CrowKettle

This tea is stuck in some bizarre liminal, separated state; it’s not a full chai but isn’t 100% green oolong either. Both of these things are delicious separately (for me) but I can’t help but think they sell each other short when together, although this may be a more successful oolong then it is a chai.

The chai component, which is very similar to David’s Saigon Chai, may have worked better if this was a darker, roasted oolong. As it is the floral, buttery jade tie guan yin is too light to add milk, which for me is a key factor when drinking chai. The flavour is that of a cardamom and cinnamon sweetened green oolong, with a good dose of stevia, and a smidgen of peppercorn.

It’s a bit watery, and the flavours do not taste as if they always mingle, but it can also be a nice cuppa buttery spices. My main issue with this one is I really don’t like stevia. I didn’t like it in banana oolong and don’t care for it here. Freeze-dried bananas and cardamom have enough sweetness to them for me. I wish David’s Tea gave you the option to add stevia instead of assuming everyone wants a sweetener boost and dumping it right in the dry blend.

The aroma of the dry leaves reminded my roommate and I of those Flintstones vitamins but the liquor is more akin to juice or even a cheap berry jam pastry.

The flavour is sour-sweet blackberry and hibiscus, with a sweet smoothness near the finish. I don’t get as much strawberry. This isn’t that bad! The hibiscus is used in the right quantity to give it a slightly under-ripe berry flavour. The usually fishy and dark David’s Tea puerh is almost absent here. I would complain about not tasting much of the base but after Aloha Puerh… Maybe this isn’t something I would keep around but it’s near perfect for the warmer season ahead.

My roommate said this tasted like the Indonesian medicine she had as a kid.

I thought it was ok if I didn’t breath through my nose. It has the puerh trademark fishiness, although it isn’t as heavy as I’ve experienced elsewhere. In theory I should love this; it has a candied tropical fruit flavour and a creamy, white chocolate body. It doesn’t work for me however, and it’s not because I dislike puerh (it’s great every once in a while). This comes off tasting a little medicinal, a little artificial, and very off.

Eh, it does succeed in reminding me of Hawaii- fruit, cream, Kona coffee, fish, and all, but I don’t know if this is the right combination of it. Maybe this would be better on its second steep but I don’t really want to find out.

Edit: I like this a bit more cooled down. It’s creamy on its own but it might be ok with milk or as an iced smoothie/latte.

Sipdown.. I hoarded this bounty of floral coconut goodness as long as I could but it’s time to say good bye, at least for now, and move on to the other teas Cavocorax sent me. I will be ordering more of this!

Sipdown! It can be a nippy little thing, can’t it? A lot of sour sweet lemon, a little bit of spicy sweet cardamon, and a grassy smooth base. I want to have access to a drink like this all the time. I feel that this would be a good late night summer tea.

Today has not been the best. The power cut out in the kitchen and bathroom last night in this crummy basement, and my roommate and I don’t have access to the power box. It sucks because I just bought groceries and it doesn’t look like our landlord is going to respond anytime soon (another five days). At least the rent is somewhat cheap, I guess.

I think my roommate and I are going to get a portable gas stove in an attempt to cook our meat, rice, and kimchi before it goes bad. It will be a feast of sorts, which could be fun. The new carton of milk also needs to go- a perfect excuse to have a lot of chai tea (it’s going to be an unhealthy night).

I’m finishing off the rest of this today and I think I will miss it a bit. I started off not liking the samples from 52teas but there is something comforting in all that marshmallow root and flavoring. They’ll forever remind me of Christmas and relaxing, full-power times.

Now this is what I’m talking about! ALL the peppermint! I find the peppermint tisanes I’ve tried have a natural creamy component to them, and this one is no exception. So glad I stumbled upon this tin in the grocery store today. Harney & Sons have very pretty tins and tea bags- I couldn’t resist. I also bought mint leaves. I’m stocked up.

Oh, man. I’m getting a lot of apple this evening, like apple cider! I don’t know how much I like this when it’s oversteeped. I want more peppermint and less everything else. Maybe I can mix in some Peppermint Amour from David’s Tea.

Or I should revisit Cold 911. I’m in a mint craze right now.

I was hoping my order from Red Leaf would have arrived during the week I was in town with parents, for reading break, but it wasn’t to be.. so disappointed. If history has any bearing, it will probably arrive tomorrow (argh!).

At least I have a small portion of this to hold me over until I head back to the mainland again. I actually got it nice and frothy this time (I’m so proud of myself). I guess I shouldn’t have two servings of this so late at night but this empty bowl is tempting me- it smells like rich, butter-drenched greens. It’s divine. I want to bounce off walls and zone out at the same time after a cup of this.

The flavour is still very much the grassy and the astringent green- that taste sounds awful in my mind yet works out very well in practice. I look forward to drinking this kind of tea a lot.

Hmm, Didn’t win anything at Timmy’s this evening but this herbal wasn’t bad at all.

I couldn’t help but think of my Cocomint, from David’s Tea, the whole time I was sipping away at this. It’s a mild breath of fresh air so it passes as a minty thing. This was a little creamy too, like it had a touch of vanilla. Maybe a little candied.

I get graham crackers, then marshmallows, then chocolate, and, finally, black tea. This is S’mores in a cup and it’s simply awesome. Still have yet to try as a latte.

Utopia Tea threw this one in as a sample and I’m glad they did because the aroma alone is amazing (for me)! It’s red fruity with a backdrop of spice. Dried and sweetened strawberries seem to blend with ginger and spice just as well as any self-respecting peach or pear taste, it seems.

The flavour is pleasantly surprising in that I can taste the creamy white base. Flavoured tea is not too appealing as of late, and I’m grateful for that presence. There’s a toasty strawberry jam pastry note that lingers as an aftertaste, although the fruitiness isn’t as present during the main sip as the dry leaf smell had me believe. Pepper and freshening ginger are subtly present in the corners, but I’ve a hard time discerning where one ends and the other begins.

The Utopia teas I received consist of some very interesting ingredient combinations, which I think I may need some time to warm up to. This one, however, I like right away. Strawberries are some of my least favourite berries too… Maybe it’s the sweet fruit jam, or the prickly zest of the spices, or the smoothness in mid sip- it’s definitely not the drying, puckering sensation it leaves in my mouth. Once I empty out my cupboards I’ll pick up a tiny amount of this.

History Laced swapped this with me ages ago, for Christmas, but I’m only getting to it now. I’m so slow with trying tea samples and getting back to people; I need to work on that. Cavocorax sent me a whole slew of Darjeeling samples and I have yet to try any of them. Soon.

I dumped a small spoonful of this in my David’s Tea perfect mug and left it in boiling water for four minutes- it was rather fine. A little hay-ish, a little nippy, and kind of sweet, like honey. Maybe some fruity jam too. I’m pretty happy with this cup, a lot more than I thought I’d be.

Backlog from last night: I received this as a free sample from Utopia Tea. Thank you! I’ve never had anything labelled “decaffeinated” before. I feel… all grown up, like I’ve progressed to the next extremity of “caffeine” consumption! ;)

The aroma of the dry leaf reminds me of those pineapple flavoured Koala’s March I used to gobble up as a child when visiting the Hawaiian Islands; airy cookie, candied pineapple filling… Not until this very moment did I realize my ambition to never be without a good pineapple tea, macadamia nuts, and Koala March cookies. I need to get cracking on that!

The actual taste of this one is very similar to the smell. It’s watery, floral, and is heavy with sugary fruit near the end of the sip. The green tea is pretty subdued. It’s not terribly exciting but it’s relaxing in a pinch.

The liquor smells of crisp fruit and a touch of cocoa. I was expecting the first sip to leave my mouth horrifically dry but that’s not the case! It’s so smooth and ‘juicy’. There is an astringent boldness near the end but it’s not in the same league of the Wanja Orange Pekoe I’ve been drinking for the last week. There is more fruit than bitter rind to this cup although rind still pokes through. I think there is a sense of creaminess too.

All in all, it’s a lovely evening cup. I’m not sure if I want to try this with milk or not as it’s delicious on its own. I will add that this is more of a sipping tea than a gulping one. It becomes more nippy and less smooth in bigger mouthfuls.

This tea makes me want to snack on grapes, oranges, and dark chocolate forever. Thank you, ToiToi! I’m sorry I put off trying this sample for such a long time. It deserved better from me.

Nutella tea. Fleshy hazelnuts and vanilla toffee. So much flavorful sweetness. So much. This is smooth except for a bitter nut note. I bet this would rock my socks off as a latte. It already tastes like a flavoured coffee creamer.

Unlike the rose mango from Utopia Tea, which I’m saving for iced summer sessions, I feel this one would be better suited for the autumn and early winter seasons. It would’ve been useful to keep my chocolate cravings in check when I was gifted all those Purdy boxes. Still feeling the ramifications for that two months later..

Only complaints are this may be a little too rich for me and the tea base itself is not overly noticeable.

Just to reconfirm: milk does this tea no favours.It sucks up all the floral subtlety and hides the tea’s personality, making the whole thing rather bland. If the primary bite is a bother, it doesn’t stick around much for the second and third steeps (which are delicious).

Sometimes I rush into things without thinking. I just wish for once I could write something or get the words right the first time around without making a silly fool of myself. I need to remind myself to take it slow- that includes tea.

Backlog from yesterday: this is the iced batch and I think I can say I enjoyed it more. It really tastes like the smell of crisp yellow roses. It’s delicious, it calls up old memories of going to beautiful gardens (Butchart), but I don’t know if I enjoy this all too much. The candied fruit finish starts where the floral roses end, creating a bitter tangy sweetness that makes me pause. That fruitiness is not wholly like sweet mango, although that can be surmised up from it. There’s cutting, nippy lemon, and maybe even some tart pineapple too.

It’s still disappointing on the mango front but it sure delivers with roses. Floral yellow fans shouldn’t be disappointed. What a strange, intriguing tea. Also, I’m getting more green than any other tea base.

Mother’s reaction: “I don’t like it, but it’s nice” (huh?), and “it’s very delicate.”

This is exactly what I want when I say bold and brisk! Wow, this gets me going.

Astringent? Yes. Bitter? hmm.. kind of like an orange peel, or as with dark chocolate with dried up fruit bits. There is something almost sweet and soft to the cup, especially in beginning to mid sip, where it goes smooth in a creamy malty way. that smoothness coexists with the briskness in an appealing manner.

I added milk the first time I tried some a few days ago; it was pleasant, but I don’t feel the broth is thick enough to call for it. Also, that aforementioned softness balances out the potential harshness of the cup for me.

I second steeped it the other day as well, and it had all the strength of a Breakfast tea on first steep. It’s a potent cup! Today I’m going to see how long it can last. Edit- second steep today is definitely floral! Yum.

Thank you, Azzrian, for pointing me towards this! I can’t wait to try the purple tea next.

Besides the yellow rosy floral taste, this tea makes me sad. They should have put in real, big mango bits, grrrr!!! As it is, the fruity flavour, which is yet more “yellowness”, comes off as somewhat insincere. A little tangy, like pineapple or lemon. I hadn’t realized yellow was a taste before this tea so it gets cool points for that.

I should try this iced before passing final judgment on it though. I don’t think this tea was meant to thrive as a hot cup and it definitely wasn’t meant to ever bear witness to the addition of milk.. it came out tasting a little like pledge polisher after that. Nope.

The dry loose leaves smell like citrus jello, which is lovely but, you know, I want mangoes!

Edit: on closer inspection, this bag looks like it contains a handful of yellow and white fruit pieces, so there is hope. I’ll make a more “analytical” note when I make some iced tea.

Murchie’s had this out as a self-serve sample today, along with the Oolong Magnolia, when I went to go pick up a Tiramisu cake for get-together. Why don’t I go to Murchie’s more often? Their desserts are delicious and the teas aren’t bad either.

I thought this was going to be nasty when I read the name but it turned out to be quite pleasant. The berry flavour reminded me of the soft fruitiness found in jam. Very smooth and dessert-like, particularly with the vanilla and cinnamon- not spicy or hot like what I think of chai, but “spiced”. I could see this being an item at a children’s “tea party” if that makes sense. I didn’t get a very good overall impression but it was enough to intrigue me!

Silk Road gave their website a makeover and it looks like they are finally on board with the online shipping thing-before you apparently had to order over the phone! I wasn’t aware that their teas were categorized as “signature” or “limited edition”. Silly me, assuming everything is permanent.

Mmm, This is a delicate, dainty little tea. The dry leaves look like tightly curled up bits of thread. The aroma is almost unnoticeable when dry but it becomes characteristically floral when damp. The notes are simple, crisp and floral, with a honey sweet finish. This contains a surprising amount of flavour. There is something that almost seems “spiced” and musky about its aroma and finish but it’s too subtle for me to put my finger on.

I’m drinking this using my little glass gongfu pot… white tea and floral flavours can be so subtle yet potent! They make the world seem like it’s slowing down. I could just sit here and drift off with this (should be studying). Too bad this tea wasn’t cheaper.

I picked up some matcha to experiment with after Sil pointed me towards a great deal at Red Leaf. I’ve never made matcha myself but I enjoy the flavour of it in other food and beverages I’ve come across.

This is freaking delicious, in a smooth grassy way, but I failed so hard at making it. Taste is good, consistent and thick, no clumps, but also no froth. Today is going to be dedicated to whisking, sifting, and measuring abilities, my dear tea companions.. >.<

Ah, Verdant Tea gave me more of this as my free sample. I really feel I need to stock up on this if it’s still around by the time I empty out my cupboards.

First steep tastes like banana crackers today..tonight. Why did I put off my essays until now?! I’m not getting any sleep tonight. I hate myself right now so much.