LiberTEAS

Alrighty! I am almost finished with a mug of this tisane, and I can say that it is DEFINITELY invigorating me, but I don’t feel jittery … in fact, I feel calm. I don’t feel stressed even though I’ve quite a bit to get done and I probably WOULD feel stressed without the assistance of tulsi and brahmi, although admittedly, I didn’t even know what brahmi was until I started reading about it on the Bird’s Eye Newsletter: http://blog.birdseyetea.com/post/35083367109/november-2012-tea-newsletter

All I do know is that this herbaceous, slightly minty, earthy tasting tisane with a tingly berry aftertaste has rendered me awake, and that is just what the name of the tea promises.

This tisane is for maple lovers only! Seriously! If you don’t like maple, don’t even bother. Because this is – essentially – a thinned maple syrup.

YUM!

This is a yummy, warm, maple-y delicious rich cup. It is sweet and I’m loving every sip. But really, unless you’re mad about maple, you really shouldn’t bother with it, because it is almost like pure maple syrup, only thinner.

ETA: I forgot to mention when I was writing this, because I was so caught up in all its maple-y goodness … don’t forget to enter in the Della Terra Teas contest that’s going on at our blog right now: http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/11/23/the-season-of-giveaways-take-2/ But you better hurry … time’s running out!

Wowza!

The dry leaf smells like bubblegum. The spices aren’t real dominant in the dry leaf. But, once brewed, the spices really come forward, I SMELL ANISE! Yay!

Unlike some others who dislike Anise, I love LOVE love it. LOVE it. I love licorice, I love Anise, I love Fennel. It rocks my socks. It made me put this song on: http://youtu.be/HTTAPCUtbc8 and I don’t know why.

And I love that Anise is a strong component in this. The cinnamon, cardamom and clove seem to be sort of equally balanced, with the anise stepping just outside of their neat little box. Coloring outside the lines. The brandy flavoring is also strong, and as the tea cools slightly, I find that I like this even better than when it’s served hot. I like it sort of warm, not cold, not hot… warm. It warms me up better than when its hot, and it tastes like a warm, mulled brandy. Except that they put some extra anise in the mulled spices. And that makes me happy.

Recently (as in last week!) Uniq Teas approached us – the SororiTea Sisters – and offered us three blends (one for each of us) … allowing us each to first create our own blend and then sent us our blend to review.

(By the way, in the weeks to come, we will be hosting several giveaways sponsored by Uniq Teas where the winner will be able to create their own blend and receive it!)

This is my Blend! Sweet & Sassy SororiTea … although I don’t know if “sweet” is the right word to describe me, I think that sassy could be, although I think there are other … better … descriptive words that could be used to describe me. But, I chose the name not as a reflection of me but as a reflection of the tea. It is a combination of Caramel, Black Spiced Chai and Almond teas.

(If you’re interested in what the other Sisters created, you can see all the blends that have been crafted in the Uniq Teas Gallery: http://www.uniqteas.com/products )

Mmm… this smells so good. The aroma that is wafting out of my teacup. I keep holding up the cup to my nose as I impatiently await it to cool enough so that I can sip it … I guess I could drink it piping hot but I don’t want to burn my tongue. I’d be pretty useless as a tea reviewer with a scalded tongue.

YUM! This tastes just the way I wanted it to when I created the blend. I wanted something creamy and caramel-y, with enough spice to cut through some of the sweetness of the caramel, and just a touch of almond for a little bit of sweet, nutty flavor. Yep, and that’s what I’ve got in my teacup.

The caramel is the strongest note but it isn’t an overwhelming note. It is sweet and creamy without being too much. The almond gives it an almost almond toffee kind of flavor, and then the spices cut through that at just the right point.

I’m loving this, but I’m not going to rate it since I crafted it. Love it … and I’m wondering how it will taste in about three weeks … which is when I will write my full-length review of it. If it’s good now, it will be awesome in three weeks. (Remember … 3 weeks is the magic waiting period for tea blends to mingle)

Backlog:

I started my day with this, but because it is Monday and my Mondays are weird, I found myself on the go before I could sit down and write about it.

A very pleasant vanilla black tea. After reading my SororiTea Sister’s (TeaEqualsBliss) tasting note on this tea, I find that we are on different sides of the spectrum with this tea. Interestingly enough, though, we rated the tea the same. We both like it, but I think we both were experiencing different things with this tea.

I find this to be really less sweet than some vanilla teas I’ve had. In fact, I think that this would be a really good vanilla tea for someone who might typically find vanilla teas to be on the cloying side, because while this is rich and creamy but it isn’t overly so. It is sweet, but not quite as sweet as some other vanilla teas might be. In fact, the tea is more of the focus here, with the vanilla playing the accent flavor role as it should be. A really good vanilla, but not the vanilla for someone who wants the vanilla flavor to be in their face. This is not as sweet as most vanilla teas out there.

As for me, I like it a lot!

I love Earl Grey!

This is a good Earl Grey representation. It has a vibrant bergamot aroma and flavor. The black tea base is a Ceylon, and it is quite a strong tea for a Ceylon as I typically think of Ceylon as a milder base, but, this one has some gusto to it. It also has a moderate to fair amount of astringency to it, and the astringency seems to build as I continue to sip … starting out softer with the first few sips and now that I’m mid-cup I notice it more. It is a dry astringency, but it doesn’t bother me. I am not an astringency wimp. But it’s there.

The flavor is very much like what I’d expect from an Earl Grey: tangy, uplifting … not perfume-y. A very good Earl Grey – not the best I’ve had but definitely one that’s worth my while.

Backlog:

Another tea from the W-O-D.

I am so glad that I decided to order this tea. It is so good. I often mentioned in my grapefruit green tea tasting notes that I was on a quest to find the right grapefruit green to rival my experience at Tohono Chul Park in Tucson, I had actually found that ACTUAL tea but somehow it just didn’t taste the same when I got it home. Maybe it’s the water temperature, maybe it’s the water itself … or the amount of leaf they used in the teapot … Who knows? All I know is that somehow, that grapefruit green tasted amazing at Tohono Chul Park but only tasted good, even really good, but not amazing when I brewed it at home.

A couple of months ago, I found a grapefruit tea that finally satisfied me enough to declare the search for the grapefruit green over, but, as I tasted this tea, I realized that it may have been premature to declare the search over … or at least, that I had found another grapefruit tea that was just as good if not BETTER than the grapefruit green – and yes, I think that this one IS better than the grapefruit green – at Tohono Chul Park.

The grapefruit flavor is so true to the fruit, but it has a sweeter flavor. There is definitely the tangy bitterness from the grapefruit too. After I sip this tea, the flavor that is left, tingling in my mouth in the aftertaste, is similar to the sensation I’d experience if I were to have taken a bite of real grapefruit. Amazing!

The Dragon Well works great with the flavor of the grapefruit, it imparts a slight sweetness and vegetative tone that works quite harmoniously with the flavor. Very enjoyable, this is one I’m really glad that I have in my stash now.

Backlog:

Another tea consumed during the W-O-D. I really liked this Darjeeling, it had a very crisp, distinct flavor, a bit lighter on the muscatel than I would have thought given the name of the tea, that’s not really a complaint just an observation. I noticed the faintest notes of mint in the background that sort of took me by surprise. There is a fair amount of astringency to this one, it is both a cleansing astringency as well as slightly drying. I find that the astringency plays to the muscatel quite well, giving the tea a very wine-like finish.

Very pleasant, agreeably sweet, I found this to be one of the more energizing Darjeeling teas I’ve tasted. Most Darjeeling teas, for me at least, tend to be more relaxing and calming, and therefore I usually save them for afternoon enjoyment after I’ve had my stronger teas. But this tea had that kind of profile to it that I could easily enjoy in the morning and I don’t find that true with most Darjeeling teas.

A really nice Darjeeling.

Backlog:

Another tea enjoyed during the W-O-D. This is a really pretty tea with lots of golden tips. A deliciously complex Yunnan, starts out with a strong caramel presence that eventually tapers to more of a light, honey-esque tone. It has a gentle peppery note that melds with a hint of flower, and this produces a really interesting sweet and spicy tone.

Overall, a very enjoyable Yunnan. Thanks to TeaEqualsBliss for sending it my way.

Backlog:

I had this over the weekend of despair (also known as: the weekend when there were no tasting notes), and I was really surprised at how well I liked it. I ordered it because it sounded very intriguing but after ordering it I worried that it would have too much going on to be able to taste anything but possibly the mint, which tends to be a very aggressive herb in blends.

And the first few sips WERE indeed like that. This tea needs a few minutes to cool slightly – I’d say I let it cool about 3 minutes – to be able to realize the other flavors in the blend. When served piping hot, fresh out of the teapot, the mint is really all I tasted. but after that three minutes, I could taste the other flavors come through.

The mint hits the palate first and remains throughout the sip. The chocolate is there too, but it is more of a low note, but it does remain throughout the sip and I really liked that. The raspberry came through toward the end of the sip, and lingered into the aftertaste with a distinct tart-yet-sweet berry taste.

The black tea also comes through, and it is a rich and full-flavored tea although it does struggle a bit to keep up with the other flavors here.

Overall, this is a really tasty blend that certainly lives up to being a Chocolate Raspberry Mint, although, if we are going to go in order of flavors that are tasted, I’d say it should be Mint Chocolate Raspberry.

Backlog: Last night, I finished off what little I had of this blend – I found it hiding in my stash … I had thought it was gone before this! I prepared it strong and served it latte with several gingerbread men marshmallows tossed in. YUM!

Backlog:

The third and final tea from the Amoda Tea Tasting Box for the month of November. I liked this Rooibos Chai, easily one of the best Rooibos Chai blends I’ve had. I liked the way the spices were brought together.

Not surprisingly, it is very fragrant. Dry, I smell the anise and the cardamom. Brewed, I smell the cinnamon and clove with notes of anise and orange in the background.

The organic rooibos can be tasted, but the flavors meld well with the other flavors of the chai … it completes the flavor very nicely, actually. The orange acts to brighten up the cup without playing a strong role in the overall cup, and the spices are warm and spicy without tasting spicy hot … this one warmed me up from the inside out.

I thought I had seen this tea reviewed here before, but I guess not!

This is really quite an interesting tisane. I could distinctly smell the cola notes when I opened the sample pouch, brewed, the cola aroma is not there so much – it’s a spicier fragrance. But dry, it’s definitely cola!

And I can taste cola notes too. This is definitely one of the better rooibos chai blends I’ve had, and that’s difficult for me to say since I actually had a rooibos chai blend that I created when I was doing my flavoring and blending thing. But, I am loving the cola aspect of this chai. It is really awesome!

The combination of the cola flavor and the spices is really yummy, it isn’t overly spicy-hot, the cola tapers the spicy flavor a bit, making it taste like a spiced soda but … served at a warm temperature and without all the bubbles … I bet this would be really good if it were brewed at a double strength and then served with soda water to give it some bubbles. It’s good now, without.

Really, surprisingly tasty.

A big thanks goes out to my SororiTea Sister Azzrian for sending me some of this tea. It’s my first Whispering Pines tea, so I’m excited!

I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of Elderberries, the truth is, as far as I know, I’ve only had them in tea. But, I have liked the teas I’ve had with Elderberries in them … and I like this one really well also.

The elderberry together with the rosehip creates a rather tart flavor, and the white tea is delicately sweet, but not enough to offset the tartness of this cup … I don’t feel the need to pucker after a sip, but, it is … just there. You know? Right on the verge. I like the way the flavors play together here… There is a dry astringency that lends itself well to the overall cup, giving it a very clean, crisp taste. It’s very enjoyable, very REFRESHING. Nice.

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this. I could tell as soon as I took a sip that this was a decaffeinated tea, it has that slight metallic twinge that is apparent in the aftertaste. It isn’t strong, and it doesn’t disrupt my enjoyment of the tea, but it is definitely there.

A nice level of mango flavor, the green tea has a nice amount of body and a tasty vegetative tone … I’m enjoying it, a nice decaf.

I enjoyed this much more today than I did the first time I tried it. I could taste the chemical taste to it in my first tasting, now, I can barely taste it. So therefore, I’ve decided to increase the rating.

Today I just taste sweet, delicious maple: earthy, rich, sweet … and lovely matcha: creamy, vegetative. So good.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea!

Unlike my SororiTea Sister, I like bananas. I wouldn’t say that I LOVE them, I am not crazy about the fruit … you know, just eating a banana, that’s not something I’ll do often. I do love to add a banana or two to my smoothies so I usually have some bananas on hand. I don’t like banana runts, although I love banana ice pops, I love banana cupcakes, and I love banana tea. And I really like Banana Cream pie, although it isn’t usually my first choice when it comes to pie. (I’d prefer lemon meringue, if you’re curious)

So, I was really excited to try this Banana Cream Pie flavored tea!

This is really yum. The scent of the dry leaf is really quite odd, I must admit, It smells very little like bananas (that is to say, I hardly smell any banana scent here at all), and the same is true for the brewed tea. Very little banana smell.

But it TASTES like bananas. Actually, after the first three or four sips, my palate was able to assemble the flavors and it tastes like Banana Coconut Cream Pie. Yes, I know the name of it is only Banana Cream Pie, but the coconut is a strong enough flavor that it should be considered part of the name of this tea.

I taste banana, and vanilla cream custard, I taste coconut and I even taste pie crust that has been lightly seasoned with allspice. The tea is there too, and it’s all constructed in a very careful balance to create a real Banana Coconut Cream Pie experience in a teacup. Very nicely done, indeed!

Oh yum! Oh yum! Oh yum!

I love S’mores. They are one of my all time favorite guilty pleasures, but one that I don’t enjoy very often as I rarely have the three ingredients in the house at the same time to make them. But, this tea tastes so much like them that I need not find myself with a craving left unsatisfied again!

I can taste the chocolate and the marshmallow – these flavors are very distinct – but the graham is a little less so. I find that if I slurp, though, and allow the tea to sort of vibrate along my palate, the graham comes through.

The black tea comes through too, although it is rather mild. As yummy as this is, it could be even better with just a little bit of Lapsang Souchong in the blend to bring out the campfire-y notes that all my best memories of S’mores have. I think that for what I have left of this tea, I might add a few leaves of Lapsang Souchong to it to see if I’m right.

Otherwise, this is really very good.

ETA: I almost forgot the reason why I went hunting through my stash to find this tea! I thought it would be the appropriate tea to drink as the SororiTea Sisters kick off their second giveaway this season! You could win a 12 Days of Christmas Sampler from Della Terra Teas: http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/11/23/the-season-of-giveaways-take-2/

I love a good Houjicha and this one is definitely good. Sweet and toasty and soothing too. The toasty notes give this a very autumnal feel. Nutty, sweet and delicious. There is very little astringency to this. I don’t really notice much of a smoky note, but more of a roasty-toasty kind of taste to it. The smokiness seems to arrive toward the end of the sip, and linger into the aftertaste.

Overall, a very enjoyable cup of tea – I love the teas from the Obubu Plantation and I’m glad to learn that Tealet has started to offer them.

I am just now getting around to opening this bottle and drinking it, even though it’s been sitting in my fridge for a couple of months as it was part of my very first goodies box: http://hungryinportland.com/2012/10/02/my-goodies-box-is-finally-here/

It’s tasty enough, but it is quite sweet, and the sweetness seems to overpower much of the tartness you’d expect from the cranberry and pomegranate, in fact, it becomes so overpowering that it is hard to tell that this is actually a cranberry pomegranate flavored tisane. I taste mostly rooibos and the cane sugar sweetening, although the flavors of the cranberry and pomegranate do come out in the aftertaste.

Pleasant, refreshing, but sweeter than I like my beverages to be, so this probably is not something I’d buy for myself, but I was happy to have the opportunity to taste it.

This is pleasant. I like the combination of Guayusa with lemon, I think that the lemon really brightens the cup, and the flavor of the Guayusa seems to take very well to it.

This is bright and refreshing, Very sunny tasting on this cold, wet, grey afternoon! And it is certainly helping me shake the doldrums!

Today, this is much better. I used a little extra leaf and it really made a big difference. This is really delicious, a lovely take on the classic Earl Grey.

The citrus notes of the bergamot are really emphasized with the addition of lemongrass and orange peel. Almost to the point of the uniqueness of the bergamot fruit is sort of overwhelmed by the orange and lemongrass … I notice less of the distinct flavor notes of the bergamot: the sharpness, the slight floral note … and am instead treated to a citrus punch of sorts. It’s delicious, but, I feel like this blend may have taken its intention a tad too far.

The black tea base even seems almost a little overwhelmed by the fruit notes, which is actually contrary to the description, but, it is true in the case of this tasting. I love a good Golden Yunnan, and they are typically quite robust but, the strength of the fruit notes seem quite powerful here. As I continue to sip, I notice more distinct tea notes, I notice a sweet, honey-esque tone that verges on a caramel-ish taste, and I notice the rich flavor of the Yunnan with hints of pepper that bring the cup to life.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still enjoying this. There is a lot of complexity to the cup, and its one that is worth examining. I taste the black tea – and these notes are especially noticeable after your palate has become accustomed to the strong citrus notes. The vibrant peppery note of the Yunnan, and the hint of honey really add a pleasing dimension to the cup.

I also taste the bergamot, it’s just that I taste these other notes even more, and they seem to throw the balance off just a bit, robbing the tea of it’s Earl Greyness. A very good tea, but not a Great Earl Grey, and because of this, I find it difficult to rate. If I were to rate it on the basis of an Earl Grey tea, I’m afraid the rating would be rather low, but, if I’m to rate it on the basis of enjoyment – casting aside the name of the tea and forgetting that this is a twist on the classic, beloved Earl Grey, then the number would be much higher. Since I generally base my ratings on my enjoyment at the time of the cup, I will go with that, and rate it with how much I’m enjoying the cup rather than the fact that it’s quite a departure from Earl Grey.

This stuff is seriously amazing! SERIOUSLY amazing. If you’ve ever had a traditional cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate than you’ve had something similar to this, because this tastes so much like the hot chocolate that my Latina friends would serve in their homes when I was younger. Sweet with chocolate – rich and creamy, but also with enough spice to keep it from being the cloyingly rich, sickeningly sweet cup of hot chocolate that comes from one of those individually wrapped, foil-lined pouches from the grocery store.

There is so much to the flavor here – I taste every element! I taste a hint of rose, I taste a very subtle note of chamomile, The chocolate is rich and has it’s own unique dimensions with the roasted and the raw chocolate notes. I taste the ginger and cinnamon and chipotle, and I even taste just a hint of star anise (for those of you who don’t like anise, you needn’t worry, it is so very subtle that I doubt it’s presence would disrupt your enjoyment) … every element works so harmoniously with the other ingredients, and the result is something better than the individual parts could produce.

Amazing. AHHH-mazZZING!

OMG – this is SO good. Thank you Azzrian for sending me some of it! I love this … this is actually one that I’ll be adding to my stash at some point because I’m really loving it.

Sweet and nutty – the two elements play with one another so well, both are sweet and creamy, and they seem to accent each other in such a beautiful way. Dinosaura likened this to liquid marzipan, and I agree… it is so good, like a dessert! Loving this!