LiberTEAS

Second infusion of the leaves …

still very honey-esque… the heavy caramel-y notes are lighter this time around. Still there, just not quite as pronounced. The same is true for the chocolate-y notes: still there, just lighter in flavor.

This lighter presentation of the previously strong, forward notes allow for more exploration of the other flavors within the tea. The fruit notes taste much more peach-y, with lovely notes of plum. Sweet with hints of sour for contrast, but definitely more sweet than sour. The floral notes are still not really strong here, but I don’t usually get strong notes of flower with a darker Oolong anyway, so I’m not disappointed by the lack of flower here. I taste very vague, faint notes if I slurp. I also taste more chocolate if I slurp, so slurping here is very much encouraged!

A tea that is delightfully good through two infusions.

This is a lovely tea – and it does indeed taste like a cross between a high quality black tea and an Oolong, with notes reminiscent of the long since gone “Dawn” from the Simple Leaf as well as notes that are very distinctly like a fine Oriental Beauty Oolong.

The first few sips present a very chocolate-y, honey-caramel-y taste that it’s hard to taste much else. But that’s alright, because these flavors are so decadent and rich and satisfying, what else could one want? After those first few sips, other flavors start to emerge. I notice fruity tones in the distance, sort of plum-ish with notes of peach. If I slurp I notice hints of flower in the way-off distance. Just mere hints of it, like a whisper of floral tones in the air during springtime.

It’s really a remarkable tea, I like this one a whole lot.

Backlog: well… sort of. I’m on my second cup of this. The first cup was just so good that I couldn’t even spare time to type out a tasting note, I needed to focus on my cup of tea.

That is to say: Oh WoW! This is seriously GOOD!

Definitely one of the smoothest black blends I’ve come across. It’s so smooth that it doesn’t need milk or sugar to make it smooth … it just is. It doesn’t have a real “kick in the cup” type of quality that I generally look for when I consider a tea as a breakfast blend or morning blend versus a later in the day type of tea … but don’t let that fool you. It’s still invigorating and morning cuppa worthy – absolutely! It just takes a subtler approach toward the end goal – wakefulness!

It is bold yet smooth. Creamy with notes of malt and caramel, hints of chocolate in the background. Fruit notes – but the sweet fruit notes – of sweet date, grape, and even a hint of sweet apple. Now, imagine those fruits drizzled with honey. You get the idea.

By mid-cup, I notice some spices start to emerge. Slightly peppery, but very slightly, just enough to get the palate to notice something different in the background but not enough to disturb the smoothness of the cup. Maybe a hint of cinnamon.

Truly a remarkable blend. I would go so far as to say, if you had room for only one breakfast tea in your cupboard, this should be the one. I don’t think I could ever limit myself to just one, but, if I had to, this would probably be the one I chose. It’s so good… very good!!!

I’ve been drinking this on occasion, but, I just realized that I’ve not logged it even once!

This is a really good rooibos chai. As I’ve said on many occasions, I’m not big on rooibos, but, I do enjoy organic rooibos, and I did at one time have a very tasty rooibos chai blend that I crafted using a similar recipe of spices that I used for my Masterpiece Chai. It’s been so long since I’ve had that rooibos chai though, that I would have a hard time saying how this one stands up to that. This one IS good though.

It’s warm and nicely spiced without tasting too spicy. The ginger and pepper sit off in the background, providing a warmth to the cup but it isn’t an aggressive, peppery chai. Nice and warm when it is COLD outside!

It’s been a day of running around. One of our last stops was the grocery store, and I picked this up while I was there because I was thirsty. It’s alright. A bit too sweet for my liking. I was encouraged when I saw that it was made with cane sugar and honey but, that didn’t mean that it wouldn’t still be too sweet… and it is.

I taste more peach than green tea. It’s more soda-ish than green tea-ish. Alright, fine for on the go refreshment, but, not something I’d keep stocked in the fridge for everyday enjoyment.

I don’t know why I thought the virtual tea tasting was today. As I was in the kitchen prepping dinner, I thought, Uh oh! I missed the virtual tea tasting! Now I see that I didn’t miss it at all. That’s cool though, I’ve got a couple of other teas to try that I can taste for the tea tasting next week.

I’m really glad that I requested this Oolong as my “other” tea. It’s quite good. Cranberry isn’t a flavor I’d normally match with Oolong but they balance each other out really nicely. The cranberry tastes less tart than usual, but there is still a very distinct cranberry flavor to this. The same is true of the apple – it isn’t a strong flavor, but it’s still there. I can still taste it, and everything sort of melds together in a delicious, seamless way.

The Oolong is a more fruity than a floral Oolong, but there are faint floral notes too. The fruity tones work well with the cranberry and apple flavors. They work together very harmoniously – it’s a very satisfying taste. This is a tea I’d want to drink on Thanksgiving, it has an autumnal taste and it also tastes special enough to serve to guests for the holiday.

I found a package of this as I was sorting through my stash last night.

This is really good, not too spicy, pleasantly spiced. I found it difficult to incorporate today, maybe my milk wasn’t hot enough. But once I got it all incorporated it was delicious!

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me a bit of this tea.

Oh my this is good. I think that this might be the first chocolate mint tisane that I’ve seen that is just cacao nibs and peppermint… most of them are rooibos and/or honeybush blends in addition to the chocolate and peppermint. I like that this is just cacao and mint … the flavors taste stronger, purer and just plain better.

Sweet, creamy chocolate + crisp, cool peppermint. Need I say more?

PS: Check out my foodie blog for a great giveaway from Goodies Co.! http://hungryinportland.com/2012/10/17/contest-announcement/

When I opened the package of this sample, the aroma was very earthy. I rinsed it once for 10 seconds, and it was still very earthy, so I rinsed it again for another 10 seconds. The earthiness mellowed somewhat by this time so I proceeded to brew it for 30 seconds for this first infusion. I’m glad that I did take the time for the rinsing, because this tastes just perfect for my palate: It is earthy, but not too much. There are sweet, caramel-y tones and a really lovely, mellow flavor. In the background, there is like a “hiding green tea” flavor … hints of fresh, vibrant green tea in the background,almost wild, that are often masked by the earthy overtures and caramel-y undertones, but every once in a while the green notes peek out just to let me know that they’re there and to remind me that this is no ordinary Pu-erh.

This is the first of many infusions.

Another lovely Oolong from Fong Mong Tea … I’m sorry it took me so long to get around to trying it … I didn’t forget about you, I promise!

The first few sips, I noticed a slight charcoal-y kind of taste, but after those initial sips, this charred wood taste seemed to make way for a mineral-y kind of taste and texture that would start just after mid-sip, and last through the end of the sip … the sip would end with this sort of mineral-y mouthfeel that was a very interesting sensation. Interesting, but enjoyable!

There are hints of floral tones as well as a nutty flavor to this tea, but everything is softened by the creaminess of this tea. It’s not really ‘creamy’ or ‘milky’ or even ‘buttery’ to the taste, but at the beginning of the sip, it feels very soft and silky and even creamy, and this texture seems to soften those flavors.

A really excellent Oolong experience – courtesy of Fong Mong Tea!

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me a bit of this tea!

I’m loving this. It tastes so bright and deliciously orange-y, but I see where it’s getting that danish-y connection too. It has a pastry-like taste to it, sort of nutty and sweet and buttery. It has a very cozy and comforting kind of taste to it, like dessert … only without all the fat and calories!

I like this one.

My matcha for the day. A couple of days there I went without Matcha and I really felt my energy level droop as a result. I love the energy boost I get from Matcha.

I made a latte with this Matcha and I really do think that this is one of those that_needs_ to be a latte … that pumpkin pie flavor really pops with the addition of milk. It becomes very much like a smooth, rich, creamy piece of pumpkin pie, liquified in a bowl of Matcha. YUM!

This is really quite good. The peach flavor comes through nicely without tasting too sweet. I don’t taste a heavy cinnamon and ginger taste which is what I expected after reading the ingredient list. These spices just seem to add an agreeable background flavor, enhancing the peach notes without overwhelming them.

The black tea is a satisfying blend of Ceylon and Darjeeling and this provides a light … even crisp sort of taste to the cup. It doesn’t taste heavy, and this is probably not the best choice for a breakfast tea, but would make a great afternoon tea or a delightful iced tea. The peach tastes light … and when I really focus in on the flavor I detect just a slight artificial quality to the peach … it doesn’t really seem apparent to me though unless I’m really trying to zoom in on the flavors to pick out all the various notes. Overall, a pleasant cup.

Thank you to Azzrian for sending me a bit of this tea … it’s awesome!

This is a totally interesting and unique take on Earl Grey – so much so that you’ll question whether or not you’re actually drinking a bergamot flavored tea! It is so amazingly balanced to create an amazingly smooth beverage unlike anything I’ve ever tasted.

The goji berry accents the tangy notes of the citrus, while the sweetness of the Oolong offers a balance to the acidic nature of these ingredients. The frankincense offers balance to the fragrant notes, while the jasmine accentuates the floral tones but not in a way that comes off too flowery. The saffron offers an undertone of savory bitterness to the overall cup and together the ingredients create a delicious new way to taste bergamot.

If you’re a fan of bergamot, you really should try this. It really changes the profile of bergamot, while keeping some of the basic qualities of it … and the end result is a really wonderful and new way to experience the exotic fruit.

I really, really like this. David outdid himself with this blend! It’s amazing!

For my reward for posting reviews to the Amazon UK site, I got to select three flavors of Matcha, in any base and flavor intensity that I wanted. Awesome prize, right? I thought it was going to be an amazing, ultimate custom blend of this Belgium Chocolate, Caramel and Cheesecake flavors in the black base, and thinking I was going to have the ultimate chocolate caramel cheesecake Matcha latte, but instead, Red Leaf Teas was even more awesome by sending them in their own, separate, individual packages so that I could try them each on their own before I mixed them up! I also like this because I can adjust the ratios the way I see fit.

The specifications for this Matcha are the Black base Matcha, which I previously reviewed here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2011/11/05/organic-black-matcha-from-red-leaf-tea/ and can be obtained in its pure form here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/black-matcha.html I then selected the Belgium Chocolate flavor at robust level of flavoring, which is available here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/belgium-chocolate-matcha.html I chose the robust level of flavoring with the black tea base because I figured with the stronger flavor of the black tea, I needed to have a big boost of flavor.

And this combination is amazing together. It tastes like hot chocolate, only better. Sweet, chocolate-y and rich … and the bold flavor of the black tea – which is slightly malty and smooth, with hints of a caramel-y undertone – and the robust chocolate create a very full-flavored bowl of Matcha. I tried it first prepared “traditionally” with hot water (using hotter water than I would with green Matcha, of course) and whisking it, and it tasted really good, but, I thought it could use a little creaminess to it, so I added a splash of milk (I didn’t warm it), and frothed the mixture with my hand-held frothing tool. It had a little bit of froth, not quite as much as I normally achieve with a green Matcha and a bamboo whisk… since I used my frother and since this is a black tea, I can’t figure out which change resulted in less froth, but, froth isn’t the only reason I drink Matcha so I’m not too worried about it.

The water-prepared Matcha has a slight perfume-y/chemical-y scent and taste, but with the milk, this taste is muted to the point where it is barely noticeable. Sure, I’d rather it not be there, but, I find so much that I DO like about this Matcha that I’m not going to dwell on the one thing that I do not. I look forward to the blending opportunities with this, as well as just drinking it on it’s own. It’s yummy!

PS: Thank you so much Red Leaf Tea for this amazing prize. I am so thrilled!

I am revisiting this tea this evening because a) It was so lovely yesterday and I wanted to experience that again today and b) the package containing what I had left of this tea was just sitting there, on the counter, as if to say “Hey! Drink me! Drink me!” Since I’m medicated and in pain and not wanting to stand around on my ankle, I decided to go with this tea mostly because it was conveniently there, waiting for me.

I am sad that this is the last that I have of this tea though, it is an excellent Gyokuro. Chado Tea House has a wonderful selection of Japanese Green teas, everyone! You should definitely give them a try if you’re in the market for good Japanese teas. OH… and they’re very nice too!

This is nice … very relaxing and it allows me to mentally leave the pain behind as I enjoy the tea. I like that. I need that.

Oh YUM! This is one of the teas that was sent to me for the first sTEAp Shoppe virtual tasting.

And YUM! It tastes so good! It tastes like one of those gourmet candied apples you might find in the chocolate shop at the mall – huge apple covered in caramel and chocolate. mmmmmmmm! So good!

The base is an Assam tea, and it has hints of floral notes, a wonderful malty tone that plays off the caramel-y flavors very nicely, and a really delicious fruit note to it that accentuates the apple flavors well. This is a very well-conceived blend.

The apple tones are a bit hidden with the first couple of sips, but, after that they really start to make themselves known. It is a tart, juicy apple taste … but not too tart. I like the hint of tartness because it contrasts with the sweetness of the chocolate and the caramel.

This is an INCREDIBLY yummy tea. I’m loving everything that I’ve tried thus far from sTEAp Shoppe!

Backlog:

Thanks to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me a sampling of this amazing tea from Chado Tea House. I love Gyokuro… and this one is remarkably good.

I am backlogging this because on Wednesday afternoon (technically yesterday, as it is now early in the AM on Thursday) I rolled my ankle and was taken to the ER to make sure I didn’t break it. Fortunately I did not, but it is still very painful. This is the tea that I drank while sitting in front of the TV trying to forget my pain with the help of painkillers. Why is it that doctors are so afraid to give pain killers when we are in pain? Yeah yeah, addiction, blah blah blah. But, when I’m in pain, I’m really not concerned with becoming addicted to something that will help me not hurt. At this point, I’d rather not hurt and run the risk of an addiction than to keep the pain at a “tolerable” level and not become addicted.

end of rant

Anyway… this was really nice. Crisp, vegetative, and soothing … and for a moment while observing the beauty of the tea I was able to forget about the pain. Just a moment, but it was a lovely moment.

No need to adjust your monitor… yes, this is me, writing a tasting note at 8:30 am. My daughter left for school about 45 minutes ago, and usually by now I’m already back in bed and sleeping.

But today, my husband is taking me out to breakfast before he has to go to work… so I am actually awake AND drinking tea while waiting for him to take his shower and ready himself.

This tea is really good. Smooth, caramel-y goodness, and the cream cheese notes seems to come through toward the end of the sip. If I slurp, I notice the buttery pastry notes and it really all comes together for me as caramel cheesecake. Quite yummy!

I don’t know that this is one that I would normally fix for myself as the first cup of the day, as I find the base to be a little less invigorating than I want for my first cup, but … I’ve been wanting to try this for a while, and I’m glad I did. Even though I probably could use a stronger kick right now… hopefully the caffeine will start hitting me soon.

I am soooo not a morning person. Who ever came up with this morning business ought to be fired, and then shot.

I’m finishing off the last that I had of this tea in my stash, it is one that will be missed. One of the nicest Assam teas I’ve had. Lovely, rich, malty … caramel-y. YUMMMM!

OH, I like this one a lot. It has a spinach-y taste to it, strongly vegetative, not bitter, just sweet with a savory overtone. Very enjoyable.

It is smooth with a light astringency to it. Very nicely rounded. A relaxing cuppa that is also invigorating in its own way.

I’m off to write a full-length review on this one …

Today’s Matcha was a combination of the banana and the caramel at a 1:1 ratio. I also used a ratio of 1:1 hot water to warmed milk to make this a latte. It was so yummy that I finished the bowl before I had a chance to sit down and write about it, so technically this is a backlog. This may be my favorite combination with the Matcha yet.

I’m having one last cup of this Earl Grey before sending the rest to my SororiTea Sisters. This is a really good Earl Grey. Definitely one of the better ones that I’ve tried. The citrus is so bright tasting, and I like that while bergamot can often come off as perfume-y, this just tastes citrus-y. It still tastes like bergamot but it just is a smoother, better tasting bergamot than some out there.

If you like Earl Grey, you should try this one.

This is so so so good! It has exceeded every expectation I had of it. I expected great things with the combination of coconut and milk Oolong, but, I did not expect it to taste this amazing. It is sweet, and creamy, coconut-y but not so much that it overwhelms the delicious notes of the milk Oolong. There is a delicateness about it, but yet it is still so luscious and creamy.

this is one that you really just HAVE to taste to believe.