358 Tasting Notes
Another sample to thank Nicole for! This one is wonderful! The dry leaves smelled really tart, and the tea itself had a fresh berry aroma. The flavor is initially very tart with a lemony finish. The aftertaste is of ripe berries with just a wispy hint of cream. With milk and sweetener, it becomes all strawberries and cream with just a little bit of lemon. This tea reminds me of a summer day with fresh strawberries and raspberries and a big dollop of fresh whipped cream. I would definitely order more of this one!
-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves with small orange safflower petals, large yellow sunflower petals and large blue mallow blossoms.
-Dry leaves smell tart and fruity. Tea liquor aroma is of fresh berries.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium reddish brown color.
-Tart berry flavor with a lemony finish. Ripe berry aftertaste with a hint of cream.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Fresh berry flavor with a hint of lemon. Reminiscent of strawberries and cream.
Preparation
First cup of the day. It’s a beautiful day out today, full of sunshine but with that fall crispness in the air. The humane society that we foster for is having a big event downtown today that I had hoped to go to, but we have another event to go to tonight and I have kitty duty at Petsmart this afternoon plus letting my mom’s dogs out while she’s at work. I just don’t think I will be able to get all of my studying done in time to do it all. Maybe this tea will give me lots of energy so I can speed along through the day! :)
The teabag smelled very spicy (in a sweet kind of way) with a light citrusy note. The tea in my cup has a lemony aroma with a hint of spiciness. My first sip of this tea was ok, nothing special. It was mainly spicy (not overwhelmingly so) with a little citrusiness and smoothness thrown in. After adding milk and sweetener, however, I was sold! It brings out a sweet orange flavor and also some creaminess from the vanilla. It’s pretty much wonderful with milk and sweetener. It’s still very light, just a nice, relaxing cup without being too overwhelmingly citrus. Big thank you to Nicole for these teabags, I will definitely be saving the rest of them for a special day.
-Muslin teabag with a tag.
-Teabag smells of sweet spices with a light citrusy note. Tea liquor aroma is lemony with a hint of spices.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium brown color.
-Spicy and citrusy flavor with a smooth and spicy finish.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Smooth and sweet spiciness. Milk and sweetener bring out more of a sweet orange and vanilla creaminess.
Preparation
I have been so overwhelmed lately with nursing school that I just haven’t had time to post about any teas. I am actually drinking more teas than ever since I need all of that caffeine to make it through the day, and I do browse Steepster once a day or so to see what everyone is drinking. I have an exam on Monday that I should be studying for, but I really want to get to the rest of the teas that Nicole sent, so I got up a little earlier to taste some teas.
This one kind of threw me off for a while. I kept noticing a fruitiness in the aroma and the flavor that I couldn’t figure out. I agree with Nicole, I think this has more of an amaretto type quality to it, rather than just almonds and cream. There was an almost roasty/smokiness in the flavor, which I’m not sure if it was from the steeping time (right in the middle of the recommended range at 4 minutes) or if it is just this tea. Adding just sweetener did not help and made it even more artificial and syrupy-tasting, but adding milk also makes it a creamy cup and brings out more of the vanilla and almond flavors. Overall, I am glad that I got to try another Capital Teas blend that I’ve been eyeing for some time now, but I will probably not purchase any for myself. A little too fakey-fruity and smokey for me. Thank you, Nicole, for this sample!!
-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs with small pieces of almonds.
-Dry leaves smell musty and slightly fruity with a hint of nutty almond. Tea liquor aroma is of rich almond and sweet fruit.
-Tea liquor is a dark orange brown color.
-Sweet candy almond flavor with a roasty and almost smokey finish. Very strong fruity aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Heavy roasty flavor with a strong, somewhat artificial fruity note. Milk brings out more of the vanilla and almond notes.
Preparation
Sounds like you’re really going through the ringer in nursing school! It’ll be over before you know it though!
Thank you for brewing and reviewing our Almond Cream! We hope you’re able to try more of our teas as well :) Happy Brewing and best of luck with that exam on Monday!
It really is, Fuzzy_Peachkin! We’re already at midterms, though, so the first semester is flying by, even though I feel like I have done nothing but study for the past 8 weeks. I am loving every minute of it, though!
Thank you, CapitalTeas! I visited your store in Bethesda over the summer and stocked up on some Figgy Pudding and Royal Wedding tea. They usually end up in the Timolino a couple of times a week on the way to class! :)
First cup of the morning. Another sample from Nicole, thank you!! I think that after having Harney’s Vanilla Comoro, no other vanilla tea will ever compare. The dry leaves smell like sweet and creamy vanilla. The flavor is malty with a light vanilla finish. The vanilla aftertaste is soft and sweet and slightly creamy. It’s a very simple cup of tea, and the vanilla taste is more like vanilla extract rather than vanilla icing like in the Comoro, or the rich vanilla bean flavor that you sometimes taste in teas. I’m enjoying this cup, but I doubt that I will ever purchase a tin of this.
It’s another beautiful day outside! And I will probably be stuck inside all day doing homework, booo! I did spend a few minutes outside in the flower beds this morning, weeding, so I soaked up some sunshine then.
-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell of sweet and creamy vanilla. Tea liquor aroma is malty with a heavy sweet vanilla scent.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Malty flavor with a light vanilla finish. Soft sweet vanilla aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Very light vanilla extract flavor. Slightly creamy.
Preparation
Today is the first day that I’ve noticed it really feeling like fall outside. There was a chill in the air this morning and a couple of leaves blowing around. It will be nice to be able to water my flowers outside without it being a 100 degrees, but I will miss summer.
I’ve enjoyed all of the Kusmi teas that I’ve tried so far, and was looking forward to trying this one also. The dry leaves smelled like sweet mandarin oranges, and reminded me of the canned ones that I used to eat all the time when I was little. The flavor is strong and malty with bergamot. There is a little bitterness, but not terrible. The aftertaste is of sweet orange, and with a little milk and sweetener it tastes like oranges and cream. This one is very sweet on it’s own, and it’s a perfect cup with breakfast with the fresh orange flavor. Thank you to Nicole for this sample!
-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell like sweet mandarin oranges. Tea liquor aroma is of bergamot and fresh orange.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Strong malty and bergamot flavor with a hint of bitterness. Lightly sweet orange aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Malty flavor with a sweet orange note.
Preparation
It is a beautiful day outside, full of sunshine and a soft breeze. I am going to try to get a lot of homework done so that I can take the dogs for a nice long walk this evening. This is the first time this year that I’ve felt like fall is just around the corner. I walked outside this morning to leaves blowing around and that chill in the air that always says fall is on it’s way.
I got this tea in a variety box of Mighty Leaf blends, but I believe this is the first time that I’ve tried it. I like that Mighty Leaf uses such nice tea leaves – the little pouch always expands a lot in the water and the leaves are a nice size and look just like a loose-leaf tea. But conveniently in a pouch, it’s perfect. I wasn’t expecting anything special with this one, but it is delicious. It has an almost Earl Grey like quality to it, but more of a sweet orange and cream flavor. The jasmine flowers give it a little floralness which is nice. I will definitely pick up another box of this one the next time I see it in the store!
-Square silken tea pouch with medium black tea leaves and twigs and white petals.
-Teabag smells lightly of sweet orange. Tea liquor aroma is of vanilla and citrus.
-Tea liquor is a thick dark brown color.
-Soft orange and Earl Grey flavor and finish. Light jasmine and vanilla aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. A creamy cup. Soft orange and cream flavor with a hint of jasmine.
Preparation
This used to be one of my go-to teas, but I’ve not had it in awhile. It is somewhat artificial tasting, but more in a candy-like taste. It’s nice because the black tea is still noticeable, although it’s not very strong. This is a good tea to keep a bag of on hand, for those times when you need a quick tea when you’re out and about.
-Standard teabag with a string and tag.
-Teabag smells of very sweet fruit. Tea liquor aroma is of black tea and sweet fruit.
-Tea liquor is a a thick dark brown color.
-Malty and sweet flavor with a fruity finish. Slightly artificial candy-like pomegranate aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Malty with a sweet and juicy pomegranate flavor.
Preparation
I feel like I used to really enjoy this one, but it’s kind of ‘eh’ tonight. I’m not really getting much vanilla out of this, and the spices seem very peppery to me. The cup seems a little thin, too, even after adding a little milk.
-Standard teabag with a string and tag.
-Teabag smells like chai spices. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet vanilla and chai spices.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium yellow brown color.
-Soft vanilla and spicy flavor with a sweet finish. Light peppery chai aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Fair tea. A slightly watery cup. Faint vanilla note with a strong peppery spiciness.
Preparation
I like this one too, or at least used to. I recall being impressed by the vanilla flavor, and how good it was for a teabag tea. I’ve got one lonely bag kicking around… guess I better drink it up!
I love how The Extra Ingredient sells little packages of 10 teabags in all different kinds of Stash flavors!
I’ve cleaned the house, took care of the animals, did laundry, and sent the fiancee off to an out-of-town soccer tournament. I have a nice clean and quiet house all to myself this weekend!
I was really excited about trying this tea. I love coconut and I love chocolate. We got frozen yogurt this afternoon, and I had the sweet coconut flavor – it was delicious! I decided to keep the coconut theme going with my afternoon tea. The teabag smelled really strongly of dates with just a hint of coconut. The steeped cup had a fresh coconut aroma with just a hint of chocolate. The flavor is a little odd, because you can taste a grainy pasta-like flavor up front. It almost reminds me of the way some beers taste. There’s a bit of chocolate in the flavor also. The aftertaste is of nutty and sweet coconut with a hint of sugary caramel. I think the carob, barley and chicory in this blend work to make the coconut taste very fresh and natural. I like this tea, but I don’t know if I would purchase a whole tin of it. It kind of makes me crave pasta!
-Round unbleached teabag.
-Teabag smells richly of dates with a hint of nutty coconut. Tea liquor aroma is of fresh coconut with a hint of chocolate.
-Tea liquor is a thick medium brown color.
-Grainy chocolatey flavor and finish. Nutty and sweet coconut aftertaste with a hint of caramel.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Unique grain-like taste. Very sweet coconut and cocoa flavor.
Preparation
I bet it’s the malted barley – it is used in making many beers! Sounds like an interesting blend. I’m always curious to see what Republic of Tea comes up with next, even though they are often hit-or-miss for me.
They’re usually hit or miss for me, too, Janefan. More hits than misses, though!
My future mother in law gave me a box of this tea a while ago. I think I had one teabag and then it got lost in my tea cupboard. This isn’t necessarily a bad cup of tea, it’s just a little too lightly flavored for my liking. It falls in the “is this just hot water or tea?” category. I’ll keep a few teabags, but the rest of the box is going in the swap pile.
-Standard teabag with string.
-Teabag smells strongly of sweet chai spices. Tea liquor aroma is lightly spicy and sweet.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy light yellow brown color.
-Very soft chai flavor and finish. Light spicy and warming aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Fair tea. A bland cup. Very light spicy chai flavor.
Preparation
Far too many teas, I’m afraid, fall into the “is this just hot water or tea” category for me as well.
It’s so sad when that happens! Especially if the tea smells really strong and delicious beforehand, and then you steep it and are like “this is it?!”
I know. Such a disappointment. and then there’s the “maybe it’s me. Maybe I steeped it wrong.” but nope, some teas are just way, way too subtle for me.
Thanks so much for sending me this tea!
You’re welcome, Darby! Hope you like it!
