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With a name like Honey Pistachio Biscotti, I was pretty confident in expecting a tea with honey, pistachio and biscotti flavors, but I’m surprised by the strong floral note I seem to be getting. I went through a couple cups before reviewing to make sure it wasn’t a fluke—maybe my bag of tea was particularly heavy on the chrysanthemum? In any case, it tastes good, but took me by surprise.

When you open this tea, you immediately find yourself thinking of a maple donut or Waffle Crisp cereal or something else sugary and strongly maple-scented. So you’re a little nervous about how this is going to turn out, but luckily, it mellows out considerably. In the end, there’s just a light, pleasant maple flavor, almost an aftertaste. It’s enough to satisfy maple fans (like me) without triggering a sugar crash.

Cons: I can’t imagine wanting to drink this iced, so hot only for me. Also, there’s an oily sheen to the finished product, which is somewhat unpalatable.

It’s hard for me to find a BLACK mint tea that really hits the spot—I like a strong, crisp mint flavor—but this does it for me. The mint is clearly spearmint, so if that’s not a mint you like, steer clear of this. It’s really, really refreshing on ice.

I enjoyed it hot with milk and sugar, but I wouldn’t recommend it iced—the spice too rich, almost clove-y, to really work as a cold drink for me. I would have also liked a stronger orange flavor.

I was really excited about Stormy Night, but it’s really disappointed me. It took a few tries for me to brew a strong enough cup that I can really get a sense of the flavors. For me, its dominant flavor is cinnamon, with a chocolate undernote. Not terrible, just blah, but I can get more satisfying cinnamon teas for much cheaper elsewhere. It also gives me heartburn every time I try it.

Something in the tea—the chocolate, I imagine—leaves oily residue on the surface of the tea, which is really unappetizing. This won’t be a re-buy for me.

First of all, I love the scent. You can totally smell those almonds, yum. They’re the strongest flavor note as well, which is fine by me. I’m just happy the licorice root didn’t present a strong flavor, which I was worried about — NOT a fan of licorice in tea. The packaging recommends steeping for 4-5 minutes, and I’d recommend the lower end of that spectrum. I went for 5 and it’s just a touch too bitter.

I love the taste of mint, but some blends seem overwhelmed by its intensity. So I was a little cautious when I tried this for the first time, but it’s DELICIOUS. It truly tastes like candy cane, so the mint is light and pleasant. There’s also a creamy aftertaste that I really enjoy. This is totally going to be my go-to mint tea.

I’ve been having trouble getting a perfect cup out of my orders from DavidsTea (I’m a loose leaf newbie), so I decided to experiment with one of the samples that came along with my purchase. At first sip, I thought I’d steeped it for way too long — it seemed really bitter — but after adding a little soy milk and sugar, the flavor really mellowed and became quite delicious. I can’t say I taste the rose at all (maybe that’s just my tiny batch, though). The key flavors are the strawberry and dark chocolate, which really meld together very nicely. On second steep, the flavor is much less intense but still pretty tasty. If I buy from DavidsTea again, this will definitely be on my purchase list.

One note: unlike a lot of their teas, this one recommends 1.5 tbs of tea as opposed to 1.5 tsp, so you’re not going to get as much bang for your buck with Love Tea #7. I think it’s worth it, though.

This tea is not kidding around — as soon as you open up the box, the lavender scent hits you in the face. However, once brewed, you’re left with a very smooth Earl Grey with a mild lavender note, so it’s not overwhelmingly floral at all. In fact, I could have gone for just a little more lavender flavor, so I might steep longer next time. I did feel this one needed more sugar than the average Earl Grey, though.

I’d never tried this brand before, but one thing I liked was that the teabags came in a larger, resealable bag to lock in freshness. The quality of the tea was obviously much higher than your average grocery store teabag (actual tea leaves rather than fannings), so I’m glad I have a way to keep it delicious for as long as possible.