Bethany

Don’t like this nearly as much as the other holiday teas I’ve tried from CS. It has a very light cinnamon taste with a miniscule hint of plum flavor. It’s just too weak.

From a delicious brunch. This got bitter way too quickly. I’ve had this before and it’s just okay.

This was all I could think about when I got up this morning. So sweet.

Mmmm. Love this one. Sample’s almost out; need to buy more. This is a wonderful sweet oolong with a hint of young coconut.

Yummm. They are not kidding about the sugar cookie thing; this smells very intensely of fresh, buttery sugar cookies. The taste is not nearly as strong, but it certainly does taste like sugar and butter. So glad I found these holiday teas!

Julius Meinl is a European-style coffee shop that has a big location here in Chicago. They have a massive wall of cheap loose leaf teas. I bought this about a year ago along with a black sour cherry blend and a green blend. This brews darker than you would think for a black/green blend. It’s very, very fruity – I can definitely taste the berry and tangerine notes the description talks about. Lighter than I would’ve liked, but still good.

Took a sick/mental health day. Is it bad that I had been saving this tea for Saturday morning? And I was excited about it? The day off meant I could try it one day earlier, and I’m glad I did. This isn’t as complex as I was hoping; I don’t really get a lot of earthiness or any of the typical Yunnan notes, but I do get that sweet, powdery taste of cocoa powder, especially in the aftertaste. It’s expensive, so I don’t know if I would do a bigger order of this, but I might go for another sample. The cocoa taste is great.

Didn’t like this as much as I thought I did. Not as smooth and creamy as I had remembered.

Revolution has some very high-quality bagged teas, and this is my favorite (the other really great one is their Honeybush Caramel). This oolong has some very roasty qualities – it goes down very hearty and hale – but a strong aftertaste of sweet apricot. Went through a phase where this was all I would drink in the afternoons; it’s perfect for the fall. Yum.

Still in love.

Growing to love this more and more. May become a new everydayish winter tea.

This one couldn’t brew fast enough. It is 2 degrees here in Chicago with -15 degree wind chills, so as soon as I got to work I pretty much ran to the water dispenser. This is definitely one of my all-time favorite teas. I love all Yunnan blacks for their peppery taste, but I love the red wine and sweet cocoa qualities in this one. I could drink it everyday.

Yeah, it was a good tea day.

Oh God. This is amazing. I was underwhelmed with the first sip or two, if only because I could only taste and smell the jasmine and thought the silver needle had been relegated to second fiddle. Turns out it kind of is – the only place I can really taste it is in my mouth after the sip – but this is still so good. The jasmine isn’t overwhelming at all, which I know a lot of people appreciate (though I dig strong jasmine teas). And that buttery, delicate silver needle taste.. wow. Wow.

Plowing through this insane stash that I’ve built up in the non-winter months. I have several 1 oz. sample packages from The Simple Leaf; Honeybee, another oolong, is the one that I’ve returned to more than once, while the others have been neglected. Tankha is very, very sweet for an oolong – not roasty or syrupy at all, but light and with a slight floral taste. I prefer my oolongs savory and roasty, so this wouldn’t be an everyday tea, but I’ll definitely revisit it from time to time.

I love this tea so gosh darn much. I don’t drink it for months and then as soon as that first sip hits my lips, I am reminded of how amazingly wonderful it is – that taste of juicy ripe pear, the sweetness of the matcha, and the very mild touch of green tea. Stash sells this online-only as a loose tea – I’m thinking of purchasing to see if there’s any difference between it and the bagged.

The caramel taste is SO subtle, but I can definitely taste it long after my last sip is gone. Just wish it was stronger.

At work at 7:45, so I needed something strong. I love the chocolatey, nutty, fruity taste of this.

So after reading about this for the last few days on Steepster, I had to stop by the only grocery store anywhere near my neighborhood that was carrying CS’ holiday teas. Unfortunately this is the only one they had (I REALLY wanted Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride), but I’m glad I grabbed the last box – this stuff is delicious. Of course, it’s not extraordinarily refined, but it is sweet and smooth and perfect for mellowing out. Perfect blend of peppermint and vanilla.

I actually really like some CS teas. Tension Tamer and the new Sleepytime Vanilla are tasty and get the job done. And their Sweet Apple Chamomile was one of the first teas I ever fell in love with.

Round two! Not quite as sweet as the last one; more hearty. I’m alright with that.

So full of love for this tea, which tastes like liquid oatmeal with a big spoonful of honey. Saving my homemade bag for another infusion.

There’s a mintiness here that I don’t remember from drinking this many moons ago. Still a bit too cloyingly sweet for me, but I like that the vanilla is denser and more creamy than the vanilla used in most black teas.

I wish I had more Lapsang Souchong.

I’m not huge on Lapsang Souchong; I think this is the second time I’ve had it since I purchased a sample last winter. But it’s hitting the spot on this cold, snowy day. Even snowier than yesterday, and a storm is coming in tonight. The smokiness is just so good.

I need more nighttime teas. This is an excellent one.