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Another What-Cha sample from Ost. Sweet potatoes?? Man I wish I could taste the things you all taste sometimes. I just got an overall smooth tea with a very light taste and that same aftertaste I’ve been getting with the black What-Cha teas I’ve tried.

The description of this on the sample package Ost so generously sent me says, “Incredibly smooth with gentle malt tones.” The incredibly smooth is incredibly correct, but those gently malt tones are too gently for my tastes. In fact, the taste overall was maybe too smooth and not punchy enough for me. It had a strange aftertaste that kept grabbing at my attention, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Maybe I underleafed? It recommends 1-2tsp per cup and I did 1.5 tsp for my 8 oz cup. I’ll try it again with 2 tsp to see if anything changes.

I’m enjoying trying other Lupicia fruit-flavored oolongs! This one has a lighter flavor, perhaps a touch too light for my preferences even when overleafed, as compared to the Melon Oolong or the Kotobuki (which is my favorite of theirs). I got two good steeps out of it, though. A nice, true mango flavor. This really makes me want to pick up some of their Alphonso Mango tea now. Thanks for the sample, Ost!

Let me first say that I did not try the original that this was based off of. However, this was lovely! The nutmeg was very light and the custard flavor came out stronger as the cup cooled. Really nice to have at night after dinner.

So glad to finally get to try this! This is really the only Downton Abbey tea I would have considered purchasing without first tasting. These teas are more expensive than the other normal RoT tins, so it would have been a bigger risk. Thanks to Ost, I got to try it first and now probably will go buy it :) I could definitely drink this as a dessert tea, but it was mellow enough that I could drink this when I want a more breakfast-style tea, too. It has a caramel bread pudding sort of vibe.

Huh? This was another tea I was sure I’d like but definitely didn’t. I’ve had a couple of other Red Velvet teas by now and usually like them. This did not taste like red velvet at all. In fact, I felt like I could actually taste the beet root that is part of this blend MORE than the chocolate or vanilla flavors you’re supposed to get with red velvet. I did taste the chocolate behind that, but the vanilla was nonexistent. I have a little more of this to try again with. Perhaps I steeped it too long? I actually took the basket out of the cup at the lower end of the recommended steep time range. Hmm…..

Umm….what did I do wrong? This was so not delicious to me. I think I steeped it correctly, but I had it at work and might not have been paying as close of attention as I thought I was. I wasn’t reading the flavor description when I drank this, and all I got was that maybe it was supposed to be some kind of vanilla or almond kind of flavor. I’m really glad Ost sent me two bags of this to try so I can give it another go because I really though I’d like this one. I won’t rate it until it gets a second chance.

Well, I feel like I’ve tried quite a few maple-flavored teas over the past few months and have found that they all differ quite a bit from one another. This one followed suit in that it was a surprisingly mellow maple flavor that didn’t taste sweet but did definitely taste like maple. The tea itself was smooth. While this can’t compare to Butiki’s Maple Pecan Oolong, this is probably the maple tea I’ll want to buy once I’ve run out of Butiki’s.

Thanks for giving me a chance to try it, Ost!

This is one of those teas that tastes better once it’s cooled a little. I imagine this would be delightful as an iced tea in summer because it is very refreshing. It’s not sweet like I imagined it would be with those little blue/green candy dealies in it. There is just enough of the oolong base flavor to keep it from tasting too much like those honeydew candies you can get in Asian markets. I’m glad I picked this up, but I’m not sure this is one I will drink super often (at least not til the weather gets hotter).

Another surprise! I’ve had bottled kombucha from a health food store and thought it was terrible. It tasted just like fruity overly carbonated beer with a funky aftertaste. So, what possessed me to want to buy this tea after that experience? I think the only way we’d know the answer to that is if someone laid me down on a couch and hypnotized me while asking questions and writing things down on a clipboard because I don’t have the faintest idea what motivates me sometimes.

Anyway, this was lovely! I mostly got the mango along with a cooling sort of effervescence that made it feel fresh and springy! And that was when I brewed it hot! I’m excited to try this cold-brewed to see what happens to it. It smells really good in the bag, too. So glad I ended up asking my friend to grab a sample while she was in a store up northern California. I also got a sample size of Cool Cactus….which does not smell so good in the bag….I’ll see how that goes soon enough.