Jaime

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I had hoped to sipdown quite a few more of my samples before my Black Friday tea splurges started arriving…no such luck, my Tavalon order was sitting on my front porch when I got home! To celebrate, I brewed up a couple bags of this that Rachel sent my way. I couldn’t decide between a 5 or 10 minute steep, so I went 5.

It’s not the strongest chai out there, nor the sweetest. It’s not quite up to the level of Adagio’s Thai Chai (which I really, really love), but would be a good substitute if you had a Thai Chai craving but didn’t want the caffeine. The spices are there, the black tea is there (and I can’t taste that it’s decaf), the coconut is there but could be stronger, and the rooibos is definitely there as well. And I’m certainly slurping it down!!

Thanks, Rachel, for sending this my way!!

I had one bag of this left. I decided to experiment. Brewed it for 3 minutes, and brewed a bag of Alpine Berry for 10 minutes along with it.

Turned out kinda meh. I can finish this cup, but I’m not happy about it.

This has been so very comforting to have at work in the afternoons…am a little sad to see it go, but it’s nice to be decupboarding it!!

Swung by Cuppa for a latte before heading out to visit one of my schools…it’s such a yucky, rainy day that you just have to stop for a good cup of tea. I didn’t want any of the lattes that they have on the menu, so I asked Lisa to create a new one with this tea.

Winter’s Night latte: Starry Night black tea, 2% milk, and caramel, white chocolate, and vanilla syrups.

I’ve only got three words for you: Nom, nom, nom!!!!

(Not rating this one right now, since it’s been a while since I’ve had just Starry Night by itself. But it’s awesome, too, if memory serves.)

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve had this tea. It’s one of my favorites. I was in a bit of a hurry today, and only steeped for 3 minutes. I think I prefer 5; at that steep, it’s a thicker, richer cup. At 3, it’s very light and delicate with apple being very prominent, and the cinnamon a barely-there note. Both ways are yummy!

Yes, this tea was meant for a longer steep! There’s still notes of honeysuckle, but it’s not cloyingly sweet now. It’s dark but rather delicate, and slightly astringent, but that adds to the tea rather than detracts. It’s got earthy undertones as well. Not something I’ll invest in again, I don’t think, but nonetheless a unique tea that I’m happy to have tried.

Okay, changing things up a bit since pot after pot of Earl Grey has started affecting my taste buds. This is a very fruity blend; at three minutes I’m starting to pick up the cherry in it. Overall, though, it seems to be more of a summer tea that should be served iced.

I’m not sure about this Earl blend, to be honest. Perhaps it’s because I’ve just finished a pot of a different Earl and that’s affecting my tastes on this one?

It tastes toasted to me…in a similar way to the Coconut Cocoa from RoT that I had last night. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d say I hadn’t cleaned my Chloe well enough and that tea had contaminated this one. But since I’ve had 2 pots since the Coconut Cocoa with no flavor infringement, that can’t be the case. There’s some bergamot there, but the toasted taste really competes with it.

Okay, after letting it cool for a smidge, the toasty-taste eases up and the bergamot is more prominent. Still, this is definitely an Earl-light. Would be a good intro tea for those who want to start foraying into the world of bergamot-flavored teas. As for me, I’ll finish this tin (can cardboard be called a “tin”?) and frolic with other Earls.

It’s shaping up to be a nasty, rainy day here in the Bluegrass. And rainy days translate to pot after pot of Earl Greys for me. I had actually set this one up last night anticipating the weather, so it was waiting on me when I rolled out of bed. I really enjoy this blend; the bergamot scent is so very strong in the dry leaf, but is much more subdued in the actual brewed cup. Very, very nice to have on a rainy Tuesday morning.

My last pot of this. It’s been fantastic, and I’ll revisit it in the future. But for now, it’s goodbye.

frenchvanilla sent me some of this to try. Thanks so much!!!

I’m not sure about the smell of this…not gonna lie, I thought the smell was coming from my dinner (breaded chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuit) at first, and then I realized, no, it’s coming from the teapot. o.O So, yeah…this smells very savory to me!!

It tastes very toasted coconut to me, though it seems more strongly toasted than coconut. Not really getting much on the cocoa side, but it’s there in the aftertaste. Still can’t believe how much this smells like my dinner! I think I’ll hold off on rating it for now…and will try steeping for 10 minutes as well.

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Monday has been kinder than I thought it would be after the holiday weekend. Here’s hoping that the trend continues!!

I was feeling the need for blueberries, and this tea hits the spot. It’s actually my least favorite of the hibiscus teas…but it’s still very nice.

ETA: Okay, accidentally dropped a Vanilla Tootsie Roll midgee into this cup. I highly recommend doing this on purpose!

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I think I may like this better at 3 minutes than at 4! This is one of the best oolongs I’ve had, bagged or otherwise. The plum flavor is such a great compliment to the oolong, and a very nice change from the usual peach flavored ones.

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I’m slowly migrating the majority of my bagged teas to my work stash. Yes, I could do loose-leaf here, but fully admit that I’m too lazy to either a) pre-bag into tsacs or b) deal with the cleaning of brew baskets. I like bags for work. It’s less thought-process involved, and I really like that.

So, on to this tea! Rachel tucked this into that lovely sampler box she sent me. It’s definitely got the ginger going on. So much so that I can see it settling out of the tea and gathering at the bottom of my mug. There’s a slight lemon taste that does ease the ginger a bit, but I’m not getting any green tea taste at all. Just ginger, and that savory aftertaste that goes along with that.

Now, if you’re in the mood or really like ginger, this tea would be a must-have for you. For me, it’s good right now because I was slightly stuffed up and now I’m not. I couldn’t drink it on a regular basis, though, because to me it kinda tastes like liquid Duck Curry.

I have no idea how old this bag is. Whilst helping Mom make candy, I found it at the back of her cupboard. I’m sure that I bought it and took a few bags there to keep on hand when I visited. I vaguely remember picking up this tea, and I know that it was purchased between 2-4 years ago. Yay for my memory :-P

It tastes more herbal than tea. There’s a hint of fruit, but nothing you could put your finger on. Can’t really taste any white tea at all. Just herbs, but they’re not bitter or medicinal tasting. It’s not bad, but rather unremarkable.

Sometimes I love driving 2 hours from my parents’ place and coming straight into work. Other times, like today, it just makes me sad and want to go straight home instead of working.

But there’s this little gas station on the way that makes the best sausage biscuits…and they let me fill up my travel mug with hot water at no charge. I had quite a few teas with me, but needed something bagged. This was the one that fit the bill. I quite like it, and it made me very happy this morning. Was a great compliment to a sausage biscuit!!

Finishing up the last of this sample from LiberTEAS. It’s a great early morning, get-me-going cup.