LiberTEAS

Backlog:

I was kind of surprised by the stemmy-ness of this tea when I first opened the package. Usually I find one or two stems in a tea … it’s to be expected, although generally, the more stems, the lesser the quality (Generally speaking of course). However, after closer inspection of the ingredient list … it actually says “Camellia Sinensis Stems” … it’s supposed to be stemmy!

There is a nice roasty note to this tea. I found that the tea tasted better when it is allowed to cool for a few minutes. When served piping hot, the flavors were kind of … obscured. But after a few minutes (about five) the flavors began to pop! Ah… there’s the butterscotch! Buttery, caramel-ish, and absolutely YUM!

Sweet, but not cloyingly so. (I like butterscotch, but I find that it can be a tad cloying to me … I didn’t get that with this tea). The tea base is the strongest flavor of this cup, and perhaps that’s why the butterscotch did not become an overwhelmingly sweet thing for me. The tea is robust and rich … A really tasty dessert tea.

Backlog:

One of sTEAp Shoppe’s “Simply Teas” offerings, and I like it a lot! It’s a really rich and delicious Yunnan, with lots of gold tips. Sweet, notes of spice, earth, caramel. It’s a fantastic “rugged” tea … very, very good.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/15/flecks-of-gold-black-tea-from-steap-shoppe/

Backlog:

I really liked this tea. I loved the curls of chocolate in the dry leaf. Oh, sure, I realize that cacao nibs are better at flavoring the tea, and that chocolate chips (or chocolate curls like in this tea) tend to cloud up the tea a bit, but, I don’t care because it’s chocolate and chocolate makes me happy.

The chocolate and mint seemed to bring out different notes in the white peony leaves that I found very intriguing. Less vegetative, more earthy. I thought the earthy notes worked well with the chocolate as well as the herbaceous notes of the mint.

Very good! Here is my full-length review of it: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/14/chocolate-mint-whisper-white-tea-from-natures-tea-leaf/

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I was pretty disappointed when I attempted to access the Infussion website and could not … did this company go kaput already? That would really be a shame because I really have enjoyed the teas that I’ve had from them.

This is a really delightful green tea. Sweet, clean tasting, vegetative, with a really delicious crispness that is invigorating.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/14/lin-yun-green-tea-from-infussion/

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I liked this variation of the classic Earl Grey. I’m an earl grey fanatic anyway, as many of you are probably aware. The bergamot, rose and lavender are really tasty together… and I like the accent of rosemary. Definitely different from the traditional Earl Grey … but different can be good, and in the case of this Vintage Earl Grey, it definitely IS good.

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This tea smells so GOOD! Sweet and fruity!

And it tastes as good as it smells. Delicious strawberry notes that are both sweet and tart, with a luscious mango flavor that melds beautifully with the strawberry and the fresh taste of the green tea.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/13/strawberry-mango-green-tea-from-trail-lodge-tea/

Backlog:

A really good Dong Ding. I really like this company, I’ve been very impressed with their quality. Lovely mild floral notes, sweet, nutty and hints of caramel. Good for many infusions.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/12/dong-ding-oolong-from-far-leaves-tea/

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

Delicious and robust. A nice balance between the Ceylon and Assam teas used in this blend. The Ceylon is bright and the Assam is rich and malty. The overall cup was very satisfying … a good Breakfast Blend. I brewed my cuppa for 2 1/2 minutes in my Breville One-Touch … I don’t recommend oversteeping this tea … my cup wasn’t bitter, but there was a fair amount of astringency to the cup.

Backlog:

OK so it surprised me that I hadn’t tried this tea from 52Teas since I’ve tried just about everything that Frank has created for at least the last couple of years (with the exception of the dog and kitty teas and possibly one or two of the peanut butter teas), and when I saw that this one was maybe going to be removed from the “permanent” collection, I wanted to try it before it disappeared.

I’ve tried a lot of Frank’s Pumpkin blends, and enjoyed most of them (can’t think of one right off hand that I’ve disliked). And I like this one too. I know that some people had their issues with this blend, but for me, I tasted pumpkin pie, and I was loving it! Sweet, pumpkin-y, with just the right amount of spice. A splash of milk gives it a nice creamy note that is really yummy.

Backlog:

A delightfully floral tea. It’s really quite lovely, with a pleasant sweetness. I tasted licorice notes as well as vanilla tones. Really good. It seems like … based on the other tasting notes, this one is either a love or a hate kind of tea. I, for one, love it.

Here is my full-length review of it: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/11/lotus-green-tea-from-the-persimmon-tree/

Backlog:
My first attempt with this Matcha … when prepared with hot water, I tasted a slight artificial taste to it, and I was a little disappointed. I had high hopes for a Matcha called Raspberry Truffle. The second time I prepared it, I prepared it as a latte, using half water and half whole milk, and this proved to be much tastier. The milk sort of cancels out the artificial taste and it also gives the matcha a creaminess that accentuates the truffle-ness of it very nicely.

Awesome as a latte … not so awesome as a traditionally prepared matcha. Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/10/raspberry-truffle-flavored-matcha-from-red-leaf-tea/

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea. It’s really good. I was surprised to find that it’s no longer on the Compass Teas Website … I guess it’s either out of stock or it’s been discontinued. It’s a tasty tea, though.

It has a really nice Hazelnut flavor, and the black tea base is rich and bold! It would be a great first thing in the morning tea to help shake the sleepeez but, it is also nice as an afternoon pick me up. I’ve become quite a night owl lately, so, this is … my afternoon. Yes. 11:06 pm. Hey … it’s still AFTER noon.

A really tasty tea. I hope they bring this one back.

Backlog:

I enjoyed this chai tisane … it was spicy and sweet, and I loved the way the basil notes of the tulsi came through and highlighted the spices. Hints of mint gave this a very refreshing taste. The best part for me was the licorice tones from the fennel. A really nice chai with which to unwind.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/10/tulsi-india-chai-from-shanti-tea-2/

Backlog:

A really delicious black tea from Butiki Teas … but that should come as no surprise for anyone who has tasted Butiki’s teas … their teas are always amazing.

A delicious warm, slightly nutty tone, with fruity overtones. Very, very good.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/09/royal-golden-safari-black-tea-from-butiki-teas/

Backlog:

I brewed this as a black tea rather than as a pu-erh, but fortunately it did not come out too earthy. The aroma is more earthy than the flavor. Allow the tea to cool slightly to get the chocolate, cherry and chili notes to emerge. It’s really an interesting and tasty blend. Nice.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/09/mad-tea-party-from-indie-tea/

Backlog:

A really yummy blend. I like the combination of the black tea and Oolong tea base, I like that I don’t taste the rooibos much here. The apple and fig flavors meld together in a really tasty way. The spice is warm and I love the light licorice note. Really good.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/08/berkshire-apple-fig-blend-from-inspired-leaf/

Backlog:

A really delicious flavored Kukicha. The Yuzu really brightens the flavor, a pleasant citrus flavor that is somewhere between tangerine and grapefruit. Definitely a memorable tea.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/08/yuzu-kukicha-tea-blend-from-chado-tea-house/

Backlog:

Yeah, I have a huge bunch of teas to be backlogging, I haven’t been on steepster much.

I almost want to start this tasting note off by saying “for a chamomile tisane this is pretty tasty” but that’s kind of dissing it and I don’t really want to do that … because it’s actually really tasty. I usually shy away from chamomile but the truth is I don’t hate chamomile as much as I seem to think I do. This is really nice with the lemon-y tones. It’s also very relaxing.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/07/lemon-dreams-tisane-from-52teas/

Horrid.

Absolutely horrid.

I can taste the jasmine flavoring, and jasmine teas should not be flavored they should be scented. This tea was flavored, and I can taste it, and it is disgusting.

If I could rate this lower than one, I would. It deserves something in the negative digits.

It looks like Peter Asher’s website is down … or perhaps they’re no longer maintaining an online presence … because their website is gone.

This is a really tasty chai though. Sweet, spicy, and with a nice balance. My first few sips – before I added the “latte” to my cup – I noticed that there was something “missing” in the chai … but it was not a bad “missing” if that makes sense. I liked the difference I was tasting, and it definitely tasted different. Then I realized … there’s no cinnamon in this chai! I love cinnamon, but, it’s kind of neat to have a chai that focuses on the other spices in a masala chai. It’s smoother without the cinnamon … I can really taste the clove and cardamom.

A really tasty chai … delicious as a latte. YUM!

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea to enjoy.

Not a bad Oolong … woodsy and earthy … hints of smoke. Pleasantly smooth, sweet … more fruity than floral. The fruit tones taste almost “roasted” to me, like a roasted peach. Enjoyable.

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tisane. It is making a wonderful ‘good night’ tisane for me. Sweet, delicious, basil notes, herbaceous … and a light lemon-y note. I am kind of wishing there was a tad more lemon to this. It’s more like a sweet, creamy hint of lemon from the lemongrass, and I think that a stronger lemon note would be nice.

I see that Shanti Tea isn’t offering this one any longer, though, so I guess it doesn’t really matter! It’s enjoyable, regardless.

This morning, I woke up with a slight sore throat (my hubby has a bad case of a headcold so I’m sure that I’m coming down with it too) so to combat the sore throat, I decided to grab my “Kitchen Sink” breakfast tea which is a combination of small bits of black tea blends from all different companies and brew it, and then add some of my ginger/honey crystals to have a spicy hot soothing cuppa that did WONDERS on my throat. And it tasted good too. I’m glad my tastebuds haven’t been affected (yet) by the cold. Hopefully they won’t!

Backlog:

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea. I really liked this Oolong blend. I like the contrast between cinnamon and mint, although the cinnamon definitely was more subdued than the minty taste.

Here’s my full-length review of this tea: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/07/blackmint-oolong-blend-from-whispering-pines-tea-company/