KittyLovesTea

This is the last of my sample and I was surprised I had not already reviewed this tea.

In appearance the tea is dark brown/black in small squiggly pieces mixed with small chocolate pieces, some sort of biscuit looking pieces, large vanilla pod chunks and an abundance of rainbow sprinkles. It’s a happy sort of mixture.

The blend has a dark cocoa and vanilla aroma with some strange chemical tang. Oohh that’s not good.

Once steeped the tea is dark brown in appearance and has a sweet and creamy vanilla candy scent that is somewhat artificial.

Well it’s naturally sweet and very vanilla candy like but it’s rather pleasing. It has a silky creaminess that is smooth and elegant with enough vanilla ice cream essence to remind me of childhood. The chocolate is there but more in the after taste and with a cocoa slightly sour and sweet kick.

It doesn’t quite taste like ice cream cake but it’s not a bad feat for a tea. It’s creamy, sweet, vanilla, thick, chocolatey and good to drink if your craving something naughty (like I am craving an actual ice cream cake now).

Still the artificial flavours and smell knock this down from being something I would order or trade for again.

No notes yet.

The instructions for Gaiwan use states to use 95°C water and start with 1 minute infusions until the brick separates and continue with 45 seconds – 60 seconds steeps. It also recommends at least 10 servings per brick.

Steep One – 1 minute
Very little to describe as the brick is still compact but there is a gentle sweetness.

Steep Two – 1 minute
Light brown in colour with a subtle malt scent. A little flavour is present but again not much, it’s sweet, a little fruity and smooth.

Steep Three – 1 minute
My husband was first to note an almost citrus like tang which is still very subtle and my brick has yet to separate.

Steep Four – 1 minute
There is a sweet caramel tone that smooths over the citrus. Still the brick is whole.

Steep Five – 1 minute
It carries the caramel flavour well and remains very light and refreshing.

Steep Six – 1 minute
Brown in colour but still no real scent to speak of. The tea is still sweet and smooth with a little earthiness like dried Autumn leaves (which funnily enough is what this tea actually is). Still the brick is whole with only a few little bits that have been separated.

Steep Seven – 1 minute
Slight darker in colour with notable sweet yet musky malt tones in fragrance. Still silky smooth caramel sweetness but the fruit has been reduced to the after taste.

Steep Eight – 1 minute
Golden brown in colour with a stronger earthy malt scent. It slips down so easily like silk, delicious sweet caramel and fruit tones with dark chocolate highlights whilst remaining light.

Steep Nine – 1 minute
It’ starting to reduce in colour and flavour. It’s fruity once again with rich malt sweetness. Sort of like a citrus malt cake/loaf.

Steep Ten – 1 minute
I have decided the citrus notes resemble orange the most. Very subtle once again to leave me with a sweet smooth finish.

For pictures and more information please view my blog.
http://www.kittylovestea.co.uk/2013/03/17/the-gift-of-feng-qing/

Dinner was delicious and a hit all around :) My hard work was rewarded with clean and empty plates so I couldn’t have asked for more.

I’m due some more tea to finish the meal and this was chosen at random from my samples bag. It looks like you would expect but unfortunately my Sencha is not as bright green as the picture, instead it’s a very dark green. Long and thin leaves with a crisp dryness and grassy yet floral scent with a perfume kick.

Once brewed the tea is yellow in colour with a slight sweet and grassy scent with buttery tones. It’s gentle in flavour with grassy and dry highlights with a touch of floralness. There is some sweetness but it essentially gets lost amongst the dry starting to get perfumey essence. It’s too subtle for me, I like fresher Sencha that has a thicker grassy quality.

It’s by no means great quality but is suitable for every day drinking, still it’s not something that I would buy again.

I want to thank everyone for their kind words and wishes for my friend that was diagnosed yesterday with a tumour on her pineal gland. It takes me back to two years ago when my husband was battling with testicular cancer and 2/3 years before that it was my mother with Ovarian cancer. It still surprises me how many people develop cancer in their lifetime and it starts to ring in my head the fact that 1 in 3 people will have it.

Enough mortality…lets have some tea and try to forget the problems we all have. I got my husband to pick a sample from my large sampler bag and he pulled out this White Chocolate Grasshopper. I can see the spearmint leaves finely chopped and mixed in with the rooibos and also a few large pieces of white chocolate drops. YUMMY!!! It has a sweet creamy vanilla scent with a touch of mint.

Once steeped the tea is red in colour with a sweet vanilla and refreshing spearmint aroma. It is light, fresh and sweet in taste with creamy and sweet tones. The mint is not as strong as the vanilla and the roobios is nicely dressed up which loses the sweet thickness I usually associate with it. The white chocolate is very subtle but there is something cocoa and earthy there . Smooth, creamy, refreshing, sweet and a very pleasant drink. Spearmint is my favourite mint :)

Drinking this before dinner (which is leek and mushroom pasta bake in cheese sauce with a green broad bean salad – everything made from scratch). Mint settles my stomach before a rich meal and this was the perfect pick.

I was recently given 2oz of this tea from my Reddit coffee and tea exchange partner which beats the 10g sample I had in my cupboard. So it’s time to use this sample and see if I like this tea since I now have so much of it. :)

Holy kitty …. it smells just like maple syrup when it’s steeped. The rooibos is not detectable in the scent (thankfully). Wow I’m so surprised as the raw tea was not this potent.

It tastes like maple syrup too. I have a family friend that lives in Canada and when my mum visited a couple of years ago she bought me back a bottle of real Canadian maple syrup so I do have the basis for comparison. It’s sweet with dark sticky tones and a mellow smoothness. The rooibos base works very well.

Leaving this one short as I just found out my best friend has a brain tumour. Just got off the phone with her, been waiting for the news for a while but didn’t expect this. Shall review this properly when I can think straight.

No notes yet.

This Sencha is a wonderful dark green colour and forms very crisp and dry leaves that are thin and long and oh so fresh. They have a vegetal and floral scent in it’s raw form.

Once steeped the tea forms a yellow coloured liquid that has a sweet grassy aroma that reminds me of fresh cut grass. Ahhh :) Lovely.

In short and simple terms this tea is: grassy, sweet, floral, fresh, light and smooth.

In longer terms the first sips have a little sweetness that has floral undertones before a thick grassy mist appears and very quickly mellows itself to create a light and refreshing finish. There is a little dryness in the after taste that leaves a somewhat perfumey taste amongst the grassy remains on the tongue. The more I drink the sweeter it becomes and also with a little more dryness.

It has beautiful body and form which proves it’s quality (when they say superior they mean it). Two cups in and it’s still keeping the same light and fresh qualities that really make this tea wonderful. Plus I have a slight green tea boost from it’s caffeine which always happens when I have a nice pot of green tea.

For pictures and more information please view my blog.
http://kittylovestea.teatra.de/2013/03/02/welcome-spring-with-superior-sencha/

No notes yet.

Another sample to finish and use for my post dinner tea with my husband. He doesn’t mind Oolong so hopefully this will be a hit with him, I notice other Steepsterites have rated it highly.

I love the little hand rolled balls that Oolong come in with each one unique in shape and colours. This Oolong is a mixture of dark green, brown and dark brown but I also want to note that I can also see what looks like stem in a few places. The scent is buttery and floral and there is also a delicacy to it.

Once steeped my tea is golden yellow in colour with a sweet floral toasted aroma. Very refreshing and warming at the same time. In taste the toasted flavour is the first element before it changes to a floral rather buttery affair that vanishes very quickly. There is also a little buttery hint at the end whilst it’s mellowed and the flavours truly are spot on. It does pick up in strength but remains smooth.

Delicious. It’s a hit for my husband too and is a very nice introduction to our pudding (home made orange sponge cake with vanilla custard..hubbies favourite).

Well I’m awake and wrapped in my robe in a zombie like state (and looking very much like one this morning too). I need tea and I need food. … tea…must drink tea….zombie moan. No brains for me though this morning I think I will stick with fruit salad. Sticking on the fruity side of things this morning I will try this fruity based green Sencha tea. Another sample to use. :)

The blend looks pretty enough with green leaves and red petals finely chopped and mixed together with a few pieces of dried fruit. It has a sweet and fruity yet buttery scent.

Once steeped the tea is yellow in colour with a toasted, fruity, buttery aroma.

The Sencha is buttery, toasty, thick and bitter while the fruit is waxy, sweet and sour. I can’t get past this thick waxy taste that reminds me of the smell of manure (it’s strange how a flavour can remind you of a smell). The fruit is not really that fruity and I cannot tell what fruit it is or even guess. There is only a little bitterness and it can be over looked if I set my mind to it.

It’s drinkable but just not my ‘cup of tea’ and I’m glad I only ha a sample and now it’s gone.

I’m so very tired and I need to be up early in the morning as I’m awaiting a parcel redelivery (and postal delivery starts at 7am) plus my food shopping is coming early. My husband has a day off tomorrow too and it’s always nice to share our days off together. We plan on cleaning all day (as if I’m not sad enough already.

My final sample of the night to be used in my new green teapot. In loose form this tea has an interesting appearance, with lavender, rose petals, green tea, black tea and what looks like vanilla pod all being noticeable. That seems to be all of the ingredients, it’s not often that I can so easily spot and separate them. As a whole the blend has a sweet floral aroma.

Once steeped the tea has a rich lavender scent and is mahogany in colour. The lavender is quite strong in taste but it’s not as thick and heavy as other lavender based teas that I have tried. The black tea gives it a deep richness but the green tea helps to keep it lighter with a little more freshness. The rose brings a little sweetness but is lost in comparison to the lavenders unique medicinal taste.

This is just really a lavender tea that has been blended to be on the lighter side but with a good amount of flavour. It’s very nice all in all and I usually don’t like lavender teas because of their heaviness and strong bitter taste. It also leaves a nice floral after taste. The lavender does thicken the more I drink but that bitter astringency that it has is minimal in this tea. It’s even a hit with my husband :)

Yawn looks like the tea is doing it’s job. Goodnight all.

That’s 4 fish dead and another 1 on the way in the last 3 days :( Everything was going so well and then old age kicks in. Damn you reaper leave my fish alone!

I’m sat here with a large pot of this tea and a large slice of orange cake that was made this morning. I’m trying to calm myself and have a break from singing to my ill fish and try to make her as comfortable as possible. There are some things that you never get used to.

Time for more tea and this shall be yet another sample that I can remove from my cupboards. I have been busy trying to find some cool designs to make with my laces on my new shoes but there are so many designs out there I’m just not sure what to pick. I also made an orange sponge cake this morning to surprise my husband with when he gets home.

Anyway let me get to the review. I have 5 pearls/balls and shall be using my new teapot again to brew them. Unfortunately they have very little scent whilst raw so at this point I can only imagine what they will taste like other than the musky malt scent I could detect.

Once steeped the tea is dark brown/red (mahogany) in colour with a rich malt aroma with a musky sweetness.

So far this tea is very similar to other black tea based pearls/balls but this one seems to be a little muskier and not as sweet. The malt is rich with a cocoa like sweet/sourness to it and dark musky tones. It’s smooth in body with those sour tones coming through just before the after taste of thick malt.

It’s so similar though to other pearls that I am wondering if they all come from the same manufacturer? I mean they are from the same place being Yunnan, China.

Today I decided to finish some samples that are taking up space and I really should aim to remove the samples from my cupboards (both real and virtual). This morning I received my Adagio order which included their personaliTEA so I may as well test the teapot with my samples. :)

This tea is dark green/brown in colour and consists of thin and fairly long curly shapes. There is a sweet nutty scent with woody yet floral and fruity tones. A lot going on there but it’s pleasant.

Once steeped the tea is light yellow in colour with an uplifting floral earthy scent. For my first cup I waited roughly 1 minute from when the water was poured from my new teapot into my cup.

In flavour this green tea has grassy, nutty, floral, sweet, freshly woody and fruity. In essence this tastes like you would expect and imagine from a green tea but this particular blend is magical. The more I drink this tea the more I can taste all of these different flavours. There are many different layers to taste and each one works well with the other.

Now let me explain my flavours and descriptions. The nutty factor is similar to almond crossed with a peanut or sesame seeds, it has that dry slightly salty and rich flavour that is not overly strong but very noticeable. Amongst the nuts are sweet grassy tones (like fresh cut grass) with a kick of floral hues that remind me of peony blended with a crisp almost pear like fruitiness.

I was honestly not expecting much after my first experience with Chicago Tea Garden which was not a happy one when I sampled their Sticky Rice Pu-erh Tuocha (which was really not to my personal taste). This tea however has impressed me with it’s combination of flavours and as a whole it’s character.

I’m happy to drink this and watch the world go by while I’m looking for a nice orange cake recipe. Bliss.

From Pouchong to Oolong now whilst I’m still working away to make sure my orders go out tomorrow. I do love making jewellery.

A few sips in and I’m reminded of this teas earthy woody tones. Very nice.

My last pot of this delicious Pouchong is being used to fuel me this morning. I need that something special to pick me up after having a horrible night. 3 fish died last night and 1 of those I had to euthanize after his incurable illness took a turn for the worst. :( RIP Cardinal, Danio and Ken.

I have a large order of 30 necklaces to custom make on top of my other orders so I really should get a move on today and hope that it takes my mind off the events of last night. For now I have tea, loving cats and work to focus on.

In appearance the loose tea consist of dark brown an medium brown leaves that have been broken down into small pieces. Amongst the Oolong are light yellow/orange curly leaves that give the blend a sweet an floral orange scent. Orange is a personal favourite of mine in smell and taste and I must say this tea as a whole smells divine!

Steep One – One Minute
Orange in colour with a sweet yet floral orange smell. Very nice start, the orange is dominant with sweet, waxy, floral and creamy tones which overall create a strong orange presence. The Oolong is in the background with baked/toasted and earthy tones which compliment the orange very nicely. I’m surprised by how strong the orange is but it’s a positive thing for me.

Steep Two – Two Minutes
Dark amber now in colour. The orange has mellowed a little now which in a sense makes it taste more like an orange as in fruit rather than flower. It’s very refreshing and still full of flavour. Almost like eating warm orange segments. The Oolong is not very noticeable now but there is still a touch of baked flavour that enhances the orange to stop it from being just another fruit tea.

Steep Three – Three Minutes
Orange in colour. My third steep is still strong and fresh and well worth drinking. More subtle than the previous two steeps but strong enough to be fruitily pleasing. It’s still creamy and sweet too with the waxy element extremely reduced.

This is honestly one of the tastiest orange teas that I have ever tried when it comes to the flavours as a whole. I could not think of any improvements that could be made to enhance my tasting experience and I am over the moon that I picked this tea. I feel like a bit of a suck up but I’m being honest

I will definitely have to buy some of this soon and would recommend to any other orange or fruity Oolong fans. It has certainly warmed up my dark, rainy English day.

PS. I’m on my fifth cup and there is still lots of life left in this tea.

For pictures please view my blog. http://kittylovestea.teatra.de/2013/02/23/orange-blossom-oolong-warms-a-rainy-day/

No notes yet.

Today has been relaxing for the most part but I started with an active morning (of shopping) so my energy levels are now very lax. Pure Aroma Tea were kind enough to send me a sample of their lemon tea. Lemon is usually a morning tea to help wake me up but I am in dire need of energy right now.

The tea is Congou based and has that fabulous rich, malty and slightly floral scent which is masked behind the strong and sour but fresh lemon. Amongst the dark brown twisted Coungo leaves are a sprinkle of dried lemon peel pieces which have a pleasing contrast.

Once boiled my tea has a gentle lemon scent with a little floralness that resembles lemongrass rather than lemon peel.

In flavour the lemon (which still tastes like lemongrass rather than lemon peel) is quite mellow with no tartness and only a flash of sourness. The Congou is rich and floral with smoky malt tones which blend nicely with the lemon. Overall the strength is fair and would be suitable for people that do not like their tea too strong but can always be increased for those of us who prefer large flavours. It tastes fresh and of nice quality and is a little different than your basic lemon tea which is mainly due to the lemongrass factor. Still very tasty and a nice every day style lemon tea.

I just finished a small bowl of tofu stir fry with rice and wanted to finish the experience with a green tea. Gunpowder has been on my mind recently and I have two boxes of this brand (for some reason) so I might as well give it a try now.

The loose tea consists of dark green small balls with not many but a few stalky bits mixed in (so not great quality but this was only cheap). It didn’t smell of much either other than having a peppery floralness.

Once steeped this tea is dark yellow in colour and has retained it’s un-steeped scent.

In flavour it’s darkly floral with a slight toasted with a little sweetness.
There are also cabbage like vegetal tones which compliment my stir fry rather well.

As far as strength goes gunpowder greens are generally one of the stronger tasting greens and this is no exception. This tea always makes me think it’s an Oolong in disguise.

It’s nice enough for everyday drinking but the quality isn’t great so really you get what you pay for.

No notes yet.

My husband is off work this week to use up his remaining holiday before it gets renewed next month. That means we can have our usual pot of tea this morning which is a ritual that I love. So I opened my cupboard and found this Earl Grey first. It’s a little smoother and tastier than I remembered but not enough for me to change the rating. Still it’s cheap and cheerful.

Today’s agenda? No idea :/

Rose Coungou is one of my favourite teas and I’m craving a cup tonight before bed.

This blend smells like sweet rose petals which reminds me of my dads red roses that grow each spring. There are dark pink dried rose petals amongst dark brown thinly rolled and chopped up tea leaves.

Once steeped the tea is dark orange in colour with a sweet rose scent much like it’s raw form.

This tea is very refreshing and it leaves such a wonderful floral after taste. The Congou is smooth and velvety with light malted tones which is nicely finished with a gentle rose sweetness. There is also a slight sweet yet sour effect but at nice subtle levels.

I made the right choice, I will be tasting flowers as I sleep now :)