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Again with the menthol! This flavor/scent seems to be coming through in so many of my teas lately. I’m not sure what I’m smelling exactly because I don’t think there is supposed to be any mint in here. Aside from the menthol, it smells sweet and a little fruity but also tart. The majority of this mix is white tea with some large dried blueberries thrown in. There is hibiscus and also some red chips of something that look like they were pulled from a bag of potpourri.

So. I steeped this a lot longer than I should have. A coworker came by my desk and I was distracted so the tea was left to itself for a while. The color is a berry red and still smells slightly of menthol plus tea. Of course, it’s bitter since I over-steeped it, but it does have some blueberry flavor. This seems like the kind of tea that would be really good iced. I may try that next time.

The tea has cooled down a bit and I’m enjoying the flavor more. I’ll probably be using the rest of this as iced tea.

Backlog from December 19th:

My brother was over on Friday so of course we pulled the teapot from the cabinet almost immediately after he arrived. We started with Pineapple Kona Pop but finished it so quickly that when he went back for his second cup it was already gone. He looked so disappointed when he picked up the empty teapot that I jumped up to make another pot.

This one is my favorite at the moment so I had to share! We each had a cup and put the rest in the fridge for later. I’m not sure how this one will be cold, but if I don’t like it I’ll reheat. I’m sure it will be just as good.

Backlog from December 19th:

My brother came over for dinner and a movie. We went out for sushi first and then it was off to see The Hobbit. We chose a late showing so before dinner we pulled out the teapot and finished off the last of our Pineapple Kona Pop. This is one of my husband’s favorites so we’ll need to restock soon. He puts a good deal of honey in his so that it almost tastes like candy, but with the moderate amount I add to mine it’s really sort of bland. This is the one tea we have that, in my opinion, really requires a lot of sweetener to make the flavor come through. I do like Teavana’s sample of Pineapple Kona Pop mixed with Blueberry Bliss so I might try to blend those two next time for a cold brew.

I have to admit, I’m not all that excited about this cup today. It’s a tea I put in my bag yesterday so if I want something warm to drink it’s either this or decaf coffee from the break room. Don’t get me wrong, the last time I had this tea it was good. I think I’m just not in the mood for Earl Grey at the moment.

I must have steeped this too long. AGAIN. It’s bitter and not really enjoyable. I’ll try adding some honey to it to see if I can smooth it out some. This tea has the potential to be good, but it is so fussy!

The honey definitely helps. Much, much better. I’m still not tasting the bergamot here; it’s just straight tea. It’s also a little dry. But honestly, it’s been so cold today that this cup is really comforting.

Exciting news! My husband and I signed up last night for the Verdant tea of the month blends subscription! We had been talking and narrowing down our options for the last few days and when we finally made our choice Verdant was down to one spot available. I don’t think I’ve ever typed so fast in my life! I can’t wait for our first box to arrive next month. Has anyone here had any experience with Verdant Tea? From what I’ve read on the discussion board, their teas are reliable and of good quality.

Next up, a TTB!

I’m not sure this really counts as a tea, but it is an herbal blend and it’s on Steepster so I’ll make a note of it here. To me, this tastes just like coffee. It always brews up really strong so I add some sugar and cream to tone it down. This one does have a bit of an artificial taste but all in all it’s a good cup.

I’ve really enjoyed each of the Teeccino flavors I’ve tried. I tend to keep these stocked in my pantry since I don’t drink much coffee. It’s a nice alternative.

I’ve only ever tried one or two chocolate teas and those have consistently tasted like they were watered down. I guess I shouldn’t expect tea to be on par with a hot chocolate, but a little creaminess would be nice. We’ll see how this one goes.

Of course, the first thing I noticed when I opened the bag was the chocolate. There is also another scent I can’t seem to place. I’ve never tried mate before so maybe that’s it. There are chocolate flakes mixed in with the tea as well as some dried orange/yellow flower petals. I really like the way this smells and looks so hopefully it exceeds my expectations.

The liquid here has a shiny film on top and is very dark and murky. It tastes bitter and has coffee notes. With cream, it feels more like a black tea – I’m not tasting any rooibos. That being said, it actually has more flavor than I expected it to. I’m not sure that I like this one, at least not yet. There’s something about it that I cannot place.

I did my normal pre-steep, but I’m still feeling like I have some caffeine in my system so perhaps the mate has more than others I’ve tried. I read that the mate is supposed to make a person feel more alert without the jitteriness of caffeine, but I don’t feel that way at all. In fact, I feel sluggish and a bit like I just ate a big piece of sugary cake. Oh well.

This is such a beautiful tea. The first thing I noticed when I opened the bag was the bright, rusty color of the rooibos. It resembles a deeply colored pine mulch and is striking against the red peppercorns and blue cornflowers in the mix. There are also bits of ginger, as evidenced by the stringiness of the pieces, and chips of cinnamon bark. There are small pebbles of something or other mixed in too, but I couldn’t say what they are. There is definitely a lot going on.

This blend is very fragrant – there are a lot of different scents coming out here. It’s a bit medicinal at first and I can detect the faint smell of menthol, but it also smells sweet. I have to say, I love the way this smells while it’s steeping! The vanilla and rooibos really come to the forefront. The color of the liquid has become a deep amber after steeping and still carries that menthol scent.

Unsweetened, the tea tastes slightly spiced. I added honey and am now tasting mostly rooibos with that spicy aftertaste. This is a really good chai, even without the milk, and it feels good on my scratchy throat. It seems to have just enough bite. Delightful!

This is a sample I received from Teavana with an order I placed online back in October. It’s unique in that it has rock sugar mixed in with the tea leaves. I’ve never used rock sugar before, but supposedly it dissolves into the water as the tea steeps. Aside from the rock sugar, which looks and tastes just like the rock candy I used to eat as a kid, the tea has bits of apple, orange peel, and what I’m guessing is hibiscus. There are a few thin pieces of tea but definitely more fruit. It’s very fragrant and smells sweet, fruity, and a bit tart.

Immediately after pouring over the water, the liquid showed streaks of pink and peach. The tea leaves opened and the rest of the mix began to turn a ruby red. The rock sugar seems to have dissolved into the tea so we’ll see how sweet it is on its own. Hopefully the temperature and steep time are right.

There is a slight sweetness, but nothing like the samples they have in the store. I’m also not really tasting any citrus here. It’s definitely more berry.

A little bland, a little tart. Somewhat astringent. It’s not my favorite, but I think with a little honey it might be better.