LiberTEAS

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LiberTEAS drank Royal Garland by Samovar

Woo Hoo! My samples from Samovar arrived today! I ordered several samples, this is the first one that I’m going to try…

As the package does suggest and since it worked so well with the Vinegar tea that I tasted earlier, I chose to pre-rinse this tea, and then steep at a lower temperature for 3 minutes.

The aroma is amazing. The dry leaves remind me very much of a flowery Oolong. However, when it’s brewed, the liquor is buttery, nutty, earthy, floral, fruity with a nice note of muscatel that I adore in a Darjeeling – but I don’t ever recall noticing in an Oolong! Remarkable! There is also a savory cocoa note to this tea’s fragrance. This may very well be one of the best smelling “unflavored” teas I’ve ever had the opportunity to smell. (It always seems weird to me to refer to teas as “unflavored” as I have found such remarkable complexity of flavors within a high quality “unflavored” tea)

And it tastes incredible! I am not going to suggest that it’s my favorite Oolong but it is an extraordinary Oolong that I really like a lot. So much, in fact, that I may just have to break down and purchase a larger quantity of these leaves.

A delightful Oolong – I look forward to many great infusions with this one!

2010-04-08 20:40:38 -0400

175 °F / 79 °C

2 min 0 sec

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LiberTEAS 2010-04-08 22:16:54 -0400

My second and third infusions proved to be just as delightful as the first… perhaps even more so!

LiberTEAS 2010-04-09 00:10:56 -0400

Five infusions! As I sip my fifth infusion, I find that the flavors are a bit less potent than they were in the previous infusions – it’s still quite delicious, but the flavor of this infusion signals me that the leaves have given up the best of what they have to give me. I hope I’ll find time tomorrow to try another Samovar sample!

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Bio

I am obsessed with tea!

I am a co-founder of the SororiTEA Sisters:
http://sororiteasisters.com

I also review teas for the Tea Review Blog:
http://www.teareviewblog.com

In addition to my passion for tea, I am also a mixed media/altered arts artist. You can see some of my art here: http://eccentricpastiche.blogspot.com

I am also a self-proclaimed foodie. I review local restaurants and the food I buy online here: http://hungryinportland.wordpress.com

My favorite teas are Yellow Teas with most Oolong teas at a close second. As far as “flavored” teas go, I love Earl Grey, Chocolate and Jasmine teas.

I also am intrigued by flavored teas with an unusual or unique flavor combination.

I don’t do a whole lot of swaps anymore, however, I do occasionally sell sampler boxes here: http://liberteas.teatra.de/ I don’t always have sampler boxes available as it depends upon how much time I have as well as packaging supplies. I usually post at least one or two sampler boxes per month, though, so if you’re interested, keep an eye out or PM me and I’ll let you know when I have some posted.

Most of the teas that I record in my notes here are going to have a fairly high rating from me. This is not because I am not discerning, but because I do not usually waste my time on drinking tea I do not care for, nor will I waste my time on writing about it.