564 Tasting Notes
Sipdown! I’ve found that I much prefer this cold, to the point that I haven’t had it any other way since I first tried it. While it’s not bad warm, it loses some of the creaminess and sweetness it has when it’s cold. It reminds me of some kind of caramel-custard dessert, which happens to be one of my favorite flavors. I like it enough that I’d consider buying it again just to drink cold!
Sipdown! This is a really interesting tea, and I’ve never had another herbal like it. The fruit flavor alternately tastes like apples or berries, and it’s earthy and a little bit spicy from the cinnamon. It reminds me a little bit of baked apples, and it’s really comforting on cold days or days when I’m feeling off. I’d definitely get it again.
This is much better than I expected, although I prefer it over ice. The orange isn’t overwhelming and the rose makes it a little bit floral. There’s also some lemon in this, although interestingly the hibiscus isn’t overwhelming at all.It’s nice but not something I’d probably pick up again.
Sipdown! This is actually much better than I thought based on the first cup—the spices must have settled to the bottom of my sample, because it was straight rooibos with a tiny pinch of cinnamon. After making a pot I can safely say this is a well-balanced chai with plenty of ginger and an afterbite of cinnamon/pepper/clove. It’s not outrageously spicy, and the rooibos mellows it out further to make it really easy to drink. I’d probably get it again!
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this tea—herbal earl grey? fruity raspberry tea?—but it’s much better than I would have guessed. The rooibos is delightfully fruity and not overpowering, and the raspberry and bergamot play to those notes well. This is notable as possibly the only true raspberry tea I’ve ever had, with no hibiscus or rosehip or whatever else. It gets many points from me for that; I love berries but get frustrated with the sour-bitter additions to almost all berry flavored teas. The bergamot is much more subtle but there’s definitely an orangey taste mixed in with the rooibos. To me this doesn’t really read as an earl grey, but it’s very enjoyable anyway. I like it enough that I’m finishing my entire sample all at once, and I’d gladly drink it again.
This is actually surprisingly good. Usually I’m a devotee of traditional black earl greys, but this one has the same bergamot flavor I love with a much lighter base. The green tea isn’t overly flavorful, but it’s also very hard to burn. I know I mention this in a lot my reviews, but resilient teas always get extra points from me. Do I have an automatic tea maker to baby my teas with? Yes. Am I frequently forgetful and clumsy when I make tea on my own? Also yes. I’m also generally not a fan of teas with orange peel (they always taste bitter to me), but this one is not overwhelming. The tea is not overly acidic, either. This is definitely not the best flavored green I’ve had, but it’s a great way to try out an EG with a different base.
Accidental discovery of the night: this tastes great cold. I made a cup of this and then got distracted by calculus homework, returning to it about an hour and a half later to find it cold. And delicious. The marshmallow flavor really comes to the forefront this way, and there is just a hint of caramel to it. The Della Terra base, which I find overwhelming in many of their black blends, is much more subtle this way, and the tea is much creamier in general. I may make the rest of this up iced! I’m upping the rating from 65 to 74.
Sipdown. I’ve reduced my rating of this a bit because I really don’t like tart tea anymore. I blame all those zingers and rosehips when I was a kid! Aside from the cranberry flavor, which I’m not too fond of in this, the creamy flavor is lovely and tastes like a true meringue. Weirdly I don’t find this to be all that lemony, at least until it cools down. Then it’s a slightly watery lemon juice flavor mixed with the meringue, but luckily the creamy flavor is what lingers as an aftertaste. I don’t know that I would repurchase it, but this is a lovely creamy tea and a solid herbal option.
Another sipdown! This is one I have been consistently reaching for over the last year or so whenever I’ve been sick. It’s herbal, not too acidic, and tastes good even with a stuffy nose. It’s also kind of amazing with honey added. This last week I’ve had a raging sinus infection, and I’m surprised to be finishing the tin off today. It was huge and I thought it would never end! I love the mango/papaya/chamomile mixture and would buy this again—I have served this to guests before and have gotten great reviews all around. This is definitely a crowd-pleaser.
Sipdown, although again this was never in my virtual cabinet. This is a very good earl grey, and reliable for everyday drinking. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time at all you probably know that I drink earl grey almost every day. This is one of my favorites, because it’s mild and easy to brew. It is literally impossible to brew this wrong; I have tried, and it has never, ever burned or gotten bitter. One bag will easily make two or three cups of tea, which is also impressive. I would definitely get this one again; Harney’s make some of my favorite black blends and this is one of their better offerings.
