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Wow, now that’s a reverse experience from Aperitif (also in the wine collection)!
After trying that one, which had been a disaster for me, I had been scared to open up that wine collection box and give another one a go. I wasn’t entirely sure it had been a good choice to do so when I smelled this tea brewed, it smelled a lot like…. mulled wine! Yeah, I know, “what are you expecting from a mulled wine tea? to have it smell like curry?” Of course, of course, but I was really afraid to once again find that alcohol taste in it, which I terribly disliked in Aperitif. Now, I hear you again, “why would you even buy a WINE collection if you don’t like the taste of alcohol?”. That’s a good question, really. Stupid wish of trying every single DT put aside, I never really thought a tea could actually taste of alcohol. That was until I tried Aperitif. But we’re getting off-topic, sort of!

So, the brewed smell did nothing to reassure me. But then I tasted it, and phew, it doesn’t taste of alcohol! It does have a red wine taste though, and it sure looks exactly like red wine (impressive color!). I happen to like it, probably because it’s tart (from the hibiscus I’d guess), and I love everything tart. I would have to disagree with Faith about it not being too different from the other spicy-fruity teas, I think it’s pretty different exactly because of that red wine flavour, but I will totally agree with her about other ones being more worth it, for example Kanpe (or, in the tart department, my new love, Sleigh Ride). But if you love the taste of mulled wine, you might actually fall for this! And careful hibiscus haters, it comes out strongly!

Thanks to the advent calendar for making me try this one! It’s DT’s only oolong I hadn’t yet tried, the reason being I’m a huge fan of straight oolongs, and for some reason, I always felt like vanilla was going to overwhelm it in here and leave me disappointed. Plus, a vanilla-only flavoured tea? I love vanilla, but I prefer it as a compliment to other flavours.

Well, these 2 problems got resolved in one simple way! What the vanilla compliments here is the oolong! I totally get the taste of oolong, and it doesn’t appear to me like they used a cheap oolong for the blend, it’s quite delicious! I don’t get any of the orange mentioned in the description, but that’s ok, just vanilla and oolong is a tasty combination.
The vanilla makes me think of cake, and the oolong makes me think of… well, a nice straight oolong. We all know cake with a nice cup of straight oolong is heaven, so I’m happy to have all of it in one cup!

This smells EXACTLY like the last bottle of sunscreen I bought! I’m guessing it’s the coconut. Though this really sounds weird, it’s not a bad thing in itself; while sunscreen is far from appetizing, the smell itself is pretty nice, and brings back good memories.

Steeped, the coconut I got from the smell is still there, but the lavender comes out a lot more! The combination of the two works nicely, and it’s a relief to see the balancing done right. I remember the now defunct Lavender Zen tea from DT, which was way overpowered by bitter lavender, and it wasn’t too pleasant. Here, the balance is good, and the mint adds just what was needed for- wait, there’s no mint? Well, go wonder! It feels like there’s some, and it feels good! The tea also seems very creamy, probably thanks to the coconut. I like!

Pretty good, but forgettable compared to the other senchas I’ve had.

YUM! I totally agree with some other reviewers, this is Forever Nuts + Kanpe. Maybe a bit tarter than Kanpe even! (at least when you put as much tea as they recommend – 2tbs per cup, 5mins steep)
I looooove everything tart (I enjoy eating fresh lemon!), so to me, this is awesome!