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Samurai TTB #48

I love pear but am ambivalent about jasmine, so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this one. Thankfully the jasmine is muted by the fruitiness of the pear so this comes across as a lightly floral fruity green tea rather than a mouthful of jasmine perfume. The green tea base was nice and smooth. I quite enjoyed this one and I think it would be even better iced!

Samurai TTB #47

This was so yummy! Light and delicate with juicy citrus notes and a buttery-smooth finish. I think I’ll be hanging on to this one!

Samurai TTB #46

Verdant consistently impresses me with the quality of their tea, so I was eager to try this one when I saw it in the box. The dry leaf is not too broken up (especially considering how far this box has traveled over the past couple of months!), still bright green (despite the age of the tea) and quite fuzzy with a number of buds mixed in amongst the leaves. The aroma is sweet and fresh, like freshly-cut grass. However, the flavor of the brewed tea was an unpleasant surprise, slightly sour and musty like old hay. Although I followed my normal parameters for white tea (the bag only gave instructions for gongfu and I’m steeping Western-style) I’m wondering if this particular tea needed an even lower temperature or shorter steep time to be at its best.

Samurai TTB #45

Apparently I have finished all the black teas and oolongs from the TTB that I wanted to try, so today is going to be white tea day. Really enjoying this one! Very sweet, jammy blueberry flavor and the base tea adds a bit of complexity without detracting from the main flavor.

Samurai TTB #44

I’m not a drinker and I’ve never had a margarita, but since this was AQTT, I had to try it! The black tea base is very smooth and the flavor is very fruity and slightly artificial. Apparently it’s supposed to be lime, but I’m not sure it really read as lime for me. I did enjoy it, but don’t feel the need to drink it again.

Samurai TTB #43

I really enjoyed this one! The texture is super smooth and creamy and the flavor reminds me of a slice of toast with butter and honey. There is a slightly mineral note to the aftertaste that I wasn’t crazy about, but overall, this was a really nice straight oolong.

Samurai TTB #42

I think I’ve only tried 1 or 2 purple teas before and this one blew me away with how good it was! Light and delicate like a green tea, but with a rich toasty, nutty flavor that reminded me of my favorite roasted oolongs. There was only enough left in the box for 1 cup, sadly, but I would definitely consider purchasing this one in the future!

Samurai TTB #41

The flavor of this one isn’t reading specifically “passion fruit” for me, but it’s definitely a refreshing fruity tropical blend. The base tea is nice and smooth and I’m guessing this would make a nice iced tea.

Samurai TTB #40

I was so intrigued by this one, as it wasn’t completely clear from the packaging whether it was a black tea, an oolong, or a green tea. I brewed it like an oolong, according to the instructions on the bag. However, I’m thinking I maybe should have treated it like a green tea, as it came out quite bitter. Other than the overwhelming bitterness, it had a very leafy flavor, but like dead leaves, not fresh green ones. I was only able to finish half a mug of this, as it became quite astringent as it cooled and was drying out my tongue with every sip. Definitely my least favorite tea I’ve tried from the teabox!

Samurai TTB #39

I do like the orange flavoring in this, which is coming across smooth and natural like freshly-squeezed orange juice. However, the bite of overly flowery jasmine in the aftertaste is throwing off the experience for me.