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This is another sample from Tea Forte’s Skin Smart lineup. Overall, this one is pretty good. I can taste the slightly sweet cherry and the almond creates a dry (but not astringent) note. This is definitely drinkable without sweetener and I’m glad that I got to try this one!

I had extremely high hopes for this tea, but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Initially, the aroma was very off-putting in an alcoholic sort of way. Usually I wouldn’t mind but since this isn’t a cocktail-esque flavored tea, I was a bit confused. After pouring the water on the tea bag, the alcohol aroma turned into the scent of rich chocolate. However, the taste of the tea is just apple, granted it is a very natural apple taste, but the chocolate is nowhere to be found.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to try this tea, but I would not purchase this particular flavor.

I ordered this tea because I love pancakes and I adore almost everything pumpkin. I was not expecting this to truly taste like pumpkin pancakes, but I was excited to get a new and sure to be yummy tea. Wow, I should not have doubted Frank’s magical tea skills! This tea is smooth with a spicy pumpkin taste backed up with a bready pancake essence complete with maple syrup perfection and a hint of butter. With each sip, I expect the magical qualities of this tea to disappear, but the pancake goodness just keeps coming.

Another definite winner Frank!

I decided to prepare this tea like I would traditionally prepare a chai. I just didn’t let it simmer quite as long as I would like a chai. This experiment turned out wonderfully! The tea had that nice chewy quality that I associate with traditional stovetop chai and the chocolate was rich and delicious. I may try preparing other teas in this manner – it really hit the spot tonight.

This was a sample that came with my last Upton order. I picked this out of the cabinet this morning just because it had gotten lost on my tea shelf and miracously appeared today. I put a healthy dose of milk and brown sugar in the tea and it is pretty decent. I’m not too big on Ceylons just because I like a little more heft to my black tea, but this Ceylon has a light malty quality that I really enjoyed. Would I drink this again? Yes, but it would probably suit me better iced!

This was a sample from the lovely SimplyJenW! Thanks a bunch!

Overall, this tea was pretty much right up my alley! The aroma of the brown sugar and figs really takes this tea and makes it into something a bit special. I tried the tea sans additions and it was just okay. But making a tea latte by adding milk and sugar really suits this one! Delicious, sweet, and creamy! Thanks again Jen!

I woke up earlier than my alarm this morning which is a rare occurrence for me! In an attempt to just go ahead and wake up, I decided a bit of caffeine via the East Frisian Blend was in order. Each time I have this tea, I am reminded why I like it in the first place. This tea has a rich, malty, and smooth base with notes of burnt caramel. It is robust, but not bitter. Slightly astringent but not overly so. Yes, this tea was a great choice for this early morning.

I have been slowly working my way through my Wuyi oolong samples and had been saving this for last since it seems to be the overall favorite of my fellow Steepsterites. Although I have not finished (or even tried) all of the other samples, I felt compelled to brew this one up today. I was wanting something really good and that is exactly what I received.

When I first opened the sample bag, I thought that somehow another aroma had leaked into the tea because I smell juicy, sweet raisins. After a few more long sniffs into the sample bag (long enough that my kitten was starting to worry about me) I have come to the conclusion that it is perhaps the actual tea leaves that are giving off this delicious aroma. Already, I was super excited about this tea just from the aroma alone.

After brewing up a pot, I am greeting primarily with a roasty, toasty oolong with a very nice sweetness that wells up through the middle of your mouth and stays with you long after swallowing that sip. Even my husband, who is very picky about tea said this one was “interesting and pretty good!” And this is all from only the first infusion. I can’t wait to try subsequent steeps – I love how oolongs seem to progress and evolve as time goes on.

My rating is temporary based on this first infusion but if subject to change depending on what else this tea has in store for me.

I’m finishing up the last of this delicious Earl Grey today – but I think I should have saved it to drink while watching Star Trek! Either way, this tea is great as a tea latte with the citrusy bergamot gently announcing his presence while not overpowering the beautiful tea base. This Earl will be missed!

This is such a great, refreshing tea! I really like the combination of lemony verbena and crisp mint. I didn’t even need to add any type of sweetener, this tea has a nice natural sweetness to it. This tea is the perfect accompaniment while reading Inkheart.

This tea is VERY smooth, yet spicy this afternoon! I didn’t make it using the traditional stovetop method, but it is still very hearty and satisfying.

Somehow this tea manages to be strong and malty while not venturing into bitter. I absolutely adore this tea with milk and sugar (particularly vanilla almond milk!) I really may have to break out an Earl Grey next – it doesn’t feel quite right to NOT drink an Earl Grey while watching this Star Trek marathon!

No other tea would do while watching a marathon of Star Trek Enterprise!

This afternoon was a Queen Catherine kind of afternoon, but I’m out of the Queen! So, what to do but invite the Queen’s friend, Elyse, over for tea to help me regain my strength, sanity, and good mood. Seriously, this tea is putting me in my place while also being understanding and soothing. I think I will need quite a bit of tea tonight, though, to really feel like myself again.

Nothing ends a long day on a higher note than a great cup of tea – and a yummy, creamy, vanilla tea that is also decaf (without tasting like it) is even better! (Seriously, try this tea with some vanilla almond milk…..so good!)

Yay! New tea courtesy of threewhales!

I haven’t had this in awhile and I now see what I’ve been missing! I love the smooth coconut and slightly buttery oolong flavor of this tea. I can’t wait to try it iced to take to work this next week!

This sample is courtesy of threewhales! Thanks!

I really wanted to love this tea because I’ve never found a chamomile blend that I was crazy for. Initially this tea tastes pretty great – all orange with hints of mint and a smoothness from the chamomile. However, eventually the orange starts tasting old and kind of dry which isn’t very good. I also may have oversteeped this slightly, so I could be to blame for the less than great tea. It IS drinkable, but not my fave.

Anyone has any suggestions for a great and tasty chamomile blend?

Mmmm…this was the perfect choice to wrap up my first week of school this year! Everything has been great this week, but I haven’t had much tea and the tea I’ve had hasn’t been logged. This is a great start to a tea-filled weekend – rich chocolate and black tea with a hint of rose on the finish!

I think this tea has definitely become better over the past few weeks. The cheesecake flavor is no longer a note that sticks out, but is now melded with the other components of the tea. This tea also tastes wonderful as a tea latte with italian cream creamer added. This is just the thing I needed tonight to (hopefully) lull myself into a nice, deep sleep.

This is one from the very generous samples I received the other day! Dry – this smells a bit sweet, but mainly roasty, toasty. After brewing this tea up, it is a medium golden brown hue and it is nicely roasty. I wish it were a bit more on the smoky side of things, but it is a pretty satisfying cup overall. It has significantly aided in reducing my stress levels also which is a nice bonus. I am definitely looking forward to trying the other samples I received, but first I will need to finish this tasty mug.

Oh, this is just what I needed this evening! I haven’t had this tea in a very long time, but I think that this is a case of absence making my heart grow fonder! Such a perfectly smooth, roasty, toasty, tangy cocoa tea with a bit of heft. It is almost like a meal in a mug it is so rich and thick. Delicious!

Seriously. This is the BEST ICED TEA EVER! I love this tea hot, but it really sings when chilled and mixed with a bit of simple syrup.

This vanilla tea gets me every time! It is so smooth and rich, I still can’t believe it can possibly be decaf. I had a bunch of specks in my tea tonight and the vanilla flavor is out of this world!!! A perfect way to end the night and (hopefully) lull me into a nice, deep sleep.

This started out decent, but got worse as it cooled. For some reason it reminds me of medicine – not the thing I would pick out to drink because it tastes good. It is drinkable, but barely so. It has taken me several hours to get through half a mug and I’m thinking the rest may be going down the drain soon. This is my least favorite of the Single Steep Sampler so far.