Alphakitty

I’ve been drinking a lot of stovetop Chai recently, and I started wondering if you could make other teas the same way to achieve a latte effect without the steaming. I didn’t bring a whole lot of teas to my parents’ house but thankfully my mom has this in her cupboard—though I could have sworn I logged it before, I apparently didn’t so I suppose this is the first time!

1/2 a cup water, 1 1/2 cups 2% milk, a generous spoonful of sugar, 1 heaping tablespoon Cream Earl Grey, simmered in a saucepan for 10 minutes. I always worry about black bases getting bitter this way but they never do! Maybe because the heat is so low? The resulting concoction is divine, like the best London Fog in the world only, well, better! Rich, thick, creamy and totally blissful.

This tea non-latte style is one of my favorite EGCs, creamier than many but also with a particularly strong bergamot kick so it is still definitely an earl grey.

Back to the stovetop latte part: I don’t think I’m ever going to prepare EG in any other way than this! It’s just… so good. Though usually I use whole milk so I’d change the water to milk ratio to 1/1. But for 2% I find I need to use a heavy hand or it’s just… watery.

Almond Joy candy bars in tea form? Why yes please. They’re one of my favorite candy bars—well actually I prefer Mounds, but I think in tea form I’d rather have the added almonds since most chocolate in teas tastes like dark chocolate anyway.

When there are 3 strong flavors in a tea it’s usually hard to taste them individually. This is the case here: the almond is the dominant flavor, and I’m getting a lot of chocolate as well. The coconut? There’s really only a hint of it. BUT this is the best almond tea I’ve tried so far, so I’m not going to complain! After all almond + chocolate is delicious, I’m really thinking of mixing in a bit of Yunnan’s Fable for the extra oomph of coconut (and also extra chocolate).

So I hate to admit this, but a while back I lost some of my tea samples. Yes, lost them. ;~; And I felt terrible, because included in the lost tea were many of my samples from Teavivre. I’m so sorry, Angel, but I finally found them! They were tucked in with the granola… what they were doing there is a mystery, as is who put them in such an odd location. I’m just going to blame tea-loving ghosts.

This is a gorgeous tea, little golden strands in my steeper that unfurl in to large, fat leaves of the most beautiful gold-brown shade. They’re so fluffy, reminds me of sheep wool for some reason. Actually what they really remind me of is fairy tales, Rumplestiltskin spinning thread into gold—I imagine this is what the result looked like.

The smell is heavenly, like raisin bread baking in the oven. Yeasty, warm and soothing. One sip of the golden brew and I’m transported to a bakery! Sweet potato rolls, fresh bread, warm honey, those are the notes I’m picking up from this. It reminds me of Bailin Gongfu, but lighter and less malty. There are some soft cocoa notes at the end of the sip, not really chocolatey but like the smell of cocoa powder when you’re mixing it into a dough. Scrumptious!

EDIT: As this cools, a strong orange citrus note comes out, like candied orange rind. The second steep is lighter and more golden, with a stronger bread note and a brief maltiness in the background.

Ah, jasmine. Such a classic tea flavor but you usually only see white or green blends scented with this luscious flower. I’ve had 2 black jasmines, but they’re really a jasmine green blended with black tea. So I was intrigued by the idea of a jasmine pu-erh blend, especially since I’ve really enjoyed the other Numi teas I’ve tried thanks to Kasumi.

Mm, this smells divine! Hot, sweet, floral but not too floral. I know jasmine can get soapy or perfumey (which, being a floral hound, I don’t mind) but it is nicely toned down here. The pu-erh is earthy and rich, the depth of flavor tempering the jasmine down to a more sweet level. They work so well in combination together. Plus, I got 3 resteeps out of a teabag—always a good sign!

How exciting, for the second time I’m the first person to review a 52teas blend! This is one I probably would have skipped (sadly, because I love pomegranate), since before I tried to limit myself to 2 of their blends a month. The tea of the week club is SO worth it, since now I don’t miss any of them! Though the white blends never seem to be as popular as the other ones, maybe because you get 1 ounce instead of 2?

Just a few days ago I was decrying the lack of teas that actually taste like pomegranate, but this blend has actual dried pom seeds in it so my hopes were up. Though, really, if I want a pomegranate fix it is the season for them—in fact I devoured half of one just last night! Yes, I am a pom addict.

I made this iced and it took me all day to get through it—not because it’s bad, but because I am freezing! I am so used to the balmy temperatures of my apartment, where it’s about 75 with the heat OFF because I’m on the top floor and everyone else has it blasting. My parents live about 60 miles up from the city and good lords is it chilly here. Not really iced tea weather anymore. But even with my hands feeling like they are going to fall off I enjoyed this blend.

The blackberry is the dominant flavor here, and (I guess unsurprisingly) it reminds me of the watermelon blackberry honeybush that I adore. Sweet and juicy! The pom is a supporting note, but for once it actually tastes like pomegranate! Tart and crisp without the raspberry vibes pom blends usually give me. I’m probably going to save my pouch for the summer, I imagine a big pitcher of this with a slice of lime would be divine.

Oh my did I overindulge on Superbowl food. (I’m not going to talk about the actual superbowl because the reffing was so bad I want to tear my hair out poor 49ers) Usually I make burgers and guacamole and halftime, and we have chips & dip in the first half. This year I decided to forgo the burgers and make bacon cheeseburger dip—I thought if I replaced regular dip with that and skipped the burgers, it’d be lighter. But the dip was so good, and I made so much… and then guacamole… and then cookies… urgh. So I needed something light to combat it—I’m really in the mood for some genmaicha or a nice sencha, but I’m at my parents’ house for the game so I only have what I brought with me.

I decided instead on something herbal, and lo and behold I have a bag of this from KittyLovesTea! Well, it’s not exactly 100% herbal, but there’s some thistle in it so it counts.

This is an interesting blend. At first sip (and sniff) it smells just like your average Indian black, ctc, nothing special. But the thistle adds a really nice herby dimension, almost floral and with a hint of pleasant bitterness. Not overstepped black bitterness, but more like… grapefruit rind bitterness. Refreshingly brisk, this is really doing the trick! Thanks fellow Kitty!

Thanks to ne14t for this sample!

I’ve been drinking a lot of samples from DAVIDsTEA lately, and I’ve noticed something—a lot of their blends, especially the black ones, have a distinctive taste. I can’t at all put my finger on what it is, but it’s like an underlying current through all their blends. I wonder if they add something specific to accomplish this or if it’s just an aspect of their flavoring?

Anyway, on to this tea! Star anise seems to be a divisive flavor, but I like it. Just a hint of licorice, not too much, and a chai-like spice aspect. This blend utilizes it nicely, though there are HUGE pieces in there it’s not overwhelming. It’s a lightly chocolatey blend though there’s double chocolate in here so of course that’s to be expected! I’m not tasting any coconut though, but that’s not a negative—if I want coconut I reach for a coconut blend, not a star anise one! Overall this is a nice blend, pretty unique in some aspects but that underlying DT flavor doesn’t make it stand out as much as it could.

I love this blend, but I’ve oddly never had it as a traditional chai, so I decided to change that (last night, when Steepster was acting wonky). Stovetop, 1 cup milk, 1 cup water, honey, simmered for 10 minutes. Perfect!

The honey brings out the buttery notes in this blend, and it’s more distinctly “chai” than the gaiwan method (which brings out individual spices instead of the signature chai mishmash). There’s also a lot more chocolate, in fact some pretty darn strong cocoa notes! This is a perfectly balanced chai when prepared this way, no single note dominates but they all meld together beautifully. I wonder how it would taste with almond milk…

I’ve been hoarding the less-than-an-ounce of this that I have left, but now that there’s 8 ounces on their way to me I can indulge a little! Such a tasty blend.

Pomegranate is my favorite fruit (followed closely by mango), but it seems utterly impossible to capture in any sort of flavoring. I’ve not once had a pomegranate flavored anything that tasted like actual pomegranate. I wonder why? It’s quite a distinctive taste, but illusive especially in tea.

This tea is good, but it tastes like raspberry! Tart, sweet, with strong berry notes. Yup, definitely getting straight raspberry rather than pomegranate. It’s actually really tasty and the white base is lovely and light, but I’m disappointed by the lack of actual pom in here. I think it’d probably just be easy to cold brew some white tea myself and add pomegranate juice! Ah well, thanks for the chance to try it Azzrian!

Back before this blend was still in the development stage, Stacy tried it with a Dragonwell before deciding on a white. I placed an order around that time and asked for a sample of the original blend—I tasted it months ago, but never wrote a tasting note (because I’m a spazz). However, when scrounging through my samples the other night I found that I had just enough for one more cup!

The silver needle version of this blend really is quite different oddly enough, even though the watermelon flavoring is presumably the same. While Watermelon Xylophone is candy-sweet without and sugar and bursting with juicy flavor, the dragonwell is not nearly as in your face. The watermelon is a bit softer, more subdued and not overly sweet. The base is more buttery and crisp, so it’s a much different tea than you’d think! Honestly, I think most tea blenders would have stuck with this and not experimented any more since it’s so delicious. I prefer the final blend though! I really appreciate getting the chance to try an “in progress” blend, thanks Stacy!

I wish I had tea ESP. You know that feeling when you get an order in, and once you’ve tasted all the teas there are some you love you didn’t get enough of, and some you really don’t love that you now have too much of? That’s what happened with me and Teavana’s Heavenly sale. I should have gotten, like, a pound of this. It’s heaven.

Going by other peoples’ tips I decided to do this stovetop with 1 cup milk, 1 cup water and a teaspoon of sugar. Simmered for about 10 minutes the same way you would a chai, and yes, this really is like hot chocolate. Rich, decadent, with creamy caramel, toasty nuttiness and a tiny hint of salt. It’s better than any hot chocolate I’ve had, and that’s saying something because usually chocolate teas have me reaching for the hot cocoa mix with their distinct lack of richness.

This, though, is just… it’s perfect. There’s so much complexity, and it’s an herbal! It’s like someone took perfect hot chocolate, drizzled caramel into it and added a shot of hazelnut syrup (which I’m assuming comes from the nuts in the mix) and then finished it off with a sprinkle of salt. FINALLY I have found the chocolate tea for me! Too bad Teavana’s base prices are so high, but I will definitely pay retail price for this gem.

Playstation Network, what have I ever done to deserve this?! I’m just minding my own business, trying to watch some late night Netflix, but no, Sony is determined to ruin my evening. Well, Sony, I have delicious tea so you can’t ruin it! Take that!

Ahem… anyway, I’m a huge huge fan of Lupicia’s Chestnut Green so when I saw that tattooed_tea was swapping this I just had to have it. Chestnut seems like kind of an elusive tea flavor, so I will hoard all the different kinds like a squirrel waiting for spring. You know, a squirrel who actually drinks all her nuts before spring comes because they’re so delicious…

This has the same sweet, nutty taste as Chestnut Green. The candied chestnut flavor is just so perfectly captured, there’s no mistaking it for anything else! There are strong notes of caramel and spun sugar, backed up by the black base which is surprisingly strong. I haven’t tried many of Lupicia’s black teas, but they seem to share rather robust bases!

I don’t think I like this quite as much as Chestnut Green, which is ever so slightly superior in terms of the base, but it’s still absolutely fantastic! Plus I can be really indulgent with this one and add a nice splash of creamy milk.

So, I’ve never actually tried whiskey so my comparison for this is not the best. But it sounds so interesting for a tea that I just had to get a sample from ne14t in our swap! I mean really, a whiskey tea. DAVIDsTEA has the wackiest ideas sometimes.

This tea is… odd. It’s kind of rich and nutty, but at the same time very light and airy because of the white base. My tastebuds are confused! It’s kind of woodsy as well and there’s a whiff of smoke in the background. You know what this is? It’s a manly tea. Some teas are light, floral and totally girlie. This tea just screams I AM A MAN TEA HEAR ME ROAR. But it’s not too much because of the white base. Certainly an interesting blend!

I have been hoarding my package of this since I first fell in love with it, since I’m determined not to blow through the whole thing in a week (which, yes, I could easily do!). However, thanks to Starfevre I now have a second pouch in my paws so I can indulge bwahaha

Uhnf, this tea is cinnamony, dragonwell heaven. It’s just perfection. I hope it gets a reblend, but I haven’t seen that many reviews for it even though I think it sold out rather fast… hmm.

I’ve been drinking so many peach teas recently, without even intending to. Part of it is because I got 4 different ones in my happy bag from Lupicia, part of it is weird chance. Like this sample from Azzrian: I was making my cold brews for the day right before bed, and I was so sleepy I kind of just dumped half of this in a cup without paying attention to what flavor it was. Lo and behold, another peach!

I really really need to update my profile here, since it specifically says that I hate peach teas and I don’t anymore! It’s such a good, juicy flavor when done right like it is here. There’s also a nice, soft floral note presumably from the marigold, and also something maybe cirtusy going on in the background? Almost like.. mandarin orange, very faint but it’s there. A tasty fruit blend!

While madly digging through my samples yesterday for Black Jasmine Cream, I stumbled upon a packet of this from my box from LiberTEAS from ages ago! It was hiding down at the bottom, sneaky but I’m going to drink you no matter where you hide.

I have tried quite a few caramel and toffee teas, so many that they kind of seem to blend together. And they almost always have a black base! One of those CTC, who knows what kind of black it is bases that pretty much just tastes like “tea.” Strong tea, but I’m not picking up any specific notes other than “oh yeah, this is definitely tea!”

The caramel is quite strong, as you’d expect since there are little toffee chips in here. But it’s kind of flat: not toasty or particularly rich. You know what this reminds me of? Those butter cookies in the individual packs they sell in cafeterias. Tasty, curbs your sugar craving, but you’d never sit around craving a cookie and think of that specific one.

Finally getting around to this sample from Kittenna! I know, I am a slow tea drinker. ;~; I have SO many samples that even with 3-5 cups a day I’m mightily behind. Yet I keep swapping! It’s an addiction, I tell you.

Given how similar the ingredients here are to Della Terra’s Walnut Brittle, I expected them to taste very similar. Somehow, they don’t! DT’s blend is like candy, and this is more toasty, nutty and down to earth. It’s not that sweet and I only get the smallest hint of fruitiness from the pineapple and coconut. It’s definitely toasted walnut that comes through the most!

Assam and vanilla sounds like a winning combination, right? Rich, malty Assam with creamy, cake-like vanilla. In my head that’s what this should be, at least! I think my hopes were a little too high though, this is tasty but not as full as flavor as I thought.

The Assam base is certainly strong but it’s not as rich and malty as I’d like. It overpowers the vanilla too, which is very mellow and not that strong. It’s not a bad tea by any means, just not as perfect as I imagined. It’s a great afternoon blend though when you’re feeling the midday blues and need a little pick me up.

I’m amazed to find a white Teavana blend that actually has recognizable white tea in it. All the other “white” teas from them I’ve tried have little bits of leaves that are broken and don’t add any flavor. Here, though, full leaves!

I read that this one is hard to steep—either it’s too bitter or there’s not enough flavor. So I decided to cold steep it, since 1) that eliminates the bitter element and 2) I like my blueberry teas iced. I was worried about the hibiscus but thankfully this is not a tart cup, in fact it’s pretty yummy. Mostly blueberry, I’m not getting much acai but I kind of feel like they slapped that on there because of its “health properties.” I’m sure it’s good for you and all (and Teavana is all about “health”), but it actually has a nice kind of currant-y flavor that I was looking forward to.

But just blueberry is good too, and this is a nice blueberry white though I’m not sure if it’s any better than DAVIDsTEA’s White Tiger or Adagio’s Blueberry White. They all kind of blend together for me! But hey, I got this as a gift and I will certainly have no problem drinking it up.

Have you ever been hit by a sudden tea revelation? Here I was, sipping my chai and watching Once Upon A Time and suddenly my brain was like, “HEY you got a sample of Jasmine Cream months ago! I want it!” Honestly, I had totally forgotten about it and it was at the very bottom of my sample basket (which has actually expanded into a sample basket and a giant bag as well).

So after much digging I managed to find it and was overwhelmed with the delicious smell. I wasn’t sure if I’d like this or not so I only got a sample, but I’m kind of regretting it now. Then again they have free shipping so I guess I could just order some!

Jasmine is often an overwhelming flavor, but it works so well here. I thought this was a black base instead of a black/green so steeped it with boiling water for 4 1/2 minutes… oops! Well, it didn’t come out bitter at all so I guess there’s not a whole lot of green in here. It really does taste like just a black base, with the floral jasmine tempered by yummy vanilla. Such a weirdly unique blend! It kind of takes some getting used to, but the floral and cream really do work together beautifully.

I could have sworn that I logged this before, back when I got it around Christmas, but alas it seems that I did not. Usually Teavana is WAY out of my budget based on the quality, but the Heavenly sale was just impossible to resist. I ended up with 8 ounces of this for something like $6? Okay, actually I didn’t buy the blended version (since it’s been switched for a chai/chai blend I don’t care for) but I got them individually and mixed ‘em up so essentially it’s the same thing.

I’m having this stovetop method, mixed with milk & honey and simmered for a good ten minutes. It’s so good—not to cinnamony like their other chai blend, and with a really nice fruity pop along with a hint of citrus in the background and a whole lot of spice. I know people hate on Teavana a lot but they really do have some gems mixed in with all the overly-hibiscus berry blends. One of my favorite chais!

For months I have been hearing about this mysterious “shake it up in a water bottle” method of making matcha. I wanted to try it since I try to drink a glass of matcha every day, but alas I had nothing to make it in. I drink filtered tap water, and I have been lacking in teaware since I always end up spending my money on tea instead. The lack of a tea tumbler is something I constantly complain about when going out (especially to the movies, how nice would it be to have a hot thermos full of your favorite tea instead of sugary soda?) so my boyfriend surprised me with a wonderful double-walled tea thermos for xmas! Finally, the elusive “shake it up” method is within my reach.

Usually to make a glass of matcha I have to boil water, mix up a starter base with matcha + hot water, and then pour it in a glass with cold water. This way is a lot easier: matcha and water in the thermos, shake it up! Voila! No sifting required, it’s so easy. Today I’m doing it with the Pineapple Matcha I got in a swap with Chuckieroy! It was one I always wanted to order but kind of slipped my mind, so I’m happy to have a shot at it now.

Mmm! It’s softly tropical pineapple, not fake or artificial tasting. It’s just a little bit sweet, and has that rind-y taste I found in the mango matcha. I have enough of this generous sample left to mix it with coconut—homemade pina colada!

Having a cup of this with a pinch of dry ginger. Adds some great spice!