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The name is lovely…but that’s the only thing this blend has going for it, in my opinion. I’ve never really understood coffee-flavored tea blends. I drink tea because it tastes better than coffee, so why would I want it to taste like coffee? And blending it with rooibos seems like an especially strange choice. I don’t like the flavor of rooibos to begin with and the addition of actual coffee beans to this blend means it’s an “herbal” tea that’s probably more caffeinated than black tea! I’ve never had Irish coffee, so I’m not really sure if the flavor is correct or not. To me, it smells like coffee and tastes like coffee and I am just not a fan. Hopefully I can find a coffee-loving friend to pass this on to!

This is one of my favorite holiday teas from Bird & Blend! As the name implies, the blend smells just like a Ferrero Rocher truffle…and this time the flavor lives up to the aroma. It’s smooth and just sweet enough with distinctive notes of dark chocolate and hazelnut. I enjoy it plain, but adding milk really takes it over the top.

This tea was the one in the Christmas gift set I was most excited about, as I love anything coconut! And this one delivers flavor-wise with strong notes of chocolate and coconut with a hint of creamy sweetness from the marshmallows. I do wish the base tea were a bit more present, as the flavor seems a bit on the thin side. It definitely needs a touch of milk to bring out its full potential. Not the best blend of this type I’ve ever had, but still quite good!

This was the other herbal blend in the Bird & Blend Christmas gift set. While the Gingerbread Chai was a knockout, this one was just so-so. The good news is, the hibiscus didn’t overwhelm the blend as it does in so many fruity herbal teas! The bad news is, this doesn’t really taste like cider. The mulling spices are clearly present: I taste cinnamon, clover, and a hint of ginger, but just a vague fruity background without anything that distinctly says “apple”.

This was the best-smelling tea in the Christmas gift set…mouthwatering caramel and gingerbread that instantly makes me hungry! In comparison to the heady aroma, the flavor is a bit thin. I do get notes of caramel and gingerbread, but it’s a pale imitation of that delicious aroma. A splash of milk adds a little more depth, but I’m still left wanting more.

A sweet friend sent me Bird & Blend’s Christmas gift set and by exercising remarkable self-control, I managed to save it for a special treat on my vacation last week. This one was worth the wait! I’ll have to do a side-by-side comparison at some point, but this blend may have topped Market Spice’s Gingerbread Rooibos as my very favorite gingerbread tea. The balance of spices is just the right combination of sweet and spicy and with a splash of milk, a mug of this feels just as indulgent as eating a gingerbread cookie. I’m already almost through my 1oz sample and will definitely be re-purchasing!

Ever since TeaSource discontinued their Black Mao Feng, I’ve been on the hunt for a replacement. This one isn’t quite what I’m looking for (I’m not getting those baked bread notes promised on the label) but is quite a lovely tea in its own right! The leaves are unbroken, long, dark, and twisted. The primary aroma is molasses and I get strong notes of molasses, honey and raisins in the sip with a lingering fruity sweetness in the aftertaste. It’s very robust and full-bodied and holds onto its flavor through multiple re-steeps with no bitterness or astringency. At the price, I probably won’t be re-purchasing but I’m glad I gave it a try.

I was in Dallas this weekend and got to visit The Cultured Cup’s storefront for the first time. While their prices are on the high side, the quality is outstanding! This one is a beautiful mellow, nutty oolong that’s been flavored with real lemon oil (not that awful furniture polish-tasting artificial lemon flavor) and just a hint of basil. The resulting flavor is sweet and creamy but not too cloying and it holds up beautifully to multiple re-steeps. I would definitely re-purchase this one!

Another new-to-me blend from my latest TeaSource order. My first couple of sips were disappointing…all I could taste was cinnamon. But as it cooled down, the flavor started to pop and I ended up being impressed! This actually does taste like carrot cake, or at least a spice cake with cream cheese frosting. I don’t really taste carrot, but I get the cakey flavor, the spices, a bit of sweetness and even a hint of sour creaminess in the aftertaste that reminds me of frosting. So glad I gave this one a chance!

I don’t remember what prompted me to add this one to my last TeaSource order, as senchas tend to be a bit too assertive for my taste. This one’s actually nice and smooth and not too grassy, but I do wish I were getting more strawberry from it. There’s definitely a fruity flavor here, but it’s not distinctively strawberry. Their website recommends drinking it iced, so I’ll have to try that this summer! (It was -2 Fahrenheit when I woke up today, so definitely not iced tea season right now.)