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Started off my workday with this holiday tea. I think it’s actually available year-round, but the name suggests that it’s a Christmas blend. Oh well. It’s delicious regardless!

I don’t taste raisins, or that much apple, but the orange, cinnamon and almond flavors shine through. The cinnamon isn’t very pronounced, but there’s a hint of it. I wish there was more cinnamon flavor, as that’s one of my favorite tastes!

Overall this is a solid, decent tea. Nothing too fancy, nothing too fussy, but nothing too unique either. It’s good, but I’m not sure if I would purchase it regularly.

Upped the rating; made this iced. This is so much better as an iced tea over brewing hot. I can taste the kiwi flavor better. Strange! I made a second glass with a couple kiwi ice cubes and that was even better.

A side note: I tried blending this with a strawberry herbal tisane and the result was surprisingly good.

In conclusion – either iced (with or without matching ice cubes) or pair with a strawberry tisane for the hot variety and I was much happier!

Backlog:
I drank this virtually every day when I was fighting The Cold From Hell. I love anise, and this is ANISE to the max. So if you don’t like anise? Avoid. If you do like it, this is a great varieTEA (haha) for you. Not much to say about it – it’s light chamomile and in-your-face Anise. Good!

Backlog:
I can’t believe I haven’t posted this yet! My tin is almost empty! I love drinking this in the evenings. I don’t recommend drinking this at work, unless you can get paid to sleep. Because that’s what this elixir will do to you – put you into the land of ZZZs.

I love the blend of honey and chocolate. I swear I can taste molasses too. I add a little honey sometimes, to enhance the flavor (or that’s what I tell myself), but it’s not required. This is so delish. I steep it for the length of the cuppa, not a moment less. The cuppa doesn’t last too long, though!

Had to get that Indian Summer taste away from my senses. This one was perfect! Love the honeyed almond, the cherry and playfulness of this one.

Got this as a free sample from my last order (which was totally FUBARed, FYI).
The second I saw the name on this, the old Gin Blossoms song “Indian Summer” promptly got stuck in my head. Had to play a little Manson in order to clear it out. I like the Gin Blossoms and all, but there is a time and a place.
Enough complaining. On to the tea.
This is a weird one. Very candy-like, which I normally like, but there is a hint of something in the brewed leaves that I don’t care for. It reminds me of an old Yankee Candle fragrance, Watermelon, that used to give me a headache. Taste isn’t that much better. Very fake-y. I’m beyond disappointed in this one, and yet glad that I didn’t get the fall collection.
Here’s hoping the winter collection is better.
Anyone want the other half of this sample?

This is…weird. Yeah. So I taste natural lemon but artificial lime flavoring, and it’s tart. The tartness is cut by the naturally sweet green rooibos, but it’s still an odd pairing. For some reason. For me. Right now. I normally love any kind of green rooibos, and especially something citrusy. But this just isn’t working for me. Maybe it’s better iced? I will investigate later. But this is not one for my office, this is a temperamental, at-home only tea.

It’s hard to beat the original chai blend from Teavana (White Ayurvedic Chai/Samurai Chat Mate), and I know chais! I’ve hunted for the best one for years, and still think that is the best. I love a deep flavor and the spicy sass of that blend.

This one comes close, but it’s just not there. I can’t figure out why. The oolong adds an interesting edge to the samurai chai, makes it sharper, more pronounced. I can taste the tea leaves more in this version than in the other, which also tastes more like an autumn tea, and this is more winter-y. It’s probably the nutmeg, which I love, but associate with Christmas and calories.

The dry leaves smell wonderful and while steeping the aroma is knee-weakening.

OK, further into the cuppa, I found more of that chai flavor I love. Maybe this one will grow more on me.

I can also steep the other blend for the length of the cuppa so the final drops are fragrant and spicy and awesome. Can’t really do that with an oolong, unless you like bitter teas. ;)

But paying almost $20 for four ounces isn’t always in my budget.

Like thin mints? How about a liquid thin mint?! That’s what this tastes like to me – chocolate and mint nirvana. The ingredients list hazelnut pieces, but I don’t taste a strong hazelnut flavor; it’s more like a subtle, nutty flavor. I taste gobs of peppermint and chocolate goodness. I bet this would be delicious iced.

Backlogging:
I finally joined the masses and purchased a Keurig recently – a mini one, since we don’t drink much coffee – and it’s teal. Eee! I love it. Anyway, I purchased the Sleepytime K-cups, and after learning the hard way that one should rinse out the machine after brewing a coffee and/or cocoa, this was decent. It tastes the same as the bagged version, which I just love. It’s a great way to end a stressful, busy day. This will be a permanent cupboard Kcup, IMO.