Josie Jade

So last year I ordered from Adagio and received this Chestnut tea as one of my samples. Thinking I wouldn’t like it, I gave it to my Mom. She called later and said it was so good, and tasted just like real maple syrup. So I ordered a little sample pack and it is good indeed. I don’t know if the changed the recipe for this tea, because mine doesn’t have any chestnuts in it, and none are listed on the ingredients on the front of the pack? I am thinking that they must’ve just added the chestnuts to the dry leaves that are what I have in my sample. The leaves smell like black tea and maple syrup. There is a nice toasted nut flavor and a sweet maple syrup aftertaste that lingers. I thought this one may be only available seasonally, but it is available now, so hopefully it’s in stock year round. :)

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell sweetly of maple syrup. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea and maple syrup.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy dark brown color.
-Toasty and nutty flavor and finish. Sweet maple syrup aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with sweetener. Small amount of milk optional.
-Very good tea. Smooth toasty flavor. Reminiscent of maple syrup.

Second cup of the day on this busy day. I would’ve liked to have saved this one for an at-home movie night, but it smells too good to wait for that. And I think I will have just enough left to have another cup. :) The dry leaves smell exactly like caramel popcorn, yummy! I was a little surprised to find out that there are apples in this one, and there sure are a lot of them. This tea actually tastes mostly like the apples to me when it’s hot. There is a sweet maple finish, and a really quick aftertaste of popcorn. As it cools the buttery popcorn flavor comes out more. In fact, I like this tea much better after it has cooled. It does taste like caramel popcorn! Thank you whatshesaid for this sample! :)

-Dry blend has pieces of dried apple, popcorn and long thin green tea leaves.
-Dry blend smells like caramel popcorn. Tea liquor aroma is of apples with a caramel maple scent.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark yellow color.
-Tart apple flavor with a sweet maple finish. Short buttery popcorn aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Flavor is reminiscent of caramel popcorn when cooled.

I am so happy to sit quietly this morning and enjoy this sample from whatshesaid. A normal appointment for backing up my laptop at the Apple store on Monday led to a big problem being discovered, and me spending pretty much all day yesterday at the Apple store trying to have it fixed. It was something to do with my iPhoto, and I really really love my pictures. Luckily all seems to have been saved, but I was up until the late hours trying to reorganize everything when I got home. Whew!

I LOVE rose teas. Like could drink them all day, every day love them! This one sounded so promising with the addition of white chocolate that I have been wanting to try it for awhile. The dry leaves have that perfumey rose smell mixed in with sweet white chocolate. I noticed a really lovely rose scent filling the air while the tea was steeping. The flavor is sweet and malty with a nice rose finish. And a wonderful perfumey aftertaste. The tea was just a little bitter, so I would probably drop my original brewing time down to 4 minutes from the 4.5 I originally tried. I added a little milk and sweetener and this tea is just perfect! Thank you, whatshesaid!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves, rose buds and pieces of white chocolate.
-Dry leaves smell like perfumey rose and white chocolate. Tea liquor aroma is of toasty rose.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy dark brown color.
-Sweet and malty black tea flavor with a rose finish. Lingering perfumey aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Sweet creamy rose flavor.

I’ve been wanting to try this tea since forever, so a big thanks to whatshesaid for sending it to me, and in a festively decorated envelope no less! The dry leaves are covered in a fine, powdery cocoa and smell like rich chocolate. The banana is noticeable in the tea’s aroma. The flavor is of heavy milk chocolate with a sweet banana finish. The tea really fills your mouth, and it is a robust flavored blend. The chocolate flavor is definitely more noticeable, with just a little banana mixed in. I added a little sweetener and just the smallest amount of milk to made it nice and creamy. This tea makes me want to crawl back into bed with a big book instead of going to class!

-Dry blend has small black tea leaves, cocoa nibs and pieces of dried banana all covered in a fine cocoa powder.
-Dry leaves smell like rich chocolate. Tea liquor aroma is of chocolate and bananas.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium orange brown color with an oily sheen on top.
-Heavy milk chocolate and black tea flavor with a sweet banana finish.
-Best with sweetener and the smallest amount of milk.
-Very good tea. Mainly chocolate flavor with just a hint of banana.

Coconut and rose? This could be love! Typically I’m not crazy about white teas, so we’ll see. While briefly researching this tea I discovered that it is named after Coconut Grove in Miami, so that ups the points in my book, haha, since I love Miami! The dry leaves are pretty, with big green tea leaves, rose buds and petite blue flowers. The tea itself smells floral, with just a little hint of coconut. The flavor is very light, with not much rose noticeable, just a light floral taste up front. The coconut in this tea is very authentic, probably the most real tasting coconut tea that I’ve had. It reminds me of the way a fresh coconut tastes. I don’t love this tea, but I don’t hate it either. I wouldn’t decline a cup if offered one, but I probably won’t seek it out either. It is a nice ode to Coconut Grove, though! Thank you to Alphakitty for this sample!

-Dry blend has large green tea leaves, large rose buds, small blue flowers and coconut slivers.
-Dry leaves smell faintly of coconut. Tea liquor aroma is sweetly floral with a hint of coconut.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium yellow color.
-Grassy and floral flavor with a wispy nutty finish. Light fresh coconut aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Fair tea. Lightly flavored with a very fresh coconut taste.

I couldn’t resist a cup of this tea this morning, with its pretty mixture of tea leaves with pink and yellow rose petals and blue lavender. The dry leaves smell like an Earl Grey, with a little lavender thrown in. The tea itself smells floral, with sweet vanilla and bergamot. The flavor of this tea is different than expected from it’s aroma. There are malty and jasmine notes, followed by a light vanilla. The bergamot only really becomes noticeable in the aftertaste. I originally steeped this one for 5 minutes, since the range said 3 to 7, but I think that next time I would only do about 4 minutes to keep down the bitterness. I can’t quite decide if I love this tea or not. It’s the lightest Earl Grey flavor that I’ve ever tasted, with a lot of floral notes added in.

-Dry blend has small and medium black and green tea leaves with pink and yellow rose petals and blue lavender. Petals float to the top during steeping.
-Dry leaves smell like bergamot and lavender. Tea liquor aroma is floral with sweet vanilla and bergamot.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium reddish brown color.
-Malty jasmine flavor with a light vanilla finish. Bergamot aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Light floral and malty flavor with notes of vanilla and bergamot.

Last cup of the evening. Today has been productive, I got my tea cupboard organized and all of my new tins labelled. Spring break is over, so tomorrow it’s back to school and this will be a very busy week indeed!

I’m kind of obsessed with trying plum flavored teas, so this one was a must have when we visited The London Tea Room. It steeps up to a really pretty dark purple color. The flavor is different than expected, as the plum is very tangy and tart. Sadly, there is a strange artificial taste in the finish. I tried adding a little milk to see if that would help diminish the fake flavor, but the milk curdled, so I threw out that cup and started over. Adding just sweetener helps a little, but that icky plasticky taste is still there. Really unfortunate, since the plum flavor is so nice!

-Dry blend is a trail mix of dried fruit and pieces of cinnamon bark.
-Dry blend smells like sweet plum with a hint of cinnamon. Tea liquor aroma is of spicy cinnamon and fruit.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy dark purple color.
-Tart plum flavor with an artificial finish. Warm cinnamon aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Poor tea. Tart plum flavor with a strong artificial note.

I always say that I don’t like rooibos, but then I come across a rooibos blend that is decent. This one isn’t my favorite, mainly because it has a pretty strong rooibos aftertaste that I don’t like. To be fair, that does lessen as it cools. The flavor is completely strawberries and cream, and the tea even feels creamy in my mouth – like really creamy! I added a little milk and sweetener, and it’s not bad for a caffeine free cuppa at night. Probably not an everyday tea for me, but I will keep some on hand for a nice nighttime tea.

-Dry blend has fine red rooibos leaves, yellow petals and pieces of green strawberry leaves.
-Dry blend smells heavily of rooibos with a hint of strawberry. Tea liquor aroma is of strawberry and cream.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark reddish brown color.
-Fresh strawberry flavor with a sweet whipped cream finish. Creamy mouthfeel. Rooibos aftertaste present.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Fresh creamy strawberry flavor with an unfortunate rooibos aftertaste.

Ahhh. . . another favorite from Tin Roof Teas. And a sipdown! There is a tiny bit left in the bag, but I think I will just put it aside to send out with a swap since I just transferred all of my tea to tins and don’t want to use a clean tin for just a small amount of tea. Plus someone else will get to try this wonderful tea!

It’s very fragrant – both the dry leaf and the tea liquor. It smells florally and fruity and sweet. Every time I make this tea it makes me smile just smelling it. The flavor is malty and fruity, with a nice floral finish that you continue to taste for awhile after swallowing. This tea takes milk and sweetener well, and it seems to enhance all of the flavors and meld them together. I will definitely be picking up more of this on my next visit to Tin Roof Teas!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell fragrant and fruity. Tea liquor aroma is sweet and fruity.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark brown color.
-Malty and fruity flavor and finish. Light floral perfumey aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Excellent tea. Perfect balance of fruit and black tea. A delicious florally cup!

This tea was one of the first ones that I purchased from Tin Roof Teas, and it’s remained a favorite. I love chocolate and coconut, and this tea has both! It’s a pretty blend with large flakes of dried coconut, cocoa nibs, and small pieces of white and dark chocolate. The tea itself smells of black tea and chocolate. The flavor is nutty, with a sweet chocolatey finish. This tea is really good when mixed with Tin Roof Tea’s Mazipan blend, ah-may-zing!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs, large flakes of dried coconut, cocoa nibs and pieces of white and dark chocolate. Coconut and chocolate float to the top during steeping.
-Dry leaves smell of coconut and chocolate. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea and chocolate.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy dark brown color.
-Malty coconut flavor with a sweet chocolatey finish. Slightly creamy mouthfeel.
-Best with sweetener. Milk optional.
-Excellent tea. Perfect chocolate and coconut flavor.

So today is the Duke/UNC game, which means it’s practically a holiday in our state. We have plans to watch the game at a local sports bar, and my fiancee has us on a strict schedule of what time we need to leave in order to get a good table. I kind of wish it was one of those lazy Saturdays where we had no plans. I’m right in the middle of rearranging the tea cupboard and found the perfect cute little tins at Michaels for $0.50, so I’m dying to get everything neatly organized. But I’m definitely not missing the biggest game of the year, so the tea organization will have to wait until tomorrow.

I generally love anything from Harney’s, so I was excited to try this sample from Alphakitty. I like most of the ingredients in this blend – lemongrass, coconut and vanilla, but ginger is so hit or miss for me. Ach, sadly this one seems very gingery. It’s definitely the strongest flavor, and I am only sensing a little of the coconut and vanilla. Those two seem to be contributing more to the creaminess of the tea, rather than the flavor. I can only detect a little of the lemongrass, and there is a strong, lingering ginger aftertaste. I don’t hate this tea, but it’s not exactly what I was expecting. I will have to try it cold brewed, like Alphakitty suggests. And hey, if Duke beats the tarholes tonight I will gladly drink this tea every game day! :)

-Dry blend has long flat green tea leaves and lemongrass.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of green tea and ginger. Tea liquor aroma is of coconut and ginger.
-Tea liquor is a clear pale greenish yellow color.
-Strong ginger flavor with a soft coconut vanilla finish. Lingering spicy ginger aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Fair tea. Very strong ginger taste that overwhelms all other flavors.

I have been wanting to try this tea for forever, and KittyLovesTea was nice enough to send a sample with our swap (thank you!) The dry leaves smell strongly of butter and maple syrup, yum! I’m wondering if having this tea right before breakfast will make me want to whip up some pancakes for my morning meal? Ohh, this is good! There’s a nice bready/cake-like flavor mixed in with the black tea, and then a rich syrupy finish. And with all of that a thick, buttery smooth consistency. I’m not sure how all of that is possible in one little cup of tea, but there it is. This one definitely has me craving some fluffy pancakes now!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs with yellow petals.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of butter and maple syrup. Tea liquor aroma is of sugary maple syrup.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark brown color.
-Pastry and bready black tea flavor with a rich maple syrup finish. Buttery mouthfeel.
-Best with sweetener. Milk optional.
-Excellent tea. Reminiscent of warm buttery pancakes and maple syrup.

I’m having a cup of this with my breakfast this morning, since I’ve had such good experiences with my other Charleston Tea Plantation teas the past two days. This one is probably my least favorite out of all of them. That’s not because this isn’t a great tea, but I just prefer raspberry and mint flavors more than peach. The peach flavor in this tea is similar to the Rockville Raspberry flavor in that it reminds me almost of a jelly or jam like peach taste. And you can taste the black tea too, which always makes me happy. This really is a good cup of tea!

-Dry blend has small pieces of black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of black tea and peaches. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet peaches.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium golden brown color.
-Malty flavor with a juicy peach finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Nice black tea base with a ripe peach flavor.

This tea has a little bit of everything I love in it – chocolate, orange, vanilla and toasted croissant in a black tea – ahhhhhh. This was the first London Tea Room blend that I had when we went to have lunch there last summer and it fully met my expectations. I love that it is a really robust black tea with some sweet notes with a nice, buttery croissant taste thrown in. There’s something really comforting about it. I could drink this tea all day long and be perfectly content!

-Dry blend has medium black and brown tea leaves with a few pieces of orange peel.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of black tea and orange. Tea liquor aroma is of rich chocolate and sweet vanilla.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark brown color.
-Robust chocolate and orange flavor with a buttery croissant finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. A sweet and toasty cup.

Rhubarb always reminds me of my grandmother’s garden and the delicious rhubarb pies that she used to make. This tea is good, but I really wish that it had more of that sharp, tart rhubarb flavor. It seems that the cream mostly takes over in this tea. I like cream flavors, so it is still enjoyable, but a little more rhubarb and it would be perfect.

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves with pieces of dried rhubarb.
-Dry leaves smell like black tea with a little hint of tart rhubarb. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet cream and rhubarb.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium brown color.
-Soft rhubarb and black tea flavor with a sweet cream finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Little rhubarb flavor, mostly cream.

A refreshing minty aroma wafts out of this tea tin as you open it. It reminds me of the way that a fresh mint plant smells. The flavor is perfect – simple, fresh, sweet mint. I had a cup of this iced at the Charleston Tea Plantation and it was heavenly on a hot and humid day. There is nothing artificial in the mint flavor of this tea. Although I like strong black teas best, this is my favorite green tea by far!

-Dry blend has small pieces of greenish brown tea leaves.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of spearmint. Tea liquor aroma is of green tea and sweet mint.
-Tea liquor aroma is a clear dark yellow color.
-Fresh mint flavor with a sweet and cooling finish.
-Best with sweetener.
-Excellent tea. A refreshing cup of natural sweet mint.

Last cup of tea for the night. Thanks Alphakitty for this sample! This tea smells entirely of fresh, soft coconut. There is really nothing artificial in the smell, and it reminds me of the aroma of coconut water. The flavor is very vegetal to me, but is followed by a fresh, true coconut finish. The flavor becomes a lot more mellow and smooth as it cools, and it looses some of the white tea flavor. I’m enjoying this cup right now and am glad I got a chance to try it, but I don’t know if I would add it to my list to purchase. Maybe a small pack to have a cup of every once in awhile!

-Dry blend has large fuzzy green tea leaves, slivers of coconut and small blue and orange petals.
-Dry leaves smell faintly of nutty coconut. Tea liquor aroma is of soft fresh coconut.
-Tea liquor is a bright medium yellow color.
-Vegetal flavor with a real coconut finish. Smooth mouthfeel.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Light true coconut flavor that becomes more bold as it cools.

I picked up this tea awhile ago at TJ Maxx and was surprised at how good it is! The texture of this tea is really smooth and creamy. Even though I don’t love rooibos tea, the chocolate and vanilla flavors blend really well with the rooibos and I don’t mind it as much. There’s only a little of that awful rooibos aftertaste, but it’s not overwhelming. This is a good tea to have a cup of at night before bed. I will be keeping an eye out for more English Tea Shop teas at TJ Maxx!

-Standard teabag.
-Teabag smells like dark chocolate. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet rooibos.
-Tea liquor is a thick reddish brown color.
-Chocolate flavor with a vanilla rooibos finish. Smooth mouthfeel.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Velvety chocolate and vanilla flavor.

I was sadly disappointed when I opened the teabag envelope and realized that there’s really no strong aroma to it at all – just a really faint artificial lemon and paper smell. The tea liquor has the same odd fake note to it, and it reminds of a lemon-scented cleaning product. There is just something really plasticy about this tea, even the flavor has an unfortunate fake note to it. I usually like Twinings’ teas, but this one is just a miss for me.

-Standard teabag.
-Teabag smells very lightly of artificial lemon. Tea liquor aroma is of a strong fake lemon scent.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy brown color.
-Weak and artificial bergamot flavor with a fake lemony finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Awful tea. Weak flavor with an odd artificial note.

This is the first tea that I am trying from Butiki Teas and I’m excited. I didn’t really know what tamarind tasted like before this, but the dry leaves smell of caramel and vanilla. The tea is malty and kind of earthy tasting. There is a slight spiciness about this tea, but not a peppery spiciness, more of a sweet type of spicy. I can taste a little bit of a rich cocoa flavor in the aftertaste. This is definitely a uniquely flavored tea. I’ve never had a tamarind soda before, but I think I would like it after tasting this tea. Thanks Alphakitty for the sample!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs with small bright reddish orange petals.
-Dry leaves smell like caramel and vanilla. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea, cocoa and sweet caramel.
-Tea liquor is a clear light golden brown color.
-Malty and earthy caramel flavor with a sweet spicy finish. Small rich cocoa aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. A unique cup. Earthy, deep and sweet spicy flavor.

Yesterday I started my spring break off right. . . by having allergy testing done. It was not much fun and I took Benadryl and slept pretty much the rest of the day. So this morning I needed an extra special tea to get me back into my routine.

We visited the Charleston Tea Plantation last April and it was wonderful! Everything is so beautiful there, and we loved seeing all of the tea plants and then watching how they are made into tea. Of course we picked up a few tins of tea while we were there, and this was one of the flavors. The smell of it isn’t overwhelmingly of raspberry, just a nice light black tea with a little berry aroma. The black tea is definitely still noticeable in the flavor as well, with a deep, sweet raspberry finish. It’s not the truest of raspberry flavors, but it doesn’t have any artificial fake notes to it. It’s more like a raspberry jelly or candy taste, I think. Kind of like the raspberry filling in a piece of chocolate. Overall a wonderful cup of tea and just what I needed to start the day.

-Dry blend has small pieces of black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of black tea and raspberry. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet raspberries.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium golden brown color.
-Malty flavor with a deep raspberry finish.
-Best with sweetener. Milk optional.
-Very good tea. Nice black tea base with a raspberry candy flavor.

A friend of my fiancee came to stay with for a few months over the summer in the spare bedroom until his new apartment was ready. He had been my fiancee’s intern while he was in college, and he graduated in May and got a job with my fiancee’s company. Although I was hesitant about having a random boy living with us, it turned out great and he was so polite and so much fun to have around. Our dogs and cats loved him, and one of our cats mourned for two weeks when he moved out! He came over in January to watch some football and surprised me with two boxes of Harney & Sons teas. He is from Millerton, NY where Harney & Sons is based, and knew of my love for tea, especially Harney & Sons. It was such a thoughtful gesture and I am so glad that we were able to get to know him during his stay with us, and that we all still keep in touch!

Now on to the tea! This is not one that I would’ve chosen for myself because it includes hibiscus, and in the past I haven’t been crazy about the tart flavor of hibiscus. I do like raspberries, though, and other fruity teas. There is really bold scent of raspberries from the teabag, but also a really odd alcohol smell. Thankfully the tea liquor smells more like raspberries. I was expecting this tea to be a red or pink color from the hibiscus, but it is more of a really deep purple color, almost like a pretty eggplant hue. The night that our friend brought this tea I steeped it in my Adagio steeper and then poured it over ice and it was excellent. Tonight is the first time that I am having it hot, and while it’s ok hot, it is far better iced. It has a tart flavor, but a nice raspberry finish that takes away from the hibiscus taste. There is a little bit of a strange artificial note, but adding a little sweetener lessens that and I didn’t notice that at all when I had it iced. I’m glad our friend brought this because I probably would’ve never tried it on my own. I will keep this box around to enjoy iced during the summer and see about buying more after that!

-Standard teabag.
-Teabag smells strongly of fresh raspberries with a hint of alcohol. Tea liquor aroma is of musty raspberries.
-Tea liquor is a dark deep purple red color.
-Tart berry flavor with a sweet raspberry finish.
-Best with sweetener.
-Good tea. Tangy raspberry flavor. Best prepared iced.

Wow, this one smells good! My Mom and I were just talking about those little leaf-shaped maple sugar candies that you can get in Pennsylvania, and the smell of this tea reminds me exactly of those candies. The flavor is more like a warm, thick maple syrup rather than those little sugary sweet candies, though. It definitely tastes like real maple syrup – nothing artificial in this flavor. I wish I had made some tea to go with our french toast brunch this morning! Thanks Alphakitty!

-Dry blend has medium greenish-black tea leaves with pieces of flavoring, cocoa nibs and small red berries.
-Dry leaves smell like rich maple syrup candies. Tea liquor aroma is of chocolate and black tea.
-Tea liquor is a thick golden brown color with a small amount of oily sheen on top.
-Robust black tea flavor with a sweet and heavy maple syrup finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Rich and sweet flavor. Reminiscent of real maple syrup.

I made a cup of this tea to take to church this morning. I’m not particularly fond of ginger, but for some reason I like this tea. The ginger flavor isn’t too spicy or overwhelming and has more of a mellow, warming taste. I can imagine this would be a good tea for when you’re not feeling well. It’s actually a good cup to wake up with, and it held off my hunger until we got home and made brunch.

-Standard teabag.
-Teabag smells strongly of ginger. Tea liquor aroma is of malty ginger.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium brown color.
-Strong ginger flavor and finish. Small spicy aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Mellow and warming ginger flavor. Not too spicy.