Adham

Winding down a busy week, so I’m sticking with tisanes today. This is the last Numi sample bag I picked up somewhere along the way, and it feels like time to try it. The smell is straightforward chamomile/lemon, and it steeps up into a apple juice-colored liquor with a pleasant herbal aroma.

The taste is not surprising or unexpected – it’s chamomile, and lemon, and it’s pleasant enough. The two flavors go together well with the apple-like quality of the chamomile and citrus high note of the lemon myrtle, but it doesn’t make me crave more.

Second tasting of this sample from Canton Tea – this time I’m really struck by the sweet, dried fruit aroma of the dry leaf. The liquor steeps up to a lighter brown; between that and the lighter color of the leaves themselves I’m really reminded of the Darjeeling style.

The tea is so wonderfully sweet, and lacks any astringency or bitterness. The flavor is deep in fruit and has a little malt too, and I’m once more getting an aftertaste reminiscent of dried peach/apricot, as I did last time. Straight up, it is such a soothing and delicious cup that I don’t think I’ll be trying it with additives for fear of losing any of its best traits.

I love vanilla and am picky about teas that include it. I have fairly high expectations going into this one since Samovar seems to be angling more at the high end of the tea market. The dry leaf is very dark and has noticeable snips of vanilla bean mixed in, which is a good sign, but the aroma is not as deeply soaked in the spirit of vanilla as others I’ve tried, most notably Mariage Freres.

After four minutes I have a dark brown liquor with a pleasant level of vanilla scent. I almost always put cream and sugar in vanilla tea, but I’ll taste this first without to see what comes across. The tea base is quite strong, with quite a bit of astringency but lots of vanilla too. There are malty and spicy notes in there, pepper and nutmeg. With cream and sugar, the vanilla really blooms. It all works really well together to create a hot vanilla malt-like experience which is very tasty. High marks!

Second try at this tea, and I’m starting off with a longer first steep, 2.5 minutes, than I tried last time. Maybe this was the key to unlocking more enjoyment of this time, because I’m getting a much more floral scent and a rounder, fuller flavor of green vegetables and fruit juice, with a noticeable background of natural sweetness. Better this way so I’m bumping up the score a bit.

One more from the Samovar black tea sampler pack. I’ve been a little shy of lavender as a flavor rather than a scent, so I’m not expecting miracles from this blend. The dry leaf does have a noticeable proportion of lavender blossoms in it, and the aroma of the leaf and the tea reflects that – no mistaking that presence!

I think this works out better than Golden Moon’s Earl Grey/Lavender blend, as the herb portion tastes fresher, but I still don’t feel like I’m being won over to the ingestion of lavender. The two flavors work together well, but it’s not for the faint of heart; even after 3.5 minutes it is a strong drink that actually imparts a little bit of burn to the back of the throat.

Interesting to try, but I won’t be going back for more.

Last time I tried this it turned out a bit too bitter, so I’ve notched down the temperature and steeping time and I think it works much better. I’m still getting noticeable roastiness, some green vegetable flavor, and just the right amount of astringency. It’s nice to finally get the parameters right on this one!

I’m really pleased with this one! I’ve loved Lapsang Souchong for a long time, but never would have thought about pairing the smokey with the fruity. It threw me off when I saw that this was a blend of black tea and lychee; one of my favorite fruits as it so happens, so how bad could it be?

In fact, it’s really, really good. It’s not as deeply and intensely smokey as some other LS varieties out there (cough, cough – Golden Moon – cough, cough), but it is blended so skillfully with the fruit that the sweet flavor just feels like a natural extension of the smoke. Brilliant!

With cream and sugar the smoke is scaled back to be more present in the aftertaste, letting the fruitiness come to the fore in both taste and texture. I didn’t have any jam to mix in as suggested by Samovar, but I’d love to try that in the future.

Really enjoying this one today – it’s tasting particularly fresh and healthy, which is very welcome on this grey and cold day. I’m getting buttery vegetables from it, a little bit of natural sweetness, and just the slightest bit of astringency. Three steeps so far, and each one of them very tasty!

Now it’s time to start digging into my Samovar black tea sampler pack, and no better place to start on a rainy Monday morning than with their Breakfast Blend. The dry leaf has a nice appearance, with visible golden tips mixed in.

Four minutes in just boiled water and I’ve got a medium-dark brown liquor that has a typical black tea scent with hints of malt and spice. The taste is good – it is brisk, i.e. just the right amount of astringency, and there are peppery/spicy notes that remind me a little of Golden Moon’s Sinharaja, though not as pronounced. This tea is tasty straight up, and with cream and sugar it’s a nice, comforting way to get going at the beginning of the week.

This is becoming a Friday afternoon favorite – fresh and full of fruit and floral notes, decaffeinated and just right to start winding down from a busy week.

This was the last sample bag of Samova tea I grabbed recently, and the one that seems to have the longest ingredient list, including lots of different types of fruit and herbs. I was a bit wary to see that hibiscus is in this, for although I like that flavor straight, especially iced with lots of sugar, I also know it can overpower other players in a blend.

They recommend 8 minutes of steeping and after doing that I was surprised by how mellow the drink still was. It’s a nice medium-pink color, with a mild generically fruity aroma. I definitely get the tartness of hibiscus, but there are other well-developed flavors in there as well, including sweetness which is probably from both the apple and the licorice, and berry juiciness from the strawberry. Although it’s fine hot, I think I’d prefer it steeped up strong, sweetened and then iced.

Another Samova teabag I picked up on a recent trip – this sounded like a nice blend of black and herbal flavors, with mint predominating but ginger, coriander and others also in the mix.

The suggested steeping time is four minutes, but we’re there now and the liquor is looking a bit timid, so we’ll leave it in for another minute.

That’s better. It’s medium greenish-brown now and has a really nice scent to it, mixing mint with a floral/fruity note. On first sip I can taste the hibiscus that also plays a role, so I’ll put in a little sugar to take the edge off the tartness. Mmm, even better now – though I can’t really taste any of the black tea that’s in there, I do feel like it gives the drink a more robust character than it would have with just the herbs. There are some nice flavors in there, the mint pairing nicely with the cardamom. Not a bad one at all.

Coming back to this one for another try. This time I’m noticing much more the toasty flavor which overlays the vegetal and fruity notes – especially after I let the tea cool off a bit. A second steep for a slightly longer time reveals a more buttery texture as well as the background roastiness. Third steep was fairly weak and didn’t note any new flavors.

I chose this one as my final evaluation sample from Arbor Teas, as I’ve had good experiences with tuo chas in the past and wanted to see how this one measured up. I like that each piece is individually wrapped – it just appeals to the packaging nerd in me. The smell of the cake is mild, with a little bit of grain/cereal to it.

I gave it a quick rinse in hot water and then set it up for four minutes of steeping. The resulting liquor was dark and cloudy brown, and did not have the same level of reddishness to it I’d gotten used to seeing in pu-erhs. My first impression of the flavor was its full and savory character – similar in that way to the Camel’s Breath tuo cha from CTG, but dialed back just a bit.

This does not have the wonderful sweetness I got from Arbor Teas’ special grade pu-erh, but it does have lots of deep, stewy flavors. This might sound crazy, but I can actually imagine this iced next to a plate of ribs. Okay, that might actually be really nasty, but those are the kinds of flavors this one reminds me of. Looks like there’s plenty of strength left for multiple steeps, so I’m planning to give this another couple rounds later today.

Another one gotten in a swap with Meghann – thanks a bunch! – and also my first taste of a 52teas blend. The dry leaf smells wonderful: nutty, chocolatey goodness. And it’s easy to notice the big chunks of cashew and white chocolate among the large dark leaves.

I gave it five minutes of steeping time and ended up with a medium-dark brown liquor, somewhat cloudy (assuming this is from the white chocolate chip I saw in there melting away into the liquid). The aroma of the tea was milder than I expected, as was the first steep. I got a sweet, nutty smell and taste but little from the black tea. This seems like the kind of tea that really needs cream and sugar, so I put some in and tasted again. Now that’s what I’m talking about! Much more delicious and the flavors are really coming to the fore now. This is a wonderful dessert tea and would be great with cookies for a double dose of decadence.

Another sample from the swap with Meghann – thank you! I’m intrigued by the plum flavor billed on this one, as it’s a fruit that can taste so different depending on the variety and ripeness.

The dry leaves are very pretty, with bright red chunks sprinkled among the light green tea. The smell is fresh and fruity/berry-like, so a good start so far. Recommended parameters call for a long steeping time, so I’m giving it six minutes at 185. The resulting liquor is gorgeous – a clear and light pink that looks very much like plum wine. Aroma still following the fruity and sweet trail…

The taste is tart, but stops before becoming unpleasantly sour. There is a dim background flavor of white tea, but I’m getting fruity (berry and yes, plum) flavors for the most part. Overall it’s a pretty tea but not one I’d need on a regular basis. Glad I had a chance to try it though!

I received a sample of this in a swap with Meghann – thanks Meghann! It’s one I’ve been wanting to try for a long time, so it’s very exciting to be able to get my hands on some.

The dry leaves are big and luxurious, and remind me of Samovar’s Hawaii-grown black. The smell is heavy on the malt/bread/yeast side, and immediately brings to mind cookies, rolls, and other fresh baked goods.

It looks like it can take a long steep well – I gave it six minutes and ended up with a medium-dark brown liquor full of roasty aroma. The taste is heavenly; it’s like liquid Grandma’s house, full of warm ovens holding sweet surprises. It follows through on the yeasty/bready promise of the scent and is crying out for me to drink this with something sweet and starchy. I’ll have to try that next time, and see how it works with cream and sugar too. Yum to the nth degree!

This is the second Arbor Teas sample in a row I’ve tried which has a noticeable natural sweetness to it. There aren’t many teas I’ve found this quality in (most notably CTG’s competition grade Tie Guan Yin), but when I do I find it really enjoyable.

This oolong does a great job of walking the line between green and black characteristics, showing vegetal notes along with some roastiness and tannins. It’s got a very rich mouth feel, with a great juicy quality to it. In addition to the typical tea flavors, I’m getting hints of fruit and spice, making it an interesting tea for sipping and trying to figure out. Really nice cup of tea. Didn’t have time to do multiple infusions this time, but will next time.

Another evaluation sample from Arbor Teas. The dry leaf has the typical loose pu-erh look and feel: smallish curls of leaf, a somewhat dusky brownish/orange color, and earthy smell without being overpowering.

I gave it about six minutes to see how it would take a fairly long first steep, and it came out like a champ. Dark, opaque brownish red liquor and a smooth, almost malty aroma. The taste is wonderful – there’s a natural sweetness to it that I haven’t found in any other pu-erhs. It really tastes like I’d put some sugar in it. It has a very full flavor but it is not bitter – the earthiness is deep and very satisfying. One of the best pu-erhs I’ve tasted!

“Boxy” isn’t normally an adjective that would spring to mind in describing a tea, but in this case it may be apt. Yes, there is vanilla in it, but it is extremely plain tasting nevertheless. And the overall impression is that of chewing on a wet piece of cardboard. Sorry Numi, not impressed with this one.

I was in transit via Frankfurt, Germany recently and saw that this company’s teas were featured in the airport lounge, so I picked up a few different bags to take with me. The name threw me at first – Samova, not Samovar? Huh? When I got home I looked them up and sure enough, there’s a German tea company named Samova that gives all its varieties cute names – how could I resist Scuba Garden? And then I saw that this particular one included spirulina algae, which I’ve never seen included in a tea or tisane before. The plot thickens!

So, this is a blend of green rooibos, spirulina, cranberry and orange, caffeine free. After four minutes of steeping time I’ve got a clear orange liquor with a hint of brown, and an aroma of orange. The flavor is strongly of orange, but the rooibos gives it a nice natural sweetness. I don’t detect any trace of cranberry or spirulina, but maybe that’s a good thing? It’s a pleasant enough tisane that was definitely worth trying for the name alone.

It’s a good afternoon for the gentle enjoyment of jasmine pearls, and these are the real deal. Fragrant, juicy, naturally sweet, and lingering aftertaste without any astringency or bitterness. For me, these are the tea equivalent of a relaxing soak in a hot spring. Ahhh….

I just received several Arbor tea samples for evaluation and happen to be in the mood for Darjeeling today, so this one is up to bat. Before I get into the tea though, I want to mention their packaging – the samples are in biodegradable, opaque cellulose bags. I like that there is one less piece of plastic to worry about resulting from my tea habit.

The dry leaf really runs the range of colors, from green to medium brown to dark brown, in nice size chunks. The smell of the leaf is really rich, with fruit, grass, and the characteristic muscatel all present.

The steeping parameters recommend a slightly lower temperature and shorter steeping time than regular black tea, so I’m giving it 3 minutes at 200 degrees. The resulting liquor is a very pretty clear medium-light orange/brown, and smells nice. Not whack you in the face strong, but an interesting mix of malt and fruit.

Taste – really good! There is a pronounced fruit juice element to it along with toasted bread, with the aftertaste moving towards dried apricot/peach. I’m getting a pleasing amount of astringency but no significant bitterness. I often put milk and sugar into Darjeeling and find that brings out the muscatel notes, but with this one I’m afraid that would cover up too much of the flavor I’m getting from it straight, so I’m going to leave well enough alone.

I’m finding myself really drawn to this tea, with its light but very nuanced set of aromas and flavors. If I had to sum it up in one word, that word would be “fresh”, but unrolling that I’d come up with grassy, sunny, clear, healthy, and light. And although it’s light, it’s quite addictive. Liking it a lot today, so I’ll bump it up another couple points.

Went to three infusions on this one; the third cup was light to the point that the flavors were quite ephemeral, as if glimpsed through gauze…