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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.

Mmm, this is nice! Despite the pale color, the flavor is surprisingly robust with floral notes and a honeyed sweetness. It is just the tiniest bit drying at the end of the sip, which keeps me coming back for more! Guessing it will also resteep well.

I love a good coconut oolong! My favorite is from The London Tea Room in St Louis and I was excited to possibly find a replacement a little closer to home. However, I missed the fact that this one also includes pineapple. The flavor is much more pina colada than straight-up coconut. Not what I was expecting, but still quite delicious! Going to try icing it next time.

Yunnan black teas tend to be my favorite, so I had to try a sample of this one in my recent Rishi order! Unfortunately, I found it to be just okay…which was disappointing considering the price point. It was quite smooth with a pleasant bready flavor, but I found the flavor surprising thin and watery despite using my usual steeping parameters. I will try over-leafing my next cup to see if that improves the flavor, but I probably won’t be repurchasing this one.