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a quite tasty traditional chai with all the correct spices. Can brew up strong, so would likely take milk well. I don’t drink it milked…perhaps a little touch of sugar to help bring out the sweet spices is all I’ll add. I’ve not verified what all the spices are in this Chai, so taking a stab at a couple that stood out…. There is either some black pepper or ginger…just enough to give it a little tingle and spice heat on the tongue. Cinnamon and clove…definitely a clove finish. A bit harsh and astringent at first…cut it with some more hot water and a touch of sugar and the harshness mellowed. The astringency was there, but ruined by the the sugar after it was added.

The dry tea fooled me when I opened the sampler…I’d have sworn it was an Earl Grey. A very fruity, floral smell. However, its definitely a bold and malty Assam. This tea expresses the epitome of Assam teas in my opinion; I just wish I liked them more than I do ;-) Personally, I’d love to dump some Chai spice in to this…it’d make a fantastic traditional Chai.

resteep. pretty weak and the malty flavors have gone flat. Not wasting my time with it.

Another from the Xmas TeaFountain sampler pack. TeaFountain’s description says “malty & sweet”; I’m not sure about the sweet part, but malty…oh yeah! In fact, that is the dominate taste to exclusion of a lot of anything else. To sum it up, Bold, Malty, not overly complex…a good tea for savory foods like the salty, thick-cut bacon I’m munching on.

My first foray into Roobios. The smell of this tea made me smile when I opened the package. Dried sour cherries, no mistaking it. I prepared a cup using the paper tea bags included with my order (handy things, may have to get some more). I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had hopes based on the dry leaf smell. I wasn’t disappointed! Cherries and whip cream flavor…yumm!
I don’t know if this is related to Roobios, but shortly after drinkng it, I had a significant headache. Bears some testing.

The orange taste is just a hint, sort of in the back of the mouth, but its definetly there. It brewed to a burnt orange/ochre color…much lighter and not nearly as “red” as normal black teas, and not the pale yellow straw/green I associate with green and white teas. Complex flavor, but not in the class of some of the Darjeeling’s I’ve been sampling lately. Slightly tannic, especially as it cools, and/but not heavily astringent. Mildly grassy smell when steeping. Used 1 heaping teaspoon, as suggested on the sample

Resteep – not much here, even after 10 minutes of steeping. There is some color and flavor, but not much. I was stingy with the leaves the first time around.

2nd go around on this tea. I’m not usually a fan of Irish (and Scottish) tea. It’s normally a bit strong for me. However, this Irish Breakfast is just about perfect, in my opinion. It has a much bolder, darker taste than English Breakfast, but it’s not overdone.

This is first rate! 1 tsp w/195 water for ~3 minutes. Brewed to a medium green/brown swampwater..ok really, thats what it reminded me of. The flavor is light and very complex. Hints of Green Tea, slightly sour (acidic) and tannic. Has a flavor that stick with you for awhile. It would be a good tea for when you want something lightweight but flavorful. Could be mistaken for a whole leaf green tea.

Trying this again. A little bit goes a long way with this tea. Easy to oversteep as I found out. Having learned that lesson, I’m giving it another go.
I’m not getting Earl Grey from this tea, despite the smell of the dry tea. Its coming across as harsh and bitter, as in a citrus bitter. The flavor mellows a bit and becomes less bitter as it cools, but its still not quite right…and still no “Earl Grey”. Given that there are so many other Earl Grey’s out there that I like a lot better, I’ll not waste my time on this one again in the near future.