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Tea #1 from Another Traveling Tea Box?!?!?!

My husband made off with my travel mug and used it for coffee… he managed to get the coffee taste out, but what I didn’t know is that he left a little dish soap flavor, too.

What of the tea I could taste – around the Seventh Generation – lived up to the name. A black base that did a quick-stepping little dance with the notes of a piña colada. Interesting!

Mmmm…. yes, a good way to wake up this morning, and to take a chunk out of the chill.

I had absolutely no idea it would take this long to get over strep. The nose still just won’t stop! Things cleared up enough I was finally able to sample this tea, but it didn’t really spark with me. Maybe we can blame that on messed up sinuses, or maybe it’s just a little… eh.

Strep totally, totally sucks. This has been helping a little, and it’s been pretty much the only tea-like beverage I’ve come close to enjoying lately. Kick in, meds, kick in!

This is actually one of the better teas from their holiday sample pack. Sweet and nutty, and fairly smooth as well. Not the best, but drinkable.

Ooooh… an absolutely fabulous way to ring in the new year! This is an excellent chai with a wonderful balance of spicy and sweet. Jake and I both love it, and it’s totally going on the shopping list.

Thanks so much OMGsrsly for giving me the opportunity to try it!

My wonderful husband made me a cup of this before he left for work, so I’m not entirely sure how he prepared it. Based on the somewhat thin flavor, I think he may have only used half the suggested dry leaves on accident, so I’m going to wait to rate and post more about it until I’ve had a chance to steep it up myself. But, shhh… we won’t tell him that!

This is yet another tea from my swap with OMGsrsly – they’re all just too tempting to leave them alone!

I eyed this tea last time I was in a Teavana, but since I promised my husband I would only leave the store with one tea (and only as much as would fit in the tin I was refilling) this one lost out to the White Chocolate Peppermint Rooibos. I’ve been curious about it ever since, so I was happy to get my hands on a sample.

Teaware: 16oz ForLife glass mug and infuser
Measured dry: 3 teaspoons
Temperature: 195º F
Steeping Time: 3 minutes
Additives: 3tsp raw sugar

Like most Teavana teas, the dry blend is very chunky but the pieces are somewhat smaller than the others I’ve tried. Looking at it right now, I am a little surprised it’s listed as an oolong, because the small pieces of leaves I can make out look more like a chopped black.

When I poured in the water, I was a little surprised to see a slight brown foam forming on the sides of the infuser. I don’t know what that was, but when I removed the infuser it went away. I think it may have become part of the cloudiness in the cup, or the oily film on top. There are a lot of little particulates in the bottom and throughout the cup, but I’m not worried about it, because it seems to be part and parcel of the Teavana experience.

The actual flavor of the tea does evoke the memory if not the experience of a pumpkin dessert. I’m not getting the brûlée aspect of caramelized sugar, but there is a certain creaminess to it and a sweet little kick of spice in the aftertaste. I’m glad I got to try it!

This is another tea from the swap with OMGsrsly, and unlike the last tea this is unquestioningly a holiday tea.

Teaware: 16oz ForLife glass mug and infuser
Measured dry: 2 teaspoons
Temperature: 212º F
Steeping Time: 3 minutes
Additives: 3tsp raw sugar

Despite the fact the ingredients list peppermint and not spearmint, the dry tea smells overwhelmingly of sweet spearmint gum, and I can’t catch a whiff of the black tea or marshmallow root at all. I’m not sure what to expect from the marshmallow, but I’m curious to see how it will translate into the cup.

Now that it’s steeped, the black base has definitely come out to play, and the tea itself is a lovely dark amber. I’m still getting a bit of spearmint gum here, but it’s a lot milder than the dry aroma. I can’t pick out any contributions from the marshmallow root, but it’s still very sweet, beyond my raw sugar alone, and leaves a minty aftertaste and tingle in my mouth after each sip.

This is an interesting one, and I’m glad I got a chance to try it!

This is another of the fantastic teas from my swap with OMGsrsly. I requested it for my holiday tea project, but it’s striking me more like a summer blend than something specific to the holidays. Here’s how I made it up:

Teaware: Mesh tea ball in china cup
Measured dry: 1-1/2tsp
Temperature: About 170º F (boiled it then got distracted)
Steeping Time: 4min initially, then added 1min
Additives: 1-1/2tsp raw sugar

After I first checked the steep, it was a little light and I wasn’t picking up any plum at all. Adding a minute to the steep helped bring out a fruity aftertaste, but I’m not sure if it’s ever going to be very overt. The black tea is really the predominant note here, with maybe a hint of the cornflower and cinnamon. Because I did over-steep it a little, there is some noticeable astringency.

I have enough left over to make one more cup, and I think the next time I make it I won’t worry so much about pushing it into turning plum and just enjoy it as a slightly different blend of black.