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Steeped a cup of this in attempts to invigorate myself on a grey Michigan afternoon. It is very hearty and full-bodied; every sip seems to fill your mouth with a dark, lingering malty taste. It somehow reminds me a little of green tea (?), only much heavier.

Contrary to Twinings’ recommendation, I’ve only had it plain, so I can’t speak to its taste with milk and sugar!

Delightful! It’s like drinking a bowlful of flowers, without the annoyance of having to pull stamens from your teeth.

Oh my! This tea smells sugary-sweet as a cupcake…very enticing.

I’m drinking it plain (as I do with all teas), and I’m pleasantly surprised at how good this is. The smell is wonderful and the taste is just as you’d hope: a strong indulgent vanilla flavor, kind of like a liquid version of birthday cake frosting, cut gently by the bitterness of the tea. I like it better than most French Vanilla coffees—and I have had a lot of those.

On account of enjoying this “artificially flavored” tea so much, I suppose I have to give up any pretense of being a connoisseur (not that I really had one, to be fair…heh). Maybe I just really like vanilla teas! Anyone have recommendations? _

Soft and mellow, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. …I am struggling so much to find interesting things to say about this tea’s flavor, but it’s so standard and benign that it’s impossible….O_o.

So, uh, this is fine! Probably a fine daily black if that’s your…cup of tea. I think I’d suggest comparing it with the Twinings English Breakfast, though, which somehow seemed more flavorful and interesting.

I do love bergamot, but the bergamot flavor in this tea is very strong, overpowering the tea. It almost tastes more like an herbal tea than a black! Not “bad,” but for a subtler taste in a similar price range, try Twinings.

Archetypal black tea—a rich, mahogany liquid that’s hearty, substantial and warming like a bowl of oatmeal. Nothing unique to write home about, but does its job well; if you “could use A Cup of Tea™,” this is exactly what you’re looking for!

A very simple tea: darkly flavorful. If you like cinnamon, you’ll like it, and I imagine it would very nicely complement a plate of sugary pastries. I’m docking points because it’s a little boring and I can’t help compare it to other, more interesting blends (e.g., Harney & Sons’ “Hot Cinnamon Spice”).

All of the flavors shine through in this blend: fresh, grassy green tea, a little lemon sweetness, and a hint of mint in the aftertaste. Pleasant and refreshing! I wish the flavors were a little stronger, that’s all.

What a polarizing tea! It’s easy to pinpoint why people either love it—or, in most cases, loathe it: the weird, warm spike of medicinal sour-sweetness that dominates any other flavors as you swallow. The reviewer who called the flavor “like warm [non-sugary] Tang” is absolutely right.

I must be one of the weird ones because I find this taste neither appealing nor particularly off-putting. Like most artificial things, It’s perfectly innocuous, even pleasing, until you start really homing in on it. (Which, to be fair, you’re supposed to do if you’re reviewing the tea…)

…Tang, anyone?

Served plain, this tastes like a standard, somewhat uninteresting black tea with a little bit of a sweet aftertaste. Unobtrusive, and pleasant enough, but not something I’d go out of my way to drink.

Though I should note that I’m drinking a backlogged bag; it seems Bigelow changed their formula in the fall (?) of 2015, and this new formula has everyone on their site up in arms about how terrible it is. Purchase at your own risk…!