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The scent of this tea is quite nutty and slightly metallic from the green tea. I’m usually not crazy about nuts, but this one sounds yummy and I adore Butiki’s other eggnog tea.

Sipping… mmm.. this is creamy and nutty, but the green tea isn’t lost. It lends a sweet, grassy flavor to the background. I find that the nuts sort of take over the cup and don’t really let the eggnog flavor shine. That’s not to say that it’s not creamy, but it doesn’t have the same eggnog/vanilla flavor I found in the other eggnog tea. I could see myself buying more of this if it ever were for sale, but I would have to be in the mood for a nutty tea and that doesn’t seem to be the case most of the time. Still, it is very yummy and unique!

I seem to go through these strange phases when all I want is a rich cup of hot chocolate. Sadly, when I actually have that cup in hand, it’s too much for me to be able to finish. I’ve decided that a tea version of hot chocolate would be the way to go.. I’ll get that yummy hot chocolate flavor, but not the tooth-aching sweetness.

I remember trying cacao tea from Tisano and not being too crazy about it. It smelled incredible, but didn’t translate to flavor well. I’ve also had the cacao shell blend from American Tea Room and wasn’t a bit fan of that one either. It was a bit dry and bitter… and I wasn’t all that impressed. I saw this version with vanilla bean and rosita and thought that it might be a nicer version of a cacao blend.

The scent of this tea is so yummy. It reminds me very much of hot chocolate made from milk chocolate shavings. Sipping… I taste a smooth, creamy, but watered-down chocolate note, mixed with a little bit of vanilla and a dash of spice. The finish is a little bit drying, but I think that can’t really be avoided due to the cacao shells. I expect a fuller mouthfeel because the chocolate flavor is so spot-on, but the cup remains thin and watery.

I really do think that this is the closest I can get to drinking hot chocolate, without actually having it. Sure, I’ll probably still have those times when nothing but actual hot chocolate will do, but this is a nice substitute.

I think that this is a good choice for this evening. One should always have something a little sparkly for New Year’s Eve. Even though it’s not actually fizzy, the concept is and that’s what counts! I had a nice evening out with my family. We visited some pretty Christmas lights and went out to dinner. The rest of my night, I think I’ll read a book and sip some tea!

The dry leaf of this tea smells a bit like spiced apple. Once water has been added, though, the honeybush kind of takes over and dominates everything. Sipping… it’s mostly honeybush with a little bit of spice. It’s not so much fizzy on the tongue as it is slightly tingly because of the spices. I do detect some fresh apple in the finish. The sweet honeybush returns to round out the sip.

I do like this tea and it’s different enough from other honeybush blends I’ve tried. I’m not dying to have this in my collection always, but it is such a lovely cup for this evening. Happy New Year!

The scent of this tea is very complex! I’m getting salt water, grass and flowers. It reminds me very much of a Japanese green tea. After it’s finished steeping, there is a strong floral note (orchid perhaps?) mixed with something buttery.

Sipping… this is a nice and smooth oolong. Flower and butter notes with a bit of mineral in the background. I also detect something like salt water, but it quickly disappears. It actually adds a bit of a sharpness to the sip. A lovely sweetness helps to round out the cup and it’s the last thing that lingers on the tongue. This is a very nice tea and would make a nice addition to a dessert.

It’s a bit late for me to be drinking black tea, but I feel like I have to keep up with the Twelve Teas of Christmas. I’ve already been bad about logging a few of them already, so here we go! This tea smells a bit astringent to me and I steeped it for around 2 minutes, 30-45 seconds. I’m really not sure what to expect… eh..

Sipping… This is not as astringent as I thought it would be, but it tastes like a cheap black tea to me. It’s just really not giving me any sort of flavor besides tea.. and tea without any dimensions. This would be fine if it wasn’t supposed to be something unique, but this is 52Teas we’re talking about! Some of the best flavored blends come out of this company! I’m staring down at my cup shouting… “WHY!!!!! I’m not getting anything from you!” Well, that’s okay, I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s cup. Hopefully it will be better! Twelve Teas of Christmas: Day Seven

I was a bit bummed to see this one today only because I’ve had it before and it wasn’t all that great. I did like that it was a caffeine-free blend so it’s drinkable any time of the day. The dry leaf in the packet had a very strong smell of alcohol – it was so strong that I almost didn’t want to brew the tea. After it’s steeped, a bit more of the honeybush comes out, but I’m still nervous.

Sipping… yeah, still no peanut butter cup or cheesecake. What a disappointment. The honeybush is sweet and pleasant, but honestly I feel like that’s all there is for this one. I really like the idea behind it — how amazing would it be if all of those flavors really did come through? I’m lowering the rank since it tastes like a plain honeybush to my tastebuds. Twelve Teas of Christmas: Day Six

I’m a little behind on the tasting notes for these teas. Now that the semester is over for me, I will have more time to drink tea and write about it! One of the pouches I’d already had and another had a tea that I strongly dislike. I might go back and write something about ‘Day Three’ but otherwise, here we are.

The scent of this dry leaf is very heavy on the cinnamon. It doesn’t smell like pancake breakfast to me, but that could be because the french toast is hiding in the background? After water has been added, I do detect something similar to pancake breakfast, but the cinnamon is the main note.

Sipping… this one is interesting. It reminds me of pancake breakfast, but a stranger version of it. It’s almost like it’s pancake breakfast with a twist plus the addition of heavy cinnamon. Again, I don’t taste butter/eggy notes, but I’ve never been able to get those flavors from 52Teas. The maple syrup doesn’t taste as strong in this blend either. I think that given the choice, that I would prefer pancake breakfast, but I am glad that I got to see what the french toast version is all about. I can see this tea being quite the favorite for someone who likes cinnamon teas. Twelve Teas of Christmas: Day Five

I had been wanting to try this one for so long! I finally bought a little sample of it and I’m quite happy that I did. Plain, this tea is a bit like spice cake with a hint of carrot. The spices are prominent and I do detect some carrot towards the end of the sip. After I’ve added a splash of milk, it turns into a more delicious dessert tea — creamy, cakey, carroty. There is a little bit of that sour finish that I found was present in the other Tea Guys rooibos/honeybush blend. This tea would be even more tasty without that sour note, but otherwise, it’s a very nice dessert blend. If I ever buy more, I’m definitely going to have it exclusively with milk. The added creaminess takes it to another level.

Pleased to see this blend as I contemplated buying it when it was released. Root beer flavored things can be very tasty, but can go wrong if they’re not done right. I love root beer floats & I have a feeling that this one will be tasty! The scent of the dry leaf is of a creamy root beer. I’m always so amazed when a tea can be so accurate in terms of scent!

Sipping… I’m tasting a bit more of the ice cream than the root beer, which is actually just fine with me! It’s smooth, a little bit sweet and has that signature root beer bite. I am finding that shorter steep times with 52Teas seems to bring out a better cup. The tea base isn’t as present or astringent & I can focus on the unique flavors a bit more. Three minutes was my standard, but I’m enjoying these teas around 2 1/2 minutes or so.

This is a very tasty cup of tea. I’m not 100% sold on buying more in the future, but it is indeed very yummy. Twelve Teas of Christmas: Day Two

I am excited and nervous to be trying this tea. I love the idea behind the tea (SMAUG!), but know that I don’t like some of the flavors/ingredients in it. Peppers/cinnamon/spicy/smoky flavors in tea and I don’t get along well. I know it’s so appropriate for the theme of the blend, but there’s a reason why I didn’t buy this it when it popped up. I do like Dragonwell, though, so maybe it won’t seem so bad?

Giving this tea a sniff, I like it much more after it’s steeped than when it’s dry. It is very heavy on the cinnamon, but it seems appropriate for the holidays. The tea base sort of sits in the background and doesn’t contribute much.

Sipping… yep, the cinnamon is the main flavor. It smothers the tea base, so I can’t get a bit of Dragonwell. When I think that I can handle the cinnamon, I’m hit with a very spicy and irritating finish. It actually burns the back of my throat! I don’t taste any smoke, but that could be because I’m concentrating on the cinnamon and spice. My brother also had a cup and reports that it’s “fine”. I’m glad that I tried it and that I could participate in the first of my holiday pouches, but am not sad to see it go. Twelve Teas of Christmas: Day One