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I love Earl Grey and was excited to find that Teavana had both an Earl Grey Black and an Earl Grey White. I haven’t tried the white tea yet, but the black tea is very good. The tea flavor is much stronger than the Earl Grey I usually buy, which is why I added Tea as a flavor/scent below.

Upon opening the bag, the first scent I caught was tobacco followed by the requisite bergamot. It smelled strong, but also comforting and warm. I brewed this tea much stronger than Teavana recommends, as it seems their teas are generally on the weaker side. The flavor was all tea, with the scent of bergamot rising up to remind you that this is, in fact, an Earl Grey blend.

This is the first tea from Teavana that I’ve tried and haven’t immediately thought about its potential to blend with other teas. This tea is great on its own, though I do wish the bergamot had a bit more of a presence. Until I find another Earl Grey I like better, I think this will be my go to when I’m craving that distinct flavor.

I’ve been mixing this tea with others in my cabinet, trying to find the blend that will make this more palatable. I’ve tried quite a few combinations, few of which are worth mentioning. But now, with just a few teaspoons left, I have finally found what I believe to be a beautiful match for the Azteca Fire.

I mixed equal parts Azteca Fire and Teavana’s Strawberry Slender Pu-Erh black tea, steeped for a few minutes, then added a bit of cream and demerara sugar. The result was absolutely delightful. It was, by far, one of the best blends I’ve tried. Some here have suggested that the Azteca Fire is best when blended with other teas, and I would agree. It seems that it is especially harmonious with black teas.

I will keep my rating the same since I’m still not fond of this tea by itself, but these two in a mug together are magic.

I don’t often drink green tea so this was a pleasant change from the herbals and black teas I’ve been drinking lately. The aroma was slightly fruity, though I wouldn’t say it smelled of pineapple or “tropical flavors” necessarily. I followed the recommended steep time and ended up with a tea pale in color and delicate in flavor. With a bit of honey, it was a fine cup for an afternoon treat.

I typically brew this herbal tea as I would chai, simmering the bits of chocolate and fruit in milk and water until the chocolate melts and turns the liquid a color similar to that of a pale hot chocolate. I enjoy the tea when made this way, but this time I wanted to do things a bit differently and brew the tea with water only.

Upon opening the bag, I see pieces of fruit and what appears to be shreds of lemon peel. The tisane is very fragrant and smells of chocolate first and foremost, followed by strawberries. I used twice as much tea as Teavana recommends, as this particular herbal tea tends to be on the weaker side. I added 2 teaspoons of raw sugar and a splash of cream before taking my first sip. The tea was a little too sweet and reminded me of the flavor one might get from an artificial sweetener. Perhaps there was already some type of sweetener in the tea itself? If so, it may have been better if I had used less sugar. Either way, this “flavor” was incredibly distracting and took away from the fruit and chocolate that I had hoped to taste. The appearance of the tea wasn’t exactly appetizing either, as there were drops of oil floating on the surface and on the sides of my mug. By the time I got to the bottom, I realized that much of the chocolate had settled there. When I drink this again, I’ll be swirling the tea every so often to be sure it hasn’t separated.

I still have an ounce or so left in my cupboard so I’ll go back to the chai preparation next time. I certainly won’t be purchasing more of this tea since Teavana has discontinued it, but I’m not sure I would have even if they continued to carry it. I have enjoyed some of their other teas far more so why bother?

I just finished drinking my first cup of this tea after finding it pushed to the back of my cupboard earlier this afternoon. I had picked it up at Teavana a while back after it was recommended that I mix it with Azteca Fire for a spicy, sweet brew. This tea on its own was better than expected, after reading a few of the comments here, though still weak and a bit artificial tasting. I am currently brewing my second cup made with raw sugar and equal parts water and whole milk.

I just tasted my second cup and there is such a difference between the two. This one is creamy and sweet, like a warm and comforting vanilla hot chocolate. If I had only had a taste of the first cup, I would have finished my remaining tea and moved on to better things. Now, after tasting my second cup, I think I’ll be moving this one to the front of the pantry.