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This note is really just for personal use – I guess sealing this in a ziploc bag in the freezer after Butiki’s demise didn’t help the flavor any. There’s absolutely no citrus flavor or aroma left, just bitter black tea. That’s not their fault, and I won’t numerically rate this as it wouldn’t be fair.

Wow, my tea has none of these lovely flavors everyone is describing! It does have a lovely sort of broiled peach fragrance, but the flavor is really mostly just a faintly fruity, strong black tea. It definitely doesn’t taste like peach. I wonder if I got a top of the barrel (bottom of the barrel?) bag that just didn’t have all the good stuff in it. There definitely doesn’t appear to be much in there that isn’t tea leaves. I don’t DISlike it, but I don’t find anything special about my bag. I’ll reserve numerical judgment in case I just got a funky cup.

All the descriptions I’m reading sound lovely, but I hated this one! It tasted like hot spinach juice to me, although now that I’m reading others’ thoughts, I can also see asparagus and mineral flavors. I really didn’t get any subtlety from it, and really my nicest thing to say about it was that it wasn’t bitter at all. I do think I probably oversteeped it, but I don’t think that would make enough of a difference for me to want to try it again.

The brewed fragrance is a strong orange oil (maybe even tangerine oil) scent. The brewed tea is a rich orange brown – a pretty color I don’t usually see. The very hot brew is kind of a one-note, but as it cools a bit, I pick up more flavors and they are better balanced. Slightly bitter but not astringent; definitely more of an orange peel than a juicy orange taste; jasmine is definitely present, and there is a nice underlying tea flavor. IIt leaves a very clean taste in my mouth, too. think I like this one, although it won’t be a repurchase. (I think it’s probably a very good tea, I just tend to like other ones better.)

I think this was limited edition, which is good. This is terrible! There is a faint hint of raspberry (though it honestly tastes almost more like apple to me), and no chocolate flavor whatsoever. I’ve tried it plain, with some sugar, with sugar and milk…nada. I mean, OK, it is drinkable but not enjoyable. I’ve held onto this one for a while, because every time I try it, I refuse to think that a tea that supposedly is two of the flavors I most love in the world can be so awful, but it is now time to send it on its way. Blech.

This sounded so good! Chai and oolong, two of my favorite flavors! And my favorite chai “flavor” is usually cardamom, which is listed 3rd in the ingredients, so I should be happy, right? Nope. This has a light chai scent, and it tastes like boiled water. There is a faint, faint cinnamon taste if I try to find it, and an almost green tea flavor (equally faint). I brewed according to directions, and used twice as much tea than it called for, but nope.

I’m not sure how to rate this tea. It has a very clean feel to it, so it is rather refreshing. I find it a bit astringent (more than I’m used to with green tea), but fairly smooth in flavor. It definitely has that vegetal flavor, but not like I’m drinking spinach juice (I’m looking at you, last green tea I tried!). I don’t get much complexity with it, although there is a definite aftertaste. It’s OK, but I don’t find myself likely to go to this one often. However, unlike the previously mentioned tea, I will actually keep this one! I’m not going to give this a number rating because I just don’t feel like I am knowledgeable enough about green teas to judge quality.

This tea just tasted kind of old and dusty to me. It was drinkable, but I had no desire to have more of it. I’m glad I just got a sample of it.

This one has a nice balance of strong tea flavor with the fruitiness, neither one overpowering the other. It is kind of generically fruity as opposed to a particular flavor, but that doesn’t bother me for some reason. I think this is one that would have broad general appeal to a fair number of people.

All the bitterness of grapefruit without the juiciness. I also perceive a faint metallic scent. I love grapefruit, but this just wasn’t it for me.