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This tea has blown my mind in the best way.

My first Bird & Blend order for a couple advent calendars (because I have a problem) contained a bag of this as a sample. I’m frequently disappointed by pumpkin spice everything. I love a good pumpkin pie, but it just rarely works in the other things I’ve tried.

Here, it works. I get the scent of pumpkin pie immediately, and it tastes mostly of a general, mildly bitter black tea at first hit. But as it settles I get all the squash and spice flavor of one of my very favorite desserts. It’s everything I want the pumpkin spice craze to be!

A sipsby pick from last month; they’ve definitely been on a “send earl grey” kick for me lately. It’s a good thing I’ve learned to enjoy them!
This one is decent, despite the fact that I don’t enjoy lavender. The lavender is balanced well with the vanilla and bergamot, and while it isn’t my favorite even of the vanilla earl greys I’ve tried, it’s pleasant enough that I’d be happy to pick it up if I needed a quick and reliable tea off the shelf.

A sipsby pick from this month, and a disappointing one at that. I love a good, spicy chai and having an option with extra caffeine was exciting to me.
I don’t get much chai from this at all. There’s a hint of spice that’s almost entirely overpowered by moringa. I can see this working for someone who likes more subtle flavors in their tea, but it isn’t for me.

Another Dryad sample from the huge and gorgeous box! Lemon is definitely the dominant flavor here, and “bright” is an appropriate descriptor of the tea. It is reminiscent of many black tea/lemon combos that go heavy on the lemon; unfortunately, most of the other flavors are lost here in the blend. It’s fine hot; if I tried it again I’d definitely go the iced route.

A heavy hibiscus blend, this is tart and absolutely gives raspberry vibes. I drank this hot but would 100% cold brew it as well. Lemongrass and licorice made me wary of this tea when Sipsby sent it, but the lemongrass is subtle and I don’t notice the licorice at all. If you’re not a hibiscus fan I’d steer all the way around this one, but thankfully hibiscus is my favorite base for an herbal tea!

I love every word in the name of this tea and was delighted when the package I got from Sipsby suggested a cold brew. I dumped the whole packet in and went happily on my way, until the next morning when I tasted a vaguely tropical something and…nuts?
I cannot begin to explain it since nuts are nowhere near the ingredients, but I got a couple of people to agree with me, so I’ll take it. Thankfully my brother thought it was great and was willing to finish it off for me.

A little more than a year ago, when I was desperately searching the internet for any kind of home remedy that might help increase my milk supply/allow me to pump more, I found this tea. I just had to try a bag. Since I’m just finishing it now, you may be able to tell how well that worked.

The tea itself is a strong herbal flavor and very medicinal. It’s not my preference in flavor. I generally prefer teas without added sweetener, but this one called for honey in my book. Honey made it almost more reminiscent of medicine to me; thankfully it also helped take away from the feeling that I was drinking a cup of herbs randomly tossed together.

Does it work? I noticed no difference in my experience. Staying hydrated in general helped, so if this is the way you want to do that, it’s a fine choice. I didn’t enjoy the flavor and didn’t notice any impact. Drinking it now, with lactation behind me, it mostly tastes like the sadness of those several months; I’m glad to have the bag behind me.

This was a sipsby selection, and on the surface is very much my vibe – a dessert tea with a little spice. They sent it in teabags, and of the four I drank, two had a solid spice component, one had a noticeable but tame spice, and one had almost no spice at all.
Without the spice, it’s still fine for a dessert! I like a little chocolate tea, and this sweetness makes sense because it’s very much a s’more. The inconsistency just makes it hard to take this tea from a like to a love.

Aside from its terrible name, I’m generally in favor of this tea, which has surprised me all over again with each cup.

Rose, cocoa, and clove don’t feel like they should go together, but I am a fan of all three. The scent gives clove and smoke with a background rose. On a sip, the bitterness hits first, but is quickly followed by the cocoa, with the clove and rose finishing at the end. Every cup out of this sample pack has been balanced and strong.

I’m a huge fan of a strong, potent rose and spice, so this is mostly a win for me. The bitterness up front is my biggest sticking point and keeps me from putting this up with some of my other favorite teas. I find it fascinating, but don’t feel like I need more.

This tea really struck two different chords when hot vs. iced. The clove is most noticeable when hot, and especially when sticking to the shorter end of the recommended steep time. Steeped longer and colder, the mint stands out above the clove. Both are noticeable in either version, but depending on which flavor you want to see most, you may choose a different brew!