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Herbal TTB

Interestingly, there were two tropical-themed chais in this box: this one and Mowgli’s Fire Chai from Bluebird Tea Co. Of the two, I much preferred this one! It wasn’t a typical chai at all…the spices were quite light and really just provided some depth to the chocolate, coconut, and banana flavors. Actually, the flavor overall was rather light, but quite delicious! I’d be curious to try this one with milk as well.

Herbal TTB

This is one of those blends that I tend to call a “fruit salad” tea…lots of big chunks of dried fruit and spices with no actual tea leaves. It brews up to a bright pink color, which really surprised me since there’s no hibiscus in the blend. The scent is sweet and fruity; the flavor is super-sweet honey with a touch of fruit…I really didn’t pick up on whatever almond flavor was supposed to be there. Overall, I found this WAY too sweet for my tastes, to the point that I couldn’t even finish the cup.

Herbal TTB

I’ve heard great things about Bluebird Tea, so I was curious to sample this chai from the herbal TTB. I didn’t read the description ahead of time, so this tea caught me completely off-guard! It’s not at all the sort of thing I think of when I hear the word “chai”…you don’t really taste cinnamon, cardamon, or cloves in the blend. Instead, it has a juicy pineapple flavor with a touch of creamy coconut…followed by an unexpected wave of spicy chili in the aftertaste! Personally, I’m not a fan of drinks (or foods!) that leave my tongue tingling, so I probably won’t drink this again. But I’m glad I had the experience of trying it once!

Herbal TTB

Teavana is very hit and miss for me. A couple of their teas are staples in my cupboard, as I find them to be delicious and unique blends. Others I like, but can easily find substitutes at an affordable price point. And some of their blends are just plain awful!

I think this falls in the “nice, but not worth the money” category. It brews up dark and cloudy with a distinct caramel chocolate flavor that’s bold and not too sweet. The sea salt just serve to intensify the other flavors; the tea isn’t salty at all. Overall, this is a pleasant dessert tea and I appreciate that it’s herbal and can be enjoyed right before bed. But I’ve had plenty of other dessert teas I enjoy more and wouldn’t pay Teavana’s prices to re-purchase this one!

Holiday TTB

There was a single teabag of this tea in the Holiday TTB and I decided to keep it to try out at work, where I have a hot water pot, but find it challenging to brew loose leaf tea at my desk. I sampled it today and found it to be a huge step up from the grocer store bagged tea I usually end up drinking at work! This one had nice big, unbroken leaves visible through the sachet and smelled like some kind of baked fruit dessert. The flavor was good too: a nice smooth black tea base layered with flavors of honey and fruit. (Not really sure what kind of fruit…plums maybe? And apples? It’s definitely coming across as a baked fruit flavor to me, not fresh.) Not my favorite offering from Lupicia, but still quite yummy!

Herbal TTB

After the watery flavor I experienced with the other 52Teas honeybush I tried today, I decided to give this one the full 10-minute steep. Not sure if the longer steep time helped or if this is just a more fully flavored tea, but I’m definitely having a better experience with this one. It actually does taste a lot like a slice of pie! The front end of the sip is all strawberry, but there’s a bit of a pastry flavor and just the tiniest bit of cinnamon in the aftertaste. Very tasty!

Herbal TTB

This tisane may win the award for strongest chocolate scent of any blend I’ve tried so far! My kitchen smelled like I was baking brownies while this was steeping. Chocolate is definitely in the forefront of the flavor as well, with the chai element coming in as a gingery heat at the end of the sip. Personally, I would call this blend “Chocolate-Covered Ginger”. It’s not my favorite combination, but I’d be interested in trying some other chocolate teas from this brand, because their chocolate flavoring is excellent!

Herbal TTB

I’ve had some delicious melon teas from Butiki and Lupica in the past. This one smelled good, but fell short of my expectations. (I feel like I say that a lot in my tasting notes; I tend to choose what teas to buy/drink based on aroma and that can be deceptive.) I definitely get honeydew from this, but it’s mixed with another vague, artificial fruity flavor (I guess that must be the kiwi?) that I’m not enjoying. It’s also unexpectedly sweet; a bit too sweet for me. Although I don’t see stevia in the ingredients list, this is definitely reminding me of some of the pre-sweetened teas I’ve tried from Republic of Tea. Overall, I’m not a fan.

Herbal TTB

Ooo, this one is tasty! Some gingerbread teas that I’ve tried have come across as just a heavy-on-the ginger chai, but this one has a legitimate gingerbread flavor: warm and nutty with just the right amount of spice. The aftertaste is perfect…sweet and almost cake-like with none of the woody flavor you sometimes run into with rooibos. I would definitely consider purchasing more of this one!

Herbal TTB

My first thought when I wake up in the morning is often, “What kind of tea should I drink with breakfast today?” (Surely I’m not alone?) This morning, I was really craving Butiki’s Hello Sweetie. Sadly, it’s gone forever, so I decided to try this similar-sounding blend from 52Teas. The scent was very promising…lots of sweet banana and coconut goodness, just like Hello Sweetie. But for me, the flavor just wasn’t enough. I mostly tasted the honeybush base with little bit of mild, watery banana flavor. I didn’t get anything that was reminding me of coconut or cake. Guess I’ll have to keep hunting for the perfect replacement!