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I don’t understand the logic of blending black and green tea and was worried about how this one would brew up, but I followed the directions and treated it like a black tea and it turned out fine. The mint flavor is cool and natural and the vanilla smooths it out nicely. It’s pretty good hot, but beautifully refreshing iced!

I’m not generally into Darjeeling, but this one was a pleasant surprise! Definitely has those fruity notes I would expect, but it’s more full-bodied than other Darjeelings I’ve tried and has a lovely lingering sweetness in the aftertaste. I still prefer my beloved malty Chinese blacks, but this one is a nice change of pace.

Yay, Steepster is finally updating again! Lots of tasting notes to catch up on. Drank this one at work on Monday. I don’t generally care for jasmine, but this one wasn’t bad. The jasmine flavor is natural and not too perfume-like and the green tea is nice and smooth with no bitterness or astringency. Still not something I’d be likely to re-purchase, but I’ll probably finish the sample I have.

A kind friend brought me a sampler box of Golden Moon tea as a hostess gift and so far this one has been my favorite of the batch! I love Earl Grey and find this to be an exceptionally good one. The base tea is flavorful yet smooth, with no bitterness or astringency, making this one of the few Earl Grey blends I enjoy without milk. The lavender and bergamot are well-balanced and not at all soapy or perfume-like. I’m a fan!

A sweet friend in Memphis sent me a box of this tea for Christmas from her local tea shop and I was so impressed! These tea bags are actually nice big sachets with plenty of room for expansion and the tea inside is beautiful unbroken leaves. The salted caramel flavor is sweet and rich without completely overwhelming the malty base tea. I find it especially tasty with a splash of milk. While I wish I could get my hands on a loose leaf version, I’m still kinda in love with this!

This came in the mystery grab bag I bought months ago and I’ve been saving it for warmer weather since it sounded so summery. My expectations were pretty low, as I don’t tend to love most floral teas. But this was a pleasant surprise! The lemon flavor keeps the jasmine and rose from coming across as perfumey and it’s actually quite a refreshing combination, especially iced! I thought the rest of my sample was destined for the TTB, but I may actually hang onto it.

This was an impulse purchase in my last Market Spice order and I’m actually wishing I’d ordered more than 2oz! (Especially since 2oz isn’t all that much when it’s such a heavy, fruit-filled tea blend.) This may be one of the best fruit-flavored black teas I’ve tried! I don’t really get the promised apricot flavor; it’s mostly mango and strawberry. But the combination is lovely and the base tea is the perfect smooth, lightly sweet foundation for the flavors. It’s great hot, but I just tried it iced for the first time and I think I may like it that way even better! A new favorite.

Even though their tea bags look just like everyone else’s (meaning Bigelow, Twinings, etc.) I find that Tazo seems to have the best flavor! When I’m on the road and don’t want to fuss with loose-leaf tea, this is one of my go-tos…a well-balanced, smooth Earl Grey that takes milk well and isn’t fussy if the water temperature isn’t quite right.

I was so excited to find this blend on Fava’s site! I recently tried a lemon basil oolong blend from The Cultured Cup in Dallas, which was delicious but pretty pricey. This one was about half the price and just as good! (Plus it’s from my local teashop, which I always want to support when I can.) The oolong is smooth and sweet, the lemon flavor is bright and natural, and the basil is mild and adds just a nice hint of depth to the blend. I’ve been enjoying it hot, but can’t wait to try it iced now that the weather is FINALLY warming up around here! I foresee this becoming one of my staple teas from Fava that I always keep on hand, along with their Coconut Souffle and Banana Walnut Bread.

This is a good basic, well-balanced Earl Grey. Too sharp and bitter to drink straight, but very pleasant with milk. It doesn’t beat out my favorite (Piccadilly from Letterbox Tea, if you’re wondering) but I’m enjoying it!