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A nice, light black tea. The aroma of the dry leaves is woodsy and sweet, and that’s basically the flavor of the brewed tea. This is one of the very few black teas I’ll drink in the evening; the caffeine doesn’t affect me as strongly as other blacks, and the flavor is very soothing. No matter how hard you brew it, it’s virtually impossible to get a bitter or astringent brew.

I’m not personally a tea sweetener, but the honey notes in a first brew of this tea would probably go well with a little unpasteurized honey if straight tea isn’t your thing.

A solid choice, but unremarkable. I’ll be waiting for Teavana’s Heavenly Sale before I buy any more, because good though it is, it isn’t worth the $20 / 2oz price.

This is absolutely my favorite thing in my kitchen. I bought one on a steep discount (I used to work at Teavana) as a birthday gift to me, but if this one ever dies, I’ll happily shell out full retail price for its replacement.

I just can’t say enough good things about my Breville. Having the ability to control my water temperature is a dream, especially since I tend to like temperature-sensitive teas, and it’s great that the water heats as fast as it does. I’ve had mine for months, and the magic of the basket lowering and raising itself still hasn’t worn off.

My one warning with this is not to get too excited about the “Keep Warm” function. If you drink blacks and oolongs (and greens too, probably), the “Keep Warm” function keeps the water hot enough to continue to brew the tea, even though the basket has been raised. The result – bitter tea. What I do with mine is drink what I want, let it cool down, and then just reheat whatever tea is left for a second mug later in the day. This doesn’t seem to cause the same issue.

I just love my Breville. If you’re drinking at least 16oz of tea a day, you need one of these. Seriously.

I’m not generally one for fruity teas, but this is 1/2 of my favorite iced herbal blend. If you’re ever looking for an awesome iced tea on a hot afternoon, try blending this tea with Teavana’s Peach Tranquility and add just a touch of rock sugar (seriously, though, just a touch or you’ll over-sweeten), and prepare to have your mind blown.

Here are the brewing instructions I use when I make a pitcher:

66oz pitcher with infuser
2/3 cup Pineapple Kona Pop
2/3 cup Peach Tranquility
4-6 tsp rock sugar (depending on your taste)

I usually do a cold brew (because I’m lazy), so I’ll use a little hot water to dissolve the sugar, then just room temperature to fill up the rest of the pitcher. Then I put the infuser in, screw the lid on, and stick the whole thing in the refrigerator overnight. By the next day, voila! Awesome caffeine-free iced tea.

A note: The rock sugar is incredibly important, even though you’re only using a tiny bit, because without it this tea is very bland. The sugar brings out the taste of the fruit.

This is one of my all-time favorite low-caffeine teas; it’s very delicate and lightly smoky. I love this as a pre-bedtime relaxing tea, but it’s also great in the afternoon. The flavor is so soft that it really should be drunk on its own – not a tea to drink with a meal.