Stephanie

Delicious.

Roasted hazelnuts dusted with dark cocoa. Bittersweet and flavorful.

Very aptly named. This is somehow evocative of how I imagine Florence at dusk to be like. Romantic, wistful and artful.

Sorry to wax poetic, but this tea inspires me beyond words! I love it!!!

It seems like I haven’t had a “regular” black tea in awhile! So at first sip, this tasted strange to me. It tastes like a “typical” black tea. Like the most average black tea you can have. Like a Lipton tea bag?

Further sips, a woodsy note appears and something papery and old—like parchment? This is very drying on the tongue and surprisingly refreshing!

A very basic, mild-tasting yet potent black tea.

I think this would be perfect to brew into an iced tea.

Steamed gardenias. A very light, floral cup. Super delicate. Just a hint of cream and toast.

Sorry for all these kombucha notes—I swear I’m not affiliated with this company or anything—I just went on a kombucha buying frenzy the other day and this brand had the cutest bottles _{(plus they’re local)}! :)

House Kombucha really does have good, solid kombucha. I’ve tried three flavors already and they didn’t disappoint. All have been yummy and exhilarating.

This flavor is very rosey. Like essence of deep red roses in lemon seltzer. There is a sangria-like quality as well. Citrusy, sweet red wine.

Yum. :)

Like summer evening in a bottle! The fresh zing of lemony kombucha grounded by soothing lavender. I can taste the lavender very strongly—it’s not too herbaceous, though—it’s sweet and tastes “candied”. The flavor reminds me of Tea Etc.’s Rosy Earl Grey, in a way. Very “frou-frou” _{(as Rabs, another Steepsterite, would say)}.

Another favorite!

Cinnamon, strawberries and graham crackers. Fruity, spicy and warm. So comforting!

It’s a cuddle up flavor. I love it. :)

Yum…I can really detect the creamy notes. Citrusy bergamot and cream. I forgot how much I love Earl Grey! And this is a mellowed-out version. I can detect a bit of burnt sugar and vanilla, cream and some fantastic bergamot. A very tasty mix!

Kombucha just seems like the perfect beverage for summer. This tastes like mead but with effervescence. Pronounced honey flavor. A little lemony. Refreshingly sweet and delicious.

I was browsing the refrigerated aisle at Rainbow Grocery today and spied this. Yummy kombucha! I’m a big fan all things raw and probiotic (yogurt, kephir, raw “live” dairy, etc.) and kombucha is probiotic tea! The only brand I’ve tried so far is the popular GT. That was good, I think this is better. It’s super fresh (their little “factory” is just a few blocks away) and delicious. Not too sour or vinegary at all. The consistency is like tea seltzer—fizzy and bubbly feeling, similar to champagne. I don’t taste much vanilla, chicory or even assam—just a slight sugary, fizzy, crisp sweetness.

It’s super exhilarating and super refreshing. I’m very happy to discover this local source!

Very light starchy flavor. Like boiled potatoes. Super delicate.

Green beans upon cooldown.

It’s okay just way too light for me.

All you’d expect from a Lapsang—super smoky, piney and bacony! I’m finding this really yummy right now.

Smoky and rich and flavorful. Yet strangely refreshing (from the pine?).

This experience is so different from my first note. Back then I was “meh” but now I’ve been “wow”-ed!! _{(Upping the rating!)}

Strange how perceptions can differ from time to time with the same tea, huh?

I think this is a tasty Keemun (although none can surpass A&D’s Jackee Muntz, in my eyes!!).

It’s woodsy and slightly charcoal-y. A bit of bitter dark cocoa. Very energizing.

The scent is sweetish and earthy—like figs. But it doesn’t taste sweet.

A good, dependable Keemun—but, for some reason, there’s no “wow” factor for me with this right now.

_{I mistakenly deleted my original tasting note from a few days ago! So this is a repost of it:}

This is most definitely a flavored tea.

From the freshly opened packet, the scent is like creme brulee.
Steeped, it’s more leafy clotted cream—with a tad of buttered popcorn.
The taste is very milky and fresh. And like most all the oolong I’ve tried, has a pronounced “steamed rice in banana leaves” essence to it.

This a very delicate, creamy, milky flavored tea. I love it!

By the way, I think I used a lot of leaf for my 12 oz. cylindrical tea mug—I used enough dry leaf to cover the bottom of the mug. I think that was a lot because they eventually blossomed to fill almost 3/4 of the mug! And I used boiling water. The flavor was very detectable this way.

P.S. My packet was purchased on March 2010. But, I’ve read on Teaspring’s website that since September 2010, this tea is no longer flavored but “fully natural”. I hope the new version is just as good!

Hmmm, not much peach or flowers or sweetness or anything much. I’m just getting very astringent, bitter tea. Must be my brewing. Kind of sad about this tasting. The leaves are huge and pretty, though. Like autumn.

I actually finished the whole packet in the course of a week! I really enjoyed it! I loved the cayenne-kick and the earthy, chocolately puerh. It was just a yummy combination. One caveat, though—there was a bit of a “stale” undertone to the flavor. Just a bit. Maybe I waited too long to try it. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. Cayenne works great with puerh. I want to try more spicy blends now.

Seems a bit “richer” than the Tai Xing. Steeps darker. Tastes more savory and floral. Not detecting much butter or milkiness. Very smooth, to me. Cooldown seems a little “starchy” like a white tea. And there’s this almost jasmine-like scent—just a hint.

For me, this is good but somehow “meh” overall? It’s just very very mild.

Very light, fresh and slightly buttery. Has a nice chlorophyll-laced buttery scent, too.

Maybe a little but too light for me, but otherwise very refreshing to drink.

I was very excited to try this flavored milk oolong. I love milky flavors.

This has a very milky, green, sugary aroma. Like condensed milk over steamed plantain leaves—tropical and humid. Slighty roasty.

The taste is like green and toasty leaves ladeled with diluted cream. There is a definite buttery component—but it doesn’t overpower or seem too unnatural to me. It just seems like a slight enhancement. The creamy, buttery scent is delicious and adds to the experience.

All in all, I really like this tea. From the few oolongs I’ve tried, this seems like a quality oolong too—just a bit butterier. :)

Sooo yummy! This is even better than Teas Etc.‘s famous Coconut Custard. It’s much more creamier and milkier tasting. A very rich and creamy coconut, this is.

This is so great. I’m really enjoying this. I’m on my second mug after practically inhaling the first one!

And another great thing is that the flavor is yummy even with using the non-boiling. hot spigot water at work! Total thumbs up.

Very Bacon-y. Smoky, peaty and rich. Pretty yummy overall—it’s what I was craving this morning. Good, non-disappointing lapsang.

But somehow, it doesn’t “wow” me?

Soft vanilla flavor. Slight notes of cherry cough syrup (!!). Malty black tea taste. Not getting much spice. Maybe a bit of cinnamon? I think my water is not hot enough.

I don’t know why I’m detecting cherry cough syrup in vanilla teas nowadays. Luckily, it’s not that strong in this one. But I’m surprised to find it in a Mariage Freres.

The best vanilla flavor in a tea has to be H&S’s Vanilla Comoro. For me, it’s unsurpassed (even if it is decaf).

Smells delicious. Tastes like earthy dark cocoa with syrupy strawberries. Seems almost “malted”.

Very yummy.

It’s true that puer gives a certain “richness” to the flavor—especially to sweet, foody flavors like this.

I’m very glad I got to try this—thanks Lupicia for the free sample! If all the other flavored puers are like this, then they are all must-haves!

Much “brighter” tasting than I thought it would be. Yummy “roasted leaves” flavor. Kind of cereally as well. I can taste the barley…and the carob (which tastes like sour cocoa to me). Come to think it it, this sort of tastes like a health food store smells—kind of grainy, woodsy with lots of herbs…and carob instead of chocolate.

Also reminiscent of wet soil and evergreens. Brews up very dark and coffee-esque with the chicory.

Overall, I think this is tasty blend! I like toasty, roasty flavors. And I love that they added the roasted barley and chicory in here—I think it tempers the “pungency” of the mate making a very smooth, toasty cup.

I’m spending this whole stormy, rainy day cloistered indoors—and sipping this feels so cozy and uplifting. I mostly taste tangy strawberries and sugary cinnamon. Maybe even something graham-y like pie crust? This is a very “homey”, warm strawberry.

I love it!