The Traveling Tea Box C

The full contents of the Traveling Tea Box C when it arrived.

You may have noticed the blog went silent for a couple weeks. Part of that was a very necessary respite after the Battle of the Earl Greys, but the other reason was that the Traveling Tea Box C made its way to me.

A traveling tea box is one of those fun and unique activities that I discovered after joining Steepster. Someone broaches the idea on the discussion boards and a group of like-minded people sign up for the list. A shipping order is sussed out and then the first person essentially raids their tea stash for both things not to their taste or samples of teas they think people would like to try. They pack them up and mail the box to the next person on the list, who samples or takes out what they want then replaces it with teas from their own stash.

This repeats as many times as there are people on the list - sometimes it even goes a couple times through the list before it eventually stops. They're generally something like $15 to ship, so when I noticed a new list forming I jumped at the chance!

It's been a blast to read the comments people have posted about the teas on Steepster and try to figure out which ones I'd be interested in... and hoping they'll still be in the box when it gets to me!

As you can tell from the pictures, but the time it reached me, the box had visited several homes first, and was quite an eclectic mix! Lots of black dessert teas (which I only indulge in when I don't have to be up early), a large quantity of rooibos, and... well, suffice it to say I spent a very, very wired weekend!

I was careful to write Steepster reviews for all the teas I tried, so you can read them by following these links:

52 Teas – Candy Corn
52 Teas – Mayan Chocolate Chai
52 Teas – S’mores Chai
52 Teas – S’mores Genmaicha
Butiki Teas – Pineapple Cilantro Cream
Butiki Teas – Pumpkin Creme Brûlée
DAVIDsTEA – Kiss My Lips
Della Terra – Double Berry Burst

ESP Emporium – Spicy Chai
Harney & Sons – Florence
Our Sweet Earth – Victorian Vanilla
Ovation – Chocolate Orange Bliss
Ovation – Raspberry Earl Grey
Rishi – Maghreb Mint
Steven Smith Teamaker – Blend 55: Lord Bergamot
Tea Forte – Kiwi Lime Ginger
Teavana – Rooibos Chai
Teavana – Rooibos Tropica

All in all, it was a lot of fun to sample so many varied teas without worrying about the cost, if I could manage to use up the ones which weren't to my taste, and if shipping was going to nix an otherwise splendid order of tea.

I hope the teas I include will be enjoyed and find happy homes during their travels. It was a tea-tasting marathon, but one I'd love to run again!