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I snagged a sample of this when I saw that Anne had brought back the old LiberTEAS Breakfast In Bed blend. Couldn’t just let that go by! But this tea was calling my name, too. Couldn’t resist the combination of two of my favorite things — earl grey and cake. Somehow, after years of orders from 52Teas, this is my first earl grey of theirs ever.

I’m charmed by the cute blue and white star sprinkles mixed in. Same colors as the blue cornflowers that have come to signify an earl grey. However, at first, I wasn’t sold on the bergamot they used. It smelled kind of like sunscreen to me, so I was wary.

But the flavor was much different than expected! It reminds me so much of a creamcicle! The bergamot is so smooth and citrusy. It tastes like a vanilla cupcake with orange marmalade icing. Also, the black tea base they used is hearty and solid. I can actually taste it over the added flavors. I always appreciate that 52Teas doesn’t use lame, low grade Ceylons to make their flavored teas. They use nice black teas and let them lend their notes to the flavor.

Anyway, this is lovely and I’ll be having it again at breakfast.

Ok, I know I complained about this being weak last time, when I used one bag for a standard size water glass.

So I used two tonight. Let me tell you, even after ice and milk to the rim of the glass, this was still super strong. Good lord. Too strong one might say. Definitely going to have to make it in a 24 oz container or something.

But it’s exactly what I hoped it would be. Orange, opaque, and spiced in a way I’ve never been able to figure out. Tastes like the bottled stuff but fresher. Hell yes.

I call it Mango Shortcake.

One part Harney & Son’s Mango black tea, one part The Tea Table’s Bourbon Sunday Blend. It smells like sweet vanilla cake and preserves. So fruity and yet so creamy. I had it hot, but I can’t wait to try it iced. I wonder if I could blend something like this on Adagio.. hmm…

Really surprised gmathis and I are the only ones who have reviewed this tea. I’m betting it’s in grocery stores across the country.

Anyway, found this on the clearance shelf for like $2. I really like dessert teas and Tazo is usually pretty good. Not spectacular, but good for bagged tea.

I actually really like this. Creamy vanilla and burnt sugar with a mild note of cinnamon. I swear I taste star anise faintly in this, too, but it’s not listed in the ingredients. Maybe nutmeg? Something like that. Cocoa peel is listed, however, and I don’t detect that. This is a lovely dessert tea, buttery and caramelly.

The more I sip it, the more I realize this tastes like oatmeal. Like brown sugar and cinnamon oatmeal. But with caramel.

Oof. I wish I’d gotten this as a sample and not a whole ounce.

I agree completely with AlphaKitty saying this smells like barf. It does. Barf, vague fruitiness, and maybe feet.

The flavor reminds me of Kahlua or Bailey’s, with a strawberry and butter aftertaste. The feet/barf smell is still present, but you don’t really taste it. There’s also a note of vanilla-like creaminess that I like. Still, I find this tea pretty off-putting. I mean, I guess it’s nice that it doesn’t taste like alcohol. But… yeah. I’m gonna use it up. Blended with other teas. And then never again.

EDIT: Ok, I opened the pouch this morning and just… no. It went in the trash.

The last time I had this tea was about five years ago. I gave it an 80 rating then.

I guess my standards are higher these days. The cinnamon in this is appallingly artificial-tasting to me now. Remember those Atomic Fireball candies that burned the crap out of your mouth? The tea tastes like that. (Only without the blistering.)

I also want to note that it’s very easy to oversweeten this. There must be stevia or something already in it. I see a few other people mentioning it, so I know it’s not just me.

And a lot of the cinnamon grit gets through my steel mesh infuser.

Bleh. Never again.

I love lychee flavor, but I feel like with teas it can go one of two ways. It could either be really fruity and sweet like canned lychee, or rosey and peppery like fresh lychee.

This one is a more rosey lychee. Sure, there is a nice amount of fruity goodness mixed in. But the peppery flavor lingers longest. All of these flavors pretty much mute the black tea base. It’s not bad, exactly. But it doesn’t really impress me, either.

The reason I bought this is because Tea Forte stopped making their lychee-coconut tea. I loved it and now it’s going for like $55 a box on eBay. So… I’m planning on finding a good lychee tea and trying to make my own. But I think I’ll try a few more before I settle.

I’m the first to review this? Neat!

This one turned out to be a surprise winner. You can always tell it’s a good coconut tea when there’s a bit of coconut oil floating on top. Though the shavings they use are finely minced, you still get so much flavor. I’m impressed. The coconut is creamy and realistic, sort of like a Mounds bar but without the chocolate. Delicious.

I’m excited to try this again later over ice. Maybe with milk. I bet this would also make a great bubble tea base. Absolutely on the re-order list for summer.

I bought this expecting it to be pretty generic. I was right.

There’s nothing wrong with it. Assam base with a bit of an astringent bite. It offers an inoffensive, natural-tasting vanilla. But the vanilla is more in the aroma than the taste. It’s not quite as creamy and lingering as I tend to like. I tend to prefer vanilla teas that are more cupcakey and decadent than this. So it’s a little boring, I guess.

I will be using this to blend with my other teas, I suppose. Vanilla goes with everything, so…

I picked this as one of my three free samples in my last order. My thought was that it would be like Constant Comment, what with the orange and clove.

However, where Constant Comment goes heavy on the clove, this goes heavy on the orange. Not really what I was hoping for, but it’s still pretty good. Orange isn’t exactly my favorite fruit in tea, but this has that nice tangy citrus rind flavor. The cinnamon adds a comforting layer. Can’t say I really detect the vanilla. But this is lovely on such a wet February day.

Still, I can’t help but feel like I’m drinking the Christmas potpourri my mom makes on the stove every year. (In a good way.) But I think I’ll stick with my Constant Comment.