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Totally approaching this tea from the opposite end and comparing it to the more recent Vanilla Marshmallow blend. I’d say that this one has a mellower base but they are so incredibly similar. This tastes and smells creamier than Vanilla Marshmallow, yet it’s not as vanilla-y. No astringency whatsoever with the base. It’s a nice blend but it’s not what I ideally look for in a flavoured vanilla tea. But I can see others loving this one.

Oh no, the pressure of writing the first tasting note on this one. I tried this the day that my parcel landed and have had it a couple times since, wanting to experiencing it more than once before considering writing anything. Silly me still has my taster of Amethyst’s Gold from my last order waiting to be cracked open, so I can’t compare for the time being, but at the very least, I can compare—mentally—to the original French Vanilla Assam available a few years ago. As a side note, merely thinking of the original 52teas blends is making me feel really old. How time flies! I remember trying French Vanilla Assam in my very first order back in… 2012 maybe? It feels like yesterday. It doesn’t help that I’ll be reaching a birthday milestone in a couple weeks, which has been leaving me crying in my sauerkraut as of late.

So, this blend, I’ll be quite honest. When I opened the package, I was quite disappointed. The scent of the dry leaf smelled a little dusty. Nineteen-02’s Coffee Caramel comes to mind, whose base I sadly described as “pseudo-stale” and reminiscent of Metropolitan teas. Maybe it’s just my nose but that’s what I’m getting.

Steeped, it smells extremely lightly of melted vanilla caramels. In flavour, I am picking up mostly on honey notes, a touch of dried fruit, and there’s a slight smokiness in the far background. It’s not that malty, which I was expecting it to be. I can pick up on some marshmallow root but it’s quite faint, and is completely killed off once milk is added. Overall, it’s a decent blend but not my favourite. I’ve already tried the other two fundraiser blends but have yet to write about them, but I will say right now that I prefer the other two!

Quick note before heading off to walk in the snow to work. Fun! With my FUNdraiser (presumably) on its way and just ordering more of the Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish and Chocolate Eclair (booourns for not knowing these were on the site until this morning and missing out on the Vanilla Marshmallow), I thought I’d finally start tackling my last 52teas order. I always seem behind on these.

I quickly grabbed this because it seemed like a safe bet this morning. Love the addition of apple in an EG. The bergamot is sparkly and a true live wire in this blend. Putting these two notes together was a great idea! A little on the astringent side but nice to drink in the morning. Maybe I’ll try the last of my taster with some milk. Not to mention, the juicy chunks of apples were a flavourful treat after the tea was finished steeping.

Holy moly, this is hands down my favourite Teabento tea that I’ve tried, and I purposely left this one to try last because I had a feeling it would be my favourite.

While I was expecting some chocolate when I initially opened the packet, I didn’t expect this much. Seriously, opening it was like unwrapping a bar of dark chocolate with cacao nibs. Although I haven’t had it in ever, this totally reminds me of Endangered Species chocolate, in particular, this one:

http://www.chocolatebar.com/?portfolio=dark-chocolate-with-cacao-nibs-2

Look at that cute little bat. Just in time for Halloween too. But yeah, dark chocolate tea without the guilt. Brewed up, this has the thickest mouthfeel of all the ones I’ve tried, which is my thing. The chocolate notes are the strongest, followed by grainy sweetness. No bitterness whatsoever.

Thank you so much for the wonderful bento box full of delicious samples, Teabento! This brings me to the end of my sample bento journey, and I can definitely see myself ordering this one.

Sipdown! Between being sick for a few weeks and just being sheer lazy, I burned through the rest of this fluffy bag relatively quickly. This is such good peppermint. So cooling and refreshing. ATR sent this to me as a mistake when I ordered something else and it ended up being an awesome thing because I could see myself getting more of this in a future order.

Thank you, thank you, to Teabento for sending me a sample of this one! I’ve ripped through two cups of this and enjoyed its honey and gentle malty notes. I couldn’t find any chocolate notes either time. There was a surprise woodsy note that popped up as it would cool down but it was very faint. Apologies for the über short review as I’ve been really busy lately and I’m just writing from memory.

Ripped through the last pouch of this I had from last year’s online exclusive batch. With milk, it was a pleasant, welcoming mug of pumpkin pie to welcome the autumn.

Sad sipdown! Would totally get more of this if they have a BF sale this year. Wonderful balance of spices and I can actually taste the pumpkin too.

Thank you to Teabento for the lovely sample! The reason why I haven’t been around to review teas is because I keep getting sick and have been avoiding caffeinated beverages, especially. Had a cold a few weeks ago, then my demanding, new boss was making it difficult to even drink any water throughout the day, which led to dehydration, which led to an ahem UTI. A week of antibiotics annihilated that, plus the cold went away. Ok cool, back on track. Then a few days after I finished those antibiotics (a couple days ago), I woke up with a sore throat that keeps getting worse. Went back to doctor very reluctantly, and sure enough, now I have strep throat. Just can’t win.

But at least I can go with caffeine again? So in walks Black Sheep finally, finally. Have been looking forward to trying this since I received my package.

Maybe it’s because I’m sick but these aren’t as chocolatey as I thought they would be. The mouthfeel is thinner with the most prominent note being honey, followed by some grainy malt. I’m looking forward to another cup of this soon, perhaps when I’m better, to see how the second round would go.

I luckily found a tin on clearance at Indigo the other week and snatched it up. Already ripped through nearly a third of the tin. Has a nice, creamy lemon note accompanying an ultra light green rooibos base. I would have liked a little more flavour but it’s great to drink when you’re sick and need something caffeine-free. I’m currently battling a cold, but because I have been ultra dehydrated due to work, that further triggered a bacterial infection that’s a little TMI, so I’m missing a couple days of work. Hope my manager won’t be pissed at me, ugh.