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This time of year means another sample of this one, and I still don’t know how I feel about it. There’s some potential there—I love chocolate/peppermint combos and it’s about the only way I can stand peppermint. This is very minty, and while there might be some white chocolate flavor I wish it was more prominent or switched out for a darker chocolate. The stevia continues to be one of my least favorite ingredients, especially since I don’t usually sweeten my tea. This could be vastly improved with a darker chocolate flavor and less (or no) stevia.

Well, I’m sick again, which means little or no caffeine for a few days. This turned out to be a good choice tonight! The coconut is wonderful and gives the tea some creaminess even without milk (I really don’t like putting it in rooibos). I’m usually not a huge banana fan but it works well with the other flavors. There’s definitely some cinnamon here, but this isn’t a spicy chai—it’s mellow and easy to drink.

This is the end of this one. It didn’t look like there was much chili or chocolate in the spoon, but somehow it still tastes perfectly balanced! Maybe slightly less spicy than usual but still a dark, rich chocolate. This is one I may replace once I have my cabinet under control. Recently a David’s moved into a mall somewhat close to where I live, so it’ll be easy when I do.

Briefly visiting home this weekend and I’m ridiculously happy that I have my stovetop kettle for a few days. The electric one in my dorm is pretty good, but I can’t make much of anything that shouldn’t be boiled (at least not without a lot of guesswork). Being home also means access to this tea!

This is perfect for a windy day like today. I seem to like nutty flavors more and more as it gets colder. The green is a lot fresher than I was remembering, and it goes great with all the comfort (i.e. creamy) foods I reach for when I’m cold. I may make myself a cup or two more of this throughout the day, especially since the weather doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.

This actually isn’t bad, but it doesn’t taste a lot like the ingredients list. The ginger overwhelms everything even though it’s mild compared to other ginger teas I’ve had. The green base is also mild and doesn’t burn easily, which is nice, but there’s not a lot of flavor from it. There’s a hint of something floral in the aftertase, but it’s more like rose than jasmine; I can’t find the jasmine in this at all. Maybe if I could I’d like this one better.

A sad sipdown today. This remains one of my favorite oolongs. For all the caramelized sugar flavor it’s never too sweet, surprisingly earthy, and even a little nutty, and I reach for it a lot (clearly!). I’ll probably get more once my tea collection is a little more under control, because I can’t picture my cabinet being without it for too long.

This is an interesting one; I never seem to get exactly the same flavor twice. Tonight it’s coconut milk with a fruity rooibos/honeybush zing. Much creamier and more substantial than I’d expect from a rooibos. Nice!

Nearly a year later and this is still my go-to tea for when I feel a little off. The caffeine is a good strong zip when I’m not as awake as I’d like, and the mint and ginger are the perfect balance. Too much of one or the other usually puts me off a tea, but I taste both without either being overpowering. I also think the two mints are in great balance—peppermint usually has me running in the other direction, but this one is never too much. Still an excellent one for nausea, too, and sometimes it’s the only thing that works.

I do have to say that I don’t taste much of any green tea in here. There’s maybe a tea-ish aftertaste, but it mostly seems like they dumped a bunch of caffeine into an herbal blend. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially since I’ve never been overly impressed with Republic of Tea’s greens, but if you’re looking for a green with some extra ginger or mint flavor this is not it.

I’ve found that a lot of Tazo teas are difficult to brew, and if you don’t get them just perfect they end up tasting off. I think this is one of those, although I haven’t found the perfect way to brew it yet. There is some peach/apple flavor (I taste both) and something reminiscent of well-browned pastry—there’s more of the pastry flavor than the fruit but the balance works overall. The flavors are actually nice and not artificial. The problem with this one is it’s bitter no matter what I do. It’s not overwhelming, and I never have trouble getting through a cup, but I probably wouldn’t buy another box.

Had a cup of this earlier. I’ve never been a huge fan of dark oolongs, but either my tastes have changed or this is different from what I’ve had before. It’s very earthy and woody, with a roasty quality that reminds me of good black coffee. This cup was a little watery, so I may adjust next time, but I will be reaching for this a lot as the weather gets colder.