Lady 0f Spaydes Send Message

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drank Raspberry by Ambiance
41 tasting notes

Im sitting here on my mom’s laptop trying to get into the zone to work on my novel and failing. I try to make a bit of ambiance by listening to a Pandora station I made inspired by Portishead but the obnoxiously loud television my dad is watching and the noise my brothers are making (they make music blargh!) manage to only foster an ambiance of environmental schizophrenia. Im also out of cigarettes and trying to keep it that way. Soooo I’m not in the greatest mood, but I will aim to be unbiased.

Observation 1: More borrowed tea. I am drinking this because I have a little tasting party to attend with my good friend and boyfriend on Saturday and I wan’t to not devour my tea samples and whats left of what I bought from Jupicia (50 grams does not go a long way… its like 3 or 4 days of tea; still cheaper than buying a pack of cigarettes every other day) so that I can bring them with me.

Observation 2: I did not notice a scent at all when I opened the package. I frowned a bit, I wanted a tea not an herbal, but you know the whole beggars and choosers… It was individually wrapped so yay freshness!

Observation 3: I steeped 2 teabags for 6 minutes in a 32oz teapot. The color is very pretty, a deep red orange, the kind of colors that make me long for the color changes of leaves that we don’t experience here in California. There is a heavy sweet scent with a light hint of raspberry. I wish there were more raspberry aroma.

Observation 4: I tried it first with sugar. There is an explosion of raspberry and then an aftertaste that I cannot describe as anything other than sucralose. That has always been a nuisance to me concerning fruity teas. I don’t know if it is something they put in them or what, but there’s always an artificial sugar aftertaste.

Observation 5: I tried it again without sugar. It tastes like not-quite-ripe raspberries; it is mildly tangy.

Overall, it’s not my cup of tea, but I am making due with what I’ve got. I have never been the biggest fan of fruity blends myself, but it tastes pretty standard. I probably would purchase this for tiny guests to have something to drink that isn’t a soda, but I doubt I would drink this again myself (unless I run out of tea again. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen).
Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec
4 comments
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Shelby
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Lady of Spaydes, where did you find Ambiance teas? I’ve had the Caffeine-Free Raspberry tea at a restaurant and loved it. Can’t find it anywhere. Might you know where to buy it?

Lady 0f Spaydes
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I will ask my mom where she found it and get back to you!

Shelby
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Thanks much!

Shelby
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I heard that Smart & Final sell it.

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Shelby
Delete

Lady of Spaydes, where did you find Ambiance teas? I’ve had the Caffeine-Free Raspberry tea at a restaurant and loved it. Can’t find it anywhere. Might you know where to buy it?

Lady 0f Spaydes
Delete

I will ask my mom where she found it and get back to you!

Shelby
Delete

Thanks much!

Shelby
Delete

I heard that Smart & Final sell it.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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Bio

A casual tea drinker since my childhood; I recently began to truly explore international tea culture in my search for the perfect tea ritual in my extremely hectic lifestyle. I am a young pantheist college student pursuing the science of medicine with a minor in bioethics (philosophy) and I firmly believe that having a ritual for relaxation and meditation is crucial to physical and emotional wellbeing. I recently hosted my first afternoon tea party and hope to assemble a routine arsenal of tea and literature enthusiasts to share my teatime. My tastes are international and I embrace styles and ideas of different cultures across the centuries. I look forward to tea and literary recommendations from you all!

So I know there is no proper way to truly gauge teas as the best or the worst, but like with education, a standardized rubric system is very important to communicate certain aspects of a quality before one has a chance to read in-depth reviews.

It is with this in mind that I strive to follow the proceeding guidelines and rubric:

1. I shall not provide a grade based upon an improperly brewed tea. This includes: experimental blending, scalded leaves, oversteeping/understeeping and insufficient amounts of leaves provided.

2. All rated teas must initially be steeped in accordance to the guidelines provided by the tea company. Addendum/reevaluation may occur if properly documented.

3. I shall try my very best to leave personal preference out of the scope of grading. However, I shall endeavor to be very clear of my opinion of the teas that I rate.

Grading Rubric
100 point scale:

- Clearly and concisely conveys the flavors of the artist’s intent with no supplemental explanation if the flavors are within the taster’s experience (20 points)
- Requires menial ingredient adjustment (i.e.: milk, sugar, stevia, etc.) to achieve the flavors intended by the artist. (15 points)
- Is completely consistent in flavor and quality from batch to batch. (15 points)
- Requires little to no adjustment to preparation (sans accounting for regional differences in altitude, airpressure, etc…) for a full flavored steeping (10 points)
- has a very high quality tea base that compliments the blend (note: does NOT require whole leaves)(10 points)
- Re-steeps at least two to three times strongly if able. (if bagged, re-steeps twice well) (10 points)
- Stores very well (No flavor diminishment when stored in a dark, cool and airtight space for short periods of time). If bagged, is packaged promoting optimal infusion, ease of use and freshness. (10 points)
- has a clear explanation of ingredients, allergens and preparation instructions. (5 points?)
- Is very well priced in relation to the quality of ingredients and quantity provided. (5 points)

Location

Los Angeles, CA, USA

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