Ninavampi

Hi everyone! I’m enjoying my last few days of vacation in Mallorca! I went through Rome and Vienna and now in Mallorca my travels are about to come to an end. I have manages to find a tea shop in Rome and Vienna, not yet in Mallorca… But all in all, tea regardless, I have had wonderful food and experiences!

Here in Mallorca they have a neat buffet breakfast with loose-leaf tea included!! This is one of the options, so I have had it for the past two days.

It is a mix of leaves, both dark and lighter brown that results from the different types of teas in the blend. They are nicely sized. The scent is both spicey and smokey. It initially reminded me of a really light lapsang s., which worried me since I don’t like smokey teas.

The brew is a greenish brown and smells like a forrest with a hint of campfire smoke. Surprisingly appropriate for the surroundings. It tasted crisp, a tad bit peppery and a swift slightly smokey aftertaste. It barely has any astringency and once sweetened I really started enjoying it. It is like a walk through a forrest with campfires on a crisp winters day.

On a quick side note, I am reading Game of Thrones and it works really well with this tea! Great literature-tea combination!

Also, missed you all! Will be home soon and back to regular steepstering! : )

I made a huge David’s Tea order a looong time ago. It was pretty large and I have done a terrible job at trying them. I am leaving to Europe on vacation Tuesday, so I decided that I would go ahead and try a few more of them. This is one I have been looking forward to. Bananas are everywhere here in Ecuador. There are a bunch of varieties (from normal yellow ones, red ones, green ones, small super sweet ones…) and they are eaten in every way imaginable, both salty and sweet. Oolong and banana? Sounds delicious.

The dry leaves were a beautiful emerald green with small cubes of banana mixed in. The scent was surprisingly smooth oolong with a hint of natural banana! I was expecting artificial candy type banana. This was a pleasant surprise! I brewed 2 teaspoons to my 12oz tea cup. The scent while brewing was almost entirely oolong, but a sweet creamy oolong. Exactly the kind I like!

Once brewed the scent was oolong with a hint of banana. It smelled sort of like what a fresh head of bananas smells right after it has been picked: a mix of sweetness, grass, fruity banana, and cream. So inviting… I could barely wait for it to cool down enough to sip.

The first brew was smooth and creamy oolong with a hint of banana at the end of every sip. There was a nice hint of banana to the scent that was delightful. The second brew was a tiny bit stronger on the banana flavor and the oonlong was sweeter. I always find second oolong steeps to be my favorite! Both brews were really sweet and no sweetener was necessary to enhance the flavor. If you like oolong, especially milk oolongs, you should give this a try!

My boyfriend sniffed it and asked to try it. He says it tastes like a sweet large banana we have that we usually bake or fry that we call Maqueño in Ecuador. It is delicious baked with mozzarella cheese melted on top…

Staying at work until really late at night has made me a bit of a grouch lately… Thankfully I have delicious tea at home to get me smiling again! Today was particularly exciting because my Red Leaf Tea order made it all the way to Ecuador! Yep, the entire box (I made a decently large order) made it! I am finally at home sipping my first cup of matcha and smiling as I type. What a great way to end a stressful day on a positive note!

I have always had a soft spot for vanilla, so this was an evident first choice. When placing my order, this went into my cart automatically. Admittedly it took me a few days to decide everything else I wanted to get, but this was where it all started! Each of the flavors comes in a little golden pouch and a pamphlet is included that explains how to make matcha (just in case you are new to it).

I did a bit of research to find out what the difference between Madagascar Vanilla and French Vanilla is. Apparently Madagascar Vanilla originates from Madagascar and is also known as Bourbon Vanilla and is supposed to be the creamiest of the vanilla beans. French Vanilla refers to a preparation of cream, egg, and vanilla rather than an actual type of vanilla bean. Also, on a side note, I read that vanilla is supposedly proved to increase production of catecholamines (which are naturally produced in your body, for example adrenaline!). It is thought that it may be mildly addictive because of this effect. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone addicted to vanilla… But I must admit that vanilla is my chocolate! I love it!

I opened the little package carefully. I was really curious to find out what exactly Madagascar Vanilla would smell like. It was creamy and smooth. The scent was stronger than I expected. I liked that it was prominent. The color of the powder was a pastel green. I quickly got some into my teacup. I was so afraid to spill something that smelled so delicious!
I added a bit of hot water to froth it up. It was fluffy in seconds after whisking! I added a bit more water to it and took a sip. The first thing I noticed was that it was super smooth. Next I was hit with delicious green tea flavor and rounded off with creamy vanilla. The texture and flavor worked so well together that it felt like drinking a vanilla milk shake with matcha in it! I love it!! I am afraid it will need to be re-ordered very soon…

You can read more about Madacascar Vanilla Matcha and purchase it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/madagascar-vanilla-matcha.html

I love tea! Just thought I should say that… Now on with the tasting note!

I had this for a second time today. I must say that it is better this time around. I no longer got a weird plastic aftertaste that really bothered me the first time I tried it. The smell of the leaves also smelled more like cotton candy all the way through steeping.

The tea itself smelled almost like the real thing. With a it of sweetener it was pretty delicious. I will have to try it with milk to see how that works out. I have high hopes.

I am rating this time around. I do really like it, but don’t think I will repurchase. Still waiting to try it iced before I make that call.

Ok, on that note, goodnight my fellow tea lovers! :)

I love life. It may be hard once in a while, but once in a while small details make me warm and fuzzy inside. This weekend I was made godmother to one of my friends kids. I am not much of a kid person, but I am thrilled to be Rafita’s godmother. He is a great kid. My boyfriend and I spent all day yesterday at the ceremony and lunch in his honor. I feel happy and light today. It is a warm fuzzy feeling that deserves to be celebrated by trying a new tea that I have been looking forward to for a while.

This tea I order along with my bluberry creamcheese danish tea. It sounded delicious. Butterscotch is super yummy. Butterscotch tea? Yes please!

The dry leaves have a bunch of yellow petals making the long dark leaves look like they are mixed in with little golden pieces (OK… you might need a tiny bit of imagination to get the golden effect going… :)). It smells sweet and rich. The butterscotch smells great!

Once steeped the butterscotch scent is less evident, but still smells delicious. Plain it tastes smooth and buttery. With a bit of sweetener the butterscotch pops up. There is a caramelly aftertaste with every sip. It is tasty and perfect to go with my happy mood. I drank two cups of it in a row. Each delicious.

Happy Sunday everyone! Only 5 days left until next weekend! :)

I really wanted to love this tea. In fact I was sure I was going to. I have always had a special place in my heart for cotton candy. It is so delicious and brings back so many memories from being a kid. I had to order it… Taking advantage of the fact that I was ordering a pound of Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish, I added this on to my order.

The scent was initially a shock of cotton candy. A shock as in it hit me hard and almost had me wondering where the real cotton candy was hiding, it smelled so much like the real thing! The black leaves were dotted with yellow and blue flowers that made it fun to sniff and stare at.

Once brewed, I lost the scent of the cotton candy. Instead I found some generic sweet smell and a hint of something plastic (the smell almost reminded me of the smell of a brand new toy when you just open the box… wow… all childhood memories with this tea!) It wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
Unsweetened it tasted surprisingly smooth and a tad bit (only very slightly) sweet. Sweetened I found a problem. The upfront cotton candy flavor was there, but there was a plastic aftertaste that lingered on my tongue after each sip. Once I finished my cup, I had to drink some water because the taste was so strong. I drank the cup, but I don’t think I want another for a while.

I am going to hold off and try it iced before I actually rate it. The dry leaves smell so good that I am beginning to think that I might have messed up my brew somehow… Will try again in the near future and have my fingers crossed and my hopes high!

As for the new tea base, which I believe is also the same one I received with my pound of blueberry danish tea, I like it but I feel that the flavor is a bit harsher. It is definitely less bitter than the previous, but it has a tiny hint of smokiness that makes it a bit rougher in taste (if that makes any sense). It has grown on me. Initially it was a shock, but the more I drink it, the more I like it. I am ready to give the new tea base a thumbs up Frank! I think it is an improvement (not that an improvement was really needed, your teas were already marvelous!) :)

I had an incredibly hectic week. I haven’t been able to write about it because part of it was planning a surprise birthday party for my boyfriend and I was paranoid that he might stumble upon my note and find out about it. Thankfully, it all worked out amazingly well. Yesterday I had an Avengers themed party for my now 29 year old boyfriend! We played musical chairs and even had a piñata. We had an amazing time, ate tasty paella, and enjoyed the company of our closest friends.

Also on a positive note, another small (super tiny) tea shop opened in Ecuador! I stopped by and picked this tea. I am really happy with my choice! I love rose tea, and this one is particularly delicious. I have only had it for a few days and I have almost finished my 100g of it.

The dry leaves are beautiful. The contrast of the black and pink is amazing. the petals are so dainty looking in the dark background. The scent is heavily floral and delicious. If you like rose you will love this. A super strong scent that somehow doesn’t mask the black tea.

Once brewed the liquor is a light brown leaning towards pink. The scent becomes even more inviting and the flavor is just as amazing. I think that this could possibly be my favorite rose tea I have had so far. Up front you taste the black tea that slowly transitions to rose as you swallow. The resulting delicate rose aftertaste is spectacular.

Also, the Ecuador vs. Colombia soccer game just ended… Ecuador won! Yay!!!

What an amazing weekend! I wish every weekend could be like this… Boyfriends birthday, delicious tea, and Ecuador winning and getting one step closer to the world cup. :)

For those of you who are interested in the Soccer World Cup (I am not really, but the boyfriend is a soccer fanatic, which means that I get an Ecuador Jersey and watch all the games with him…), yesterday Ecuador played against Argentina. Argentina has Messi playing for them. Ecuador has Valencia playing for us. Ecuador sorta got devoured by Argentina… 4 to 0. Yeah, we were terrible on the field yesterday. Soccer is the most popular sport here, so, in other words, today we have an entire country depressed. On a positive note, I decided to start my day with something delicious. This!

I love, love, adore Pumpkin Pie. It is on my top 5 list of desserts… So, after loveing the Pumpkin Cheesecake blend I had to try this. It isn’t quite as delicious as that one, but still very, very good.

The dry leaves actually do smell like pumpkin and the spices are just right, I even get some creaminess. The dark leaves with yellow petals are perfectly appropriate for the fall motif. I sniffed and sniffed… Why isn’t it November? I could use some real pumpkin pie right now…

Brewed it smells like cinnamon and nutmeg with a hint of clove. Pumpkin and condensed milk hanging out in the background. Mouth watering…

It tastes pretty good, it is just a tiny bit lacking in the creaminess. I get the pumpkin and the spices, but I get no creamy deliciousness. It is a tiny bit astringent. Of course all of this can be fixed by adding latte mix or milk, but I rather have it plain.

All in all I really enjoy it, but it doesn’t live up to Pumpkin Cheesecake which actually is creamy and delicious. I am surprised a lot of people don’t really like it. I really enjoyed it! : )

I love popcorn. I love tea. I love popcorn flavored Jelly Beans. Yet, somehow, popcorn flavored tea is a no go for me. I should have figured this out after trying 52teas popcorn tea. But, reading reviews made me want to try it. Oh how stubborn am I…

The dry tea smells strangely fruity and has a suspiciously large amount of apple and tiny amount of green tea leaves. It also has a few large “popcorns” in the mix. I have to admit that the lingering smell does somehow remind me of candied popcorn.

Brewed, it is a beautiful pale yellow… that smell just like popcorn. I kid you not. Popcorn all the way. I am still at awe at how apples, scarce tea leaves, and a piece of popcorn produce this popcorn brew. The taste is exactly like caramel popcorn. Sadly, I didn’t like it. I couldn’t even bring myself to go past a few sips. Popcorn should not be in tea form. That is my conclusion. Though, some people seem to really enjoy this concoction. Good for you liquid popcorn enjoyers!!

I honestly wish I enjoyed this, the flavor is really well obtained. I am not going to rate it because it is well made, I will acknowledge this, but I did not like it all…

Needless to say, I have a nearly full 50g pouch if anyone is interested in swapping. : )

Once again, a tea that I have opted to drink multiple times before writing about. Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfast foods. My expectations were super high, so in order to have my expectations influence the tasting note over my actual perception of the tea, waiting on it seemed to be the best idea. I have had this tea with breakfast for the past few weeks and finally feel like I can write about it objectively.

The leaves are decently large and have oatmeal flakes mixed in with them. It looks like a tea lovers trailmix of sorts… The scent is very subtle. If I am not thinking directly of oatmeal and maple it just smells of black tea that is generically sweet.

Steeped the brew is dark brown and full smelling. It is a rich black tea. The black tea flavor (“assamish”) shines through pleasantly. There is a tenuous maple flavor that is in the end of every sip, adding to the sweetness of it. I found it more evident when sweetened. Also, perhaps my favorite part of this tea, is that it has a “texture” to it. It feels thick and rich, almost like the texture of a tomato soup. Of course, the texture is an illusion, the tea is not actually thickset. I think it is the flavor that makes your mouth think twice about what it is feeling/tasting.

I really enjoy this tea. It is one of the most interesting “feeling” teas that I have had in a while. It is a perfect hardy tea to have with breakfast. My only peeve is that it could use more maple and perhaps a touch of cinnamon. But all in all, I am a happy tea sipper!

On a side note, today is vacation in Ecuador! Hooray!!! Tea, boyfriend, doggy day!!!! : )

This tea is officially my favorite tea. I have put my order in for a pound! Frank has kindly said yes to my request and if all goes well with the mail, I will be receiving a beautiful pound of tea in two weeks!

It is just as delicious every time I sip it. I am almost out of my 2oz pouch that I received, not that long ago. The tea smells so rich and delicious. I love that the smell of the brewing tea invades my entire house. It could easily be confused for someone baking a blueberry pie. Delicious. 

It tastes sooo good. I finish my cup and actually have to practice self restraint in order to not make and finish one cup after another in quick consecutiveness.   
The sweet blueberry and the taste of fresh backed goods makes me smile every single time.

I can’t wait for my pound to arrive… I feel like it will be the first pound of many that I will have to order. It really is THAT good! 

On a side note— 100th tasting note!!!! Yay!!!

I bought this a while back, and have had a few times now. I keep putting of reviewing it because the experience was so different to what I was expecting. Either way, I bought a bunch of it, so it is about time that I write something about it.

The tea comes in little individual serving packages which in turn are double packaged to protect the tea inside. Like most people have already mentioned, it is quite a shock when you open the little package and are faced with a moist and sticky little bunch of tea. When Teavivre says honey, they really meant it. The odd part is that I expected it to give off a rich honey scent, but I only smelled Oolong. I even ventured far enough to taste the sticky liquid, but it lasted like a vaguely sweet Oolong, still not getting any honey.

Also, each little packet is good for a 8oz cup of tea. If you add any more water than that it is too watered down for my taste. So I used two little packets for my 16oz teapot and ended up with a yellow golden brew. The scent was rich and mineral. To me Oolong scent is similar to smelling a lake, that is the sort of mineral that I am hinting at. It still had a tiny bit of latex to the scent, like the last Oolong I had from Teavivre, but it was definitely less prominent. Surprisingly, a bit of honey scent snuck into the brew. I was pleasantly surprised. I absolutely need for something called Honey Oolong that is actually sticky to smell like honey, at least when it is brewed!! :)

The first brew is mostly mineral with a hint of honey. But more than a honey flavor it is a vague honey sweetness (I hope that made sense). I was expecting the honey to be in your face yelling “Here I am!” but I got the honey saying “Oh, hello, I am here chilling with the Oolong…”. I feel like the honey aspect is more of a hint of sweetness when the tea first hits your tongue more than a flavor itself. The aftertaste is more mineral than sweet. Though towards the end of the cup I got a bit of the sweet aftertaste that I love in Oolongs, just not very strong.

The second brew had no added sweet from. I actually enjoyed it more than the first. The taste was smoother and the transition from mineral to sweet aftertaste in every sip was

very evident. It is this magical transition that makes me love Oolong so much. I love the fact that the flavors transform as they travel through your mouth.

The third brew was a bit bland, I chugged it down mindlessly. It wasn’t bad, just not much there to sip slowly through.

Overall, I dis enjoy this tea. I had super high expectations, that just weren’t met. It is a tasty Oolong, and worth trying. I love the originality of it and the surprise you get when you first open it. I have had it a few times now and I still enjoy opening the small packets of sticky leaves. So far, I have loved Teavivre’s green teas, but their Oolongs aren’t quite my favorites. I really need to try their blacks teas! The sound sensational!

I love artichokes. They are my all time favorite salty food. Green tea with artichoke? Sounded promising… Must try it. Tonight, finally, I get around to this sample. It has been a very busy couple of weeks and I have managed to get carpel tunnel in my right hand from typing… So I believe my tasting notes will be a bit shorter than usual for a while. 

The dry tea smells vaguely fruity. It reminds me of a mild version of Adagio’s Guanabana tea. The leaves are bright green and inviting.

Once brewed it smells a bit like artichoke, but not enough. It is tasty, but not quite artichoke tasty. It has a pleasant sweet aftertaste, similar to the aftertaste of an artichoke. Still taste a bit of fruitiness.

I have to confess that I decided to add a dash of salt to see what happened. Turns out it was a bit more savory, but also reminded me a bit of drinking sea water…. So probably won’t be doing that again. I rather not feel like I am sipping watered down ocean… 

Adagio gets points for coming up with this amazing idea. It still needs some work before it is perfect, but I enjoyed it plenty. 

Enough typing for now. Time to rest my aching hand… Argh… Why did I work so hard!!! : (

This is officially my first tea to be rated 100. It is, in my opinion flawless… The only issue I have related to it is that it isn’t in stock. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that Frank is willing to revive a tea if you order a pound of it. Is this true? If is, well Frank, I think I need a pound of this! I am in love with it! I saw that it had been revived and for sale on Iheartteas.com, so I couldn’t resist ordering it to try. It is by far the best dessert tea I have ever tried, and believe me, I have tried a whole lot of them.

The dry leaves are black and accompanied by the occasional huge luscious looking blueberry. The tea leaves are large and beautifully unbroken. The scent is… majestically scrumptious, temptingly delicious, absolutely indulgent… A think scent of blueberries is surrounded by a heavy sweet pastry scent. It is the supermodel of all blueberry tea scents. 

Once brewed the tea keeps most of its scent and the blueberry will invade an entire house. My brother actually woke up and wandered down to the kitchen to ask what I was making that smelled so much like blueberry. He was shocked when I told him it was tea! We don’t have blueberries in Ecuador, so anything blueberry flavored is a great and rare treat for me! 

The taste is amazing. It tastes like a blueberry danish. Heavy on the blueberry, just the way I like it. The flavor is so smooth that there is no need for any additives. I added sweetener just out of curiosity and I barely even noticed it was there. This is one of the rare teas that taste sweetened without actually being sweet. It is, in my opinion, the sign of a truly well made dessert tea. 

I am so happy I have found you blueberry danish tea! Where have you been all of my life? Frank, I have to say that this actually managed to beat the tastiness of your pancake tea (which is super super tasty!)

Everyone who likes blueberry HAS to try this. You have no idea what you are missing!

It has been a while since I have written about a tea… This one is worthy of the attention! I have had a tough tough week. I am in charge of the marketing in my company, and with mother’s day coming up, all craziness took place. It is finally over, and now I get to sit back and watch things happen (if I am lucky, watch things sell)! It feels great to see your work finally all come together. So for now, time to go back to relaxing with my tea!

The dry leaves are a beautiful mix of coconut and black/brown tea leaves. It smells smooth and coconutty with hint of bitter tea which in my opinion rounds it up pretty well.

Once brewed the dark liquor retains most of its smell. It tastes smooth and creamy. It would be better with a hint of vanilla, but thankfully that can easily be arranged. It is a bit astringent for coconut tea, so I added a bit of milk and sugar and it was delicious. Creamy and sweet coconut tea is exactly what I needed this morning! So yummy in my tummy!

I finished this cup too quickly… I wish it had lasted longer. It is a tasty tea, but I can’t see myself drinking it too often due to the milk requirements I seem to not be able to do with out. Worth trying if you are looking for a coconut tea that will stand up well to milk!

Now back to tea sipping and relaxing!

This is a sample that I received from Auggy in swap, thanks Auggy! Being a rooibos, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own, but I am really happy to get a chance to try it since I do love coconut. It is pretty to look at with the red rooibos and abundant coconut pieces. I sniffed it, and it smelled super coconutty with an aftscent of feet… Sweaty feet… Needless to say very confusing and unsettling. This didn’t stop me from continuing with my brew… The show must go on…

While it brewed the scent was creamy and coconut filled. The odd rancid scent was still there in the background. Now I start worrying… Is the tea going to taste like that? Oh dear…

First taste, unsweetened, was awful. It was pure rancid coconut. I sweetened it and it was bearable, but still had the rancid aftertaste. I added milk, still undrinkable. Since I was in my Mom’s company while I had my tae, I let her try it. She didn’t taste the stinky feet, but didn’t love it eather. I sadly ciuldn’t drink it and had to be dumped out.

While it was a disturbing tea experience, I am still happy I got to try it! Who knew that something that everyone loves I wouldn’t like at all… Oh well… There are still a bunch of things on my list to try! : )

I followed Bonnie’s suggestion and tried this as a latte. It is a beautiful rainy day today. I love rain and most of the time it makes me smile more than sunshine! It is so relaxing to watch it rain, also the cold makes it a great idea to curl up and have a nice hot cup of tea! Somehow I stumbled upon this sample (Thanks again Indigobloom!) and decided it was time to finish it off.

I brewed it strong (almost 3 teaspoons that I had left of it for 10oz of water) and added my homemade latte mix. Most importantly, this tea is strong enough to peak through the milk and sweetener. I tasted the white tea and smiled, it held up to the black tea! I realized that I had never had a white tea latte before. I can’t see myself doing it too often, but it was an interesting experience. I tasted a bit of chamomile, the black tea and the creamy coconut flavor. Sadly, no chocolate.

All in all, it is much better as a latte, but still not a tea that I would buy! Tasty experience nonetheless… : )

It has been a strange week so far… To start off, on Monday I assisted in my boyfriend’s endoscopy (I studied medicine…) and the Doctor found a huge hernia (it was the biggest I have ever seen…). So we now have an operation that needs to be programmed… Tuesday and Wednesday bunched together in my mind and I am glad that it is almost Friday… I can’t wait for the weekend… Thankfully I get to go the Roxette concert tomorrow which should make Thursday easier to digest… Now to actually review this tea.

I love rose flavored things so when I received this from Indigobloom in a swap I was super happy. The black leaves had a few rose petals scattered amongst them. The scent of the dry leaves wasn’t very rosey… It reminded me of a Pu Erh without the fishiness. I got a pleasnt leather note in the scent.

Brewed for 3 minutes it was a bit weak, so I brewed it for an extra minute. It smelled of new leather with a hint of rose. Somehow this appealed to me. The extra minute of brewing made it a tad bit bitter, but it wasn’t bad at all. A touch of sweetener fixed it all up. The flavor was leathery with the perfect amount of astringency. The after taste was a mouthful of delicate rose. Sweetened the after taste was enhanced for a delicious tea experience. It really was like a Pu Erh with all the fishiness removed leaving behind leather and sweet smootheness. I really enjoyed this.

I would recomend this to anyone who is looking for a lightly flavored rose tea. Yum… I wish I had more. : )

This morning I woke up early, for no reason in particular. Since I was up I decided to make myself an early breakfast and a nice big cup of tea. My tea of chioce was this one (yes… I still have some left from my 12 days of Christmas boxes… In my defense, I did have to boxes…). Some people (Angrboda in particular) loved this one, I enjoyed it, but definitely not loved it).

I brewed it nice and strong and added some of my home made latte mix (delicious if I may say so myself…). Since this was the second envelope of it that I opened I got the chance to compare them. There was more flowers in this one, and even though it has sat around a while, I got a pretty strong vanilla smell.

The tea was dark and creamy, and once I added the home made latte mix is was a pretty enjoyable cup of tea! No sparks are flying and no hearts are floating around the room, but I am happy with how this brew turned out.

Right after I drank it, it was time for ice skating training. Yes, even after not being able to walk for a few days, I decided to go back and train once more. I did more than last time, so I am probably am going to be even more sore than last week, but it is really worth it. I feel so free on the ice. Ice skating and tea all in one morning and doggy and boyfriend in the afternoon. I loved this Satrday!

I am glad I am sitting at home with a hot cup of tea. I had a very productive day that was as tiring as it was productive. I am happy to be unwinding and digesting everything that happened. Today I received my order from 52teas that made me smile quite a bit. Then a bit after that I received an e-mail from a friend of mine who has a 1 year old son asking me to be his godmother at his baptism! I was honored and very happy to be asked. While not very religious and not particularly fond of kinds, I do really love this kid. So, I had multiple reasons to continue smiling throughout my busy day.  

Now I am unwinding with a cup of this tea, which dry smells like what I would imagine clouds would smell like if they were made out of coconut. You can smell the cream and the coconut perfectly. I actually had to sigh when I first sniffed it. It has large coconut bits in it that make it beautiful to look at. 

Once steeped, the dark brew still smells distinctively of coconut and cream, though a little bit more subdued than the dry tea. Unsweetened it was a little bit too astringent for my taste, but it was still delightfully creamy. Sweetened the coconut flavor really stood out and the astringency was covered up nicely. I made a second cup and added my homemade latte mix to it. Yum… it was like a creamy coconut milkshake! It reminded me of a coconut cream cake y Mom made me as a little girl. Wow… A guilty pleasure tea. Perfect to relax after a tiring but great day. : ) 

This is hard to review… I generally don’t love honeybush, there is something floral almost soapy in the aftertaste that makes me generally avoid them. On the other hand, I am obsessed with vanilla… So given that this is actually really cheap for Teavana (and in general…) I figured it was worth a try. It has sat in my cabinet for a while, I think I even sent some off in a swap at some point… But today is the first time I actually taste it.

I have had a long day, and I have an even longer day ahead of me. Tomorrow I have to give classes (I volunteered to do it for 4 weeks…) to a class of 5th graders from low income families at 7 am and then go to work, somehow live through the day (with tough meetings, of course…) and then get home at around 9pm… I am not looking forward to it… Caffeine usually has no effect on me, but to be on the safe side I took it as an opportunity to try this herbal tea…

Dry, it smells delicious. Very vanilla and very creamy. The honeybush floral notes are in tail end of the scent, but not too strong… All in all a pleasure to sniff at. The redish bits of honeybush have a few brown pieces mixed in, I assume that is the natural vanilla pieces that it supposedly has.

I brewed it in a dark mug, so I couldn’t really sea the color of the brew. It still smelled very good. The vanilla and cream were predominant with the honeybush in the background.

Tastewise, plain there was too much honeybush going on for my liking… Sooo…. I made it a late! And it was delicious. It tasted just like vanilla Nesquick I used to drink (or rather still do once in a while as a guilty pleasure…) when I was a kid. The honebush was still there, but it was played down and almost covered up by the vanilla and cream.

I am happily sipping the rest of my tea while I dread waking up super early tomorrow… Well… It’s for a good cause! : )

I took a walk with my Doggy (Sencha) to ease the soreness from Ice Skating training out of my muscles. It was super sunny and when we got back we were both ready for a cold drink. Sencha doesn’t like tea (regardless of her name…), so she got water. I love tea, so I made myself some of this iced. This was a Christmas present from an aunt who very kindly figured out that tea may be the best gift for me. : )

The dry tea looks like “tea confetti”. It is full of colors and shapes and smells like a fruity punch in the face… with a mint afterthought.

Steeped it is a neat dark purple with a tint of red to it. It smells like a berry fruit drink that has a bit of mint in it. Perhaps a berry mojito? Interesting…

With a tad bit of sugar it was decently tasty. Berry was the main player with a little apple. The aftertaste was mint and strangely (because it isn’t an ingredient in this tea) a got a bit of anise. That ruined it for me. I hate anise… I will finish this happily and I will do my best to enjoy it. I just won’t be buying it again.

Yumminess… I had forgotten just how tasty this tea is. I need to figure out how I can keep myself from going through my tin of this too quickly… Increasing the rating…

Yesterday I went ice skating to actually train (not just coach) for the first time in about a year. I found out two important things: One that I can still skate and pull of my jumps and spins and two that not skating for a year and then putting on your skates will result in many painful blisters. Also, I woke up this morning with my entire body aching. I either have to do this more often or never again… hahaha… To ease my aching muscles, this tea came to the rescue.

I love the sprinkles in this tea. The colors make me smile. The buttery vanilla scent (both in the dry leaves and even more so in the steeped tea) is incredibly seducing and I seem to always give in. With a little bit of sweetener, this tea never fails me. It is instant smiles in a cup.

Sadly, while I am smiling and content, my body still feels like I fell out of the window of a five story building… Argh… Why do I love ice skating so much that I am willing to put up with this!?!?! Silly me… : ) At least I get birthday Cake Tea!

Ohh… Paris… The one time I was there, I fell in love with all of the art and architecture. No matter where you look, everything seems to be beautiful. The best dessert I have tasted in my life was a creme brulee that I had in a small restaurant there. Paris is an amazing experience.

I had been reading some people’s post about this tea and it sounded like something that would be tasty to me. Since I was able to have my Mom bring it to me from the US, I got to receive it earlier than I imagined I would have! I am so happy! Every time I get a new tea it feels like Christmas did when I was a little girl. It has a bit of magic to it. Logically, it makes no sense to me, and explaining the experience to non-tea people is really hard. But I do know that new tea will make me smile and even more so if it is good new tea! Everyone should have a special something to make them happy. I am glad that my special something is tea! : )

OK… Back to the review….

The leaves in the tin are very dark, almost black. The scent is invigorating. It is a mix between a Cream Earl Grey and a Caramel Chew (I love those candies…). The black tea base shines through strong in the scent. Overall delicious.

Once brewed the dark liquor smells just like the dry tea but smoother. I get a little more vanilla, which is extra points in my point of view. I love vanilla everything. Unsweetened it is smooth and creamy with the bergamot being the major after taste. The black tea base holds up really well and mingles with all of the flavors in each sip. Sweetened I get more vanilla and caramel taste mixed in well with the bergamot. In a way, I feel it is a very good Creme Earl Grey. But I really can’t complain. It is very tasty.

I admit that I had to have two cups, the first one didn’t last me long enough… Yummy…