LiberTEAS

I chose this tea because I found the idea of Green Papaya interesting and a little something outside of what I would normally choose. But because it tends to be sour, I chose the Imperial Matcha base for this, thinking that the sweeter, better tasting base would help offset some of the Green Papaya’s more acidic nature.

And I was correct … I find this to be delightfully balanced. Tart but not too sour, and very nicely sweet. I’m actually loving the Imperial base at the moment, I might have to start upgrading my orders from Red Leaf from this point forward. I like this a lot.

It tastes creamy and rich and sweet and just … oh-so-yummy. The papaya BRIGHTENS the bowl with its acid, I taste that note on my tongue toward the finish and into the aftertaste, and it is really pleasant. It is sour, but I don’t feel the need to pucker because of the balance brought by the sweetness of the Imperial Matcha.

Beautiful Matcha.

Edited to Add: We will be giving away this Matcha with these specifics (Imperial Matcha, Distinctive Flavoring) in a contest on SororiTea Sisters that will begin January 5th!

Thank you to Em for including this in your Christmas exchange gift to me. It’s lovely! I kind of think I should have started my day with this, because this has the heft that I was looking for … that kept me drinking black teas today (including this, I’ve had four mugs of black tea, and I don’t usually have that many in one day) … then again, I might have stopped with this one and I really enjoyed those other teas. So maybe now is the time for business from a black tea!

It is rich and flavorful from the Assam and the Nilgiri, but it has a touch of lightness from the Darjeeling. This is still definitely a full-flavored tea, but, the Darjeeling does add enough lightness to keep it from feeling too overwhelmingly heavy. This is just right – a good kick in the cup when you need one.

The description suggests warm nutty tones and I get that … as well as touches of fruit throughout the sip. Astringent at the tail … but not overly so. It has rich malty tones, this would be awesome as a latte, but I like it quite well served straight too.

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea. Yummy!

This is so totally yum! Completely and utterly yum! Just what I have been craving without really realizing I was craving anything … after I started sipping, I just felt a sense of “ahhh… this is it.”

It has a nice kick of heat to it, but, it isn’t too hot. The chocolate is smooth, rich and creamy and manages to temper the heat from the chili so that it doesn’t become an overly spicy beverage. Oh, sure, it is spicy … but not TOO spicy. I’m not feeling the need to relieve my tongue from the heat, in other words. The sweet seems to counterblast the heat.

Instead, I feel this warming me up from the inside out, and I love that from a tea during this time of year. My husband, who hails from Minnesota, thinks that anything just over freezing is uncomfortably hot, so this house is typically on the chilly side year round. I … on the other hand, am a California girl and while I feel I’ve adapted to the Pacific Northwest in such a way that I’m proud to call it home, I’m still not quite as used to cold as someone who comes from a place buried in snow.

So this tea is warming me up (and the thermostats are turned up now that hubby is safely ensconced at work) on a very chilly day. It is deliciously chocolate-y (needs more chocolate though, LOL) and there is heat from the spice … I’d call it a mild-to-medium type of heat rather than a hot heat.

Very nice!

Nice!

I really like this. The flavor is less “wine-like” (although I did use that term when describing it in my full-length review of this that will publish later this month), and more wine-inspired … although I do get a fermented grape-y kind of taste in this too. The astringency at the tail of this tea seems to play to this.

The black tea is a full-flavored tea, strong but not what I’d call bold … it holds its own. The best part of this tea is the sweet, peachy flavors and the touch of strawberry, I like this combination of flavors.

A really good tea.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, DTerra Teas sent me this tea!

http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/12/20/on-the-seventh-day-of-christmas-della-terra-teas-sent-to-me/

I enjoyed this first (and possibly only?) green tea in the DTerra Teas 12 Days of Christmas box. I loved the toasty sweetness of the walnuts, and the coconut added creaminess to the cup. I liked the fruit elements in this because it kept the flavors interesting. A very delightful tea!

I cannot believe I am the first one to review this … especially since I make it a rule to wait a minimum of three weeks before I try the 52Teas blends. (more of a guideline than a rule, but, I will say that the monthly subscription program does make this easier to accomplish)

Yum! This is good. Very different … but good.

The flavors of a buttery-brandied-cake meld together with the rich black tea base. The cake seems to come out more toward the finish, and the aftertaste is sweet, but there is a twinge of brandy in there too. Sweet and yummy. This is a tea that is really so different from anything I’ve tried that I need to spend a little more time with it.

This is another tea from tattooed_tea for Day 6. (Fruit being another choice for breakfast!)

Mmm! This is one of the nicest cranberry/orange blends I’ve tried. I love the spice! The spices hit the palate right from the start, and then I taste the flavor of orange – sweet and a little bit tangy, and the tart notes of the cranberry. It’s very fragrant and flavorful and the flavors are very forward. They aren’t shy!

The black tea is also strong enough to stand up and be counted among these powerful flavors. It has a richness to it, so it surprised me to read the description and learn that it was a Ceylon. I thought maybe a Nilgiri. It is smooth, earthy, even a touch malty … and finishes with a slight astringency.

A very enjoyable cuppa!

On the sixth day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas sent me this tea!

As usual, this is a bit of a backlog, because I had this tea a couple of days ago so that I could schedule this review for today: http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/12/19/on-the-sixth-day-of-christmas-della-terra-teas-sent-to-me/

This tea is one of three exclusive teas from the box. It’s really nice. This is one of the few teas with hibiscus in it that I’m not finding myself wishing the hibiscus wasn’t in there. Actually, I felt the hibiscus really added a nice dimension to the cup (and that is not something you’ll hear me say often when it comes to hibiscus). Then again, I only steeped this tea for 2 1/2 minutes so it didn’t give the hibiscus a whole lot of time to impart that thick, heavy, tart syrup-like taste and texture, it was just enough time for the hibiscus to give the cup just a bit of tartness which played well to the pomegranate flavor.

Really nice.

(by the way D’Terra Teas, if you wish to change up the description or add a photo for this tea listing, please feel free, I used what was on the card in the envie/box for a description, and I don’t know if you want to get more detailed than that or not … and the only photo I had was the one that I took and it’s not great.)

This chance combination comes courtesy of tattooed_tea, who, for their contribution to the 12 Days of Christmas swap had Day 6 – Six Geese a’Laying. This brought to mind “eggs,” which brought to mind “breakfast.” So, we were sent a bounty of tea samples today! This is a combination of Pancake Breakfast and Maple Bacon teas, both from 52Teas. I’ve been wanting to try these two teas together because I’ve been bugging Frank for a blend that is pancake, bacon, pecan and caramel. Yes, I realize that sounds crazy, but I think that Frank could pull it off. I have faith in him. But he hasn’t yet accepted the challenge. :(

So, I combined both the pancake and the bacon teas into my teapot, and now have a yummy pancake and bacon breakfast tea. I added a pinch of salt (this brings out the bacon-y taste) and a drizzle of maple syrup – because I had it in the cupboard and thought some maple is good, more maple is better – and I’m loving what I’m drinking. I have my new little mug cozy on my cup (thank you Em for this lovely and useful gift!) and even though it is almost 9 am on my daughter’s first day of winter break and I could be sleeping right now, I couldn’t sleep and sipping this tea is the next best thing.

Thank you tattooed_tea … I’m loving this!

Having a cuppa this evening … a nice white tea … sweet, mild, smooth. Fruit notes. Crisp, airy notes mingling with a hay-like note. Pleasant, just what I needed this evening.

Thank you to Em for sending this to me in my holiday swap package! This is one that I’ve had on my shopping list and I’ve wanted to try! So happy that I finally get to do just that!

I really like this … I love that the black tea base tastes very rich and flavorful, and the crisp, vibrant flavor of the citrus lightens this richness just enough. It’s a lovely marriage of flavors. I’m almost surprised that I like this as much as I do, because this is a bit more tart than I usually like a tea to be, but, it all just works together so well.

Thanks again, Em!

On the Fifth Day of Christmas … Della Terra Teas Sent me this tea!

http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/12/18/on-the-fifth-day-of-christmas-della-terra-teas-sent-to-me/

This tea is oh so good! Sweet, creamy and decadent. Exactly what one would expect from a Creme Brulee dessert … in tea form. I was so very happy to discover this tea in my 12 Days of Christmas sampler box. I loved it!

My second infusion of these leaves produced a stronger flavor than the first … still deliciously buttery, still a delicate vegetative taste although there is more to it this time around.

Enjoying a cup of this tea thanks to Azzrian … thank you for sending me some of this!

This is really nice. It took me a few sips to sort of figure it out, because it is different from most green teas … from the dry leaf – these leaves are HUGE! – to the flavor, it is softly vegetal, mostly buttery, and smooth. It has a very delicate flavor. Think a Silver Needle delicateness with the taste of a green tea rather than a white tea. That’s what I taste. It’s very refreshing and light. I like!

Thank you to DaisyChubb for making this your tea selection for Day 5 – it’s one I’ve wanted to try!

But before I get in to the tea, I wanted to express my adoration for the packaging – so lovely! I can totally understand why you chose this tea for 5 golden rings!

This is really nice. It reminds me a bit of the Cinnamon Crackle tea that was Day 2 in the Della Terra Teas box, except that this doesn’t have the pop rocks in it, but then, I didn’t even see any pop rocks in my sample of Cinnamon Crackle. The flavor is very similar though. Sweet and cinnamon-y, I like that the cinnamon here isn’t that red hot kind of cinnamon taste (although I do like that too). It has certain attributes of the red hot kind of cinnamon, but it doesn’t quite push it over the HOT level.

Yummy!

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas sent me this tea!

Backlogging on this one a bit, because like the other 12 Days of Christmas teas from DTerra Teas – thanks Azzrian! :) – I wanted to write up the review in time to have it publish this morning. (or afternoon if you’re on the east coast).

I really like this tea. Delicious chocolate-y, raspberry-ish flavor. Sweet, tangy, and really yummy. Here is my full-length review of it: http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/12/17/on-the-fourth-day-of-christmas-della-terra-teas-sent-to-me/

Another tea that I’m tasting too late … Shanti appears to have discontinued this tea as well.

This is really quite a unique tea. I like the way the flavor of the raisin works with the flavor of the white tea. Delicate, sweet … like that sugary sweet raisin-y sweet, but, it isn’t too much … it’s a very delicate sweetness that is similar to the overall delicate flavor of the tea itself. Notes of flower sort of dance at the tip of my tongue.

A really lovely tea – I really like it for its uniqueness. It’s quite unlike any tea that I’ve tried.

First, a big thank you to BoxerMama for choosing this as day 4’s tea in the 12 Days of Christmas Swap. It’s really perfect for the day!

And it tastes amazing. I don’t think I’ve actually tried Harney’s Black Currant, although I know I’ve tried quite a few other currant teas … this one definitely belongs amongst the top Currant flavored teas. It tastes truly like black currant, tangy, tart and enough sweetness to keep me from feeling the urge to pucker when I sip it. It’s nicely round. A very nice tea, indeed.

My third and final tea that I sent out to the participants of the 12 Days of Christmas Swap. Mmm… this is so deliciously rich and creamy. A really good representation of a vanilla tea … and I’m really glad I chose this as one of the three teas. For me, it was between this and the French Vanilla Assam from 52Teas, and ultimately, I chose this one because I had already tasted the French Vanilla Assam but not this, and I wanted the teas to be an adventure for me as well as the other participants … and since I was already definitely sure I wanted the maple tea, I wanted the other two to be teas I hadn’t yet tried.

And I’m really glad I’m trying this today. Sweet, creamy, decadent vanilla flavor. Rich, smooth, and yummy.

The second of the three teas that I selected for the third day of Christmas in the 12 Days of Christmas tea swap. If one enters in “French Blend” in the Steepster search, you’ll find a few different brands of teas with “French Blend” teas. I ultimately decided upon this one for a few reasons: 1) it was a blend of black and green teas, and since the other two teas that I selected for this day are both black teas, I thought that a blend of these two teas would at least offer a slight variation to the base tea. 2) It had lavender in it, and I wanted a lavender tea included with my French teas. 3) I liked that there is jasmine and rose in this tea.

My first couple of sips of this tea were a bit astringent, but, I found that the astringency has waned since then. I attribute this to the fact that the tea has had a chance to cool slightly. Other than the astringent start, this is really quite a flavorful tea. I taste all the elements that I was promised in the description: I taste the black and the green tea (I brewed this at 180F) and I taste jasmine, lavender, rose and vanilla. It’s really quite a pleasant cup.

On the Third Day of Christmas … Della Terra Teas sent me this tea!

This is a bit of a backlog, as I did enjoy the tea a day or two ago so that I could write this full-length review and schedule it for publication today: http://sororiteasisters.com/2012/12/16/on-the-third-day-of-christmas-della-terra-teas-sent-to-me/

This tea isn’t as “gingerbread-y” as I would have expected from a tea called “The Gingerbread Man,” instead, it had a really delicious creamy element to it. I really enjoyed this, creaminess, and the sweetness of the cup overall, but, I did find myself wanting a bit more of a snappy gingerbread taste.

I have SO missed this tea. So when I got the 3rd Day of Christmas in the 12 Days of Christmas swap, the very first tea that popped into my head was this tea. I wanted more of it, and so I needed to find some way to fit the French Canadian Maple into the idea of Three French Hens. I got the french part anyway!

I absolutely love this tea. So yummy, the best maple flavored black tea I think I’ve ever had. There might be others, but, I certainly can’t think of them at the moment.

I came across a wee little bit of this tea – just enough for a cup – in my stash, so I’m having it this morning. Even though it’s been in my stash a while, it still is really flavorful, it’s held up to the passage of time quite well…

I received an individually wrapped tea bag of this tea in my November Goodies Box – http://hungryinportland.com/2012/11/25/my-goodies-box-for-november-has-arrived/ – and am finally getting around to trying it now.

For a bagged tea, this is alright. If it were not bagged, but loose leaf, I would say that this is a very good tea, because I like that I can taste the pumpkin flavor, the black tea has a good strength to it and the spices are lively without overwhelming my palate. I just don’t like the bagged part of this tea, I don’t like that I can taste a slight paper taste in my cup. It is not enough to make me dislike the tea, but it is enough for me to wish I wasn’t tasting it. Fortunately, there is enough good tasting elements of this cup that I’m able to overlook the paper-y part.

So it’s alright … but it could be even better without the bag!