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I grabbed a sample of this tea when I picked up some Anti V-Day treat. I was planning to wait until Valentine’s Day to try this sample and have a whole Valentine’s Day themed day of tea. However, my friend seemed very interested in giving this a try so I brewed us up some.

Honestly, when I took my first sip I thought I was drinking Eight Candles because the two tasted identical. As I continue to drink, I realized this one is a bit more dense and has a slight chocolate richness. It is not bad but I think I would reach for Eight Candles far more often than this. It was fun to try though and still very tasty.

An oolong that I don’t mind. Yay! It is aptly named as all three components make an appearance in each sip. Tbh, I was expecting more pineapple and less of everything else and though I wish there was a stronger pineapple taste, I am still enjoying the cup. Though, I don’t think this will be a restock once I finish what I have.

My friend was looking at a package of David’s Genmaicha and mentioned how she had seen tea that looked similar but was not from David’s. I then told her how genmaicha is pretty popular and most tea places will have their own version. However, if we were having genmaicha, I was definitely not going to let the opportunity pass to have some Nina’s Japon. So we are both having a cup of this roasty-toasty caramel treat. MMMmmmmm…

I had a stroke of genius at 4 am last night when I realized that since I use water bottles to make my SBTs, I could pour the cold steeped teas back into the bottles when it was done steeping and use the pitcher to make another flavor. That will enable me to try multiple flavors at once without having to drink a whole pitcher of cold tea by myself in the middle of winter. So now I have 4 bottles of Key Lime Cheesecake SBT to enjoy at my leisure while a pitcher of Rainbow Sherbet SBT steeps in the fridge.

Anyways, I ended up making this tea for a friend and myself. She came over for a day of tea and homework and by the time she arrived the kettle had already boiled and started cooling. I figured I would take advantage of the cooled water and make one of the greens I was sent in swaps. When given the choice, she picked this one out from the box Cavocorax sent me..

I steeped 2 tsps in 16 oz of 165F water for 3 minutes. The result was a very smooth and pleasant green tea. My friend really liked it and though I enjoyed my cup, it was a pretty simple tea. There was a tiny hint of almond and a slight berry sweetness. All very good but nothing I was blown away by. Thank you Cavocorax for sharing. I will enjoy the sample you sent but I don’t think I will be too heartbroken when it is gone.

After the success of Apple Strudel Pistachio, I decided to try the second Cuppa’T Specialty Tea Roswell Strange sent to me in our most recent swap. This smells great and when my sip began, there was a nice pumpkin spice flavor but then it hit me…hibiscus. Ugh. My nemesis! I do not like being lied to and hibiscus is the biggest liar of them all – hiding in all the teas and then jumping out to surprise you with its tartness. Thank you Roswell Strange for sharing but this is just not for me. I probably should have read the ingredients more closely before asking to try it out.

First to write a tasting note and it is part of a swap? Such pressure…

Well first off thank you Dexter3657 for sending this my way. As I have mentioned many times, a fruit tisane with no hibiscus is already a plus in my book. Alas, that is where the pluses end.

There is a lot in this blend and it all just combines to make one generically fruity flavor. It is not sweet, nor tart just fruit. It is pretty hard to describe as there is nothing that really sticks out one way or another. Nothing bad, nothing good, just a fruit tisane. It won’t be hard to drink up but it also won’t be hard to forget once it is done.

Thank you Dexter3657 for sending this my way. I was very excited when it arrived but I grew a bit hesitant after stevia overload in Candy Cane and the heavy rooibos-y flavor of Red Velvet Cupcake. However, I love all things carrot cake and am currently having a carrot cake cupcake and thus found it a fitting time to try this tea. I am happy to say that I have now found a S&V rooibos that I enjoy – and of course it would be carrot cake.

Rather than getting sweetness from artificial sweeteners, it has a fruity sweetness from the papaya which blends nicely with the carrot flavors. The cinnamon chips give it a bit of a spice while the green rooibos is muted and allows the other flavors to shine. This is good but I don’t know if I would choose it over the Della Terra version (which oddly enough, Dexter also introduced me to). I will have to compare the two side-by-side.

Mmmmm…this one is sweet and cake-y and has just the right amount of base to tie everything together. With hints of pineapple to add one more delicious component. I am glad I have one more cup of this tasty tea. Thank you Roswell Strange!

2 tsps of this in boiling water for 5 minutes results in a tasty, tasty treat. I worried when I smelled it because the rooibos was potent but tastewise this is both apple strudel and pistachio. Like saying this tastes like apples doesn’t even cover the flavor because it is specifically apple strudel, sweet and delicious. Thank you Roswell Strange for sharing this with me. Too bad they are not online or I might be order more of this :P

Typically I don’t like smokey teas so when Roswell Strange snuck this into our swap I was simultaneously excited (because I love Sherlock and want all the Sherlock blends even though a bunch don’t sound like something I would like) and hesitant (because the whole package smelled smokey). However, I figured if Roswell Strange was generous enough to share, I should at least give the tea a fighting chance. Plus, what’s Irene Adler without her overt femininity and just a touch of smoke?

When I take the sip, first thing I taste is that smokiness but it is immediately followed by a sweet vanilla cherry. I actually don’t even mind the smokiness because I feel as though it really makes for a unique and complex tea. It truly is Irene Adler in a cup and honestly, it is really quite good. Thank you Roswell Strange for including this. You forced me to try something I wouldn’t normally and I ended up really enjoying it. I am quite glad I have more of this to enjoy :)