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This was a “Shirley Temple Special” from Doulton that I was specifically saving for hot weather. Further research necessary—I didn’t care for my first sip hot; tasted awfully hibiscus-y; but on ice, the tartness took a backseat to the darjeeling. Wondering how it’ll behave with a little sweetener.

Heat advisory continues … still experimenting with what’s good cold. This is, but next round I will double up on tea or steeping time or both to keep the flavor from wimping out.

For an ALDI house brand tea, this makes a surprisingly good jug of iced sun tea. More ginger and peach than Assam flavor, but when it’s 97 and there’s a heat advisory extending through the next 48 hours, subtlety doesn’t matter much. Just mildly fruity and cold.

Received this as a review sample for www.itsallabouttheleaf.com, so I’ll save lengthy comments for that - suffice it to say this is one of the best Assams I have ever tasted. Malty, biscuity … all the good words!

(Later in the 95 degree, zillion percent humidity afternoon … GREAT cold! My husband humors me when I stick tea under his nose to drink, but reverts to commercial bottled most of the time; however, he truly liked this one. Must be the malty freshness. Or the fresh maltiness.)

You know it’s summer when I start out the morning with a bottle of something chilled … but this is really nice straight from the fridge. Flavor doesn’t go south when you’ve stored it for a while.

Made a suprisingly nice ice tea for lunch considering the age of the box (before CS updated the company logo) and the carelessness with which it was stored (shoved semi-closed in the back of a desk drawer). Lots of honey scent and flavor; not much darjeeling.

This one was from Doulton (and continued thank yous for all the little surprises in your care package!).

I do like rooibos, but I am still trying to classify the flavors and additives that belong with it. Chocolate, definitely. Mint…not sure.

I think this would be better with some doctoring…maybe a bit of milk or a spritz of sugar.

Trixie Belden and the Missing Tea
A Steepster Mystery

The first morning sip was fine, light, and winey. But within twenty short minutes of pouring it into a travel mug, the flavor was flat and tasteless as dishwater. Did a nefarious and sinister villain switch the mugs in transit? Who wishes the poor tea taster to suffer a poor morning cuppa? Can the missing flavor be recovered? Only Trixie and her new tea-sniffing Labrador named Tippy can crack this case!

Very, very, very pleasant iced! Doesn’t lose its peachiness at all.

Jillian kindly shared this one … catching some starch, catching some toasted marshmallow in the way-background, sweet on its own without additives. I’ll give it a “strange but friendly like the white-haired neighborhood cat lady.”