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I thought this tea might be super tart because of the cranberries, but as it happens, I don’t think I would guess there were cranberries in this if I hadn’t read about it. The tea is extremely fruity in a general berry kind of way. It reminds me of Paris, but it’s like the balance of flavors has shifted. Paris tastes like an equal blend of berry, vanilla, and chocolate. It’s smooth and mellow, and like the dancers in a chorus line, no one element particularly stands out. In Boston, the berries are dialed way up – it’s sweeter and there is a touch of tang, and the vanilla, almond, and chocolate have been given a minor role. (I can’t find anything that says there should be chocolate notes in this, but I am tasting them nonetheless). They’re both delicious, and while I wouldn’t expect to need two such similar teas, I do. I must have both. As soon as I finish up this sample I’ll be putting in an order.

This delicate tea is meant to be steeped at a cool 125F. I don’t know if I actually got it that low, but I hope I was close (it doesn’t taste scorched at any rate). It has a strong spinach flavor with some parsley bite.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this sample, mostly because I have such mixed feelings about chocolate tea, but this is delicious! It’s like a rich, buttery tea with a touch of macaroon. I don’t know if the pink flower petals are contributing anything to the flavor, but the they do dress up the leaves

Eh, this is my first houjicha and I don’t know what to make of it. It looks like miniature wood shavings. It smells like licorice. And boiling water, really? Is that how they’re usually prepared? The flavor reminds me a bit of some of the more mushroomy oolongs I’ve tried – like se chung and wu yi – but it’s not as strong. Loamy and woodsy. I don’t know, I think this one might just not be for me.

Smells like brown sugar. Tastes like it a bit too, and also has some malt and a touch of citrus flavor, just like the label promises. This is another Plucky orange pekoe, and the flavor certainly has a great deal in common with the other pekoes I’ve tried from them, but the differences are noticeable. The OP1s had strong honey notes, while this one leans toward the darker side with the malt and burnt sugar notes. It’s also quite a bit brisker.

Had high hopes for this one, because I love peachy ginger tea, but I am getting no peach and barely any ginger. I checked the other reviews, and while no one’s particularly raving about it, they don’t seem to have this peachless gingerless problem, so I don’t know if I just got a bad batch or what.

Mmm, I could smell the honeysuckle the moment I opened the tin. Now that I’ve had 4 or 5 honeyish oolongs from Taiwan, it’s dawning on me that this is no coincidence, this is the place honey oolongs come from, and my ears perk up now every time I hear the name. Such a great flavor. As The Snooty Tea Person noted, this one also has some interesting seaweed notes, and though it’s not something I’d think would go with the floral side of the tea, it actually tastes quite good.

The label mentions dark chocolate as a flavor note, and I’m definitely picking up on that, though I think it might be a little closer to carob. There is also a touch of smoke flavor, and though I’m not really a fan of smoke, this is light enough to be pleasant. I think this is probably the darkest oolong I’ve ever had, both flavor-wise and the color of the leaf. At a glance, the steeped leaves look like shiny raisins. On closer inspection, they look like very knotted thick string, because even after a 3 minute steep, the leaves have barely uncrinkled. Smells a bit loamy and mushroomy, but this isn’t really translating to the flavor.

Unsurprisingly, this is nearly identical in taste to the OP1 with tea flowers (also from Plucky Tea farm) that I tried over the weekend. It’s the same tea sans the tea flowers.

Still delicious though :)

A pleasant savory tea to relax with. Spinach, green bean, and chicken soup notes.