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I have a longer review ready for itsallabouttheleaf.com, but this one disappointed me a little. It’s good tea—nothing I’ve tried from Golden Moon is less than excellent quality—but seemed a little too nondescript for a breakfast tea.

Think I’ll have to give this one a meh; I’m not getting much pomegranate—just tart cranberry.

My original review contended this nice Assam (I just love the name…purr…) didn’t need additives. Got a little happy with the half-and-half this morning, and while I think I like this better as a standalone, it takes milk OK.

Most herbal stress busters lean on a lemony base, and TeaFrog’s Stress Reliever fits the stereotype. It’s pleasantly lemongrass-heavy when you examine the dry blend and when you drink a steeped cup.

(Reviewed and rated for medicinal value for an upcoming www.itsallabouttheleaf.com post.)

Vanilla. Decaf. Not much more to say than that; it just is what it is.

Purchased in bulk because it smelled h-e-a-v-e-n-l-y rich and malty in the jar. Didn’t quite live up to the in-store marketing, milder than expected. More like a genteel English breakfast, instead of a hearty kick-yer-hindquarters-awake Irish.

Here’s the first part of a more scholarly (?) studied (?) dissertation at http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1099/tea-review-golden-moon-sugar-caramel-oolong/

The name of this tea is somewhat misleading—it represents the ingredients accurately, but doesn’t convey its character well at all. With sugar and caramel as the leading adjectives, I expected a heavy, sweet tea with the flavor of Sugar Daddies that would be fine alongside a doughnut or work well as a dessert tea.

If that’s what you’re looking for, best move on.

But…

First time I’ve ever consciously tasted “not rooibos” in order to compare the two. Really nice…there’s something just a touch sharper in the taste profile than rooibos; enough so that my husband mentioned a similarity to Red Zinger minus the tartness. Better still—it was inexpensive; our local health food place has bulk-by-the-ounce so it’s doesn’t cost much to experiment!

My fault for storing this improperly…nice sample sent by Lori (I think … sorry for being forgetful!) has been in a baggie instead of a tin, so I think it lost some muscle during the summer months. Very nice and smooth and I will enjoy it to the last leaf, but I’m not sure if I were doing a blind taste test, I’d say, "Oh! That’s peanut butter flavored tea!) Next cup, I’ll try some milk and sweetener.

This was a surprise … looked weakly pink in a clear 12-oz tumbler, so I didn’t expect much from it, but has a nice cidery flavor. I think it’ll do even better when I use a smaller mug.