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My RoT favorite. I’ve been having some serious reservations about sweet tea lately, and sweet is pretty much the last thing genmaicha is. Warm, earthy, toasted. RoT’s version is pretty tame compared to some others I’ve tried, but by itself I don’t think it needs to be any stronger. Just a super pleasant kind of woodsy toasty rice flavor. I would say to those just trying this, be prepared for a rather distinct toasted rice, or popcorn-ish flavor. In my experience with genmaicha this is usually stronger than in Tea of Inquiry, but it does not go unobserved here.

Not awful, but seriously lacking in the way almond comes across. Smells pretty solid, light amaretto-fragranced black tea. Not particularly sweet, always felt this came across as more of a black tea with a hint of almond liquor. Solid for days when I’ve decided I abhor sweet, but not for me just about the rest of the time. Wanted to like it more.

If and when I am in precisely the right mood for this tea, it’s perfect. Unfortunately that moment comes across maybe once every couple/few months at best, and the rest of the time I really want something with more kick. The fragrance is amazing, truly lovely. Warm, earthy, summery, and sweet, it’d ROCK if only the flavor came across so well. I’m incredibly tempted to try this this in an ice tea blend with some lemonade. If I manage so and it’s any improvement I’ll have to update.

Lemonade update (random yes?): Flavor DOES seem improved upon with the addition of a lemonade. The tannins became more obvious, so used a higher ratio of lemonade to tea to compensate. Agave helped, but made it too sweet for me. Not so sure about the pairing, I think the lemonade trick probably works best with something like passion fruit. Worth a shot though.

Wow, why did I not review this sooner? I absolutely adore this tea when I get an intensive almond craving. Not the earthy nutty almond, but the “I need marzipan NOW” sweet almond. And coconut! It’s hard for me to pinpoint where the almond ends and the coconut begins but regardless. Almond doesn’t feel like a background flavor for this, it’s sweet, almond, with a touch of black tea.

To date I’ve yet to find an Earl Grey I appreciate more, either in flavor or simply for being so darn affordable. Twinings is just lovely. Nevermind I can find this virtually anywhere, at any given time, with no trouble what so ever. Yay, I found my EG.

I wanted to like this tea, there ARE green teas out there I very much enjoy. The fragrance for Honey Ginseng is lovely. It’s a little earthy, a little grassy, a little spicy and a little floral. I can definitely feel the kind of musky background note of honey in it. Steeped, it reminds me of a incredibly tame chai, but a chai mixed with flowers? I’m not so sure about this one. It’s not bad, I just don’t see myself purchasing this again in the future.

I feel bad for not having posted about this sooner. I’ve been smitten with this tea since I placed my order back in …April? I was incredibly fortunate in that my sister had ordered some as well and decided it wasn’t for her. I’ve been on a not-so-sweet tea kick the last couple of months involving some unflavored assam and ceylon, but this has still been making my drink hard with a vengeance list despite it’s clear inclination toward being a sweeter tea. I distinctly pick up more of the the “buttery” notes than the maple, though while the maple somewhat tries to sneak away in flavor, it’s present and accounted for in the fragrance. Ooh the fragrance! The fragrance is wonderful. It’s a Sunday morning breakfast over newspapers with orange juice and the works. Slightly malty, slightly savory and slightly sweet, it’s been great for when I can’t make up my mind and not burning out on something stronger while pulling all-nighters for school.

I love it! I’m almost supernaturally compelled to give this tea a perfect score. That this was posted to the 52teas permanent collection couldn’t possibly make me happier. I am horribly biased when I say this but I’ve never had a better tea. The Blueberry Zabaglione was my first 52teas flavor, and it is absolutely to die for. This is going to heaven. I’ve never actually had Zabaglione, but I can certainly detect an aspect of custard and wine in this tea. Add some almond milk brings out an amazing strawberries and cream/strawberry shortcake quality. The blend feels both subtle/delicate, as well as complex in that the strawberry is just as much at the forefront as the tea itself. Everything about it is wonderfully complimentary. Can a tea actually be perfect? I don’t think it can get any better than this.