SimplyJenW

Tea of the afternoon…

Thank you to ashmanra for the chance to try this one! I see it is out of stock at the moment. It is a sweet smokey tea, and a wonderful afternoon treat.

The smoke is lighter than the first lapsangs I tried, and the base is sweeter.

16 oz, 3 tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes.

Tea of the early morn….. This is another QuiltGuppy tea. (Thanks again for sending me such a great variety!)

This one is mangoey. Very mangoey. The black tea base is rich and present, but it kind of takes a back seat to the tropical goodness of the mango. It kind of reminds me of the Lychee tea I had a few days ago, but this one is cranked up a few notches. The scent of the brewed tea is very fragrant. I do think it is the most intense fruit flavored tea I have encountered, but I do think the flavoring intensity is pretty close in Harney’s Black Currant (which is obviously a more berry flavored tea). Very Good! Definitely a great tea for the fruit flavored tea lover.

Steeped by usual parameters.

Mmmm. Tea of the late, late afternoon. The rose is so sweet in this blend. It has me contemplating switching to this from my beloved Rose Congou from Upton. I guess I have a while to contemplate……about 1 1/2 ounces of this and over 8 of the other…..

Tea of the afternoon…..

I think this one kind of reminds me of Lady Grey and Fortnum & Mason’s Countess Grey. It is a brighter citrus take on Earl Grey for sure. For some reason, I thought it would be smokey, but I was wrong. I might consider buying this one when my tin of Countess Grey is depleted, but it is just too similar.

Steeped by the usual parameters.

Tea tasting of the morning… Sample courtesy of CHAroma. Thank you! Lupicia and learning to like green tea are definitely on my list, and this sample is helping very much!

Let me prefece with the fact that I am relatively new to green tea. Also, let me say that this is a great one to start with. I do get the hints of peach and vanilla on the lightly grassy tea base. No additions. I am sure the flavors would come out with a little sweetener, but it really doesn’t need it.

6 oz cup, 1 tsp tea, freshly heated water to about 180, 3 minutes. No additions.

It turns out that my bamboo strainer from the first Steepster tea box fits my Fiestaware teacups perfectly. With a breadplate on top for steeping, it nearly makes a gaiwan, except that I just drink out of it….

My tea of the morning….

The adventure continues!~ It would be interesting to see how long I could go just trying new teas with the samples in my cupboard! Some I purchased, but the bulk of them are from generous Steepterites out there. I will probably need a staple tea here and there, but I think I will try to do at least one new tea a day for a while. It should be fun as I have many varieties of green and oolong that I don’t normally drink (and I finally have my kettle situation sorted!)

This one is like roasted caramel. Definite slight caramel/vanilla notes with a tinge of smoke. I really like this one and it is a Ceylon base rather than a China black. The liquor is a little lighter than I would have expected, but the taste is much richer than it looks. As for price, it is just over $4 for an 80 gram pouch. I think it is probably a more fluffy tea…don’t laugh at my classification! As a result of measuring by volume rather than weight, I think I probably use a little less tea, but this one works. On the shopping list it goes.

The odd sample I picked up months ago…….

I don’t know why this one suddenly appealed, but it is my tea of the evening. Wow. This is really unique. I get notes of anise, cinnamon, and even a very faint spearmint note. I was reading up on this one, and it sounds like something I should try often. If this infusion does even half of what a google search says it does, it will be well worth it. The unique and relaxing taste is just a bonus. I did have a sore throat coming on, but it now feels very soothed.

24 oz teapot, 4 1/2 actual tsp holy basil, freshly boiled water, 8 minutes. Lightly sweetened, but I probably could have done without it.

Another fun tea! This one comes to me courtesy of Jenn.

Steeped according to my usual parameters and lightly sweetened. The tea base is good, I do get the butter pecan flavor. It is close to maple and cream, but really still tastes like butter pecan. Yum!

Thank you, Jenn!

Today was quite the adventurous tea day. Four new teas to sample (counting my early morning tea). This one is courtesy of QuiltGuppy! Thank you!

This was my late morning tea. I prepped this in a cup with my new bamboo strainer. 1 1/2 tsp tea, 6 oz cup, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

This one has a rich chocolate taste. I could definitely get used to it. It is probably one of the best chocolate teas I have had to date. It is hard to compete with my favorite, though, on cost. If at some time I am planning an order from Joy’sTeaspoon, this will be on my order.

The last of my teas for tasting from my trip through Millerton and tea of the morning.

As far as the lychee teas I have had in my day, this one is the best. It is the perfect balance of flavor, scent, and the tea base. It is very similar to rose tea, but has more of a citrusy floral note than just a floral one. Very pleasant, and I know I will be ordering more at some point, but right now my Harney’s wishlist is kind of long….

I have had one that was lighter scented and perfect for iced (from Upton..iced teas for me are usually pretty basic) and one that was overly scented, even too much for iced tea (this one was from The Tea Table and the sample which I liked did not match up with the tea I ordered).

Steeped by the usual parameters.

Tea of the afternoon. I fixed this one according to the package directions. (2 cups water and 1 heaping tsp, simmer for 3 minutes. Add 2/3 cup milk, simmer for 3 minutes, strain.) Sweeten to taste.

This is a spicey one, but it is good. I can taste the cloves and maybe even pepper. I do find this one a little messy to strain, too. The mix itself comes in a ground up state and makes me miss the ease of straining full leaf chai. Not likely a good one for me, though, once this package is gone.

Tea of the afternoon…

I need a serious pick me up and this is it! The last time I had Brigitte, it was very strong. This time I added a small amount of milk….just enough to turn the color caramel and the tea slightly murkey (how do you describe the clarity loss by the addition of milk?…pull in the token gross lake water example…good!)

This is so much better than last time. It is rich, maltey, and strong. I don’t have many teas in my cupboard that stand up to milk this well. I also think I have been adding too much milk when I have added it in the past. A small amount does the trick. This tea is moving from the chopping block back to the general population.

Steeped by my usual parameters. Plus milk!

I also have a new kettle. After the fiasco that ended with two non-functioning VarieTEA kettles (Adagio’s customer service is stellar, BTW. They must be ripping their hair out.) I bought the UtiliTEA after returning the duds (The VarieTEA was a really nice kettle when it was working! It just seems they have a few kinks to work out.) Love the little kettle. I just wish its functioning consistency was paired with the bigger volume and sleekness of the other.

Tea of the morning…..

Yayyyy! I got my first David’s order yesterday. I was amazed at how fast it actually got here. And those of you in the US who have ordered, do you always have to sign with the courrier? I was surprised, but luckily home. It only took a few days to get from Montreal to NE Ohio.

Mmmmmm. Chocolate Rocket is very good. Chocolate and the end note of raspberry all wrapped up in a bundle of energy package. Thank you to DaisyChubb for sending me the sample that pushed me to order! I think I am hooked and welcome David’s into the top places I love to order.

Usual steeping paramters, except for the time of 5 minutes.

Tea of the afternoon…..

I did steep this in the more traditional method….1 cup water, 1 cup skim milk, 4 tsp chai. Simmer for about 5 minutes stirring and being careful not to let it boil over. I added a little brown sugar afterward this time, but I am thinking Splenda will be fine for next time, as well as a little less milk…maybe 3/4 cup milk and 1 1/4 cup water. I am trying to maximize the taste while keeping the calories low.

Anyway, what resulted was a rich and spicy chai with an apple flair. I really think this works for me. I have a few other versions of chai to try in the next week or so. I am not rating, because I do think this prep method makes just about any chai taste pretty good. And this is an inexpensive chai. I know I should probably mix up my own, but the price of the cardamom pods kind of threw me…plus, I kind of like it ready to go if I am going to prep it in this way.

This is for a cold brew…..

I used about 10 tsp in a 60 oz pitcher. Brewed for about 16 hours. Very good.

I do prefer this one cold brewed, and with the bargain basement price, it is a great option. The rose comes out slightly, and I did decide to lightly sweeten this, even though I rarely do with iced. It brought the rose out a little. I will consider buying this once my stores of other teas to cold brew is a bit more depleted.

Hmm. This one is puzzling. I am on my second pot of this, and I really don’t know what to think of it. When I think of figs, I think of something sweet like raisins. Brown sugar, well, I think it should be light in a mapley-type flavor but not quite there. The tea itself smells pretty good, and I do imagine there is some difference between this and the tea base on its own, but I really am not getting much in the way of flavor. Maybe I am just looking for the wrong flavors? I think the other problem is that the way the flavors play with the tea base reminds me of the Metro tea base I don’t like. It is smooth with no bitterness, and really might appeal to someone else. All of this is just my personal take on the tea, but I know I will not be reordering or remaking this one.

Now that I made it sound so good, does anyone want a sample? ;)

I added just a bit more tea this time and it was better. Still light on the chocolate and pecan with the caramel taking the spotlight. Enjoyable enough, but I will probably not repurchase when this pouch is gone. I will want to try something else. I think chocolate flavoring is better left to black tea or roasted yerba mate.

24 oz teapot, 6 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 7 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

As for the company overall: My experience with this company has been good. However, I do think trying a tea at the $6 mark is kind of over the top. In my opinion, it keeps me from trying more. The blend your own flavor is fun, but I wonder if she would consider offering different pricing for a reblend of your mix in larger amounts. I will probably never order without some kind of discount or free shipping perk.

My first attempt at this… My ratio is one part Black Currant to two parts Vanilla Black. I definitely like this. I might give a one to one ratio a go, but I am thinking this is pretty close.

24 oz teapot, 1 1/2 tsp Black Currant tea, 3 tsp Vanilla Black tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Now I need a name for this. I hate to steal the brilliance that is Christa Y’s name, but am looking for something that is equally as cool. I am thinking along the lines of Liz Bennet, Spymaster……. You know, the original M, which is just short for Mrs. Darcy.

Or maybe this will be my Hobbit Tea. I can picture Rosie Cotton Gamgee making this tea for her friends. I am leaning toward this one…Rosie’s Hobbit Tea. What do you think?

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

Tea of the morning….

As I sit here, I am planning my teas for the day. Whoa. I should be planning what I need to get accomplished today, but instead, I am thinking Hot Cinnamon Spice and a blend of Harney’s Black Currant and Vanilla Black to make my own version of ‘Jane Austen Mafia’. Kudos to whomever blended that one. It almost made me consider buying more even though the tea base for flavored tea from that company is not my favorite. And then I remembered my dear Vanilla Black and Black Currant teas in my cupboard who are just begging to be blended together. I will be missing some cream, but maybe I will just have to add some real cream…well, half and half.

Anyway, Good Morning, Steepsterites! It is gonna be a Happy Tea Day!

Wow! I am so glad I snagged a pouch of this at the last reblending. This is soooo good. The cinnamon is just the right level for a cinnamon roll, and I get the bready taste as well as the icing. A wonderful replacement for the sweets I should not be eating.

Please, Sir. I want some more!

24 oz teapot, 4 actual tsp blend, freshly boiled water, lightly sweetened.

Tea of the afternoon.

I have been out running errands today, and am very glad to be home sitting here with my tea. I think I am addicted. But I am not looking for any reason to overcome this particular addiction!

Smooth, cocoa-ey, good. I have not had this one in so long that I forgot about the honey and appley notes in this one. Yum.

Steeped by the usual parameters.

Tea of the morning.

I may be having this one more often in the morning. It turns out that my youngest kind of likes it to get his day going. It is funny that he normally drinks a few sips of coffee in the morning and thinks it makes a difference. He thinks this one makes him peppy, which is a good thing since it takes him so long to wake up for his 6:30am bus.

In comparison to Chocolate Rocket…it works and is much more economical. But I am ordering the Rocket today for a treat. I will probably have to share it….. ;)