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This has been growing on me. For one thing, the dry leaves are really pretty – having read up a bit on Darjeelings, I am no longer baffled by the green and silver tips and general range of oxidation visible. Sharp and flavorful and pretty smooth, drinkable plain when I don’t steep it too hot or too long. Sometimes chocolatey, but definitely has the muscatel thing. Bumping the rating on this because it is tasty, and drinkable plain, and yields at least two steeps.

I got a sample of this from Herbal Infusions, though it looks like several other companies carry the same blend. It’s very pleasant, especially since I don’t have a stock Earl Grey at the moment; this is a sweeter, more flowery EG. Steeping for a full five minutes, there’s very little astringency – enough to be noticeable, but not enough to require milk or sugar (though I’m sure this would be delicious iced and sweetened). It might be a battle between this and the “Earl Grey Creme” blends when I have to choose for my next order…

Now, this tea surprised me a little in how much I liked it. Mostly because it’s pure Ceylon. I bought it somewhat on a whim, wanting to get something in addition to the Steepster Select from LeafSpa, and I was intrigued by the single garden, biodynamic, nature of this one. It reminds me a bit of Golden Moon’s Sinharaja (also Ceylon, so that makes sense), but less delicate, more strongly flavored. Lingering, rich fruity aftertaste. I’m still experimenting with getting a good second steep out of this one – if I do, I’ll up the rating.

I’ve been holding off on rating this one, because I was actually a little disappointed by it. I haven’t had a lot of Yunnan teas, but Rishi’s China Breakfast and Samovar’s Breakfast blend have apparently spoiled me, because this tastes weak. I mean, it’s a good flavor – I will happily drink it – and it has the earth/pepper/smoke/malt flavor, but it doesn’t have the depth and kick I’ve gotten from those other two. I need to use a heaping teaspoon, maybe even 2 tsp, for 8 oz, and when I’ve tried for a second steep it’s been noticeably weaker. Now, if you prefer your black tea without additives this might be good for you, but I like milk, and this tea struggles to hold its own.

I’m happy to have tried this, it was a fantastic deal on Steepster Select for organic tea, but considering that Rishi’s is also organic (and priced similarly) I’d be more likely to buy there next time.

As this cools, I am getting some really interesting, almost puerh-like, flavors. This is certainly the earthiest black tea I’ve had, and might be a good one to try if you’re wanting to ease into puerh.

Finished my sample of this last night, and stuck the third steep in the refrigerator to save for today… wow! So glad I did that, because this last steep chilled is incredibly delicious. Sweet, and honeyed, and yes the pear is still there. I highly recommend this as an iced tea – strongly flavored, no sweetener needed! Bumping the rating a bit for longevity/endurance, three steeps is a lot for flavored tea in my experience.

Just finished up my sample of this – I really enjoyed it, especially knowing what to expect. It’s very strong and musky, gets better as it cools and with a little bit of honey. I like the second steep best!

This is a quality vanilla tea. It reminds me a lot of Mighty Leaf’s Vanilla Bean, which pretty much set the standard for true vanilla black tea for me. It does have little bits of vanilla beans, and the round almost fruity tropical aroma that goes with them. Very well flavored, definitely smooth enough to drink plain, and just barely strong enough to take milk. I got two solid infusions out of this, and would happily buy a tin if I needed to replenish my vanilla tea stock.

Ever had maple-smoked bacon?

I wanted to spoil myself this evening, so I added a tsp of maple syrup to my smoky Caravan. So very delicious! 2nd steep, 6 minutes, likewise. The sweetness and the flavor just make a lovely counterpoint to the savory smoke. I have dark maple syrup, so it’s more flavorful than sugary-sweet, so I wouldn’t normally use it in tea, but I thought it would go really well with Caravan and it does.