Shelley_Lorraine

This was a bonus sample in my swap from Rie. Thanks!

I really am starting to appreciate green oolongs more than I used to. They aren’t my favorite teas, but I think I can be in the mood for them sometimes and might even keep a few in my regular stock.

I brewed this one western style as I didn’t have a lot of time, but it came out pretty good. It has a very delicate floral aroma and a creamy texture. I think when it comes to flowers, as long as they aren’t jasmine and they aren’t slapping me in the face, I can appreciate them in my tea.

Rie tells me that her family brings this tea back from Taiwan. I suppose I’ll have to find my own source for a good Gaoshan oolong if I want any more.

Backlog:

I selected this sample from Shmiracles as my after dinner tea with an episode of Merlin. I am surprised that there are so many just-average ratings for this tea. My only issue with it is that raspberry is my least favorite berry. Other than that, I think that this is an excellently blended tea. The flavors don’t taste too sweet or artificial and there is absolutely no questionable aftertaste (as I have found all too common with many flavored teas). This is like the tea version of a berry blend juice. If I liked raspberry more, I’d give it 100.

Backlog:

I really wanted to love this tea because of the name. My husband loves it. To me, it’s another novelty flavor that hardly tastes like tea at all. It’s fun and pleasant to drink, but my cravings are usually aimed towards tea (and flavored teas so long as the tea isn’t lost to the flavors).

This tea tastes like a melted stick of chewing gum. The marshmallow gives it that gummy-like texture. Unlike the 52teas Lime Jello Salad tea, I could see myself drinking this tea again, but not too often.

I bought this tea mostly for my father and husband. They both like spicy cinnamon and they are both a fan of Butiki’s Winter Fire tea, so I thought this one would be for them too. I can’t handle the Winter Fire tea at all. It tastes alright, but I feel like I am suffocating for just a moment after each swallow. My mother and sister felt the same way. I attribute it to the hot peppers. This, having cayenne pepper and all, I figured would not be a good match for me. And it supposedly has Lapsang Souchong in it too! Oh, no thank you to that! Adagio’s custom Smaug blend was all the Lapsang Souchong encounters that I ever needed.

So why am I sitting here with a cup of this tea anyway? I don’t really know. I seem to be having an OCD issue causing me to try out teas just because I have to simply say that I tried them. Here and there, if I am in the right mood, I can override the OCD, but not tonight. Of course, I only brewed a tiny tea cup of this.

The Lapsang Souchong is completely lost on me in this tea. I know it is in there sparingly, but that’s some powerful stuff to hide even in small quantities. I’m getting just a small touch of the same sensation that choked me upon swallowing Winter Fire, but not enough to actually make me cough. That all being said, this is really just a strong cinnamon flavored tea. It’s not fooling around when it comes to flavor.

I like cinnamon plenty, but I don’t usually crave it in a tea unless it’s blended with other ingredients too. This is a tea that I will likely drink more of simply because my husband likes it too, but I won’t be reaching for it when I’m making tea for myself alone.

TastyBrew’s Personally recommended blend from her mystery swap box.

It’s not half bad. The flavors are very well balanced and there’s no unpleasant aftertaste. I’m not super thrilled about almond flavor in my teas, but I wouldn’t say no to a second cup of this.

After sampling a few so-so teas, I needed a definite good one with which to end the day. A bit odd going from three black-based blends straight to a green, but it was so worth the abrupt transition.

Thanks for this sample TastyBrew :)

What a strange tasting Yunnan. It’s not bad, but it’s unusual. There is something fruity, almost citrusy about it. It’s plenty drinkable, but as far as Yunnans go, I have a couple preferred ones already.

Another über-generous sample from TastyBrew!

After the watery cinnamon flavored teas that I’ve had recently, this one definitely seems to have a stronger flavor. It’s the clove, probably.

Judging it on its own, it really isn’t all the exciting. The dried leaves smelled like strong Christmas spices, but they didn’t come out so vibrant in the end. It has a relatively strong flavor of some sort, but it’s a flat generic sort of flavor, as others have already pointed out.

This tea tastes similar to ‘Sunrise Sensation from STeap teas in that it is a weak cinnamon-flavored brew. The tea base is extremely weak and the only flavor that really stands out is cinnamon. The cinnamon in this one is slightly stronger than the other though. It really isn’t much of a pumpkin-spice tea.

Thank you for sending me such a generous sample TastyBrew, but I think I’m going to let this one move on in a future swap.

This is exactly what I needed after that ‘crust of overcooked rice’ experience. Smells all garden-fresh of strawberry just like a remember. Really, I think the biggest appeal of this tea to me is the smell. There are times when a good aroma is all I need (as long as the flavor isn’t awful, of course). The flavor of this one is pleasant, but it alone isn’t so exciting.

I was considering leaving this one to mope somewhere in the darkest corners of my pantry, but after reading the reviews, curiosity (not enthusiasm, mind you) got the best of me.

When I saw this in my swap box from TastyBrew I though “what sort of tea abomination is this? ‘crust of overcooked rice’? that’s gotta be a joke” Then I considered the amusing ways that Asian English sometimes comes across on packaging and decided that it must be some sort of genmaicha-like tea. Well, I’m really not a fan of genmaicha. I mean, I can drink it without gagging and all, but I’d rather not have to.

I agree with Shmiracles and TastyBrew about the burnt cheese toast flavor. Unfortunately, for me, this is not a good thing. But for anyone looking for the flavor of genmaicha without the caffeine and with a touch of burnt cheese, this is the tea for you!

I think my issue is that I don’t much like crusty cheese bread and I don’t much like pizza either (yes, I am that unusual). And while I’m on the subject, I don’t like bacon either.

Now that my curosity has been satisfied, I’m going to brew me up a different tea and save the extra packet of this for someone else.

I had such high expectations for this tea. Chocolate and hazelnut, yummy! I was thinking Nutella tea! yay. And it has pretty good reviews.

The first few sips just taste like an unflavored black tea. Then it started tasting like an artificial black tea. As it cools down, the nutty flavor comes out, but not in a good way. There is something in the background that could possibly pass as chocolate if I concentrate well enough on it.

Not as exiting as I had hoped it would be. But thank you for letting me try it out cheetah_pita!

Thank you yet again TastyBrew!

I brewed this one up at the same time that I brewed Jumpy Monkey so that I would have a back up if I didn’t like one. I often do then when trying new teas. I put this one in the larger cup because I predicted that I would like it more, but I actually liked the jumpy monkey more. This isn’t bad, its just so-so. The chocolate tastes a bit off. I’m not sure I can really describe the rest of it. There is a sort of smokiness about it, nothing too offensive though. And it’s just ever so slightly tart. I am happy to finish my cup, but regretting just a little that I chose the bigger one for this tea. Oh well. :)

I got a few of my samples mixed up, but I’m pretty sure this one is from cheetah_pita (correct me if I’m wrong!)

I’ve only ever had one mate blend and I’ve haven’t ever had coffee in my tea (though I’m looking forward to the coffee puerh that shmiracles sent)

This is surprisingly better than I thought it would be. It’s very roasty, like a roasted oolong, but its a mate. There is a pleasant sweetness buried under the roast (it’s almost like licorice), but I’m not picking up on the coffee. I don’t know if I like it enough to repurchase, but maybe.

Aw, gee, it’s awful! A super tart/bitter cup of all-encompacing blech.

I wasn’t too motivated to try this one in the first place because herbals, and especially chamomile aren’t really my thing. I don’t hate them, I just prefer tea. However, the whole point of the mystery swap was to force me into trying teas I might otherwise pass by and, cheetah_pita, you did an excellent job of picking them for me! haha.

Cranberry and orange, though, is a combination that I am fond of, so I thought that maybe they would help to make this tea good. Unfortunately, I can’t really notice flavors while I’m recovering from the tarty bitterness. By the time it passes, all I can taste is the chamomile.

Thank you for this one cheetah_pita (^^)

It certainly does smell and taste like lime. I even pick up hints of a sort of gelatin texture. It certainly lives up to its name. I bet my husband, who loves key-lime pie (and probably lime jello too) would like this one. I’ll have to brew him a cup next time he is around.

This is a fun novelty drink, but it doesn’t taste much like tea. Its more like a fun-flavored kiddie drink. With tea and coffee as the only exceptions, I’ve never been a beverage person. I never drink soda and very rarely drink juice. I’m going to have to put this one aside with all the other non-tea and coffee related drinks that don’t suit me.

This tea was a fun one-time experience. Thanks again cheetah_pita

It’s after me! really it is! coconut!!!!

This tea is orange and puerh not coconut. So what’s the big idea?? It smells chocolatey and earthy. The first taste is a cheery orange. And then. . . it happens. The mysterious coconut goblin finds me and messes with my tea (or my taste buds). It’s that same most awful coconuty aftertaste that is supposed to follow after a sip of coconut flavored tea. Hear that coconut goblin??? You’re hanging out with the wrong tea!

I really don’t know where it’s coming from, maybe it’s hiding in the artificial flavors somewhere. Ugh.

Thanks again Shmiracles for sending me one of your favorites. So sorry that it wasn’t a match for me.

Ah boo, what a let down. I saw all the ingredients in this one and thought “gee, this will be a good strong cup!” And with a name like ‘sunrise sensation’, it had better be.

I used 3.4g in a 14oz mug and steeped for 2 min (recommended time was 1min30sec). Its a coppery puddle of cinnamon flavored water with a tiny squeeze from an orange. It’s not icky or anything, but way to weak for my standards.

Thanks anyway TastyBrew!

I do have some left for another cup. When I’m feeling up to it I will try brewing stronger and longer to see if it makes a difference. However, if I really need to use so much leaf, it probably won’t be cost effective in the long run.

one more thing to note, my tea thermometer said that the water reached 200F today. Either it’s broken or the elevation around here is fickle (quite possible, really).

I got two new white teas to try from my swap with TastyBrew

I am going to compare them all here (with my original white tea) and post the same note to the others.
I brewed 2 tsp of each in small teacups, steeped for 3 min at 180F

Monkey Picked White -The Tea Spot: Still my favorite white. It has the most pale liquor of all three and the most amazing creamy texture, with just a hint of citrus. When I say hint, I mean that it is so slight that I don’t always detect it.

White Symphony – Adagio: is this even a white tea? wow, the liquor is really dark golden and the flavor is strong of hay and barley. It kind of reminds me of brewers yeast (I had a lot of that (mixed in cups of water) growing up because my father was obsessed with the stuff). I actually like this one, but I don’t think of it as a white tea. It’s in a unique league of its own. I don’t know that it’s a tea that I’d want all the time, but I could be in the mood for it sometimes.

Snowbud – Adagio: My least favorite of the three. Liquor color is in between the other two. Flavor is slightly bitter and its not as creamy as my Monkey picked. There is another flavor, I don’t know if its nutty or mineral, maybe a blend of the two?

I got two new white teas to try from my swap with TastyBrew

I am going to compare them all here (with my original white tea) and post the same note to the others.
I brewed 2 tsp of each in small teacups, steeped for 3 min at 180F

Monkey Picked White – The Tea Spot: Still my favorite white. It has the most pale liquor of all three and the most amazing creamy texture, with just a hint of citrus. When I say hint, I mean that it is so slight that I don’t always detect it.

White Symphony – Adagio: is this even a white tea? wow, the liquor is really dark golden and the flavor is strong of hay and barley. It kind of reminds me of brewers yeast (I had a lot of that (mixed in cups of water) growing up because my father was obsessed with the stuff). I actually like this one, but I don’t think of it as a white tea. It’s in a unique league of its own. I don’t know that it’s a tea that I’d want all the time, but I could be in the mood for it sometimes.

Snowbud – Adagio: My least favorite of the three. Liquor color is in between the other two. Flavor is slightly bitter and its not as creamy as my Monkey picked. There is another flavor, I don’t know if its nutty or mineral, maybe a blend of the two?

I got two new white teas to try from my swap with TastyBrew

I am going to compare them all here (with my original white tea) and post the same note to the others.
I brewed 2 tsp of each in small teacups, steeped for 3 min at 180F

Monkey Picked White – The Tea Spot: Still my favorite white. It has the most pale liquor of all three and the most amazing creamy texture, with just a hint of citrus. When I say hint, I mean that it is so slight that I don’t always detect it.

White Symphony – Adagio: is this even a white tea? wow, the liquor is really dark golden and the flavor is strong of hay and barley. It kind of reminds me of brewers yeast (I had a lot of that (mixed in cups of water) growing up because my father was obsessed with the stuff). I actually like this one, but I don’t think of it as a white tea. It’s in a unique league of its own. I don’t know that it’s a tea that I’d want all the time, but I could be in the mood for it sometimes.

Snowbud – Adagio: My least favorite of the three. Liquor color is in between the other two. Flavor is slightly bitter and its not as creamy as my Monkey picked. There is another flavor, I don’t know if its nutty or mineral, maybe a blend of the two?

Thanks for this sample cheetah_pita!

This one has a lot of ingredients that I don’t like. I don’t like floral flavors and I don’t like Earl Grey. But this certainly isn’t a traditional Earl at all and the dried leaves smelled strongly of frankincense rather than of flowers. I was uncertain how I’d feel about Frankincense as a flavor, but it was worth a try.

I brought it over to my parents house so that they could sample it too. Once brewed, the frankincense aroma was completely gone. All I could smell was a cup of flowers. My parents agreed. My mother was happy with it because she likes floral teas. My father said that the flavor was tolerable but that the aroma smelled like ‘ladies perfume’ and that he could probably do without a second cup. I, myself, didn’t finish my cup. I could have, as I’ve learned to accept floral teas when they are already in front of me, but I gave the rest of mine to my mother as I knew that she would appreciate it more.

Although it didn’t turn out to be my cuppa, I’m glad that I had the chance to sample this unique blend.

Thank you Schmiracles for this sample :)

I haven’t been a fan of Della Terra teas as far as what I have tried so far. My mother seems to like them a lot, so I gave her most of my left overs.

This one really isn’t so bad as others I’ve tried. It’s a tolerable comforting drink, but probably not one I’ll go out of my way to get. I think its real redeeming quality is strawberry. I like strawberry flavored teas. The chocolate in this one is still as flat and boring as I remember from previous Della Terra teas, but it keeps it’s distance and doesn’t over power.

Maybe I am not being fair to Della Terra. Admittedly, I haven’t found many chocolate flavored or blended or even ‘noted’ teas that I like (chocolate peppermint blends being the primary exception). It could be that chocolate in tea isn’t for me, but I’m not ready to give up on it just yet. In fact, I remember that there was a pretty good chocolate cherry blend from The Tea Spot that I have on my shopping list.

This is a decent green tea. I think after my encounters with Laoshan green, I’ll rarely be so kind with my descriptions of other greens.

This one has a delicate vegetal flavor. It’s not bitter or astringent. A good every day green.