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My first cup of tea in the year 2013! I thought that this would be a special tea to try… black tea, vanilla and pretty little white tea stars. The stars are truly adorable — not too many crowding the black tea, but I manage to find a few by digging around in the blend.

I’m surprised at how creamy this tea is! The vanilla is light, but still very present. The white tea blends seamlessly with the black tea and the vanilla. It actually adds a bit of an astringent note in the background. How interesting.

Oh, this is so yummy! This tea has an airy, fluffy, creamy quality that I adore. There is a little bit of an astringent finish to the cup (beyond the white tea’s addition).. so I would be careful not to forget about this tea when steeping.

I think this tea has quickly bounced to my very favorite vanilla black tea spot. What a way to start the tea-drinking new year!

This tea smells creamy, buttery, green, toasty and earthy all at once. I’m really looking forward to sipping!

The scent smells so rich that it has me expecting a really thick or full mouthfeel. This tea is surprisingly light and clean. There isn’t as much caramel as I would have liked, but it is still rather toasty and sweet.

It is smooth and actually becomes a little bit more creamy as the cup cools. Very tasty & satisfying! Thank you, ToiToi for a sample of this tea!

The dry leaf of this tea smelled awfully grassy and on the verge of being a little fishy. I personally do not like my green tea to be too vegetal so I’m a little concerned. I don’t smell much vanilla at all in the dry leaf either.

Sipping… Mmm! This tea is smooth and sweet. It actually reminds me a little bit of 52Teas’ marshmallow treat genmaicha. It doesn’t have those toasty notes, but it still has that nice sweetness. As far as the green tea is concerned, it’s definitely vegetal, but is mostly masked by the vanilla. I’m pleasantly surprised! I suppose I shouldn’t judge a tea based on the scent of the dry leaf.

Many thanks to Nature’s Tea Leaf for the sample. I look forward to finishing the pouch!

This tea smells exactly like my grandmother’s pumpkin pie — probably because I snuck a dollop of whipped cream in the mug. Even though I don’t add milk or sugar to my tea often, I think that this particular blend needs some additions. When this tea is steeping, it has a scent that is almost identical to a pumpkin candle.

Sipping… I’m happy that the spices are not too strong. They’re still present & add a warming character to the cup. This blend is creamy, thanks to the whipped cream. All of the flavors seem a little watered down — which is exactly what I detected when I had a few cups without any additions. It’s all a little bit thin even with whipped cream.

There is also an odd aftertaste that lingers in my mouth. It’s not enough to make me stop drinking this tea, but it reminds me of plastic. I don’t taste anything that is specifically pumpkin, but I think I’ll be able to draw out more of that flavor with some experimentation. I should also mention that there is a perfume-like note as well. The aftertaste and this flavor make me think I’m drinking a cup of melted pumpkin candle.

I think that this cup has so much potential to be something so tasty.. I just need to figure out how to make this tea wonderful.

I’m sitting here with a candle burning and a nice cup of tea beside me after my Christmas dinner. I had such a nice time tonight with my family. I thought that this would be a great time to sit and write a tasting note.

This tea looks so beautiful in the bag. It’s bright and speckled with beautiful petals. It’s probably the prettiest blend I’ve seen so far! For the past few weeks, this tea has been my bedtime tea. I love the citrus flavor which turns into a bit of a sugared dessert crust. It’s not too sweet and not too tart — just right. This is my favorite lemony dessert tea.

I am excited to see the snow fall tomorrow on Christmas! I hope that it will be the perfect day to spend with family & drink lots of hot tea. Hope everyone is having a nice holiday!

This tea has received so many great reviews & I just had to try it. The idea of a marshmallow tea sounds delicious! Teas that have a ton of rave reviews sometimes make me a little bit nervous. I worry that they might not live up to all of the hype and in the end, I just get disappointed.

I love the mini marshmallows and the glittery sprinkles. The scent of the dry leaf is very much like store-bought vanilla frosting. After water has been added, it still retains that sweet scent, but now has the mild black tea base.

Sipping… Hmm.. this tea is very sweet and does taste like marshmallows! It’s a bit like Lucky Charms marshmallows, but that’s okay with me. The more I sip this tea, the more it tastes a little watered down. I used plenty of leaf for the cup, but maybe that’s just the nature of this blend. I can’t taste the black tea base at all, but I think a stronger base would overshadow the marshmallow. As I near the bottom of my cup, I realize that I don’t really like this & it gets more funky the more I drink. Something just doesn’t sit right with me and my tastebuds. It’s got a sugary metallic flavor that lingers in my mouth. Happy to have tried this blend, but it’s just not for me.

Yesterday was my birthday and I wanted to have a special cup of tea. I had a few kinds.. but nothing incredibly special. I couldn’t fully enjoy them because I was suffering from the beginning of a bad cold — sneezing, watery eyes, sore throat, cough, sniffly nose. Not fun. Today, it’s now much worse & at this point, I can’t taste much of anything.

Sometimes there is something so nice about being able to open a teabag and pop it into a cup. I would say that loose tea TASTES better than bagged tea, but I love the simplicity of a teabag (not that loose tea is all that complicated).

Anyway, this tea has a bit of a funky smell and I can’t really put my finger on why it’s so strange. It might be the mixture of chamomile, honey, green tea and apple. I am excited to drink this tea as it’s a Korean green & I love tea from Korea. The taste is actually very pleasant. It’s a very smooth and mild green tea, but with the nice crisp finish of a green apple. The apple is a bit too artificial for me, but it’s still a decent cup. Thank you so much, ToiToi for the teabag!

Oh! I’m getting really excited about Christmas and all of the yummy holiday treats. I’m not usually a big eggnog drinker because it’s so rich, but I will have a few sips. Being a huge lover of creamy teas, this one sounded like a dream.

This tea is buttery, silky and relatively mild. The flavoring and tea blend so well together and I’m happy to say that I don’t taste any sharp vegetal notes. This one is all about that wonderful eggnog creaminess. I love that there is no nutmeg or spice as I don’t really like either. FINALLY a holiday tea without the distraction of those darn spices! This is a fantastic winter delight!

This was one of the teas I most wanted to try from Butiki Teas. Maple pecan reminds me of really sweet, sugary pastries studded with pecans. I love oolong and this looked like such a tasty tea!

I am in absolute love! The leaves are dark & long & beautiful. There are actual pecans throughout the bag and they are huge! One of the things I most appreciate about Butiki Teas is that their tea always looks so pretty, unique and fresh. The scent is toasty, sweet, nutty and is mostly of maple.

Sipping… it’s smooth and rich. I taste a sweet, woodsy, toasty oolong with a sweet maple finish. I also detect that kind of drying, almost bitter part of the pecans. That sensation that fills the back of your throat. What I think I love about this tea is that while you are drinking, the oolong and nuts are most present, but as you finish sipping you taste that scrumptious, sticky, sweet maple. The cup is satisfying and rich, but not too much! I simply love this tea.