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This blend has a very strong cocoa aroma right out of the package. I was expecting more anise, but that doesn’t emerge until after brewing, as a lighter note in the background. Anise is one of those weird flavors that I enjoy even though many people I know do not, and it balances out the cocoa and bittersweet-chocolate flavors of this blend nicely. The Ceylon base is enjoyable and identifiable as well. Overall, a little heavy on the chocolate, but fairly good. Thanks beelicious!

This one is a backlog note from who knows when, because I seem to only reach for this one when I’m about to go to bed…

I’ve tried this tisane both as a hot brew, and as a cold brew mixed with tonic water to try to recreate the effect of sparkling apple cider. It’s definitely sweet and apple-flavored, and I would call the cider experiment a success. But seeing the ingredients has me wondering whether that apple flavor I’m tasting is natural. Left to my own devices, I can’t really tell, and it’s unfortunate to think all the apple pieces in the mix might not be contributing much. It’s still tasty, but I would be more impressed with a blend that could use all-natural ingredients to produce a similar flavor.

This blend smells like a Thai coconut curry, and reminds me of a similar blend by Harney & Sons, the name of which escapes me at the moment. After steeping, a sweeter lemon note can be detected in the aroma as well. The taste of this tea is bright and light, with strong lemongrass and coconut flavors. There’s also a bite from the ginger pieces that I saw in the blend, giving it a gently spicy, warming effect. The white tea base is hard to detect under all this, but it does have a naturally sweet and tart quality. Overall, this tea does a good job on delivering on its name. I don’t often reach for teas with ginger or lemongrass, but once in a while I’m nicely surprised! Thanks beelicious for the sample!

(And finally, I have more teas that I have tried at least once in my cupboard than untried ones!)

Trying this again with a Darjeeling fresh in my memory, and I can definitely sense its unique and floral presence in this blend, more so than before. The “backbone” of the tea also seems more Keemun-like to me this time. My perception of this blend probably tends to change not only based on steeping conditions but what other teas I have to compare it to in recent memory. There are so many types of tea in here that it’s a sort of harmonious chaos, and what comes to the forefront might be a surprise each time.

This one smelled intimidatingly buttery and creamy. Like buttered-pasta levels of buttery. I wasn’t sure it was going to be good, but after steeping, the aroma softens into something much more appealing, with a touch of coconut. The taste is delectable as well—a soft blending of coconut, buttery cream, and vanilla sweetness. The rum flavor isn’t very strong and is more present as a lingering note, which is just as well. The tea base is quite good, providing a nice smooth backdrop for the flavors. It reminds me of one of my other favorite coconut-and-cream blends, White Coconut Creme by Art of Tea, though that one had a white tea base. Thanks beelicious!

This is one of the special edition Lupicia teas that I’d been curious about for a long time, but never committed to buying because I don’t always enjoy grape flavor. As it turns out, I did like this one, thanks beelicious for the sample!

The blend looks like it’s made up of sencha, jasmine flowers, and konpeito. The scent is that of white grape juice or grape candy. After brewing, more of a jasmine aroma emerges. The tea itself is light and smooth, with a good, slightly grassy base, and the jasmine and grape flavors balance it nicely. There is nothing artificial about the grape, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it not being the dominant flavor but rather playing well with the others. Overall, it’s a very refreshing, bright-tasting tea, and would be great as an iced tea as well.

I have only tried Darjeeling teas once or twice in the past, and from those experiences learned that they could be quite sensitive to water temperature and steep time. So I was quite careful to not oversteep this sample from Lupicia today! The dry aroma is unlike any tea I’ve smelled before—it’s very intense and pleasant, and reminds me of shortbread or some other type of sweet, dense pastry. The aroma of the brewed tea is more complex, with dark floral and what I just term “black tea fragrance” notes. The taste of this tea is not as intense as I expected from the aroma. It almost seems to float on the tongue—maybe a little floral, and definitely light, but mostly it’s something that I have no experience with tasting or describing before. Complex, and certainly unique. Fortunately, with the careful infusion, there was no bitterness as had occurred last time I tried a Darjeeling, so this is more like how it’s supposed to be appreciated. It’s hard for me to decide how I really feel about it, given that it’s not comparable to anything else I’ve tried, and that is a problem that can only be solved by experiencing more teas!

I’m enjoying this one again in the afternoon. Today I lost track of time and let it steep a little too long—I’m not sure how much exactly, maybe 5 minutes? In any case, the long infusion produced an aroma and flavor that reminded me very strongly of petrichor. As I learned from Roswell Strange recently, petrichor is the scent after rain. It’s an interesting note, though I wouldn’t recommend long infusions of this tea to find it—the overall effect of this cup was not nearly as good as its usual profile.

(Rating is from previous impressions)

Sipdown! This is one of the more enjoyable decaf teas I’ve tried, and has been my go-to on many evenings, so I will probably restock it at some point in the future. I think I’ve learned after several incidences of hubris that no, I really shouldn’t drink caffeinated tea after a certain time if I don’t want to be awake late into the night…

Thanks to beelicious for this sample! This one has a lovely caramel and nut aroma—sweet and toasty, something like caramelized pecans or candied walnuts. (Neither of which are in the ingredients, oops!) The tea base of this is a tasty Ceylon, with a touch of that sweet, crisp, fruity note. It helps bring out the caramel flavor nicely. The nutty flavors are a little weaker in the brewed tea, but that’s okay, it’s one of those flavors that I would find overwhelming if it was strong. Overall, it’s a cheerful and cozy blend.

Finally, I don’t think I can review this tea without mentioning kissing squirrels—they’re in the description, packaging, and every review so far. Cute!