Mercuryhime

Yummy chai! The smell of the dry leaf is heavenly. The rooibos is definitely in there, but not strong. It’s behaving despite a long steep. There’s a slight burn from the peppercorn. Cinnamon and cloves and cardamom. Mmmmmm…. so tasty. I love spices. I might have been born with a piece of cinnamon in one fist and a cardamom pod in the other. The coconut makes it’s all smooth and decadent feeling.

I’ve been looking for a perfect caffeine free chai that I can keep on constant supply. This is a strong contender. One day, when I’m in the mood, I may try it sweet with milk.

I think that if this hadn’t been oversteeped and scorched, it would have been amazing and perfect. I got this at a bakery on a cold night to warm me up, but couldn’t control the water temperature. Anyway, the tea was astringent and a bit bitter, but underneath that, there’s a really delicious fruity sweet flavor with a bright green base. I bet that if I had steeped it properly, it would have been delicious. The fella even had some and he doesn’t even like pineapple. He thought it tasted sweetened even though it wasn’t. Might make a good drink when you’re craving sweets of the fruity nature. Drink tea instead of eating lollipops?

Thanks to Uniquity, I finally get to try this tea. It’s been on my shopping list since forever! I know I just wrote a post about how I’m not the hugest fan of black tea, but this one sounds so fantastically flavored and everyone likes it! I’m weak for hype, I guess.

So this tea is malty, sweet and caramelly. I feel like the vanilla is really there as a support for the caramel. I did add some milk and sugar, but I feel like it was better without. While I really enjoyed the flavor, I think I’m the only person in the world who’s not a fan of Harney’s black tea base. I can’t detect anything wrong with it, but somehow, I’m just not a fan. It’s smooth. It doesn’t get bitter. It’s rich but not too bold. It’s pretty mellow and comforting. Maybe I’m just crazy. Maybe I have to train my palate for black tea. Maybe it’s a subconscious fear of caffeine even though I know this one is decaf. I still keep expecting the jitters and the pressure behind my eyeballs.

Any how! Love the flavor! Love that it’s decaf! I’m sure the tea base and I will get along over time. :)

So, I’ve never been a fan of black tea except for the milky sweet variety or the interestingly flavored variety. Sometimes I have a craving for black tea, but as I drink it, I realize I’m not enjoying as much as I want to. So I never make an effort to have black tea around. In fact, I sometimes take steps to avoid getting black tea. I know this makes me an anomaly in the tea world. But everyone makes this tea sound so special, I had to give it a try.

I’ve never had tippy black tea before. The leaves really are very cute somehow. I guess my palate is not trained on blacks because all I can say about the smell and the taste is that it’s a black tea. It’s got a bit of sweetness and leafiness. Surprisingly, I get no caffeine jitters from this. I just feel like I have energy bubbling below the surface. I imagine this is how caffeine makes most normal people feel. :) Over all, this is very pleasant. It is the smoothest most drinkable black tea I remember having.

I did have to repress an urge to add milk and sugar at my first sip. I still can’t say that I love black tea, but I can drink this one and enjoy it even without additions.

I’m really tired today. It’s been kind of depressing. I totally needed an uplifting tea. Citrus always struck me as a cheery scent so I gave this a try. THe smell totally reminds me of chinese yogurt drinks. It’s also like Pink Berry, which I love. The lime is a really nice complement. I didn’t really like it hot, probably because of the slight tartness. I loved how it felt creamy though. I like it a lot better now that it’s cooled down.

The smell is great but the taste, not as great. It was alright, but I probably won’t buy any more.

This reminds me of banana bread. I can’t say I’m getting much chocolate, nor am I tasting the peppercorn. I’m relieved that the banana isn’t stronger. The last banana tea I tried was over the top banana and it was really too much. This seems a much more natural banana flavor. I was hoping for more chocolate though. The rooibos is also not shy here. It’s a good support for the light flavors.

I can’t say I’ll want to drink this again, but it wasn’t bad.

Thank you Uniquity for the chance to try this tea. :)

The moment I smelled this tea, I knew I had to have it. I was at the David’s Tea store with a huge assortment of silver tea canisters sitting in front of me. A helpful lady is opening canisters one after the other as I point them out. I sniffed each tea 2 or 3 times before deciding if I wanted to get some. But then this tea came along. The lid was barely open before I said, “Yes.” I don’t know what it is about the flavor of almond extract, amaretto, marzipan, etc, but it is intoxicating and alluring. It’s not much like fresh actual almonds, but it is amazingly decadent.

Anyway, this tea is almond extract and marzipan and amaretto merged with fruit punch. I feel like I’m having spiked fruit punch for breakfast. This actually sounds like a good idea. Am I normal? AND, the best part is, my drink is from a second steep. I made my husband this tea last night, then put the used leaves in a cup of water and put it in the fridge for the night. It tastes awesome. How does a second steep of a rooibos taste so awesome?

I made a second steep and then ate the cantaloupe chunk before discarding the leaves. That’s was one tasty dried (rehydrated) cantaloupe! Where can I get me some of those!

Anyway, steep two has lost most of the flavoring. Now it’s a nice white tea with a hint of melon-y aftertaste. It seems almost natural that it should be there.

My taste has returned! I mean, mostly. So to celebrate my ability to taste and smell and breathe through my nose, I decided to try one of the teas Uniquity so generously sent me.

I picked this one since it was the strongest smelling tea of the bunch so even with my nose at 80% performance level, I’ll be able to taste the flavor. When I first opened the pouch, I got a strong whiff of chocolate. After my confusion died down, I sniffed again and found the cantaloupe smell hiding underneath. Awesome. Chocolate and fruit! So I brew it up (with a giant chunk of dried cantaloupe that I plan to eat later) and I get this lovely yellow liquor which smells equally like cantaloupe and chocolate. “This is going to be awesome,” I think to myself as I take my first sip.

mmmmm…. The white tea flavor is pretty strong and mellow. The cantaloupe flavor is just the right strength. It neither overwhelms nor fades into the background. At the end of the sip, there’s a brothy richness that’s a surprising but very enjoyable. I still get a suggestion of chocolate in the taste, but mostly, it’s fruity and summery. It tastes great cold as well. I think this white tea would have been delicious even without added flavor, but the cantaloupe is a sweet touch.

I love the experience of a quality white tea, but I don’t like the caffeine headache and jittery-heart-pounding-ness I get. I’m just so sensitive to chemicals and drugs. I can’t even drink more than half a bottle of beer before I’m flushed. I’m sad that I can only have white tea sparingly, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience such tastiness.

Sore throat and sniffles for the past couple of days. :( Since I can’t taste anything, I haven’t been able to enjoy any food or drink, but ginger’s warmth can’t be hidden by a mere stuffy nose. The slight burn on my sore throat deludes me into thinking that I’m burning away the germs. It’s pleasant and hot and relaxing. I added some honey so that there would be a contrast between the burny and the sweet. I can’t detect flavor, but the taste and sensations are pleasant.

Now I’m craving something minty. Maybe it’ll help cool my throat.

Tastes very herbal and earthy. But the flavoring is strong and it tastes like cake. Nutty vanilla cake. I actually find the herbal flavor pleasant. The fact that it tastes like cake on top of that is awesome. I keep finding things I love from DT. I also love that it’s caffeine free. I need to get more of this.

I bought this mostly because my husband and I love nuts. I was expecting to be blown away by the nuttiness. Unfortunately, this as much apple as nuts. I keep trying to ignore the apple but it’s just there, man. I can enjoy this but it simply didn’t meet expectations. It does taste like an apple cake though. That’s pretty awesome.

Green rooibos and I are new best friends. Especially this one. It’s very fruity and sweet with big chunks of dried fruit. I can definitely taste the peach and mango. It’s the candy version of these fruits but I’m ok with that. It adds to the illusion of sweetness even without sugar. There is a bit of flavor after taste that leaves me feeling like I just finished some candy. And of course my husband loved it because it was sweet and fruity. Yay. I have just enough left after my pot of tea to make a large pitcher of cold brewed yummy. That’s the fella’s favorite way of having tea. Cold, fruity and sugared up. Hopefully, I get a taste of it before he sugars up the whole pitcher. I also love that it’s caffeine free. I wish I wasn’t so sensitive to caffeine.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

I finally made it to the new store in manhattan (Bleeker) and I just love the staff there. So friendly. They were impressed that I came In with a list of teas. I am a dork, obviously. They were sampling this tea today and I’m pleasantly surprised. I didn’t expect to like it this much since mint blends tend to be overly minty and I’m not usually a fan of black tea but this is good. The tea base actually acts as a malty boost to the chocolate with a minty brightness keeping it interesting. I was almost tempted to get some. Instead, I left with about ten .5 ounce bags of different teas to try.

I’ll be back to try others. Yaaaay. I’m so excited that DT opened here.

I had this tea twice today. I rarely want the same tea twice in one day. Obviously, there’s something going on with this tea. It grows on you. It’s simple on the surface, but when you pay attention, the individual flavors emerge. Today, I had the bag in the water for a few hours and I tasted something that seemed like chocolate. Then I figured it was the chicory and carob. I think I’ll do long steeps more often. And the peppermint is so cooling. It would probably be great for sore throats too.

So I keep looking for Candy Cane Lane at my grocery store cause of all the hype that this tea gets. It’s almost the middle of December and still no Candy Cane Lane. You suck, A&P. And not just because you don’t stock holiday tea. (2nd to worst produce everrrrr) Fortunately, I have a nearby Trader Joe’s and I’ve been assured that this tea is the same. Yaaaay. I love you, Trader Joe’s.

So the packaging is just adorable. A polar bear in a sweater having a hot cup of tea. I want to meet this bear and have tea with him. I’ll bring some smoked salmon sandwiches. And the narwhale is invited too. We could do some holiday decorating. He seems into that sort of thing. In short, the package art indulges my childish imagination.

The smell of the tea reminded of the car freshener my dad used when I was young and prone to car sickness. I had a brief moment where I re-experienced all the times I threw up in dad’s old Lincoln. Then that moment was over and I smelled peppermint, cinnamon, and vanilla. There’s also some mystery smells that I don’t recognize. Together, it all smells kinda crazy.

Then I let it brew for a long time while I had dinner. The flavor is really close to a candy cane, actually. I’m sort of impressed. Then I notice the individual flavors. Nice. The more I drink this, the more I like it. I love the cool peppermint and the smooth vanilla. And the cinnamon works so well here. I do wonder why there’s sugar in the ingredient list. Isn’t the sweetening of a tea left up to drinker’s preference? And gum acacia? Whyyyyy? I’d like this a lot more if not for the last two ingredients. But I totally see myself drinking this when I find looseleaf inconvenient or when I want a peppermint fix. It would probably be awesome with chocolate desserts. Mint chocolate!

I’m having the last of my sample of this tea. Maybe I’m just down because of the short days and cloudy weather. A nice coating of snow usually cheers me up, but it’s been unseasonably warm lately. Anyway, this is a robust tea that begs for a bit of milk to soften it up. I graciously complied and added a tad too much sugar as well. It’s a nice comforting cup. Even if my palate is a bit lacking in sensitivity at the moment, I can still enjoy the stronger more straight forward or flavored teas. I’ll save my unflavored greens and oolongs for another time. :)

It’s been a while since I had an extended tasting of an oolong. This particular one had a ginseng candy scent the moment hot water hit the leaves. Interesting. It makes me a bit nervous though.

Steep one: vegetal. Tastes like cooked watercress. It doesn’t have the sweetness I’m used to in green oolongs. This tastes more savory. No milkiness. I feel like I’m having an off day. My nose isn’t picking up nuances as usual. The mouthfeel is silky smooth.

Steep two: the leaves have a honeyed vegetal scent so I’m thinking that the sweetness will make an appearance this round. Ah, there’s the sweetness on the tip of my tongue. The overall flavor is still savory though. It’s veggie soup. This isn’t milky still but very interesting nonetheless.

Steep 3: still veggie. This tea is not really holding my interest. It’s not bad but it doesn’t seem to have many interesting nuances. Or is there some thing wrong with me? Maybe I should take a tea break. :(

Steep four: The flavor doesn’t seem to have changed much. Hmmmm. Maybe I’m just not in the mood for this. I find it hard to believe that tea from Taiwan has made a disappointing tea.

I’m trying a mug of this thanks to CHAroma and I have to say, I am befuddled by the strong negative responses to this tea. I can’t detect anything offensive at all. It tastes floral and fruity. It’s a bit soapy, but not unpleasantly so. It’s very nice. The sencha base seems to get astringent easily, but that’s easily remedied by more careful brewing. And, as with the other Lupicia tea I sampled, the tea base and flavor harmonize to create a better whole. I really need to clear room in my cabinet so that I can order some teas from Lupicia!

The flavor does, in fact, remind me of the sakura mochis that are wrapped in the preserved leaves. I liked the flavor, but not the texture so I guess this tea is a perfect compromise.

I have to admit, I did not have high hopes for this tea. After googling roselle and learning that it’s hibiscus, I was ready to hate this drink. Then my husband requested an iced tea for dinner. So I brewed this up sort of light hoping to mitigate the overwhelming tartness I was expecting, poured it over ice and sugared it up. Wow. This is good. Is that really hibiscus? Is it because I made a light brew? Is it the sugar? Whatever it is, it’s good. It’s softly tart. But mostly, it’s fruity and delicious. Lightly blueberry and more grapey. The juiciest fruit tea of all time.

I ate the berries after brewing. They were tasty and very sweet. I would have eaten more of them, maybe saved them for oatmeal the next day, but they were full of seeds. I probably could have made a second steep. I have enough for a cupful another time. More experimentation laaater. I usually don’t buy fruit teas because they tend to disappoint, but this is certainly one I will consider.

I’m not sure what honeysuckle tastes like…. but if it tastes like a flowery honey, then this is honeysuckle. Smooth and refreshing. It seems to need more leaf than the oolongs I’m used to. Then again, I’m used to balled up oolongs and these are sticky. Perhaps I should start weighing my tea?
By the third steep, something woodsy is coming through to join the honeysuckle.

A very enjoyable oolong. It makes a good everyday tea. One of these days, I’ll have to stop getting new teas and samples so that I can actually drink a tea enough for it to actually be an everyday tea.

Anyway! I wanted to give it a try before deciding if I wanted to send it out on a swap. Turns out this is totally swap worthy so a few lucky leaves are taking a trip a Canada. yaaaay!

This is, quite possibly, the weirdest tasting hot beverage I have ever consumed. To me, the banana is very artificial tasting. But nothing has ever come close to real banana flavor except for real banana. That said, this is not bad. The raspberry seems to be doing background work, keeping the banana from being too over-powering. It’s sweet and barely tart and MUCH better cold.

I’ve been drinking this with leftover pie and other desserts. It makes a great compliment, actually. The smell sort of reminds me of Juicy Fruit gum. I’m really starting to love honeybush. While I’ll never buy this particular flavor, I know 52teas has lots of other honeybush that I’d love.

Thank you CHAroma!

Edit: Caught Mr. Snuggles (spoiled doggie) licking my mug. He hates real bananas though.