Voila! In Frederick

Love this tea! It has a good, full flavor that is accented nicely by the caramel, bergamot, and cranberry.

This is a good wintry tea, I’m just not a fan of nutty teas.

I really love this tea. The first time I tried it, I steeped it too long and it came out bitter. This time I steeped it for 3 minutes (it recommends 3-5 minutes) and it came out much better. You can really taste the fruitiness of the apricot and mango. Definitely would buy again.

First, this does not taste like pumpkin, and I guess that makes sense as there’s no pumpkin in it. In any case, it’s a decent tea. It doesn’t stand out and isn’t particularly delicious, but it’s not bad. The flavor is subtle and a little fruity, with the tiniest bit of spiciness (although it isn’t present in every sip). Not bad and I’ll certainly finish the sample, but this definitely isn’t a buy-again tea.

(Sample from silentrequiem. Thanks!)

This isn’t typically the type of tea I would choose, as I’m heavily anti-hibiscus and most of these other ingredients, at least in tea. But I smelled this at the store and loved the fruity medley.

I don’t let this brew longer than five minutes, and honestly, I keep brewing closer to 3.5-4 mins. This keeps the bitter hibiscus and beetroot in check, and the flavor not too tart.

Overall this is terrific in the AM or at night, if you’re watching caffeine intake. I don’t add any sugar/sweetener as some of the fruit pieces add a hint of sweetness to balance out the bitter.

I bet this would be fabulous iced, or in a smoothie!

Based on other blended teas I saw the shop had and their ingredients, I suspect they get at least part of their stock from ESP Emporium.

This smells so much like a creamsicle. I opened the tin the car and my friends in the backseat could smell it – very very strong. The flavor of the tea is less strong, which I’m okay with because it would have been pretty artificial tasting, I’d imagine.

Steeped for 5 minutes with a spoonful of sugar.

It’s not my favorite. I probably will not be ordering more. It’s still creamsicle-tasting, but it’s off in some way. I wish there was a stronger vanilla flavor.

(I did buy 50g of this from ESP Emporium so I could compare and verify this actually is the same. I wish I hadn’t now…)

This is another tea from Voila! in Frederick. This was marketed as “Frosty Pumpkin” but I’m pretty certain it started life as Pumpkin Cream from ESP Emporium, and had additional ingredients blended in.

Odd that this is called “pumpkin” anything considering there is no pumpkin anything in the ingredients list. Instead, there’s honeydew melon of all things.

I can’t decide if I like this tea or not. I can definitely taste the melon, and it’s more like spiced melon than spiced pumpkin. My brain gets confused trying to find pumpkin in this at all.

Sipdown, and swap-down. 249! I’ve swapped a bunch of samples away, plus I am sipping down this one that is actually two. I had a tiny bit of Winter Palace Marzipan from a local tea shop in Port Jefferson, NY, and some of this, which I got in a swap from Sare (thanks!). I think they are the same blend, and this pot was mostly this tea, so it’s getting logged here. I also put a lot of rooibos in the pot because these samples are both fairly old, and it’s hard to oversteep rooibos.

Mmmmmmarzipanny! The fruityness that rooibos often provides is interpreted here as apricot, which of course always works well with almond. I can definitely taste the coconut in this one as well, which lends a creamy quality to it that is nice. This is a nice evening tea, and I think that roobois is best with nutty flavors like almond. Glad to have this one this evening.

This is interesting. Very flavorful and tastes as good or as unique as it smells dry, and as it brews. There is a weird raisin-y taste to it as it cools. I’m not too “keen” (sorry) on that flavor, but the spiciness almost overtakes it.

But do I like it? I’m not sure. I’ll have to keep trying this one. It’s almost too many different spices competing for best taste to enjoy.

Brewed this up since I didn’t really know what I wanted. It’s spicy and fragrant, often each sip seems different. I’m liking this more so I upped the rating slightly.

Picked this up last night while introducing a friend to the awesomeness that is Voila. This is a mighty spice cuppa, which I love! It’s wintery and comforting, warming and Christmas-y. I taste cloves and nutmeg plus cinnamon and cardamom. It’s like a chai without being in-your-face chai. Not sure if I would drink this all the time, but it’s definitely a must have for winter.

I love when a black tea base doesn’t shine through flavor (like AHEM Adagio). This is a perfect example of a flavored black tea done right! Each sip is warm and comforting – coconut and almond happiness. I normally have to be careful with almonds (allergic), but I’m OK with this version, perhaps because they are sliced? Who knows. Who cares. I’m enjoying this tea, bottom line!
The almond flavoring is a nice touch too. :)

I require some green tea – and this hits the spot! I love this one iced or hot. Double delish!

Please see previous notes; this is a fave.

I’ve had this iced at home several times; can’t believe I haven’t logged it yet! This is one of the rare teas that tastes wonderful iced or hot. Very fruity, without that annoying hibiscus tart-ness that makes many of us go BLECH. The dry leaves and the brewed liquor smell and taste the same too – also rare. Love, love, love this one – it’s a cupboard essential. I actually have two tins, one at home and one for work. :)

Started off my workday with this holiday tea. I think it’s actually available year-round, but the name suggests that it’s a Christmas blend. Oh well. It’s delicious regardless!

I don’t taste raisins, or that much apple, but the orange, cinnamon and almond flavors shine through. The cinnamon isn’t very pronounced, but there’s a hint of it. I wish there was more cinnamon flavor, as that’s one of my favorite tastes!

Overall this is a solid, decent tea. Nothing too fancy, nothing too fussy, but nothing too unique either. It’s good, but I’m not sure if I would purchase it regularly.

Backlog:
I drank this virtually every day when I was fighting The Cold From Hell. I love anise, and this is ANISE to the max. So if you don’t like anise? Avoid. If you do like it, this is a great varieTEA (haha) for you. Not much to say about it – it’s light chamomile and in-your-face Anise. Good!

Backlog – had a cuppa to clear the palate after my Mango and Friends disaster date. Much better – and it gave me great dreams. ;) I’ve upped the rating – this one just gets better and better.

Or I may be still suffering from the mango trauma.

Backlog:
I can’t believe I haven’t posted this yet! My tin is almost empty! I love drinking this in the evenings. I don’t recommend drinking this at work, unless you can get paid to sleep. Because that’s what this elixir will do to you – put you into the land of ZZZs.

I love the blend of honey and chocolate. I swear I can taste molasses too. I add a little honey sometimes, to enhance the flavor (or that’s what I tell myself), but it’s not required. This is so delish. I steep it for the length of the cuppa, not a moment less. The cuppa doesn’t last too long, though!

My tastebuds have been so off lately, thanks to a six-day migraine and the longest, weirdest flu bout. I brewed up some Eight Candles but couldn’t finish it – it was too sweet for me today. I know, I know, I said that. Me, little miss addicted to sugar and candy. I couldn’t take it. So I opted for something minty and more plain. This is my tried and true, my go-to flavor. Love me some minty and gunpowder happiness.

This tastes kinda sugary too, which is odd. There is no sugar in it, and I don’t add any sugar to my teas. I rinsed out the mug after the Eight Candles. I guess things are tasting sugary as part of my tastebuds on hiatus? Weird, like I said, weirdo flu bout.

Tea of the afternoon. Plenty of folks are worried about the potential snow…I just want it to be the weekend so I can sleep!

I love a good gunpowder green and mint. Refreshing and happy. :)

I’ve been drinking this iced lately, but threw it in my work bag today and enjoyed a hot cuppa. This is a fave – I love gunpowder green tea, and the mint is the perfect compliment. It’s also fabulous iced. I usually add a little extra mint (spearmint) for a sweeter taste when doing the iced tea thing.

I’m surprised I’m the first to log this, but it’s possible it’s in here under another name. I don’t think this is exclusive to Voila! and I get the impression that they don’t craft their own teas…maybe they do! I can’t get a response from them no matter what I do…

Anyway, this is a great harmony of gunpowder green (a favorite of mine) and crisp peppermint. It truly is a refreshing treat!

Reposting from earlier – wrong company! Oops!

Thanks KEEN

It’s been a while since I’ve had a nice honeybush! This is pretty good. It’s mostly that honeybush flavor but also has a very little bit of citrus flavor mixed in, too!

It’s a nice relaxing cuppa. A good comfort tisane!

Pretty Good!

Thanks to Sare (not By Bo lol) for this sample! MMMM it’s so good. I can taste hints of cherry and cream or almond. It’s very sweet and you can still taste a little green tea. This is very delicious! Thanks again Sare!!