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I tend to mentally categorize Chai teas into one of three categories: Sweet Chai (blends that are heavy on the cinnamon and/or contain vanilla), Savory Chai (blends that are heavier on the ginger or cardamom), and Balanced Chai (blends that strike a happy medium between the two; these tend to be my favorite!). Holiday Chai from Numi is definitely on the savory end of the spectrum, with a heavy cardamom flavor, a strong bite of ginger, and an unexpected anise note that pops out mainly in the aftertaste. This is a Chai that I’d have to add sweetener to before really enjoying it. I’ll finish what I have, but this isn’t something I’ll be reaching for again.

I’m working on sipping down my Butiki collection and discovering that I have quite a few that I’ve never gotten around to reviewing on Steepster! I actually wasn’t the biggest fan of this one the first time I sampled it, but it’s grown on me over time. The flavoring is quite light and the base definitely comes through. But it blends beautifully with the creamy, buttery flavoring to give you a cup of tea that reminds me of shortbread. Still not one of my favorites from Butiki, but quite tasty!

Not sure why this is called “Christmas Cookie”, as I’m not picking up on any flavors that remind me of a cookie! To me, it’s a nice light chai with a white tea base. Good, but nothing special.

This tea comes in cheesecloth sachets and the quality is much closer to loose-leaf than a typical bagged tea. The sachets come individually wrapped. When I opened the first one, I instantly smelled peaches! Not so much fresh peaches, though. It’s a sweeter aroma, more like canned peaches or peach jam. The flavor is quite sweet as well. The main note actually seems to be honey, with the peach coming out more in the aftertaste. I’m not blown away by it, but it’s nice!

I’ve been on the lookout for more decaf tea options recently and decided to give this chai a try. I was happy to find that there was no woody/medicinal flavor from the rooibos! However, the spices were very muted and I could barely taste the vanilla at all. I guess a milder chai is nice for bedtime, but I tend to prefer a bit more flavor. Probably not something I’ll be re-purchasing!

I got this as a free sample with my most recent Republic of Tea catalog. Butiki’s Warm Cinnamon Bread was a surprise favorite earlier this year, so I was eager to try this similar-sounding tea. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. The main flavor I’m getting is artificial apple with just a light sprinkling of cinnamon and absolutely nothing that’s reminding me of bread. That flavor combo could still work, but RoT made the unfortunate decision of pre-sweetening this tea, making it far too sweet for my tastes and leaving me with an unpleasant Stevia aftertaste. Definitely not something I’ll be drinking again!

This is a lovely smooth, peachy green tea with a nice hint of sweet vanilla in the aftertaste. I found it to be delicious hot and even better iced.

I got a free sample of this tea with my recent purchase at TeaSource. I’ve never had a rhubarb-flavored tea before and I was quite curious to try it. The dry leaf has a very pretty appearance embellished with lots of pink flower petals. While steeping, my kitchen smelled just like stewed rhubarb! After a 3-minute steep, the tea was a warm amber color with a slightly cloudy appearance. I chose to drink it iced and found it to be quite smooth and flavorful with a distinctive rhubarb taste and a bit of tartness in the aftertaste. Overall a very refreshing summer tea!

I may have found my new favorite summer iced tea! The dry leaf smells delicious and the brewed tea does not disappoint. The base is smooth and silky with a nice natural sweetness and the mango flavor is spot-on.

I was looking for a good fruity tea to drink iced this month and I let the saleslady talk me into this one, even though I don’t like red rooibos or chamomile. My mistake! I do taste the pear in this, but for me it’s overwhelmed by an unpleasantly sharp chamomile flavor. On the other hand, several of my friends have sampled this blend and liked so, so this is probably a personal preference thing. If you don’t share my violent aversion to chamomile, give it a try!