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This is the (tiny) free sample from my advent calendar order. It seems to be an orange spice sort of blend, which is fine with me.

Unfortunately I used a bit too much water because I wasn’t paying enough attention, but it doesn’t seem to have done too much damage. This has a strong sweet cinnamon candy-like flavor, sort of like Hot Cinnamon Spice from Harney but without the actual sweetness that blend has. The cinnamon dominates the beginning of the sip, and then a bright orange oil note comes in and takes over near the end. The orange reminds me of candy as well, making this a very candy-forward tea for me. The black base has some body but I can’t taste much else, possibly due to the whole too-much-water fiasco… There’s a hint of clove here as well.

Overall, it’s fairly tasty. Probably not something I would feel the need to order since I already have a variant of Hot Cinnamon Spice, but I wouldn’t mind drinking it again. :)

Sipdown! It felt like it took forever to finish this one, as even though it’s only a 20g pouch, the tea is so fluffy and light that it was neverending, ha ha. Not that I’m complaining, I do like this one, and if anything it grew on me even more as I sipped it down.

This has a lovely sweet and mellow herbaceous lemon flavor from the lemongrass and verbena. The ginger is present but fairly tame, adding a nice warmth and a little kick at the end of the sip. The maté has a soft and earthy herbal flavor that blends in perfectly with the herbs. There’s an almost minty quality to it from the verbena as well.

Very tasty. I’m torn on whether I would reorder this, though, because the flavors are so relaxing and would be perfect for bedtime, yet it has yerba maté in it… This isn’t really a flavor profile that I would seek out in the morning, so I suppose it would work for afternoon? Hmm, more consideration is required…

Yay for grocery store impulse purchases! I was in the tea aisle, looking for holiday teas (which they didn’t have yet, grr…) and this seemed too interesting to pass up. I’m an Earl fan, and the added orange sounded lovely.

Honestly I’m not sure I could recognize the taste of saffron. I’ve had it in dishes before, but probably not in a large enough quantity where it was easily recognizable. I see descriptors like “sweet, floral, earthy” via the Interwebz so I’ll keep that in mind…

Really, this is mostly an orange black tea. The orange is bright and zesty, a bit candylike and somewhat reminds me of Tang. I don’t really taste the base tea much at all, perhaps a little bit if I really think about it. The bergamot is extremely subtle, but pokes its little head out at the end of the sip to say “hello!” Can’t comment on the saffron, as the orange is quite powerful and I’m not sure what it would taste like anyway. I do get a slight sweet earthiness that sort of reminds me of paprika in the aftertaste, so possibly that’s it? I’m wondering if the orange flavor is artificial, as I’m feeling a mild tongue-tingling sensation that is usually a sign of that.

Overall, it’s definitely drinkable, but I wouldn’t call it an Earl Grey since the orange sort of wallops the bergamot over the head here. :P

So after ordering some Yummy from Lupicia, which is also a strawberry vanilla rooibos, I remembered I had this one in my cupboard and pulled it out to have tonight.

Does anyone know if it’s even possible to order Nina’s tea online anymore? There used to be a US website I think, and last time I was able to buy almost all of their teas on Amazon. Now the only online shop I can find is for Japan only… :(

Anyway, this is pretty tasty. The rooibos base is quite strong, but I find myself enjoying red rooibos more lately so I don’t mind. It has a pleasant woody taste with a hint of dark caramel. The strawberry is somewhere between fresh and candy, and has a lovely sweet flavor. I’m not sure I really get any vanilla or cream here, maybe a little bit? But honestly I’m okay without it.

Sigh… There are so many teas I never got to try from Nina’s, I hope they aren’t really impossible for me to get now…

ETA – I got a response from Nina’s Paris via Instagram:

“Hi! Thank you for your interest in our products. We are currently working to upgrade our online shop, in the meanwhile you may send your request to [email protected]. Have a nice day!”

❤

I was reminded by the ongoing group order that I have this is my cupboard. Poor Lupicia tins, doomed to be forgotten about at the back of the cupboard… This one is an interesting tin because it doesn’t appear to be specifically for this tea. It has pretty red, pink, and green plum blossoms and butterflies on it, and says よろこび (yorokobi), which apparently means “joy”. Very lovely.

It’s interesting to me that there’s apparently matcha in this blend, because I can’t see it at all. Unfortunately this tea is a bit meh for me. The flavoring is quite light, with candylike strawberry and a little hint of vanilla-esque creaminess. The base is fairly unimpressive, mellow with a soft grassy flavor. I do taste a little matcha (I think) at the end of the sip, with a sweeter and more intense grassiness and perhaps a hint of spinach.

So this one is a bit ho-hum. I definitely prefer Lupicia’s Tochiotome Green for a strawberry green tea, although I’m not sure if they offer that one seasonally on the US website anymore… Luckily I think I still have a tin of it kicking around in the back-of-cupboard abyss. ;)

Sipdown!

I figured I would go ahead and finish this sample off. I’m finding it’s best to overleaf Deb’s teas, so I generally use a whole tablespoon for my 12oz mug (about twice as much as I would normally use). That means I got two cups out of this sample size.

Not much else to add besides what I already said yesterday, this is a pleasant sweet pumpkin spice tea but not something I would feel the need to have in my cupboard.

I just don’t like this one.

This is my second time trying it, as I figured I’d give it a second chance, but I still feel the same way as I did before. The flavoring and the base here is such a weird combination for me, the gunpowder is quite mineral and a touch smoky (as I would expect). And then to have a fruity candy flavor on top of it is just odd. But really, I just have an issue with the flavoring itself. I assume it’s the cotton candy that is tasting super chalky and powdery to me, and reminding me of Tums.

Nope, not for me! I’ll save the rest of the packet for a swap or TTB where someone else will enjoy it more. :)

So this was one of the free samples from my order, as it was the featured “sneak peek” sample for that week. I probably wouldn’t have chosen this myself, as I’m just kind of over pumpkin spice at this point, and it never lives up to my expectations. But nevertheless, here we are!

Pumpkin spice is definitely in the forefront here, with strong clove notes backed up by cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s not overpowering though, which is nice. The added brown sugar and maple crystals do give a nice sense of caramel, as well as a subtle sweetness. I admit, I don’t like the idea of sugar being included in loose leaf tea, but so far it’s been a sensible amount at least, and doesn’t turn the cup into a sugar bomb. I think it’s the coconut here that’s giving a slight sense of crisp and light pastry, although it could also be my imagination…

All in all, pleasant enough. This is not something I would reorder just because pumpkin spice is not really my thing. But I won’t mind sipping down the rest of the sample packet, since it’s the right time of year and all… ;)

ETA: Did I mention I made a second Deb order already? She got me good with those cookie-themed teas…

I quite like this one.

Mostly, it’s an elderberry or blueberry tea to me. There’s a little hint of lemon, but not much. There’s also just a little bit of tartness from the hibiscus that helps round out the berry flavor nicely, and maybe the lemon is blending in there as well. The added sugar only creates a subtle sweetness, thank goodness. I’m not sure whether I get maple specifically? The base tea has a bit of a musty hay note to it, perhaps from the high recommended water temperature.

I don’t really get scone, but it’s a perfectly pleasant elderberry and blueberry tea. I think next time I may try a lower temperature and longer steep, just to see how that affects it.

Sort-of sipdown. This is the last of one 80g packet, but I still have some little sample packets of this from my subscription. I was happy when they started sending the subscription teas in individually sealed 5g increments, it should really help keep them fresh while I dawdle around, drinking other things… :P

Anyway, this tea. To me, it seems like a somewhat dark roast, as it has a rather intense and rustic roasted flavor. It’s almost slightly smoky with a bit of char around the edges over a nice pile of crunchy autumn leaves. I find myself thinking of sitting around a bonfire, bundled up against the brisk autumn chill. Perhaps roasting nuts in the embers, as this has a light nuttiness to it as well.

It’s supremely comforting, and so perfect for the season, although the weather here has been too warm for my tastes lately. I couldn’t be bothered to get out a kyusu this time to steep this properly, but I’ll have to do so in the future.