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BLAM!!! IN YOUR FACE!!!! Which is exactly what this tea and it’s bullying jasmine flavor do! I love jasmine and I love tea that has strong flavor, so being smacked upside the taste buds by this tea is alright by me. I find it refreshing as an iced tea, but a little drying in my mouth as well. I do enjoy it plain with it’s puckering taste, but like it better with a little sugar to take the edge off the bitterness that seems to accompany it no matter how I brew it. There is often a pitcher of it in my fridge during the summer (in true southern form) and find myself getting all hopped up after a couple tall glasses and getting a lot of housework done. So overall, it’s a win in my book.

The first thing I noticed about this tea is that it is somewhat dense, probably due to the caramel and cacao nibs, so you fewer cups for your ounces here. When brewed, it resembles chicken broth in color and has an oily layer on the top like broth. When I smelled it, I caught whiffs of caramel which was exciting. I tasted it and detected only the slightest hint of caramel, maybe a touch of salt if I’m thinking about it really hard and a lingering licorice root taste in an overall muddled blandness. A little bit of sugar brings out the caramel a bit more, but it’s really nothing to get excited about. Since so much of it is nibs that dissolve with the first cup, there really isn’t much left for second steeping. Overall it was a disappointing venture to find a new favorite tea and it will probably sit in my cupboard until I either guilt myself into finishing it out of not wanting to waste or find someone else to pawn it off on.

This is my go to tea when I am sick, congested and want something non caffeinated and soothing. The mint is decently strong and because it is bagged, it’s a no brainer to prepare when I’m under the weather. The taste is clean, simple and minty. It’s also inexpensive compared to other teas that I favor, so I don’t feel wasteful when not tasting any subtleties while congested. I find it goes well with a little honey and is a good addition to my collection as a staple.

I had a can of the TJ’s chai mix in the past and remembered liking it well enough, so when I saw that they had a pumpkin version (and I’m a sucker for trying anything pumpkin flavored) I had to nab it. The check out gal commented on how good it was while I was purchasing it, so I was even more hyped up to try it. The first whiff I took smelled a little soapy with pumpkin. When I tasted it, I found the same. It was sweet with a muddling of spices, some pumpkin flavor and that overwhelming soapy taste on the sides of my tongue. That was about all I got out of it for the whole cup. Not as good as their plain chai and not worth using up my self imposed one caffeinated cup a day ration. I can tell this one is going to sit in my cupboard for a while taking up precious real estate for other teas. Bummer.