KiwiDelight

Thanks to Misty Peak Teas for a sample, from a pu’erh novice!

Review is based on infusions 1-7. Prepared with a gaiwan. Rinsed after 10 seconds. First infusion lasted 10 seconds; the second, 15; subsequent infusion times increased by three seconds.

I would have liked to experience the aroma of the dry leaf; it unfortunately faded while the tea traveled in the mail, but through inhaling deeply I was able to smell earth and minerals. The wet leaf’s aroma strengthened as the leaves (whose color ranged from dark green to brown) continued to unfold with each infusion. A combination of musk and meat had emerged.

The liquor was consistently a clear pastel yellow.

The flavor was medium-bodied, flavorful, soft and smooth. Infusions 1-3 were sour and astringent. After swallowing, I felt a prickly sensation on my tongue, and the aftertaste was slightly spicy. The spiciness began disappearing after the fourth infusion and completely faded away during the sixth. By the seventh infusion, the flavor was totally musky and forest-like with a hint of apricot (and still a bit prickly and astringent).

Thanks again to jessiwrites for a sample.

Glitter and Gold has the aroma of fresh, hot sugary bread, and tastes mostly of cinnamon and vanilla. The orange stands out when it cools. Also, what a pretty tea: when the golden sugar balls and silver crystals melt they create gold sparkles suspended in the liquor.

It’s nice spiced tea, one of the few bagged teas I still drink. I especially enjoy the aroma. The orange and spices make a good combination. Drinking it as it is isn’t for me (I don’t like drinking any teas with spices straight), so I add sugar and milk. Good for a winter’s day or frigid night.

Thanks to jessiwrites for a sample!

The dry leaf is quite colorful – pineapple chunks, amaranth bits, green tea leaves – and appealing to look at.

My brain confused itself when I experienced the aroma. It just couldn’t get over the fact that pineapple and cilantro were paired. It’s an odd combination, but it’s strangely good! While the dry leaf’s aroma smells strongly of cilantro, the aroma of the wet leaf and the infusion is slightly more balanced. If I inhale slowly, I can smell the pineapple.

The liquor is clear and pale: it is yellowish off-white, and the flavor is light-bodied, but strong. I could only taste the cilantro, and even when I let the tea cool and settle in my mouth for a few seconds, I still had no sense of the pineapple.

My thanks to Stephanie for a surprise sample!

I’m going to start by saying that as soon as I smelled the dry leaf, I knew this tea wouldn’t be for me. The base is black tea – a rather bold one at that. I recently discovered I don’t like bold black teas in blends. Overall, I thought this tea was alright; it’s not that I thought it didn’t taste good. The combination of the freeze-dried raspberries and chocolate chips is strong enough to provide balance against the bitter base. I love the taste of the raspberries and chocolate, but I didn’t think it meshed well with this black tea.

I received a tea bag as a sample when I went to the Coffee and Tea Festival. I was disappointed that I didn’t get another kind because I don’t like beets. Well, I’ve never actually eaten any, they just look icky. I gave it a try anyway. Why not?

A quick note on the color of the liquor: what a red! The “bright crimson” is such a gorgeous color. While I waited for the tea to cool, I took the time to admire it.

The tea bag smells heavily of the spices. The aroma of the infusion is less intense, with the beets standing out more. Smells like soup. It also tastes like soup, albeit watery soup (obviously). The flavor is full-bodied and strong, but not overtly so, and the beets and spices are well-balanced. Also, good combination of spices. What I like most about the flavor is that it leaves a long-lasting aftertaste.

This tea is appropriately “savory.” I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Makes me want to try the others. Yay coupons!

When I saw Ajiri’s booth at the Coffee and Tea Festival, I had to stop by, being curious about African teas. I talked to the older daughter of the family who owns the small farm and company. It was a relaxed, lovely and informative conversation: we talked about the company itself, about how they bought the farm and started their business, and about the tea they produce and African tea in general. Ajiri, Swahili for employment, hires Kenyan middle-aged/older woman, who hand-craft beautiful pictures of indigenous Kenyan scenery on the boxes and fashion strings with two colorful beads that tie the bags containing the tea.

I gladly bought a box of their loose leaf tea – a CTC black – which I sampled twice. The flavor was too unique to pass up, as was one of their boxes. The tea is distinctively African, and to my surprise, it’s not as bitter as other African black teas I’ve tried. It’s light-bodied, and the bitterness disappears after swallowing! The best part: I can appreciate a cup of this without milk and/or sugar! When I brewed some at home, I did so with an infuser in an 8 oz mug, rather than the Kenyan method given on the box. The color of the liquor is beautiful, a scarlet. Then, when there were only a few more sips left, golden sun.

If you’re looking to introduce yourself to African teas, this one might be good try!

I found a surprise sample in my package! Thanks to Della Terra Teas for sending it even though I placed my order a couple days before the promotion. So I had ordered a mate tea, and somehow some of the mate got stuck to the back and the bottom of the packet. (shrug)

The dry leaf is colorful – a combination of pinks, orange, blue and yellow because of the hibiscus, jelly beans (!), and apple and strawberry bits. I can smell the jelly beans, which busted its way out of the packet as soon as I opened it. The liquor has the usual stunning color of hibiscus, which initially dominates the flavor and then subsides so that the strawberry and jelly bean take over. It’s tart, but not as much as pure hibiscus tea (mostly likely because the kind I have is in tea bag form and this one is full leaf). Overall, this tea is sweet and slightly sugary. If you like hibiscus, or at least tolerate it, it’s pretty good.

Since this tea is pretty much Shamrocks and Shenanigans, but with candy cane pieces, I’m keeping this review short. This is one of my favorite dessert teas. It tastes so good! The addition of the candy cane creates a nice aftertaste, and adds color to the dry leaf as well.

Thanks to Stephanie for sending me a sample! First off, I love the name; it’s what had me interested in the tea initially. The dry leaf is very pretty: the amaranth, while gorgeous by itself, creates a wonderful color contrast with the silver needles, which also look lovely. The aroma smells of watermelon bubblegum. That was a bit nostalgic – I haven’t had that flavor since I was a kid! The liquor, a pale golden yellow, is light-bodied. I thought the watermelon flavor would overpower the silver needles, but to my surprise I could taste both. I can’t say anything about the quality of the silver needles since my experience with white tea has yet to come into being, but the watermelon compliments them very nicely and stays in the mouth long after my swallowing despite that it’s not too strong.

What a wonderful tea, all around! I’m glad I got to try it.

Teavana now sells this tea. I had to buy two more ounces after I saw they put it back on the website months after they removed it (also, free shipping!).

The dry leaf looks pretty: the rooibos is browned because of the chocolate, of which there are tiny pieces, and there are rather large pieces of banana walnut. The aroma smells strongly of banana and chocolate. Even though I can tell that some flavoring was added, I love it! This is one tea I love smelling from the tin every time I brew a cup. The liquor is dark red. The flavor is medium-bodied. I can’t taste the rooibos (or the nuts, come to think of it); the chocolate and banana notes overshadow the base, but this is OK by me. In general, I love the combination of banana and chocolate. This is a delicious chocolate-banana tea. Perfect for dessert.

Many thank to Teajo Teas for sending me a generous sample! Because this is my first pure Indian tea, my tasting skills are unrefined in regards to this type of tea. This was a novel, yet difficult experience.

The dry leaves’ aroma is strong and sweet, slightly fruity. The liquor is a dark reddish brown. The flavor – full-bodied and bold – brought me back to the English blended black teas (naturally) that I often drink for breakfast. Alone, it slightly tasted bitter. I’m sure that this flavor evokes more than just this, but, again, I’m going over my head with this one. After a few sips I cautiously added half a teaspoon of sugar and a couple small splashes of milk. The flavor was now similar to the aroma, having a gentle fruitiness. BACKLOGGED It wasn’t grapes that the tea evoked; rather, it was apricots. Yum!

This is a nicely tasting tea. Perfect for mid-morning, like now!

When I first opened the bag and smelled the tea, Wow! Strong chocolate and mint. This is another tea I love for the aroma, it’s so delicious. Also appealing is the dry tea: the chocolate chips, forest green mint leaves, and the little candy shamrocks. To be honest, I bought this tea because of the picture. I took a good gamble in the end! The aroma of the steeped tea is similar to that of the leaves. The liquor – dark reddish brown – oh my gosh it’s so good. The mint and vanilla wonderfully complements the chocolate, which is not (of course) artificial tasting. This chocolate-mint tea is yummy!

Thanks to Stephanie for sending me a sample!

The leaves (dry and wet) smelled of banana and a bit of chocolate – like banana dipped in melted chocolate. Surprisingly, the flavor of the liquor was bitter, and the banana was weaker than I anticipated. Even when I brewed another first infusion with a lower steeping time (about a minute less) the tea was still bitter. The second infusion tasted better: I let the leaves steep for a bit longer than the recommended alloted time for the first infusion (for compensation), and the flavor was less bitter and the banana and chocolate stood out more. Even then it was only alright at best.

I had high expectations because I love banana/chocolate teas, but this one isn’t for me unfortunately.

Everything about this tea is great! I’ll start with the appearance of the leaves. They are most beautiful when dry – the pink of little sakura blossoms accentuates the dark sencha. The aroma of the dry leaf consists of cherry blossoms with a hint of sencha, which stands out more when the leaves are wet. The liquor is a clear, bright green. Concerning flavor, the bitterness of the sencha hits the taste buds, but after sitting in the mouth for a couple seconds, the tea begins to taste of sakura and a full-bodied balance between the two ingredients is well-established. After swallowing, the sakura lingers for a while.

This is one of those teas I could drink all day long and not grow tired of, and, like other good senchas, it makes me happy.

I tried to find instructions on how to brew this tea on Della Terra’s website, and I think they discontinued it since it wasn’t there anymore. Probably the best idea…

Now, the dry leaves look very pretty: black tea leaves, chocolate bit, red sprinkles, shiny pink sprinkles, and silver orbs. With the way the aroma smelled and the flavor tasted, the tea – well – resembles lapsang souchong. I expected it to smell and taste like their other chocolate teas, but it instead smells and tastes like smoked black tea. Bizarre. Totally bizarre. Either that or my taste buds are out of whack.

ETA: Been procrastinating on editing this note. A while back I was browsing Della Terra’s website and noticed they were selling this tea until they officially ran out. In the ingredients list, they listed not black tea – like they did on the label – but lapsang souchong. (smacks forehead) Doggone it, I tasted smokiness when I first tried the tea and couldn’t…just couldn’t! >_< I wasn’t able check the website when I bought the tea to make sure what base was used. My credibility as a tea taster just went back down to level zero.

Anyway, now that I know why it tastes smokey, I’m more forgiving. Professor Grey needs to be steeped for 60 seconds, 90 seconds at the most – otherwise the lapsang overpowers the chocolate. Still can’t taste the bergamot. It’s decent.

(head-desk)

I received a sample of this tea from their catalog. Yay samples!

When I sniffed the tea bag, I only smelled the vanilla. (This could very well be due to my so-so culinary smelling abilities, but eh.) The aroma of the liquor, which had the clear, orange red tint of rooibos, smelled of the pomegranate. When I drank the tea hot, the flavor was tart – maybe partly due to the inclusion of hibiscus. I’ve had more tart teas (see RoT’s hibiscus tea, which I only drink iced), so this wasn’t so bad. The vanilla, meanwhile, appeared during the aftertaste. When the tea cooled to warm, verging lukewarm, it tasted a lot better. The pomegranate was not as tart and the vanilla had more of a presence. I think I would prefer this tea iced. All in all, pretty good.

Well, this the third and last sample I requested from Nina’s Paris. I saved it for last because I liked the idea of an orange chocolate tea, which I’ve never drunk before. But because no set instructions were given (for any of their teas, for that matter), I think brewed this tea incorrectly, unfortunately.

Anyway, the dry leaves – which look pretty due to the presence of several pieces of orange rind – smelled of yummy orange cream. Wet, they smelled of the base tea, which is a strong black tea. I knew then the flavor would be strong as well. The aroma of the tea itself smelled like that of the orange chocolate in the shape of orange (the one that you bang on the table and the slices come apart – man, I miss those!).

The liquor is clear and reddish brown. As for the flavor, the base tea is very strong – too strong. It overpowers the orange and chocolate, which don’t appear until the aftertaste. And even then they are kind of weak. I guess this tea isn’t for me.

But much thanks to Nina’s Paris for their willing to send out samples!

The leaves are dark brown and uniformly cut, and contain pieces of apple and rose. While I waited for the tea to cool down, I took delight in the aroma – apple and cinnamon, with hint of vanilla – which smelled like apple pie with a generous amount of cinnamon. Since the liquor is dark, yet clear, I expected the base tea (black) to quite strong. Instead, I tasted a wonderful balance between the base and the other ingredients. Again, apple pie, but with a slight presence of brisk black tea. The flavor is medium-bodied and smooth.

This tea is delicious! I’m very glad I chose it as one of my samples. Recommended to be drunk with dessert (for the apple cinnamon) or with breakfast (for the base).

My first Nina’s Paris tea! When I opened the packet and took a whiff the dry leaves (broken with several bits of strawberry), I smelled a strong aroma of strawberry-flavored hard candy, with a hint of vanilla. The liquor of the tea is clear and dark brown. I was surprised by the strength of the flavor when I took my first sip. It is bold. I was expecting a black tea from India, but perhaps it came from Africa (DISCLAIMER: I have little experience in tasting teas from either country (that is, unflavored teas), but I have tried some black tea from Kenya, and this tea tasted very much like it). The tea somewhat overpowers the strawberry, but the strawberry’s presence is stronger during the aftertaste. It is a bit creamy, most likely due to the presence of the vanilla. Thankfully, it’s the strawberry that makes this tea bearable, since I’m not too partial to bitter black teas.

Since this tea is very strong, I would drink it in the morning or the late afternoon after coming home from a long day.

To my surprise, this tea came as a complimentary sample, and I am sure glad it did. I have had only one opportunity to drink gyokuro before, and it was for only one sip – a “just to try” kind of thing.

The dry leaves are lovely. Emerald green. Seaweed aroma. Wet, they are even more beautiful. Darkened in color, smelling of grass. The aroma of the tea is grassy as well. The bright green liquor is clear (save for the leaf particles). The flavor is medium-bodied, and both bitter and sweet.

During the second infusion, the leaves expanded more. The flavor was more full-bodied and flavorful. While it was a more bitter (not overly so), the aftertaste was sweeter. Because of this quality, I prefer the second infusion to the first.

This gyokuro is not only a pleasure to drink, but a beautiful tea as well. It is for anyone who aesthetically appreciates tea.

This is the fourth of the Den’s Tea sample. I have never tried matcha iri genmaicha before, so tasting this tea for the first time was an adventure I had been looking forward to!

I smelled the leaves before and after the first infusion. Dry, matcha dominated. When wet, the genmaicha was much stronger; the aroma was more roasted and nutty. As for the aroma of the tea, it was lightly roasted. The liquor, expectantly, was cloudy and emerald green. The flavor was unusual, one I didn’t anticipate. There might as well have been three separate flavors. Initially, it tasted of genmaicha. After allowing the tea to rest in my mouth for a few seconds, I tasted a balance between the matcha and the genmaicha. Lastly, the aftertaste pretty much consisted of the bitter matcha.

I must have done something wrong with both infusions. The flavor of the second one was weak and left no taste. Well, regardless, the first infusion was delicious. Additionally, I felt more serene with each sip. I recommend this tea for those who enjoy Japanese green tea, particularly matcha.

What I love about this tea is the liquor – a gorgeous royal purple. I love watching the dark pink tendrils slink through the water as the tea bag steeps.

I have mixed feelings about the flavor. Hot, the tea is tart. I can’t stand drinking it hot. I prefer it iced – even though it is still very sweet – because it’s refreshing on hot summer days.

This is the fourth from the sample pack that I’ve tasted. I must comment on the tea leaves: wet, they are a stunning dark green color! They are absolutely beautiful (and a pleasure to smell).

Naturally, the aroma is grassy, vegetal. The liquor takes on a light green and is somewhat cloudy. As for the flavor, this sencha lives up to its name: It is quite bitter, but not so in a bad way! It is also full-bodied and broth-like, leaves a strong aftertaste, and is slightly astringent.

As for the second steeping, the liquor is a bit more cloudy, and the flavor is silky, creamy, and slightly (very slightly) less bitter.

I drank these two cups of sencha while watching snow fall. Combining these two activities has made me feel doubly relaxed on this late afternoon.