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I received this in a gift sampler from my boss while she was traveling overseas.

I’m a little worried as I sniff this tea. No one else’s reviews mention this being smoky. And in the sampler, it was packaged close to both a Lapsang and a Russian Caravan. I wonder if this has been contaminated by them. That would be a shame.

Anyway, it comes out to a very rich, dark color that warns me that this tea is not kidding around. Like Stoo said, I prefer black teas from China and not India, so I’m a little hesitant. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised before. And here, I am pleasantly surprised again. This has a very nice malty, satisfying flavor. It is a little bitter, but not in an oppressive way. There is a hint of smokiness, but it tastes like it’s supposed to be there? I can’t tell, really, but I like it. I find myself missing the sweet potato and honeyed bread flavors of Chinese black teas, but this is still a nice wakeup cup.

This could benefit from a shorter steep time, I think. I’ll go with maybe 2 and a half or 3 minutes next. I also need to make a mental note to stop using 4 tea bags per 24 ounce tumbler of black tea. It comes out too strong. 3 should be my new rule of thumb.

I might not be the best person to be the first to review this.

The instructions say to whisk the matcha with a small amount of hot milk. I have no idea what a small amount is, but I do my best with a bamboo matcha whisk and milk I heated on the stovetop. Then it tells me to top with frothed milk. I don’t have a frother, so I make do with whisked hot milk. It does not say how much to use, which really frustrates me. I need better instructions than that.

Anyway, the matcha doesn’t smell like chocolate at all. It just smells like the ocean. That seaweedy generic matcha aroma. After the milk, I sort of smell chocolate, but it’s faint. The resulting tea is tan with green speckles on top. By now, the seaweed smells baked and toasty. The flavor sort of reminds me of Japanese snack mix. Sesame, roasted seaweed, and a creamy note that I guess is the faint chocolate blending with milk.

This isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever had, but I would definitely not buy it again.

Yep, an herbal tea at the end of the day has become a habit.

I’ve almost finished my Teapigs Pick ‘N’ Mix. I’ve got a little chai, a darjeeling earl grey, and this left.

I’m pleased by the sight of the little sachet full of lemongrass and lemon peel. Apparently there is licorice in this, too? I can’t taste it at all. What I mostly taste is ginger, followed by lemon. The ginger has a nice kick to it. Teapigs went surprisingly bold with it. However, the honey I added makes these flavors translate to “cough drop” for me. (Without the menthol, thank goodness.) This would be great if you were sick. You would actually be able to taste it as your sinuses cleared. So maybe it’s not something I’d reach for often at night, but I am still glad I got to try it.

…Oh. I thought by “Strong” they meant strong bergamot. Like Harney & Sons’ Earl Grey Supreme. When I opened the sample, I expected a powerful whoosh of bergamot… but barely smelled any even with the sachets right under my nose. Uh oh.

Turns out they meant that the black tea base is strong. Which it is. It brews up very dark and just looking at it lets me know I’ll need to sip this all day, not finish it before lunch like I usually do with my daily tea. If I’m not careful, this much caffeine can send me spiraling into The Upside Down of anxiety.

Steeped, I can smell the bergamot and it smells pretty high quality. And after a sip, I taste that it is. The exhale is fruity and bracing. This is much better than I expected, despite how almost coffee dark it is. Teapigs has not let me down. It’s a touch bitter, so I recommend adding more water than you normally would. Sure, I will be going back to my usual favorite EG, but I’m enjoying this.

This is from my Teapigs pick ‘n’ mix.

Mmm, apple cinnamon. One of my favorite flavor combinations. It’s hard to get it wrong. And of course, this tea doesn’t. However, the first thing I think of when I smell it steeping is Celestial Seasonings. Zingers in particular. I flash back to being 11 years old, reading at the kitchen table with my after school tea. My respite before homework.

With a little honey, this is lovely. It really does taste like apple pie. Smelling the sweet spice before taking a sip is pretty heavenly. I wish the spices were a tiny bit heavier, but that’s just me. The red apple flavor is natural and holds its own.

I’m really enjoying Teapigs’ herbal selection. I feel I’m starting to change my mind about herbal teas in general. Maybe their gentleness makes them interesting. I get a lot of caffeine during the day. It’s nice to come home and sip something warm that isn’t going to tense me up or make me nervous.

This is back in my stash. It’s finally starting to get cold here, and I was craving an old standby. Good ol’ Constant Comment, you $3 wonder.

Of course, I used too much water and made it a bit more mild than I meant to. That’s ok, though, the clove is still so comforting. The orange is still festive. The cinnamon is still warming. And there’s still a nice black tea kick.

Next cup, I’ll go with a shorter steep time. This one was just practice.

A free sample from my last Harney & Sons order.

I honestly haven’t had many pure chamomile teas. My past experience with chamomile has always been some dusty, faint flavor that was not interesting in the slightest. I should have known that there were varying degrees of quality, like any other tea.

Compared to what I’ve had, this tastes so fresh. I taste notes of apple and flowers. There’s also something that reminds me of clean dried grass or fresh hay. It leaves me wondering what I’ve been missing all the years I’ve skipped chamomile because I’d had bad ones…

It’s annoying that chamomile isn’t listed under Flavors when filling this out… there have been a couple teas where I’ve wanted to list it recently.

First hot tea of the season. Also time to bring the succulents in. Gotta find places for them all…

For some reason, I expected a more harsh experience with this tea. But no, it’s very smooth. I’m tasting notes of bread crust, hay, and stone fruit (faintly). There’s also a kind of malty, buttery note that I’m liking a lot.

…I would add more, but I’m hungover and my brain does not want to work.

My first tea that is entirely lemongrass. It’s very pleasant.

Comes out to a nice yellowy green and leaves my mouth a little tingly. There’s something to be said about the simplicity of it. Just that clean, calming lemon taste. Refreshing and comforting. Reminds me of springtime…

Makes me want to try growing my own again. (My cat pulled up my last attempt.)

I’m pretty sure I bought this three years ago and it has been languishing in my cupboard after only about half was used. Until recently.

My husband has a semester and a half before he finishes his degree in data science. The stress has been intense. Lots of sleepless nights. So, I suggested a sleepy tea. I figured a combination of mint, chamomile, valerian, and lavender might at least help a little.

Now, this tea smells really bad, as expected. Like dirty feet or underwear. The steeped tea doesn’t taste like that at all, but I still add an extra teaspoon of peppermint leaves to kinda drown it out. And I drop a spiral of honey into it for sweetness. Then it goes over ice. This makes a pretty satisfying, refreshing tea that my husband now requests almost every night. And I like the ritual of making tea, so I always do… though it always reaches him with a few sips missing…