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Sniffed the bag of this and could smell a little syrup dominated by cinnamon. My cup smells of syrupy cinnamon pancakes for sure. I’m trying to decide if I can pick out any pumpkin or if the tea relies on the pumpkin spices to give the impression of it. It smells very fall potpourri like. The first few sips are all cinnamon which doesn’t seem to want to give way to anything else. A little clove comes in and finally dominates. Adding sweetener makes the syrup pop right up mid sip and into the aftertaste. As I sip on, I can totally pick up on syrupy spiced pancakes, but I’m still not sure if there is actual pumpkin/flavoring in it. Pondering it makes me long for Costco’s pumpkin pie. They do really good gigantic pumpkin pies. I meant to try this with cream, but was enjoying it so much with a little sugar that I absent mindedly made it to the bottom of the cup without cream. I think a resteep may be in order.

Update: Resteep killed by cream. A touch of sweetener alone is enough to bring out the magic in this cup.

The first sip of this tasted very shortbread like, but as it has cooled the taste faded a bit. I can taste the green tea… a little butter with a green bite. I can smell a little bit of jasmine, but it is faint. I think I’m getting a hint of pecan too. Sweetener makes the flavors a little more pronounced. It is nice and buttery, but I usually prefer stronger flavors. I would like to try this cold steeped.

Sniffing at my cup of this I notice an almond/cherry scent, but no banana! I can also smell something deeper and earthier behind it. I’m surprised at how many AQ2T selections have the suggested steeping temp of 200. Greens and blacks, which I’m used to having very different requirements. Still, I figure if a company bothers to put a temperature suggestion on there, they have probably done some trial and error… unless it’s Lupicia which has horrible steeping suggestions of boiling everything!
When I sip I’m getting the same flavor combo that I was smelling. I got a piece of dried banana in my steeper, but cherries are still coming through strong. It’s only on the aftertaste that I get a quick hint of banana. I added a little sugar and it hasn’t changed. Adding cream is making it yummier, but still no banana. I am a lover of artificial banana flavoring. If I’m expecting this to be a banana tea, I’m disappointed. If I’m not expecting banana, then it’s a nice enough cup with cream and sugar.

I have a friend who makes a really good honey mead every year and is super protective of her recipe, leaving the magic as a fun mystery. I should have ordered a bottle this year!

I dumped the rest of this into a small jar with water and left it in the fridge for a few days. Poured a little into a cup, added a shot of Treaty Oak rum and some agave and I have myself an almost perfect drink. There is a little bite in there that I don’t care for which is likely due to overleafing, but there is a ton of tasty watermelon flavor in there! Vodka would have had a cleaner taste that went better with the watermelon, but the white rum isn’t bad either. Could probably use an ice cube to dilute it a little. Eh.

Today is a rough day and the start of a rough new reality. I steeped a cup of this tea, took a sip, was intrigued and then got side tracked with some manual labor in my yard that included hauling bags of cement. Now I’m all sweat, gross and dusty while trying to focus on experiencing this cup instead of turning to my liquor cupboard. Yay me! LOL!
I absent mindedly chugged some of this before reheating. I’m noticing more coconut when it is warm and more of the tea flavors coming out when it is cool. I think I can pick up a bit of the butteriness from the cashew and maybe a hint of carrot. Adding cream isn’t doing much. The creaminess is heightened, but I’m not tasting any other flavor changes. Maybe a little more carrot at the end of the sip? I’ll have to revisit this tea when I’m in a better headspace.

It took a few sips before the flavors started to balance out and the bite to calm. I usually take my breakfast teas with cream, sometimes sugar, but I have gone through half this cup without so far. It has a slight sweetness on the sip along with a slightly astringent tobacco flavor that fades into a malty aftertaste. Adding cream is really changing this! My first sip tasted sweet and was reminiscent of cookies. A slight hint of banana at the beginning of the sip than lingers into the aftertaste… unexpected, but I like it. I’m not getting heavy malt like I’m used to with breakfast teas, but it is a very enjoyable cup.

Man, this tea is OLD. It’s old and it’s still putting out a good cup! Since buying it my feelings about rooibos has changed, but a little cream and sweetener drowns it out and I’m left with the delicious smooth lime flavors. I used to be so in love with this tea that I last bought a 4oz bag that I’m still working through. At some point I kind of forgot about it, but I feel like I’m falling for it again.

Since DT is no more, I googled “lime chiffon rooibos” and it came up with a bunch of other companies that sell what looks to be the same tea. I’m glad to know that if I fall hard for it again, it is still out there to be had.

I can smell strawberry and something earthier behind it, maybe alkaline when sniffing at my cup of tea. There is a quick hint of strawberry at the beginning of the sip that quickly gives way to the alkaline taste, which passes into the earthy spice by the end of the sip. The lingering flavor is a spice heating up my mouth slightly. I’m a little surprised that the strawberry isn’t more prominent in flavor. I have had several strawberry teas that are quite intense with the flavor of the fruit. Adding a bit of sweetener (agave in this case) really cranked up the fruit flavor. I can taste the strawberry on the sip and also in the lingering heat. I’m liking these spicy teas! I have a couple strawberry teas I need to get through, maybe adding a splash of hot sauce will have a similar effect as this tea and make me more excited about them. I’m also now dreaming of strawberry preserves with jalapeno on a toasted bagel with egg! Digging the sweet and spicy on this one!

This would be a great tea for when you have a cold with the spice to cut through stuffy sinuses!

Ooooo, I think I can smell the chipotle! I don’t understand why spellcheck keeps getting caught up on chipotle. It’s not that weird of a word.
I can smell a little bit of chocolate under the chipotle. First sip was a little flavorless with slight heat at the back of my throat. As I sip on the flavor grows slightly, I can taste chipotle, not just feel the heat (which is also growing). I’m not getting much in the way of chocolate and there is a flatness at the start of the sip. Going to try adding sugar to see if it brings it out. I hesitate to add creamer because I don’t want to dampen the heat from the spice that is pleasantly lingering in my mouth. The sugar really does brighten this! All the flavors are more prominent and I can pick out a chocolate pudding hiding behind the chipotle. A hint of an ashy flavor mid sip that turns into a roasted pepper taste later on. The spice is picking up a little and warming me on this overcast day. This has the perfect level of spice for me, a good amount of kick that keeps my attention without being overwhelming, but the chocolate pudding part could use a little amping up to compete with the chipotle.