Flavour: Papaya Lime

Ingredients: Apple (52.5%), carrot, hibiscus, papaya (8%), sweet blackberry leaves, chicory root, natural flavouring, natural lime flavouring (1.5%)

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: Unknown

Price Range: £7.50

Cups Per Box: 40 (approx.)

Review: This. Smells. Awful – like rancid feet. The taste is surprisingly okay, though. In fact, it is significantly better than the aroma. It’s like lime squeezed on papaya – sharp, a bit tart, and somewhat sweet. The main issue is there’s that lingering citric acid dehydrating feeling from the flavouring, which makes the drinking experience unpleasant…not to mention the fact that you have to smell it each time you bring the cup up to your mouth. There may be people out there who enjoy this, but we won’t be buying it again.

Best time of year to drink this: Probably summer

Best time of day to drink this: Maybe afternoon

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Flavour: Apple & Cinnamon Twist

Ingredients: Apple pomace (36%), cinnamon (19%), sweet blackberry leaves, acidity regulator (malic acid), flavouring, hibiscus, liquorice root, roasted chicory root

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: Unknown

Price Range: £1.60

Bags Per Box: 20

Review: This definitely does apple in a way most apple teas don’t – you can really taste the apple. In fact, it’s so strong that you can’t taste the other ingredients, other than the intense sweetness of the liquorice. It’s kind of like a candy apple in tea form. It was too sweet for us, and too artificial. But we can imagine people enjoying it, especially on a chilly autumn evening when you need a calorie-free treat to soothe you after a long day.

Best time of year to drink this: Autumn

Best time of day to drink this: Evenings

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Flavour: Earl of Dorset

Ingredients: Orange blossom, orange peel, chicory root, lemon peel, liquorice root, elderflower, flavours (bergamot, orange, elderflower)

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: Unknown

Price Range: £2.50

Bags Per Box: 20

Review: So, Dorset Tea were clearly trying to play off the classic Earl Grey blend, but without the black tea. They’ve replaced it with chicory root, and we just don’t think this works – especially because they’ve thrown liquorice into the mix. When was liquorice ever part of Earl Grey?

The smell is like old, soggy grass, with an undercurrent of orange peel. The taste is orange and chicory…and chicory…and chicory…and then liquorice. Too much chicory is bitter, and liquorice is sweet. The two don’t mix or offset each other; they just contrast sharply, so that you get one flavour assault after another.

Maybe this tea is better if you don’t brew it quite so long, but we think it’s an odd combination of ingredients either way. We’re not saying avoid…but it’s definitely not for us.

Best time of year to drink this: Any time

Best time of day to drink this: Morning

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Flavour: Zingy Lemon & Ginger

Ingredients: Apple pieces, ginger (1.5%), lemongrass (10%), natural flavourings, rosehip, sweet blackberry leaf, citric acid, chicory root, lemon peel (1%)

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: Unknown

Price Range: £2.20

Bags Per Box: 20

Review: The smell of this is very hard to define. It’s sort of like lemon sweets – maybe lemon sherbets or lemon drizzle cake – with just a hint of ginger.

The taste is confusing. First, you’re hit with sweet apple. Then there’s a hint of lemon. Then, in the back of the throat, you get bitter chicory root. Finally, as you reach the bottom of the cup, it becomes undrinkably sweet and artificial berry flavouring lingers in your mouth.

There will be people out there who like it, but it wasn’t for us. It’s hard to know which palate this tea is aiming for. You can’t really relax into it because it’s doing too many different things that don’t blend together into one experience. And for something that calls itself Zingy Lemon & Ginger, it’s rather unforgivable that only 11.5% of the blend is actually lemon and ginger.

Best time of year to drink this: Summer

Best time of day to drink this: Afternoon

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Flavour: Apple, Elderflower & Pear

Ingredients: Apple (50%), apple pomace (16%), elderberry flower (12%), sweet blackberry leaves, chicory root, citric acid, flavouring, sunflower petals, pear pomace (1%)

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: 100%

Price Range: £3

Bags Per Box: 15

Our Review: This is a bit of an odd one, because admittedly, it had been sitting around awhile before we decided to review it.  But the reason it had been sitting around so long was that it it’s not particularly nice.

There isn’t a lot of elderflower (or ‘elderberry flower’ as they call it) in this one.  And there isn’t a lot of apple.  It’s mainly pear, mixed with ‘flavouring’…followed by a strong taste of citric acid…and, in our case, a bit of cupboard, too.  It also smelled like a cupboard.  You know when you’ve just cut the grass, and you put your grass-cuttings-covered shoes back in the cupboard?  That smell?  That’s what this tea was like, for us.

Perhaps it’s a little unfair to judge this one based on one brew after the box had been left so long.  But again, we only left it that long because it is so bland, artificial and unpleasant.  And we’ve accidentally left other blends hanging around just as long, and they’ve never come out tasting quite as cupboard-like as this.  That’s why we’re marking this one AVOID.

Best time of year to drink this: NEVER

Best time of day to drink this: NEVER

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Flavour: Apple & Cinnamon

Ingredients: Apple, cinnamon, apple pomice, roasted chicory root, citric acid, sweet blackberry leaves, natural flavouring

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: Unknown

Price Range: £4-5

Bags Per Box: 15

Our Review: The smell is delightful, like apple crumble warming in the oven.  Sadly, the taste is really artificial (that’ll be the ‘flavouring’) and far too sweet.  It’s like drinking liquid cinnamon sweets, but with a hit of bitter chicory and…no apple.  It’s simply horrible in a way that immediately brought to mind Taylor’s Sweet Rhubarb, which was also not sweet at all but bitter and disgusting.

If you’re looking for a good apple-cinnamon blend, turn to Pukka instead.  Their Wild Apple & Cinnamon with Ginger infusion is delicious, and much cheaper.  Another good alternative is from Heath & Heather – or, if you’re willing to pay a bit more, T2 do a great Apple Crumble blend that we love.  In other words, get anything but this Teapigs blend!

AVOID.

Best time of year to drink this: NEVER

Best time of day to drink this: NEVER

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Flavour: Sweet Dreams

Ingredients: Chamomile, silver lime flower, apple, blackberry leaves, chicory root, rose petals, lavender, rosemary, pink cornflower, flavour

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: 100%

Price Range: £7.50

Cups Per Box: 40 (approx.)

Review: The aroma of this blend is one of chamomile and flowers. It’s soothing and pretty, though a little like being punched in the face with potpourri.

But don’t mistake this tea as light and delicate: tastes much heavier than it smells. It’s warming and substantial, almost like you’re eating something rather than having a drink. We can’t imagine having this at bedtime – it fills you up like a pudding after a big meal!

Ginger Tea liked it, but Three Tulsi found it a bit soap and sweet, so it all depends on your taste. Just remember that, if you take the plunge and buy a box, you’ll probably be re-brewing to make it last months – so you really have to like the flavour. We recommend you taste-test it in the shop, first.

Best time of year to drink this: Anytime

Best time of day to drink this: After a meal, maybe dinner

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Flavour: Cool as a Cucumber

Ingredients: White hibiscus, roasted chicory root, cucumber, lemongrass, woodruff, apple, eucalyptus leaves, sweet blackberry leaves, lemon myrtle, lime, melon pieces (melon, sugar, acidifier, citric acid, flavour), flavouring, raspberries, sunflower petals

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: 100%

Price Range: £7.50

Cups Per Box: 40 (approx.)

Review: This one has a pleasant aroma.  It’s fragrant and fresh, like lemons and limes.  Already, we anticipated putting this one on ice and drinking it on a hot summer’s day.

Then the flavour…is just STRANGE.  The first sip is so punchy – REALLY bitter (probably from the chicory), with an aftertaste that WON’T. GO. AWAY.  You can’t really discern any of the individual ingredients.  We didn’t feel cooled; we felt annoyed and confused.

This is one of the weirdest drinks we have ever tried.  It’s like they tried to shove three different infusions into one, just to see what happens – and it doesn’t work at all.  There’s far too much going on in one cup.  We’re marking this one AVOID.

Best time of year to drink this: It smells like a summer tea, but it tastes like something you would never drink any day of the year

Best time of day to drink this: Never

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Flavour: Licorice

Ingredients: Licorice, cinnamon, orange peel, ginger, cardamom, roasted chicory, cloves, orange oil, black pepper, vanilla extract

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: 100%

Price Range: £2-3

Bags Per Box: 17

Review: This is the most deceptively named drink.  Just look at all those ingredients thrown in there with the licorice!  We’re not sure what Yogi were thinking, when they branded this one.

The aroma of this blend is spicy and warming.  The cinnamon calls to mind images of curling up on the sofa under a thick blanket, during winter-time.  As worried as we were by the name, we were excited to try it, once we smelled it brewing.

Due to the ingredients list, we decided to compare the taste of this one to Heath & Heather’s (more sensibly named) Liquorice & Oriental Spices.  (If you’re wondering why we’re spelling that ingredient two different ways in the same review, it comes down to British vs American spelling and marketing.)

This one is milder than the Heath & Heather offering.  There’s a bit of a kick from the spices, but it’s not very strong.  That said, the spice is just enough to temper the sweetness of the licorice.

All in all, Yogi’s blend is fairly bland – but it’s a nice one for those who don’t like the punchiness of the Heath & Heather infusion (Yogi chose to leave out the cloves, which some people really don’t like).  On the other hand, if you’re drinking these for health benefits, Heath & Heather win out, hands down.

We would also classify the Heath & Heather blend as a great drink for waking the senses, whereas Yogi’s blend is better for relaxing in the evening.  So, there’s a time and a place for each, depending on your mood and taste.

Best time of year to drink this:  Winter

Best time of day to drink this: Evenings

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Flavour: Deliciously Dreamy

Ingredients: Silver lime flower, apple, chamomile, chicory root, rose petals, lavender, blue mallow, rosemary, pink cornflower, red cornflower, flavour

Caffeine Factor: Caffeine-free

Organic Ingredients: 100%

Price Range: £7.50

Cups Per Box: 40 (approx.)

Review: This is a pleasant-smelling tea, a bit lemony with a gently floral aroma.  It’s like being at a spa, which is instantly appealing.  However, the lavender is quite strong, which Three Tulsi felt made it taste like eating a bar of soap.  Funnily, Ginger Tea thought it had hardly any flavour at all.  Either way, this was not our favourite, by a long shot.  It’s not bad.  It’s more like the less attractive second-cousin of T2’s Gone Surfing.  If you’re going to spend £7.50 a box, we recommend that flavour instead.

Best time of year to drink this: Any time of year.

Best time of day to drink this: Before bed.

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