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I am still trying to love this, this is probably the most expensive loose-leaf by the weight tea I have yet bought, I am not quitting! I will crack a way of making it that I will love it. Somehow I refuse to not believe in the promise of its smell. I must just be doing it wrong.

This time I upped the dosage a lot. Still with milk, because it does seem to be the sort of tea which needs it. And this is awful of me to even think it, but what this reminded of, most of all, was Nesquik. A lot of vanilla with some underlying chocolate. I loved Nesquik, but way back then, now I like chocolate with more oomph.

A sample, from the HoppiTea swap, kindly sent by Keen Tea Thyme! My introduction to american tea.

This is uh interesting. Not an euphemism, it is not bad, but it is a bit odd. And where´s the rooibos?!? Just kidding, it is there, I can see a bit of smallish bits (ants I call them) lost at the bottom at the pot but this is the least rooibos-ish rooibos teas I ever had. I am just checking and nobody online mentions this to have any hibiscus, but I do think it has! On a forensic examination I think there are a couple petals of it, though not really sure, I am going by the color and tartness of the liquor (never used that word yet :p) which seems typically hibiscus. Not too much, but stronger than the rooibos . Apart from that there is cinnamon indeed, and orange peel (? or is it pineapple?) as well. There were quite a few rosebuds, and more fruits on the dose I used but I can not say I taste them. Interesting blend.

I am not an Earl Grey person (Twinings excepted, particularly their Lady Grey. I do not know why them, just is). So my opinion is probably valueless for any Earl Grey lovers. But in case it is useful here go my two cents.

This is almost an Earl Grey Tea I could like, if only I liked Earl Grey. The beautiful blue star like flowers are not actually the ubiquitous cornflowers but mallow flowers. Not sure if they add taste to the mix exactly, if they do it´s delicate. The bergamot is quite delicate IMO and the underlying tea is classy, not too brute, not too wimpy, Keemun tea. If you like very strong, ceylon or assam based EG teas, or EG with lots of bergamot this might not be for you. But I enjoyed it a lot ( but then again, I am doing my best to drink my way through the Yumchaa catalogue and have pretty much liked everything, despite being monstrously picky )

This smells extraordinary, perhaps the most appealing tea blend I ever smelled. Smells very rich, of chocolate and vanilla and some other things, so fabulous I had to buy a bit.

And now I am brewing it for the first time, I am a bit disappointed. I brew it precisely how I do with my other chocolate teas (MF´s Wedding Impérial and Yumchaa´s Caramel Sweetheart, I love both of these) and it is the wrong way, I must up the dosage or something, try it without milk, because frankly using the same process as for the other chocolate teas, this one was sort of wimpish. It tastes mostly of vanilla, lovely natural vanilla. Some chocolate taste afterwards, but the milk and sugar mask everything else. The base tea seems like maybe it is some delicate-ish Ceylon.

Not a bad tea at all, but a bit too delicate for what its smell promised. I will try it again to see if I can crack the right method for this one.

I had this for a while, and of course when I decide it totally rocks and need more, I hear it has been discontinued. Urgh. I am on a wild quest to get more.

This is very very fruity indeed. It is hibiscus and apple and strawberries and lots other red fruits. To my taste the hibiscus is not overwhelming (I am not a hibiscus fan), it´s there and without apologies, but it´s balanced enough for me. Hot is quite nice. But I decided to make it iced, and OMG IT TOTALLY ROCKS ICED. It is incredibly nice iced. I went through the whole pitcher in half an hour, it was so good I could not ration it.

Desperately searching for more now.

Nice, so nice, now a staple for me. Though admittedly I also love the original Thé sur le Nil. Description is rooibos with citrus, lemongrass, “oriental” spices and marigold petals. I am not so sure I detect the spices or any flavour from the petals, so a citrusy lemongrass-y good rooibos. Very good and pleasant, I love rooibos with citrus and this is so very good.

I have been most unfair with this tea. Most most unfair. I thought it was good but sort of meh. Except now I decided to try it a bit differently and I think I have cracked it – it needs sugar and milk. It needs a very generous tea serving and it needs to be stirred often, while brewing and before pouring and even in the cup, because it was so much texture from the melted caramel and chocolate. But done like that it just might be the most decadent tea I ever had ( apologies to Wedding Imperial, but this has just more texture), though I got hopes for yet untried Fauchon Chocolate Tea.

I need to upgrade this a bit – I tried it with more rooibos and while not going to replace my number 1 favorite fruity rooibos, it is much nicer than I was giving it credit. I like the underlying rooibos very much, the fruity part is also very nice.

Another green honeybush (maybe there is such a thing), green rooibos mix. And one I particularly like.

It does not taste like any apfelstrudel I ever had, though arguably I never had apfelstrudel in vienna. To me, after that lovely clear pure sweet green rooibos/honeybush flavour, it tastes of hazelnuts. It tastes so strongly of hazelnuts it makes me check my teeth for hazelnut pieces – and this is meant as a compliment. After that there is a apple taste indeed, but apple tea (as opposed to fresh apples), and maybe a hint of cinnamon. It is lovely, to put it plainly.They call it a winter tea, but I think I love it year long.