Scheherazade

After my success with the honeybush version over the last couple of evenings, I decided to try the SBT version at work today. I brewed it up last night, following the instructions. 2 cups of boiling water for three minutes, and then top up with cold to make just under 2 litres. Then it went in the fridge overnight, and this morning it came to work with me!

It’s thundery and humid out, so no surprise that it’s far too hot in my reception area. I’m surprised it took me so long to work out that iced black tea is what I’ve been lacking at work every summer. It’s a lot more refreshing than my usual hot tea, and because it’s black I can get my caffeine fix in as well. I’m useless by mid-afternoon, otherwise.

This is the second of the SBTs I’ve tried, and I think I did slightly better this time. The black tea base is still something you can taste, but it seems lighter and less prominent this time. I think maybe I oversteeped my Razzleberry, although I can’t say it really bothered me at the time. By comparison, though, this is more what I was looking for. Something to remember next time I’m brewing one of these — don’t get distracted!

Anyway, as with the honeybush version, this tastes uncannily like actual neapolitan ice cream. It also has the advantage of being reasonably cold this time, so the resemblance is even stronger. I can taste chocolate first, then a creamy vanilla, and then finally strawberry. The three combine beautifully in the aftertaste, to give the full neapolitan effect. Amazing!

Both versions of this are absolute winners with me. I added milk to the honeybush, which I haven’t done here, but I didn’t add sweetner to either. It really doesn’t need it. It’s not sweet, per se, but it tastes of what it’s supposed to, and that’s enough for me. I got one of each available flavour to try with my last order, but I think I’m going to have to stock up again very soon! These are just too good to pass up!

Popped over to my parent’s to collect a parcel before heading out again to a friend’s. It was actually me who got them to start drinking this tea, while I was at university. The water is so bad in Norfolk, most of the cheaper brands seem to develop a slimy film on the surface. I’ve since got my dad to share some of the teas I drink now, but my mum has stuck to this. It’s not bad, as supermarket CTC teas go. In fact, it’s probably one of the better ones. Anyway, long story short, when you visit my mum, this is the tea you get.

Incidentally (or maybe not) the parcel that had arrived was my Tealux order. I sometimes have bigger things sent to my mum, as she’s usually in during the day to accept them. They’re all samples, so they won’t linger in my cupboard, but they’re definitely going to bump my number up! They’ll be the first Tealux I’ve tried, so I’m really quite excited…

Also in the parcel was my new finer infuser, which should let me brew rooibos without transferring it to a filter bag. Happy days!

Watch this space, I guess :)

Finally tried this last night. I actually bought this with my second 52Teas order, just before last Christmas. I’m not sure why I held off. Maybe because I’d heard such great things and I didn’t want to be disappointed.

Let’s get one thing straight. I am not disappointed, because this is absolutely amazing. I was unsure about the scent at first. I could only really detect the honeybush, and maybe a faint whiff of chocolate. I left it sitting in the kitchen for 6 minutes or so, though, and when I came back things had definitely changed. I could smell strawberry, for starters. I added milk to this, because I couldn’t get my mind to think ice cream if it wasn’t some kind of creamy. That actually seemed to drown out the scent again, but I needn’t have feared.

I was seriously impressed by the first sip. The initial taste was quite strongly chocolatey, then the vanilla started to edge in, and then the strawberry emerged right at the end, carrying through into the aftertaste. Maybe because the milk contributed the creaminess I was looking for, but this tastes just like Neapolitan ice cream. It’s hot, but that doesn’t seem to matter somehow. The flavour is spot on. It’s almost uncanny.

I’m looking forward to this evening just so that I can drink it again. It’s going to be a really welcome addition to my summer pre-bedtime rotation, and I suspect there’ll be tears when it’s gone. I’d like to cold brew it, because part of me feels that ice cream should be cold. It’s so gorgeous hot, though, I’m almost tempted not to bother. I do have the SBT version of this, so perhaps I’ll break that out tomorrow. I’m almost done with the Razzleberry I’ve got at work, so I’ll need some more iced tea to keep me going tomorrow. Apparently we’re going to have a heatwave, but I’ll believe that when I see it.

I don’t think there’s anything left to say, other than “I really love this tea!” Amazing, amazing stuff.

Sipdown! Drinking my last cup of this at work right now. It’s a lovely, almost sharply citrus rooibos, but I think I’ve had my fill of it for the time being. I have a couple of other lemon rooibos blends in my stash, so it’ll be interesting to see how they compare. I somehow doubt they’ll be able to beat this one for lemoniness, though. It’s been great both hot and cold.

I remember when Teapigs used to claim that this tea would stay green, and not turn a muddy brown like every other mint tea going. I can’t remember whether it was ever true, but it certainly isn’t now. Swampy it is. It at least smells fresh, though, and is very strongly minty.

To taste, this is one of the more pleasant mint teas I’ve tried so far. There’s never all that much between them, but I suppose this one has quite large leaves still, so it doesn’t become over strong too quickly. I gave this about three minutes, and was rewarded with a cooling, refreshing, definitely minty tea, but without the resemblances to toothpaste and mouthwash that can sometimes prevail.

I always find drinking mint tea an interesting experience, as it’s both hot and cold at the same time. On a moderately warm spring day, though, it’s quite a welcome sensation. Peppermint tea (and by this I only mean the herbal, rather than blends that include mint) will never be top of my list of favourites, probably because I’ve disliked so many of them. As they go, though, this is by no means a bad one. It’s not outright stunning (can a mint tea really be that anyway?), but it’s certainly better than average.

Made this up last night, and I’ve been drinking it most of the day today in my too-hot reception area. It’s not even that warm outside, so I have no idea why the temparature gets up so much in here, but anyway.

I agree with Lala on this one. The intial smell is really like sour raspberry candies. Every time I get pick and mix, I go for some of those. The scent also reminded me a little bit of 52 Teas Raspberry Cream, which I loved, so it was almost bound to be a winner with me.

I brewed this according to the packet instructions. 2 cups of boiling water, and then topped up with cold to make just under 2 litres. I put it in the fridge overnight, and then decanted it into a bottle to bring to work this morning. I’d like to try cold brewing one of these at some point, but I went with both speed and tried and tested last night as it seemed the simplest thing to do!

To taste, this is much as I thought it would be. I get raspberry mainly, in both the scent and the initial flavour. There’s a slight tartness coming from somewhere, but it’s not overpowering. You can also taste the black tea, which has a slightly bitter bite to it. I suppose I was expecting that, given that it’s CTC, but it works quite well with the raspberry flavouring (which is quite sweet) in any case. I totally forgot to bring sugar with me, but I might have tried adding a bit to one of my cups if I’d remembered. There’s no harm done, though, because this is a perfectly palatable tea in its own right. I can’t really taste any blackberry, but that’s my only complaint, and a minor one at that.

I’ve got a few of the other flavours stashed away in my cupboard, so I’m looking forward to trying those now. I’ve appreciated being able to have my black tea cold today, though. Cold-brewed fruit and herbals weren’t quite doing it somehow, and I found myself feeling sleepy at around 3.00pm last week. Not so today! Clearly this is great stuff!

This is one of the best mint chocolate rooibos blends I’ve tried. The dry mix smells just like an after eight, and is really lovely to look at. There are cocoa shells a-pleanty, little dark chocolate hearts, and, of course, rooibos interspersed with a generous quantity of peppermint leaves. I brewed it for about four minutes, and added a little milk.

The initial sip tastes just like mint chocolate — like a mint aero, or even mint hot chocolate. The rooibos stays firmly in the background, but adds a nice earthy complement to the aftertaste. I suspect the milk has made this creamier than it otherwise would be, but it suits this tea well. I’ll try it without milk at some point in the future, but today is not that day.

If you like mint chocolate, this really is a must try. It’s a beautiful blend, strongly flavoured, and perfectly executed. I haven’t loved all of the blends I’ve tried from Bluebird, but this one is a definite winner with me. Divine!

A sipdown to end the working week. I’m glad, in a way, because I was getting a little tired of the green murkiness this tea added to my morning routine. It’s definitely flavoured for me from now on!

200th tasting note, by the way. I suppose it’s a significant one in that I have come to an understanding about my relationship with Yerba Mate. The journey of discovery goes on!

I’m drinking the remainder of Monday’s cold-brew of this at work today. I usually have hot tea at work, but it’s so hot in my reception area that I knew last night I’d need a cold drink today. This tea actually belongs to my mum, so it’s not in my cupboard. I drank it iced once or twice when I had my own box, but I’ve never tried it cold-brewed before. I actually think this is the best way to drink this tea. The berry flavours come out really well, and it doesn’t taste over much of hibiscus, which it’s certainly guilty of when brewed hot. A light, refreshing berry delight! Just the thing!

Sipdown! I doubt I’ll be buying this again, simply because I’ve moved on from Adagio now. My next goal is actually going to be to finish up the remainder of my Adagio samples, as I seem to be acquiring new teas at a pretty scary rate. Trying to ban myself doesn’t work. Anyway, this turned out to be a pretty tasty tea, despite my initial reservations. Clearly sometimes it is worth judging a tea by its name!

The final sample from my swap with Sil. Judging from the colour, there’s a lot of my friend hibiscus in here. While the scent is orangey, it’s also quitge spicy to begin with, although it does take on a notable creaminess as the steep progresses.

To taste, this is surprisingly sweet and creamy. The spicy notes I got from the dry mix made me think this would be quite sharp and tart, but it’s not like that at all. It actually reminds me a bit of Refreshers. Given that there’s probably a considerable amount of hibiscus in here, this is actually one of the nicest fruit teas I’ve tried in a while. It lives up to its name perfectly, somehow managing to be sweet, definitely orangey and creamy despite all indications to the contrary. A really enjoyable tea that I’m glad to have had the opportunity to try. Thanks again to Sil for sharing it with me!

Drank my first cup of this last night. I’m really beginning to appreciate honeybush/rooibos blends before bed, and this is a particularly nice one. I’m beginning to suspect that, generally speaking, pineapple and coconut teas are not for me. I like both in actuality, pineapple particularly, but when they’re put together in tea they seem to take on a pukey kind of flavour. I have no idea why, but it’s definitely off-putting.

Anyway, I was a little worried about trying this tea for that exact reason. Fortunately, though, it doesn’t seem to happen here. I can taste the coconut first, but I love that the pineapple comes over so clearly as well. Maybe I like this blend where I haven’t liked others because there’s no hibiscus? I’ll pay more attention in future to the precise kinds of pineapple/coconut teas that I don’t like, and try and work that out. I’m not always a fan of honeybush either, but here it’s just perfect. A sweet, unobtrusive companion to the sweet, juicy tropical fruit flavours.

I’m glad I picked this one up. I can see it being a welcome companion on summer evenings!

Sipdown! Finished this one off this afternoon. It was nice while it lasted, but I think I’ve had my fill of it for now. Time to move on to some of the flavoured whites in my stash that I’ve been looking forward to for weeks!

Sipdown! Drank the last four of these as lattes this weekend, and was reminded how much I love it brewed this way. It’ll definitely be making a reappearance in my cupboard come winter!

This is the second last of my samples from Sil. I’m guessing I saved it until now because it’s the one I’m most nervous about. It’ll be the first pu’erh I’ve tried, and I’ve heard things about fish…I’ve read some of the tasting notes on here, though, and I’m reassured, so I think I’m ready…

I followed the instructions on the DT website, and gave this 4 minutes in water just cooler than boiling. I’m encouraged by the scent of this brewed — I can only detect creamy strawberries, and that’s more than okay with me. First sip, and I’m still happy. This does taste remarkably like strawberry yoghurt, and there’s not the slightest hint of anything fishy. As it cools, I can detect a slight earthiness in the aftertaste, but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary.

I’ve got another couple of cups worth of this left, which I’m now really looking forward to! Pu’erh probably still isn’t a tea variety I’d actively seek out — I’m still not confident enough for that — but I’m glad it wasn’t as scary as I was expecting!

One of the last teas from my swap with Sil. I’ve just received, and have ordered, a fair few new teas, so I figured I’d better get to work on some of my samples and near sipdowns this weekend. I guess this is one I left until now because of its unfamiliarity. I’m having a successful day with unfamiliar teas, though, so there’s no time like the present!

I don’t know whether I’m doing the right thing with this, but I basically treated it like normal tea, putting it in boiling water for about 4 minutes. I tried a few of the grains while I was waiting, and I’m pretty sure I could actually enjoy them as a snack. Anyway, the result is a medium yellow liquor that smells quite savoury, and slightly salty. Pretzel is probably the best comparison I can come up with for now, but it’s also reminding me of something else that I can’t quite place for now. No doubt it’ll come to me at some point.

To taste, this is much as I expected, given the scent and what it is. It tastes like liquid pretzel, and maybe a bit like freshly baked bread. It’s got a baked taste about it, somehow, and it’s ever so slightly salty, too. I think I could actually get used to drinking this — it’s different from almost all other teas I’ve tried, but it’s actually very pleasant and palatable. Light, too. A nice change from my normal tea habits. I’m impressed!

A sample from Sil! I haven’t been drinking that many black teas of late, so this is a bit of a departure from my usual routine. It’s been warm here — summer has definitely arrived — but I’m not feeling great this weekend, so black tea it is.

The dry leaf has small pieces of toffee in it, and the scent is pretty accurate. It has the charcteristic sweet, caramelised scent, plus a bit of saltiness. Brewed, this is much the same in terms of scent. I’ve added milk, so it’s also taken on a slight creaminess, and there’s a thin film on the surface that I’m assuming is from the melted toffee pieces.

To taste, this reminds me of some homemade fudge I had with coffee in a hotel recently. It’s very sweet, definitely caramel, and wonderfully creamy. The saltiness is barely detectable unless I really focus. Overall, I’m really impressed with this one. I like caramel flavoured blacks, so I don’t expect that’s saying much, but this one has a particularly strong and clear flavour. Great stuff!

I wasn’t feeling great last night, so I went for my ultimate comfort tea for a pre-bedtime drink. I’ve just recovered from a cold, but I think it might be coming back again, somehow. Anyway, I always find this tea warming and reassuring. I was too tired to make a latte, so I just brewed this as I normally would a black tea with a hefty dose of milk added. The slight heat from the chili helped to soothe my throat, and the combination of the spices and warm milk helped me to feel all warm and cosy again. For me, this really is comfort in a cup.

Back to this tea. I’ve neglected it a bit of late, but it seemed like just the thing this morning. As ever, it’s a lovely tea. It’s quite delicate in terms of flavour, but I definetly get apple and cinamon, and the green tea base is smooth and only very lightly grassy. Next to chai, I actually find this a very comforting tea. I suppose apple pie reminds me of home cooking and winter, and that’s what this tea smells and tastes like. Warm apple pie. Yum!

I’m always a little bit suspicious of genmaicha. I’m not sure why, maybe because in the past green tea really hasn’t been my thing, and the first genmaicha I tried was a bitter nightmare. I needn’t have worried, though! This one is seriously yummy!

The banana scent is very strong in the packet. It’s not exactly fresh banana, though, more like those foamy banana sweets you can get in pick and mix. They probably have a name, but I can’t recall it. The brewed tea tastes much the same as it smells, which is what I was hoping. I’m rather fond of banana flavoured teas, so long as I can actually taste the banana element, and there’s problem with that here. The intial taste is banana, and it’s quite sweet and candy-like. This is followed by a deep nuttiness from the rice — I guess I can get biscuit or cheesecake base from that if I concentrate, although it’s a little bit strong for that. More toasted than baked, really. Still, though, it IS tea and not an actual cheescake. Let’s be realistic here. The green tea base supports the flavours well, and doesn’t get in the way. It’s not bitter or astringent, and earns its place by contributing a slightly savoury nuttiness to what otherwise might be a pretty overpoweringly sweet tea. As it is, though, it’s perfect!

I think this is actually one of the teas from my very first 52Teas order, so I’m glad I took the opportunity to pick up a pack while I had the chance. It makes a really nice late-afternoon dessert tea, and is pretty good cold, too, if the dregs I just drank are anything to go by. Definitely a hit with me!

I’ve been drinking one of these every morning at work, and I do feel it helps to boost my energy levels a little over the course of the morning. I’m really not a morning person, so I need all the help I can get not to be a grouchy monster. This goes some way towards achieving that, so it’s a welcome addition to my daily tea rotation. I’m not over keen on the flavour, but I can’t fault its effect!

Sipdown! This had really been one of the best 52teas blends I’ve tried so far. It’s just divinely creamy, fruity deliciousness. I’m seriously regretting only getting one bag of this, because I know I’m really going to miss it now it’s gone. Great work, Frank!

I couldn’t remember whether I’d logged this as a cold brew, but it looks like I haven’t. I’ve had a pitcher of this in the fridge ever since I had my first success cold brewing Yumchaa Lemon Sherbet. That made me keen to try some of my other rooibos teas cold, and this was the one I chose. I’ve been kind of addicted to it ever since, because the berry flavouring comes out so, so well when this is cold brewed. It’s far stronger and far more clear than when it’s hot, and the rooibos doesn’t become overpowering. I had feared it might, but if anything, it seems to fade into the background more in the face of the berry flavouring. It also develops a creamy, delicately floral flavour that really isn’t there when hot. A hugely enjoyable cold brew, and one I’m certain to turn to time and again this summer.

I’m down to the last few of my samples from Sil now, and this is one of the ones I’ve really been looking forward to. I’m a big fan of both white tea and berry tea, so this should be a good fit for me.

The dry leaf smells really lovely. Sweet, with definite notes of raspberry and maybe the merest hint of champagne. There are a good proportion of silver tips among the leaves and stems, and everything looks very fresh and green . I was drinking Adagio’s white peony yesterday, which is probably why the greenness stands out here. Although I love Adagio’s version, the leaves are much darker, almost black-brown in some cases, and just don’t have the look of freshness about them that these do.

Anyway, I waited patiently for the water to cool, and gave this about 2.5 to 3 minutes. The liquor is a beautiful golden colour, rather like champagne, and the champagne scent itself is more noticeable now it’s brewed.

To taste, this is wonderfully delicate. The champagne flavour actually comes across really well. I’m not sure what gives that effect – maybe it’s a slight grapeiness I’m picking up on? The floral nature of the white tea base helps a little too, I think. It could only really be improved if it was fizzy, let’s say that! The raspberry is more subtle, but it’s definitely there in the background. In terms description accuracy, this really is like drinking a glass of champagne with a couple of raspberries in it, only in tea form. I’m enjoying this as a warm drink (I’m not going to say hot, as I was good and waited for the water to cool, such that it can’t really be described as hot any more…). I’d love to try it iced, though. I have a feeling that’s how it would really shine. As flavoured white tea goes, though, this is a triumph. Hugely enjoyable. Thanks again to Sil for sharing it with me!