Jenn

I don’t know if I like this one or not. The melon flavor is pretty natural tasting which is great, but there’s something that makes me not love this tea. Maybe it’s the aftertaste? I can’t put my finger on it…

Yyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeessssssss!

I’m on an Assam tea kick recently. Sometimes I like to try many of the same types of teas in a short time span to better appreciate their similarities and differences.

This particular Assam tea has no golden buds in it that I can detect. I do see some lighter colored buds in the black tea, but I would describe them more as beige than golden. The leaves have a sweet aroma, and the infusion is a light amber. The liquor has a light, sweet flavor with a bit-o-malt(iness) at the very end.

Overall, this is a not offensive but it’s also in no way what I expect from an Assam.

Edit: This tea really began to frustrate me after my second cup. There’s almost no astringency and it seems very flat to me. I’m lowering my rating.

This chai smells so wonderful! I love that it’s an herbal chai so you can drink it anytime day or night, and of course I’m a fan of cocoa nibs.

At first sip, I get a rush of chocolate that mellows into a very nice, (not too strong), spicy flavor. The finish has a punch of cardamom to it that lingers in your mouth.

I quite like this tea. Unfortunately, after I had my first cup and I visited the CTH website for more information, and I found that white chocolate pieces had been added to the ingredient list for this tea. D’oh, white chocolate often has a dairy component and I can’t have the dairy in my teas. I’ve emailed CTH in the hopes that the white chocolate they use is non-dairy which isn’t common but does exist. I really hope I can have this tea again because it’s delish.

Update: I heard back from CTH and the white chocolate pieces that they have recently added to this blend ARE VEGAN!!!! \o/

Rouge Bourbon is a tasty vanilla rooibos tea. I’m just not sure that I’m WOWd. The flavor is pleasant but I was hoping for something a little more bourbon… or special… or interesting. I get that vanilla extract is (often) made with bourbon, hence there’s (often) a bourbon flavor in the vanilla, but I still find myself wanting more from the flavor of this tea.

I’m a lucky girl because SimplyJenW spoiled me with an XL sample of this baby so I can give it a few more tries. Hug/ smacks to you my tea-friend :)

I have to say that Linsey out did herself with this blend! Banana Nut Bread does taste like it’s fresh out of the oven. The spices are right on and the banana flavor is rich and natural tasting.

So very, very, very, good!

I’m kinda in love with this tea. I wrote a song about it… I didn’t actually write a song about it. However, I have been admiring its beautiful golden buds, and sticking my entire nose into the package to breath in its earthy aroma. This is a gorgeous second flush Assam!

The infusion is a rich, dark amber color, and the flavor of the liquor is bold with mallt(y) and spicy notes. The finish is very clean and refreshing. There’s an underlying sweetness to this tea that makes it almost wine-like.

I could drink this tea all day long. I was so inspired that I created a recipe for Mangalam Assam Yellow Curry with Chickpeas and Spinach using this very tea. Check it out here if you like http://bit.ly/nlINXr .

Addition: This song is for Kashyap who claims that I can’t be a bona fide tea-nerd unless I actually do write a song about this tea. Here goes nothing…

clears throat

Mangalam Assam you are the bomb
You’re such a tippy tea
You are the one for me
Mangalam Assam

You’re golden buds are never duds
You are the best
Above the rest
Mangalam Assam

Grown in the lowland clay
I’d drink you everyday
With you I’ll always stay
Mangalam Assam

acoustic guitar solo

I’m taking SimplyJenW’s lead here in wishing Mr. Harney a very Happy Birthday!!!!

This tea is another one from my impulse buy gone awry, but at least this tea IS in sachets. I’ve had White Vanilla Grapefruit before and I’ve liked it. Tonight, for some odd reason, it tastes bitter and bad. Why? Wwwhhhyyyy???? I think I need some sleep, so no rating for now.

After a long run of flavored teas, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to get back to basics a bit. Ahhh… yes, this is good. I love to poor white tea out into a little glass bowl and marvel at the whiskery leaves (hairy little bastards). I’ve been examining my tea a lot this way recently in the interest of science (or in lieu of a hobby). My new hobby could be the overuse/ misuse of brackets (hmmmm).

This Silver needle by Canton is very whiskery! The flavor is refreshing, creamy, and I can taste melon in the finish. This is a very delicate but still flavorful white tea.

Edit: The melon flavor really developes as this tea cools!

This is a tasty apricot black tea but I’m not getting much of a chai flavor from it. I can taste a the very natural apricot flavor, bold black tea body, and just a bit of ginger for the finish. I’m not tasting the spiciness of a chai.

Read my full review on Teaviews http://bit.ly/plOaam

This is a really good fruity tisane. The cherry and kiwi flavors are distinct and not at all medicinal tasting. Tonight I drank Kiwi Cherry Bonanza hot but I bet it would be fantastic iced. It’s super fruity but I shamelessly like the fruit.

Meethinks that Frank is a huge fan of boat-drinks. And that’s okay by me because I’ve yet to be disappointed by any of his pina colada teas.

I cold steeped this one over night and I’ve been sipping it all day between other teas. I think that this black tea version has a great flavor, and I’ve gotten two pitchers out of one packet so far. I like it a lot.

Interesting, there’s no listing for this tea anymore on the Empire Tea Services website hence no product description. Hmmm…

The leaves are pretty with bright red safflowers and blue cornflowers mixed in with the black tea. The blend dry is very aromatic. The liquor is a dark copper. Flavors… raspberry, vanilla, and do I taste chocolate? There’s a floral tone as well. The body is bold with a bit of a brassy finish for my taste.

Not bad. I’m going for another cup.

Edit: I put a little raw sugar and almond milk in my second cup and this improved the flavor quite a bit. I’m bumping my rating up slightly.

I recently placed a huge order on a tea impulse buy from a company clearing out their Harney stock. (Impulse buys? Me? Never!) I’m not mentioning that company’s name because my disappointment is in no way their fault. I didn’t realize that I was buying teabags in this tea blend and a couple others. I thought I was buying sachets, and now I’m super disappointed to have a 50-count box of this tea in individually wrapped teabags. Gish…

I’m also disappointed in this tea. The pomegranate flavor tastes really artificial to me, and the oolong is bitter. Maybe I got a bad teabag, maybe I over steeped it, maybe this tea is just better in loose leaf form (I don’t even know if it’s sold in loose leaf). This is not what I’ve come to expect from one of my favorite tea companies.

There could be many factors at play here so I’m not going to rate this tea now. I’ll try it again later because I want to believe that it can’t be as bad as I think it is at this moment. If any of you tea-obsessed kiddlets are a fan of Pomegranate Oolong, or if you just want to give it a try, please let me know because I have PLENTY to share.

I need a secret weapon about right now. I didn’t sleep last night, and I’m really hoping that this tea will be the ticket to chill me out so that I may sleep tonight. My husband leaves for a research trip tomorrow morning and the car service will be here early, so sleep is a must. Thank goodness I don’t have to drive him to LAX but I’ll miss being able to see him off. It’s silly, but I miss my husband terribly when he’s gone because he’s my best friend. Blah, blah, blah…

I think I need to steep this tea a little longer next time. I can smell and taste the coco nibs and almonds, but I want more. I don’t really taste the goji berries but I’m glad to know they’re in the mix. The body is refreshing and light. I get slight licorice flavor in the finish.

I like this tea but I just want more flavor. I brewed it at 185 degrees for 3 minutes, and I think that another miniute may be the ticket.

I know that this isn’t a tea, but I thought that the information was still worth passing along. For as mad as I get at Teavana, I have to admit that I use this pitcher every day and that it’s a great iced tea brewing tool. The pitcher was only $24.95 and that makes it a great value in my opinion.

This picture is terrible but I seem to be unable to switch it out. Here’s the link to Teavana’s website for a better look:

http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/tea-makers-infusers/p/infuser-tea-pitcher

I’m on my third steep of this beautiful mystery because I wasn’t going to sleep anyway. Marco Polo has officially blown my mind. I’m holding the teacup under my nose to better inhale the exquisitely baffling aroma… with my eyes closed. Too much information?

The actual Chinese and Tibetan fruit and flowers blended with black tea to create Marco Polo are a famously guarded secret, but I smell berries. Something like strawberries only infinitely better. At first sip, I taste that gorgeous undetermined fruit. The fruity flavor develops into a bright, full, black tea body. And the finish is so sweet. This tea has a lingering sweetness that will bewitch you into forgoing sleep to drink another, and another cup.

I want to bathe in Marco Polo.

Because I am and I can’t sleep… Say what you will about this tisane, but Forever Nuts is simple, sweet, soothing, and a comfort when I can’t sleep. I’m off to count sheep. sigh

I have a confession to make… I’m not usually a fan of Earl Grey. It’s the bergamot that has made me shy away in the past. It’s just so in your face. Like an over indulged child demanding “Look at what I can do!”. I get it bergamot. You’re bright, aromatic, and uplifting. Now, please let the other tea flavors have a turn!

Surprisingly, this tea may make me a drinker of Earl Grey. The leaf aroma defiantly has that bergamot punch in the face. I know, I know, it’s Earl Grey. The aroma of the liquor is pleasing and far more subtle. The first sip is bright and lemony fresh, (Yes, hello bergamot). That flavor quickly gives way to a nicely astringent Darjeeling body, and the finish is sweet, delicate, and floral. I actually like this tea.

Am I a tea snob? No, but I do have to admit that if my tin didn’t say Mariage Fréres, I may have stuck to my “I don’t care for Earl Grey.”, guns. Have you seen the Mariage Fréres apothecary style tea jars? I want to live in them! I have a sample of Winter White Earl Grey from Harney & Sons that I’m really eager to try now. I bet Vanilla Earl Grey would be very up my alley. Hmmmm…

And who do I have to thank for my Earl Grey turnaround? Well, this will come as no surprise, but the person’s Steepster name starts with a Quilt and ends with a Guppy.

Edit: I added a little turbinado sugar and almond cream to my second cup, and I’m liking the flavor even more!

Backlogging… Apricot Amaretto is my last blend from Tea Forte’s Herbal Retreat sampler packet to review. I’ve said it before, but I’m a huge foodie and I applaud Tea Forte for going the cocktail route with their tea blends. I really dig the concept.

Unfortunately, I didn’t much dig Apricot Amaretto. I like amaretto in general. In fact, my drink of choice in college was an amaretto sour served in a red plastic cup. Classy! I also really enjoy all things apricot, so theoretically this tea should be the perfect fit for me. Nope. The almond flavor tastes off to me, and that “off” flavor quashes any lovey apricot flavor that may be lurking in the blend. Its just not the right tea for me.

I wouldn’t buy this tea, but I am looking forward to trying some of Tea Forte’s other blends that sound pretty fantastic. I’ve seen some very highly rated dessert blends from this company that really intrigue me. We shall meet again under better circumstances Tea Forte!

Backlogging… I’ve been avoiding reviewing my last two Tea Forte samples. I don’t relish slamming anyone’s tea. I sincerely adore tea, and I’m a firm believer in there being a place for every tea and tisane. Enough stalling… let’s do this.

I’m not going to draw this out. I didn’t care for this one at all. The aroma of Kiwi Lime Ginger dry was promising, but at first sip I knew that I wouldn’t be finishing the cup. I don’t taste any lime in the brew and the ginger is far too strong for my taste.

I’m so very grateful for the samples that Tea Forte sent out, and it pains me that I didn’t care for this blend at all. Oh well, to each his own. I’m sure that someone out there loves this one.

This oolong really lives up to its name! It’s a beauty to be sure and I’m so grateful to the incredible Naomi of Joy’s Teaspoon for letting be one of the first to sample it. I adore the perfect balance of the antioxidant benefits of green tea, and the depth of flavor that comes from delicate fermentation you find in oolongs. I’m partial to oolongs, but make no mistake this oolong is special.

Blue Beauty is a gorgeous, medium bodied, floral oolong with vegetal and licorice root notes. I’m in no way a black licorice fan, but the licorice root flavor is very subtle and tasty in this tea. I brewed this tea at 185 degrees for 3 min. and I was able to get a solid four steeps out of the leaves. I was so sad to finally empty my infuser, but I’ll defiantly be placing an order for more very soon.

Please check out my website for a Sharp Cheddar Cashew Spread recipe that I created to pair with this wonderful tea:
http://bit.ly/ovHxSb

Thank you again Naomi for sharing this tea with me!

I want a dessert tea and a dessert tea I shall have! I’ve been drinking oolongs all day so it’s time to switch gears. I may have too much caffeine coursing through my body to sleep currently, but I’m going to try to settle down with this lovely honeybush.

Neapolitan Honeybush tastes like warm melted ice cream. That may sound gross, but let me assure you it’s darn pretty fantastic. At first sip, I taste creamy vanilla which develops into a rich chocolate flavor, and then it finishes with the wonderful taste of fresh strawberries. Amazing! I suspect that this beauty may be even better iced.

Yum! Dessert craving satisfied.

What shouldn’t you do when your getting over one of the worst colds you’ve ever had? Go out for tapas with your favorite brother and sister in law, laugh so hard that you nearly choke on your thrid glass of sangria, and completely loose your voice trying to talk over the smarmy flamenco band. Great for the soul, but not so good for the already sore throat.

After a night of foolishness, what could be better than a lemony delicious cuppa? Throat Soother is just what I needed to to calm my cranky throat and make me decent company for the rest of the night.

Thank you QuiltGuppy for coming to my rescue once again with the right tea to fix what ails me :)