SimplyJenW

I am trying this one out today from our discussions about Harney needing an Earl Grey Cream or an Earl Grey Vanilla.

Today I tried 2 parts Earl Grey Supreme to 1 part Vanilla Black. It is pretty good, but it seems light on the bergamot. It is still pleasant, but I am thinking I could handle the flavors being just a little more intense. I would try a different ratio, but right now the vanilla is about right. Has anyone tried Harney’s regular Earl Grey? Is the bergamot more intense in it?

It does seem like a sophisticated version of my Metro Earl Grey Creme, and certainly much more grown up tasting than Upton’s Earl Grey Creme Vanilla (which reminds me of creamsicles). I woud likely drink this again, which is a good sign…..

The morning blend…. I am liking this one more and more! I think Dinosara mentioned that the base for Tower of London was mostly Chinese blacks. That is probably why the cocoa notes in the Roasted Yerba Mate just blend in with the cocoa notes in the TOL base. It is almost not noticeable.

24 oz pot, 4 1/2 actual tsp TOL, 1 1/2 actual tsp Roasted Yerba Mate, freshly boiled water, 5 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

My tea of the evening. I am feeling a little under the weather….allergies and general yuck. The mint in this one is great for settling my tummy. I also find this tea identical to Celestial Seasoning’s Cany Cane Lane. For a bagged tea, this is pretty good.

24 oz teapot, 3 bags, freshly heated water (I have a new electric kettle…bliss!), 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Tea of the afernoon….. I missed Keemun Mao Feng when I was on vacation! I am still undecided if I need two of these in larger than sample amounts in my cupboard. I love this one for value, but the other is my favorite. I think I will be going with the favorite after this one is gone. And I am sure to sample a few more just for fun.

I think I did oversteep this one (alas, the distractions of life!), but surprisingly, all that happened was a smokier, fuller flavor.

My second breakfast tea. Long live the Queen…in my stash! I noticed I am getting a little low on this one. I am hopeful to stop and get more at the Millerton Shop on a trip to Boston in the near future!

My morning tea….. I am just getting home from vacation and need a serious jumpstart. After drinking JavaVana Mate in the mornings for the last week (I bagged it for ease of use), I made a pot of this one my first morning home. Good, but I think I like the blend with Vanilla Black and rosted yerba mate much better, and the JavaVana Mate has a slight edge over this blend in taste but not price. The Rosted Yerba Mate was also good with English Breakfast (not sure I logged that one), and I still need to try it with The Queen, Valentine’s Blend, and Tower of London. Oh, so much tea, so little time. ;)

Time to brew something else!

I finally gave in and tried this one iced. Very good! I love how the light bergamot makes this an incredibly refreshing iced tea. I do think slighly sweetening would brink out the flavors more, but I kind of like it plain.

Disc pitcher (about 50 oz), 9 actual tsp tea (I like my iced a little weaker than my hot), 4 minutes, freshly boiled water. Cooled to room temp and served with ice. No additions.

Tea of the afternoon…. I needed a serious pick me up after a few minor snafus involving syrup and lip gloss (don’t ask..neither was good!), and this just works wonders.

Back on track…..

Another good blend with yerba mate. While it is not as good as the blend with Vanilla Black or Florence, this one is still good and retains the hints of fruit. I don’t get a strong note of cocoa, but it is there and really just brings the fruit notes down a little.

So happy with the blends I have made with the addition of Roasted Yerba Mate. I have a few more that seem interesting to me like English Breakfast, Queen Catherine, and Rose Congou. Who knew it would be so easy and economical to go this route rather than the preblended versions from Teavana? Per 24 oz pot, it costs me less than a dime in addition to the pot of tea I would be making anyway. It is an added bonus that it uses tea I have in my stash. And I just love the energy boost I get. I know there is more caffeine, but I am thinking it is more than that.

The tea of the afternoon.

It is hard to know what to write about this one. It is very roasty, complex, chocolatey, slightly smokey, and wonderful. I am a little put off by the cost, but not much once I taste it. Worth every penny! I can’t believe I made a whole pot today. What a treat!

I was out at the salon today to get rid of my gray. I know I should be growing old gracefully, but surely a little upkeep is allowed. Anyway, the Queen was there to pick me up upon the offer of a cup of hot water. Since I usually travel with some kind of tea in my purse, I am always ready. I am glad I chose this one, because I am not ever disappointed when I do.

My tea of the morning…. This is definitely on my list of favorite morning teas. It seems this works best for flavor if I make my standard pot of tea with the additon of a slightly heaping perfect tsp (mine is actually 1 1/2 tsp). I measured it out to be 2.3 grams of Rosted Yerba Mate….I need to break out that scale more often. I think the first time I made this, I was a little light on the Florence.

24 oz. teapot, 4 1/2 actual tsp Florence, 1 1/2 actual tsp Roasted Yerba Mate, freshly boiled water, 5 minutes, lightly sweetened.

I was reminded that I had this sample by LadyLondonderry and her review a few days ago. (Actually, I put it in my cart at the Upton website and read the description…and then I realized I had purchased a sample previously.) I have to say, it was the ‘biscuity’ reference that drew me in.

I am not an avid drinker of straight Ceylon. I am sure I have had it in flavored teas and blends, though. This one is very good. Definitely ‘biscuity’, malty, and very smooth. I like it, but I miss my China blacks with the cocoa notes when drinking an unflavored or unblended tea. It might be a great addition to my stash, though. I think I need one more test….. And I had the famous cheese toast as a side (notice the tea was the ‘main’ course). :D

Notes on this blend……Ratio of 3 parts Vanilla Black from Harney & Son’s to 1 part Roasted Yerba Mate from Upton Tea Imports. So long JavaVana Mate, you have been replaced!

It lacks the cappucino flavor that JavaVana Mate has, but it will not be missed. I am so pleased! This tastes similar to coffee, but with vanilla added. Love the boost I get from the yerba mate.

Thank you Teavana for being you. Necessity is the mother of invention in this case…that your prices made me look for an inexpensive alternative and with teas/herbals from the companies I love. Now, I am not limited to one flavor of tea and yerba mate…I have as far as my imagination (and my serious stash of tea) can take me. Also, thank you for showing me that I do like yerba mate…just not on its own.

24 oz teapot, 4 1/2 actual tsp Vanilla Black from Harney & Son’s, 1 1/2 actual tsp Roasted Yerba Mate from Upton Tea Imports, freshly boiled water, 5 minute steep. Sweetened. Yum!

Hmmmm. Tastes surprisingly like coffee. I get a little of the hazelnut, and more cocoa than Florence on its own. Good, but I think I like Elyse and Mate better. Not quite as good as JavaVana Mate, but oh so much more affordable! Florence is about $1.88 per ounce, Roasted Yerba Mate is just under $1 per ounce. JavaVana Mate is $3.60 per ounce….. This is one instance where I don’t think the extra money is worth it. Sometimes, it defintiely is worth it! I want to give this a try with Harney Vanilla black…..

24 oz. teapot, 4 actual tsp Florence, 1 1/2 tsp Roasted Yerba Mate, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Sweetened.

It is always interesting to go back and taste the first teas you thought were outstanding. (Kind of like Dinosara did today with her Earl Grey!) This one was near the top of my list. As time goes on, and my palate becomes a little more experienced, I have noticed that some things just loose their spark. I am sorry to say, but Marco Polo is one of those. I am wondering if a shorter steep will help, or maybe less leaves? But this one is no longer a favorite of mine personally.

Does anyone have room to adopt about 1 1/2 ounces of Marco Polo? It needs a home where it will be loved. I would gladly send along some of Mariage Freres Rouge Bourbon so it could have a friend from home…… (I will send them out in bags rather than tins to whomever wants them!)

My tea of the morning. I used almost 4 actual tsp of Elyse’s Blend from Harney & Son’s and a slightly heaping actual teaspoon of Roasted Yerba Mate from Upton in my 24 oz. pot. I quite like the result. I am getting the honey flavors with the Elyse’s Blend, and a slight hint of cocoa from the yerba mate. I don’t get the subtle bite (yes, I know that description kind of contradicts itself) of the Assam in this blend like I do when drinking Elyse’s Blend on its own. I think we have a winner! I am not sure what to try with yerba matea added next….English Breakfast or Queen Catherine? Tower of London?

My notes about this blend: With my affection for Teavana’s JavaVana Mate (which is a good portion of Assam tea with the additon of roasted yerba mate and flavorings) and its high price, I decided that it might be possible to enjoy Yerba Mate added to just about any of my favorite breakfast teas. This is my first try….. I love the energy I get from yerba mate, but don’t like it much alone.

This is a great morning. This is my tea. The leaves on this one were very big. It kind of looked like a long leaf Formosa oolong (usually I have the cheaper stuff that is in smaller leaf form). It does brew up with a complex mix of flavors even though the color is surprisingly light. This time, I kind of get chocolate with a slight hint of cinnamon. I will definitely rebrew. This tea was not even on my order at Angelina’s. I purchased something quite a bit less expensive that was out of stock, and the owner subbed this one for me. This guy knows how to handle this type of thing, so I know I will purchase there again at some point, and it will probably include more of this particular tea! He drew me in!

For breakfast, I made the famous cheese toast with mustard. What can I say, it was absolutely delish. I had Italian bread, a garlic flavored mustard from Trader Joe’s (my favorite mustard), and finely shredded sharp cheddar. Yum!

I have been craving this tea for a few days now. Something about this one just keeps me going, even on my blah days. There are several teas in my stash that simply make me happy. And this is definitely one of them.

Edit to add: Aha! Earl Grey Supreme wanted to be my 300th tasting note…… :D Celebrating! Cheers, my tea friends!

My iced tea of the afternoon. This time I cold brewed overnight in my Fiestaware Disc pitcher. About 60 oz water, and 6 teabags, at least 8 hours. Perfect with no additions. I don’t ever plan to hot brew this tea again!

My morning tea. I love a good Keemun breakfast tea!

My morning tea. Smooth perfection. Enough said.

24 oz teapot, 4 1/2 actual teaspoons tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Resteep at 6 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

I have a little of this one left. 12 yo DS wanted iced tea today, and he requested it be black tea and plain (none of that fruity frou frou). It is so cute because he is always wanting to taste my tea anymore. He does prefer iced tea, though. It won’t be long until I can win him over to the dark side. He likes coffee, too.

This one is really good iced!

Fiestaware Disc pitcher (about 50 oz), 9 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Allowed to cool to room temp and then slightly sweetened and poured over ice.

Emptied the tin today for a last pot this morning. Good breakfast blend, but it is time to move onto others. So long Mincing Lane. Perhaps we will cross paths again.