iHeartTeas

I ordered the newly rescued Gingerbread Chai from iHeartTeas and Rachel included this sample with my order.

This is really very nice. At first, all I really tasted was the slightly grassy taste of the green tea, but after allowing it to cool a few moments and taking a few sips, the raspberry really emerged. It is sweet and just a little tart, like a fresh berry would be. The apricot is there too, although it is a much softer flavor, asserting itself in the aftertaste more than at any other point.

Quite enjoyable. Sweet but not too sweet, and the combination of raspberry and apricot is very pleasing. My full-length review of this tea will publish next week on the SororiTea Sisters, but for now, this is a good one.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this tea because sometimes teas that have a lot of flavors, especially caramel, come across as too sweet, or you can’t taste the tea for the flavors. Wow, am I glad I decided to give it a try. This is the best vanilla tea I’ve ever had. It is intensely flavorful but you can still taste the black tea. The flavors all blend together beautifully. The caramel gives the vanilla extra depth. I didn’t detect as many of the cream notes, but perhaps if I try it iced I will. Thank you, Rachel, for creating this delicious blend that caters to my sweet tooth without adding any extra pounds! I will be back to buy more.

Out of the two I tried from iHeartTeas, this one is my favourite. It’s like tropical paradise in your mouth! It tastes like Paradise Island from Davids tea but with strawberry instead of Raspberry, very delish. A perfect getaway in your cup! Full video review here: http://www.erinstea.com/handcrafted-teas-iheartteas-launches-teas/

I was worried about the raspberry in the green tea being either too tart or taste like cough medicine used to taste like. But it’s very light, with a subtle hint of apricot as an after taste. It’s a very light green tea that is perfect hot and would likely be a very nice cool treat this summer. Check out the full review here: http://www.erinstea.com/handcrafted-teas-iheartteas-launches-teas/ DO NOT OVER STEEP. I steeped at 2 minutes and used water at about 82 degrees.

Backlogging:

Totally unexpected delight. First of all the aroma of this tea is of warm vanilla sugar and berries. The smell was so warm, so inviting, so sweet, and so natural smelling. It really reminded me of the caramelized sugar on top of a creme brulee with wild berry glaze on the side.

The very fist sip was that of raspberry but it quickly faded into a warm sugared apricot flavor but not a sticky sweet sugar, rather a very natural sugar flavor.

Finally, an apricot I could fully appreciate, as I have had issues with finding an apricot tea I like recently.

What I liked most about this tea, and its flavoring was that I could still taste the green tea base beneath it. Often times when I have tried blends from artesian, or smaller tea vendors I find that the flavors are artificial, cloying, or chemical. This tea was wonderfully mastered! I am impressed! This is one of the best teas from a non commercial tea vendor I have ever tasted!

The liquor appeared oily and heavy in the cup at first pour and I did have some reservations thinking maybe the blend would not be very good but I was so wrong. The tea did have a full mouthfeel to it with that heavy feel but it was so juicy, mouthwatering, delicious!

This is an inconspicuous tea, it does not force you to take notice, rather allows you to simply meld into its splendor! I found that none of the flavors fought one another for attention. While vanilla was not mentioned in the name or ingredients of this tea I swear I could taste a hint of natural vanilla!
There were actual pieces of fruit in the blend just as stated on the site!

I loved the fresh tart apricot, the sharp but sweet raspberries, and the wonderful green tea base, it is naturally sweet so no sugar is needed.
The caramelized sugar aroma was mesmerizing! My mouth is watering as I write this review just thinking about the juicy fruity flavors I so enjoyed! Time to go brew another pot!

I used a little over 1 tsp because I use 8 ounces of water and I never know if steeping recommendations are for 6 or 8 ounces so I just added a little more tea. I also steeped for an extra minute so even if that was wrong it is a forgiving tea!
This tea is JUICY! It makes your mouth water and the flavors are really quite wonderful! I could not detect any artificial flavors even if they are used and I am pretty sensitive to artificial flavorings.
I am also not typical a fan of apricot flavored teas but this one is soooo good!
I think the sweet raspberry – not tart which really helps to mellow the usually more pungent earthy apricot and while I do like earthy teas, apricot and I do not normally get along.
The aroma of this tea is super sweet super yummy with this almost vanilla aroma to it.
No sugar is needed to add to this tea its really quite perfectly sweet and balanced all on its own and I can only imagine adding sugar would make it all the more decedent or dipping some sugar cookies into it but I have had my allotment of cookies for today lol.
I am impressed – I purchased some 52 teas that had been revived from iHeartTeas.com and this was included as a free sample! This lovely lady blends her own teas and I give her two huge thumbs up – if only I had more thumbs!
Try her teas people they are dang good! :)

This sample comes from oOTeaOo – thanks for letting me try this!

Perhaps I should have read the description before I had this for breakfast. It is definitely a bit on the sweet side but it has nice flavors of butterscotch, vanilla and caramel, making for a slightly decadent morning. :)

I steeped mine for around 3.5 minutes at 205 F and I also added some soymilk.

This is nice for a flavored tea but definitely seems like more of a dessert tea than one I would pick up first thing in the morning. Still, I have enjoyed it. I am not really finding it too sweet but something about flavored teas often just strikes me as a bit artificial at times… not destined to be a favorite, I guess

I received this as part of a Christmas present to myself (I deserve it, right?!), in a cute stocking with other selections from Rachel’s Adagio blends.

Immediately opening the sample bag I am transported to San Diego, my early childhood years, making cinnamon and candy cane treats for the tree – and for our bellies. :)

This reminds me of HOME – which is so comforting and wonderful. Another sip and I’m transported to Brockport, NY, home of my beloved grandparents, another spot for holiday happiness.

The vanilla flavor is on the edge of the cinnamon and candy cane flavors – which is perfect. It’s subtle and sweet, rounding out the edges of typical holiday spices.

This is a true gem. I will be ordering more – around the holidays or in the midst of summer when I crave holiday memories.

Yums yums! :)

I’ve been really sick with a head cold that turned into bronchitis this last 3-4weeks so haven’t been able to taste anything .. Hence I’ve been eagerly waiting to try this sample sent to me by the lovely Rachel Carter herself, and today is the day!

This is my first ‘pumpkin’ tea and I really didn’t know what to expect as the only way I’ve ever eaten pumpkin before was roasted or in soup .. So I made a strong brew and the aroma is sweet & creamy, and I think I even smell some butter & nutmeg in there ?

Oh yum this is really good! I don’t taste ‘spice’ as such, which is good because I wasn’t wanting that .. I’m actually finding it hard to describe .. The flavour has a lot of depth to it, but it’s not ‘overly’ flavoured – it tastes natural, not oily or artificial in any way .. A sweet malty black with some unique pizazz to it, if that makes any sense to anyone other than myself ?!

Another reviewer says it’s “comforting, cozy and well-balanced” and I think that’s spot-on .. Perfect for drinking by the fireside with a cat on ones lap & good book for company – and I don’t even own a cat – I don’t even like cats! But that’s the image this tea conjures up for me lol .. And by ‘drinking’ what I mean to say is a big mug of ‘gulp-worth’ tea :P

I’d probably rate it a little higher than I did if the last couple of mouthfuls weren’t so full of tea leaf dust kwim?! But eh, it happens and I’ll just use a different infuser next time ..

I’ll definitely be ordering some more of this asap!

Thanks to Meghann for the sample. :0)

This is another very smooth one. You can def taste the caramel in it. Every time I take a drink I just keep thinking “Smooth”.

Very good. I can see this being a great morning blend to get your day going. . . . . Yummy!

Oh, I mades a boo-boo.

See, there’s two Winter Frosts by Adagio on here…and I thought this was the decaf one. So I’m drinking it now…and will likely be awake for half the night. Woops!

Regardless, this is a rather tasty blend by the lovely Rachel. Cinnamon, candy cane, and just the barest hint of vanilla. There’s more candy cane than anything else, but cinnamon is definitely there to. It really does taste like Christmas…and it looks like I’ll be staying up late knitting some more presents!

Another sample from Rachel! Such a fantastic box of samples!!

This one is sweet and creamy. Definitely a great tea to cuddle up with on a chilly morning!

Sweet! Sweet! Sweet! W a hint, just a hint of caramel…smooth and creamy. W milk and sugar, a delightful dessert tea. Thanks to French Vanilla for this sample.

One last cup of this tea from Rachel. It’s delicious, creamy, spicy, and perfectly pumpkin. Very sad that this is the last bit I’ve got…will have to invest in some more when my cupboard’s a bit smaller.

I got a fantastic box in the mail yesterday from Rachel! it was so hard to decide what to have first, but the I found this one tucked in, and just had to have it.

It’s warm, and just ever so spicy. It’s so creamy, almost like I’ve added creamer to it. The pumpkin is authentic. Delicious!! Thanks, Rachel, for giving me the chance to try this! It’s one of the best pumpkin teas vie ever had!

Thank you to Rachel for sending me this sample.

This tastes a lot like the ButterBeer blend that I have from Adagio… although that isn’t surprising to me in the least, since the same three teas were used in this as in the ButterBeer… just in different ratios.

This one seems a little creamier… or sweeter, perhaps? I’m not sure… I contemplated doing a side by side, but I’m just not up for brewing another cup of black tea at the moment.

This is good. It isn’t my favorite Rachel blend – but then, they can’t all be my favorite Rachel blends, can they? It’s got a delicious caramel taste to it, sweet and creamy. I like it.

Thank you to Rachel for sending me a sampling of this tea to try.

Yummy! I like how this is more creamy than it is pumpkin-y. It’s like a bit of pumpkin pie with a big dollop of whipped cream on top. This is really delicious.

Mmmm… Had this with breakfast this morning with a splash of milk. So delicious!

Had this tea again this morning! I was craving it when I woke up! Unfortunately I discovered after pouring myself a bowl of cereal that our milk had gone bad. So it was dry cereal and tea with out milk :(. Not that I am a die-hard milk in my tea kind of girl, I actually rarely put milk in my tea, I just happen to like milk in this type, but oh well it was still delicious.

Anyway this cup was more cream and less caramel. It was a great cup of tea. It started my morning off right! Thanks again Rachel for giving me a chance to try this!!!

Thanks for sending this to me Rachel!!

Mmm… I love adagios caramel tea so this tea is right up my alley. It is a little less caramelly and a little more creamy than the plain caramel tea. I am really enjoying it! I had my first cup with milk which brought out the creaminess and I am about to have my second cup plain. This was an excellent first tea of the morning. And really is an excellent tea for anyone with a sweet tooth like myself – haha!

Thank you to Rachel for sending me a sampling of this one!

As per Rachel’s request, I’m tasting this one now on the heels of tasting the other Winter Frost blend.

Ahh… much better! This one smells so much like Christmas! It’s especially enjoyable to inhale the aroma when I hold the cup to my nose… it smells so good.

I can taste the vanilla, the minty candy cane, and the cinnamon. I like that the cinnamon is a softer, sweeter version of cinnamon here and doesn’t overpower the sweet vanilla and candy cane flavors. And… BONUS! I’m not getting that icky decaffeinated flavor. (probably because this one isn’t decaffeinated LOL) The Adagio black tea base is not overwhelming with this either.

It’s quite nice.

Right off the bat I can smell creamy pumpkin! Thank you Rachel, btw!!! I wasn’t sure if I would like this one but I must say this is special! Just enough pumpkin to have it noticed. It’s very creamy and I can almost pick out a hint of cinnamon. WOW. Very nice surprise! YAY!

I was looking forward to this tea for a long time and finally just purchased a tin of it. The scent is pleasing and definitely more sweet than expected. The taste is of a black tea base plus caramel and other pleasant notes. I could really just detect the caramel and not a ton of the vanilla or cream. I may try this tea with a little bit of milk even though I dislike adding things to my teas.
Sweet velvet fog is bordering on the sickeningly sweet.. Even though I love sweet, creamy, dessert teas. I hope the milk might drown the sweetness a little. This is a pleasant cup of tea— but it seems like the creamy is replaced by extra sweet!

Backlogging from last night…also a SIPDOWN