Chrislovestea

This is the first oolong that I have really enjoyed.

It starts off a touch watery, but then quickly slides into a slightly fruity taste; the cup moves on to a light-bodied, toasted grain mid-range, and finishes with a slight sesame aftertaste. This tea is smooth and light.

Dry, its leaves are dark, full, and twisted. They are very long. The liquor is a light, golden brown. I drank it without sugar or milk.

This is a very subtle tea. I like it, but I am not wild for it. Truth is, I just plain like black teas more. But, nonetheless, I will continue my quest to better understand the tea world and and varieties therein.

Starts off tasting a bit watery. For a brief moment I thought I brewed it a bit weak, but I don’t think so. I think it is just very subtle, because right after the initial “Hey, is there any tea in here?” comes a wave of mild, light-bodied taste reminiscent of brussle sprouts. It’s ever so slightly bitter. Maybe my water was a bit hotter than I thought? I eyeballed it. The sip finishes with a stronger (relatively) floral taste and smell. The aftertaste is pure jasmine.

Being a fan of sugar in my tea, I added a pinch of sugar after making the notes above. Overall, it tasets about the same, with the sweetness from the sugar coming in towards the middle and back ends, somewhat boosting the flavor.

Overall, I like it, and it seems to be a very nice tea, but for those who, like me, are new to green teas, I don’t recommend it. Maybe for the advanced green tea lovers.

This tea is amazing. A bit pricier than I think I will pay, but if I was paid more I would stock this tea for sure.

I cannot place all of the flavors, so I’ll just walk through the experience: the first sensation across my tongue is a mildly fruity, buttery tone. It’s like the aftertaste of a fruit salad. Then, in the middle, I feel a smooth, natural green-tea flavor. The finisher is a mix of green-tea flavor (mild, mild!), fruit, and perhaps something floral? Perfumy, but I can’t identify a specific scent or flavor. Slightly astringent and a touch bitter in the after after taste. This is an absolutley delightful tea.

This is a complex cup. There are more flavors happening and more parts to the taste than I described above, but I can’t pull them apart enough to catalogue. I think it would taste great with sugar, though I can’t see spoiling this intricate experience. This is a good tea for lovers of all experience levels, though I think experienced drinkers might appreciate it more than neophytes.

I found this to be an enjoyable cup. I added a little sugar and a splash of milk.

First off, the tea leaves were crumbled and broken, not full and long like in the picture. The tea still tastes fantastic however. The dry leaves let off a rich, full bouquet. Once wet, they smelled like, well, I can only describe them as smelling of tea!

The first wave of flavor is almost nonexistent, followed by a full-bodied early-middle note. The Assam really kicks in right in the middle, with that heavy, dark taste I love so much. The flavors move smoothly, with a lemony, nutty finish. The after taste is slightly astringent, but not bitter. The conclusion of each sip leaves me looking forward to another one.

This is a solid and dependable tea, and I daresay it is very affordable. I’d recommend it for all ranges of experience, because it tastes like what one would expect from an Irish Breakfast, but it has complicated undertones that those who are well schooled can appreciate.

First off, I know very little about Pu-Erhs.

That said, I thought this tea was so-so. It tastes like good tea, but it is very smokey (I am not fond of smokey teas).

The first and last thing I taste in this cup is smoke. The middle notes are strong and bold, with a deep, earthy flavor. The end taste is a mix of the initial smokey flavor with the earthy tea taste. The after-after taste is somewhat bitter, but that could be because I brewed it a touch long.

The website suggests trying it with a pinch of salt, instead of sugar, so I drank about half the cup, then added salt. Somehow, the salt makes it less smokey. I’m not sure how or why, btu I must say that I like it more with the salt! I’ll post again when I try it with sugar and cream, but overall I must say that this is a tea for well-seasoned tea lovers, and is not for the beginner.

This is the Early Grey I grew up on. Like the Twinnings, it has a strong, reliable taste. Bold and full-bodied, with a great bergamot flavor pulling through. I like my Earl Greys strong, so I brew a bit long.

This my favorite “grocery store” Earl Grey. What can I say? It is a solid, proven tea. Good taste, bold, and with a strong bergamot flavor.

This is a delightful tea. Though it has bergamot, I hesitate to call it an Earl Grey because the bergamot is so subtle; the rose and jasmine really shine through.

The tea itself is very smooth and light, mildly nutty on the front of the taste, with a slightly buttery secondary tone. A hint of bergamot peeks out in the middle notes, and it finishes strong with the rose and jasmine. The rose lingers the longest in the aftertaste. Though I typically feel that flowery flavors take away from the bergamot, this blend is perfectly balanced. I love it. I think this blend would be most appreciated by the connoisseur.

This is my favorite bagged tea. It is strong, yet simple. It works well with milk and sugar, and is really just your basic Irish Breakfast. I’d give this to a new sipper, but for the more experienced tasters I would offer something a bit more high brow. Still, when I’m on the go it is easy to throw a few of these into a bag and jet. It doesn’t need much steep time.

Taste: very strong and full-bodied, with a nutty first sip and a heavy finish. Very tea-ish. Simple.

I love this tea. It is a bit pricy for me (I am poor and thrifty), but well worth it. I agree with the other sippers that a long steep time is needed. It is great hot or cold, and is one of the only teas I like just as much on a 2nd and 3rd steep.

The smell of this tea is intoxicating. Dry, it could sit in a bowl and improve the room. Wet, it looses it frangrance, but as beautiful as the smell is, the tea takes on an even prettier glow.

And then the taste. It is subtle, sweet, and complicated. I can taste the berry and hibuscus, though I can’t pull out the plum directly. It is a really mild tea, with mild flavors. This is a tea that newbies can enjoy, but that seasoned sippers will also appreciate. I cannot recommend this tea enough.

I was sadly disappointed with this tea. I had recently discovered whites, and was really excited because I love the SpecialTeas black strawberry tea. Sadly, I found this tea to be weak and bitter, despite my many manipultions of the temprature and steep time, and just not good. Sorry SpecialTeas! I still love you!

This is by far my favorite Earl Grey, and a serious contender for my all-time favorite tea. EG was the first tea I fell in love with (as a child), and at any given time I have 10-15 different EGs in my pantry. This one is the best blend of a strong and sharp bergamot flavor with a solid, strong-bodied black tea. Smooth start, sharp rise in the middle, and a heady bergamot finish. Usually I find teas with either not enough bergamot, or with poor quality black tea. This is absolutely perfect. I very much recommend this tea to anyone looking for a nice cup of EG. It is particularly good with sugar, milk, and a few drops of vanilla.

This is one of my favorite fruity teas. Be careful: I first steeped it too long, and this particular blend does not do well with oversteeping. The aftertaste was bitter and overwhelming. That said, if you steep it for only 3-5 minutes, it is heavenly! The strawberry flavor kicks in about halfway through the sip, and lingers nicely. I like this with a healthy serving of sugar or honey and a splash of milk. I think this is an especially great tea for new drinkers.

Earl Grey is my favorite tea, and I am sad to leave the only negative review thus far. I found the cornflowers overpowering, and couldn’t enjoy the bergamot aftertaste. Perhaps I should just steer clear of floral Earl Greys, though I love the Edwards Premium Tea Apres-Midi, which is black tea with rose, jasmine, and bergamot. I much prefer SpecialTeas’ Fine Earl Grey.

I love this tea. It is my number two bagged tea after Barry’s Classic Blend (I just like the stronger Irish blends more). I know PG Tips is popularly viewed as one of the best blends out there, but I just can’t get into it. It is OK, and if there is nothing else to sip on I don’t feel too terribly dissapointed, but the Special Blend is worth the extra cost as it blows the normal way out of the water. It is smoother and bolder at the same time, and the aftertaste is strong and clean, but not bitter.

This is a very smooth tea. It is subtle and not very strong. Usually I prefer stronger teas, but the flavor here is so delicate and complex that I love it. An avid suger and milk adder, I hardly touch sugar or milk to this because the flavors are perfect without. I recommend this tea to new tea drinkers and pros alike.

The first flavors to pull through are muted, light, nutty tones, followed by a kick I only know as tea-flavor, finished by a stronger jasmine aftertaste that lingers well after I finish the cup.