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Holiday TTB

Mmm, I like this one! Smooth and lightly floral, with hints of almonds in the aftertaste. I see from the ingredients list that there are apples, rosehips, and some kind of flavoring in here as well, but this is one of those blends where the flavoring mingles so perfectly with the base tea that you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins!

Holiday TTB

This one was nice, but it didn’t knock my socks off. Could be the age of the sample, but I’m really not picking up any pear flavor…just a nice, smooth black base with a bit of sweet/tart cranberry layered on top. Nice, but forgettable.

I received a sample of this tea along with the infuser mug my sister gave me for Christmas. I’m thrilled about the mug (it will make drinking loose leaf tea at work so much easier!) and was excited for a chance to sample this tea as well. It was quite similar to the milk oolong I’ve had from Teavivre: sweet and creamy with a rich, silky mouth feel. It also stays smooth and flavorful through multiple infusions. Definitely one I’d consider purchasing in the future!

Holiday TTB

Although I see nice big pieces of coconut in the dry leaf, I’m not getting anything that even remotely tastes like coconut from the brewed tea. Actually, it tastes like some kind of muddled fruity flavor! I’m guessing this is a result of contamination in the box, so withholding rating.

Holiday TTB

Republic of Tea is pretty hit and miss for me, but I love a good vanilla tea at bedtime, so I decided to give this on a try! The vanilla flavor doesn’t come through as much as I was hoping it would; this mostly tastes of sweet cinnamon with just a hint of soft vanilla. However, I’m not getting any of the unpleasant woody taste I often run into with red rooibos blends and this does make a rather cozy bedtime tea for the wintertime. I’m thinking I’ll hang onto this one!

Holiday TTB

Although I’ve loved most of the teas I’ve tried from Verdant, this one just wasn’t up my alley. I’m not a fan of floral tea, so finding floral notes in a straight black tea was unsettling! Plus, I found it to be slightly bitter. (Which, admittedly, may be user error…there were no steeping instructions on the sample, so I just did my standard 3 minutes at 205 degrees.) I think I’ll be sticking with my beloved Laoshan black the next time I order from Verdant!

Holiday TTB

Cinnamon scares me, since it seems like it can easily take over and cover up all the other flavors in a blend. Thankfully, that’s not the case with this tea! I taste the spices, but I also get a distinct apple flavor (not a fresh-off-the-tree apple, but more of a warm baked apple) that layers beautifully on top of the black tea base. Not really getting anything that reminds me of pie crust, but it’s still a delicious treat!

Holiday TTB

Liquid Proust kindly donated a generous pouch of this tea to the Holiday TTB. I was feeling in need of a pick-me-up this morning, so decided to give it a try. It brews up to a beautiful deep orangey-red color with an enticing fruity aroma. The flavor is rich honey fruit sweetness. The first few sips were lovely, but the sweetness became a bit much for me by the end of the cup (I usually drink my tea unsweetened).

Holiday TTB

I’ve had Teavana’s ridiculously expensive Yellow Dragon and loved it, so I was excited to sample this one! It doesn’t disappoint. It steeps up to a clear golden color and smells like freshly-picked sweet corn. The flavor, though very light, is slightly reminiscent of corn too, slightly sweet and very buttery. Absolutely no bitterness or astringency. Definitely one I’d like to purchase when this sample runs out!

This tea smells SO good (quite boozey, actually) and the flavor is rich and buttery with lots of coconut and vanilla notes. Unfortunately, there is a faintly sour note to the aftertaste which is ruining the experience for me. EDITED TO ADD: Withholding rating since it seems I let the coconut go bad in this batch. I’ll have to try a fresh sample sometime in the future!