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Goodbye for now Cranberry Pomegranate, you shall be missed until I manage to acquire you again. Admittedly, you taste far more like raspberry jello than cranberry, or pomegranate… But I’m a kid at heart and can appreciate a kick of nostalgia every once in a while. I will not be breaking my tea budget this month to fix your absence, but it has been noted, one day, I shall hopefully be able to address it…

I having meaning to steep another cup of this for the last couple of days, but keep getting sidetracked by different teas. Today I decided to just go for it and give it another shot. It is a great tea, but is it every murky and thick! The chocolate and the orange are the dominant flavours, the spice is really actually subtle. I like the taste, but I do not really like all the junk at the bottom of the cup and in the infuser. This is a nice taste, but I would appreciate a more “tea” like aspect to it. It is just really murky and full of debris.

I tried this as a sample when it had no name, but thought I would order a bag to try again and form a real opinion. Firstly, good lord has my steeping skills improved since I first brewed this up! I consider myself fairly well versed in mint teas, they are a favourite of mine. I have oodles of Read my Lips, Santa’s Secret, White Chocolate Frost, and Mint Julep and I wondered if this really could be that different. Apparently it can…

I actually thought this tasted closest to the White Chocolate Frost in that the mint was strong and I got a lot of the white chocolate flavouring. The coconut and black tea helped by adding some interesting base notes and an overall creaminess to the flavour. Admittedly, I like mint teas. A lot. But I think this was a really nice, creamy, chocolate mint.

Surprisingly, not bad, and I am not a chai fan! it is definitely a chai, but it is not super spicy. Instead, the coconut and the lemongrass go a long way to tone down the spice and add a fresh background note. I am super impressed, this is the chai for those of us who aren’t this biggest chai fans.

I tried this on the low temperature/short steep time pattern. Was it ever pleasant. I have always liked this orange notes in this tea, but the brew method really brought down the rooibos and let the fruit and vanilla shine. I am tempted to toss in a pinch of sugar, just to see if that coaxes out a pinch more orange, but it was a much enjoyed cup!

Alright, a little more leaf, less water, and a bit more steep time and we have ourselves a workable tea. The orange has picked up, as has the tartness I assume is at least partly due to the hibiscus. However, the fruity notes of the orange are starting to really help this tea and the beetroot has led to a lovely pink colour. Overall, I am impressed thus far. It is not the best orange herbal I have ever had, but it is a solid contender. I like that it is tart, but not too bitter and the orange flavour is enjoyable.

Took this as my afternoon tea. Surprisingly, I was actually a little disappointed. I love the idea behind this blend and I love the smell of the loose leaves, but the tea just did not have the flavour I was hoping for. I am hoping this is a result of poor brewing parameters though, as I had to yank it quickly to get to work. I am going to try a cup tonight and see if it goes better for me before I give this a ranking. What I have currently is weak orange juice, but I am really hoping a better brew process will give me a better taste.

I took this to work again with me today. It is one of the few chai teas that I really love. The sweetness from the squash works so well with the spices and subtle heat of the cinnamon. I could have sweetened my cup this morning just a touch more, but, even a little short on sugar, it was still pretty great!

And again, back to my old faithful. After the disappointment that was Chili Chai, I figured I should go for something a little more reliable in my world. I do love this tea, I can not believe how often I reach for it. I think it might be the perfect strawberry tea for me!

More and more I fear I may just not be a chai fan. I gave this tea a second shot tonight and it is really just not a hit with me. I get a bit of dusty chocolate flavour and a lot of chili heat on my tongue, but it was just not great in my world. I think that his is really just not the tea for me. Which is actually fine, because so many of them are the tea for me!