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Starting my day off with this sample from Craig Buntin@ Teabean. This chai flavor is really unique and really interesting.

First off, this is the first coffee-chai I’ve ever tasted. Second, it’s the first tea infused with coffee beans – black or white, regardless – that I’ve ever tasted. I had no expectations, although I was hoping for a spicy chai.

For a bagged tea, this chai brews up strong and bold. My first sip was full of coffee-flavor – the “good” parts of coffee, no bitterness and no heartburn for me. ;) In my second sip I tasted more spice and more nutty-flavor. I can’t tell which kind of nut (peanut or hazelnut), but it doesn’t matter – it’s a good flavor and utterly unique.

It’s not as spicy as other chais, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing in this case. Normally I frown on mild chais, but this one is different. Too much spice would take away from the coffee and nutty flavors. As it happens, all three flavors blend together happily.

Brewing time doesn’t seem to be an issue. I left the tea bag in for the remainder of my cup and from the first sip to the last drop, the taste was the same.

However, I’m not sure how to rate it. I really enjoyed my cup and plan on purchasing more in the future, but I can’t compare this to any other chai or even tea for that matter.

All I can say is that this is a terrific new spin on chai. Fans of chai, you’ll love this take, even if you don’t normally like coffee. Fans of hazelnut will enjoy this infusion as well.

Can’t wait to try other infusions by Teabean! This is a great new concept. Oh, and stay tuned to my blog, keenteathyme.blogspot.com; I will be featuring the company soon. :)

This is a quiet tea. It’s delightful and nice but not something I would go out of my way to purchase again (I got a sample in my last order). It’s polite and calm, with a taste of lemon chiffon or lemon cookies. But it’s not as bright as I had hoped for a lemon tea.

Got this as a free sample, but I’ll be placing an order very soon! I believe it is green tea (possibly gunpowder green, a personal fave) with rose petals and a light floral flavor. Those of you who dislike floral teas should back away slowly. Those of you who – like me! – love floral notes in teas should embrace this version with gusto!

The only problem is that I was unable to order from www.totallytealiciousteas.com. There was a whole breach of system security and my browser wouldn’t let me go any further. Maybe I can find it elsewhere, although I would rather support the company who sent me the sample…

I need a heavily caffeinated tea this morning, which is gray and wet here in MD. So I opted for this sample I purchased from my last Adagio order. First, I love how fluffy the leaves are – light, airy and super fluffy.

Now, for the taste: bold, hearty and strong. This is a BLACK TEA, versus a black tea; it shouts its intentions of being bold and brazen, with no apologies and no looking back. Normally I can drink my “plain” tea actually plain, but I had to add some Splenda to round out the edges. Even with the sweetener, it’s still strong. But I taste a mossy, earthy flavor, which is quite nice. I don’t mean it tastes like dirt; it tastes fresh from the Earth, as though borne in the height of summer, with sunlight baking the earthly tones into the leaves. It’s poetic, it’s nice. I couldn’t drink this all the time, but for an AM pick-me-up, I’m glad I went with this.

I love this tea! It’s so sweet and refreshing and fun. It really does taste like a cup of summer. :) I needed a little lift this afternoon and this fit the bill. Now I’m smiling, despite still being at work. :)

Perfect for this afternoon. :)

Enjoying a nice minty cup. I agree with other reviewers who said they couldn’t taste the darjeeling tea – all I can taste in mint, mint, mint. Which is fine with me, it’s one of my fave flaves. Please see other tasting notes.

Backlogging from this AM: Got this as a free sample. I really enjoyed this new take on a chai! It’s not as bold as others, but the flavors are definitely enjoyable. Plus the white tea base doesn’t compete for attention as much as a black tea base would. Overall this is a decent chai. Plus I was able to resteep twice and the flavor was just as bold as the first cup. (A fourth steeping did not go as well, but honestly, I only ask for one add’l steeping.)

Nobody does tea like Frank from 52teas. Right now I’m attempting to order this week’s Marshmallow Treat tea. I thought having a cup of the Pancake Breakfast while ordering would be lucky, kinda like Sam Axe using the name Chuck Finley for luck. (If you watch Burn Notice and saw last night’s movie you’ll know what I mean.)

Thanks to Naomi for this sample. :) I actually lost it in my bag, just found it tonight. So I’m enjoying a cup right now. Delish!

This tastes like a liquid almond cookie. Normally I’m allergic to almonds (which is a shame since they are so yummy), but I don’t have (too) much of an issue with this tisane. OK, it makes my mouth swell up slightly but a benadryl later, I’m cool.

Still, this is delicious treat – cinnamon, allspice, almond. YUM! I would buy it, but the allergic reaction is stopping me…however, that means the almonds are real. ;) It’s not the tisane’s fault that my body hates almonds (and other tree nuts).

It brews up yummy too – just like a cookie. I’m in love!