LiberTEAS

I have had this tea in my cupboard for a while but this is the first time I’ve tasted it.

The aroma of this tea is yummy – nutty, but also strongly fruity with the addition of coconut and pineapple added to the blend. It’s kind of like a nutty twist on a pina colada.

This is a delicious flavored green tea, and I like that I can taste the green tea amid the strong flavors of fruit and nut. The green tea has a nice, buttery taste. Fresh and smooth. The nutty flavor is toasty and sweet, and the fruit flavors are not as strong as the nutty flavor – which is good. I haven’t decided though whether I taste more walnut or almond…

Another gift from Doulton – What a great package she sent me!

I was a little concerned when I first read on this tea, as it is a “Russian” Earl Grey – and that typically communicates to me “smoky.” But, after smelling the tea I could detect no strong smoky scent – a slight smokiness, yes, but, not a strong smoky scent – I decided to go ahead and brew some and give it a try.

I’m glad I did! This is delightful. As the company description reads on this tea – it’s a departure from traditional earl grey. I can taste the grapefruit notes, which are in perfect harmony with the bergamot! The slight smoky scent translates into the brewed liquor as well, but again, it is not a strong, smoky flavor.

Pleasantly robust with a bright, vigorous flavor – this would be an excellent tea for one of those mornings that I’d rather not be awake, but have to be! (Kind of like this morning was! haha) A dry astringency to the tea, but not unpleasantly so.

I did not brew it as long as the steeping suggestions recommend – and I’m glad I didn’t. I feel that at 2 1/2 minutes, this tea is strong and flavorful, but, I fear that at 5 minutes I would have had a bitter tasting cup.

This is one that I would consider buying – but you know what? It’s not one that I would have considered buying before this tasting. I MUST get over my predisposition to automatically dismiss a Russian blend. Russian blends are good!

I purchased this tea at the same time I purchased the strawberry matcha, but I haven’t tried it until today – so many teas, not enough time (nor does my bladder possess the wherewithal to drink as much tea as I’d like to!)

So I made some of this to enjoy with lunch.

It’s got a really nice, strong flavor. The honeybush seems well suited for flavoring, and I prefer it over rooibos, I’m glad that 52 Teas seems to have embraced honeybush as well. I like how the natural sweetness of the honeybush works so cohesively with the pineapple and coconut flavor. And as much as I enjoyed it as it was hot, I am finding it even more enjoyable now that it has cooled significantly… this will be a great tea for the summer – iced!

YUM!

This morning, I took the simple approach and reached for a black tea in a tea bag as I have an early morning (well, early for me, anyways) appointment. This is my very last of this tea that I received in a swap.

This is not my favorite Metropolitan Tea, and as a tea purveyor I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to taste quite a bit from them. But I do like this tea, don’t get me wrong. I’m just not a big fan of grape flavor, which seems to also apply to wine-flavored teas such as this one. Not that I dislike it, let’s just say that I generally pass up the grape flavored skittles in favor of the other flavors.

Anyways… this is a good tea, and a very intriguing flavor. It does have a wine-like quality to it which always seems to cause me to do a double take. You’d think by now I’d get used to it, as I’ve tried quite a few “wine” infused teas, but, that fermented taste is always just a little surprising – in a good way – to me.

It is a weird tea to drink in the morning though, it’s much better suited for meal-time or in the afternoon, in my opinion. However, this was the first black tea I grabbed, so I went with it. A pleasant tea experience, overall.

Since I just placed an order for this tea, I figured I’d finish up the sampling that Doulton sent to me. (Thanks again!)

This is truly a delightful jasmine. It is important to get the brewing parameters correct (or as correct as you might get if you’re an “eyeballer” like me) because too hot a temperature can be detrimental to this tea.

But when brewed at a lower temperature, the taste is divine! A very strong jasmine flavor which is remarkable in itself, since I typically find non-pearl jasmine teas to be a bit soft in the jasmine flavor… perhaps soft isn’t the right word. But, it’s just OFF compared to that of the pearl – as pearl is the standard toward which all jasmines should strive.

I’m bumping this score a notch, just because I can and I feel like it.

Another gift from Doulton! Thank you!

And like Doulton, I too adore Earl Grey teas. There is just something so amazing about that bergamot – the aroma, the flavor, the way it lingers on the palate. Pure delight.

The aroma of this Earl Grey is strong, especially true of the dry leaf. No big surprise there, because most Earl Grey teas boast that same strength in aroma. Generally, if I find an Earl Grey that is lacking in it’s aroma, it’s been my experience that the tea is lackluster at best. Not always true, but, it is generally the case when it comes to Earl Grey.

The tea base is quite bold, with a slight bitter note to it – not distastefully bitter, though – so it surprised me to learn that this is a Ceylon base, as they tend to be much more mellow.

The bergamot is pleasant in this blend – not quite as floral in flavor as in other blends. No perfume-y flavor to it, just a very delightful, slightly sharp bergamot flavor.

I don’t have a lot of time for a real wordsy note here, I’m drinking this as I head out the door!

I am really falling in love with this tea. Buttery, smooth, delicious. An excellent Dragonwell – EXCELLENT! I’ve even given it a higher rating this time… it deserves it!

Today’s Oolong was sent to me by Doulton Thank you so very much! How I love Oolong!

The dry leaves are very long and dark, much longer than most Oolong teas that I’ve encountered. The aroma is floral and fruity.

The fragrance of the tea is a little earthy, a little flowery, and a bit fruity – almost like a plum, or perhaps a bowl of peaches and plums.

The flavor – I am picking up a little smokiness in the flavor. It is a rather soft, smooth note of smoke – not quite as bold as say a “red robe” Oolong. It’s more like the peaches and plums were smoked.

It is a very smooth tasting Oolong with a pleasant mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is not quite as thick as a green Oolong. The peachy notes linger in the aftertaste. And a very nice floral note that hits you as you continue to sip the tea.

A very pleasant Oolong!

I love the roasted scent of this tea. But then, I do have a certain fondness for roasty-toasty teas. But… I don’t care for smoky teas. Which… seems pretty odd to me.

I brewed according to Den’s Preferred Brewing Method, except that after I brought the water to a boil, I first poured it into my ceramic mug so that it could take just a bit of the heat off of the water before I poured it into my smart brewer.

30 seconds to deliciousness!

The aroma of the brewed tea is caramel-y, like caramelized sugar. It also has a slight coffee-ish scent to it.

The flavor – sweet, caramel, woodsy, with a deep earthy note. Kind of like a Genmaicha but without the grassy-green-tea taste, although there is a very gentle, almost-barely-there note of vegetative taste that I can detect. Sort of like a roasted brown rice casserole with a few roasted, deeply caramelized, root vegetables. Now… if only I could actually create such a dish – I’d be quite happy!

YUM, yum, YUM this tea is good.

As Lauren suggested, I decided to enjoy my sample of this tea that I received a few days ago… and I’m glad I am!

I love Yunnan tea. In fact, I think it may be my favorite black tea variety. But then, it’s hard for me to pinpoint a favorite right now, I’ve tasted so many outstanding black teas. This absolutely belongs in that category.

There is just something about this Yunnan’s complexity that draws me in. Earthy, sweet, and wine-like. Deep, intriguing notes of pepper and other spices that are hidden within the sweeter flavors of fruit and roasted nut. Caramel… and I am also detecting a deep, earthy cacao note. Delicious!

I am writing my review of this tea for the Tea Review Blog as I write this tasting note… This tea absolutely deserves high marks – it is incredible! I look forward to the infusions to follow…

This is what I’m drinking right now, because I woke up not too long ago. Sunday is one of my sleeping-in days and I take full advantage of it!

One of the best ways I can think of to wake up is with this tea.

Yep… I’m a Harry Potter fanatic. And… yep… that’s why I bought this tea.

Of the black teas that I’ve tasted from Adagio thus far, this is my favorite. The caramel, creme and vanilla work in synergy to create a beautiful flavor that is creamy, sweet, and delicious. If you don’t care for sweet teas, this is NOT the tea for you.

Interestingly enough, the one thing I think that this tea could use is a slight smoky flavor. Ha! Can you believe that I said that? (Well, actually I didn’t say it, I typed it, but, I actually thought it as I typed it, can you believe that?) The sweetness, while very lovely, could use an interesting contrast that would be provided by a smoky note. Perhaps that will give me something to do with the caravan…

Some ginger would also be interesting in this.

Overall, I like it though.

Another sampling from Doulton! (Thank you Doulton!)

At first wiff – the aroma of the dry leaf is remarkable. Jasmine. (sigh) How I love Jasmine. Fragrance wise, this may be – perhaps – even more beautiful than jasmine pearls. That is very difficult for me to say, for my love affair with the pearls is a very passionate one, indeed. The aroma of the brewed tea is quite a bit softer.

Lovely! The green tea is very fresh and pleasantly vegetative – not a strong vegetative presence, but enough grassy flavor so that it melds nicely with the floral essence of the jasmine. This is perhaps why I prefer jasmine greens to other jasmine teas, because the fresh, grassy essence pairs so well with the jasmine.

I cannot say that I prefer this to pearls. But, I can say that this is probably the best jasmine green tea that is not pearls that I’ve tasted… certainly worthy of an order from me! I only wonder what I shall do with the caravan……

Before Tasting: I must admit, this tea scares me. I purchased a tin of it a couple of weeks ago from my local Whole Foods Market, because Townshend’s is a local company and I wanted to support them, and I like chai tea, and this one is named after a street in Portland. But, I didn’t take a moment to read the description of the tea or the ingredients. This tea has Lapsang Souchong. I’m worried. I’m scared.

The aroma of the tea while brewing is very strong and smoky. Still scared. But I decided to make the most of it. I warmed some milk, got out my frother, and prepared myself for chai. I do like chai, after all. Maybe this can be my gateway into smoky tea… but I’m still skeptical.

OK… it’s not bad. The smoky flavor lends itself well to the spices. It has a caramel flavor to it that is quite pleasant. I can taste the nutmeg which is one of my favorite spices. The flavor is a bit earthier and smokier than I am accustomed to, but, I think that the spices help detract from some of the stronger notes that would normally be off-putting for me.

I’m glad I finally tasted it – it’s really quite good.

As suggested by Cofftea, I’m doing a side-by-side comparison of this tea (also courtesy of Doulton ~ thank you very much!!!) and the NecessiTeas Cinnamon Bear. The parameters are similar – same amount of tea (except that this one is in a tea pyramid as opposed to loose leaf, but I cut open the pyramid so that I could brew it the same as I did the tea from NecessiTeas), same temperature (boiling water) and same steep time (3 minutes). So, really, the only difference here before tasting is the pyramid. The NecessiTeas wins a couple of points for being loose leaf, on the other hand, Harney wins points for having excellent customer service (which is pretty darned important in my book). I added a tea spoon of raw sugar to each cup.

Honestly, I can’t notice any significant difference between the two. If I were to do a blind tasting, I don’t know that I could pick out one over the other. But this one has a higher score on it than the Cinnamon Bear only because well, I’ve never had to wait three weeks for an order from Harney before, and they always send me a free sample with my order.

I received a bit of this in a package from Doulton today! Thank you Doulton!

This tea reminds me quite a bit of Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea from Harney & Sons, in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea from Harney & Sons that’s being resold by this company.

So… you know those red hot candies? The little tiny red candies that are super cinnamon-y hot? Now, imagine them all liquefied (but not sticky!) and in a teacup! What you would have is this tea. YUM!

I absolutely adore jasmine – I’ve had it in herbal blends, green teas (I love pearls especially), white teas, oolong teas, and black teas. But until this evening I hadn’t tried jasmine rooibos.

A very interesting aroma to the tea. The Jasmine seems a bit stronger than I’m used to – but that is a good thing!

A nice flavor – a pleasant balance between rooibos – naturally sweet and nutty with woodsy notes – and jasmine – sharp, floral, and amazing! Yeah I did mention that I love jasmine right?

So far… I’m liking it.

My order from NecessiTeas finally came! This is the first tea I’m trying from NecessiTeas, and I’m glad it’s a good one.

As a fan of bread pudding, I find the aroma of this tea to be irresistible. So yummy.

I can taste the rum – Nice! The rum really accentuates the raisin flavor of this blend, which is a good thing as I find that very often with raisin flavored blends, the raisin flavor can be somewhat indistinguishable. The custard and cream flavor adds a sweet smoothness to the tea. YUM!

A very pleasant tasting tea. I like that the flavors are strong. This yum factor almost makes up for the long wait I had for the order… if the other teas I’ve ordered are as good, I’ll be willing to place another order in the future.

Decided to take a break in my Oolong infusions (I’ll return to them in a bit) so that I could enjoy a chawan of Matcha. Two days in a row – not like me at all – Steepster is having an influence on me (not saying a bad or a good influence yet… LOL)

This is the first time I’ve tasted this ginger matcha from Art of Tea. This is not a matcha that I would recommend sifting because there are little itty bitty bits of ginger mixed into the matcha. The first time I saw one as I was whisking, I thought it was a bit of the bamboo that had come off of my whisk and I was disheartened… but, then I realized that it was ginger.

A very smooth, sweet flavor to the matcha, with just a bit of bitterness that reaches the tongue at the end of a sip. The ginger is not as pronounced as I might have expected it to be, and it is not a sharp, snappy ginger but, more of a warm, gentle ginger. I like it though. It offers an interesting taste along with the vegetative quality of the matcha.

As I near the bottom of the chawan, the ginger flavor becomes a bit stronger AND I can notice the matcha doing that familiar coating of the palate as the liquid gets a little thicker toward the end. And it’s a pleasant taste when you get a little bitty bit of the ginger and bite into it… YUM!

YUM! Oolong!

The flavor of this Oolong is intense. Floral, buttery, divine! There are only a few tastes that can elevate me to this sense of divine feeling – a superb Oolong such as this, a vanilla bean chocolate truffle from Moonstruck, or a perfect carrot. :)

Smooth, rich, beautiful. I love this tea.

Oh, this is lovely! The black tea is robust but not so much so that it overpowers the flavor of the roasted chestnuts. The flavor is nutty and a little sweet, toasty with just a hint of smoke and malt. Full-bodied and pungent. I am really enjoying this!

I am currently on my second infusion of these leaves. Both infusions have been very flavorful and delicious.

I love cherry flavored sencha teas, especially in the spring time.

The aroma is very vegetative but with a pleasing cherry note.

The flavor is very nice – the cherry sencha teas I’ve tasted in the past possess a stronger cherry flavoring, but are often on the verge of being too sweet or too much like cherry cough syrup. The fruit flavor here is lighter, but much more natural tasting.

The sencha leaves are very fresh tasting. Strong vegetative quality.

Overall, I’m very pleased with this flavored sencha.

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!

This is my first tasting of this Matcha from Den’s although I received the order well over a week ago. So many teas to taste…

The color of the prepared Matcha is a beautiful shade of bright green. Makes me wish I could paint with it!

Ahhh… Matcha! Thick and sweet and absolutely delightful. The flavor is smooth with no astringency, but I do taste a slight bitterness to it… but a good bitterness! It tastes very rich.

As yummy as this Matcha is, I do think I prefer DoMatcha. Perhaps I’m a bit spoiled? But, this is certainly good and worthy of my beautiful chawan. (Wanna see? http://www.flickr.com/photos/eccentricpastiche/4503534853/ )