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I had taken the remainder of my sample to work since it’s where I need tea the most. I was craving it all weekend and couldn’t have any! And we had Monday off! Argh! But today nothing was going to stop me!

Mmmm…. pure chocolate decadence. Made three very satisfying western steeps. The second one went on a tad too long and turned into dark chocolate. So rich and lovely! I’m going to need to order a full 2oz of this, at least!

It’s rare that I give 100s, but this tea converted me to the “dark” side. :) And it’s magical!

I wouldn’t usually put this drink in as a tea log but it’s a hot drink using spices and fruit and useful in the cold season so I thought I’d share.

Today, I found myself sneezing more than usual and constantly trying to soothe a scratchy dry throat. No other symptoms have emerged thus far, but experience tells me that I may soon be facing a cold. In hopes of nipping this in the bud, I made this drink called “sujeonggwa” which is traditionally a Korean drink served cold, but it strikes me as a wonderful drink to have hot when feeling under the weather. It also tastes amazing if you like cinnamon and ginger. Here’s a link to the recipe I like to use:
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sujeonggwa

Now, I realize dried persimmons are not easy to come by, especially not right now. They are easier to find in the middle of winter, but even then, you’ll have to visit an asian supermarket. Rest assured that even without the sweet date/yam flavor of dried persimmon, this drink is still mighty tasty. Maybe trying subbing in some other fruit. I imagine raisins, fresh peaches, or fresh apples would work! It also makes your whole apartment smell like cinnamon. Awesome.

I just had a mugful of this hot with some fruit bits. Sipping it from a spoon makes it feel more comforting somehow. It also makes the drink last a bit longer, allowing the soothing liquid to have more time going down my scratchy throat. Hot and slightly burny from the spice and ginger. I can almost imagine I’m burning some viruses as I sip. :)

If you’re not in need of a hot drink, try this iced, which is how it’s actually meant to to served. Float a few kernels of pine nuts on top and enjoy a lovely digestif after dinner. Ginger is great of settling the tummy after all.

Stay healthy in this coming cold season!

Okay, something crazy has happened to me. Ever since I had that extraordinary cup of Laoshan Black, I’ve been craving a cup of black tea every morning. It’s crazy! I’ve never been a huge fan of black teas! Especially not unflavored and unsweetened black teas. The world has gone insane! Insaaaane!

So because I’ve never had this fondness for black teas, I have no black teas in my collection. None! I wake up this morning with a craving for a black tea knowing that I probably have none. With I sigh, I rummage through my samples to find a puerh or dark oolong or something else that might be like black tea. Then I come upon this sample from Teavivre! I’ve sampled this tea before and couldn’t find anything special about it. At the time, it just tasted like black tea. Whatevs.

But today! Today was different! The leaves smell so sweet and pastry like! Like a biscuit! And the flavor! I definitely am finding that baked sweet potato everyone is talking about! Tasty! Sweet potatoes baked with a touch of honey and and dash of spice! What a lovely fall tea! Now I have a whole category of tea to be obsessed about! And I will need more tea to add to my stash! Halp!

Gotta move this rating up from 70. 70! What was I thinking?!

Edit: Might I just add this this tea is perfect with a holiday morning breakfast of amaretto matcha brownies. Yes, brownies can be for breakfast because I’m an adult now! Sorry Mom!

This is tasty tea. It’s very sophisticated compared to all the flavored things I’ve been drinking. :) I was a bit confused by how this is both an oolong and a black tea, but after my first few sips, I’ve concluded that this is merely what I would call a dark oolong, something more oxidized but still lighter than what I would think of as black tea.

I really like the mouthfeel on this one. Smooth and full. It has a luscious quality to it. The flavor here is pleasantly floral, but only a little. Just enough to make you intrigued. Only lightly roasted. Mellow.

I’m finishing up my third steep made western style. There’s a lovely natural sweetness here. It can probably go once more but I need something different now. :)

So after dinner, I had to rummage through my collection of jars to find something to put this matcha into. I know I’m not making any preserves in a while because those jars are all filled with matcha. It’s for a good cause. :D So I find a jar that’s way too big but it will have to do. I rip open the bag and the most intoxicating aroma just comes spilling out. Mmmmm heaven! Husband is watching the big debate so he’s totally engrossed. I wave the open under his nose and he literally does a double take. Hilarious! At this point, he’s only disappointed that we have to share just half a cup because we are totally out of milk. I kept having to tell him to wait while I whisked it up. So impatient. heh

Finally, I presented the cup to him and he practically drank the whole thing. I had to wrestle the mug from him to get a taste for myself. This matcha is amazing. There’s a slight grassy vegetal flavor from the matcha, but it’s really mostly amaretto without the alcohol burn and without all the sugar. Absolutely fabulous. If you like amaretto, you’ve got to try this:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/amaretto-matcha.html

For those of you who have tried amaretto and almond, how would you compare the two? I’m wondering if it’s worth investing in both flavors.

Tasty! The moment I opened up the bag, I smelled hazelnut praline, like the stuff inside fancy chocolates. I gotta admit, I’m pretty jealous of coffee drinkers only because hazelnut is such a common flavor in coffee and so sparse in tea. Why aren’t there more hazelnut teas? Such a delicious roasty indulgent flavor. Mmmm… This hazelnut smell in this matcha reminds me of the hazelnut flavor of coffee only without any coffee flavor. Sweet!

And I’m really digging this black matcha! It’s smooth and just strong enough to complement the hazelnut (I got distinctive level flavoring). I see so few reviews for black matcha. You guys have got to try this! If I had some chocolate syrup, it would already be in this cup! I’m already dreaming of how I can add this to brownies and chocolate cookies. I’m going to be a a star come Christmas with all these matcha flavors to play with. :D

This is seriously such a delicious dessert and it barely has any calories. I guess we’ll see how the caffeine in black matcha hits me. :) I wanted to work out today anyway. It’s been really difficult to work up the motivation to exercise lately. Depressing.

This lattes up like a dream. I hope my dad likes this as much as I do because I hope to share it with him. Is it terrible that I hope he won’t care for it so I can keep it? haha

Get some deliciousness right here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/hazelnut-matcha.html

Hmm, not really a fan of Chinese sencha. The flavoring is quite nice though. Blueberry and a bit of lemon. Feels a bit bubbly somehow. :) Hot tea on a cloudy chilly autumn morning. Could anything be more comforting?

Thanks for the sample TeaEqualsBliss!

Breakfast smoothie! 2 frozen bananas, almond coconut milk, two large spoonfuls of Trader Joe’s honey Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoons of this matcha. Blend.

SO delicious! It was literally like drinking a milkshake. The bavarian cream flavor really came out in the smoothie. SO sweet and a bit yolky and super creamy. Just like custard! And frozen custard is ice cream so that explains why my smoothie tasted like a milk shake. Mmm, yummy! I think the white matcha is growing on me. :)

Chocolate and rose? How is this possible? This tea exceeds expectations. I think I’ve got allergies or I’m getting a bit of a cold, so I hope I’m getting all the nuances here because this tea deserves it.

This tea somehow really reminds me of rose flavored truffles. Mmm… and vanilla! So smooth! I don’t even like black tea! I’ve clearly been drinking the wrong kinds! Wow. This is so desserty and malty! A dessert tea without dessert flavorings! Mmmm… I definitely smell honey in the liquor. Most black teas I’ve had just beg for a bit a cream but this tea…it would be sacrilege to add cream to this. Gotta savor it just the way it is! Not a hint of astringency! love this!