Having a cup of this – this time I did it latte style with a bit of warmed, frothed milk. It is so much better this way! The milk brings out the creamy flavor of the blend. Nice!
I am improving the rating on this one just a bit… because I can!
3557 Tasting Notes
Yum… Matcha! A little late for me to be drinking it, I suppose, but, because we were out and about and ate a late lunch, I was just “too full” for a bowl of Matcha before… and now I find myself wanting some.
Smooth, frothy deliciousness. Bright green color… it’s so beautiful.
I received this pyramid sachet as a free sample with my order from Lupicia.
The Lupicia website indicates that this tea has some Matcha in it, and there is a noticeable green dust that emits from the bag upon opening the pouch. After trying Den’s Sencha last evening, I will say that this does not have as much Matcha as that Sencha pyramid sachet, as you can hardly see it (the matcha) in the brewed liquor of this tea. But that’s OK. It sort of reminds me of my own La Vert Pear blend that I used to carry, I would coat the dried pear chunks that I added to the blend in Matcha… it resulted in a “hardly noticeable” matcha dust in the leaf and a “hardly noticeable” change to the liquor, but, added just the right touch to the flavor, which is what I wanted to achieve….
Anyways… I digress!
This is a very good blend. The flavor is very fresh, the strawberry flavor reminds me a bit of sweet-tarts – it kind of leaves that tarty tang on the tongue like sweet-tarts do. Although, it doesn’t taste like candy… it does have the same effect.
This is one that I would definitely consider buying again (so it was a good move on Lupicia’s part to send me this as a sample!)
When I placed a samples order from Old Wilmington a while back, I just had to order this one. I love cupcakes. (who doesn’t, right?)
Old Wilmington does not specify what type of black tea is used for this blend, I suspect that there is some Assam in it though, because I steeped my first cup for not more than 3 minutes, and there is a bitter note to the tea – it isn’t off-putting for me, but, I would rather it not be there. This is supposed to be cupcake flavored tea. Know what I mean?
So I am going to refrain from including a numeric rating until I’ve played around with this tea a bit and get the brewing parameters just right… I do think that I will quite enjoy this tea… The vanilla is sweet and I can taste a note of caramel as well. I think that this will be one that will be quite nice as a latte.
Another tea I’ve been eagerly awaiting the time when my taste buds were back in action so that I could try it.
Yum! This is really really good. The honeybush proves to be an excellent base for the flavors here. I can taste the cake flavor which is rich and buttery tasting, I can taste the pineapple, and I can even taste a little bit of the maraschino cherry. I can even detect the caramel-y brown sugar… yum!
I received this tea bag as part of the novice sampler. And… after reading a few notes about this tea, I also agree with the majority and there does seem to be some Matcha in this tea. I can taste it.
Very nice vegetal flavor to this tea, and it is REALLY good, especially for being a tea bag (pyramid)… It is one of the better sencha teas that I’ve encountered and this probably has a lot to do with the matcha. Sweet, smooth and delicious… and perfect pairing with my egg rolls that I’m eating for dinner! Yum yum yum.
If you haven’t yet tried Den’s novice sampler package, I encourage you to do so. I have enjoyed each and every tea that I’ve had from the package thus far – it really is an excellent offer!
I received a few of these tea bags from a friend of mine a while back, and this is my first chance to try one of them. I have said before that I am normally not a fan of bagged tea, and that is especially true of Oolong teas, since Oolongs tend to expand quite a bit. Also, I feel it’s somewhat criminal to chop Oolong teas as finely as this one has been chopped.
That being said, this is not a bad tasting Ti Kuan Yin. It has a baked flavor – like freshly baked bread – along with a slight smoky note that sort of lingers on the palate. There is a buttery note as well that is quite decadent and nicely compliments the thick mouthfeel of this Oolong.
Despite my apprehension over a finely chopped, bagged Oolong tea, it is quite tasty. I will enjoy it while it lasts in my tea cupboard.
The more I drink Matcha Miyabi from Den’s the more I fall in love with it.
Creamy and smooth, sweet and delicious. Pleasantly vegetative with very little bitterness.
It’s worth the extra gadgetry. And… anyone who has gotten to know me at all via these little online interactions must know how difficult it is for me to say such a thing.
Finishing up the last of the sample I received a while back of this tea. As the mug sits here in front of me, the aroma is tantalizing. It smells and tastes so much like root beer.
Sad that this is the last of this sampling, as I have enjoyed it … but, I don’t know that I like it well enough to place another order for it.
I am so glad to finally try this tea. I received it several weeks ago, while I was in the midst of my various infections, and didn’t want to try it until my taste buds were working a bit better. This tea has been one of the ones that I’ve been so eager to try, because I had read so many positive reviews about it here on Steepster … I just couldn’t wait to try it for myself.
YUM! The black tea base is solid but does not overwhelm the other flavors. The coconut is strong, and I can taste the vanilla also. It tastes just like the filling of a coconut cream pie. The one thing that is missing here is the crust… but because this tea is so delicious, I can’t really complain.
Another winning tea from 52Teas. What are you working on next, Frank?
Yesterday, I brewed what I had left of this sampling and chilled it for iced tea. I added a little agave nectar to sweeten it up a little and I also added some “True Lime” (crystalized lime juice). These additions, and perhaps the chilling, really brought this tea to life.
It still doesn’t taste like a mojito, and I suspect that it is the lack of rum flavoring (thanks to Cofftea for pointing that out). However, it is still rather tasty now that I can taste a little lime and the peppermint is a bit softer because of the cooler temperature. I can even taste the green tea now.
So, I am going to bump my rating up by just a couple of points, because while this isn’t the best HOT tea I’ve ever tasted, it does provide a nice base for a tasty iced tea.
I received a bit of this tea from a tea friend.
This tea tastes good, although it is quite different than I expected. Typically, when I think of a mojito, I think of the mint and lime cocktail.
Of course, I can taste the mint in this blend… and it is a very crisp, refreshing peppermint. I can also taste the green tea, although it does sometimes seem to lose its way in this cup – that is to say, the mint somewhat overpowers the green tea.
But there is no lime! There is lemongrass which provides a citrus-y note and a tart appeal to the aftertaste. Even with the lemongrass, I find myself missing the lime.
I find myself enjoying this blend, and yet, at the same time, my palate seems to sense that something is missing. This does make a very delicious iced tea – and I think that is what I am going to do with the rest of this.
What a nice after lunch treat.
I’ve reviewed this one before… and the flavor is still quite the same: sweet with just a touch of bitter. One difference today than in past tastings is that I notice more mandarin bits in my chawan. I don’t know if there have always been this many and I’m only now noticing them, or if somehow I managed to scoop out more this time than previously. But I don’t think that this presence of more bits of pulp make this tea more or less fruity… it just makes it look a bit different.
So, Frank… what is your next Matcha flavor going to be?
Doulton – thank you so much for this sample… I’m so happy to be trying it… I love Oolong, and I love chestnuts… what a perfectly lovely tea this is!
I have tried a few chestnut teas. This one really captures the flavor of the warm, roasted chestnut. It has a very creamy, rich flavor which compliments the flavor of the dark oxidized Oolong tea. It has a very comforting flavor – it’s one that I would really love to have during a cold winter evening while curled up next to a fire in the fireplace.
I received this tea from a friend a month or so ago. I am not big on bagged tea, as I’ve said before, but, this one isn’t bad.
This is a very “autumnal” tasting tea… I guess that’s because I always add oranges to my cranberry compote on Thanksgiving. Cranberries and oranges just seem to go together so well!
The black tea base is smooth, not too strong (it doesn’t overwhelm the fruit flavors, but, it is not hiding behind them, either), and has an enjoyable, rich and full flavor.
The cranberry flavor is tart and tasty, and the blood orange tastes juicy and sweet. It’s a really nice contrast – black tea, tart cranberry, and sweet citrus-y flavor. Nice. The after taste is very cranberry-ish.
OK… so about 10 days ago or so, I went on a sort of Matcha frenzy and ordered a bunch of different matcha teas. This is one of the teas that I ordered – and it arrived yesterday afternoon – much faster than I thought it would… and it arrived just in time for my taste buds to return to normal and now I can indulge in Matcha, Matcha, Matcha!
This is not a typical Matcha. It is more like a Matcha latte mix, much like the Pirate’s Chai that I love so much. (No, it doesn’t taste like the Pirate’s Chai, it is just a latte mix, much like the Pirate’s Chai) I added just a little hot water so that I could whisk it into a paste, and at that point, what was in my bowl smelled a lot like Ovaltine (did I spell that right?) After adding some steamed milk and whisking it again, it got all frothy and the Ovaltine smell sort of diminished.
It doesn’t taste like Ovaltine, it sort of tastes like hot chocolate that’s been mixed with Matcha. The chocolate is creamy and rich, like a smooth milk chocolate, and the matcha is vegetative and adds an interesting, fresh note to the bowl.
I really, really like – it’s now gone… and I didn’t even have time to start my review on the TRB. I guess I should go make another bowl. (Yeah, that’s why I’m making another bowl of it… yeah, that’s the ticket. I NEED to make another bowl so that I can write the review. Yeah, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it)
Finishing up the last of the sampling that Doulton sent me a few weeks ago (thanks Doulton!) Now that my taste buds seem to be back in action, I feel like I can really enjoy tea again!
This is a really nice tea with which to start the day. Unusual – but nice! In my previous notes, I mentioned that the first taste I got from the tea was the raisin – not so today. Today the first taste I got was that of chocolate (I can’t complain about that!) and then of the raisin, so it was much more like Raisinettes this time… Raisinettes for breakfast!
But the delicious flavor of the chocolate and raisin does not overpower the tea which is robust and invigorating… something I need this morning. I really like 52Teas/Zoomdweebies black tea base. It is strong but with an enjoyable smoothness to it too.
I’m happy I chose this tea this morning! (And another big thank you to Doulton!)
I have just a little bit of this one left… I thought I’d brew up some tonight – I am still in the mood for tea but since it’s a bit later I didn’t think it’d be a great idea to brew something with a lot of caffeine.
I really love the flavor of this chai. The white tea is so light, crisp and refreshing. It’s a very nice pick-me-up for later in the evening (like now!) The spices are warm, but not overpoweringly spicy tasting. One thing that I have found (and really enjoyed) about Yogic Chai teas is that the spice blends are always so very nicely balanced with the tea base. So often with chai tea, the spices are so overwhelming that you can’t really taste tea. Not so here. The masala spices are strong, yet in perfect balance with the softer tasting white tea.
And… I think that my taste buds are pretty much back to normal! So I’m going to start rating numerically again!
My bowl of Matcha disappeared fast!
I haven’t had any Oolong tea lately, and I’ve missed it. And this is an excellent Oolong!
Very nice, natural honey-like essence to it that presents itself in the aroma as well as the flavor. Happily, I can taste the floral notes of this tea – One of the things that had kept me from drinking too many of my favorite teas now while I’m sick is the fact that I was worried that in their impaired state my taste buds would not pick up on the more delicate features of those teas. Not so with this particular cup. A lovely floral flavor that melds so well with the natural sweetness. Slightly woodsy. Even a hint of buttery flavor.
YUM!
It is so comforting and delicious. Just what I needed this afternoon.
My review of this tea for the Tea Review Blog recently published, wanna check it out? Here it is:
This tastes so good this afternoon. My stomach was a little upset earlier (I guess it sorta comes with the territory when I’m taking all these antibiotics)… and this is so pleasantly coating my tongue and esophagus… and I really needed that! Beautifully sweet. A nice, vibrant vegetative quality. Very, very little bitterness. Smooth, thick and creamy.
My review of this tea recently published on the Tea Review Blog. Here’s the link if you’re interested:
http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=12328
From the looks of it, I have just a few more servings left of this Matcha… I sure did enjoy it!
Enjoying some of this tea this afternoon. The grapefruit has a pleasantly tart edge to it.
With my taste buds impaired, I can really taste the black tea in this blend, much more so than I usually do, and this has somewhat interfered with the “juicy” flavor of the grapefruit that I remember from this tea. It now tastes more earthy and less fruity… more like tea with just a slight citrus-like note.
I need some caffeine – black tea style! This is not what I consider to be the stoutest tea out there, but it is black… and it is yummy! So this is what I grabbed from my stash.
As I’ve done before with this tea, I’ve added just the tiniest pinch of salt to it to enhance the cashew flavor. If I hadn’t done this – this time – I don’t know that I would have detected it. (Again, not the tea’s fault, but my taste buds) With it though, I can taste the sweet, nutty flavor of the cashews as well as the smooth creamy flavor of the white chocolate.
The tea is pleasantly brisk and provides a nice base for the flavors here, although I think that the white chocolate cashew flavor might be quite interesting with a green tea base as well. Overall, a very nice offering from 52Teas. Deliciously different for a morning tea.
For this morning’s breakfast: Plain yogurt, bananas, a cup of frozen peaches, a splash of milk, and a scoop of Strawberry Matcha, whirled in the blender. YUMMY! I’m thinking I should start every day like this…
I’ve been enjoying this tea as I prepare dinner for the family. Tonight, I chose to serve it latte – with a splash of warmed, frothed milk. YUM!
As most of you probably are aware, I’m not a big fan of Lapsang Souchong, nor am I big on yerba mate, but in this blend, they work together perfectly. There is just enough smoky flavor and earthy quality to this tea and it comes together so nicely with the spices. The spices, in contrast, do not have a typical chai BITE to them, but together, this works to become a very palatable beverage.
The touch of vanilla brings out the caramel-y tones so nicely… The more I drink this tea the more I am liking it!
