It finally happened, and I don’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved. Six months in, and Sips by™ finally made what I would call a mistake. Thankfully, it’s a bittersweet mistake. Back in my first month, I noted that I had received DAWN by Turmeric Teas instead of the Lemon Yaupon by Asheville Tea Co that I was supposed to receive. Well, I received it again. However, since I rated it fairly high in my initial review, I can’t complain too much about a second chance to try it out!

My initial statement notwithstanding, Sips by™ did find a winner with Love. I have some issues with overly floral teas, but this particular tea actually lives up to the hype and then some.

Love is a blend of rose, chamomile, elderflower, and lavender but I found that it had a touch of spice that didn’t quite match any of the listed ingredients. To me, it was faintly reminiscent of clove. While they don’t list clove, it was this added subtle bite that tied the tea together for me. Up front, Love is a very smooth blend heavily leaning on the flavors of chamomile and lavender, but with rose overtones.

Usually, this combination would fall squarely into the ‘too floral’ category for my tastes, but the bite in the aftertaste redeems this tea and makes it a pleasure to drink. Not a morning tea, but one I can see drinking in the evening to help me relax.

This tea is unique as far as I’m concerned. While most chai is caffeinated, this example is caffeine free. Drinking it, I feel like I should be feeling a caffeine kick, but it’s notably lacking. Is this a good thing? I’m not sure! This tea, being rooibos-based, has a bit of a unique flavor. It’s definitively chai, but also something more. The cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg add a wonderful spicy flavor to what is a more earthy than normal chai.

All in all, this is far from my favorite chai. It’s not even my favorite chai in this box. However, it’s still an excellent tea that could fit the bill if you are craving chai, but it’s too late at night for a caffeinated drink. I doubt I’ll be buying it in bulk any time soon… if I’m drinking chai, I want the caffeine to go along with it, but it’s well worth considering, and I can’t find a real fault with what they were trying to accomplish.

I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again; this tea is unique. Last time, it was a tea I wasn’t supposed to receive, this time it’s my first ever duplicate from Sips by™. Given how incredible their service has been to date, how personable their staff is, and how much I liked this tea the first time around, I’m giving them a pass.

My second time around wasn’t any different than the first time. DAWN is a silky smooth chai that beautifully blends cinnamon and ginger with the traditional flavor of chai. As I said in my initial review, the ginger is a welcome addition to a tried-and-true recipe. This breakfast-worthy tea from Turmeric Teas is still a massive win in my book that will find a permanent place in my kitchen.

White Rose pretty much lives up to its name; it’s a simple white tea blended with rose petals. Translation: it’s overly floral, at least in my opinion. As is so often the case, I can’t say it’s a bad tea, just not one for me. Sweet I can handle, some floral teas are pretty good, but this is just overpoweringly floral. Given that the aroma and flavor both match what is on the label, I’m choosing to rate this one higher than my tastes dictate, but it will not find its way into my collection at any point in the future.