Katie Alberry

I really like this black tea. It’s actually a mix between being a light tasting black tea and a thicker black tea. It does have a sweetness to it like raisins or a dab of honey.

I wouldn’t mind it being a little darker or stronger, but overall it’s a very pleasant black tea.

I had this tea for the first time at Zen Valley Samovar and fell in love with it. Simple, yet complex, this tea is an experience. The pu-erh is aged and then packed inside a dried mandarin orange peel. It smells beautiful and subtle, and has a nice smooth flavor and consistency.

Pack the whole fruit into a small teapot, pour hot water over it, and let it steep for around 25 seconds. Pour out the first steeping, unless you really like very strong tea. This one will last for quite a while.

A note about the tea: When you first get it, it comes wrapped in plastic. Take off the plastic and let it sit in a dark, yet slightly humid place for about a week. The flavors will be more intense this way.

I am going to have to switch up my teas soon, because I am already running out of this one! A little bummed at the moment, because I can’t quite taste the gorgeous light raisin taste. This is not the teas fault, instead it is the fault of my taste buds. Yes, I have a cold. Despite not tasting as amazing as it normally does, it has a lovely color and it is nice and warm on my throat.

If you don’t have a cold, you must try this tea.

If I am going to get tea on the go and I don’t have my travel mug, I come to these guys. Really decent tea for a cafe chain, and a decent price too. I don’t normally get herbal infusions, especially when going to work, but something made me want to try this tea. All I have to say: AMAZING! The mint is so refreshing and strong. Naturally sweet. This one didn’t last long at all.

Just opened the package for this tea and it went straight into my teapot! After about 4 minutes steep time it was at a lovely honey color and smelled gorgeous. At first sip I didn’t taste too much. It was very light. After a few more sips though the golden raisin absolutely came out. I first tasted notes of honey, then it reminded me of molasses, which then led to raisins! Still enjoying it as I type this, but I can already tell how lovely this tea is! I might steep it just a little longer next time or add a couple of extra leaves for a slightly stronger taste.

Can’t wait for the next cup!

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What can I say? I love this tea! Still not my absolute all time favorite pu-erh, but it is really good! I disregard the brewing instructions slightly by letting it steep upwards of 7 or 8 minutes. I like it strong.

Okay, so this was my first time trying Chrysanthemum, so the rating is low not based on quality (since I am unfamiliar with other Chrysanthemum herbal teas) but is instead based on my experience with it. I got the tea sample in the mail and there were full beautiful flowers in it. The smell wasn’t anything special, but I figured it would come out once I started to steep it.

I got it to a nice light yellow color and decided to take out the flowers and give it a taste. I love floral teas and especially chamomile, but this was a bit farther off from those two than I expected. It has a very strong and abrasive taste. I wasn’t a fan of the aftertaste at all. No hints of sweetness in this one. The taste was bitter and astringent in a way that I didn’t enjoy (I like strong teas).

Overall, I wasn’t all that happy with this tea, but like I said before, I hadn’t tried Chrysanthemum. If you like Chrysanthemum I would give this tea a shot, perhaps as a sample when buying other teas from Teas Etc. You may have the opposite reaction as me! I do love this company though.

I love this white tea. Very light and crisp, but naturally sweet. This tea is relaxing and reminds me of a forest after a late spring frost. I can only appreciate that comparison having grown up around the woods. I love Samovar’s Osmanthus Silver Needle which gives me similar thoughts, but this white tea is lovely beyond words. Something very sweet, subtle, and even nutty about this one.

A beautifully delicate white tea. A slightly sweet aroma is hidden at first, but when immersed in hot water the aromas come out full bodied and honey like. Very light and crisp, but naturally sweet. This tea is relaxing and reminds me of a forest after a late spring frost. I can only appreciate that comparison having grown up around the woods. Overall a very nice white tea. I will be adding more to my collection.

You only need a small amount of this pu-erh for each cup, and it only needs to brew for 45 seconds to 1 minute. I like mine much stronger, however, so I let it steep a little bit longer. This tea, like most pu-erh teas, requires boiling water. You should be able to steep this one quite a few times to enjoy the different subtle flavors. I didn’t find this one to last quite as long as some others I’ve had, but still a very rich and eartyh pu-erh.

Beautiful little nest individually wrapped makes for an excellent presentation. Smells like a pu-erh should with very earthy tones. About to try it in just a moment!

A great beginner’s pu-erh tea. It is dark, smooth, and hearty with strong earthy notes.

A full bodied green tea with a very sweet, warming aroma with strong chestnut overtones. A naturally sweet, smooth tea. It reminds me of the holidays.