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35 Tasting Notes

Amandine Rose from Teavana

Another Heavenly Sale purchase.

My 2oz bag is full of roses. Not a hint, it’s a bag of roses with a few almonds and some tea thrown in. The scent of roses knocks you off of your feet when you open the bag.

I ordered this because a lot of the reviews hinted at a baked goods taste. I didn’t get that without sugar and milk. I’ll be honest, I have a little trouble with heavily floral teas. Without the milk, this was like drinking potpourri. With the milk, I was able to pull out the cookie flavor that everyone else seemed to get, but rose was still at the forefront. (This may be due to the extra petals, or it may just be me…not sure.)

All in all, I liked it, but I don’t see myself reaching for it often. This bag will probably wind up being blended into a Valentine’s Day tea or two.

I would love to try this one at another time, when it’s blended properly.

Edited to add: Just tried to re-steep this. It went from a very strong, almost overwhelming tea to nothing at all. Weird.

Fukamushi-Sencha Maromi from Den's Tea

The scent in the packet is wonderful, sweet and grassy. That scent is also present in the cup.

I am terrible at describing greens, honestly. I’ll do my best at writing down some thoughts, but you might want to read reviews from someone else, someone who can pick out distinct flavors, maybe?

I feel this is a bold tea, slightly sweet, but not as sweet as some of the spring senchas that I’ve purchased from Den’s. Grassy and fresh. Vegetal.

That’s about the best I can do. I loved this sample. I want to mention how generous Den’s is with their samples. I have more than enough for several cups of tea in this little packet, which I am thrilled about.

I have yet to have a tea from Den’s that didn’t make me stop and think about it. Pause a bit. I’ve enjoyed every tea from them in a different way. I have a fondness for them, as they were the ones who taught me to love green tea. :)

Banana Cuppa Chocolate from The Republic of Tea

A little artificial, but honestly, I haven’t had banana flavoured anything that didn’t taste that way.

That said, this is my second favorite RoT “Cuppa Chocolate” tea. Very tasty, and really hits the spot when I want something sweet. I add milk and sugar…YUM.

I use two teabags with this, because it can be a little weak. (Although, I add two teabags to just about everything, so YMMV.) I also let this steep for an unusually long time, that is, if I don’t just leave the bag in there out of laziness. ;)

Oh, and I also love that I can have this tea at night, which is when I usually want to curl up with a dessert tea. I usually have to avoid my other teas because I’d be wide awake at bedtime.

Maharaja Chai/Samurai Chai Tea Blend from Teavana

Received this as a sample with my Heavenly Sale order. The little card said to dump the entire 1oz sample into a PerfectTea Maker. I don’t have one of those.

The last sample I got from them was so strong that I was able to use just a teaspoon for an 8oz cup. Figuring this would be a similar case, I used two teaspoons for my large penguin mug. No milk, no sugar. This resulted in a weak tea that was full of cinnamon flavor, with a bite of spice at the end.

I realized just now it says 1oz tea to 16oz of water. That’s a LOT of tea. While I like this, I don’t see myself shelling out that kind of money for a cup of tea. I couldn’t even do that for my favorite teas, and this wouldn’t be one of them. I realize that half of this sample pouch is full of sugar, but still.

Btw, Teavana, can I get a sample that is not sugared someday? I mean, I REALLY appreciate the free tea, but coming from a family of diabetics, I try to watch how much sugar I take in. Your samples do not allow me to try your teas unsweetened, or with honey, ect. Marketing something as “Healthy!!! OMG!!!” and then dumping a whole bunch of rock sugar into it is silly. This one was REALLY sweet. I honestly think I would have liked it better if I could have added my own sugar, or had it plain.

White Christmas from Stash Tea Company

Peppermint is the strongest flavor here. The ginger is in the background. I think I feel it more than I taste it, it adds a nice warmth to the tea. I really enjoyed this one.

I didn’t add sugar, tempted to try it with a little, but I think it is just fine without.

Two Dragons and a Pearl Flower Tea from Teavivre

Tried this last night. As in, I tried to get this to work. It never opened up, and the tea itself was lacking. It wasn’t fragrant OR sweet. It wasn’t bitter, though…it just wasn’t anything. So odd.

I wound up leaving the little bulb in water for the entirety of my Law and Order: SVU marathon, and had something else. STILL didn’t open up, so I smashed it open with a spoon. Would have been pretty, if it had worked, lol. Gave the tea to my plant. At least something got to drink it.

Yerba Mate Latte from The Republic of Tea

I adore this tea.

Do yourself a favor, though, and buy the loose version of this if given a choice. The bagged version is flat. When I first bought this, I found it in a tiny tin, loose. The flavor was WONDERFUL. Vanilla, nutty, just the right start to an early morning. (I am NOT a morning person.)

When I couldn’t find that version, I purchased the bagged version from the same store. It just doesn’t have the same dimension. I feel like I am drinking it just to finish up the tin now, and I don’t like to do that. :(

Try their Vanilla Almond if you want something vanilla, nutty, and bagged.

Gingerbread Spice from Celestial Seasonings

MUCH better with a spoonful of honey! Two teabags in my giant penguin mug, which I THINK is a 16oz mug. Steeped for about eight minutes. Still spicy, but much less so. A nice cup after eating way too many snacks on New Year’s Eve. ;)

As far as holiday bagged teas featuring ginger, I prefer Gingersnappish by Bigelow. Next year, I’ll stick to that.

Gingerbread Spice from Celestial Seasonings

I like Celestial Seasonings holiday teas a lot, but not this one. Well, not as much as the others. I don’t tend to like spice in my tea, though.

I read other reviews before steeping this one, and left the bag in for a good ten minutes. Next time, I’ll steep it less, and see if I can tone down that “OMG! SPICY!” thing that is going on here.It was okaaaayyy without additions, but I thought I’d “fix” it by adding milk and sugar. Um, no. I think I made it worse. (Although, I’d be interested to see what would have happened if I had just added milk, and no sugar.) Oh, and I agree with the other review that says this one smells better than it tastes. I was sooooo excited when I opened the box.

All in all, I wish I had spent my money on hoarding away another box or two of Candy Cane Lane instead of taking a chance on this one when I found them on clearance last night.

Dragon Pearl Jasmine from Harney & Sons

This is a beautiful tea.

The first time I tried this, I brewed this by itself. I did not care for it one bit. However, it stayed in my tea cabinet, and I was really drawn to it tonight.

Since I didn’t like the heavy floral notes last time, I decided to blend it with a green (Mother’s Tea by Life in a Teacup, which I also think is quite good.)

I put about four pearls in with a small amount of green, and the result is a vegetal/grassy flavor with a floral finish. I love it.

I wound up having to spend the day breaking up frozen snow, because I didn’t get it shoveled in time due to illness. Although I liked the work, I am now sore all over. This was a wonderful pick after a hot bath, cheered me right back up. I think I’ll finish out the sample packet this way, blending it rather than using it alone.

Decaffeinated Black Tea from Red Rose

Note to self: Honey makes this one drinkable. Still bland, but at least I will be able to finish the box.

Lady Grey from Twinings

I have now had this without milk, but with honey. SO GOOD! No overpowering “Fruit Loops” taste. Just a sunny, happy, cup of tea. I promptly made myself another cup. :)

We are sick today, so trying a few different teas with honey. My husband really enjoyed this one. We both felt that the honey really complemented the flavors in the tea.

Original Blend from Red Rose

I have now had WAY too much of this tea over the last month(?). Milk and sugar is my favorite way to drink this, followed by just milk. Tried it with just honey today, and while I didn’t hate it, I think I’d prefer it without. This is has quickly become one of my favorite “everyday” teas.

Lady Grey from Twinings

I’d love to be able to find the loose version of this, because I am loving the bagged version! More citrus than an Earl, light bergamot. Such a happy little tea!

(With sugar and milk added, it reminds me of Fruit Loops. Weird!)

Holiday Chai from Stash Tea Company

This time it was less pumpkin pie, more random spice I could not identify. It COULD be that I forgot that I was steeping this one, and let it sit for close to 7 minutes.

I hope so, because I bought this one based on the “OMG! Pumpkin pie!” reaction I had with it last time. It’s not bad, it’s just that the indiscernible spice flavor just doesn’t wow me.

Sugar and milk added to this one.

Scarlet Cloud from Teavana

You have to be careful when making this, that you are getting a little bit of everything in it. I’ve made the mistake of just dumping some in my strainer, and getting a cupful of fruit.

The mint is most prevalent in this, followed by a light fruit flavor. There could be a white tea flavor in there too, but I can’t tell, mostly because of the mint.

I didn’t like this one at first. I bought it online during a sale, on a whim. Since then, it has grown on me. I didn’t care for the mint+fruit flavor at first, but now I like to drink it when I need to relax. I don’t “float on a downy white paradise”, but I do enjoy it. :)

Get Happy - No.13 (Wellness Collection) from The Republic of Tea

Citrus. I don’t get lemon, or peach…more of an orange. I LOVE the smell of this tea. For me, that’s where the “happy” comes from.

Sipping it, I get that same “scratchy” feeling in my throat as I get when I drink chamomile, but it’s not very bothersome.

With this tea, I just let the teabag sit in the cup, and drink it without additives.

This is the last tin I’ll be able to find locally. I used to purchase RoT’s teas all the time years ago, but they have just become too pricey, imo. I found this one on clearance, which is why I picked it up. I like this tea a lot, and now I won’t be able to buy it again. I’m always doing that to myself. Must stop buying limited edition or discontinued items!!!

Blueberry Rooibos from Rishi Tea

I love this tea. Tart, tangy. The blueberries are present in the smell and every sip. If you don’t like blueberries, this one isn’t going to be for you.

I used to work at a place where a person would get called back onto the sales floor during their lunch breaks. I wanted tea, darn it, but finicky teas were out. This tea is not finicky.

I do not add anything to this when I drink it. Straight up blueberry, baby. ;)

Christmas Morning from Stash Tea Company

My first thoughts? Jasmine? Oh, crud.

I received one packet of this in the mail, so no harm, no foul if I don’t like it. Right?

Steeped, it smells floral (as you would expect), but not overbearing. I have a sample of jasmine green somewhere around here that I can’t even bear to finish because of that exact reason.

I noticed that some reviews said that the jasmine didn’t come out until cool, but I am tasting it right from the start. I like it with the black tea base.

Still not going to be seeking out teas with jasmine in them, because I really feel they are too perfumed (?). (I have what my husband and I refer to as a “super sniffer”, and so sometimes things that are supposed to be subtle aren’t really, to me.) It was a nice change for the one try, though.

I don’t get why Stash thinks this is a Christmas tea, though. I get more of a “SPRING!” feeling when drinking it.

I drank a bit of this tea plain until the jasmine got to me and I added milk to dull it down a bit.

(PS: I liked this one even more as it cooled down.)

Pumpkin Spice from Bigelow

Nice. Tastes just like the name implies, unlike some of their other teas. (I’m looking at YOU, apple cider!) It was a nice pick-me-up on a very chilly, grey day. I am glad someone sent this to me, so that I could try it, because I can’t ever find it locally. I don’t love it enough to buy six boxes from the website, (SIX?!? Really?!?) but it was nice. Added milk and a pinch of raw sugar.

Note: Don’t be thrown off by the smell right out of the packet. It is MUCH better after steeping.

Earl Grey from Tazo

I had this when I went to see Skyfall the other night. I was in the mood for tea, (When am I not?) and the movie theatre sold Tazo teas. Luckily, we also ordered food, which allowed the ridiculously hot water to cool before I steeped it.

I really enjoyed this! Thankfully, the guy behind the counter gave me an extra bag. I can try it again while not watching an action flick, so as to do a better review. This tea stood up well to the half and half and packet of raw sugar I added. (Too embarrassed by my earlier stuttering episode to ask for something different, so I just threw in whatever was on the counter.)

Strong flavors, but not overpowering. I have plenty of Earl Grey in my tea cabinet right now, but I think I would consider purchasing this one. I don’t normally like Tazo, so that surprised me.

Holiday Chai from Stash Tea Company

I didn’t think I liked chai (or Stash teas). I think I have more to learn. This one tastes a lot like pumpkin pie to me. One packet raw sugar and some milk added.

Apple Cider from Bigelow

I really didn’t care for this one. To me, it didn’t taste anything like apple cider…just hibiscus. I prepared it without any sugar, so I will give it another shot with sugar, and see how it goes. I’m not hopeful. :(

I really wanted to like this tea!!!

Raspberry Earl Grey from Zhena's Gypsy Tea

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I love crafting (especially macrame), books, and tea (obviously). I also collect Wade figurines (…the same people who make the figurines for Red Rose tea.).

I have a slight obsession with nail polish.

I adore Earl Grey. :)

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