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Awesome iced, this may be my new favorite for the warmer weather. The green tea part of this isn’t overly apparent, which would be disappointing for people who are fans of green tea, but the coconut flavor is lovely. It’s refreshing and clean-tasting, although there’s a lot of sediment when I brew this. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since I’ve never had a tea from this company before, but if it’s any indication of quality, I’ll be trying more of their teas in the future.

This is a great tea. From the first steep until the (NOT) bitter (AT ALL) end, it’s smooth and full-bodied, with an earthiness as well as the subtle honey notes I’ve come to expect from a Yunnan Gold. No need to add anything to it, although I could see putting a bit of milk in it after a long steep. Love this tea.

This is the winter sprout from 2014 (I need to note this as Song currently has their 2015 winter sprout available). Subtle oolong flavor with a slight sweetness to it, almost berry-like. I suppose this is the kettle corn flavor they mention in their notes, but it’s coming across as more of a fruity sweetness to me. Very mild, delicate flavor, and the scent of the dry leaves is lovely. I had several steepings, I think maybe five or six, and the flavor held up well, not transforming really, but just intensifying a little with each steep. Could be because I kept increasing brewing time.

Had this iced with lunch today. I thought it would be a good choice, since it’s red, it’s strawberry, and, you know, Valentine’s Day. Nice fruity flavor, more of a general berry than specifically strawberry, and I did get a little bit of creaminess at the end of every sip (how on earth do they do that?). Pleasant and very drinkable. Not sure if I would get it again, but I will definitely happily finish this. Still should try it hot, although that’s not necessarily calling to me.

This was kindly given to me by a dear friend who said it just wasn’t her thing. Good call to give it to me, since I’m famous for loving flavored black teas. I really like a good coconut scented black. It smelled a bit perfumey, almost soapy, which was strange, but I needed to actually brew it. “Brew it, then review it” should be my mantra (sorry, a bit champagne tipsy right now, this IS Valentine’s Day, after all!). Anyway, tried it hot, and the flavor was pleasant, but that soapiness was readily apparent and spoiled it. I decided that sometimes making it iced can dampen some unpleasant off flavors, so I tried it that way as well. No luck. Still soapy. So this is a thumbs down, unfortunately. With so many coconut and coconut/vanilla teas out there that are delicious, I wasn’t going to waste any more of my time with this one. Out it goes…

Dammit – I overleafed the hell out of this one. Plus I gongfu’d it (meh, we try things, sometimes they work, sometimes, not so much). So, not really a fair tea review. Just a note saying: DO NOT OVERLEAF. Unless, of course, serious bitter, tannic results are what’s desired. Now that I know, I may try Western style brewing next time, or another gongfu (I’m supposed to be getting three steeps out of this one) session with MUCH less leaf. I’ll review again, once my throat’s recovered from the tannic assault. Should be promising – I’m expecting notes of dark chocolate, cherry, and plum. Sounds delicious and something I hope to actually experience next time.

I’ve been in the mood for straight blacks recently, maybe because I’ve been sick with a stubborn upper respiratory infection that makes flavored teas less palatable to my compromised taste buds. I got this tea to have as a breakfast tea since I tend to love my black teas with milk. It’s really nice – a solid, strong black that pairs well with milk, as the name indicates. Really nice with a sweet kind of breakfast. No subtlety here, but none expected. I would like to emphasize the brewing time – this one’s easy to overbrew so be careful with the timing of it. Usually with flavored blacks I’m so lazy that I leave the tea leaves in the infuser for the entire time I’m drinking the pot of tea, but I don’t recommend doing that with this one. Respect the brewing time and you’ll end up with a very good pot of smooth, strong black tea – not tannic, almost a little sweet, with a lovely aroma.

Whenever I see a Ceylon Nuwara Eliya, I usually jump on it, as it’s one of my favorites. Broke this one open from my Berlin trip – I was excited to see that Tee & Ton carries it, so of course I had to buy some! This one’s definitely got the subtle refreshing brightness I expected, but much more toned down, more gentle. It’s a solid, great tea and I’ve been having it for breakfast lately with milk. It could be that the milk is affecting the perceived strength of the tea. Ceylons shouldn’t be bold, anyway, but this one may be better “naked” – no sugar, milk or any other additives. I may try it plain, but I tend to drink Ceylons with milk regardless. It’s very pleasant, but doesn’t beat my fave Nuwara Eliya from Lupicia. That being said, if I ever get back to that little shop in Berlin, I’ll definitely get more.

My favorite vanilla black, finally back in my cupboard. A friend of mine was going to Paris and asked if she could bring back any tea for me. I kind of felt bad, but, as long as she was asking, I said, “Sure!” and proceeded to extoll the virtues of this tea. I said to her what I always say when describing it: “It’s so vanilla, it’s practically chocolate!” And so it is – you just have to taste it and then you’ll understand what I mean. Anyway, I just opened the package today to have some for the first time in way too long. It’s still the same, excellent vanilla black I remember. Luscious, not-too-sweet vanilla flavor along with a subtle smoky, woody aspect. Very satisfying, especially when it’s what I expect and remember.

Could I have ordered this myself instead of getting my friend to bring it back for me? Of course. But I always seem to have an excuse not to do that (“I already have too much tea!” or “I need to try new ones!”). So glad I relented, it’s like having an old friend back for a visit.

Such a strange experience with this tea. The dry leaf aroma is pure vanilla pudding, which smelled so enticing in the shop, I just had to buy it. Although it’s a flavored black, I went against my instincts and followed the vendor’s instructions: brew temp of 195 (kind of like an oolong), 2 minute steep. Not what I would usually do. According to the instructions, you can do 2 infusions, which is what I did.

At first, I detected a smoky, very faint vanilla. VERY subtle. I detected some leather in there. Then the malty, almost cocoa notes – could it be from the bourbon vanilla pieces? And then – so weird – a bright note that reminded me of bergamot. There is NO bergamot flavoring in this tea so I was very surprised, and seeing as how I don’t like bergamot anymore, I was not too happy (I overdid it on some Harrod’s Earl Grey years ago, and haven’t been the same toward bergamot ever since). And finally, again, strangely, it finished with an almost artichoke flavor – very subtle as well. None of the flavors overpowered the tea itself, so that was good.

So, not at all what I was expecting. I tried it both with and without milk, which didn’t make much of a difference in taste, but just added a creamy texture, of course. Did the second steep, which held up pretty well, only slightly muted the flavors. And since the liquor for both steeps was a nice, rich red and not overpowering, but not too weak, either, I’m inclined to agree with the steeping instructions provided.

I’m just really hung up on the bergamot thing. It’s not supposed to be there, but it’s all I can focus on, which is really too bad. I was expecting a warm, smooth, comforting vanilla, so I’m a little disappointed, but on the plus side, it’s a very complex brew.