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A fantastic iced tea, brewed strongly for about 10 minutes (for a gallon of iced tea) and sweetened. Moomins are rotund fictional beings that somewhat resemble hippos, from a series of illustrated books from Finnish illustrator Tove Jansson. The endearing illustrations on the Moomin Teas are delightful even before you experience the aroma of black tea with rhubarb and strawberry. It’s definitely a fruity tea, but with a rich earthiness of well-steeped black tea.

Like strong tea?

Rostov’s is, first and foremost, a coffee roaster. However, many coffee drinkers switch to tea, so you can bet that any coffee roaster is going to have some robust tea! Richmond Blend is just that… a strongly spiced, but smooth black tea that is assertive, but lovely with milk.

I was first introduced to Richmond Blend (and Rostov’s) in February 2014, when my new boyfriend discovered that I was a bit of a tea addict. Since he is the unabashed “south of the Tea line” sweet-tea drinker, I sweetened this spicy blend with some sugar and served it for breakfast. I have also sneaked it into a few batches of iced tea, allowing one part Richmond Blend to three parts Lipton tea bags. It livened the tea up.

I think the cloves and orange peel make this intense for many casual tea drinkers. But if you enjoy Chai (which I have used this tea for, with lovely results!), or a bracing, spiced black tea, you’d enjoy this blend.

A friend brought me this tea from his visit to Melbourne, and this is one of the most delicious breakfast teas I’ve had! The light smokiness from the yunnan is a lovely balance to the sweetness. It’s a great milk tea, but it’s so rich and just sweet enough that I don’t NEED the milk. This is a revelation – breakfast tea without milk!

I’m sad that I’ve only the one box. :(

I am a dedicated milk tea drinker, but this oolong, an inspired choice by a new friend, may very well sway me back into green and light tea territory. It has a lovely aroma and taste, and is not bitter at all (I did add sugar to my first cup, but drank the following cups straight). It re-steeps fabulously; the tea-person at Teavana assured me this oolong, at a pricey $22.00 per 2 ounces, could re-steep 3 to 4 times with no trouble. And it did!

I’ve now enjoyed five cups of this fabulous Oolong, earthy and light, with a touch of fruit and creamy textures. Very cleansing and comforting!

Oh, Teaism. First you had me with the Chai, and now you throw a wonderfully smooth, tasty Genmaicha over my tastebuds. I am generally a black/milk tea person, but any cup of tea that essentially tastes like liquid Frosted Flakes has my vote. But YOUR genmaicha, Teaism, isn’t quite as cloying as others; it is more subtle, but the toasted rice comes right through. Assertive little things.

I look forward to my next visit to Teaism in DC. I’ve had a bracing black and a gentle green; I want to try so many more!

I ate dinner today and Busboys and Poets in Arlington, VA; our server brought a tea chest filled with Liquid Planet teas and I chose the Mumbai Chai.

Wonderful chai tea, with balanced, fragrant spices. Very smooth and yummy with milk and sugar.

While visiting a friend in DC, I had breakfast at Teaism. I thought that I had tasted all manner of Chai from mild to spicy, but I had never had THIS Chai. The fragrant burst of spice from the cardamom makes the initial spice of this chai very assertive, but the flavours throughout are smooth and delicious. I ended up going to the store and buying a bag to make a proper chai at home.

I tried this tea recently for the second time, because I don’t like to walk away from a potentially good tea. My problem is that Chai, to me, is a milk tea that should be smooth and creamy. I don’t like the sudden tang of peppercorn in this tea. At all. I’m not a fan of Rooibos either, but the tea did not detract too much from the smoothness of the coconut. The peppercorns, however, were too strong a contrast, and left me with an aftertaste.

For those who like peppery teas? Worth a try. So far, though, my favourite Coconut Chai remains the Southern Seasons blend.

I brewed this as iced tea this summer, and it was lovely. I’ve just steeped my first hot cup of barley tea of the winter, and I’m in love again. I’ve always referred to barley or genmaicha tea as “frosted flakes in a cup.” My friend Erica concurs, although her cereal of choice would be Sugar Smacks. Either way, barley tea gives you that comfort of breakfasty goodness, especially if you drink it with milk, as I do.

I steeped for a fairly long time (around 4 minutes, and using boiling water), but the barley just grew more intense and robust, not bitter. It appears to be a forgiving tea for those who get distracted by things while steeping. :) I added milk (like I do….) and the barley is still a pronounced taste. It feels, to me, along the lines of a mild Yunnan, but with a more roasty/nutty flavour.

Find this brand in your Asian supermarkets; I got mine at H Mart in Burlington, Massachusetts. :)