KittyLovesTea

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I feel rough this morning which is probably because I stayed up very late last night to finishing watching Season 2 of Sons of Anarchy. After very little sleep and with a ton of work to do I had to drag myself out of bed with the promise of a pot of tea before anything else.

This is another sample to use up and a strong black tea is what I could really do with right now.

In appearance these little balls consist of black and golden tip leaves that have been rolled together. The golden tips have a beautiful shine and slight felt like feel. I would also like to add that one or two of the 11 pearls that I have contains stalk/stem.

I will be using all 11 pearls in my teapot infuser this morning which will make roughly 4 cups worth of tea. Following the instructions this shall be prepared using boiling water with a steep time of three minutes.

Side Note: I always keep a supply of Teavivre – Fengqing Black Pearl and I compared both those pearls and these pearls together in appearance and could not tell them apart. They are the same size, same quality and scent. They must be from the same supplier.

In appearance this tea is mahogany in colour and has a sweet, woody, malt aroma with elements of cocoa.

The flavour is rich and sweet with thick malt and earthy tones mixed with dark cocoa and a slightly sour after taste. Perhaps a little leathery and smoky too, or aged in a sense.

It tastes exactly the same as Teavivre pearls but of course if your in the UK then it’s easier, quicker and roughly the same price to just buy them from Green Mountain Tea but I still love Teavivre and not trying to take custom away from them. It’s the first time I have samples the same tea from two different sources.

Thank you Fiddling for this sample. :)

Almost at the end of Season 2 of Sons of Anarchy thanks to my mad marathon day but still a couple of hours to go. It’s past midnight now so I’m trying to stray away from anything with caffeine and I remembered receiving this tea earlier this month as part of a swap.

The mixture looks like a large mixed dried fruit medley with strawberry and apple pieces being the most obvious. If you look close enough you can see a fair amount of hibiscus (eek!) and some other bits that I am not confident on identifying.

This large pieced blend smells sweet and fruity (no fruit in particular), rather citrus and a little sour.

Once steeped this tea is burnt yellow in colour and has a sour lemon scent with an undertone of apple. I thought it would be red/pink because of the hibiscus so the surprise is nice, maybe it’s not as hibiscus heavy as it looked.

The first few sips reveal a crisp apple and sour lemon combo. It has sweetness but at a personally nice level for me which is not too sweet but enough to say that I wouldn’t need to add any sweetener. The strength is medium but with enough flavour to still be pleasing.

I can’t taste any strawberry or any other berry like flavour which is a little disappointing so it’s more apple lemonade than strawberry lemonade. It’s still a nice refreshing fruity drink but not for those that really want something strong or strawberry flavoured. I also asked my husband what he could taste before telling him the name of the tea and he said citrus like orange or lemon and something sweet like apple. Then I told him the name of it and he also said he couldn’t taste any strawberry so the best we can fathom is that the sweetness is supposed to taste like artificial strawberry like that found in candy.

Overall it’s a nice fruity drink and would be suitable for a light flavoured ice tea but it wouldn’t be the sort of thing I would buy again.

Finally got around to a new review today. My husband just got home and needs warming up and I have been waiting to try this for a while so it was a good excuse to pull it out the cupboard. :)

In appearance I can see a good amount of both rose petals and almond slices amongst the black leaves. It really does have a very real marzipan scent, it’s amazing! Sweet, nutty, floral and a little fruity. I say fruity as it reminds both me and my husband of cherries (which is a little odd but nice).

Once steeped the tea soup is brown in colour with a sweet rose aroma with an undertone of rich earth.

The first few sips reveal a fresh and sweet rose flavour that is also a little creamy and nutty. There is also a strong earthy malt black tea taste that adds a little sourness when mixed with the sweet floral tones. Reminds me of Keemun (not sure if it is) mixed with rose petals that always has a sweet and sour affair very similar to this blend but this one is sweeter.

It does have a marzipan taste but in a thick way…sort of like more towards marzipan and thick rich fruit cake which tones it down. It’s nice and very similar to quite a few Keemun and rose blends I have had before but I think the sweetness in this is delicious and it really stands out. It still has a cherry thing about it too.

I have been finishing a few NBT samples today but have not logged anything due to a very bad hangover. I had too many glasses of wine last night during my Sons of Anarchy marathon. My bad…

I don’t think there is anything better for a hangover cure than tea. Back to wire wrapping some gemstone specimens :) Will blog a few new teas later when I feel up to it.

(Check my previous entry for my review).

My first pot of the day :) I feel a little better this morning, a tad groggy but the headache has subsided somewhat.

In raw form this tea has a sweet tangerine smell that reminds me of hard boiled sweets. In appearance you can see the Mao Feng and pieces of tangerine rind with large sunflower petals.

Once steeped this tea is orange in colour and bears a cinnamon and orange scent. The first few sips reveal a thick tangerine taste with floral highlights and spicy cinnamon undertones. It’s not as sweet as it’s raw scent but there is still a touch of it there, some may have to add extra sweetener. The tangerine tastes natural and there are no harsh flavours, everything flows rather well together. There is something creamy about it…vanilla but not noticeable in flavour just an aura of smooth creaminess.

Overall it’s very nice and a little different, a tangerine tea that is creamy, spicy and has depth despite it’s white tea base. A nice morning drink that would make a delicious iced tea. I would buy this again. :)

Since I awoke this morning I have had a thumping headache and a gurgley stomach and they have not stopped all day. I’m not one to take pills but it was so bad at work that I took a paracetamol with the hope of clearing my mind and to stop the throbbing thump thump thump.

Well it’s still bad but I think it’s manageable enough at this moment in time to write a quick review. Also I have some good news, some of you may remember me mentioning that my best friend had a brain scan and was told there was a tumour. Well it’s took a couple of months but her results came back today and the tumour is benign and for the time being there is no need to operate. It is however pressings down on a particular point and is causing her to have epileptic fits so she now has a bracelet being made. As far as good news goes that was one of the best scenario’s possible so I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and support. :)
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In raw form this tea is very pretty and has a lot of colour and life amongst the leaves. I see more green tea than black but the instructions state to brew it at boiling so I will try that for my first cup. It bears a very strong bergamot and lemon (must be the cardamom) aroma. Very zingy and energizing.

The steeping times state 6 minutes but that seems a little excessive so I will try 5 minutes and see how strong that is first.

Once steeped the tea is Baltic Amber in colour with a fairy strong bergamot and spicy citrus aroma. The caramom and ginger are more noticeable now.

I can taste the: cardamom, ginger and bergamot in the first few sips. The citrus is the most noticeable flavour but it turns spicy quickly whilst remaining at a balance. In other words it’s not too citrusy or too spicy and both are roughly the same strength but the citrus only just beats it.. a sort of 60% citrus and 40% spicy mix.

As far as an Earl Grey goes I’m finding it hard to compare this to any other blend that I have tried. A spicy Earl Grey alone is something I am having a hard time to place. Plus the cardamom is very strong so it’s a bit like a cardamom Ear Grey which again is something I don’t recall trying before.

The more I drink the warmer I become and the spicier this blend becomes too. Overall it’s a nice twist on the lemon and ginger herbal classic. I can’t differentiate between the black or the green teas knowing they are blended together but if I tasted this blindly I would have said green purely because of it’s strong herbal qualities and orange colour.

I would happily try this again but it wouldn’t be something I would regularly buy.

Time for another break and I have worked up a well deserved thirst for watermelon so I used the last of this tea to make a pitcher of iced tea. It still tastes like sweet watermelon nectar but the apple is stronger than it was for the hot version. I think I prefer it as an iced tea the best, it’s so juicy and sweet. Perfect. :)

I’m sad to see the end of this tea :(

It’s a bright and warm day in Leicester today so I coaxed my husband into helping me do some spring cleaning. Only going to manage downstairs today but it will be a good start, sort my house out for when it gets looked after at the end of the month before I go on holiday to Brighton.

I forgot all about this tea until I pulled it out of the back of my cupboard this morning along with my last tin of baked beans (which was used for breakfast). A delicious pineapple and coconut instant tea drink that can be brewed hot or cold as it’s an instant mix. Very delicious and non time consuming in a pinch.

Thank you adagio breeze for this sample. I like the large sachet this teabag comes in, looks very large and in charge compared to the usual sachet designs.

The pyramid teabag is see through so I can note dark brown broken down leaves with some dark green leaves thrown in and also a few stem/twig like pieces. It has a dry, floral scent that reminds me of Autumn.

My steeping times are as instructed on the back of the sachet.

Once steeped the tea is dark brown in colour with an earthy and dry floral aroma.

Dry, floral, musky, earthy, rich and slightly sweet. It’s a little earthier than I thought it would be and there is a fairly strong muscatel mid taste which slowly resides to a sweet and subtle floral finish. As far as Darjeeling goes this is nice but nothing special, I was hoping for more floral notes. :( The musk is almost malty. And the sweetness is more fermented fruit than flowers.

Still it’s what I would be looking for as a pre packed Darjeeling, the sort of tea I could take to work or to a friends house.

Thank you adagio breeze for this sample. Two bags means both me and my husband can try this tea so it worked very nicely. Plus I was asked if I was going to review something special for my 500th tasting note and after thinking about it for hours now I decided on an Earl Grey (hence this tea). Earl Grey is one of my favourite teas and is one of my first loves which has sparked my curiosity and explains why I am still here on Steepster, and also why my cupboards are over flowing with tea. :)

The teabag itself has a waxy citrus scent that smells rather pleasant and refreshing.

Tea comes served with half a spoon of calorie free sugar and a slice of lemon – as recommended on the back of the tea sachet.

Once steeped the tea has a strong citrus smell with slight malt and earth tones. In flavour this is very nice, it’s citrus is strong (with added help from the lemon) but also sweet, waxy and refreshing. I can also taste orange or maybe it’s bergamot in the background… delicious.

A strong citrus fruit black based tea that would be perfect as a morning tea or for a pick me up. I think the added lemon finishes it off nicely and keeps it fresh and flavourful throughout the cup. Would also make a nice iced tea.

Thank you Dinosara for this sample. :) I have been saving my more floral teas for warmer weather and the UK has finally seen the start of things to come. Hopefully the snow is behind us.

I don’t recall trying anything from Naivetea before but have tried Butiki Teas version of rose violet calendula Oolong so there are some means for comparison.

In raw form this tea consists of dark brown/black oolong balls with a few yellow calendula petals mixed amongst them. If you look very closely there are a few very small pieces of violet petals but I can’t see any rose in this 7g sample.

Upon opening the packet I could note a very strong floral aroma with particular rose peaks and Turkish delight essence.

Once steeped the tea is yellow in colour with a very light floral scent. Not as strong as it’s raw form but still present with a little sweetness.

The first few sips reveal a very mellow floral taste that has a pinch of sweetness and grass like essence. Despite a dark appearance this Oolong does have a very green flavour but it’s so mild that it’s characteristics leave a lot to be desired. To add to the list of flavours there is a powdery, floral perfume after taste that dries the mouth a little.

This tea would be suitable for people that like subtle flavours but for me it’s just too subtle. I brewed 7g into a mesh teapot that holds 2 and a half cups of tea so ideally it should have been more potent in my opinion. I remember Butiki being fresher and much stronger than this.

Overall while this tea is delicate and light it is also rather tasty, I just wish it was stronger. For me this is a slightly above average blend that works well before or after a meal due to it’s light aura. A nice cleanser but not suitable for those that like to be taken away with a floral taste and aroma to their own flower field…like I do.

Oh and just a side note – This is my 499 tasting review. Almost at the big 500 :)

What a day…if there was such a thing as (pardon my bad English) shittiest day awards then today would be a winner. Nothing has gone smoothly and I am losing one of my jobs.

A nice tea latte can cure anything though and this tea makes an amazing vanilla latte. I don’t usually add sugar but since today was so trying I added a spoon of calorie free stevia to help drown my sorrows.

Tomorrow is another day…I would do well to remember that.

In raw form this tea has the appearance of rooibos but if you look closely you can see black pieces of Ceylon, a few violet mallow flowers and oh so cute star sprinkles in yellow and white.

As I opened the bag I experienced the pleasure of smelling it’s sweet almost vanilla scent with a touch of almond ..altogether it reminds me of marzipan or those sugar almond sweets.

Once steeped the tea is dark red in colour with a sweet almond candy smell. Yummy!

My first few sips reveal a light, sweet and creamy tea that really is reminding me now of sugared almond sweets that I used to eat every Easter. The rooibos is fairly thick but the added sweetness helps tone the flavour down. There is a vanilla like essence about it but yet it doesn’t actually contain any.

There are cakey elements too, the vanilla mixed with sugar and a slight depth of ceylon create a sponge cake like flavour. This tea would go so very well with a slice of actual cake.

Overall it’s a pleasant rooibos blend that remains sweet and delicious throughout. I can smile knowing that a moment on the lips, a life time on the hips does not apply to me with this tea so I get the goodness of something that tastes naughty matched with the goodness of 1 calorie.

For pictures and a 10% off voucher for Bluebird Tea Co. then please view my blog.
http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2013/04/02/a-sweet-tea-for-easter/

I have been loving this tea more and more as a breakfast based tea mainly due to it’s super rich maple syrup flavour. My Reddit Tea and Coffee exchange partner sent me 2oz of this tea :D

Anyone else pick out and eat the coloured maple leaf candies whilst waiting for the kettle to boil? Haha just can’t stop myself. Tasty.

I wonder if this would be possible to thicken up some how and pour over pancakes as a quick and easy solution to use when you run out of actual maple syrup?

My first try of this Thailand Oolong and lots more where it came from as I bought 100g bag of it. I’ve been drinking blends all day and I’m a little flavoured out and in need of something natural but warm. It’s freezing outside, more snow is due over this weekend. :( Coldest weather for March in over 50 years in the UK. It’s almost April and we have still not seen any sun.

The Oolong balls are large and a mixture if light and dark greens. Rather nice quality thankfully. :) Plus they have an earthen floral dark scent.

Steeping times are as instructed for my first steep
The tea forms a yellow colour with strong vegetal broccoli tones. Also a hint of flowers.

The first sips reveal a delicate, sweet, floral, broccoli tasting Oolong. Fresh and rich with just the right amount of buttery vegetable essence to make this delicious. There’s not an awful lot of dryness either which I’m really digging.

There is also a slight perfumey taste that has some sweetness with it but also a very green taste, more than broccoli… cabbage? peas? broad beans?

Overall it’s a very nice Oolong, quality and taste are good and it reminds me of something that I tried from Tea from Taiwan before. I got 100g but now I know I will have no problem in finishing this off in due time.

This is a strange tea…it comes in candy looking bright red granules that dissolve in hot water. From what I understand drinks like this are common place in Turkey but I don’t think it really qualifies as tea when really it contains just sugar, vitamins an colouring. More hot drink granules than tea at all, or at least for this brand.

The granules had a faint strawberry smell but artificial and sweet.

The tea once brewed is red/pink in colour with a sweet indeterminable scent.

Jumping Jeepers this is sweet! It’s like I just warmed a bottle of pop up and chose to drink that instead of actual tea. I had some Chinese ready made teas taste similar to this, it’s just sugar with a hint of a flavour but not enough to taste like anything else other than sugar. I’m not getting any strawberry or fruit at all just sugar.

It’s not bad tasting it just doesn’t taste of anything other than sugar. I think someone that likes sweet things would love this as a different kind of hot drink but it’s too much for me.

Ok imagine dissolving some nerds into hot water and you have this ‘tea’. Not worth rating and may have to throw the other flavours away.

No notes yet.

Does anyone else hoard pumpkin tea so they can enjoy it all year round? Well this is the last pots worth of Pumpkin Pie tea from 5 Teas that I have at home with a few cups worth left at work (for emergencies). I still have some of the caramel pumpkin pie tea left which I prefer but that still leaves me a little sad to say goodbye to the original.

I was also sure I did a review for this but Steepster tells me otherwise. Shame on me, my mistake. I can put that right.

In raw form this tea has small cinnamon stick pieces amongst the black tea leaves and it has a wonderful thick, earthy pumpkin scent. Smelling it takes me back to Halloween.

Once steeped this dark red brown liquid has a cinnamon pumpkin aroma that warms my soul by just smelling it’s warmth.

Imagine a slice of pumpkin pie sprinkled with cinnamon on top and that is pretty much what this tastes like. It’s dark and rich with little sweetness but enough and a large cinnamon kick adding a warm spiciness. A little of this tea goes a long way in essence of flavour and if anything were to receive negative marks it would be the mouth drying after taste.

Certainly not something to drink to quench ones thirst but more to indulge in a late Autumn feast. Like a time machine that can change your surroundings by the click of a kettle and submersion into hot water.

My second pot of tea today to help aid my completion of Bioshock Infinite. Apple tea in general is something I have a love/hate relationship with. It’s hard to find an apple tea that is just right without being too sweet or artificial. Plus I have to be in the right frame of mind to drink it too.

In raw form this blend does actually smell like apple pie. It’s a sweet apple with a toasted bread/crust aroma that reminds me of both apple pie and fruit loaf cake.

Once steeped the tea is dark mahogany in colour and a dark, spicy apple scent.

Flavours are delicate with a hint of a spicy after taste. The apple is clean, sweet and juicy with the almond giving the blend a sort of creaminess but keeping it light. A lot of the baked smell has gone since it’s steeped and it’s also not really there in flavour either so it’s more of the inside if the apple pie.

As far as apple tea goes for me this is a tasty spiced apple tea but lacks the baked goodness it’s raw scent offers. At least for me anyway.

Happy Easter Good Friday everyone!

I spent this morning snuggled in bed with my cat Ebony :) He is very loving and gentle, it’s put me in a good mood this morning. Yesterday was at a loss after having a severe headache from the moment I awoke until the moment I went to sleep.

First pot of tea is finishing off this lovely Earl Grey Creme which puts a little frown on my face :( but I have way too much Earl Grey on my shelf already. While it will be missed it will soon be replaced.

Still…vanilla in Earl Grey is always a winner.

See my previous notes for taster review

No notes yet.

In raw form this blend is a wonderful mixture of black Ceylon, large pink/red raspberry pieces and plenty of green chopped raspberry leaves. All being the three first noticeable ingredients. Aesthetically so it looks natural and oh so good.

As I opened the packet I was greeted with a raspberry and strawberry jam like scent that was thick and very sweet.

Brewing Method: Teapot with infuser

Water Temperature: Boiling

Steeping Time: 5 Minutes

Once steeped this tea is orange in colour with a sweet and rich berry jam aroma, much like it’s raw form.

My first few sips reveal a sweet yet mellow, berry jam fruit punch that has little tartness and leaves a clean, fruity after taste. There is also a slight darkness to it which may be the Ceylon and a coconut creaminess which make this more than just a fruit tea.

The more I sip the stronger the coconut essence becomes and it just seems to get creamier and creamier whilst staying light.

Victoria Sponge Cake? I would say so, as near as a tea can be to the real thing. It’s the next best thing which is almost calorie free. :D

I know what I will do next time I get a cake craving, make myself a pot of this tea before crashing on the sofa with my feet up to indulge to my hearts content.

For pictures and a 10% off code for Bluebird Tea Co. please view my blog.
http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2013/03/26/cake-cravings-vicks-sponge-cake-tea-will-cure-them/