Teapigs' teas taste absolutely wonderful to me, a simple non-tea drinking lunkhead

Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.

For a while, tea entered my daily routine. Not good tea, mind you. Weird, low-budget grocery store flavors like eggnog and the plainest green tea packages available.

This didn't last. Coworkers sent me a coffee maker when my daughter was born and I switched over to the more caffeinated of the hot drinks in short order. I still like tea, but I'm more likely to roll with some unsweetened big brand from a giant carafe at a conference or restaurant than make it myself.

Teapigs, however, brought me back to the medium. The luxury-ish brand -- their tea is steeped in temples, not bags and those temples start at about 67 cents per and go up from there -- promised bold flavors and some cold brew packs. While part of me was slightly disappointed to learn there's no relation between Teapigs and the wonderful IPAs of Warpigs Brewing, I was still excited to try some new tea nonetheless.

Let's see what we've got.

Chai: A

I'm starting with a tea I'm vaguely familiar with, but have only tried a handful of times. Teapigs' chai promises big flavors; cinnamon, vanilla and cardamom foremost among them. While I normally drink my tea with Splenda and a little milk, I'm gonna start each of these reviews with an unadulterated pour. Which is coincidental, because I drink my tea like a child when all is said and done.

After five minutes of steeping, this tea smells incredible. Rich and sweet with the cinnamon you'd associate with Christmas morning. The first sip is wonderfully smooth; there's very little acid here, instead bringing an almost creamy feel to a tea that's rich with flavor. Cinnamon is, of course, foremost among them.

But then vanilla arrives to temper it, keeping things from getting too heated. The cardamom seeds, apparent in the transparent tea temples each blend comes in, bring a minor, almost fruity flavor toward the end. It also helps mesh with the earthiness of the tea itself, creating a lovely complex profile.

I'm skipping the sugar (replacement) and milk for this one. This may be the first tea I've ever had that I prefer neat. Dang; this tastes great.

English Breakfast: A-

This smells more like the tea I picture in my head; stodgy, slightly bitter brownwater. But there's a depth to this I don't typically get from my limited green tea experience. Slightly floral, sweet and even a little fruity.

It's much more gentle than it seems. Like the chai, the first sip is nice and soft. While it lacks the bolder flavor of that cinnamon and vanilla, it's a hearty brew that puts "TEA" up front and in neon lights. It also finishes dry, leaving you coming back to it without the crutch of sweetness.

It's a bit broader than my typical tea; it's in essence, just about everything I'd expect but a little easier to drink without additions. In that regard, it's a proper alternative to coffee -- which I can drink black, but mostly don't want to. This is a nice little sipper that doesn't need milk or lemon. It stands up on its own, even if I couldn't tell you how it tastes beyond "uh, tea?"

Liquorice and Peppermint: B

Right off the bat, this smells absolutely lovely. Opening the box unleashes a sharp, pleasant aroma balanced about 60-40 in favor of peppermint candies over black jelly beans. I'm interested in it as a beverage, but I also want it as a candle and wrapped around my rearview mirror.

There's more of a tea vibe once it's brewed, effectively covering up that strong mint smell with something less appealing. Wow. The first sip is intense. There's a lot of flavor here, which starts sharply, transitions into a soft, pillowy blanket of sweetness and then lingers on the roof of your mouth long after it has cleared your lips.

The peppermint is smooth and almost creamy, which keeps it working against the sharp bite of liquorice that starts the sip. The balance is precarious but handled well to provide a really interesting flavor profile. Don't get me wrong; it's *a lot.* But it's also intriguing. I appreciate the effort here, even if this is gonna land in the "sometimes" pile amongst my tea options.

Additionally, it does a nice job coating your throat. Keep it in mind next time you start to get sick.

Cold Brew Peach & Mango: A

Teapigs offers temples specifically designed to be dropped into a bottle of water and left in the fridge a few hours to steep -- though the official instruction recommends a seven minute marinade. I wound up rolling at about 45 minutes before coming back to a light, golden brown Kirkland water bottle filled with fruit tea.

While the tea is a bit muted, the fruit flavors come across cleanly but not overpowering. The peach is at the forefront, but the mango adds just enough of a twist to keep things from feeling too familiar. It's mild and sweet enough to not need any added sugar. Interestingly enough, the top two ingredients are white hibiscus and apple, and while I'm not getting either of those up front they do help weave together a light but full bodied drink.

There's just enough tea to stay within the genre, but the highlight is that very nice balance of sweet fruit. It's a very satisfying sip, leaving behind a minimal aftertaste and bringing just enough dryness to keep you coming back. To wit; I absolutely crushed this bottle in about seven minutes. I didn't even think I was that thirsty.

Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?

This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Teapigs over a cold can of Hamm’s?

Easy yes. The cold brew temples are stowed in my carry on for airport tea. The other temples are already gone. Teapigs is great.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Teapigs tea review: Pricy, a little weird and wonderfully worth it