Josie Jade

I’ve not been sleeping well lately, so I moved my bedroom furniture around and slept so perfectly last night. It’s funny how such a small change can make such a big difference.

I am so close to getting through all of my loose leaf teas! I’ve been putting them into tins and labeling them as I go, or tossing them into a swap bag if I’m not in love with them. I still have a huge box of teabags to get through, but I’m feeling more organized and like I can probably allow myself to start ordering new teas now at least.

This is one of the last few Adagio teas that I have in my cupboard to try. It’s kind of a plain little tea, and I guess that’s why I’ve not rated it up until this point. The tea smells fresh and lightly malty and sweet. The recommended steep time was between 3 and 5 minutes, and I’m glad I went with 3 minutes because it is a little bitter in the aftertaste. Adding milk and sweetener too away the bitterness, though. Overall, it’s just a very mellow-flavored tea. It’s not a bad tea by any means, but there’s nothing really jumping out to me about it. It is nice for the summer since it’s so light!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell fresh and lightly malty. Tea liquor aroma is lightly sweet.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium reddish brown color.
-Mellow and malty flavor and finish. Slightly bitter aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. A delicate cup. Very mellow and sweet flavor.

This is my last ‘new’ tea to try from The London Tea Room, right before we go back to St. Louis for a visit in July! This one smells so crispy and refreshing – very pepperminty with a floral note. The brewed tea has more of a perfumey rose aroma with a hint of cool peppermint. The green and white teas stand out more than I had anticipated in the flavor. There is a grassy flavor with a subdued, earthy floral finish. The aftertaste is of cooling peppermint and it lingers in the mouth for a while. While I am enjoying this cup, I don’t think that this one that I will reach for regularly, but maybe for a nice cup every once in awhile. I think it would be a soothing cup before bed, as long as it doesn’t have too much caffeine in it. The flavors intensify nicely as the cup cools. I think I’ll put this one in my tea mug during the summer to have hot tea that is not too heavy. I do like the floralness of it, it’s slightly like drinking a flower garden. :)

-Dry blend has a mixture of medium and large green tea and peppermint leaves with pink rose petals and blue lavender petals.
-Dry leaves smell floral with a note of clean peppermint. Tea liquor aroma is of perfumey rose with a hint of cool peppermint.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium yellow color.
-Grassy flavor with an earthy floral finish. Cooling peppermint aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Floral flavor with a refreshing hint of peppermint.

This is one of the first teas that I tried from Tin Roof Teas. It has a nice fresh flavor of ripe strawberries that is wonderful. The flavor is tangy and fruity, like a ripe strawberry, with a light strawberry and cream aftertaste. There is a little of the green tea noticeable in the flavor, but not too much. Overall, this is just a very light and refreshing tea that I think would be excellent iced! I would have rated this a little higher, but there is a little bitterness even when steeped at the recommended time. It’s not terrible, though, and this is still a great every-once-in-awhile tea!

-Dry blend has a mixture of medium and large green tea leaves with pieces of dried strawberries.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of green tea and fresh strawberries. Tea liquor aroma is of strawberries and sweet vanilla.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark yellow color.
-Tangy and fruity strawberry flavor and finish. Light strawberry and cream aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Good tea. Fresh strawberry flavor with a hint of cream. A light and refreshing cup.

I’m finally getting around to this lovely little sample from one of the book club swaps. I don’t know what black tea base Earl Greys are usually made from, but I can tell that this one is going to be unique from the aroma from the dry leaves alone. They smell of sweet bergamot, with an almost sugariness to the scent. The brewed tea has a perfumey black tea scent from the Keemun, with just a hint of citrus. The flavor is very smooth in the mouth, and has a lightly malty flavor with a sweet orange finish. There is a light and sweet floral aftertaste. This tea is definitely not overwhelming in the bergamot department, I’m actually not getting much of the traditional bergamot flavor at all. It is more of a floral perfumey black tea with a little sweet orange thrown in. I added milk and sweetener, which brought out more of the citrusy flavor, but it is just as good without it. Thank you, CK, for this sample!

-Dry blend has small black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell of sweet bergamot. Tea liquor aroma is of perfumey black tea with a hint of citrus.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark brown color.
-Smooth lightly malty flavor with a sweet orange finish. Light sweet floral aftertaste. Velvety mouthfeel.
-Milk and sweetener optional.
-Good tea. A unique and perfumey Earl Grey. More sweet orange flavor than bergamot.

I’m hoping this tea will makeup for that last cup of terribleness! This is a pretty basic tea, so I figured it would be an easy one to prepare. This one surprised me, in that the tea aroma is very earthy. I suppose I’m used to a sweet maltiness from breakfast blends, but this one has more of an earthy quality about it. The flavor is very full, and has earthy and oaky notes. There is a light maltiness that comes in with the aftertaste. This is a complex flavored tea that keeps me sipping to try to taste all of the flavors. In one sip it seems very sweet, and in the next sip I get a heavy woodsy taste. I think I still prefer my strong, malty-sweet black teas, but this one is a nice change! Thank you, Serenity, for this sample!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell softly malty. Tea liquor aroma is earthy.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Full earthy and oaky flavor and finish. Light malty aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Heavy earthy and oaky flavor with a hint of sweet maltiness.

Christmas in June! I don’t really want this particular tea on this bright, summery day, but it’s in my cupboard and I just want to get it rated and either in a tin if I like it, or in the swap pile if I don’t. When I compared the ingredients on my sample pack to what’s listed online it varied slightly, so I think they must’ve changed the recipe since I had ordered it. The dry leaves smell very strongly of spicy cinnamon with a hint of cloves. There is also a sickly sweet smell about the dry leaves that I just can’t place – like an artificial sweet aroma. The tea itself has a more ‘Christmasy’ aroma of sweet oranges and spices. The flavor is very strong and spicy. The aftertaste is horrid – very bitter with an artificial flavor to it. I was hoping to get more of a clove flavor out of this cup, but the only hint of cloves that I notice is a light mouth-numbing quality. I added quite a bit of milk and sweetener just to make this drinkable, and it sort of dulled all of the other flavors so that it’s pretty bland. I can still detect something just off about this tea – there is just too much artificialness to it, and it stands out too strongly in this tea. I’m pouring this cup out and making something else!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves with pieces of spices.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of spicy cinnamon with a hint of cloves. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet oranges and spices.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy very dark brown color.
-Strong spicy flavor and finish. Very bitter and artificial aftertaste. Lightly mouth numbing.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Poor tea. Bitter flavor with a heavy artificial taste.

I’ve seen this one before in TJ Maxx and have been so tempted to buy it, but told myself to wait until I got my tea cupboard under control. I was so excited when Serenity sent me a sample to try! These little teabags are so convenient, especially for the first cup of the day. This teabag smells of sweet and malty black tea. The tea itself has a strong black tea aroma with a hint of sweet honey. I steeped this tea for 3 minutes, and it was still a very dark brown color with a slight bitterness in the flavor. This tea absolutely needs milk and sugar added, and it becomes a rich and smooth cup. This is a nice, strong black tea and does very well for that first cup of the day. I think I do prefer PG Tips to this one, however, but that may just be out of sheer habit.

-Round white teabag without a string.
-Teabag smells of sweet and malty black tea. Tea liquor aroma is of strong black tea with a hint of honey.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy very dark brown color.
-Robust flavor with a slightly bitter finish. Malty aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Becomes a rich and smooth cup with milk and sweetener.

Sipdown! I got this one a while ago for my fiancee, since he likes chai and apples. I don’t particularly care for either, but the pack was almost empty so I figured I’d make us each a cup this afternoon to finish it off. The dry leaves smell very spicy, mostly of ginger and cinnamon. I can smell a little of sweet apple, but not a lot. The tea has a lovely aroma of warm cinnamon apples, and reminds me of a baked apple dessert. The flavor is spicy and warming with a very faint apple finish. The apple is very hard to taste, and disappears quickly. There is a strong cardamom spicy aftertaste that lingers that I just don’t love. Even milk and sweetener can’t really help this one. I definitely won’t be ordering this one again!

I just pulled out our Takeya pitcher and made some iced blackberry tea to have with our dinner tonight. We’re a little late this year with starting the iced tea, but we mostly have hot tea even during the summer with the occasional iced tea after being outside or with dinner. Yay for summer officially starting in our house! :)

-Dry blend has small black tea leaves and twigs with pieces of spices and pieces of dried apples.
-Dry leaves smell like strong ginger and cinnamon with a hint of sweet apples. Tea liquor aroma is of warm cinnamon apples.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium golden brown color.
-Spicy and warming flavor with a very faint apple finish. Strong cardamom spicy aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Poor tea. Strong spicy taste with little apple flavor.

I made cups of this for the boy and I this morning. I was excited to try it, since this was my first tea from Dammann Freres. I like the name of this tea, as Easter is by far my favorite holiday. There is nothing better than getting a colorful basket full of goodies on a sunny spring day! The dry leaves smell wonderful – extremely sweet and fruity with just a hint of champagne or white wine. Maybe the alcoholic smell that I’m noticing is from the maraschino? Whatever it is, it smells wonderful, although a little strong. The flavor is chocolatey and malty with a heavy fruity aftertaste. With a little milk and sweetener, this becomes a creamy cup with flavors of vanilla and maraschino. I am glad that this tea came out so nice, I was a little put off at first from all of the heady aromas from the dry leaves. A big thank you to Shelley_Lorraine for this wonderful sample! The fiancee is loving this tea also and already asking when we can get more – anyone know where to purchase Dammann Freres online or in the US??

-Dry blend has small black tea leaves and twigs with pink and yellow rose petals and small blue petals.
-Dry leaves smell overwhelmingly sweet and fruity with a hint of champagne or white wine. Tea liquor aroma is malty with sweet floral and fruit notes.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy dark brown color.
-Chocolate malty flavor and finish with a heavy fruity aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. A decadent and creamy cup with a light flavor of maraschino and chocolate vanilla.

I’m extra sleepy this morning. It’s been raining for two days straight here since that tropical storm is passing through, and I think it’s making our dogs and cats anxious or crazy. They’ve all been so ornery and into everything! The foster kittens were up all night long, and I was afraid that if I put them out of my room and shut the door that I wouldn’t hear what they were destroying. Even our laid-back greyhound has been a ‘velcro dog’ and is glued to my side, following me from room to room. Needless to say, I need the strongest cup of tea I can find this morning!

I’ve tried Peet’s Pride of the Port and loved it, so I am sure that I will like this tea. The dry leaves smell lightly sweet and malty, and the tea itself smells much the same, with the addition of a light floral note. The tea has a strong and sweet malty flavor and finish. There is a heavy malty aftertaste that is just wonderful – this will surley wake me up this morning! There is a slight bitterness, but nothing that a little milk and sugar won’t take care of. And this certainly is an ideal tea for milk and sugar – it is just perfect. It’s been a long time since I’ve had an Irish Breakfast, and this one is exceptionally good! Thank you to Serenity for this wonderful sample!

-Dry blend has small black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell lightly sweet and malty. Tea liquor aroma is sweet and malty with a floral note.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Strong and sweet malty flavor and finish. Heavy malty aftertaste. Slight bitterness.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Strong and sweet malty flavor. Perfect with milk and sweetener.

I received a wonderful surprise package in the mail yesterday, and this was one of the teas in there. I had a cup last night before dinner, and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it is! The dry blend smells sweet and savory, which is initially a little odd. While it’s steeping, however, there is a scent of warm orange juice. I was worried that it would be greasy since I’ve had that experience with other Teavana blends, but it’s not at all! The tea liquor is a little cloudy, but is a pretty pale yellow color. There is a strong citrus flavor with a very light sage finish. The aftertaste is of fresh orange and pineapple and is so refreshing! This is one of those teas that I would’ve never picked out for myself, so a big thank you to Serenity for introducing me to this delightful little tea! I can easily say that this is my favorite Teavana blend and I am already tempted to go purchase some!

-Dry blend has a mixture of dried fruit and berries with lavender petals.
-Dry blend smells of sweet oranges with a hint of savory sage. Tea liquor aroma is of warm orange juice and sage with a hint of lavender.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy pale yellow color.
-Strong tart citrus flavor with a light sage finish. Fresh orange and pineapple aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Fresh orange flavor with a savory note. A refreshing cup.

It’s been raining all last night and all day here. I’m supposed to do a group run this evening, but I don’t think it’s going to happen with all of the storms that keep moving through. I’ve taken the rainy day opportunity to lay in bed all day with a book and some tea – perfect kind of day!

This tea has pieces of raspberry leaves and pieces of dried raspberries in it. I don’t know if it’s because I know that, but it definitely tastes more like raspberries to me than pomegranate. I get a little of the tart pomegranate flavor in the finish, but other than that it’s either bitter black tea or a very subtle sweet raspberry. Even with milk and sweetener it’s still just ok, nothing amazing at all. I can still taste a little of the bitterness as well, and since I followed the steeping directions exactly this one just isn’t a winner for me. I don’t like finicky teas, unless they just taste amazing at the end, which I doubt this one would even if I played around with steep/temp. This one doesn’t classify as terrible, it’s just not that great. I actually really like Bigelow’s Black Pomegranate tea, which is funny because it’s in a teabag.

-Dry blend has small black tea leaves and twigs with pieces of green raspberry leaves and pieces of dried raspberries.
-Dry leaves smell of black tea and tart fruit. Tea liquor aroma is of strong black tea with just a hint of sweet fruit.
-Tea liquor is a clear very dark brown color.
-Strong and slightly bitter and malty flavor with a tart pomegranate finish. Subtle sweet raspberry aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Fair tea. Tastes more like raspberry than pomegranate. Unfortunate strong bitter note.

I’ve been so lazy today. I have a long list of things to do, and instead I’ve been reading all day and playing with the foster kittens. To be fair, my ebook loan is about to expire and I’m rushing to finish it before it dissapears off of my ipad, so I kind of have to read all day! Plus I got all of my homework done for the week on Monday night, so I can afford to relax a little. :)

This one smells really light, like fresh green tea with just a hint of sweet pineapple. It has a fruity flavor with a grassy finish. There’s a light, fresh pineapple aftertaste that becomes a little more pronounced with some sugar added. I actually like this one a little more than I thought I would. Even though the flavor is a little mild, it does taste like sweet pineapple and green tea, but without that overwhelming grassy/vegetal flavor that is not my favorite. I think that this is actually a green tea that I would drink regularly.

Our little foster kittens had a vet appointment yesterday, and we scheduled their spay/neuter surgeries, which means we probably will only have them until the end of June/beginning of July. This is our first time fostering, and everyone always says that you get so attached, but I didn’t quite realize just how attached I would get. Especially with the little runt! She has an eye injury that means she will have a cloudy eye the rest of her life and she has a huge hernia on her belly (they will fix that during her spay) and she is just so little and I love her. All of the destruction and chaos that these 4 tiny kittens have brought to our house has been totally worth it. I think if we can just get through seeing these adopted out and getting a new litter to foster right away we will be ok as foster parents. I don’t want to be a foster failure the first time, but I could totally adopt all 4 of these kittens! I think our whole house will be depressed when they leave. Our cats and dogs are all obsessed with them and love all over them throughout the day too. I hope that with all of the socialization, bathing, nail trimming, etc. they will find their forever homes and be the perfect little house cats!

-Dry blend has long flat green tea leaves.
-Dry leaves smell like fresh green tea with a hint of pineapple. Tea liquor aroma is faintly of sweet pineapple.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium yellow green color.
-Fruity flavor with a grassy finish. Light fresh pineapple aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Light and perfect pineapple flavor. Green tea isn’t too grassy.

My fiancee and I went to the gym this morning and he showed me how to do a whole bunch of arm exercises. Now my arms are all jelloish and I can’t hardly move them, haha! This tea was on the top of the pile when I opened my tea drawer, so needless to say this will be the first cup of the day. The dry leaves smell like malty black tea and there is almost a chocolatey hint. There is also a scent of fresh fruit. The tea liquor aroma is more perfumey, with the smell of sweet, fresh apricots. There is a heavy, malty flavor with a sweet fruit finish. The apricot comes in with the aftertaste and is very light and wispy. Adding sweetener brings out a lot of the rich apricot flavors and makes me think that this would be a wonderful iced tea. Our milk is expired, so I didn’t add any milk today, but I remember from previous cups that the milk adds an almost creamy note to the apricot flavor. The apricot is a little artificial to me, but not overly so. I think Adagio said this tea was ‘soft’ and ‘mellow’ in the description, which is funny to me, because I find it to be rather heavy from the strong black tea base. It’s still a nice tea, either way. I’m glad I like this cup because I don’t have the arm strength to make a different one! You’d think that lifting the tea kettle so often throughout the day would’ve at least given me some arm muscle to start with! :)

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs with pieces of dried apricot and yellow petals.
-Dry leaves smell malty and of almost chocolatey black tea with a hint of fresh fruit. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet and fresh apricots.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark brown color.
-Heavy and malty flavor with a sweet fruit finish. Light and wispy apricot aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener. Milk optional.
-Very good tea. Strong black tea with a sweet apricot flavor.

This is my last new tea to try from Capital Teas. The saleslady mentioned this one when I was checking out, and since it has the Cream Earl Grey in it and I had purchased that one for my mom, I decided to get this one for myself. It’s a pretty blend, with large tea leaves and small blue petals. There are a few pieces of pink rose petal, but not nearly as many as I had hoped for. The dry leaves smell floral and of soft bergamot. The aroma of the tea itself has more of the perfumey rose scent and the bergamot. The flavor is light and malty with a bergamot finish. There is a floral rose and bergamot aftertaste. This tea is very mildly flavored, but it has a wonderful mouth filling, smooth texture. We’re out of organic white sugar, so I added some coconut sugar (it’s almost like brown sugar in flavor) and it made it pretty yucky tasting. Then I remembered that I have some vanilla infused white sugar, so I tossed that cup out and poured a new cup from my little teapot and used the white sugar. Muucchhh better! I’m loving the light rose aftertaste from this tea. It’s not very strong, but it just adds something special to the tea. Glad I decided to get this one at the last minute!

-Dry blend has large black and green tea leaves with small blue petals and a few pieces of pink rose petals.
-Dry leaves smell lightly floral and of soft bergamot. Tea liquor aroma is of perfumey rose and bergamot.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium brown color.
-Light malty flavor with a full soft bergamot and cream finish. Floral rose and bergamot aftertaste. Mouth filling and smooth texture.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Mildly flavored Earl Grey with nice rose and vanilla cream notes. Smooth texture.

As soon as I smelled this tea I knew that I wanted some. I love banana flavored things and this smells just like banana taffy. I was surprised when I got home and looked up the ingredients to see that it has rooibos in it. There are so many HUGE pieces of dried fruit that you don’t even really notice the little rooibos that there is, which is just fine with me. I even had a difficult time scooping out 1.5 teaspoons because it doesn’t even fit in the teaspoon. I finally made do with just picking out some of the fruits and dropping them into my little teapot. The flavor isn’t exactly like banana taffy. I can taste a lot of other sweet fruit and especially tart pineapple in there too. Adding sweetener took away a lot of the tartness and made it more of a sweet fruity banana flavor. I like this one, I just wish it was a little more bananaish. Or maybe that it was renamed to Fruity Banana blend or something instead of Banana Taffy. I’d still like to try it iced. Another customer in the store told me that if you mix this Banana Taffy with the herbal almond tea it tastes just like banana bread. Although it’s not Capital Teas’ brand, I have a Roasted Almond tea that I just may try that with.

-Dry blend has full size pieces of dried fruits with red rooibos.
-Dry blend smells tropical and of sweet bananas, coconut and pineapple. Tea liquor aroma is of warm bananas and pineapple.
-Tea liquor is a clear bright medium yellow color with an oily sheen on top.
-Sweet fruit flavor with a tart pineapple finish. Light banana aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Good tea. Tart and fruity flavor with a light banana aftertaste.

I got some of this tea for my mom this weekend while we were in DC. She is the best and watches our house, dog and cats when we are out of town. It’s so much easier going on vacation without having to worry about your pets or home. Earl Grey is one of her favorites, so I thought this would be perfect as a thank you. I’m sneaking a cup before giving it to her so I can try it too!

The dry leaves are big and have pretty blue cornflower petals. The dry leaves smell sweetly of bergamot with just a hint of vanilla. The tea liquor has a soft bergamot aroma. The flavor is a little floral and citrusy. There is a slightly bitter finish, but adding both milk and sweetener masks the bitterness and brings out more of the vanilla flavor. Something about the taste of this tea reminds me a little of licorice, which is odd. I’m looking forward to seeing what my mom thinks, since she doesn’t like licorice at all. Overall, it’s a nice tea, but not your traditional Earl Grey Cream. There’s a little something different about this tea, and I like that it’s not overwhelmingly of traditional bergamot and sweet vanilla.

-Dry blend has large black tea leaves and twigs with small blue petals.
-Dry leaves smell sweetly of bergamot with a hint of vanilla. Tea liquor aroma is of soft bergamot.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark orange brown color.
-Floral and citrusy flavor with a slightly bitter lemony finish. Vanilla and licorice aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Lightly floral bergamot flavor. Unique licorice note.

We went to DC this weekend. My friend lives right next to the Capital Teas in Bethesda, and she took me there since she knew that I loved tea so much. It was a tiny shop, but they had a whole wall full of glass jars with the teas in them to smell. I loved that because I was able to see the tea and also smell it so I knew what I wanted to purchase. This one definitely stood out to me, it smells richly of dried fruit with just a little hint of spiciness. The tea itself has a sweet cherry and black tea aroma. The flavor is very sweet and fruity even without sugar and there is a strong cherry aftertaste that lingers. The cherry aftertaste kind of reminds me of cherry cough syrup, which I don’t love. Adding sweetener takes the flavor back to a fruity cherry instead of a mediciney cherry. I added a little milk and it became a nice and smooth, creamy cup. This was my first tea from Capital Teas and it’s a winner!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves with large dried cherries and pieces of dried fig.
-Dry leaves smell of rich dried fruit with a hint of spiciness. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet cherries and black tea.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark reddish brown color.
-Sweet fruity flavor and finish. Strong cherry aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with sweetener. Milk optional.
-Very good tea. Rich and smooth fruity flavor. Candy cherry taste.

This one has been lost in the very bottom of my tea drawer, and I’m not sure how it managed to escape my attention for so long. Almond, coconut and vanilla with rose petals – sounds delightful! The dry leaves smell very nutty with just a hint of sweet vanilla. The flavor is very light, with coconut and almond. There is a very fresh taste about the coconut, and not very sweet like some coconut flavors can be. I was hoping for more hints from the rose petals, but there is only a wispy floral aftertaste. This tea is just kind of bland to me. It sounded so girly and yummy, but I’m just not getting that much flavor out of it. I added a little sugar which helped, but it’s still rather plain tasting. I’ve never fallen in love with a white tea, and this just confirms that I prefer black teas. I really don’t want to rate my beloved Harney’s so low, but this tastes almost like plain hot water to me. I’m glad I got around to sampling this one, but I won’t be purchasing any more.

-Dry blend has medium brown and green tea leaves and twigs with small blue and yellow petals and pink rose petals.
-Dry leaves smell strongly nutty with a hint of sweet vanilla. Tea liquor aroma is lightly of coconut and vanilla.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark yellow color.
-Light coconut and almond flavor with a fresh coconut finish. Wispy floral aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Fair tea. A plain cup. Very mildly flavored. Fresh coconut and nutty flavor.

I’m procrastinating. I have a whole list of things to do, and while I’ve been mildly productive today, all I want to do now is sit and read for the rest of the afternoon. So one more cup of tea and a few more chapters, and then I’m off to clean out my closet (ugh).

I was sad to see that Tin Roof Teas discontinued this tea. It’s been a while since I’ve had it, but I remember it being so watermelony and delicious. The dry blend looks like a large trail mix, with pieces of dried fruit. It smells like sweet dried fruit, like dried apricots or berries. The tea smells more sweet, but I can detect a little tartness also. The flavor is of lightly tart fruit with a very fresh watermelon finish. There is a lingering aftertaste of watermelon that reminds me a little of watermelon bubblegum, but without any of the fakeness. This tea tastes surprisingly like real watermelon, while still being fresh and not artificial. A little sweetener brings out some more of the sweet watermelon taste, but too much will overshadow the light flavors. This tea is the perfect cup to have before bed during the summer, or for a light caffeine-free treat during the day. I can imagine it would be wonderful iced as well. Why oh why did TRT have to discontinue this one? Sad!

-Dry blend has a mixture of large pieces of dried fruit.
-Dry blend smells like sweet dried fruit. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet and tart fruit.
-Tea liquor is a clear deep orange pink color.
-Lightly tart fruit flavor with a fresh watermelon finish. Lingering watermelon aftertaste.
-Best with the smallest amount of sweetener.
-Very good tea. Light fresh watermelon flavor.

This is another one that I’ve had for far too long without rating it. We’re going to St. Louis in July, so I am looking forward to visiting The London Tea Room again for lunch and to purchase some new teas. Overall, I’ve been very impressed with their blends, and my Mom loves their 5th of November tea. My goal before then is to get through the rest of this tea drawer (and box of samples) so that I have room to add some new teas in.

This tea is very pretty, with big twisted green tea leaves. The dry leaves smell strongly of sweet coconut. It’s kind of like a coconut flake or toasted coconut smell, rather than fresh coconut. The tea’s aroma smells more like fresh coconut, which is exactly what the flavor of this tea is. There is a nice creamy coconut aftertaste too. I added a little sweetener and it made the tea so much better in my opinion. It’s a smooth cup with a mouth-filling sweet coconut flavor. I think I prefer Queen Mary’s Coconut Baozhong just slightly over this one.

-Dry blend has large twisted green tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of sweet toasted coconut. Tea liquor aroma is of fresh coconut.
-Tea liquor is a clear pale yellow color.
-Fresh coconut flavor and finish. Creamy coconut aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Smooth and creamy sweet coconut flavor.

This tea is from a little store here that sells a handful of loose leaf teas and has a large selection of bagged teas. They also have a lot of fun cooking/kitchen items, and I love going in there! We used their teas a lot last summer for iced teas, and probably will this summer too. The dry leaves smell lightly of blackberries, while the tea has a more sweet blackberry aroma. The flavor is sweet and malty, with just a very light berry aftertaste. This tea smells more like blackberries than it tastes like them. It’s a decent cup hot, but it does make a nice iced tea.

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves with pieces of green leaves.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of blackberries. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet blackberries.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark brown color.
-Sweet malty flavor and finish. Very light berry aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. A sweet and malty tea with a hint of berry flavor.

I’ve had this little sample from David’s in my tea drawer since just before Christmas, and pulled it out tonight to try. I always assumed that the “Coco” meant chocolate, but apparently it is coconut. I’m fine with either, I’m just a little apprehensive about the rooibos and all of the spices. I like a good chai, just not the real peppery ones, which I’m worried this may be after reading the reviews. This may be a sample that I should’ve saved for my fiancee. The dry blend smells lightly sweet and spicy with a hint of coconut. There is a peppery-sweet smell that comes from the cup while steeping, it’s a little odd. The flavor is strong and peppery with a ginger finish. There is a light cardamom and coconut aftertaste that wasn’t that great. I added a little milk and sweetener, which covered up some of the pepperiness. It’s still spicy, and I can feel the warming sensation all over, which makes me think I would like this more in the winter time. I can’t taste any of the rooibos at all, at least, and it does lose a little spiciness as it cools down. I still don’t think that it’s a tea that I would order myself, though. Maybe if there were more coconut and less spicy pepperiness in the mix.

-Dry blend has red rooibos mixed with pieces of spices, slivers of dried coconut and small red peppercorns.
-Dry blend smells lightly sweet and spicy with a hint of coconut. Tea liquor aroma is spicy with a hint of coconut.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium yellow brown color with an oily sheen on top.
-Strong peppery taste with a ginger finish. Light cardamom and coconut aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. A warming cup. Spicy and peppery flavor with a hint of coconut.

Another sample pulled from the never-ending tea drawer. This is a pretty little tea, with small clusters of green tea leaves. The tea leaves smell very lightly of sweet fruit, and the tea liquor has an earthy aroma with a hint of peach and honey. The flavor is very lightly sweet. There is a peach finish with a soft aftertaste of citrus and honey. All of the flavors are very light, and it’s a very sweet tea on it’s own. I did add a little sweetener, which brought out some more of the fruity notes. While I am enjoying this cup, I will probably finish of the little bit that I have but not order any more. It is very refreshing since it is such a lightly flavored tea. Thank you, Nicole, for this sample!

-Dry blend has small clusters of rolled green tea leaves.
-Dry leaves smell lightly fruity and sweet. Tea liquor aroma is earthy with a hint of peach and honey.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium yellow color.
-Lightly sweet flavor with a peach finish. Soft aftertaste of citrus and honey.
-Best with sweetener.
-Good tea. Very lightly flavored. Naturally sweet.