Amy Dolen Beaudoin

I adore this tea. I love vanilla, I love almond—so what’s not to love. It can be weak or bitter (it’s kind of hard to get just right), but I err on the side of strong because I take it with milk and sugar. This tea is comforting to me and I have many good memories of it from college and cafe dining with friends.

I love this tea. I remember discovering it at the Joseph Beth cafe during college. I love peach, and this is a nice, fruity tea that is good lightly sweetened. I think the ginger to peach ratio works really nicely. This one is good hot or cold.

This will always be Earl Grey to me. I like it sweet and with milk, although that is probably a travesty. Bergamot is wonderful!

Cinnamon-sweet. This is the first tea I could drink without sweetener. My office-mate back in 1999 gave me my first bag of this. It was good in the office as a break. It was probably my first experience with rooibos, too (which I why every time I taste cinnamon, I think rooibos, even though I know that’s not correct!) I haven’t been able to find it lately. I wonder if I would still like it?

Slightly sweetened, this is my favorite bedtime tea—even surpassing my beloved regular Sleepytime. I like the lemony-mintiness of it, and the slight scenting of jasmine fits in well. I’d probably use it as a body wash, and I say that in a nice way! It’s a comforting, clean tea, and the delicate jasmine just enhances.

My lower rating reflects that I just couldn’t get into this one. It smelled like a wet forest fire in my cup—so much so my hubby thought something had burned in the kitchen. I realize it’s SUPPOSED to be that way, and it is deep and….interesting. I don’t think I have the chops or gravitas to enjoy this one properly. My experience with the other Numi teas has been mixed.

I like Red Zinger. I don’t hate hibiscus, and it does have a “zing.” I like it sweetened to bring out the fruity flavor. Weird/astringent if steeped too long (or if you leave the teabag in the cup….)

I like this one brewed strong with milk and sweetener. It’s a good breakfast tea. I like the depth of it, and it also has a lighter topnote/aftertaste that is pleasant.

One of my favorites for bedtime. I like it steeped for a long time—it has more blueberry punch that way. I sweeten it lightly, and it’s a good dessert. I love blueberries, so it figures that this one is a go-to for me.

I really like this tisane. If you steep it for just the right amount of time, it’s sweet with cinnamon and very good—especially if you like cider with redhots (which I do!). It reminds me of Good Earth—so much so that I was surprised there was no rooibos. It’s just cinnamon, apple, hibiscus, rosehips, licorice root. My main problem is steeping—too long and the cinnamon will hurt your tongue. Too little, and it tastes like watered down apple juice. I was going to buy out the store, but after brewing a cup with too much of the tea, my mouth hurts!