Four O'Clock Organic

Not a strong enough bergamot flavour for me. Just a bit too mild.The black tea flavour overtakes it and is bitter. Still pretty good, just not my favourite Earl Grey.

For quite a while, i drank the classic lipton green tea. Ive tried many others and have too many kinds in my pantry that just did not please me. I was at the grocery store and thought i had a little bitnof hope to try a new tea out. So i picked it up and made it a few minutes ago. I loved every sip of it!! The price wasnt so bad but im asking for a bigger box for christmas! The ingrediants are minimal which i love to see! I drink one a day and i cant get enough! looks like i found my new favourite tea! Even if you guys have questioned buying it but arent sure, i would still give it a try!

This is one of my favorite teas! A really tasty dessert tea, just enough strength and a nice depth of flavour.

Meh.

When I went to Ottawa a few months ago I got a ridiculous number of samples of this and other Four O’Clock teas foisted upon me at a Winterlude celebration. Goodness knows that I love flavoured tea, but this is tea for namby-pamby beginners – overly flavoured and sweetened, meant to be cute and candylike.

It honestly does smell like black forest cake when it’s brewing. But when it cools down, it smells and tastes very chemically, with a metallic sweetness on the back of my tongue and in my sinus cavities thats’ hard to avoid. I’m seriously considering tossing what I have left of this since the flavouring is so obtrusive.

THE RUNDOWN
1) Pre-Taste: I love chai that doesn’t have a too-powerful clove smell. There should be more chai then clove. I also like the bright red color, and that’s after 3.5 minutes of steepage. This was a sample taken from a hotel ages ago, so hopefully it hasn’t gone stale.
2) First Taste: I sense all of the seeds and fruits: cardamom, star anise, and the bush rooibos. I also get that earthiness of clay – like red mud. Dirt but clean dirt if that makes sense. I always tend to add ‘dirt’ to reviews of bagged teas. Not surprising.
3) Second Sip: Oddly, I taste more of the black pepper and clove this time around. Odd, but in this caffeine-free blend I’m not missing the actually tea leaves. I thought I would, but it’s nothing I’m really sensing is lacking.
4) Final Thought: There’s definitely something good int he tea, maybe the sweetness. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be top among my list of recommendations of rooibos chai. Stick with loose for fuller flavor and less confusion in the recipe.

It’s a yummy dessert tea! It smells nice. I have to steep it longer to bring out the flavours, but the spice isn’t overpowering and pairs well with the chocolate. It’s a nice caffeine free alternative to my favourite: Chocolate Chili Chai

I said I used 1 tsp, but it’s a bagged tea, so I used one bag.

Firstly — incredibly cute packaging! I love opening my cupboard to see a sweet little wintry penguin!

But on to the tea itself… This would be a hit if you are the type of person who likes chocolate cake. It is rich without being sugary, and it definitely has the smooth and creamy texture of a black forest cake. It isn’t too rich that you feel sickly, yet it satisfies your sweet tooth. I am not often a fan of “dessert” style teas, but this one is smooth and comforting. Perfect for a snuggly night on the sofa!

One of my favorite chocolate teas. The smell is amazing, but I often find dessert teas smell great but sadly lack in flavour. Not this one!

If you like Black Forest, and have a sweet tooth, you’d probably like this tea. The flavour is uncannily like a vanilla cupcake with some notes of black forest (hints of cherry, chocolate).

Its a novelty tea thats would be great in an assorted sampler or swap, but not something I’d want to buy in larger quantities to drink regularly.

The word gingerbread comes with some real connotations. Some, like the snap of a cookie and the crunchy texture of it and thick frosting are not going to be replicable with tea. The taste however… one can try.
This tea smells and tastes far closer than I expect. While I will admit that I ate a candy cane not long before, and still have the taste of mint in my mouth, the scent of gingerbread is still coming through, and the taste pleasantly hints at the original.
Could it be stronger? Yes. But can I see how it lives up to its name, and be pleased by it? Also yes.

Ah, Herbal Infusion’s Vanilla Cacao is a much more accurate and authentic version of xocolatl than this. This is just… meh. I think someone bought this for me and thus I’ve got it in the house. Should probably donate it, as it’s just outside my taste bud preference.

I don’t even like banana teas but wow. This one is amazing. Especially for bagged. A must try.

I’ve had this floating around in my cupboard for a while, so I thought I’d finish it off.

It’s definitely the smelliest tea I have. Every time I make a cup, everyone around me perks up and leans in questioningly. I occasionally make it at Game for the same reaction. It stops roleplay for a solid five minutes as everyone squints in my direction.

For a bagged (but full-leaf) grocery tea, it’s not too shabby, and though I have no immediate plans to rebuy it, if it’s on sale or something I’ll probably end up picking it up again. Assuming I really have finished it off—I probably have a few more bags of this floating around in various backpacks.

You get berries, chocolate and bergamot in the smell, but only a faint bergamot and (stronger) chocolate in the taste. The chocolate’s a dry cocoa taste, and I’m mostly glad that the berries aren’t supplemented with hibiscus.

This smells super maple-y and wonderful, both dry and while steeping. The flavor’s pretty impressive too – the maple is assertive without becoming overwhelming, and it’s quite natural. I did let it steep for around five minutes, which resulted in a very strong, dark, malty base. There’s a bit of bitterness to it, but to me this is a nice foil for the sweetness of the maple. I’m really enjoying this – thanks so much for letting me try it out, Fuzzy_Peachkin!

I had this tea this morning with a pumpkin scone. It made a perfect fall breakfast!

I really like the subtle, natural maple flavor.

Backlog from this weekend

I went to the Windsor Fair in Maine this weekend and they had a whole shed dedicated to maple goods. So while licking a cone of maple ice cream I picked up this tea and a couple of other things.

The base to this is dark, malty and STRONG! It’s a good thing I didn’t steep it for the recommended time on the box. 5 minutes would have made it far too bitter. At a minute though it was great. The base played really well against the maple syrup-y flavoring. This will be a nice one to have in the winter!

It’s a bit different than hot tap water, I guess. Not buying again.

Thanks Faith for this one :)

I’m quite enjoying this tea. The cocoa is lovely and the chicory/licorice root (I’m guessing) adds a subtle almost-spiciness I wasn’t expecting. It more smells of cocoa than tastes of it. The backdrop is all peppermint. The ingredients work well together. The tea has a strong flavour, yet not one single ingredient overwhelms the rest.

This is one I’d consider having around to bring to work/school since it’s teabags and easier.

The resteep this morning is still quite flavourful. Yum.

I spent the evening sorting through my tea stash, & reorganizing the whole mess. I have a ridiculous amount of tea!

I also boxed up most of my cookbooks. I’m thinking I might sell them on Ebay. My cookbook collections is like the “who’s who”, of vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, & raw cuisine. I spent the majority of my adult life practicing one form of vegetarianism or another, & I adore cookbooks, but I’m not using them anymore. Might as well sell ’em.

Also, the shelves the books were on are now officially covered with my teapots, gaiwans, cups, etc. One more step towards being able to see the diningroom table!

This tea is not spectacular, but it doesn’t have caffeine in it. Unlike many of the people here, I like roasted chicory, & I really like ginger!
It’s my last cup of the day, & it’s the last teabag I had from the TTB “A”. I don’t plan to buy it, so this will probably be the last time I drink it!