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Samurai TTB #12

Though I’m not the biggest fan of yerba mate, I do love eggnog! So I couldn’t resist trying this one, especially considering the time of year. Unfortunately, I’m not really getting “eggnog” from this. I mostly taste that earthy yerba mate flavor with a hint of creaminess and just the lightest dusting of nutmeg. A splash of milk made it more enjoyable, but I’m still wishing for more flavor!

Samurai TTB #11

I do love a good Yunnan and this one was nice! More fruity than I would have expected, with notes of cherry and raisin coming through most strongly. But I do get that nice chocolatey flavor in the aftertaste. It’s also beautifully smooth with no bitterness or astringency. Exactly what I was in the mood for on this chilly winter night!

Samurai TTB #10

For some reason, based on the name, I was expecting this to be a flavored blend. But it’s actually just a really nice, well-rounded black tea blend. Notes of malt, smoke, and a little bit of fruitiness. Not sure it exactly matches the name (it brewed up DARK for a tea called “sunshine!”) but tasty!

Advent Calendar Day 19

I was honestly half-asleep when I drank this this morning, but I remember it having a very fresh, natural coconut flavor on a grassy green tea base. I saw some mango chunks in the blend, but didn’t really taste the mango. Still a very pleasant cup to wake up to, though!

Samurai TTB #9

Not going to rate this one, as I MASSIVELY over-steeped it. The package didn’t include tea type and I was too lazy to look it up last night, so I just looked at the dry leaf and assumed it was an herbal blend. Unfortunately, there’s actually some black tea hiding amid all those fruit and nut pieces and the resulting brew was so bitter it was almost undrinkable. A splash of milk made it tolerable, but I definitely didn’t experience this tea at its best. Like most pistachio teas I’ve tried, it tasted more like almond than pistachio. Makes me sad, because Butiki’s Pistachio Ice Cream was one of my all-time favorite tea blends and it proved that a genuine pistachio-flavored tea is possible!

Samurai TTB #8

I didn’t really get peanut butter from this one, but it was a nice banana-flavored herbal. I like honeybush and I’m really a fan of the one 52Teas uses. This was a nice bedtime treat!

Samurai TTB #7

Coconut, cashew, and butterscotch are all flavors I love, so I was here for this blend! I think I would have liked it even more on a black tea base, as the mate added an earthiness I wasn’t crazy about, but it was still a delicious combination and even better once I added a bit of milk!

Advent Calendar Day 18

Although I love the concept of this tea (someone bringing me breakfast in bed with a rose on the tray), I wasn’t a fan of the actual flavor. Cinnamon and rose are both ingredients that I don’t usually love and having them together in one tea is definitely not for me!

Samurai TTB #6

I discovered My Cup of Tea this past year and have really enjoyed many of their teas, so I was eager to try this when I saw it in the box. It’s also rare to find a strawberry tea that doesn’t include hibiscus, so I’m happy about that! The strawberry flavoring is strong and sweet and slightly artificial. Others have described it as candy-like and I think that’s accurate. The base tea is very smooth and pretty much disappears into the fruity flavoring. This isn’t necessarily something I’d purchase, but it was a pleasant cup of tea!

Samurai TTB #5

I love a well-done lemon tea and tend to be a fan of ginger, so this sounded like something I’d enjoy. However, the dry leaf smells like Pledge dusting spray and the flavor pretty much matches that: STRONG artificial lemon with barely a hint of ginger. Not a fan!