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For my husband and I, this tea had less to do with Santa and more to do with some pretty fantastic memories we both have around chocolate malt milkshakes. And there’s something pretty fabulous about enjoying the flavor of such wonderful treats while managing to almost entirely skip out on the calories associated with them!

My full review and pictures can be found here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2015/02/st-nicks-tea-by-simpson-vail.html

I had a lot of fun trying out this tea. It’s a caffeine-free and guilt-free way to enjoy one of my favorite treats of the holiday season: My grandmother’s stollen, a sweet bread with raisins and cinnamon, topped with white icing that’s decorated with candied fruits and nuts. This rooibos does an excellent job of capturing those flavors… and makes me want to go bake the real thing, too!

You can see pictures here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2014/12/winter-wonderland-rooibos-by-simpson.html

This was a new variety for me, but the sweet and smooth maltiness made for a tasty cup. I’ve never tried a purple before, but I wasn’t able to notice much difference between it and the other Oolongs in my cupboard. Maybe it influenced the milder, gentler flavor, or the fruity notes? Whatever it was, it was a nice way to start the day!

You can see pictures here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2014/11/kenya-hand-rolled-purple-varietal.html

It’s been a long, looong time since I’ve last posted on here. Let’s just say that life and school have been crazy, but I’m trying to get all my various responsibilities back in check. One of those responsibilities was reviewing this tea. The Persimmon Tree was kind enough to send me a tin in September, so I’m glad I was able to make this happen.

It’s a caffeine free, organic rooibos but the caramel notes I usually get from rooibos blends are far, far in the background here. This tastes like melted mint chocolate chip ice cream… the kind of flavor you get at the end of the bowl. The chocolate is somewhat understated, but it doesn’t let itself be forgotten, either.

You can see pictures here:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2014/11/mint-chocolate-chip-rooibos-by.html

This was a nice way to start the day today! My husband made up some pad Thai for dinner last night, so it was fun to follow it with a tea that reminds me so much of a Thai iced tea… but without all those super creamy calories!

Like the beverage, it does taste more like a dessert treat than a tea, and the black base vanishes into the background in favor of a lightly balanced cardamon, ginger, and lemongrass.

Pictures are available with my full review:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2014/07/thai-chai-by-persimmon-tree-tea-company.html

Several months ago Angel at Teavivre sent me five black teas to review. If I had known how absolutely nummy this one is, it wouldn’t have taken me until now to try it out! It’s slightly toasty, with a rich, creamy maltiness that I can just sink into. This tea is a new favorite, and hopefully I can talk hubby into getting me some for my next birthday!

For some pretty pictures, you can visit my blog at:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2014/07/nonpareil-yunnan-dian-hong-chinese-red.html

A sample of this tea came my way for review, and while I did enjoy it I found it quite surprising. The black base is very light, and so the peppermint and floral notes take the forefront. It’s an undercover black tea, and a nice way to enjoy the flavor of an herbal with a kick of caffeine.

You can see the full review at:
http://wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2014/07/holiday-blend-by-simpson-vail.html

Thank you Angel of Teavivre for this wonderful sample! The package of green teas arrived the other day, and I just couldn’t resist it any longer. I opened this package up for a quick sniff, but it smelled so fresh and tasty that I had to let it jump the queue!

It’s the last week of school, and suitably hectic, so I made this Western-style in my travel mug. Sipping it now, I think it definitely deserves better treatment, so next time I’m going to get out my gaiwan for the full experience.

This morning I added 2tsp of raw sugar (which is actually pretty restrained for me, as I have a horrible sweet tooth) and I think that was just right. The flavor is light and fruity, with a crisp, grassy aftertaste.

I look forward to trying this again in the weeks to come!

I was feeling like something sweet and soothing tonight, and this is fitting the bill quite nicely. If anything, it’s too sweet! I’ve enjoyed a lot of Della Terra’s rooibos blends, but I’ve found they run very, very sweet.

With my black teas I usually go for a rounded tablespoon of raw sugar, so I scaled this one back to 3 teaspoons. In the future I’ll cut back even further, because this was way too sweet even for my sweet tooth.

And as for the taste? Well, while this was steeping I actually accused my husband of opening a package of strawberry Pop Rocks I was saving for something. Poor guy! While still somewhat affronted, once he tasted the tea he understood. It really does taste – and smell – like strawberry candy.

I made the mistake a couple months ago of ordering a lot of Adagio teas at once. I was so disappointed in the ones that I tried that I stopped trying them at all. Picking out this blend today, I was worried I’d be faced with the same experience. Luckily, this seems to be hitting the spot today. It’s not quite as smooth as my favorite Thai-inspired blend (a Teavana) but it’s a huge step up from the Adagio blends that I had been steeping up. I’m getting a lot of coconut and cinnamon, with some other sweet (vaguely pina colada) flavors.

I can’t list quantity and times today, because my husband made it up this morning.