Madeline Alyce

As I said in my last review, I thought each cup of this would be a different adventure and boy was I right! This second cup I brewed (despite INTENTIONALLY putting lots of flower pieces in my infuser) tastes VERY vegetal and grassy. Actually, it tastes almost exactly how I would imagine drinking artichoke water after they’ve cooked! It’s not UNPLEASANT by any means, but I’m actually more intrigued by the flavor than I am IN LOVE with it. I’m guessing this tea will have many tasting notes from me if each cup is so drastically different!

Thank you Nature’s Tea Leaf for the free sample of this! :)

I am really trying to get past my dislike for white tea’s so, so delicate flavor. Sometimes it’s okay if there is a lot of FLAVOR there, but with this vanilla white tea, the faintness of everything drove me crazy! The vanilla scent is there, but the flavor isn’t in your face vanilla like I like with my teas (but if you’re not an in your face vanilla person this might work for you!) In the end, I ended up mixing it with some peppermint oolong/black mix I had… now THAT was tasty!!!!

Thank you Nature’s Tea Leaf for the free sample of this! :)

There is something about this tea that I really LIKE, but something about it that makes me not LOVE it, as well… I REALLY enjoy the smell. In the bag, it really gives me high hopes! I think my problem lies in the fact that I really WANT it to taste creamy and desserty, but alas, the tea is not destined to be a dessert tea (it really SHOULD, though, because if I want to lose weight I want to be curbed from sweets with my tea!!!). It does have a nice, smooth, base, however, which makes it pleasant to drink. So, like I said, I LIKE this tea a lot, I just don’t LOVE it.

BACKLOG: Thank you Nature’s Tea Leaf for the free sample of this! :)

When I first opened this bag, my exact words were, “Ooh, I don’t know about this flavor…” I’m usually a strong black tea kinda girl and don’t really enjoy teas I can’t add soy milk to (basically, I mostly enjoy dessert teas) BUT, anything that can potentially soothe my tummy is worth a shot. Anyway, onto the tea! I am pleasantly pleased by the flavor! It is light and refreshing, yet at the same time soothing. There are so many ingredients that shine through, it’s hard to pinpoint any specifically, but they all mingle together nicely. Overall, it’s flowery and maybe almost citrusy. There are so many different components in this tea, every glass will probably be a new adventure! I’m looking forward to it! Now, if it helps me lose weight… well that’s another story! ;)

No notes yet.

This was recommended to me by Azzrian and I have to say I’m glad it was because I totally would have overlooked it otherwise.

I’m trying to figure out how to describe it. And now I’m even more paranoid about my descriptions after the “Overdoing it?” discussion currently taking place!

I would have to say “Fragrant” is very appropriate to describe this tea. It is a bit perfumey, but not in a bad way. I can taste a bit of vanilla and some sort of fruity/citrus coming through. It has a wonderful oolong base, too! Usually I get teas that are supposed to resemble something else (Guava, coconut, chocolate covered strawberries, caramel, etc.) that it’s nice to just be able to enjoy this cup without trying to figure out if it lives up to its noun-name :)

Overall, I like it.

Now, it’s my last day of summer vacation and there is a 5-part Chopped All-Stars marathon waiting for me in my DVR folder. You know where to find me.

Made a 2nd infusion of this last night and iced it and man it held up well! It’s nice and sweet without any sugar, but not overly sweet. The ultra creamyness falls away to make way for the coconut in this batch. I don’t know if that’s because 1. I didn’t add soy milk, 2. It’s the 2nd infusion, or 3. It’s iced…..

I’d prefer a hot cup right now, but for some reason none of my travel mugs want to agree with me. Something I am NOT happy about since I start commuting via train next week. Speaking of which, gotta go buy my monthly rider pass now before the ticket booth closes at 6:30am! :)

Side note: I’m putting together a tea sampler box for my aunt today. She said she drinks “Mostly English Breakfast and Earl Gray… occasionally a dessert chai”… OHHH I’m so excited to corrupt and convert her to this wonderful world of tea! She has no idea what she’s missing!

My exact words when I tasted this tea just now were, “Ooh… Oh… Oh yea…” (Which, for some reason were spoken in an almost Tina Fay playing Sarah Palin accent….)

This tea is goooood! I got my 4 teas plus 6 samples from The Persimmon Tree in the mail today and based on smell alone I HAD to try this one first!

I’ve been really weary of white teas in the past, but every time I try them, I don’t know why I don’t drink them more! I think it has to do with the myth that white teas are super low in caffeine… Actually, how do you tell how much caffeine a white tea has, anyway? (Because I hear it fluctuates?)

Ok anyway, back to this tea. If you like coconut, and you like creamy, just go out and buy this tea. Seriously, stop reading this review and just go buy it. Even if you’re a white tea sissy like me. It reminds me, in a way, of the Cantaloupe and Creme tea from Butiki that is my #1 favorite tea ever. I added a bit of vanilla soy milk to this because it’s like 98* outside and I don’t care what studies say about hot tea bringing down your body temperature; it’s too hot for hot hot tea right now! I do have another mug of just hot tea over here trying to cool down, though, let me sip that…. yea, no, still too hot, the only flavor I get is burnt tongue coming through. So, for now, coconut, creme and vanilla soy milk is mmm mmmm delicious!

Backlog from last night.

I’m glad Brenden told me this was a calming blend, so I drank it at bedtime last night and not to get energy to do homework today!

This was a very calming, relaxing, herbal night time tea. I could taste all the herbal flavors melding together, urging me to drift off to sleep (BUT WAIT TEA, I said, I HAVE TO FINISH WATCHING BIG BROTHER!) The lemon in this tea appears more once the tea is slightly cooled.

I’m leaving off a rating since I mostly drink teas like this for their benefits, and anything with chamomile tends to remind me of sleep, so it’s not fair to compare it with other black teas that wake me up! Fair enough?

Again, thanks to Brenden from Whispering Pines for this sample! As soon as I got it, he recommended cold brewing it for 14 hours. “14 hours?!” I thought to myself. “How will I wait 14 hours to drink my tea?!” Well, let me tell you, it’s worth it.

I have to backtrack a second and say #1 I love mint. #2 I have a stomachache this morning so I needed mint tea. Badly.

Oh why hello Blackmint that has been cold brewing in my fridge all night. Usually I start my morning off with hot tea, but since it’s already fairly warm at 7:30am, this is perfect.

I can’t say enough good things about this tea. It’s not bitter at all. It’s smooth. It’s perfectly minty. I appreciate that there are two different kinds of mint in it; I think that helps the depth of flavor. And then riiiight at the end, when you think the sip is gone, there is a touch of cinnamon. Not too much to overpower the flavors… in fact, if it wasn’t listed I don’t know if I would have noticed it, but since I was looking for it, I do. It’s doing something for the flavors, though, since it’s not JUST mint. Loving this tea! When I make it hot, I’ll let you know how it is that way, too! :)

If you haven’t already gotten your Whispering Pines samples, I suggest you do! This is a great tea company and I’m excited to have found it!

Second infusion just as good as the first! I can definitely see myself drinking this on cold winter mornings waiting for that 4:39am commuter train to pick me up!

I put some of this in a cold cup in the fridge, then forgot what I had brewed. I was pleasantly surprised when I took a sip! This tea is even fantastic iced! The creamy falls away a little bit and is replaced by more lemon, but that also could be because it was my second infusion…

While I was absorbed in my Smokey Mountain Mate, my S’mores was over in my infuser, taking a nice long steeping. Brenden from Whispering Pines suggested a 20 minute steep, though mine MAY have been more like 23 by the time I made it over to pull the basket up (THIS is why I need a Breville to automatically do things for me! #firstworldproblems)

Anyway, I added a little soy milk to this cup, because… well mostly because I wanted to. As I walked back to my stool, I smelled the cup and knew it smelled AWESOME but couldn’t place the scent. Then it hit me! Smells JUST LIKE graham crackers!!! Sweet cinnamon goodness!

First sip… I don’t know if I would place this as s’mores right away, but it certainly tastes good… I definitely get the marshmallow and graham cracker right away, but the chocolate doesn’t hit me as much as I would like. Maybe it would just muddle the mix if it was more prominent, though… The cinnamon/sugar flavor of this comes through more than anything. I might just call it graham cracker tea if I didn’t know better! I’m not complaining, though, I love graham crackers :) Overall, the depth of flavor is actually impressive and I’m left with a lingering sweet marshmallow flavor. I wonder if adding sugar would bring out the flavors or just make this over the top sweet. I’m not going to mess with it, though! Thanks for the free sample, Brenden !

Yay! After (not so) patiently waiting for the mail all day, it finally arrived and I had my 5 samples from Whispering Pines Tea Company YES! As per *Brenden*’s suggestion, I brewed a hot cup of this tea while infusing S’mores for 20 minutes and cold brewing Blackmint overnight :)

So, Smokey Mountain Mate! I was drawn to this tea because of it’s description; individually pine smoked batches? Who WOULDN’T want to try that? And since I was unable to go camping this summer, this will have to do for now…

I don’t want to add soymilk to this, so I’ve been letting it cool longer than usual and the suspense is killing me! Let’s see if I don’t scald myself while I taste it… Nope, cup is even too hot… let me clean up my kitchen and I’ll get back to you…

Alright well I worked on tricks with my puppies instead of cleaning, but they now know sit AND lay down (though they more instantly lie down when they see the treat bag, but whatever).

Transferred tea to a NOT scalding cup and tasted… OMG YUM! Let me tell you a little story that anybody who has ever gone camping will relate to…. you know how when you go camping, you’re out by the campfire all night and you don’t really notice how you smell until you get home and shower and then pick up your clothes to put them in the wash and you’re like wow… I really smelled like campfire! THAT’S EXACTLY HOW THIS TEA TASTES. Except less gross. Because my description was a little gross. But my point is, this tea perfectly embodies camping and campfire and WOW. You can definitely tell this is actually smoked and didn’t just have smoke flavoring added to it. I don’t even want to drink it. I just want to hold it in my mouth and close my eyes and remember all my camping experiences (which makes me sad since I’ll never get to camp with my dad again :-/) Man! I was hoping this would replace camping for me, but now it makes me want to go camping even more! And take this tea and drink it by the campfire. I’m highly impressed! YUM!

Edit: It’s crazy how many emotions are unleashed through our senses. Drinking this reminds me so much of my dad and though it makes my heart ache and miss him like crazy, I welcome the experience…

The dogs and I are having an odd morning today. Since next week my alarm clock is going to be set for 3:30am (haha, yea…) I’ve been trying to get up earlier, but my dogs don’t seem to want to wake up until just around now, so it’s a battle of cranky dogs for a few hours.

Anyway, you might see a lot of tea tasting notes from me today because I’ve been slacking on drinking tea and as a result have become DEHYDRATED. Which is NOT good for my weak digestive system :-/ SO, tea is on the agenda today! (Along with homework for the final few weeks of my online classes FINALLY)

So, to the tea. I didn’t smell much when this was in the bag (A sample from Amy Oh; THANK YOU!) but once it was it the cup, YUM! Smells JUST LIKE lemon dessert bars mmmmm. I’m almost afraid to taste it because I don’t want to ruin the taste… Well, here goes nothing… Sip…. Not bad! It has a lighter flavor than the smell, but it does taste almost exactly like it smells! Perfect lemony creamy flavor with just the perfect taste of green tea. Now, I’m not usually a green tea fan, but I actually really like this flavor. Must be a different type of green tea (and I’m a fan!) I think the soymilk I added helps with the creamyness, but I might actually omit it on the next cup and see if it brings out the lemon flavor a bit more. Thanks for the sample Amy Oh and for creating this wonderful tea Frank ! :)

Oh. My. Goodness. It might just be the mood I am in right now, but this tea is FANTASTIC. After dinner tonight (vegan “chicken”, vegan mac and cheese and green beans, thank you very much) I REALLY wanted something sweet, but didn’t really want to go get dessert. Then I remembered I bought some German Rock Sugar from Teavana on a whim yesterday… The wheels started to turn… Let me say first that I NEVER EVER sugar my tea (I don’t really like to eat a lot of sugar, in fact) but I was CRAVING sugar tonight. So into my infuser went some sugar, and some of this tea. Into my mug went some soymilk and 4 minutes later… pourrrrr and sipppp and…. Blisssssss. Each sip is perfectly blueberry and creamy and sweet and EXACTLY what I needed tonight. I can’t attest to how it would taste without soymilk or sugar but I can guarantee you that WITH it, I am in heaven. Now goodbye while I slip away into blueberry creme paradise….

First, THANK YOU to Epi Tea for this sample. This is my second pyramid, but I didn’t rate the first (BAD MADI) so let’s give it a try this go round.

Now, I am very glad this tea was on the TOP of my sample box because I couldn’t stand being in my tea pantry any longer smelling teas. I may or may not have consumed one too many margaritas at dinner last night so I may or may not be feeling like I’m going to collapse and die any second. I should stick to tea in the future.

Anyway, because of my lack of being a proper human being this morning, I made this tea in a fashion that will make you all gasp and cringe. I put one cup in the microwave for 2 minutes, and when the water was boiling, I dumped it over the tea bag waiting in another cup. Hey, I could have just stuck the whole cup, teabag and all in the microwave, so don’t judge me, ok?

When I poured the water onto the tea bag, however, I SWEAR it screamed. No, I’m still not drunk. I heard this hiiiigggghhhh pitch wailing coming from my cup. I looked to my dogs to make sure it wasn’t them whining, but they were looking at me so I knew it wasn’t them. Then they started barking, though, so I couldn’t hear the wailing… I put a lid on the cup, just in case.

Ohh, 4 minutes has passed now, time to remove my teabag! I mean sachet! And add a little soymilk… (Again, I know you’re going to cringe at my tea drinking habits)

First sip, the lavender hits you right away. It’s a perfectly soothing, calming lavender… Just what I need right now… The more I drink it’s as if I’m getting used to the lavender and the earl grey is peeking through more. It’s not a 100% in your face bergamont flavor, but that’s nice because I don’t want the flavors competing; I like the lavender taking charge and the earl grey just supporting it. I would definitely recommend this tea, even if you’re not a huge earl grey fan but are a lavender fan. Definitely want to enjoy lavender for this tea.

Mmmm off to enjoy the rest of this cup. It’s just what I needed this morning! :)

At first sip, I thought, oh I can only taste mate, not chocolate, but even before that sip was over BAM chocolate appeared (guess I just gotta be patient!) Now, with every sip I am enjoying the intertwining flavors of mate and chocolate. I got this as a sample from Amy oh (THANK YOU!) so it was just labeled chocomate. I knew there was something different about the chocolate flavor but it wasn’t until I looked it up on here that the malt part clicked.

I also love that this is a mate because I’m hoping for good caffeine out of it! Now that I love it, with my luck, it’s never going to exist again!

Thank you, Frank, for making my morning after a night of bad sleep a million times better, and thank you amy for giving me enough for another pot sometime :)

I tasted the Orange Vanilla Cream Black tea from Caraway and it was DELICIOUS, so I had high hopes for this tea. I was hoping for a light, creamy, vanilla-ish tea that would soothe me while simultaneously remind me of those orange creamsicle pops for which it was named…

Unfortunately, no such luck. While this tea wasn’t BAD, it definitely does not live up to its name. Even with some vanilla soymilk helping it along, it was flat and really had no depth of flavor. I will drink it, but I won’t crave it, that’s for sure!

Second steeping and the smokiness smooths out even more and the citrus shows through more obviously. Still very dark even on second use of leaves.

Good morning Steepster! I am tasting another tea from my sampler from Emilie this morning and I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised at this one. Being more of a dessert tea fan, “smoke-flavored” tea didn’t really sound all that “ME”. But, I was a member of the “two bite” club in pre-school, so I’ll just transform that into the “two-sip” club as an adult.

Well, I’ve made it past two sips already! :) The smoke flavor isn’t as overwhelming as I was afraid it was going to be, and I think my small addition of soy milk smooths it out even more. The description also says it has “citrus-bits” which I don’t know if I would have guessed otherwise. I can tell there’s a hint of something with the smoke, but I don’t know if my mind would have gone to citrus.

Overall, not a tea I would probably BUY for myself, but I definitely will drink the rest of what I have :) Thanks Emilie!

Another tea that I got in my box from Emilie :)

I don’t know if it is because this tea is from 2010, or what, but the flavors just didn’t shine through for me… and there were a lot of them that could have shined through!!! I iced this tea, and all that I could taste was the green tea base. I could SEE some fruit chunks in the tea itself, so that’s why I’m thinking it might have just not been completely fresh. For this reason, I’m not going to rate it since I don’t know the cause of it’s flavorlessness!

Edit: Perhaps this tea came from last year’s reblend… not so certain!

I got this tea as a sample from Emilie and I couldn’t be happier that I did! I am always weary of chais because they always come out super spicy or super cinnamon-y and I am just not a big fan of either of those being overpowering. I do like chai in general, though, so I wanted to give this chai a shot. This chai is AMAZING! The vanilla is super smooth and while the cinnamon and spice flavors are there, they are not overpowering, just complementary to the vanilla and the tea itself. I prepared this chai with a little bit of vanilla soymilk, heated first, and it reminds me perfectly of the chai lattes I used to get working at Barnes and Noble in college. Perfect.

Okay, I’m trying to be a better little steepster reviewer, so here goes my THIRD review in THREE days! (Thank you, thank you, hold your applause!)

After trying Bananas Foster which I was less than satisfied with (sorry Frank!) I was digging through my sample box and found a sample of Hot Buttered Banana Bread. Since I was still looking for that banana satisfaction, I gave it a go.

This is WAY better than the Bananas Foster, but still only a tiny bit of banana… I think you can definitely pick up the other flavors in this one, though, which makes it a satisfying cup. A little bit of walnut, a smooth butter, and then the banana underneath it all.

As usual, I made this with soymilk, which I’m sure changes the taste just slightly. I have a feeling that as this cup cools off, the flavors are just going to get stronger and more delicious. Yep, just took another sip and the banana is coming out more and more.

Glad this one doesn’t have cinnamon in it because that’s what killed the hot cup of bananas foster. Yum yum!