Disappointing so far
October 1, 2014
I don't know if I got an old/stale sampler, or if the teas are just that flavorless.
Upon receiving the tea, I opened all of them and sniffed them, as I do with all new teas I get. I had a very difficult time detecting any scents aside from the black tea base, and what flavors I could smell were extremely subtle. I hoped that perhaps the flavors would come out better once brewed.
Well I have not tried all of them yet, but have so far brewed four of them. Like the scent, there is barely any flavor. It's like drinking the same plain black tea over and over again with only the barest hint of what is supposed to be the additional flavor. If I had to give a blind taste test, I would not be able to guess which ones are which, and most likely couldn't tell some of them apart.
I buy a lot of tea from many different tea shops, so I do know good flavored black teas. This is my first time buying tea from here, and I will give the benefit of the doubt that my sampler was just stale, as the 4oz of Cherry Rose green tea I also purchased had a wonderfully potent and fresh scent, though I haven't brewed that yet. So I would hope that these flavors in larger quantities are more robust.
Would I say this sampler was undrinkable? No. I like plain black tea just fine, and regardless will finish it up. But I can't enjoy it as the flavors that it is supposed to be, and am wary about purchasing larger quantities in case this is just how they are.