Inkling Send Message

Strange VariaTEA TTB #9

Not sure if I’ve had a Nepalese black tea before or not. It took me a while to figure out what this tea was reminding me of, but eventually I realized it was a honey oolong that TeaSource used to carry! Unlike my typical robust, full-bodied Chinese black teas, this one is very smooth with a light, slightly sweet mineral flavor and an astringent finish. Interesting to try, but probably not something I’d personally choose again.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #8

This is another tea I heard about on Geek Steep and wanted to try, so I was pretty excited to see it in the box. To my delight, this one totally exceeded my expectations! Seeing hibiscus so high on the ingredients list had me worried, but this is the rare blend where the hibiscus totally works for me, imparting just the right crisp tartness that my tongue reads as “cranberry”. The ginger is perfectly balanced too: not too sweet or too spicy. I drank it hot and really enjoyed it, but I think it might be even better iced!

Strange VariaTea TTB #7

I wish David’s Tea didn’t feel the need to add stevia to so many of their dessert blends! I like being able to control the level of sweetness myself and I do NOT care for the aftertaste of stevia. Aside from that, this one is really nice! The black/puerh base is robust without being bitter or to earthy and the flavor is a rich, buttery caramel.

Strange VariaTEA TTB #6

I think I made a pretty colossal mistake with this one by adding milk. I always drink my earl grey with milk, so I did it without even tasting it first…now I see in the description here that the company specifically recommends NOT adding milk. :( I don’t feel like I can really rate this one, since I didn’t drink it as it was intended to be drunk. Though I will say, I think it may be misnamed as an earl grey! The overwhelming aroma I got from the dry leaf and flavor I got from the brew was a sweet, juicy peach. The bergamot may be there, but it’s seems to be completely overwhelmed by the peach flavoring. I do like peach, so I think I might have liked this quite a bit if I’d drunk it straight!

Strange VariaTEA TTB #5

Oh, YUM! In my first 24 hours of sipping through this box, this tea is my standout by far. This is my very favorite flavor profile for a Chinese black tea: a rich, hearty mouthfeel with lots of malt and sweet potato flavor and a nice smooth finish. I’m slightly devastated that there was one pot’s worth of tea in this sample, but you better believe I’ll be re-steeping these leaves and placing an order with Tea Runners sometime soon!

Strange VariaTEA TTB #4

I first heard about Trader Nick’s on fellow Steepsterite Roswell Strange’s podcast Geek Steep. (Side note: if you aren’t listening, GO LISTEN! I always hit play on the newest episode the moment in lands in my feed and I’m never disappointed by that choice.)

I immediately went and checked out their site and this particular blend went straight on my wish list. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie and I love smoky black tea, so this sounded like it was practically made for me!

Needless to say, my expectations were probably unrealistically high. It’s a fine tea, just not the spectacularly magical experience I was secretly hoping for. Not a lot of smoky notes coming through for me; mostly milk chocolate and a bit of bourbon. A perfectly pleasant sip, but probably not something I’ll go out of my way to drink again.

(That being said, I’m so grateful for the chance to try a cup via the TTB rather than spending the money on a whole bag of a tea I end up not being crazy about. Thanks to Roswell and VariaTEA for putting this one together!)

Strange VariaTea TTB #3

The dry leaf of this tea is so pretty and it smells lovely. Unfortunately, once it’s steeped the lavender totally takes over! I don’t taste blueberry and I definitely don’t taste angel food cake; it’s just coming across as a lavender black tea. To be fair, it’s a very nice lavender…not too soapy or perfumey for my tastes. But I was hoping for more based on the name.

Strange VariaTea TTB #2

This one smells SO good…and the flavor almost lives up to the scent! Not sure if it’s quite reading carrot cake for me, but it definitely has spice cake vibes. A good balance between the spices, nuttiness, and sweet, cakey flavors. T2 has been hit and miss for me, but I’d call this one a hit!

Strange VariaTea TTB #1

I haven’t done a TTB in ages, so it was so fun to dig into this one!

I love smoky teas and I love marshmallows, so this was an obvious first pick for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much of either flavor in this cup…it was just a smooth, slightly sweet black tea with the tiniest hint of smoke coming through in the aftertaste. A pleasant enough cup, but not quite what I was hoping for.

This came as a free sample with my order. I’m not the biggest fan of houjicha, but the toasted, nutty flavor does seem pretty perfect for the cooler fall temperatures we’re getting here in Wisconsin this week! Probably not something I’d order again, but I’ll sip down this sample.