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For fun, and because I’m making this in my little two-cupper, I’m trying this two ways. First, I’ll have a cup clear, and then doctored up the way I usually do chai. Yes, the second cup will be oversteeped, but it will have milk in it, so I assume that it’s a pretty fair trade.

The clear cup is not bad actually. Mild, sweet, and spiced. The fennel, while it doesn’t make me think of traditional chai, adds a nice flavour (and makes me think a little of pastry for some reason). The creaminess almost works parallel to the flavours with milk added, rather than completely blending. It’s an interesting sensation, but I thick I enjoy it. Really, it’s not bad either way.

At first taste, it reminds me a bit of bumbleberry pie — tart, and definitely berry-y, but not necessarily one particular berry. I’d definitely say that there’s raspberry in there, but it’s clear that it’s not alone.

Cooling down, it appears to be far more tangy than actually fruity. It would be nice to have more sweetness to balance the tang and bring out the fruit, but at least I suppose it is very much living to its “zinger” name.

Earl Grey can be very hit and miss for me. The bergamot can sometimes be wonderful, aond sometimes leave me wanting, or not quite hitting the spot. Sometimes it does both at the same time.

All told, this isn’t a bad blend for it. The stronger bergamot really comes through and does so well, but it’s not offputtingly overpowering at all. Just… a strong sense of citrus, slightly bitter and acidic, especially without any sweetness added to balance that out. (But not in a bad sense, or very much compared to other teas I’ve had.)

I’d be interested to see what this tastes like made as a London Fog. I think it could make for an interesting one!

Some mornings are for the fanciful, flavoured teas. Some are for the refined. Yet others are for the basics; the lowly black teas from the supermarket shelves that claim to be nothing more than “tea”. On some mornings, these are just right to be cups of comfort and “home”. This is one of those mornings.

Normally, I doctor up this sort of tea, but today I’m having it clear.

Actually, that wasn’t a bad decision. While not the peak of refinement by any means, the tea is approachable, mainly earthy, and thankfully clear of the floral tones I sometimes find in black teas, and of which I’m not personally a fan. (If you are, that’s great. I just don’t find it the best taste personally.) It’s on the mild side, yes, but I expected that and appreciated it all the more clear for that.

Overall, I don’t think it’s a bad little cuppa at all.

This, over the years, has become one of my go-to teas, especially while studying. (I think it has something to do with Harry Potter and my love for Hermione in particular, but that’s another story for another day).

When I first got it, the packaging suggested adding milk and brown sugar. Let me tell you, that is definitely the best way to go. Clear, it is a little pumpkin-spicey but nothing special. Doctored up, it is sweet and spiced, and the creaminess of the milk really pairs well to the taste of the pumpkin. Honestly, I’d love to try this as a latte, I bet it would take fantastically to that form. (Anyone know how to make a good tea latte at home?)

But yes. I’m glad they keep bringing this tea back every year — I’m always glad to see and drink it. Yum.

This is one of those teas that smells better than it tastes. Not that it tastes bad, or even weak, but the scent is just a burst of fresh peach, and then the taste is a bit more hollow. This tea is sweet on its own, but I added some sugar to see if it would brighten the flavour up. It actually did help some, though it still doesn’t taste as delicious as fresh peaches.

This tea has an interesting taste. It seems slightly oversteeped, but with a bit of sweetness it really perks up. (Actually, I was alternating between bites of chocolate and sips of this, and it was exquisite.)

It’s astringent and citrusy. An interesting, pungent flavour. Much more bold that some of the other teas in Disney’s line. While it’s not my top tea in the line, I’m glad I got introduced to this.

Also, I can’t believe I only have about one steep left of this in my tin! It’s been a good friend of a tea. :)

I don’t know how a tea can manage to smell like romance, but this one manages to do just that. Oh goodness.

I find that the tea needs the creaminess of a bit of milk to really hit its stride, but it’s definitely a favourite — the combination of chocolate, strawberry, and rose petals works very well indeed!

Raspberry, I find, is a very temperamental flavour. When it’s just right, it’s sensational. But, if you don’t get it to the correct level of sweet-tangy, it’s not quite right for me, and not my first choice. Raspberry-flavoured chocolate often falls into this category for me, though I’ve seen a tea or two combine the two successfully.

This tea… has a nice tang to it, but it falls short of the mark for me on the raspberriness. It’s in that muddled not-quite sweet-tangy-real-raspberry flavour which… never really satisfies me. Adding sugar does brighten it a bit, but doesn’t take it to my happy place with raspberry, unfortunately.