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This has a thick texture and malty flavor that makes it very satisfying, and it is smoother, less bitter than most assams. There is an oaky thing going on which is somewhat unusual and very pleasant. With it is some to-be-expected astringency (comes in mainly at the end of the swallow and lingers lightly), but nothing unbearable or even that noticeable. And as always, the dry leaves are beautiful, long and unbroken; these in particular are a bit pale like tiny golden tree branches. Lovely without being so complicated/distracting as to require full-on attention.

With a splash of milk, this really does taste very much like black tea chai, smooth, warmly spiced, and rich. I love that the spices aren’t wimpy. The tea also looks beautiful with some milk; I’ve heard it said sometimes you can tell a tea blend is decent by how it looks brewed with milk—some stuff takes on a dirty dishwasher, washed out streaky grey appearance while better blended teas stay smooth and might turn opaque. This does the latter, turning a pretty opaque taupe with some shell-peach undertones.

I don’t smell or taste the rooibos at all—pretty impressive, on the level of H&S Vanilla Comoro at coming off like a decent version of its standard black counterpart. Until I find better (if I ever do) this will definitely be my late night go-to chai fix. Yummy.

This tastes a lot like chocolate banana flavored things—not to say it’s artificial necessarily, but you know how there’s that banana smell from confections and stickers and whatnot versus being at home and dipping a fresh banana in chocolate and sticking it in the freezer or fridge? This is more the former than the latter. And that has its place too. On the other hand I am impressed with the almost…juicy tartness of the aroma, like real, fresh banana cooked in something. And the flavor becomes more authentic tasting as it cools. My understanding is banana is hard to get right as tea flavors go. The mouthfeel is surprisingly thick, weirdly almost like eating a real banana too.

The rooibos flavor is ever present too, a little more than in some rooibos dessert teas (it doesn’t bother me but just a heads up for those who don’t care for it).

I’m curious how this one would do with a latte treatment…

This one’s pretty too; I guess Persimmon Tree’s teas brew up nice hues in general. It has all the trademark characteristics of an EB blend while seeming a bit lighter and a lot “cleaner” tasting. It’s almost refreshing, relatively speaking. I like how despite that cleanness there’s also an element of black pepper, almost spicy. Delivers if you’re expecting an EB while being just distinct enough in a pleasant way to hold your interest.

That classic, comforting nostalgic “plain ol’ black tea from when you first drank tea at all” flavor I sometimes allude to, well, this is that in spades. Like going home again in smell and taste, with maybe a little richer body than typical. A little toasty, a little sweet, just enough bitterness and tannin, just as you remember from long ago but better, somehow both smoother and less weak or watered down tasting. You know. If regular ol’ teabag black tea in restaurants was actually good. Naming it “Vintage Black” was smart.

Once in a while I absolutely crave that sort of thing, and nothing else—no fancier or “better” premium additions or usually tempting flavors—will do. This would be ideal for those times. Very satisfying and a good reboot/reminder of my tea beginnings for when all the bells and whistles and hundreds of choices of tea become overwhelming. Fills an important niche for me.

It’s also, for that sort of thing, a rather pretty cup of tea. Dark and smooth and silky looking, nearly like manual pour-over coffee. Would make a great breakfast tea.

Wow this tea has a very strong fragrance brewing, of vanilla and flowers. I’m not complaining—I prefer my earls on the strong, heavily fragrant side, and able to withstand some milk or raw sugar.

This one’s strong in flavor too! Could definitely be cut with milk and/or sugar. A little bitterness but not much, next time I could steep it for slightly less time if I didn’t want to deal with milk, but it’s fine solo right now really. Sweetness and vanilla, lots of that “extract” and perfume feel. I could be misidentifying but I think I can actually see specks of vanilla bean at the bottom of my cup, and that doesn’t surprise me given the aroma and taste. The citrus comes in at the end, a nice surprise and not too tart but definitely present enough to keep you on your toes.

This is one of those Big Ones as earls go, clobbering you all-around—in vanilla, in bergamot, in everything. For me, that’s not a problem!

This one’s a pretty and slightly unusual color in the cup, a dark copper tone with more red with its brown than most unflavored black teas. Dry and brewing it smells like a much lighter/fainter sister to darjeeling or blacks from Nepal. It does have that astringency and mellow but ever present tannin one associates with those teas, done lightly. There’s also an element of warmth, warm spices somehow that darjeelings often lack, and it’s rather pleasant combined with the more typical darjeeling-ish light and floral qualities. It’s also somewhat sweet as these types of teas go, a kind of honeyed sweetness that is not unwelcome at all. I like! It seems I enjoy when darjeeling qualities are mixed with brawnier, warmer, richer, or smokier elements (exhibit A: my fondness for Upton Imports Baker Street Afternoon Blend).

Bummed I had to use the stovetop kettle for this as when I went to use my Russell Hobbes electric one today there was a rattling noise coming from the sealed base and then a screw flew out of the inside. The thing has a warranty—I contacted them this afternoon—so we’ll see. It was super cheap as these things go anyway—less than $40—but I really did like it, especially because it would keep a BREWED pot of tea warm, not just heated water (that way you don’t have to keep steeping every cup you pour to keep your tea warm long enough). And it was so fast! Going to miss it while I figure out what’s what. This weekend has been a little annoying—other disappointments with long-anticipated orders I won’t get into right now plus some drama in my social circle and stress about my husband’s job security—but oh well. There’s always tea, right?

Smells and tastes great! Fresh, and sweet but not unnervingly so. I’d had negative experiences with green teas in the past but I must say so far everything I’ve tried from Den’s has been very enjoyable. It helps you can use boiling water according to their instructions (why, I don’t know, but hey).

Also, this seems like it’d be fantastic iced. Can’t wait!

ETA: So I had like 6 cups of this today (using 2 teaspoons for the entire day’s worth and my new mana-tea infuser, yay! Not-so-little guy served me well). So good! I love how after you drink it you still have this lovely mouthfeel and flavor just like you’ve eaten really juicy pineapple (it’s similar to how Joy’s Teaspoon Lemon Zest gives you an oily citrus zest mouthfeel that lingers long after finishing the tea). I get it most at the roof of my mouth.

Man this is tasty. Brewing it smells like popcorn, no surprise there, and I love how vibrantly green it is in the cup! It tastes delicious, like a toasty, buttery snack with a fresh-veggies element from the green tea. Yum! No bitterness nor any of that overt grassiness that tends to keep me away from green teas. I also like that it doesn’t require a finicky brewing temp (my thermometer method is clunky). I could easily see this becoming an afternoon “snack”.

Got this as a free sample directly from Misty Peak, woo hoo. My first pu erh (I bought a box of it for cheap at an asian grocery store years and years ago, but never actually opened it, oops). I had some trepidation because a lot of the funkier, more esoteric but more fiercely beloved types of teas among aficionados—oolong and pu erh!—I still don’t seem too into due to what I perceive as a funky, seaweed-y, marshy element. But this was a really great introduction for me—I’m guessing it’s relatively mild as pu erhs go because dry and brewed it doesn’t smell that funky or marshy, and while there is some of that salty butteriness and a bit of vegetal, seaweed-like character in the flavor it’s not overpowering at all. There’s also a clean, sweet-like-fresh-water flavor I’m really digging. Impressed with the texture too; it has a medium body, just right (and more than I was expecting for some reason), with a luscious, silky mouthfeel. I like it! The copy is right in that this is a tea for contemplation, one to take your time with.