Jaime

I got a fantastic box in the mail yesterday from Rachel! it was so hard to decide what to have first, but the I found this one tucked in, and just had to have it.

It’s warm, and just ever so spicy. It’s so creamy, almost like I’ve added creamer to it. The pumpkin is authentic. Delicious!! Thanks, Rachel, for giving me the chance to try this! It’s one of the best pumpkin teas vie ever had!

For some reason, this bag is really strong on the ginger today. I’m undecided on how I feel about this.

Tried brewing it at 2 minutes rather than 3…I think I like it much better! Brews up very light, and not very strong on the floral (which is good, since I actually hadn’t intended on grabbing this tea out of my drawer).

No notes yet.

I keep having to add these Mount of Olives teas…this one is just plain English Breakfast rather than the one with pomegranate (though I really need to find some of that one to try).

Bag says it’s flavored with orange…I’m not getting much in the way of that in the actual tea. It’s a bit bitter, and definitely not all that grand. It’ll work for caffeine consumption!

No notes yet.

Re-steep of yesterday’s leaves. Not so much whiskey sour, more tea splashed with whiskey. More sweet than sour, and still delicious!

Picked up a few different teas from Cuppa to have here in the evenings (they’ve changed their hours, close at 5 now). This was one of them. While I was getting some out for JacquelineM, I decided that I had to have a pot of this for myself.

I’m not even going to try to make a latte out of it tonight…it’s delicious just as it is.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

Another pit stop at Cuppa on a day where everything’s going crazy (really, who delivers 18 cases of yogurt without thinking something’s wrong with the order?). Ordered a Chocolate-covered Strawberry latte before realizing that they have new teas!!!! So I’ll definitely be heading back down soon to try those out.

Still, this latte is fantastic…a pureed chocolate-covered strawberry. Definitely a sanity-soother (and it’s pretty darn good as a plain tea, as well).

I didn’t find out about LiberTEAS’s company until after it had closed…yes, once I read about her blends, I had an incredible sad. LiberTEAS, bless her, kindly sent me some of her teas in a swap, and I’ve been fortunate enough to get a very small supply of her Breakfast Blend on hand (it’s the best ever, and yes, I’m hoarding the stuff).

In my awesome swap box from Meghann, she had nearly a full tin of this tucked into it, as well as my beloved Breakfast Blend!! Yes, I squealed like a little girl. Actually, probably more like a tweenage girl watching Twilight, squealing when Edward appears on the screen. You would have laughed.

I’m slightly worried about this, not going to lie. I’ve not been having the best of luck with caramel teas here lately, but I know if anyone can do a tea right, it’s LiberTEAS. After all, her Masterpiece Chai is, well, a masterpiece.

She’s not let me down. It’s bold, in your face, and awesome. Creamy and caramel, but without that “burnt” taste that I’ve been finding in other caramel blends. I’m seriously considering making a T-sac full of this, taking it to Cuppa, and begging Lisa to make me a latte out of it with caramel syrup (I’m crap at making lattes at home). This is delicious. Debating adding a smidge of sugar to this, but I honestly don’t think it needs it. Nom, nom, nom!!

If I’m going to have a mixed drink, it’s most likely going to be a whiskey sour. When Frank hinted that his next blend would rival the wine-flavored teas, I wished and wished and hoped that it would be a whiskey sour tea.

Yes, happy Jaime happily bought two pouches.

The Golden Yunnan base is delicious; bold, and not overpowered by the flavorings. As for the flavorings, yes, it tastes like a whiskey sour. Good, full whiskey flavor, just a hint (more like a whisper) of cherry, and somehow Frank managed to make this taste like there’s actual sweet & sour mixer blended in. It’s not as strong on the “sour” part as I prefer…then again, if this were the lock-your-jaw sour that I prefer, very few others would like it…or even make it past the first sip.

Frank, you’re a tea-blending genius. I firmly believe that this should be in the permanent collection, and that you should enter it into the North American Tea competition next year.

This was an extra sample that was tucked into my Octavia order. I’m very excited to get to try it, especially since I would have probably ordered it had I not completely missed it on their website. I love rooibos blends, partly because I really enjoy the flavor of rooibos, and partly because they’re caffeine-free and I can drink them right up until bedtime and still be able to sleep. I also love hibiscus blends, again because of the caffeine-freeness of it, and because I love the sweet/tart/tanginess that they have.

Combine those two and add peaches? Damn, that’s some good stuff.

The peach is strong and distinctive, and is definitely the strongest flavor, followed closely by hibiscus and then the rooibos. The peach is a true, ripe, Georgia peach that tastes as though you just bit into a perfect peach. This tea is sweet, tart, and in-your-face. Just by drinking a few sips hot, I know I could drink gallons of this during the summer months.

My 52teas order arrived! Did a small happy dance at the mailbox (which is one of those communal thingies in middle of neighborhood), then had the crushing thought that I hadn’t ordered anything decaf/caffeine-free and would have to wait until morning to dig in. I’m sure the neighbors had a good laugh at my expense. Got in the house, opened the pack, and I had ordered this! Another happy dance into the kitchen to brew up a pot.

Okay, let me just say this: if you like strawberries, you must go buy this tea now. Naow. Seriously, if you like strawberries, your life is not complete without this blend. I’m having this neat, no additives, no nothing, and it’s the awesome. I can only begin to imagine how magnificent this will be as a latte.

I can’t believe I’ve not logged this one yet…I know I’ve had it. Anyway, I brewed a strong cup of this up this afternoon. It went at least 10 minutes (one of the plant operations guys stopped in to chat, so I’ve no idea how long it actually went); 10 minutes is my usual steep for this.

I really like this one. I think it’s the closest I’ve come to finding a tea that actually really tastes like apple cider. Good, strong apple taste, and the spice blend is great. I’m so glad I splurged and grabbed a box this season. I like it much better than Republic of Tea’s Hot Apple Cider. Plus, the individually wrapped bags means it can travel well in my purse!

Meghann introduced me to this tea a while back…and sent me a bunch more in our last swap! I’ve brought some to the office to enjoy here. It’s bright and fruity and sweet, and makes for a fantastic afternoon pick-me-up (well, unless you don’t like hibiscus). I really, really love this one, and bringing it to work was an excellent idea. I think I feel a second wind coming on…

Another one that I’m now out of. I definitely highly recommend. It’s a very, very nice decaf tea!

Down to the last bag of this…and luckily, I brought a bunch of tea bags to reload my work stash. The heat’s out again, so I’ll be trying to stay warm all day.

What makes a Chai “Thai”? Is that coconut I smell? It is!! Mmm…coconut. Love the smell of this as it steeped.

Very smooth taste; spices are well-balanced and no single one is trying to steal the show. It tastes “Thai”: spicy, coconutty, lemony. More sweet-spicy than hot-spicy, but it still warms you up from the inside out!

Thanks, Meghann, for sending me some of this. It’s definitely one of my favorite chais that I’ve had!

I’ve been saving my Fall teas sampler from David’s until I’d decupboarded some things. Well, that went out the window this morning. And then I noticed that the Winter collection is already out…

Opened this little bag up, and the smell is divine. Identical to a baking crumble, right down to the crumble brown sugar/cinnamon/oats scent. Smell of the brewed cup is just as delicious. It smells calorie-laden and decadent.

Taste isn’t quite up to the smell. It’s more fresh strawberry than anything else. There’s a hint of the cinnamon/crumble, but not as powerful as the berry. I do also get some hibiscus taste as well. Can’t really taste the white tea at all.

Is it what it’s name says? To a point. Scent is 100% accurate, taste not so much. It’s delicious, but I’m a little disappointed that the two don’t match better. I also feel this would have benefited from being a rooibos or honeybush base: the white tea is essentially lost here, and the rooibos/honeybush may have helped carry the crumble/cinnamon flavors better.

As the cup cools, the crumble taste does come out more. A lot more, in fact. So much so that I’m tempted to delete what I’ve written and start fresh. I’ve never ahd a cup change this much as it cooled. Hibiscus is still there, though, so if you’re not a fan, I’d recommend staying away.

No notes yet.

I’ve had this one lingering in the back of my work stash for a while. Finally decided to brew it up, since I’m no longer afraid of chais and in fact, find them quite delightful.

This, however, is not so delightful.

It smells like cinnamon and some other spices. It tastes…old. Not old-tea old or stale-old. No, this tastes old like a really elderly person’s house just smells “old”. Or how old books smell “old”. The tea itself tastes fine, but the flavors…old.

No notes yet.