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Since I liked the THC-free sample, I picked up a sample of the real product. While brewing, it smells of turmeric, ginger, and something else I didn’t pick up in the sample, probably marijuana.

I was right. The strong turmeric and ginger flavors mostly mask the THC flavor. I get a bit of a THC note at the end of the sip and in the aftertaste.

It says “feel the effects in 30-90 minutes.” Yup, starting to feel it somewhere in that range, lost track of time, lol. This is the one designed for pain. They have another one designed for sleep, but since I had already sampled this flavor, I went for it to compare.

The THC aftertaste lingers a long time, much longer than the other flavors. Huh, it’s getting harder to type. I think I’ll be going to bed early. This stuff makes me sleepy mostly. A bit floaty too.

Since I picked up this cannabis-free blend at the SF Tea Festival, I wonder who else has reviewed it. Oh look, only two other tasting notes: The two people I went to the festival with.

The brew smells of turmeric and ginger, mmm. It also tastes mainly of turmeric and ginger, with a hint of sweetness. Oh, that’s the licorice root, mmm.

Knowing what THC can taste like in edibles (it’s pretty intense), this combination of flavors is probably designed in part to ameliorate it. I would definitely try to THC-infused version of this. I would also enjoy it with coconut milk, the way Sara had it.

So, derk was going to send me a few pu-erhs to try. This turned into a sampler box with a huge variety! Thank you!

The brewed tea has a very subtle smell, possibly the pu-erh.
Ooh, subtle pu-erh flavors and subtle cocoa flavor. Of course, I prefer a stronger cocoa flavor. looks at chocolate bar on his desk with 90% cocoa solids Still, I like how the flavors are in balance, and it’s pretty amazing for a bag of tea I could pick up in a grocery store. Mmm.

It smells very minty, with only a hint of chocolate, which I find a bit discouraging. The mint smells like spearmint, which is encouraging.

It tastes strongly of spearmint, with sadly a small note of chocolate at the end of the sip. I am a fan of chocolate. This is a good Moroccan mint, but without much chocolate flavor, it disappoints me. Next time I’ll try it mixed with Chocolate Stout from TeaSource.

It smells toasty, a bit rosy, and delicious!

If they don’t serve this at the Japanese Garden in Portland, it’s a shame. I ordered a box of this based on the concept alone, and I’m glad I did! I love genmaicha, and I love roses. They go great together here. I don’t remember a genmaicha tasting quite this toasty, but I’m definitely a fan.

Contemplate the tranquility of a nice garden while sipping this tea. Mmm.

Nice, bright peppermint with a grassy note. I don’t know if I’ve had peppermint leaves from the Northwest before. It’s a very pleasant taste, much nicer than peppermint starlight candy or minty toothpaste. Heck, I don’t even use minty toothpaste any more. Bleh.

I remember my favorite tea with peppermint was an herbal from Peet’s, from when they made their own teas, called Xiao’s Blend. It had chamomile and peppermint. Oh hey, they still sell it online, interesting. By the pound?! Is it made by Mighty Leaf? So many questions. Would probably be easy enough to approximate with bulk chamomile and peppermint leaves.

Anyway, got off track there. This tea is good. I’ve now tried each type from my Steven Smith sampler, time to make an order to stock the tea shelf at the office.

It’s very pretty in the bag with all the flowers! It smells like chamomile. It tastes a little sweet, with the lemon myrtle standing out a bit above the chamomile. It’s a bit floral too, with a little minty note.

I’ve been going through my Steven Smith sampler at work one tea at a time. I know it’s a bit silly to drink this as a “wake up” tea in the morning… but it is very tasty.

This reminds me of English breakfast, but reinvented. I’m getting used to that concept from Steven Smith.

I taste caramel, black tea, and note of blackstrap molasses and raisins. It’s also a bit sweet. I’m sure this would go fine British style with milk, but it’s great as-is.

I recommend having this magical tea served to you by a silkie in the English countryside before going about your day learning spells from an ancient magus. But however you prefer is probably fine too.

I poured the water slowly and at a distance from the hot water tap at work, to cool it down enough for green tea.

This is a nice, smooth tea. It’s very vegetal, with a strong asparagus note. Good job, Steven Smith.

The water from the water cooler hot tap at work is pretty close to boiling.

This smells nice, subtle bergamot.

The balance is great with this one. The bergamot is present but not overpowering, and there’s a creamy mouthfeel. I’ll bet it would make a great London fog too.