Raritea

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml

Creamy, slightly sweet, spice flavours well-balanced.

1 tablespoon for 375 ml

The scent of the brewed tea reminds me of peach gummy sour candy.

Peach is very artificial-tasting. The hibiscus seems to be well-blended and the tartness complements the flavour profile. Jasmine is detected in the background but is also well-blended. White tea taste is present.

As the cup cools, I’m tasting the white/green tea mix astringency which is quite nice at the end of the sip.

1 tablespoon for 375 ml

Black tea leathery tones. Very smooth. Honey and almost licorice-like sweetness. Slight smokiness. Slight creaminess.

Second infusion retains the smoothness and slight creaminess. Black tea tones are a bit faded but blend together very well.

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml

Slight bitter tinge from the orange peel. I really like the combination of licorice root and chamomile. Hint of floral note from the rosehips. I cannot detect any goji berries. The peppermint is a nice complement to the flavour profile.

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml

Blueberry is mildly artificial tasting. For some reason I taste a hint of anise-like sweetness. The blueberry slightly overpowers the white tea base.

Thanks to Kittenna for sharing this with me!

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml

Authentic cantaloupe flavour on the sip. Roasted-creamy overtones. Hint of sticky sweetness in the background.

Second infusion at 4 minutes.

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml

Very light flavour. Little to no flavour on the sip. Slightly broth-y mouth-feel. Floral notes in aftertaste. Grapefruit-y note in aftertaste.

As the tea cools, I’m detecting a bit of a fresh hay note on the sip.

I may want to experiment with the infusion parameters.

Rating: 77

1 tablespoon for 375 ml

Apricot-fruity taste on the sip. Very slight astringency from the black tea. Black tea notes are very quiet. Slight buttery quality.

Thank you to Indigobloom and Sil for sharing this with me!

1.5 tablespoons for 375ml

Almond beverage flavour in the background close to the end of the sip. Dark cocoa notes. Very slight creaminess. I’m not tasting any coconut. This one may have lost flavour in transit.

Thank you to Kittenna for sharing this with me!

1 tablespoon for 375 ml

On the sip, oceanic but with a slight lingering sweet note that reminds me of licorice or ginseng. Earthy/woodsy-ness that reminds me of chocolate. Hay-like qualities. Roasted tone. Hint of buttery-ness. Ginseng-like sweetness quality is accentuated as the tea cools.

Second infusion at 4 minutes. I’m detecting a bit of some black tea flavour qualities. There is still a hint of vegetal taste. The overall flavour reminds me of seaweed crisps.

Third infusion at 5 minutes. Still an enjoyable tea experience.

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml of water.

Fruity flavours balanced with buttery green undertone. I can pick out apricot, cherry and berry flavours. Something in here reminds me of 52teas Black Currant Bai Mu Dan .

Thanks to Kittenna for sharing this with me!

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml

The brewed tea has an incredibly buttery aroma- very much like a fresh pastry. I’m detecting pie crust in the scent.

The buttery taste does translate into the flavour. A little bit thin in flavour on the sip but the taste blooms into a very convincing pumpkin pie taste close to the end of the sip into the aftertaste. Slight earthy/astringent note from the black. The black tea flavour compliments the pie very nicely near the end of the sip into the aftertaste. Very nice black tea and pumpkin pie notes in the lingering aftertaste.

Thanks to Sil for passing on some of this to me!

1 tablespoon for 375 ml

Lightly buttery vegetal flavour. Very delicate taste. Light broth-y mouth-feel. Crisp finish. Only the slightest hint of an astringent note near the end of the sip which is well balanced with the flavour profile. The overall flavour profile tastes like mix of green tea notes and the delicacy of white tea (about 65% green tea traits and 35% white tea traits). Fruity grape-like notes in the lingering aftertaste.

Second infusion using 82 degrees Celsius water, 300 ml, for 4 minutes. The taste of the tea reminds me a lot of the Gyokuro Imperial from Teavana (Creamy, vegetal spinach). There’s more of a smoothness in the flavour and a very buttery finish. The aftertaste is very sweet grape-y. The grape flavour reminds me a bit of an artificial grape taste but there is a astringent quality to it near the end of it that makes the taste bloom into something much more refined. I’m detecting the grapefruit-y hint that I sometimes find in the aftertaste of oolongs. This second infusion is incredibly flavourful- the best tasting second infusion that I have experienced.

Third infusion using 100 degrees Celsius water, 248 ml, 5 minutes. There is a corn-like aroma from the brewed tea. Mild, brothy green tea taste. Very faint hint of a leathery, astringent black tea note near the end of the sip. Grape-like flavour develops close to aftertaste as the tea cools.

1 tablespoon for 248 ml

Too much astringency near the end of the sip. Very rosy and floral flavour. Wheat-like mouth-feel. Spices present in the background. Leaves a pleasant lingering aftertaste with citrus notes.

Rating: 46

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml

Extremely unpleasant aftertaste which I think is from the added sugar in the pineapple pieces. Tartness from the hibiscus is very apparent. The hibiscus does not seem to be well-blended. I can detect a little bit of the punchy-ness from the rooibos but the flavour profile is very much taken over by the pineapple and hibiscus flavour.

1 tablespoon for 375 ml

Sweet, floral and creamy. Strawberry is present in the background and blends right into the oolong. Really nice oolong flavour with pleasant sticky/tangy sweetness. This tea is what I would imaging a strawberry flower to smell/tastes like.

As the tea cools I am detecting a very authentic strawberry aroma which translates into the flavour- although I find it to still be in the background of the oolong taste.

Flavour continues to increase in strawberry taste as the tea cools.

1.5 tablespoon for 375 ml

Overwhelmingly floral. Coconut flavour in background. Hints of nutty and roasted tones.

Thanks to Sil for sharing this with me!

1 tablespoon for 248 ml

Marshmallow flavour very well captured. There is a hint of sweet coconut flavour. Flavours all flavours well balanced with black tea. Creaminess present.

Thanks Kittenna for sharing this with me!

1 tablespoon for 375 ml

The brewed tea has a nice balance of black tea, maple and oatmeal aromas. There is a smooth baked goods quality to the smell that I attribute to oats. Hint of chocolatey-ness in the aroma that may be the result of me letting this sit too closely to chocolate-themed tea.

Flavour is extremely mild. There is only a hint of the smoothness from the aroma near the end of the sip. Almost metallic flavour in the middle of the sip which hints to some other flavours that may have been lost in the transit of this tea. Slight astringency (almost sharp bitterness) near the end of the sip from the black tea. Only the slightest hint of sweetness. Hint of roasted taste near the end of the sip.

Rating: 34

Thanks Kittenna for letting me try this!

1.25 tablespoons for 248 ml

Good balance of rooibos flavour and fruity sweetness. Flavour is slightly thin.

Thank you to Ellyn for letting me try this!

0.9 tablespoons for 248 ml

The brewed tea has an enticing aroma. Creamy and baked good notes with a soft sweet peach. Reminds me a bit of peach oatmeal.

On the sip, pleasant malty sweetness. The sweetness is a sustaining note appearing slighty at the start of the sip, blooming into the middle and carrying through until the aftertaste. Very smooth tasting. Creamy notes in the flavour. Black tea notes present and peek out in the flavour near the end. All the flavours are very well blended. Velvety mouth-feel. Hint of flavourful astringency in the aftertaste.

Thanks to Kittenna for letting me try some of this one!

1 tablespoon for 375 ml

Garlic flavour is pleasant- not too strong. Slightly bitter and wheat-y mouthfeel in the middle of the sip. Vanilla sweetness is present into the aftertaste. Tomato-y hint and maple syrup sweetness from rooibos flavour into the aftertaste. Overall, the flavour profile is rather plain. Slight creamy mouthfeel.

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml

Light eggnog flavour on the sip. Strong creamy taste and distinct eggnog sweetness near the end of the sip. Oceanic qualities of the green tea detectable but very well blended. The flavours are balanced in a way that they complement each other. Very well captured eggnog flavour on the aftertaste. Milky-type flavour comes out as the tea cools.

2 tablespoons for 375 ml of water

Primary mint flavour with spices in background. Licorice sweetness in aftertaste. I am not detecting any floral or orange flavour in this blend. Only minimal lemongrass flavour but it seems to be well-blended and not overwhelming with a 6 minute infusion.

Rating: 73