Jaime

I don’t know how LiberTEAS did it. I’ve been wanting to try this tea since before I was on Steepster. I went to Dallas this past summer for our national conference, and did a search for local tea cafes…theirs came up. Sadly, I didn’t get to go, but now!! Now I get to try this tea! Thank you so, so much, LiberTEAS. You’re the awesome!

Brewed at my standard new-to-me white tea parameters: 185 for 2 minutes. Scent is pure strawberry. Taste is a lovely, natural, vine-ripened, still warm from the sun strawberry that is a perfect compliment to the Bai Mu Dan base. The strawberry is both strong and subtle: it’s clear and crisp but doesn’t overpower the white tea at all. Whilst it’s delicious hot, I bet this could be really good iced. Would also be a really good base for a syrup for a dessert topping…hmm…has anyone made tea-infused sugar syrups?

JacquelineM sent me a little tin of this to try…thank you so much!!

It’s almost too pretty to brew. This is full of rose petals! Has a lovely rose and earl grey scent, with just a hint of jasmine.

In the brewed cup, though, that hint of jasmine becomes a whole heap o’ jasmine. There’s still some rose, and bergamot at the end of the sip, but there’s a whole heck of a lot of jasmine going on. And I’m not quite sure how I feel about that. See, me and jasmine…sometimes we just can’t be in the same room, and other days we’re best friends. Kind of like tweenage girls.

As it cools, there’s less up-front jasmine and more rose; bergamot is still playing the final fiddle. I’m thinking this is an Earl that’s just not for me. I’ll try it out again at a lower steep and see what happens.

vanilla_bookworm sent me some of this. It’s the World Market holiday exclusive from last holiday season. They haven’t brought it back for this season, so I am really excited to try it!

Scent is peppermint black tea with a touch of chocolate. Taste is a bit weak with a 3 minute steep, but there’s a definite mint taste, as well as chocolate and black tea. I definitely need to brew this at 5 minutes; the flavors are going to be much more intense with an additional 2 minute steep. I’ll hold off on rating for now.

Rolled out of bed on this lazy Sunday morning and looked out the window. It’s snowing. Again. So far, it has snowed every day in December here. I don’t like it, not one bit. It’s a bad omen for the rest of the winter.

Even if it is a bad omen, it does make for a great day to stay in and drink tea (yup, total repeat of yesterday). frenchvanilla sent me some bags of this to try. I’ve been eyeing the box of this every time I’ve been in the tea aisle lately, but haven’t caved yet (miracles never cease…wait, no, I bought other teas instead). Thanks for giving me the chance to try it out!!

It’s stout, strong, rich, and smooth. Just slightly astringent, but all the better for it. This is a breakfast tea that could actually stand up to a big, southern-style breakfast. Too bad I’m not having one this morning, but still, this should be the go-to tea at places like Bob Evans and Cracker Barrel to serve with the big breakfast platters.

vanilla_bookworm sent me a couple of bags of this…thanks!! I haven’t been able to find it around here yet, so I’m really excited.

When I opened the bags, my first thought was that there was a problem. It didn’t smell like gingerbread, it smelled like lemons! Sure enough, there it is: gingerbread with lemon. Lemon. Who would have thought to put lemon with gingerbread?

5 minutes later, and my kitchen smells like…lemons. Hmm…close-up sniff test yields a lemon bar/custard scent. Perhaps a bit of ginger, but it’s coming off more as a baked scent.

The primary taste for me is lemon, but there’s this background taste that’s very cookie-like. I’m getting just a hint of ginger…in fact, I’m not sure I’d have noticed the ginger if someone had just handed me a cup and said “here, drink this” (yes, I’ve had that happen; yes, I drank). It tastes very much like a baked lemon bar or cookie. And I quite like it.

Does it taste like gingersnaps? Nope. Is it tasty? Yes. Would I purchase it? Hells yeah, the instant I see it in the tea aisle.

Second steep at 10 minutes is not nearly as delightful as the first steep at 5. It’s merely a shadow of that lovely, tart brew, taunting me with hints of its former glory.

Sad.

Another sample from Meghann!! This one smells so very, very good…

Oh. Oh, my. Oh.

Fruity. Tart. Sweet. Blood orange. Rich. Thick. Magenta. Amazing.

Excuse me, I need to be alone with this for a bit.

I’ve been sitting here, craving cookies to the point that I’m getting ready to bake, when I remembered that Meghann (thanks luv!!)) had sent me these. Cookie score!! Not exactly what I’m craving (chocolate white chocolate chip), but not having to bake = win!

These are very nice. The texture of the cookie is like a love child between a sugar cookie and a Girl Scouts’ shortbread cookie, and the cookie “base” has a similar taste. I can definitely taste the honey (especially in the aftertaste), and there are citrus notes as well. Rooibos is also present, and my biggest complaint is that I’m getting bits of the rooibos stuck on my tongue. And they’re kinda stabby bits.

I am inspired to hunt up a sugar cookie recipe and see what goodness I can create with my tea stash.

Edit: okay, lowering rating. Not because of taste, but because of those stabby rooibos pieces. I’ve had 2 1/2 cookies and they’re all over my mouth. Ever had something on your tongue that you just couldn’t get off? Yup, that’s the feeling. Taste score: 80+. Stabby rooibos bits score: 15-.

Did anyone else notice that there’s two entries for this here on Steepster?

Anyway, I almost don’t want to taste this because I’m enjoying the scent too much. Yes, I’m practically huffing it! It smells like you’re baking a pumpkin pie in the oven whilst steeping chai on the stove all at once.

And that’s what it tastes like, too. The pumpkin is perfect, and the spices are perfectly balanced and warming. It’s absolutely delicious!! In my chai-adventures, there’s only one other I think I’d prefer over this one: LiberTEAS’ Masterpiece Chai.

I know this is a seasonal tea from David’s…someone please, just tell me that it’s a recurring seasonal tea.

Another sample from Rachel!! Yes, I’m having pot after pot of tea today and will probably be shaking from a caffeine overdose soon. I’ll switch to decaf/herbals at some point. Maybe. Or not.

I’m thinking that this may be my first TeaGshwendner tea!! Lisa at Cuppa has a catalog of their teas, and I flip through it often whilst having tea there, drooling over the unique blends. I’m so excited to try this one! Thanks, Rachel!

Okay, it’s not what I was expecting. I was expecting a hardened-sugar, caramelly, peanut taste. Like dropping an actual piece of peanut brittle into hot tea (have you ever done that? If not, you really should). It is nutty and really creamy, but I’m not getting the “brittle” taste that I would expect to be there with the name of this. It’s possible that it would come out with some agave nectar or honey…but seeing as I’m currently wrapped on the couch with about 4 blankets, I’m not getting up until it’s time to make another pot of tea.

Overall, it’s a very good tea, but doesn’t quite live up to its name. As far as “nutty” teas go, 52teas’ White Chocolate Cashew is much better than this one.

Ah, rum! I was seriously considering a pot of David’s Buttered Rum, and then remembered that the lovely Rachel had sent me some of this to try!

This is great!! I can taste everything: the rum, the lime, the mint, the green and black teas. I would never have thought to mix lime and peppermint together, but they’re really great together! I’ll definitely have to get some of this from Adagio when my cupboard’s under better control (or I simply can’t stand to not have it on hand, whichever comes first).

Rachel, thanks so much for sending me some of this to try. Love it!!

Now, most people wouldn’t think of popcorn as either a tea flavoring or as a Thanksgiving thing. Luckily, Frank thought of it as the first, and I’ve always had popcorn at some point over the Thanksgiving hols, ever since watching Charlie Brown and Snoopy making their Thanksgiving feast.

The smell reminds me of the Buttered Cinnamon Raisin Toast tea…rich and buttery. The taste is also rich and buttery…the movie popcorn butter type of buttery. Almost like you’ve got a big mouthful of movie popcorn in your mouth and wash it down with hot tea (though the actual popcorn taste is more of an aftertaste to me). The black tea base is bold and stands up well to the flavorings.

And if you like kettle corn, add agave nectar like LiberTEAS did. NOM!!! The flavors aren’t masked at all by the nectar, and that touch of sweetness gives it this amazing kettle corn taste. I must get some caramel syrup to try with it…caramel corn!!

I woke up to a solid inch of snow on the ground, and it’s still coming down quite nicely. I probably should go out and get a few errands done, but people in my town can’t drive in less-than-ideal weather conditions, so I’ll be hunkering down with old movies and tea. After all, it is the perfect day for it!

Geoffrey sent me some of this to try…can’t believe I’m just now getting to it. This is a great Earl blend! It’s lighter on the bergamot than I expected, which is great because it really lets the lemongrass and citrus come through. The base tea still shines in this as well. Everything blends together very well; no one flavor comes to the fore. I think I’ll try it at 5 minutes next time, though, to see if the bergamot gets stronger.

Thanks, Geoffrey! It’s yummy!

I’m finally home from my conference!! The only good parts about it were a) I was “at work” but not “working” and b) the catering had bags of Numi teas that I managed to sneak a handful of bags of to try later (I did drink several cups of the orange spice one whilst attempting to stay awake during the sessions).

So I go to check my mailbox, and the rest of my Black Friday tea orders are there, along with this mystery box. I opened it up, and it’s from LiberTEAS!!! She surprised me with a boxful of teas that she thought I’d like! I squealed when I saw this one was in it. I’ve been wanting to try it since LiberTEAS and TeaEqualsBliss logged it…I adore tart, and I’ve really been wanting to try some of the teas from this company.

I brewed for 10 minutes. It smells very interesting; the coconut and pineapple seem to be competing with the apple and rosehips. Actually, it smells very similar to Punch Green Rooibos from ESP Emporium!! I loved that blend; what will I think of this?

I’m tasting the pineapple over the hibiscus, as well as the apple and a smidge of the coconut. I’m also getting some vanilla-like notes…but maybe that’s just me. It’s absolutely delicious! It tastes similar to the Punch Green Rooibos. I’ve come to the conclusion, though, that my definition of “tart” is vastly different than others…for me, this is mildly, pleasantly sweet-tart, and is leaning much more toward the sweet end of the spectrum. If you like hibiscus and all things tart, this is definitely for you!

This would also be great iced (perhaps better, but it’s still good hot). I can definitely see myself icing it, mixing it with equal parts lemonade, and adding coconut rum for a summer treat!

This is the first hotel I’ve ever been to that serves Numi with its catering but gives you Lipton when you eat in their restaraunt. Makes no sense to me.

Yup, Numi tea notes to come.

Lounging in the hotel room, about to get ready for the day. So glad that this is the last day ofthe conference!! Have had quite a few cups of this tea this morning…and I do believe this one’sthe last of my stash. Here’s hoping the last few sessions aren’t mind-numbing.

I miss my Chloe. I’m having to make tea by the cup and it’s just not fun.

Ah, done with the conference for the day. Back in the room in my pjs (yes, I realize it’s a bit early, but I’m okay with that). Having my last bag of this. Very sad to see this go, but that just means there’s more room in my cupboard!!!

No notes yet.

On my way to a conference. Can you sense the excitement? O.o

We stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch, and I asked for hot tea. The waitress brought out two bags of this with a mug of hot water, and a little pot of more water. I steeped for about 3 minutes, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Couldn’t really make notes about what I tasted, but I’ve tucked the second bag in my purse to have later!!

No notes yet.

5 minutes this time. A little spicier, but I like it much better this way! I wish I had some milk to put in it and see how that would be, but it’s great as is.

Trying this again, but added an extra teaspoon of tea in (3 tsps for 16 oz). I can definitely smell pineapple this time around…

Still not getting much pineapple coming through in the taste, though this pot is much better than my previous attempts. Still getting that Genmaicha taste, but with more leaf it’s not as overpowering. Bumping the rating on this…it’s much, much better with that additional tsp of leaf!!

Really, Steepsterites? Really? I’m the first one to log this? How is that possible?

Anyway, amandajo sent me some of this a while back; I pulled it out this morning. Whilst I’m not a mother (a fact that my mother whines about at least once a week), I’m still partaking. If your friends refer to you as their Mama Jaime, it kinda counts, right?

The first thing I taste is the lavender. It’s smooth, definitely the most prominent taste, but not overpowering (lavender usually slaps me in the face, so this is a very nice change). After lavender, it’s vanilla, and then the white tea. As it cools, more of the strawberry comes out, though it’s more of a come-and-go thing.

The more I drink it, the more I like it. I’m really not a huge fan of lavender, so finding something I actually enjoy that contains it is novel, yet nice. I should have known though: if anyone can make a lavender blend that I like, it would be Frank.