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The latest batch of this tea is quite different than what I’ve had before. This time it’s a much darker roast and the sweetness and floral notes are gone. I noticed Rishi harvests this tea in the spring (optimal) and winter. This is likely from the winter crop and could explain the flavor difference.

I don’t drink black tea but I’ve always loved the iced tea served at Thai restaurants. I was thrilled to be able to reproduce the results at home using Pantai Thai tea mix from my local Asian grocer however I didn’t care for the added artificial orange color. So I was really excited when I discovered Arbor tea’s additive-free organic version.

I really wanted to love this tea but sadly it tasted nothing like authentic Thai iced tea. The tea leaves smelled heavily of vanilla and that’s what the flavor of the tea was. Basically a strong black tea with a very dominant note of vanilla. I tried steeping it according to Arbor tea’s instructions and simmering it (traditional way) and both were unpalatable. The smell of the tea was too nauseating to even bring to my lips.

The name of this tea is really a misnomer. I love orange blossom but alas this tea has no discernable orange blossom flavor nor are there orange flowers in the ingredients. It tastes mostly of lemongrass. There is a citrusy note in there and a hint of tangerine and that’s about it. Very similar to Rishi’s Chamomile Medley and Starbucks Tazo green tea. Not a bad tasting tea, but not as advertised.

Bleh. This one was totally undrinkable. The taste and smell were very artificial. I’m glad this was a free sample because I wouldn’t want to waste my money on this awful tea.

I’m always a little leery of fruity teas because the fruitiness tends to overwhelm. This one was no exception but it wasn’t bad either. This tea has a pleasant, candylike topical flavor which isn’t too fruity but clearly dominates. Since I like my flavored teas to have just a hint of flavor, I think this will taste best after cutting it with straight green tea.