4374 Tasting Notes
A nice, classic chai. The CTC base is very malty and smooth, and the cardamom is the strongest spice here, followed by the ginger. I do taste a touch of clove and cinnamon as well. The spices taste fresh and aromatic.
I prepared mine plain and added a drizzle of meadowfoam honey, but I think this would be a good classic option to keep on hand for lattes and stovetop chai as well.
Flavors: Acidic, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Earthy, Ginger, Malty, Smooth, Spices
Preparation
Sipdown! (4 | 107)
Sipped through another bag of this, and it’s still just delightful. Perfectly balanced between sweet and tangy, and oh-so-refreshing for summer. To me, the predominant flavor is the orange and lemongrass, but I can taste tart strawberry as well.
So tempted to go ahead and place another order, but I want to make myself drink through some of my pound bag of Watermelon Cooler from Adagio first… XD
Flavors: Citrus, Fresh, Fruity, Juicy, Lemongrass, Orange, Strawberry, Sweet, Tangy, Tart
Preparation
Sipdown! (3 | 106)
Finished off the last of these fairytale tins from Adagio. It was very rainy here at the end of last week and over the weekend, so I was in an autumnal mood. This was perfect for that, as it’s basically a cinnamon candy honeybush with maybe a hint of clove. I think it’s essentially the same as their pumpkin spice honeybush, but with different additions.
Pleasant, but a bit weak and not something I would reorder.
Flavors: Candy, Cinnamon, Spices, Sweet, Thin, Watery
Preparation
Sipdown! (1 | 104)
Another pouch of this favorite finished. I don’t have any more currently, but I have other cold steep teas to work through before I order any more. It’s definitely on my list though, along with Strawberry Guava Jam and Strawberry Orange Sunrise. This last pitcher was a bit more coconutty than usual, probably due to the broken bits at the bottom of the bag, but still pleasantly tart cherry.
Flavors: Apple, Candy, Cherry, Coconut, Sweet, Tart
Preparation
Another one from the summer subscription box.
This is okay, but not my favorite. I don’t tend to like hibiscus and cinnamon together. The combination here reminds me of some sort of blueberry crumble or pie, since it has sweet and tangy blueberry with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutty notes. But the description compares this tea to trail mix, which doesn’t make sense to me given the strong pastry and cinnamon notes. (shrugs)
Anyway, into the rehoming box it goes!
Flavors: Artificial, Blueberry, Brown Sugar, Butter, Cinnamon, Hibiscus, Jam, Nuts, Pastries, Pecan, Rich, Sweet, Tart
Preparation
Really enjoying this blend from the summer box. The lemony herbs are sweet yet refreshing, and a nice mix of fresh lemon and lemon drops. I believe their Tropical Black is pineapple, but somehow it comes out tasting like apricot in this mix. Not that I’m complaining, I love apricot and it’s a great pairing with the lemon.
I’m sure it would be wonderful iced, but I’ve been enjoying it warm with a drizzle of clover honey. :)
Flavors: Apricot, Citrus, Dry Grass, Fresh, Herbaceous, Juicy, Lemon, Lemon Zest, Lemongrass, Smooth, Soft, Stonefruit, Sweet
Preparation
From the summer subscription box.
I’m not a fan of Prickly Pear, so naturally not a fan of this either. I mostly taste the melon-y Prickly Pear with a bit of peach in the background. Will set this aside to rehome.
That being said, I’m quite happy with the summer theme and teas, considering it’s my least favorite season. They chose a summer camp theme which is very nostalgic and cozy, and I feel like it brought a bit of autumn influence in. There are some cozier teas like Horchata Rooibos and a Pecan Pie Puerh blend, as well as garden herbals which I also enjoy. Excited to try the others!
Flavors: Cucumber, Dry Grass, Fruity, Grassy, Melon, Peach, Sweet
Preparation
Sipdown! (1 | 94)
A very enjoyable, woodsy, and mellow white tea. Love the refreshing cedar with the more earthy, autumn-leafy white tea. The elderberry is very subtle, but I do get a soft fruity note in there somewhere. Already looking forward to maybe trying Thésaurus’s holiday-themed advent this year.
Can’t believe it’s been almost 3 years since I kept this from the Strange VariaTEA TTB!
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Berry, Cedar, Dry Grass, Dry Leaves, Earthy, Elderberry, Evergreen, Fresh, Hay, Jam, Smooth, Soft, Sweet, Syrupy
Preparation
Sipdown! (13 | 90)
This one sounded interesting in theory, but was just okay IMO. Mostly it tasted like a mild lapsang, and the added flavors were very subtle (to me, at least). I always found myself wanting more bergamot and vanilla.
Flavors: Charcoal, Earthy, Savory, Smoke, Smoked, Smooth, Sweet, Vanilla
Preparation
Sipdown! (12 | 89)
Just delightful. This strikes the perfect balance of sweet and tangy without needing any sweetener at all. I wouldn’t call it specifically guava, there’s definitely a strawberry flavor along with tart apple, but otherwise it’s a bit nondescript. Perfect cold steep for summer!
Will definitely repurchase in a larger size once I’ve sipped through my current cold steep stash.
Flavors: Apple, Fresh, Fruity, Juicy, Strawberry, Sweet, Tangy, Tart, Tropical
