T2

Another sample grabbed so I could quickly make a decision on low stocks… another big shrug from me. Masala chai flavours with extra peppercorn and chilli, eh.

Grabbed a sample of this today because the friendly T2 staffer told me they only had two tins of it left to sell. I tried it tonight and eh, it’s just another chai with some sweetness thrown at it. ¯\(ツ)/¯

While lovely and mild when served hot, this tisane is best served chilled. It tastes very nice when blended with T2 Turkish Apple (which is made up of mostly sugar) or with a few teaspoons of strawberry jam in the mix. For an even better summer drink, add a few fresh strawberries and some orange and lime slices.

I would say it’s a green tea that has quite a good fruity aroma before and after steeping, meaning that the dry smell is similar to the wet taste. I bought this tea solely due to the dry aroma and it wasn’t disappointing to have that same aroma when I steep and drink it.
I wouldn’t recommend this tea for entry level green tea drinkers as the taste of strawberry overpowers the taste of the leafy green tea. Nonetheless, it adds a bit of fun to my green tea drinking ritual because sometimes going for the same old pure green can be rather boring.

Another tea from MissB. Thank you, thank you! The flavour profile is up my alley, seeing that I’m a sucker for spices. Plus, the aroma of the dry leaf reminded me of Zhena’s Coconut Chai black, which I enjoyed but grew tired of halfway into the tin. It’s also kind of like DAVIDsTEA’s Coco Chai rooibos or whatever, which follows the same story as Zhena’s. Maybe that explains why I’m not digging this one? There’s an ultra soapy note in here that’s woven throughout the spices. I’d say the fennel is the most prominent of them. No cocoa.

Ooooh, ok, I’m kind of slow. I think the soapiness is coming from the coconut. Derrrrr. I’m quite lucky in that I’ve pretty much never encountered a soapy coconut tea up until now, perhaps due to a combination or luck and always trying to drink my coconut blends whilst they’re still fresh. That said, I won’t give this a proper rating.

As much as I try, I am just not a fan of green tea. This one’s not too bad, and works well as a palette cleanser, but I wouldn’t drink it for enjoyment.

Probably nice if you like peppery spice but it’s not for me. This one has lots of bits and pieces in it to give various scents and flavours, but it’s quite weak. Not a fan.

A tea from the traveling tea box! Thanks Amariel for sending it my way :)
(what was this one called again? My memory is broken haha)

Anyhow, the tea. With or without a dash of milk I found it quite yummy.
I see a lot of notes about how the chocolate aspect is missing. I dunno I went in thinking I probably wouldn’t find much cocoa and while I do find that I was right, there IS a distinct chocolate cookie impression, just not a strong one. I’d say 80% ginger cookie and 20% chocolate cookie. That exceeded my expectations! :P
Otherwise, the spices here are quite nice. Smooth, and perfectly blended. Of course, in a chai each spoonful of loose tea is slightly different so maybe I just got lucky.
Either way, if I came across this in a store, I’d snatch it up.

On a more personal note, this is turning out to be a terrible no good week. Some drama happened over the weekend and I got burned. Then Mum didn’t come home last night and she wasn’t answering her cell. She had an ultrasound appointment earlier that day so we were a bit worried and confused.
We got a phonecall at 12:30am that she was in the hospital with kidney stones. Had to pick her up and finally fell into bed at almost 4am.
I’m a bit of a zombie today. Plus I’ve been hovering over mama bird making sure she’s got all the things she needs.
I wonder what Wednesday will have in store for us…

beelicious sent this one my way and i was happy to see it. I love me some ginger! My only complaint about this one, was that it could have used even more ginger. But the balance between the lemongrass and ginger made for a tasty brew. I’m a fan :)

mmmm thank you beelicious This is a really nice malty, vanilla, breakfast tea. I am a fan! There isn’t much else to say about it beyond the fact that it’s just a really decent offering from T2. Someday i’ll get back to Oz so that i can tea shop there too! haha

Matcha is my absolute favourite! I love it as a milkshake with vanilla soy and honey (my absolute favourite). I love it as a latte. I love it straight up! Depending on how I make this will depend on how much matcha I use. When I’m having it straight I do not use much at all! I find if you use too much it becomes quite bitter and overpowering. However, if I am making it as a latte or milkshake I do tend to use a bigger scoop. I think that ratio is very important when making up matcha and I highly recommend using the traditional whisk and matcha bowl. So many people ask me if they can use a spoon…no! please don’t. Matcha comes in different grades so each company will taste a bit different. T2 use a ceremonial grade. Additionally, matcha can be used in smoothies, baking, cooking….I even use it in a face mask! It’s basically the best.

I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed Marrakech! The peppermint is a nice addition to the gunpowder green especially as it is peppermint oil rather than leaves. This can be brewed up both hot and iced. It feels very cleansing to drink and you get a mixture of earthy and sweet flavours.

I adore Chilli Kiss! It’s a great when you’re feeling like a black tea but want something a little bit different. The chilli isn’t overpowering and the blending of cinnamon gives it a spicy aroma. I usually add some honey and milk to my brew. It’s also great to make into an iced latte – soy milk and honey!

I found myself disappointed by this tea. I enjoy a good Oolong but the berry flavour in this tea tasted fake and synthetic (even though I know its not). I don’t really have much else to say about it. I know people who do like this tea but I would suggest getting a sample brewed up before purchasing a whole box as it is more expensive.

This is definitely my staple breakfast tea. I adore Melbourne Breakfast!
You get the benefits of a breakfast tea but with a hint of vanilla. This tea can be brewed either on its own or with milk and sweetener (I use soy milk and honey!). This is a great tea for someone who usually drinks English Breakfast but want’s to try something new and different. If you like English Breakfast, you’ll love Melbourne Breakfast!

I am an avid Chai drinker. When I go to a cafe I will ALWAYS order their chai – If I don’t like it…I usually won’t visit again! Harsh, I know. Anyway, I don’t LOVE this chai. Personally, T2’s organic chair is MUCH nicer but it’s still not amazing. I’m not sure exactly why I don’t love it but after reading other reviews I would probably have to agree that there is too much clove. I think it tastes better when you brew it up on the stove but still…not perfect. I also find it to be quite a bitter chai. Despite this – If you live near a T2 store that has a Brew Bar check out their Chai latte as its super tasty and the best way to have it!

This tea is great for digestion, headaches or after you’ve had a big meal and reaaaaaly want a tea but know you won’t be able to handle anything too heavy! I am not usually a liquorish root fan but mixed with the peppermint and fennel it works really nicely. I like to have this tea quite weak as I do find the recommended brew time of 4/5 minutes to be too overpowering. However, I know a lot of people who do enjoy its strength!

I know a lot of people who drink Southern Sunrise as a hot tea but I, personally, enjoy it iced! This tasting note will therefore be based on this tea being prepared iced.

This tea is perfect iced either on its own or as a blend. My favourite iced blend using this tea is – Southern Sunrise, Pumping Pomegranate, fresh lime and honey! It is so tasty!

Southern Sunrise has zesty, refreshing flavours and tastes soo good! To make this iced I use double the amount of tea. As this is actually a tisane and not a tea you can brew it for as long as you like! If I am making a small jug or just a cup I would brew it for a minimum of 5 minutes. Otherwise, If I’m making a big jug I may even brew it overnight and make it into a concentrate. Either way – its tasty!

This is one of my favourite T2 flavoured black teas. It can be drunk either on its own, with milk and sweetener (I use honey!) or as a mixing tea. I especially like to mix this one with T2’s Terrific Toffee or Toasty Nougat. It has caramel, nutty flavours with hints of black bitterness behind. This is a great ‘dessert’ tea. If you’re going to add milk I would suggest a soy or nut milk as it best compliments the flavours.

I was very skeptical of this tea to begin with since there isn’t actually any quince related ingredients included but I have to say that it is so delicious and tasty! It has a nice balance of earthy and sweet flavours. It’s great alongside pastry-type dishes or, my personal favourite, with shortbread cookies! So delicious.

This smells amazing, both in the bag and steeped. Very creamy, chocolatey, and yes, definitely white chocolate… normally not my favorite, admittedly, but that’s another conversation. It tasted better cooled than hot, and I’m a bit surprised how much I enjoyed it.

Hm. Who sent this to me? I thought possibly OMGsrsly (but see no reviews from her of it), then I see VariaTEA has shared a bunch… or perhaps it’s from my colleague in Australia who sent me a box of Aussie tea about a year ago? I really need to start writing down people’s names and handles on my incoming swap bags. :) Thank you to whomever shared this though! I love it.

my favourite fruit tea, so sweet and creamy without milk or sugar

strong creamy strawberry flavour. i drank this one hot but i imagine would be amazing slightly sweetened over ice.