QueenOfTarts

I know that my first review of this matcha wasn’t the best, but that somehow hasn’t stopped me from nearly finishing the small pouch I ordered. Tonight was the best cup I’ve had so far. It was sweet, creamy.. nice and frothy. I actually really enjoyed this.
This makes me think that maybe I didn’t give the matcha a fair shot. Still, I’m increasing the rating!

This has been on my shopping list for a long time. Rooibos + vanilla is always a reliable combination for me. I also saw that it has french vanilla flavoring in it.. Mmmm, a cup for me please! I haven’t tried this tea for so long because I never found it at any grocery store near my house. The other day, I finally saw this tea and grabbed a box. I find that tea from Celestial Seasonings gives up the flavor quickly… I let this rooibos steep for a while to see what kind of cup it would make.
It reminds me a bit of the Good Hope Vanilla Red tea from Republic of Tea. The rooibos is the most prominent flavor. It’s not the smoothest rooibos in the world. It’s woody, but also has me expecting splinters in the sip. Sorry, that’s not the best image. I don’t taste a whole lot of vanilla.. it’s still sweet, though. Given the choice between this tea and Good Hope Vanilla Red, I think I would pick Good Hope Vanilla. That tea seems to be more smooth, sweet and creamy. I still have quite a few bags left in the box. They’ll be useful for when I’m looking for a relatively simple tea at night.

This is my second matcha from Red Leaf Tea. I ordered the red matcha base again because I didn’t love the first French Vanilla red matcha I tried. I wanted to see if maybe I picked the wrong flavor, strength or tea base. Rooibos is a good choice for me because I have a lot of caffeinated teas in my collection. I like drinking tea in the night and rooibos is a lovely choice. I’m also really enjoying this new form of rooibos. I’ve tried bagged and loose rooibos teas and the idea of drinking it in powder form is still an exciting thought. For some reason, it seems like it’s more of a treat.

Upon opening the bag, I smell that familiar red matcha base and something that reminds me of cheesecake. It is tangy, sweet and like something I have smelled before. What on earth does it remind me of? I know! It’s astronaut ice cream that I tried as a child. That packet had vanilla, strawberry and chocolate all in one flaky, dry bar. The texture and taste made me sick, but made for a memorable experience.

I am really glad that the astronaut ice cream scent isn’t that present once hot water is added. Compared to the previous red matcha I’ve had, this one smells much smoother. The red matcha doesn’t seem as sharp. Perhaps it’s because I ordered the strongest flavor profile or maybe it’s the cheesecake flavor itself. The flavoring and the rooibos blend together in a beautiful way – Yum. I can’t wait to taste this!

Sipping… this tea is rather interesting. The wood flavor of the rooibos is more present now. It mixes with this rather tart, cheesy note. The finish is nicely creamy. I think the frothy texture helps to bring out the creamy notes. The tea is tangy and reminds me of yogurt. It leaves my tongue tingling a little. I’d like to see how this tea is sweetened or with other additions. For now, it’s a good cup to drink before bed.

Overall, yes, this is an improvement from the French Vanilla matcha I first tried. I like the stronger flavor and would recommend this strength for the red matcha if you like more flavor in your tea.

I’m excited to try other matcha teas from Red Leaf Tea. I know there is quite a lot of talk from other people about the standard matcha base. Yes, that’s next on the list! I’m going to continue to experiment with matcha for a little while.. add some sweetener or maybe some milk? I usually don’t add things to my tea (sometime a splash of milk to the deserving black tea), but I think that this matcha would be good with an addition or two.

If you’re interested in purchasing this tea, here is a quick link to the matcha!
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html

I’m excited to be trying this tea for the first time. I don’t have to get up early tomorrow morning so I can treat myself with some caffeine tonight! The dry leaf smells a bit like those fish food flakes. I actually don’t mind it, but it was a bit of a surprise!

First infusion: It has a nice and mellow scent with no fishy notes at all. I mostly taste a kind of sweet wood. It is almost a little like a mild black tea. I detect a little bit of honey sweetness at the end of the sip. I like the earthy flavors of this first cup. Wood and flowers.

Second infusion: This tea is still rather mellow. Nothing really sticks out at me until the end of the sip when I taste some peachy flavors. I love peach notes in oolong teas! Yes, the flowers are still here as well as a very, very faint presence of bread.

I will update with more information if I continue with more infusions. I’m pretty exhausted from today so I’m not sure if I will continue sipping tonight. I think this tea is fine and reasonably tasty, but it leaves me wanting more flavor.

I really, really love this tea. I don’t know how I could have nearly missed all of these wonderful flavors before. The dry leaf smells of deep, dark chocolate. I also detect bits of warm bread. YUM.

This tea is an absolute necessity in my cupboard. I ordered some of this tea perhaps no longer than a week ago.. and I am already running low! I could drink this tea all day long and very few teas have the ability to inspire such a craving. Laoshan black is rich and deeply satisfying. Delightful!

The first few sips remind me of broccoli and grass. A bit bold for an introduction! It’s much greener tasting than other milk oolongs I have had in the past. The sip fades into a smooth floral note — quite tasty! This finish reminds me a little bit of Life in Teacup’s Bai Ya Qi Lan oolong tea.. but not as light and fluffy.

Second infusion offers many more floral flavors. As I’ve mentioned before, I am terrible at identifying specific flowers.. but these are sweet and yummy!

I’m surprised to see this tea is a milk oolong because it really isn’t that creamy or milky to me. It’s unique and tasty, but wasn’t exactly the milky cup I wanted this evening.

This is such a pretty tea! I haven’t seen a tea with leaves like this.. it’s fluffy, curly, thin.. so nice. I’m tasting snow peas paired with a bit of butter and floral notes in the background. I have to admit that white tea isn’t exactly my favorite thing to drink. It’s a little astringent and flat unless it’s very flavored. I’m sure that others who enjoy white tea more would appreciate this one. I will still finish drinking this cup, but won’t purchase more.

I think it’s interesting that my tea cravings change as the weather gets cooler. Well, the summer isn’t over just yet and I think we still have some hot days on the way.. but I like to think that things are changing. These days I am craving darker, richer teas – Yes, at all times of the day and night!

The tea itself is pretty thick in the mouth. It’s not creamy, but just heavy. I like this quality.. it’s almost like a comforting, chunky sweater! I am enjoying a lot of the sweetness that lingers on my tongue. The taste is leathery and a bit like wet hay. I taste a tinge of pepper as well. There is also an interesting salty note that certainly doesn’t overwhelm the cup, but makes it more interesting instead. I wish I could detect something that resembled caramel.. but it’s not to be found.

This isn’t my favorite black tea, but it definitely satisfies my craving for the moment. I see this as something that would be perfect to drink this winter when the thick snow is falling from the sky. It’s bold, dark and rich!

After I had read all of these raving reviews for Red Leaf’s matcha, I knew that I had to try one to see what the buzz was all about! Matcha, in general, has been on my shopping list for a while. I had wanted to try plain old matcha, black matcha and red matcha. After seeing these flavors and the different matcha options, I knew that now was the time to try a flavored red matcha!

If you’ve followed me for a while here on Steepster, you’ll probably know that while I do enjoy green, white and black teas, my main love of tea sits with oolong and the herbal rooibos. There have been a few rooibos teas that I’ve tried and that have tasted far too much like medicine (those teas leave me hesitant to try rooibos from new places). The kind of rooibos I like is creamy, almost with a hint of vanilla, rich and with a little bit of that drying wood flavor.

I ordered a small size of the French vanilla matcha with a red matcha base. The flavor strength I picked was “robust” – I like my tea to be with LOTS of flavor! When I opened the packet, I noticed that it didn’t smell much like rooibos. The scent actually reminded me a little bit of those pina colada LifeSavers. It wasn’t too powerful… but was actually a little bit muted.

When the hot water hit the matcha, that’s when the rooibos scent really came to life. Wood with just a little bit of sweetness! Sipping now… the rooibos isn’t as strong as I expected, but it’s smooth and sweet. It’s nice, but lacks a lot of dimension.

What I find to be most strange is that I do not taste any French vanilla. It seems like all of the flavor is in the actual texture and finish of the tea. I suppose I get some sort of creaminess during the actual sip itself… there is a little bit of a sweet flavor that fades quickly at the end… but it doesn’t scream vanilla to me. Hmm.. this makes me a little bit sad.

This matcha isn’t bad, but I was expecting so much more. Maybe I picked the wrong matcha base for this particular flavor or maybe the red matcha is just a little bit stronger…? I do want to try more matcha in the future, but maybe a different flavor and base.

If you are interested in trying this matcha, here is the link to purchase: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/french-vanilla-matcha.html

The scent of this tea is incredible! It’s all about peaches… still fuzzy, very ripe, juicy (maybe sweetened) peaches! P-E-A-C-H-E-S. Really, I feel like I’m sitting in a nice bin of plump peachy fruit! There is a bit of green oolong in the background, but that doesn’t overshadow the fruit at all.

The taste is a tiny bit disappointing. It’s not that the peach isn’t there, it’s just that the scent had me expecting that I would be bombarded with it. The peach is more in the background and the oolong pulls to the front. The oolong is rich and full – tasty on its own. I find that most of the peach is at the end of the sip. The finish is juicy, sweet and tart just like the real fruit!

What I also enjoy about this tea is that it seems to be natural and clean. It doesn’t seem artificial in the slightest. Thank you Will Work For Tea for giving me the opportunity to enjoy this tea! I’ll have to place an order with Lupicia soon!

This tea smells brilliant! It’s mostly graham cracker that I smell, but I detect the tea base that kind of morphs into this delicate chocolate note. Sipping… there is definitely more flavor in the aftertaste than in the actual sip itself. The finish is graham cracker… spot on! I’m not tasting much chocolate or marshmallow, but I’m very impressed that a slightly sweet graham cracker can be tasted in a tea! Yes! The rest of the sip is uneventful, but smooth. Really I’m just drinking it for that crumbly, honeyed aftertaste.

Big thanks to Indigobloom for sharing some of this tea with me. I’m thrilled that I got to try it! It’s the perfect, comforting tea that I need this evening.

I was a little nervous before taking a sip because the scent is a little strange. I’ve had weird experiences with banana teas — usually they end up tasting like banana runts, completely artificial and overwhelming. It doesn’t have the best smell, but the taste is another story! This tea is creamy and sweet. I love that the banana doesn’t overwhelm the cup, but that you can actually taste the oolong in the background. The first thing I taste is the banana (not terribly heavy, but still present) followed closely by the oolong. The finish reminds me of big banana leaves with little flowers — smooth, bright and creamy. This is a very yummy and refreshing cup of tea!

The rest of my weekend is filled with a bunch of studying for a big exam on Monday. This cup of tea is keeping me company while I work! The dry leaf smells incredible… a deep berry scent. It’s really beautiful and reminds me of something from my childhood. The fruit flavors are not overwhelming and mix nicely with the light tea base. There is a bit of a tart finish. I’m not sure if this is from the fruit or the tea leaves… but I don’t mind. This is refreshing and sweet! It’s a gorgeous tea that is just perfect for a summer night!

This tea is refreshing, clean and sweet. It pairs perfectly with the pouring rain this afternoon. I need something bright! It’s very floral (I’m always terrible with identifying specific flowers) and more astringent than I expected. I wish there were more buttery notes.. in fact, I can’t really taste any in this cup. It’s nice, but there are other oolongs that are smoother and more enjoyable for me.

Mmmm. It’s raining this evening and that means that I can FINALLY have a cup of hot tea! I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Paris blend! Many thanks to Will Work For Tea for sending me some in a swap! The tea is sweet with just the slightest bit of astringency. I am reminded of berries with a dash of sugar. Lovely, sweet and rich.

I haven’t been drinking too much hot tea lately because of the hot weather, but today was just a little bit cooler. I wanted a tea without caffeine as I have an early morning tomorrow and this one seemed like a good choice. I think that this is my favorite basic vanilla rooibos tea. It’s very easy to find at the store and I don’t have to pay any expensive shipping as a result. A good cup!

[Backlog] – I’ve had this tea quite a few times now (iced more often than hot). I think it’s best when it’s sweetened and iced. Without sweetener, it’s not all that special — tart & lacking a deep kind of flavor. It’s not a spectacular tea, but it’s actually one of the only Tazo teas I like. I might have to buy more of this tea to ice now that the weather is getting hotter.

First Steep: Color is a bit like a glass of white wine. This is smooth and very bright. The primary flavor is floral, but it’s paired very nicely with a clean and fresh note. There is a very faint sweetness towards the end of the sip. Yummy!

Second Steep: Darker yellow with more of a buttery scent. It’s not overwhelmingly buttery, but it’s definitely present. Floral notes are heavier as well.

Third Steep: Buttery scent has disappeared and now it’s all about those floral smells! Smooth, but more astringent. I imagine a big, fluffy flower that unfolds with each sip.

Fourth Steep: I’m not getting a large difference from my last cup. It feels a little bit heavier on the tongue, but otherwise I am just tasting mellow floral notes.

This is a nice oolong tea to have when you aren’t craving something more specific. It’s enjoyable… I wouldn’t go out of my way for this tea, however. There are other oolongs that I like more, but this hit the spot this afternoon.

It seemed like just the other day that I ordered 50g of this tea.. and I am nearly out! I will have to reorder some of this… it’s very yummy. This tea is not very consistent in the cake tones. There are some moments when I get a lovely flavor of cake.. specifically yellow cake (buttery, sweet, rich — my favorite!) and other times when I just taste maple syrup. Oh Canada from DavidsTea was not very enjoyable and this tea is, at times, almost too close to that one! It won’t stop me from ordering more.. I love dessert rooibos blends & think that this is a solid choice to have in the cupboard. I only wish there was more cake and less of a strong maple flavor!

First Steep: Very floral flavor that morphs into a nice sweetness.

Second Steep: A flavor that reminds me of apple peel with a tiny pat of butter. It’s sort of like prepared baked apples before the apple is actually baked. The floral flavors are definitely toned down, but still sit nicely in the background. I’m hitting an almost hidden spice note. It’s very light.. something like a dust of cinnamon.

I seem to be stopping at two steeps lately.. I wish I could keep sipping tea, but I need to head off to bed. Yes, I did enjoy this tea, but it’s not a favorite of mine. I am very happy that I got to try it! Thanks, Meeka!

I was expecting this tea to be fruity, but my mom and I both bounced back after smelling the bag. I don’t think we were expecting it to be so invigorating! I can smell the hibiscus, a bit of the orange and lemongrass. The herbal note in the background leaves me a little bit worried, but I’ll sip and see how it goes!

Wow! The first part of the sip is definitely very, very tart. I actually enjoy it because it fades into a kind of tender sweetness and finishes with the eucalyptus. This tea is very flavorful and bright… it makes my mouth wake up and cartwheel around my face… Well, not actually. The cup is simply invigorating.

I don’t think I’d buy more of this tea in the future only because there are others that I like more. I would like to try this iced and possibly sweetened.

This was a nice cup of tea, but was very heavy on the coconut flavor. I like coconut in tea, but this was a little too strong. There was a pleasant creaminess in the background, but I couldn’t enjoy it because I was distracted by all of that coconut! I would say that this does taste like a piña colada— perhaps it’s not my kind of flavor!

I have been having the worst craving for pears today. They’re not necessarily the fresh ones either, but ones that are soaked in syrup.. Mmm. This tea is interesting! I do notice a soft pear flavor. It’s light and delicate. There is also a tiny bit of vanilla sweetness, but that’s towards the end of the sip. The strange thing is that there is an overwhelming tart flavor that makes this taste a bit like hot sour cream or cottage cheese & fruit. It sounds disgusting, but it’s truly what I taste. If the vanilla and pear could be more pronounced without that tart flavor, this tea would be lovely!

This tea smelled so very delicious when I opened the bag! Fruity and flavorful! I have to say that I was very much let down by this blend. After enjoying so many delicious teas from DavidsTea, I thought it would really pack a bunch of flavor. This was quite mellow – a little bit bitter, fruity (couldn’t really distinguish mango from a general ‘fruit note’), but nothing all that impressive. It’s one of those teas you drink and then forget that you’ve had a cup. It doesn’t linger in the mouth or mind.