MacchaMan

A little better than the loose leaf format I tried years ago. This was my very first foray into loose leaf teas years ago and I must admit, I did not like it, but thought I would revisit it since Tazo revamped their line and now offers full-leaf teas in sachets for convenience.

Aroma: Very grassy, herbaceous and vegetal (the aroma is a precursor of what’s to come).

Taste: Same as aroma…grassy, herbaceous, vegetal. If you like Chinese green teas, you should like this one…it is very much the Chinese green tea. The grassy, herbaceous, vegetal characteristics are more prominent than Japanese green teas which are sweeter and milder than their Chinese counterparts. There does exist a slight mouth feel.

Aftertaste: The mouth feel lingers as does all of the characteristics of this tea.

Personally, I prefer Japanese green teas over Chinese green teas. This is a nice tea, it’s just that, “nice”. Not sure if I would buy it again, again, I prefer Japanese green teas.

Very surprised! I absolutely love this tea especially from Tazo. I tried the China Green tips loose leaf years ago (I was a neophyte to tea then) and didn’t like it very much so I didn’t buy Tazo since, until recently from the Starbuck’s website; I thought of giving it a try again…glad I did.

Aroma: A little mild and a little vibrant (not spicy).

Taste: Surprising given the name of this tea. It is not awakening what-so-ever like Lipton’s Brisk regular black. It is quite mild with a little vibrancy (again, not spicy like a Darjeeling) with a slight mouth feel and a honey sweetness to it…very delicious.

Aftertaste: The sweetness is there but fleeting, the full mouth feel is there as well but the true aftertaste is clear and cleaner than a true-blend Darjeeling.

This tea is a hybrid blend of Indian and Sri Lanka black teas. It is a very enjoyable tea for anytime of day. Awakening is a very acceptable afternoon tea as well as an after dinner tea. I would highly recommend this tea…a must buy!

I used my Ingenuitea teapot by Adagio Teas for brewing. I had a sample of the loose leaf format of this particular tea. It tastes like any other Japanese green tea with all of the familiar tasting notes.

Aroma: Vegetal, grassy, spinach and bright.

Taste: Vegetal and spinach. It taste of soaked grapeleaves; very vegetal and spinach. There was a sweetness and an astringency to this tea. The astringency came only because of the steeping time, since I like strong tea, I steeped it for five minutes rather than for three; if steeped for three, then this tea would be sweet, bright (not too astringent) grassy and vegetal with a clean, bright finish.

Aftertaste: Spinach (with none of the grassy, vegetal “full-thickness” mouth feel), sweet (doesn’t linger), clean and bright (the little astringency clears the palate).

I would recommend this tea. It is a cleaner, brighter, palate cleansing tea for after a meal. This is a very nice everyday green tea. It is more vegetal than grassy. Bancha is a little more vibrant than it’s older siblings, Gyokuro or Sencha. I really enjoy this tea. To me, it has all the combined characteristics of Sencha (brightness and a little astringent), Kukicha (sweetness), and Dragonwell (cleansing).

Once again, an enjoyable everyday green tea!

I am a big fan of this brand, but I must say even though this is a very delicious tea, it is not as fresh tasting as Den’s Tea and I just received it today and opened it today; it could be from the nitrogen that the vaccuum sealed, resealable pouch it comes in. It is a good tea.

See my review on Den’s Tea, I am basically reiterating the same review here.

The freshness issue may be reconcilable, don’t really let it keep you from purchasing because it is a good value, 50ct. gourmet sachets for 20 bucks. The freshness is the only reason why I didn’t rate this tea a 100% score.

This is a must buy tea and comes highly recommended for trying something tasty and venturing into something new.

Den’s Tea Genmaicha was my first foray into Genmaicha (green tea [usually Sencha] blended with roasted/toasted brown rice) and I am absolutely hooked! I even bought another premium tea purveyor’s Genmaicha to compare (my review of this tea will come later).

My followers will know already about my steeping routine; I keep the tea bag in the duration of enjoying my cuppa. I enjoy a strong cuppa.

The aroma is of toast, toasted pine nuts and popcorn and yet, it’s clean and earthy simultaneously.

The taste follows what your nose smells. It is very much the tasting notes of what you smell, toasty, nutty, popcorn, clean and earthy. The earthiness comes from the Sencha even though Sencha is known for it’s brighter, somewhat astringent characteristics; but with this tea, the Sencha gives this blend an earthy under-note rather than it’s prominence.

The aftertaste is of roasty, toastiness with a clean finish.

This tea is very comforting, soothing, warming and refreshing. A delightful tea to cleanse the palate; or to enjoy on a crisp, rainy Autumn day or evening!

I would highly recommend this tea…a must buy!

I must say, The Republic of Tea’s 100% White Tea/Emperor’s White Tea is another varietal tea that I love. I purchased the traveler’s tin as a sample before I invested in a full size tin; I’m glad I did, it is very good and enjoyable.

The flavor profile is more along the lines of White Peony, which I think this tea is because the longer it steeps, the more of a green tea characteristic it takes on; the color turns towards the coloring of a Chinese green tea. You can definitely detect green tea characteristics, meaning you get the brightness [and a little of the tannins] of the top tier leaves that are picked with the buds even though this is a 100% white tea. The prominent flavor is of white tea with it’s floral delicacy with a slight hint of cream, but not much with this one and a transparent, sheer sweetness.

The aroma pretty well matches the flavor profile.

The aftertaste is of a usual tea, a little disappointing since I do love white teas and how some linger a little afterwards. There is a modest afterthought of the floral delicacy and sweetness along with the hint of tannins of a green.

I would have given this tea a 100 score but because of the somewhat tannin characteristic and carry over into the aftertaste, this is why this tea scores a 90.

I would highly recommend this tea; and this is a very good choice for an evening tea to relax and unwind with; it has very little caffeine, not stimulating at all.

P.S. – Since I truly LOVE and absolutely adore Steven Smith Teamaker’s Bai Mu Dan (his White Peony), I tend to compare every one else’s white tea to his; but I do try to be fair and judge each white tea for what it is and of it’s own.

Not much to say really, it was too juicy for me. Not much green tea flavor or characteristics, it tasted like a tart juice you would drink with breakfast. Not impressed and would not purchase; I received a sample so at least I didn’t waste my money on it and don’t you.

Ok, I feel this tea has the same review and attributes as the Silver Needle except for a few minor tweaks. The only difference is in lieu of the crispiness and apple undertones, it is replaced with a creaminess. All White Peony teas remind me of a Chardonnay wine; the creaminess, the light buttery texture [or in tea’s case, mouth feel]. You can only really detect a minor mouth feel with Adagio’s White Peony, not like Steven Smith Teamaker’s which is a little more pronounced.

The aroma is very similar, but with more of a butter-cream mixed in with the fruit…it is a gauzy, transparent creaminess. I realize this description may sound like an oxymoron, but it fits.

The longer this tea steeps, it just slightly improves; it does not get strong or bitter at all.

The aftertaste is where the butter and cream show up for the party, but stays in the background. There is a slight linger on the tongue but dissipates quickly like a light breeze.

In conclusion, I do like and enjoy this tea, but there are better iterations out on the market, one in particular, Steven Smith Teamaker…his tea is absolutely delicious and sublime leaving you with wanting more. I would concur with other tea enthusiasts out there, Adagio Teas is a good starter for beginners wanting to steep themselves in the enjoyment and world of tea.

Update: My initial taste and review stands [1st infusion only], however, as with the Silver Needle, I used a smaller cup with less water and the flavor intensified. With this varietal, you can tell the difference between 1st and 2nd flush; because White Peony is considered the 2nd flush where as Silver Needle is the 1st flush and only the buds, therefore, this has a hint more “green” taste to it, since it is mixed in with the two top leaves along with the buds it possess the “green tea” characteristics. It is still delicious and delightful. I highly recommend this tea and brand.

Shhh!, this tea is so delicate you can spook it. I must admit, I am a big fan of Adagio Teas and I am used to Silver Needle but in loose leaf form. I recently purchased their new “teabags” and must say are pretty nice; they are made of nylon and my preliminary feeling is that they restrict the flavor a little bit compared to a silk sachet. I do need to try another tea say a white peony with a little more flavor profile to test it against such a delicate tea as the Silver Needle. Now, on to my review.

The Aroma: This tea has the soft aroma of melon, peach and candied pears but in a very soft subdued manner, barely there.

The Taste: The taste is very delicate and mild yet still noticeable. It has the flavor profile of the fruits mentioned above with a sublime sweetness. There really isn’t that much more to this flavor.

The Aftertaste: There is a slight crispness as an aftertaste, reminiscent of apples. There really isn’t one; it does not linger like other teas. To me, it seems to cleanse the palate.

If you like big bold flavor teas, then this type is not for you. Silver Needle is a very delicate, soft, sublime tea.

I do highly recommend this tea and this brand even though most tea connoisseurs are familiar with the brand. A must buy!

Update: Even though I stick to my guns about reviewing only the first infusion, I do have to admit that I had a cuppa this evening and the profile still stands, however, it was a little more intense due to the amount of water. I believe I used a smaller cup than with this initial review; on this website it only offers us steep time and water temperature…I guess we have to fill in the rest like amount of water used. This is a nice and tasty tea, can’t wait to try the White Peony in the same type of cup. Adagio Teas offers some fine teas!

WOW! The first Republic of Tea that rates a 100 score from me. I am surprised at how much I love this tea. Double Green Matcha Tea has the best of both worlds the grassy, vegetal taste of Matcha [which is an ingredient anyway] with the bright astringency of Chinese green tea which is also an ingredient. I have to say that the Matcha in this blend seems to taste a little fresher than the single batch of Matcha I purchased before.

The aroma consists of both types of tea, clean, fresh, grassy, vegetal and bright.

The color is not as bright as whisking up Matcha alone, it’s a little brownish-green, not too off-putting, it is more like a darker jade but not as green. To be honest, I think the coloring is due to the addition of the Chinese green tea, the cuppa is more of that color with the Matcha powder as a little enhancement…still drinkable.

The aftertaste is really nice. This tea taste lingers on the palate with the effect of wanting more.

This tea is quite delicious and I would highly recommend this one.

A very delicious tea! I really liked this one. Zhena uses the same type of tea bag as The Republic of Tea, unbleached, round, no string. The rose flavoring is prominent but not overpowering, a very soothing and relaxing cuppa. The teas are the clean, medium-body from India and Sri Lanka. To take in the essence of the tea and then to taste it, is sublime. The longer the tea steeped, the flavoring does not get too strong; it stays nice and soothing, relaxing, gentle and delicious. I would highly recommend this tea.

Same steeping parameters and this was a sample. I would NOT buy…but a nice tea if looking for even more health benefits and if you want a “juicy” tea. It was somewhat juicy, but not as much as the Wholeberry [this one got a little too tart] I reviewed. Because of the Cinnamon Bark and the Peppermint Leaves, the juiciness was diluted slightly; I tasted cinnamon with a cooling effect, the peppermint. This was a tasty tea. I must admit, the duration steeping time barely effected the taste; the cinnamon only got a hint stronger but nothing intolerable; the peppermint however, got a little stronger too almost to the point of throwing out, but it was tolerable as well. You could not really taste the green tea because of the other flavors.

I did however, appreciated the packaging. Nice pyramid-style sachets which were wrapped for freshness.

My usual parameters for steeping. This tea is ok for what it is. It is juicy, a little sweet and tart. I don’t much care really for flavored teas because the intended flavor always seems to overpower the tea and in this case it did; this was a sample by-the-way. It was a little too tart because of the Cranberries but take into consideration my steeping methods; steeped to the “proper” specifications and it might be less tart, more tea taste. It was the better of the two I’ve had so far the other being Pomberry Green Tea [review of this tea coming soon]. The juiciness gets to be overpowering the longer it’s kept in the hot water. The liquor is a pretty, medium-colored pink.

This tea’s and the Pomberry’s characteristics remind me of The Republic of Tea, and if you’ve read my reviews of The Republic of Tea aren’t too favorable; the flavored teas between the two brands taste alike. Even though the ingredients are organic, the flavor(s) taste artificial and chemical to me. If you like juicy teas, then this one you may like.

I am anxious to try the other teas I actually ordered from this brand…my first try at them. Tasting notes coming in the near future.

I must start by saying that I am a new-found fanboy of this new brand; I am not paid or given any promotional kickbacks for touting this brand.

Now with that said, I LOVE this tea! It is another superb offering. Steep time and water temp are to my usual likings, the high-quality sachet stays in the cup the whole duration of enjoying the tea and the water temp is boiling.

Aroma Profile: To start the aroma is of a light butter, slightly toasted cashew nuts and a slight hint of grape leaves. It’s not off-putting.

Taste Profile: This tea starts with, again, a light butter, a hint of creamy sweetness, slightly toasted cashew nuts and the slightest hint of a herbal note [I would describe it as a fennel characteristic]. The longer the sachet stays in, the more intense the flavor profile becomes but it never gets bitter or inedible. However, the fennel herbal note disappears and the other notes intensify somewhat but not to the extent of overpowering your taste buds. There is no thickness feel on the tongue or a full mouth feel either.

Aftertaste: There is a crispness to this tea that lingers. I would compare this tea’s aftertaste to a Chardonnay wine. It possess the buttery, creaminess along with the nuts but with a clean, crisp finish.

I would highly recommend this tea.

YUCK! HORRIBLE! DO NOT BUY! I received a sample of this “tea”, actually, it’s a tisane NOT a tea at all, it’s herbal. I tried it this evening and it is terrible!

The ingredients are: INGREDIENTS
Ginger, orange bergamot mint, lemon thyme, anise hyssop, anise seeds and blackberry leaves

No matter how long you steep it for all you can taste is a synthetic mint; the mint did not taste real whatsoever. It was a dry, stale mint with a hint of a kick to it, probably the ginger. It was also kind of a tart mint, not pleasing or soothing; it could have been the lemon thyme because it was a herbaceous-tartness, somewhat soft but nonetheless noticeable. I did not taste any type of fruit at all, no orange-bergamot or blackberry. Anise seed has a distinct licorice sweetness flavor, and there was no resemblance of that ingredient either. I even let it steep a few minutes, sipping in intervals and no matter when I tasted it, it was horrible. I didn’t keep it for long…after about 5 minutes, I threw it out, I just couldn’t take it anymore.

This is a stale, dry “tea”. I would not waste my money on this one…I highly recommend staying away from this tisane.

This was a surprising tea to me. I have had it a couple of times now [I’m not one to keep writing reviews for each infusion of the same tea, I write about the first impression because that’s the one that counts!] and I noticed that the longer it steeped, the more it’s character and nuances bloomed; now this is NOT a blooming tea mind you.

The scent starts off smoky then the longer it steeps, the aromas are a hint of smoke, leather and nuts. This blend and its description are similar to Yunnans but with a bit more complex character yet not as much as other English Breakfast blends. This blend has a somewhat thick feel on the tongue but not as full or chewy as an Assam; it has a slight brighter, cleaner appeal to it like a Ceylon. It is a very nice tea to have in the morning or early afternoon. I would say this tea is on par with the Tippy Yunnan by the same company but with a bit more body and complexity. I would recommend trying a sample…it’s a good tea.

I found this tea to be quite excellent! It is delicate, tasty, does not get bitter through the duration of drinking. I really enjoy this tea. It has a well balanced flavor profile, you get the essence of Jasmine with a bright, clean and clear taste of green tea without the astringency. I am anxious to try this brand’s other offerings. I would recommend this tea as an “everyday” green tea for the Jasmine green tea lover; as compared to the Jasmine teas I have recently reviewed, Steven Smith Teamaker’s Jasmine offerings are more for elegant dining because of the quality of the tea and the amount of Jasmine used to make such premium products.

Good Earth Tea products are for the everyday, health-conscience, environmentally-conscience consumer. I will be purchasing their other flavors in the near future. I do highly recommend this tea and this brand.

Ok, I must start by saying I am not crazy about this brand anymore…sorry The Republic of Tea, but tasting other tea brands out there, your teas just don’t taste that fresh.

Taste: The Ginger Peach Green Tea is pleasant enough; it does have a nice aroma and the taste of the Ginger is soft and the Peach is a hint overpowering; it tastes more of peach than anything else…where’s the snap of ginger? Where’s the vegetal, effervescent taste of actual green tea? If you are just starting your venture into teas, green and otherwise, than this is a good starting point, but if you already have a developed palate then this would seem a step backwards. It’s a “good” tea, not an “exceptional” one or brand.

Note to The Republic of Tea: IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY [QUALITEA…LOL!]

I really like this tea a lot. It does not turn bitter no matter how long I keep the sachet in and the one’s who know my reviews by now, know that I keep the sachet in the whole time I am enjoying my cup of tea.

Taste: It is a very pleasing and satisfying cup of Jasmine green tea; the blending is spot-on, top-notch. You appreciate the essence of Jasmine without overpowering the green tea. The green tea itself is very fresh, not too vegetal, strong or astringent. I would most highly recommend this tea and the brand…this is truly a Premium tea purveyor!

Check out my review for the No.96 Jasmine Silver Tip—the same review applies to this select blend, however, this Jasmine Pearl is a bit more fragrant and there is an exceptional aftertaste that is slightly sweet [somewhat reminiscent of vanilla] yet very pleasing. Once again, I would most highly recommend this tea and this Premium brand.

Hmmm, quite an interesting and pleasant tea. This is my first venture into Yunnan teas, with that said, this has the light aroma of a Lapsang Souchong, the palatable clarity of a Ceylon and the aftertaste of a finer bitter chocolate…not overpowering. This Tippy Yunnan is quite tasty; and yet it reminds me of a lighter Formosa Oolong…a little floral but less sweet…not malty at all. For my tastes, this is better as an afternoon tea. I would recommend this tea to try and for the experience. Look for the samples, that way it’s easy to try without spending a fortune.

I really like this one! I have had other White teas and liked them as well. This one has all the characteristics I look for in white teas…sweetness, delicacy and a nice aftertaste. I have the sachet form and keep it in the whole duration of drinking time, about 15 mins. or so. This Mutan White is nicely sweet, delicate and has a pleasant aftertaste and never becomes bitter no matter how long I keep the sachet in the mug. I highly recommend this tea!

Surprisingly, not impressed…usually I really enjoy Harney & Sons teas but not this one so much. I have the tea sachets for this type and maybe it’s the duration I keep the sachet in the whole time I’m enjoying my mug of tea but I find this Formosa Oolong watery and a bit too floral. I have had other Formosa Oolongs and really liked them. Luckily it does not get bitter, just a tired, watery somewhat bland and weak floral taste; the floral isn’t overpowering too much but does seem to play a mischievous cameo roll in the taste…not too pleasant. I may retry this to steep the required amount of time instead of keeping the bag in the whole time I drink…so stay tuned!

UPDATE: Still not a fave but enjoying it a little more…the parameters are still the same, haven’t changed them any because I like a strong cuppa, I guess I am just enjoying this more because maybe getting used to the taste. I do like it so my rating moved upscale; don’t know if I would buy again. I will try Harney & Sons other Oolong offerings though to compare.

Must admit, I am using teabags more and more lately due to convenience in the morning; I am handicap and use teabags in the morning before getting into my wheelchair in the afternoon when I am able to prepare matcha.

With that said, I am surprised at all the negative reviews here regarding Lipton’s Black Pearl Tea! I quite enjoy this tea [have many boxes.] It has a clear crisp taste, not brisk and it has a nice mouth feel, not malty but a little more noticeable than a Darjeeling the longer it steeps. I keep teabags in the whole time I am drinking to reap all the health benefits and yet it never gets bitter! I tend to find there is no aftertaste either; it is just nice and clean.

I do like the pyramid/sachet teabags better because they contain whole leaf teas and the desired room to unfurl. Lipton’s “regular” teabags aren’t so desirable because they contain “tea dust” and the Brisk tea has a murkier taste and characteristic profile.

I would highly recommend Lipton’s Black Pearl Tea…a must buy!