of leaf, in water just cooled from boiling (about 200 degrees), for three minutes. No additions. The resulting liquor is medium brown, and smells of malt and chocolate.

Upon tasting, I’m instantly reminded of some of the Taiwanese black teas I’ve tried. This shares the same fruitiness, and has the undisputedly delicious bread and chocolate notes that I really enjoy in plain black teas.The initial flavour is chocolate, and while it has a creaminess and a lightness of flavour that put me in mind of milk chocolate, it also has a slight cocoa-like dryness that reminds me of a high quality dark chocolate. After the chocolate comes the distinctive taste of bread; rye like and a little yeasty.

For all the rich-sounding flavours, I’m actually finding this quite a refreshing, clean-tasting tea. There’s a hint of something almost eucalyptus-like right at the end of the sip which leaves a fresh coolness on the palate. I can definitely see why it’s called Pine Peak!

After tasting this one, what I’d really like it to breathe some mountain air. As that’s not possible, I’m going to settle for trying a few more keemuns. Hopefully some of them are as good as this one!

Another Whispering Pines sample! I needed a treat to make this morning at work even remotely bearable, and obviously I turned to tea in my time of need. I used 1.5 tsp of leaf, and gave it three minutes in water just cooled from boiling. No additions. While brewing, the scent is wonderfully savoury – I’m thinking rye bread, in particular.

To taste, it’s just as wonderful as I’d hoped. It reminds me of Butiki’s Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black (which I loved), and even a little of Verdant’s Laoshan Black (although that’s a relatively distant memory now). Initially, it’s quite chocolatey, although it’s an almost bittersweet dark chocolate/cocoa flavour. Then, in the mid-sip, the fruitiness emerges! Plum and blackberry are the descriptors best suited; a little tart, a little sharp, but with a wonderful juiciness that makes this an absolute pleasure to sip. In the aftertaste, I’m picking up mostly bread. It matches the scent almost perfectly, in a savoury, lightly malty way. It’s a wonderful combination of flavours – sitting here, it’s almost got me thinking of summer pudding. Or maybe craving is the right word, if I’m honest.

I’m sure I’ve said it before, but black tea like this makes me wonder why I bother with flavoured tea at all. This tea tastes vibrant and fresh, and is so utterly, perfectly smooth; almost like honey. Definitely one I’ll be needing to repurchase!

Another superbly wonderful tea from Whispering Pines. I’m adding my review here as I believe I have the old version. It seems sad to say that, because I’m enjoying this cup immensely. Still, seasons change and all that. Clearly I’ll have to try the new version to compare!

Anyway, the tea. I used 1.5 tsp of leaf, and gave it three minutes in boiling water. I added a splash of milk (just the tiniest one, though!) The scent of the dry leaf is wonderfully chocolatey, like opening a tin of cocoa powder and taking a sniff.

To taste, this is probably the nicest quality black blend I’ve tried in a good long while. The initial flavour is chocolate; quite dark and rich, but with a deliciously smooth, creamy edge. A mild fruitiness emerges in the mid-sip, initially cherry (chocolate covered cherry, anyone?), but ultimately turning more towards apricot. It’s light, fruity, and juicy-tasting, and the perfect counterpoint to the chocolate/cream richness of the initial sip. The end of the sip is heavily malty, with all the sweetness that implies, with a touch of honey. It’s also gloriously smooth. The chocolate flavour lingers in the aftertaste, making this an almost decadent treat. I consider my morning thoroughly brightened! This one is definitely going on my shopping list!