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Thank you to beelicious for sharing this tea in our recent swap! This tea isn’t something I’d normally gravitate toward, as I’m not big into herbal blends and the ingredient list looks a bit frightening (spearmint and cinnamon in the same tea?) But I needn’t have worried…it seems that Whispering Pines is incapable of selling a bad tea! This one somehow manages to be both soothing and refreshing at the same time with just a touch of warm, comforting spice. It was the perfect bedtime cup of tea!

Thank you to Kyla for sharing a generous sample of this tea! I LOVE Republic of Tea’s Ginger Peach black tea, so I was eager to see how Adagio’s version compared. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one. I could barely taste the peach…just a vague fruity flavor coupled with LOTS of ginger.

I haven’t tried a lot of Darjeeling teas before and I wasn’t a big fan of the ones I sampled. But this one was really good! It’s strong and malty (my favorite flavor profile for a black tea) with a taste that reminds me of fresh-baked bread with honey. I didn’t notice any bitterness or astringency, but there was a slightly sour note to the aftertaste that I wasn’t a huge fan of. I’m going to try it with milk next time to see if that mellows it out. Still an enjoyable cup of tea to start my day. Thank you to Kyla for the sample!

So THIS is what all the fuss is about! I’ve heard amazing things about this tea and they were all true…it is absolutely delicious! It has a rich, silky mouth feel and loads of fabulous flavor. I’m mainly getting sweet potato, but also a hint of honey sweetness and just a touch of spice. It also re-steeps beautifully. This is definitely one of the best black teas I’ve ever had. Thank you so much to beelicious for the sample!

This tea has such a unique combination of flavors! The base is very smooth and mellow and stays in the background for the most part. As I sip, I get a strong coconut flavor and a little hint of herby citrus from the lemongrass. But at the end of the sip, the ginger takes over and lingers in the aftertaste. I don’t think this is something I would have chosen for myself, but I’m actually really enjoying it. I’d also be curious to try it iced. Thanks for the sample, Kyla!

Wow, this stuff is SPICY! I smell the orange, but the flavor is mainly lots of cinnamon and clove that warms up my whole mouth and leaves a tingly aftertaste. Black, I’m finding it a bit too spicy for my tastes, but I’m guessing it would make a nice chai latte! Thanks for the sample, Kyla!

Thank you to Kyla for sharing this tea with me! I love classic Earl Grey and I’m also a pretty big fan of vanilla-flavored tea. So (in theory at least) a cream Earl Grey should be the perfect blend for me. But this is the third one I’ve tried and I really haven’t loved any of them. For some reason, the flavors never quite meld right for me. The bergamot in this one is strong and assertive and combined with the vanilla, it just makes it taste like the vanilla has somehow gone sour. It also has a fair bit of astringency to it, but it mellows nicely with a splash of milk. I think I will be passing this one on to another Earl Grey loving friend. Still grateful for the opportunity to try it, though!

Golden Orchid has such amazing reviews on Steepster, I think it would be almost impossible for any tea to live up to the hype. And honestly, for me it didn’t. It was very good: strong and malty with distinct chocolate notes and a hint of vanilla. It also re-steeped beautifully. But I found myself craving a bit more of that sweet vanilla flavor than I was getting. I did notice in Brandon’s description that the vanilla tends to sink to the bottom, so maybe there wasn’t enough in my sample? Or maybe I just had over-inflated expectations. Anyway, this was very good, but not something I’ll be rushing out to purchase tomorrow. Thank you to beelicious for the sample!

Bigelow has always been my least favorite brand of tea, so I’ve never tried this one before. But Bigelow was my only option this morning, so I decided to give Constant Comment a try. It was a pleasant surprise: not amazing by any means, but not undrinkable either. There’s a mild orange flavor and a tiny hint of spice layered on top of a smooth, nondescript base. It also didn’t go bitter even though I left the tea bag in while drinking it. Not something I’ll buy for myself, but I’d drink it again.

Thank you to Kyla for sending me a sample of this delicious tea! I think this is the best Earl Grey I’ve ever had! The base is smooth and flavorful and perfectly balanced with just the right amount of bergamot. It takes milk beautifully, but this is one of the few Earl Grey teas that I would consider drinking straight. Absolutely delicious!