CupofTree

This will be my last logged tea before leaving florida tomorrow for my cross-country road trip and move to Seattle, Washington!
Living in the Pacific Northwest has been my dream since visiting 2 years ago, and now it will be my home. 
My boyfriend and I are making the drive all the way from south Florida, and plan to stop in Roswell, NM, then the Grand Canyon, then California and Yosemite, and then most amazing of all, onto the Redwoods!! I will finally see them for real. I also cannot wait to see Oregon,  which I feel so connected to even though I’ve never been there.
My plan is to study the forests and determine my place in the environmental and forestry field. There is nothing I love more than the trees and forests, and I want to be near them always.

A friend of mine brought this tea over who funnily enough got it from a friend in Seattle, while the tea itself comes from Oregon. 
The magical scent of this tea alone immediately makes it the best tea ever. It is the tea to end all teas for me.
It smells like a forest, and burning a Frasier Fir candle at the same time transforms my room into one. I cannot wait to be in a real forest and to drink this tea among the trees.

What was even more special about my first time having this tea was that my favorite song ever came on my pandora while drinking it. The song is When I Grow Up by Fever Ray http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-CpE73o2M&feature=youtube_gdata_player
When I hear it, I understand why I am alive. I know where I want to be and what I want to do. 

I can drink this tea forever.
I can’t explain the tree flavor other than its lovely, and has a lemon-like concentrated end.
Its super calming.
I also feel a special energy from this tea. Sort of like when I’m sitting on the ground leaning against a tree, and I get this incredible relaxed and happy feeling in my back. Its hard to explain.

This is literally, my Cup of Tree. 

West coast!! here I come!!!!! Woohoo!!!!

Thank you Azzrian for your awesome kindness in the holiday tea package you sent me! This was the first tea I tried.
Interestingly, it reminds me of coffee. Which is not a bad thing because I have been kind of craving coffee lately… it feels so wrong to say that haha but I really don’t need it. Its just I miss the creaminess of a cup of coffee. And that’s only because I have to put so much cream in to mask the awful taste of the coffee itself. Mostly its the amazing smell that gets me..
Anyway, this tea is pretty good with milk and sugar. If I get a stupid coffee craving, I’d go for this one. Its quite strong as well.

This one really smells like S’mores!
I put some mini mellows in my cup like a couple other steepsters did. It does make the cup just a little bit more creamy and like a hot chocolate.
The last cup of this was real murky from the all the stuff that fell through the steeper but it was the most tastiest cup for sure.
This is a perfect camping tea. It’s sweet and I like it!

Thank you Nicole for some of this tea!
It just happens to be another Ceylon I like! Adagio must have the worst Ceylon ever because for the longest time I thought I didn’t like Ceylon tea.
This one is smooth and its almost like a lighter version of my favorite Assam. No weird metallic taste like I thought was characteristic of Ceylons.

Time to try a new black tea! That always makes me happy. First time having the fancy Mariage Freres, thank you momo! Mariage Frerraaaaarre ;p
The dry leaf smells slightly fruity on top of a strong black base.
Tried to make a half pot. Good with sugar. Its just a plain, good, nice tea.
I want their new teas and awesome tins, especially the chocolate one and the macaron one. Why on earth they have to be close to $40 per 4 oz is beyond me. Unless I’m calculating the currency exchange wrong which is possible.

Finally got around to trying this sample. Sharing it with my mom and sitting outside in the patio at home, listening to birds chirp and Kaki King pandora.
Its so rare to be able to sit outside this time of year. We don’t even need ac on.
What’s awesome about our backyard is that there’s no pool, which all florida homes usually have. Instead we have hundreds of plants and flowers that my mom spends all day taking care of, and a huge black olive tree that was here long before we were. It’s like a little jungle, with lots of bamboo and even a handmade fireplace created out of coral from various beaches.

This tea is a bit light for me. I feel like I keep saying that lately.. but I just like black tea to be really flavorful. I taste the vanilla just a little bit. Will have to try again soon.

This one is new from Spice & Tea Exchange and I first tried it when a friend of mine brought it over with her cool blue cast iron teapot to brew in not too long ago. I haven’t been able to forget this tea since then and today I finally went out and bought some.
It smells incredible. Blueberry scrumptiousness. I love that there are real blueberry pieces in it and that its a Yunnan black tea.
I really like the Spice & Tea Exchange, its the only good tea store experience I can have down here.

The first pot I made is just not the same as the first time I had it… but perhaps I need more time with it. Maybe her tea pot was seasoned with this tea as she told me its been the only one brewed in it for a while.
What ended up making this tea awesome for me this time was a cranberry orange white chocolate cookie from whole foods. It was amazing and I didn’t know I even liked cranberry orange.

Anyway, I’ve been on a crazy blueberry tea kick lately, and tried some other blueberry teas not worth mentioning. I wanted to add almond milk to this but it has to defrost from being in the back of the fridge (yeah thats not normal) so I had to use regular milk instead. I also used blue agave and its much better now.
I want to figure out how to create those blueberry tea mistos I used to get at Starbucks before they took them away.

A two minute conversation I had with a stranger the other day about coffee turned into a conversation about tea. Well duh. When I mentioned how obsessed I am with loose tea, he mentioned a cafe that I’d never heard of which was not too far from me. How did I not hear about it before?! He said they have all kinds of loose tea and is also a chill place to hang out. I immediately looked the place up and the front page of their website has a pretty painting of a tree on it which made me even more excited. www.yourbigpicturecafe.com

After a visit to the everglades today where I had some VERY close encounters with some very large alligators, me and my friend went to the cafe.
Its definitely a nice place to be. It’s comfy and quiet and has a great selection of herbs and lattes but the tea selection was unfortunately disappointing. As was this tea, which was even more disappointing. I picked it thinking it’d be strong, as I needed a bold tea after biking 15 miles at the everglades preserve and was dying from tiredness.

The tea was so boring and lacking and didn’t have any flavor at all. It also tasted like it was three years old. The only good thing about this cup of tea was the awesome mug it came in. It was the steeper mug by Tea Spot http://theteaspot.com/tea-steeping-mug-steepware.html?catid=251 and it was so nifty that I wanted one but I have enough teaware right now.

The dry leaf scent is so amazing to me because its of my favorite tea cookie, Stella Doro breakfast treats. They smell so comforting and happy to me and I can’t even explain why because I’m not sure where the happy feeling comes from.
Brewed and hot, the cookie scent sort of disappears so I’m hoping it comes back through when cooled.
I’ve been waiting a long time to try this tea since I bought my samples. I waited until I could find the cookies it reminded of, and since I found them today, its time to try the tea!

It’s tea time with my boyfriend and we’re sitting upstairs at his place by the open French doors overlooking the massive oak tree out back and Fern Forest park behind it. This has to be the best view in all of south florida I’m sure, no parking lots or other houses or streets, just trees. The weather is surprisingly nice and allows us to open the doors for some fresh air. Listening to Washed Out.. pretty chilled out.

I don’t taste any chocolate in this tea and my beloved cookie taste is ever so slightly present. It goes good with the cookie though… a Stella Doro to go with some Della Terra! Try saying that 10 times fast. I already confused myself when searching for this tea to log and typed Stella Terra by mistake haha
I wish the tea was just a bit more flavorful though… I added extra leaf to begin with but maybe I’ll add more next time.

Ended up at a cafe today that I’ve never been to before and it was soo good, wish I knew about it sooner. I ordered this tea with my breakfast sandwich and it was my first time having Mighty Leaf tea.

I really liked the fancy tea bag and the little rope string and was impressed to see whole leaf tea in it. It brewed to a perfect dark shade in the mug. I added sugar in the raw and it was so delicious with my sandwich, tasting very brisk and robust! I didn’t even mind the ceylon taste to it, assuming it has ceylon.

Normally I don’t like to pair food with tea but I can tell that’s the only way I could enjoy this tea, and it reminded me how good that combination can actually be!

This was my tea for Halloween, shared with my friend. Upon opening my package, the taste and smell of the tea was completely different compared to my previous sample of it. But it was good anyway! This time it smelled and tasted like bubblegum instead of marshmallows. But it was perfect for Halloween which was really good this year.
I was Fever Ray / a Nature Spirit. http://instagr.am/p/Rd7OtLrPBK/
http://instagr.am/p/Rd6zworPAg/
If only more days could be like Halloween.

I’d like to thank DAVIDsTEA for creating this blend. Yes this is from Teavana but apparently its the same exact tea as Forever nuts. I’ve never had Forever Nuts and I guess I can say now I have!

Brewed this yesterday in my new cast iron green teapot that my boyfriend got me for our 8th anniversary yesterday, I LOVE it. http://instagr.am/p/RN18MMLPLV/ have to take better pic soon.
The tea is pretty and pink and of course we had to add some almond milk for fun. The smell of the tea is so sweet and I just couldn’t place what it reminded me of. He kept saying cinnamon toast crunch, which has to be my all time favorite cereal, but I wasn’t so sure that the tea smelled like it. Perhaps because it was hot…

Anyway we drank it and it tasted like happiness and it will remind me of our awesome day together. :)

EDIT: So after getting home and sniffing the leftover tea from yesterday, and now that its cooled, it does smell like CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH! I am in love.

Firstly, I ordered samples a while ago and I think this one has been discontinued since then.
I was really excited to try this tea but was wary after smelling it, because the smell was nothing like smores. Reminds me of my disappointment with DT’s Toasted Marshmallow.

The taste of this tea immediately reminded me of sweet potatoes, but not in a good way. I just didn’t like it. :(
What I did enjoy about this tea was the pretty orange color. http://instagram.com/p/Q5xp9YLPB6/

I honestly haven’t had much luck with the rest of my samples other than Whisper of the Woods but I have not given up on Whispering Pines! Hopefully I will try more of their teas in the future.

This was the first tea I tried from my generous samples from Nature’s Tea Leaf, thank you so much!
I love brewing this one in a glass pot, to see the flowers unfurl and swirl around when I pour a cup. It has definitely been the prettiest tea that I have ever brewed but unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the taste.
A friend I was brewing it with said it tastes like stale funky mint, or soapy potpourri and I’d have to agree. The taste is mild, thankfully, but just isn’t good I’m sorry to say. I would love to have this brewing in my glass pot as a center piece during a tea party while using my other tea pots for brewing other tea. Maybe someone else will like it as I tend to be rather picky with floral, herbal, or puerh types.

Thank you momo for this sample! It smells good but I learned from Adagio that I just don’t like ceylon types. I like the story behind this tea with the monks and all but I couldn’t finish my cup. My taste buds just don’t agree with it. My boyfriend on the other hand liked it and said it was smooth, citrusy, and light.

This was a sample from momo’s awesome tin of teas she brought me when visiting, so nice of her, thank you again Amanda! :)
I’ve been wanting to try this tea for a long while but have been scared of the mentioned bergamot as I just can’t get over the soapyness of earl greys.
The dry leaf of Paris smells very pleasant, yummy, and welcoming. 
Brewed it’s smelling a little bergamonty which worries me… but surprisingly doesn’t taste like it at all! I added a little sugar and yes, I like this! 
The word sophisticated immediately comes to my mind when describing this tea. 
It tastes a little fruity, a tad lemony, and has a perfectly smooth and lovely black base. I’m sure there is more going on taste-wise but I need more cups to discover it fully. It is very very good. It is definitely the best fruity black tea I have ever had. Will certainly get a tin of this at some point. 

Thank you momo for this sample.
This smells awesome. The taste is not so awesome. It is mellow which is nice, but its just lacking too much. Shame too because I love the name of this one. What I don’t understand though is where do these tea companies come up with these names? How did an Enchanted Forest come up at all during the creation of this tea? It is pretty, maybe thats why.

This was from the traveling tea box and I was excited to see it because I’ve been curious about it. I’ve been making my own breakfast-like maple blend, so I had to see if this was better.
Had a cup of it this morning and I definitely enjoy my own “black maple” tea infinitely better than this one. I didn’t get much flavor out of the cup and had to add a good amount of honey for it to taste ok.
I’m very happy to have tried it though and now I appreciate my own blend even more. Thank you momo!

This was a sample from the traveling tea box that momo started in the US which came to me all the way from Israel.
The scent of this tea is very tasty! Is it the saffron? I have never heard of a tea with saffron before, so it is very interesting.
I found the tea enjoyable, and drank my cup pretty quickly. I used my special jade green Rishi cup for brewing it, a cup I only use for green teas.
I did a google maps search of where the tea box came from in Israel and looked at photos of the place while drinking the tea and saw some pretty shots taken there. I took out my pro camera gear to take the photo of this tea. Thank you ssajami for sharing this unique tea!

This is the second tea I am trying from the Fall Collection.
The title is more fitting to where I live.
I was blown away upon opening this package. The scent is incredible! Like some kind of candy… it took me a while to place what it reminded me of until I got it..
Fruit Roll Up!! It is a spot on Fruit Roll Up tea! Such a delicious memory for me. Brewed up it smells a little bit like pez.
Upon drinking it I still get the fruitrollup, but much more subdued. I imagine sugar would kick this thing right out there.
I had such a crappy week and the happy scent of this alone really helps. Drinking it doesn’t give me the same effect but I would probably buy more just to sniff it.

Whenever I try a new tea, especially DAVIDsTEA, I like to wait for a special moment. And as much as I’d love to follow what the Fall tea collection says and take these teas on an outdoor adventure, unfortunately I do not have that luxury yet.
​However, I am enjoying the moment that I am in now, watching quiet rain fall outside my window, with nothing but dark green glistening leaves from the hedges in my view, and listening to woodsy music.

This was the first tea I tried from the Fall collection and the one I was most excited about.
The dry leaf smell doesn’t smell like marshmallows to me, it smells like apples and spice. After that initial disappointment, I can’t expect the tea to taste any different.
This wasn’t the first time I tried it, and I’m actually almost through with the bag, but I doubled the tea this time for hopefully different results.

I’m just not impressed. It doesn’t evoke anything in me or remind me of a toasted marshmallow in any way. It should be called Marsh Apple. 
As a Marsh Apple tea, if you double the amount of tea, the cup is drinkable, but not very enjoyable I’m sorry to say. I don’t get it :(

I just brewed this tea for the first time and it smells Uhhmazing.
I think it has to do with a chocolate tea being stored next to it in the same package. Thank you Nicole for this lovely tea!

A new black tea in the morning always makes me happy and my taste buds are ever so excited to try something new. I am down to using just one packet of sugar in the raw, which I am proud to say is much less than I would normally use. Yay to less sugar!

The tea is yummy, malty, with no bitterness, and just an all around great black tea for the morning or afternoon.

I wanted to get this tea the first time I saw it. I was attracted to the photo, loved the name, and the ingredients sounded good. I kick myself for not getting this in August, and I really think it would be an awesome blend for October. Thanks to KeenTeaThyme, I was able to try it. Thank you for being incredibly nice to share this with me!

The dry leaf smell is to die for. hence the graveyard. How can a green tea smell this yummy?

The taste is so very fresh, marshmallowy, and a tad minty. I think I taste and smell vanilla but don’t see it listed in the ingredients, maybe that’s the natural flavors. This is the first time ever that I have enjoyed a sencha green tea! I want to try this blend so many ways. I bet it would be amazing iced. I wonder how this would be with sugar. I want to make a latte with it! I’ve never even made a latte before.

Definitely a tea that inspires you in many ways.

Its about time I review this since its pretty much my most enjoyed iced tea. I loved it before steepster, and still do, even after beginning my journey with loose-leaf at the start of this year.
I give this tea a 100 because it is tasty, refreshing, easily accessible from a local store, inexpensive, and fun to brew.

I prefer to make it myself instead of having it at starbucks and I use honey to sweeten.
I made a perfect pitcher of it once which came out absolutely amazing, but I haven’t been able to recreate it exactly for some reason, but I hope to figure it out eventually.

The tea is just so refreshing any time of day. I love that there’s spearmint in this instead of peppermint. The lemongrass and lemon verbana is perfectly blended. I don’t like many green teas so the fact that this is a favorite says a lot.