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Why do tea companies insist on creating these black/green tea blends? I have yet to try one that actually tastes good and this is no exception. I steeped it at a lower temperature than the packaging suggested and kept the steep time short, but I still found Prince of Wales to b e quite bitter and astringent. It also has a bit of smokiness to it…I’m guessing that’s from the gunpowder green? All in all, a strange and rather unpleasant blend.

This was my very last sample from the giant Great British Tea Store sampler pack I ordered this fall. It has taken me months to get through them all, but I’m glad I purchased it. I enjoyed at least half of the samples I tried and all the ones I didn’t like have helped me to more clearly define my preferences when it comes to tea. And there were a few truly outstanding blends that I tried along the way…particularly their wonderful Irish Breakfast. I definitely see myself ordering from this company again…just not this particular tea!

I’m struggling to figure out what, exactly, this tea tastes like. Roasted vegetables, maybe? The beginning of the sip tastes like it could be a green tea, but there’s a toasted flavor that lingers in the aftertaste. It’s smooth and silky as you’re drinking it, but a bit of astringency is leaving my mouth feeling dry after finishing my cup. Drinking this was an interesting experience, but not something I’d reach for again.

I got a free sample of this with my Republic of Tea catalog yesterday and drank it with breakfast this morning. I found it to be an unremarkable smooth black tea with a generic red berry flavor…pleasant enough, but certainly nothing special. I would drink this again if it was offered to me, but it’s not something I intend to purchase (although that cute Downton Abbey tin is certainly tempting!)

I’ve really been enjoying white tea recently, but this one missed the mark for me. I don’t care for the base, which has a slightly musty flavor. And the flavoring was weak…no vanilla at all that I could detect and just a hint of slightly sour citrus flavor. Definitely not something I’d drink again. But on the plus side, I only have three more samples from Great British Tea store to sipdown my entire sample pack!

Thank you so much to Tealated for the free samples! I’ve really been enjoying white tea recently, so I was excited to try this one. If I didn’t know this was a white tea, though, I would have guessed it to be an oolong…it’s very smooth and silky and has a mild flavor that doesn’t compete with the peach taste. It’s a very light, natural-tasting peach flavoring that is great hot but I’m thinking would be even better iced. So glad I got to try this one! I would definitely consider re-purchasing it in the future.

Thank you so much to Tealated for the free samples! I like traditional Earl Grey, so I’ve been interested in trying different variations. This one is heavy on the bergemot and light on the vanilla…I would have liked a bit more vanilla flavor to really set it apart. Plain, I found it slightly bitter, but it smoothed out nicely with the addition of a splash of milk. I’m glad I had a chance to try this one, but I don’t think it’s different enough from regular Earl Grey to earn a permanent spot in my collection.

Mmm, I think flavored white teas are becoming a new favorite for me! I’ve had two truly outstanding ones in the last month: Toffee Dream from Cornelia Bean and now this one. The lightness of the base is a perfect match for the natural coconut flavor. It’s just slightly creamy and sweet without any additives. Thank you so much to The Cookie Lady for surprising me with a sample of this one in her Christmas card! I definitely see myself purchasing it in the future.

I still had a couple of bags of this tea hanging around in the kitchen from the days before I discovered loose leaf tea. Since I’ve been sick this week, I decided this was a good time to use them up. And I was pleasantly surprised by how nice this was. According to the ingredients list, it’s pure peppermint leaf with no additives. And it steeps up nice and smooth with a true mint flavor. It’s not something I’d reach for every day, but it’s a great comforting herbal for when you’re sick. I may just have to re-stock on this one!

Another Christmas gift. Again, not something I’d normally drink, but I’m drinking it right now while I’m sick. There’s a whole list of ingredients in here, including hibiscus and chamomile, which are two ingredients which I’d normally stay away from. But the flavor is almost pure cinnamon with just a bit of indistinguishable fruity flavor lingering in the background. It’s not great, but it’s drinkable…with this list of ingredients, it could have been much worse!

My grandma got me this tea as a Christmas gift. It’s not something I would normally drink, but I’ve had a bad head cold all week, so it was actually quite nice to have a cheap decaf tea that I could sip instead of wasting my good loose leaf tea. I can’t taste much right now, but I did notice the sweetness of honey and a little bit of lemon in this. Mostly, though, it was just the comforting familiarity of a warm cup of tea on a rough day!