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I drink tea for the flavor, not the health benefits, so this isn’t a blend I would have chosen on my own. But it was included in the Golden Moon sampler I received this summer and I finally got around to trying it today. It has a fresh, leafy flavor, mainly composed of lemon and mint with just a bit of depth from the dandelion root. Not too savory or herbaceous, which I appreciate! I don’t think I’d repurchase this one, but I won’t have a problem finishing my sample.

In general, I’m not picky about my English Breakfast blends, as I usually load them with milk and drink them first thing in the morning when I’m still half-asleep. But today I’m sipping this at my desk at work, where I don’t have any milk to add, and I’m impressed by how well this stands up on its own! It’s much more complex than I would have expected, sipping in fruity and sweet but rounding out with hints of malt and smoke in the aftertaste. The flavor is robust, but still smooth with no bitterness or astringency. This Golden Moon sampler continues to impress me!

This tea is…fine. It has a pleasant, mild, fairly natural raspberry flavor on a generic black tea base. Definitely nothing to dislike, but also nothing that makes it stand out from other berry-flavored black teas I’ve tried. I’d drink this again, but probably won’t repurchase, as I prefer Indigo Tea Co’s Raspberry Black or Fava’s Triple Berry Suite over this one.

I still consider myself a novice when it comes to oolongs, so I’m not really sure what the flavor profile for Iron Goddess of Mercy “should” be. The description mentioned almonds, honey, and flowers, but I’m not really getting any of that from my first cup! It is a bit nutty, but more like walnuts than almonds (there’s an almost woodsy tang to it) and has hints of smokiness along with that distinctive buttery-smooth texture I expect from an oolong. Overall, I liked this one much better than the “Golden Dawn” oolong I purchased in the same order and am curious to play around with the steeping parameters to see if I can bring out some different notes in the flavor.

This was a bit of an impulse purchase, based mostly on the lovely name. (Who wouldn’t want to drink a cup of “Golden Dawn”?) I’ve loved some of TeaSource’s other oolongs (their milk oolong and Honey Formosa come to mind) but this one just isn’t my favorite flavor profile. It’s VERY floral (feels like a mouthful of buttery flower petals while you’re drinking it) and also has a slightly coppery aftertaste that I find rather off-putting. That being said, it’s obviously a high quality tea; the leave are large, bright green, and very fragrant. Hoping I can pass this one on to someone else who will appreciate it more than I do!

I’ve been slowly working my way through TeaSource’s rather extensive catalog of Chinese black teas and have enjoyed almost all of them, but this one was a rare miss for me. The flavor is very dark and earthy…it almost reminds me of puerh, actually…and too drying to drink straight. With the addition of milk, the flavor does smooth out a bit and I start to get some of those cocoa notes that were promised in the description. I definitely prefer it with milk, but it’s still not a favorite for me.

This came in a sampler box I received as a gift. It didn’t sound like something I’d enjoy (lavender can be pretty hit and miss for me), but I decided to give it a shot. What a pleasant surprise! I don’t actually get lavender from this at all…just very fresh, natural-tasting spearmint with a hint of lemon. Very smooth and refreshing…I’m guessing it would be delicious iced!

I received a free sample of this tea with my last purchase at Fava. They do fruit-flavored black teas really well, so I was excited to give it a try. The aroma was AMAZING…lots of tropical fruit!…but the flavor turned out to be just so-so. I think it’s the blackberry that brought it down for me. Somehow, it tasted more like blackberry leaves than actual blackberries and even though there were brighter notes from the other fruits popping through, it wasn’t the smooth, summery beverage I was looking for.

I got one sachet of this as a sample with my Bird & Blend holiday set and never got around to trying it until now. Although I love earl grey, the ones with vanilla added don’t tend to be my favorite, as the vanilla and bergamot flavors combined often comes across as soapy to me. This one was a pleasant surprise, though! The flavor is smooth and light (it actually worked for me without milk, which is rare for earl grey) and the vanilla and bergamot are well-balanced, with neither overwhelming the other and nothing that’s reminding me of body products (thankfully!). While it will never replace my beloved Letterbox Picadilly as my favorite earl grey ever, this may be the best earl grey cream tea I’ve tried!

Many of the pomegranate teas I’ve tried have been way too heavy on the hibiscus (makes sense…it is the right color) so I’m happy that TeaSource steered clear of that addition completely! I’m not sure the flavor is exactly reading pomegranate for me, but it’s definitely a pleasant fruity/berry flavor with a bit of tartness but no bitterness. It’s okay hot, but makes a lovely, refreshing iced tea. Not sure I would repurchase this one, but I’m glad they sent me this sample!