88 Tasting Notes
I love green, grassy, vegetal teas, especially if they have a creamy, buttery edge to them. This isn’t as sweet and buttery as Butter Sencha, but still has those same tones, with more of a grassy, pleasant, green flavor in this. It tastes like a cool summer’s day, laying in the green grass of a local park, drinking tea and staring up at the clouds. Very calming and satisfying.
I probably won’t repurchase this, even though it made for a pleasant, complex and interesting cup. At first sip I was expecting a cool, smooth, green tea and mint, but it’s more of a warming, spicy blend. It definitely has a cardamom, clove, ginger, cinnamon-ish, chai spiciness thing going on, and an almost honeyed sweetness, along with a smooth peppermint finish. The ginger reminds me of thai food, and it has something of a strange aftertaste, but it’s not unpleasant. I do sort of like the interesting feel of this where it makes me feel hot (from the spices) and cold (from the mint) at the same time. Very interesting and boldly flavored.
I already own Candy Cane Crush (which I hate) and Read My Lips (which I love) by David’s Tea, so I wasn’t sure if I needed another black tea, mint, vanilla, chocolate, and sprinkles concoction. Santa’s Secret had such rave reviews here that I had to try it, though, and I’m so glad that I did. Santa’s Secret is both the smoothest black tea and smoothest mint tea I have ever tried. There’s nothing bitter or astringent or sharp about it. It tastes creamy and has this sweet vanilla-caramel edge to it, like white chocolate peppermint bark with swirls of caramel. A strong and surprisingly complex flavor profile. It’s delicious and I am already hoarding 300 grams and debating picking up some more…
Tastes so much like a berry Kool-Aid. I like this best iced, when it reminds me of my childhood summers and pitchers of Kool-Aid in the fridge. It’s fun and pleasant, but I probably wouldn’t repurchase it or drink this too much (same way I never drink Kool-Aid anymore). It doesn’t have a very complex or interesting taste, if that makes sense, but it’s good for what it is, which is a sweet & straightforward berry tea. I don’t find it to be sour at all. I’d recommend if you’re into fruit teas or looking for something pleasant and caffeine free to ice.
I am usually all about sweet, creamy, dessert tasting teas, but I am addicted to Tie Kwan Yin. It’s a little vegetal/earthy, a little bitter, and tastes so amazingly roasted, toasted and dry… like toast burnt on the edges, burnt popcorn and roasted nuts (so I guess it is dessert-ish, in a way, lol), but not sweet. Has a woody quality to it, a hint of golden, honeyed goodness, and an addictive warmth, and I love how strong the aroma and taste are. A little like roasted coffee beans, but so much better.
Green Passionfruit is my go-to when I want a tropical tea, as I love how sweet and smooth it is (and that it actually tastes and smells like passionfruit). Guava Cadabra is too sour and dry for my tastes, with the hibiscus, elderberry, beet root and rosehips. It tastes like sour berries to me more than anything.
I expected this to be sour, but it’s not at all. The lemon is like a sweet, creamy, bright lemon dessert. Yum. And I love the hint of warming, zingy ginger too. I also expected this to be more of an herbal tea, but it’s not that either. More like a lemon cream and ginger dessert. I’ve really been enjoying this one.
I can’t decide if I like Wild Strawberry or Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait more. They’re both so similar. Berry teas are often too sour/tart for me, but I like both of the above mentioned blends, because they taste like sweet, ripe strawberries. Wild Strawberry isn’t quite as sweet or creamy as Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait, but it’s still fairly sweet. There’s a little bit of an herbal edge to this, but just a tiny hint, and it’s not quite as creamy, thick or syrupy as Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait. It’s like this one is ‘candied, ripe strawberry’ and the other is ‘CANDY strawberry!!’ with caps and exclamation points. It’s easier to overdo Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait and make it too strong and thick, but Wild Strawberry is just easier to casually enjoy and tastes more quiet and subtle, if that makes sense. Still, they’re both very similar…
