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This is a nice chai! It seems to strike the right balance between spicy and sweet: cinnamon and ginger are both present, but neither is overpowering and the cardamom adds a nice depth. The base tea is robust, but not bitter. This is one I could drink plain, but it’s even better with a dash of milk (and I’ll bet it would be lovely as a latte!). I don’t love it quite as much as my all-time favorite Reena’s Chai from TeaSource, but it’s proving to be a good substitute until I’m able to order more of that one.

I received one of the Downton Abbey limited edition teas for Christmas (the raspberry hibiscus herbal tea, which I already know I don’t like) and was so happy that I was able to exchange it for a tin of this instead. This is a nice, basic Earl Grey. Nothing special, but I feel that the base tea is well chosen and the bergamont flavor balanced: present, but not overpowering. It’s lightly astringent if you drink it black, but I always add a splash of milk so that doesn’t bother me. Glad to have some Earl Grey back in my cupboard, as it’s one of those staples I tend to reach for as my first cup of the day.

Making it through a rough day at the office with a cold by drinking lots of tea. This one has a strong ginger aroma and flavor; maybe if I weren’t sick I’d be picking up the lemon too. On a normal day, this blend would probably be too spicy for my tastes. As it is, I appreciate a flavor strong enough to cut through the sickness and the ginger actually seems to be helping a bit with my congestion.

This tisane is way too sweet for me and the licorice flavor is a bit overpowering. But that being said, it works! A sore throat feels significantly better after sipping this.

There’s been a bad cold going around my office and I’ve been the lucky recipient this week. Seemed like the perfect time to pull out this teabag I received in a recent swap! I’d never heard of this brand before, but judging from their website, they definitely seem to be focused on medicinal teas. This one didn’t give me any instant results (aside from a nice warm cup to wrap my hands around): it didn’t sooth my sore throat like Throat Coat does or clear out my sinuses like a straight mint tea can. All I could really taste was a vague herbal flavor and the bite of black pepper in the aftertaste; not sure what it would taste like if I were healthy!

Herbal TTB

Interestingly, there were two tropical-themed chais in this box: this one and Mowgli’s Fire Chai from Bluebird Tea Co. Of the two, I much preferred this one! It wasn’t a typical chai at all…the spices were quite light and really just provided some depth to the chocolate, coconut, and banana flavors. Actually, the flavor overall was rather light, but quite delicious! I’d be curious to try this one with milk as well.

Herbal TTB

This is one of those blends that I tend to call a “fruit salad” tea…lots of big chunks of dried fruit and spices with no actual tea leaves. It brews up to a bright pink color, which really surprised me since there’s no hibiscus in the blend. The scent is sweet and fruity; the flavor is super-sweet honey with a touch of fruit…I really didn’t pick up on whatever almond flavor was supposed to be there. Overall, I found this WAY too sweet for my tastes, to the point that I couldn’t even finish the cup.

Herbal TTB

I’ve heard great things about Bluebird Tea, so I was curious to sample this chai from the herbal TTB. I didn’t read the description ahead of time, so this tea caught me completely off-guard! It’s not at all the sort of thing I think of when I hear the word “chai”…you don’t really taste cinnamon, cardamon, or cloves in the blend. Instead, it has a juicy pineapple flavor with a touch of creamy coconut…followed by an unexpected wave of spicy chili in the aftertaste! Personally, I’m not a fan of drinks (or foods!) that leave my tongue tingling, so I probably won’t drink this again. But I’m glad I had the experience of trying it once!

Herbal TTB

Teavana is very hit and miss for me. A couple of their teas are staples in my cupboard, as I find them to be delicious and unique blends. Others I like, but can easily find substitutes at an affordable price point. And some of their blends are just plain awful!

I think this falls in the “nice, but not worth the money” category. It brews up dark and cloudy with a distinct caramel chocolate flavor that’s bold and not too sweet. The sea salt just serve to intensify the other flavors; the tea isn’t salty at all. Overall, this is a pleasant dessert tea and I appreciate that it’s herbal and can be enjoyed right before bed. But I’ve had plenty of other dessert teas I enjoy more and wouldn’t pay Teavana’s prices to re-purchase this one!

Holiday TTB

There was a single teabag of this tea in the Holiday TTB and I decided to keep it to try out at work, where I have a hot water pot, but find it challenging to brew loose leaf tea at my desk. I sampled it today and found it to be a huge step up from the grocer store bagged tea I usually end up drinking at work! This one had nice big, unbroken leaves visible through the sachet and smelled like some kind of baked fruit dessert. The flavor was good too: a nice smooth black tea base layered with flavors of honey and fruit. (Not really sure what kind of fruit…plums maybe? And apples? It’s definitely coming across as a baked fruit flavor to me, not fresh.) Not my favorite offering from Lupicia, but still quite yummy!