Ellyn

I drank this last week thanks at the lovehly Heidi!’s house.
It was a very drinkable tea – with may supposed health benifits. I got some strong vanilla notes. It also smelled nice. Not the most memorable cup but an enjoyable drink. I have been hard in infussion in my reviews but this product i really did enjoy.

This was my after-court tea on way to the office. I so love my timilino that allows me to brew the tea at 7:30Am and its still piping hot at 12:30. I think I leafed more heavily this time and was getting a vanilla note that I had not noticed before. I am so in love with this tea. Yum!

I really enjoy yunnan black teas. HOWEVER, for some reason this tea tastes unsettling. The flavor is VERY fungal. I mean this is drinking a mossy mushroom sandwich, however in this sandwich instead of bread it tastes like there were portabello’s. I was able to try a sample of this from my friend Heidi!. We tried it rinsed, unrinsed, a variety of times, and tempuratures but no matter what I did it still tasted like mushrooms. Sorry infussion, we have a few more to try from y our lineup…I’m sure I’ll like something else…Next up on the list from infussion…Lapacho.

No notes yet.

I got to try this lovely tea in a swap with Lariel. Thank you Lariel for allowing me to try this tea!

Like many other tasters I was hesitant to try this because it was decaf. However, I must say this tea is VERY tasty!

I am super picky about vanilla flavors – if vanilla tastes artificial-y or has a slight chemical tastes I can not eat it. This goes for flavored coffee, yogurt, candy, etc.

Having said ALL OF THAT, I was super surprised that I really like this one! (In fact, it is the second vanilla tea I have liked lately with the first being Davids Tea Vanilla Orchid oolong). The vanilla flavor is slightly sweet without being overpowering. The base tea is kinda basic with no major distinguishing characteristics. HOWEVER, together there is something magic about the combo.

I always am on the lookout for teas to drink after 6 or 7 at night which is my caffeine end point unless I am working late, out for the night, etc. I have stuck with tisane blends because often decaf teas have a weird taste. This tea completely avoids that weird taste!

This tea is a great late night sipper. Even the soft muted flavor is perfect for evening relaxing!

I tried this last night. I bought it has part of the savory tea collection.

I love broccoli and I love cilantro. This was the first one of the box that I wanted to try as I truly enjoy the combination in other items.

This tastes like a savory soup! I can’t believe how good it is! This would be great with a light lunch or as something to hold you over until dinner.

What a yummy surprise. I have never tasted anything quite like it!

No notes yet.

tea haiku

honeydew mate
very sweet juicy and ripe
great start to morning

(some liberties on the formal haiku taken)

seriously though, I do really enjoy this tea. Bought 2 oz at the local davids yesterday.

I drank this the last two mornings on the way to work. This is a GREAT morning tea with the flavor juicy and ripe.

The melon smell was a little off putting at first – but once I got used to it I was okay. The leaves do smell a little bubblegummy.

HOWEVER, as I was driving, on a sunny (but cold day) this tea JUST FELT SO PERFECT. It was like spring in every sip. I could SWEAR there were bluebirds and flowers whizzing by my car. (Well, in between the snow).

This is a great spring blend. Well done Davids Tea. Well done!

No notes yet.

I got to try this tea from the “Here is hoping traveling teabox”.

One sniff and I knew I would LOVE IT. Once brewed it seemed suprisingly familiar even though I had never tried it before…then I realized. The Tea Gathering House Blend (http://steepster.com/teas/the-tea-gathering/23725-tg-house-blend) which I LOVE is the same tea. I know that the owner of the Tea Gathering sources some of her tea from Harney. I am certain this is the same tea.

I do adore this tea no matter what it is named. It is a yummy almond-y cranberry confection. Yum!

This tea has such a silky-smooth mouth feel. The other mariage freres tea that I have tried (Marco Polo) had the same delightful feeling.

The aroma in this tea is VERY prominent. The violet flavor is very distinguishable. There is a slight perfumy aftertaste that is not at all cloying like some other foral teas.

This is from the here is hoping traveling teabox.

I drank this one on my way to work today. The dry leaves SMELL so sweet and nice, almost like a lighter marco polo.

The tea when brewed is not nearly as aromatic as the dry leaves. It still smells good but as I was expecting marco polo level of scent – this is very slight.

The flavor has notes of peach and mango. The green tea base is kinda lost with the flavors. I like this tea but I do not LOVE it.

This is from the here is hoping traveling teabox.

This dry infusion looks like a fibrous root. It almost looks like the shavings I used as a child for my gerbils. The dry root like infusion has a cedar smell.

Once steeped it is deceptively rosy in color. It looks pretty. However, at first sniff it is bitter and goes into my sinus cavity much like a vapor rub. A deep sniff of this makes me wince. There are notes of chlorine and wood in the smell.

I researched information about this herb online and found out that the fruit from this tree is not edible. I am not surprised. This root is barely edible…err…drinkable.

The flavor is hard to discern. I can say that it is VERY bitter. It puckers the edges of my tongue.

While I am rating this tea 0 the entertainment factor as I sipped it with a friend is 100. We had fun drinking this, reading about its supposed benefits and having a laugh.

Thank you Tea Sipper for putting the teabox together. I may not like this tisane but I appreciated the opportunity to try it and (comically) give it a review.

This tea is from the here is hoping traveling teabox.

This tea may have health benefits. But it is gross.

The infusion is a light yellow color.

There is no tea in this infusion nor is there anything resembling leaves. It is just dry peppercorn looking berries.

The dry berries smell like cedar chips and vinegar. I am not joking. This is repugnant and fierce. I can appreciate that infussion.eu is trying to spread chinese herbal medicine and know that there are interesting supposed benefits. However, you REALLLLLLY need to want the benefits in order to choke this down.

The prominent note is SOUR. It gets under your tongue with a ZING! (And not a good zing.) It is very vinegar and dill tasting. Perhaps you could use this to make pickles!

I am glad I got to taste this but will stay away from this herb in the future. If you are going to try this herb please be aware that it gets more pungent as the cup cools.

I finished the sample from the traveling tea box – but I do hope that others can try this and let me know if I am crazy in my taste!

Note: I was googling the various health claims on this tea and found that this tea is not suggested for people who are pregnant. I am not a dr, however, I am just relaying what I read on the interwebs.

From the here’s hoping tea box

I love both lavender and jasmine. I selected this tea from the teabox because I am always on the lookout for Jasmine or lavender flavors and have never seen them together.

This is a great tea. I am also getting a citrus flavor which is an interesting addition.

The tea is an orangy-tan in the cup. The dry leaves smell GREAT. I love it if this scent came in an air freshener! I am really enjoying this tea and added it to my shopping list!

This tea has pretty rose-amber color in the cup. THe dry leaves are very attractive blend of black tea heavily sprinkled with beautiful pink rose petals. THis is a very attractive tea in the dry leaf. The dry leaves also smell VERY aromatic of rose.

A pleasant rosy cup of tea. No bitterness. The rose flavor is somewhat muted. However, when searching for the flavor in the sip it is clear this is a rose tea. In a lineup of teas it is clear that this one is rose.

This is from the Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox

THIS IS SO YUMMY. I very clearly get the light baked good flavor. Oh, Yum! I wish I had more of this to try. I am so glad I got to try this sample!

Once brewed the tea has a beautiful amber color. Wonderful.

Thank you for setting up the teabox Tea Sipper!

This is from the here’s hoping traveling teabox!

This was good, non-bitter black tea. The flavor of orange and cranberry get lost but this is a mellow tea. It has a nice sweetness for having no sugar.

Thank you Tea-Sipper for setting up the teabox!

I thought I would LOVE this tea. Don’t get me wrong, I like it alright. However, at the end of the sip, in the back of your mouth there is just a taste and sensation that is not my favorite. It is okay, the fruit flavor is nice. But that end of the sip feeling…blech!

Did anyone else get that feeling?

Not feeling so good this morning…I drank this on the way to work as it is slightly sweet and honeyed. See previous notes for HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS TEA!

I’m not sure what I did wrong. I am not getting any caramel notes just a kinda blah black tea. I had to dump it out! Too much leaf? not enough leaf? I don’t know. Not rating this one because I am not sure what happened here….

I drank this tea last night as my caffeine free herbal. Hibiscus is the dominant flavor here – but I am on of the few here on steepster that are okay with that flavor. I like this alright – but likely will not re-purchase. I am still looking for the perfect fruit based herbal infusion for the evenings.

I used this tea as my first try at gung-fu brewing in my new gong-fu teapot.

I did 4 steeps. In each steep I got different flavors, flavor profiles .Overall it was a slight sweet flavor with slightly vegetal notes. I was so focused on trying the tea and the process of gung-fu brewing that I forgot to take notes at every steep!! (oops) I got really into the pattern, the close control over temp/time, and the process.

Luckily, I have enough tea from my Liberteas Sample Box packet that I can try this again gung-fu or my conventional manner when I get a chance.

Overall an enjoyable sweet, honeyed taste.

Also, I discovered I LOVE the process of gung-few brewing. Now, even though I JUST got the teapot I want a gaiwan! Oh, tea as a hobby, you will be the reason for no $$$ in my bank account!