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This is a bagged tea I bought at a whim the one time I checked out the opening of a Natural Grocers here. I like the taste of ACV so it intrigued me.

I find the tea far too weak if I only use a single tea bag, so I always have to steep two to a cup (I’ll note I use 12 oz coffee mugs rather than 8 oz ones). It actually has a very forward apple cider vinegar flavor, and with the ginger in the blend, it kinda comes across as a fruity rather than citrusy version of a Lemon Ginger tea. It has a little punch to it, but isn’t really puckering since the base is sweeter red raspberry leaf (which is the ingredient I was seeking out today… the Lady Times are really beating me up this week). There is a bit of licorice root rounding out the sweetness too, but I’m not really getting any stickiness from it, so it probably would be pretty inoffensive to all but the most sensitive to licorice root. Admittedly the blackberry element is probably the most disappointing… it is there, but comes across pretty mild against the ACV/ginger combo.

If you want an ACV tea, this is good, but if you want a blackberry-flavored tea, look elsewhere.

This smells lovely, both in the dry leaf and the steeped tea. Mint, peppermint, and just a touch of creamy coffee in the background… and it really tastes like what is on the tin! When I was young, I was one of those teens that proclaimed coffee was nasty based on the smell, but my mother insisted I try a coffee she brought back from a local coffee shop, saying, “This isn’t what you are thinking, I swear!” I took a sip of what was a mocha with creme de menthe flavoring, and my knees went weak… and after that I insisted that my Mom take me with when she went for coffee! As I got older and started having more GI issues from my chronic migraine condition, the acidity of coffee started to really get to my tum, so I let it go. But this tea really brought me back to that memory of the creme de menthe mocha.

It certainly isn’t coffee forward like the real thing was, but there is something in the background that leaves me with a sort of coffee impression in the aftertaste. The chocolate mint flavor is very rich and tasty! It comes off very creamy, with a sweetness that isn’t cloying. The chocolate doesn’t have that alcohol-esque flavor to it, and it blends nicely with the mint. It’s very satisfying. I’m enjoying it plain, but I’m sure it would make a decadent latte as well… I will have to try that before I finish off the bag!

The library where I work is having a Jane Austen 250th birthday event later this month, and one of the only tea sites that I could find that had all three teas I wanted to feature was New Mexico Tea Co. As an added bonus, they are also one of the few that allows to order a single ounce at a time, has very flexible shipping rate options, and allows you to request a sampler of your choice. I was so disappointed by the “Cranberry Orange” green tea from Simpson & Vail for having zero cranberry flavor, that I figured I would try this tea as my sample. Traditionally, I have a hard time tasting cranberry in teas, so a no-risk sample seemed ideal.

The tea itself was pretty broken and I felt hesitant to brew it as long as suggested, but it remained very smooth. The base has a coppery maltiness without bitter astringency. Most surprisingly, though, is I actually do taste cranberry! It isn’t a wallop of flavor, but there is a noticable tart berry note… it doesn’t taste medicinal but it does lean slightly in that direction. I like it, but I do wish it was even stronger. But this tea certainly fairs better than the majority of cranberry tea blends I’ve tried in the past.

I would also like to point out the sampler was very generous! I was able to make three 500ml cups using 3.5-4g of material each time in what they sent. Those are big 16 oz cups, so the leaf would’ve gone even farther drinking smaller cups. So you get a chance to steep a few times.

Thanks, New Mexico Tea Co.!

Plain, this tea left a bit to be desired. The rooibos itself was a pretty distinct flavor, which I’m perfectly fine with, but I would not recommend this tea to those that dislike red rooibos. The orange flavor was also strong, and I found it enjoyable enough, lacking some of the overly artificial notes I often get in orange flavorings, plus it wasn’t overly orange peel pithy, either. I’m not sure exactly how I felt about the rooibos flavor paired with the orange, though… it just danced a little close to that medicinal edge I sometimes get from fruit flavors (especially berries) paired with red rooibos. I think I more distinct chocolate flavor would have helped, but it wasn’t nearly as chocolately as I would’ve liked… it was there, but far too subtle, and I think if they’d just add some cocoa nibs to the leaf that would’ve helped a lot. It was fine, but not something I’d call a favorite…

Until I made it as a latte. Somehow a bit of warm, sweet vanilla almond milk just ties everything here together. The edges of the red rooibos leaf are smoothed out, the orange is really delicious with that creamy vanilla element, and something about adding a vanilla almond milk just really brings out the chocolate flavor (go fig). It’s really decadent… and delicious! So I will stick with this preparation for the rest of the bag, and will not be disappointed!

Mmm… okay, a tea from that S&V order that is actually quite flavorful! The tea has a rich almond flavor, both on the nose and the tongue. It has a very sweet, nutty note… it reminds me a bit of TeaSource’s “Roasted Chestnut,” though not as toasty as that tea. There is a sweetness to it, but it isn’t that syrupy, marzipan sort of flavor often in almond dessert teas… it’s more of a rich nutty note that lacks some of the earthiness you’d expect with that flavor. So it doesn’t really remind me much of an almond cookie, persay, but it is tasty. It makes a nice latte, but so far my favorite preparation has been warm with just a little honey, which helps bring out the sweetness. It’s tasty as a plain cup, as well, with a little bit of brassiness to the black base that lingers on the tongue. This tea is a good option for hitting a nutty craving without being too cloying.

Well, I feel much the same as Cameron’s review on this one… I’m confused by all the (quite old) glowing reviews on this tea, because I’m finding it pretty meh. The chai spices just come out a bit flat and muted, with a really muddled flavor that is dominated by the clove oil (sigh). Despite smelling the vanilla in the dry leaf, I’m not tasting the vanilla flavoring at all. The best cup of this I made was overleafing it heavily and adding my own sweet vanilla almond milk… which made it a bit astringent due to the overleafing, but at least brought out the chai spices and the milk brought in the missing vanilla element.

I’ve noticed some other S&V teas that I gave absolutely glowing reviews to years ago, but have found the ones from my more recent order just don’t hold a candle to my memory… something must have changed over the years. I’m assuming its either a different type of flavoring or using way less flavoring (or maybe both). I remember “Apple Cinnamon French Toast” blowing me away when I tried it six years ago, but the pouch I had from the same order as this tea just tasted a little mapley and was underwhelming and disappointing compared to what I had in the past.

In any event, this is a pass for me.

I’m not sure why I continually buy cranberry teas, because I am always disappointed in them… they just never taste like cranberry to me, and this is no exception. I don’t even get a hint, a whisper, or any indication this tea is cranberry except for it stating it in the title and seeing dried cranberry pieces in the leaf, which are apparently doing nothing for the flavor. The ingredients states it has natural cranberry flavor, but I find that hard to believe… all I get is an unassuming plain vegetal sencha with a pithy orange citrus note. The flavors are a little stronger prepared as a hot cup, but I was so disappointed in the lack of cranberry flavor that I’ve designated this tea as cold brew to use it up quickly. The cold brew is refreshing but also a bit more subdued (and sometimes it comes out tasting bubblegum-y to me, which is a mystery to me since usually it’s a fruit/citrus plus spices that cause that for me, and there are no spices present here).

Does anyone know if the other S&V “Orange Cranberry” variations on other bases are any different? If any of them actually taste of cranberry, let me know.

I think I’ve been going through Earl Grey withdrawal because this is really hitting the spot! The black tea is rich and smooth, the bergamot is strong with a nice grapefruit briskness to the citrus, and the vanilla is subtle but noticably sweetens out the tea and rounds out the edges. The cream note could be a little stronger and creamier but overall I’m enitrely satisfied. It’s a classic tea that just feels right on a sunny fall morning.

Portal Tea (it’s still Tea Chai Te in my heart!) gifted me two teabags of this with a recent pumpkin spice emergency order. Since I have my yearly doctor check ups today, I am only allowed water or plain black coffee or tea until the vampires get me. So this black tea will do me fine… I don’t need additives anyway!

This is a morning blend of Ceylon and Assam teas. It is likewise very malty with a strong baked bread background, with the slightest hint of something fruity… perhaps a little cherry with a slight honey sweetness? It’s very smooth, and I’m not tasting the coppery or citrus notes I usually find in Ceylon teas. (Maybe a hint of citrus in the aftertaste?) I steeped these teabags for two minutes per the instructions on the sampler pouch and have a very smooth and tasty cup, with no bitter astringency. I imagine this could became quite brisk very quickly if one steeped it longer, if that is a preference.

It’s a nice breakfast tea, and I’m glad I got the chance to try it out. Thanks, Portal!

This is the last of the teas I decided to pilfer from my coworker’s decupboarding. This was one of the hibiscus teas, and I took all of what was left of the box since I know hibiscus isn’t very popular. However, I think this is my least favorite of all the hibiscus teas I snatched from the breakroom. The flavoring in this one just isn’t as good as Republic of Tea’s “Hibiscus Sangria” or Taylor of Harrogate’s “Blackberry and Raspberry.” The blueberry flavoring just tastes weird… I don’t normally get a “chalky” taste from berry flavoring like Cameron does, but now I understand because I’m absolutely tasting that here. It’s almost like a weird powdery taste/feeling after the sip. The lemon is okay, it provides a nice tartness to the tea, but it’s bordering a little close to tasting like floor cleaner.

So, not a favorite. I will finish off making coldbrew (which uses up the teabags pretty quickly) but it definitely won’t be missed.