Stephanie

Yummm—Maraschino Cherries! There’s a fine line between maraschino cherries and cherry cough syrup and I’m happy to say that the cherry-ness in this tastes like pure maraschino cherries—which I love because it reminds me of Shirley Temple drinks and childhood. :)

I do taste pineapple, sugar and a hint of cake. This is kind of like a canned fruit salad. It’s sweet and candy-like but not cloying. I wish there were more of a cake-y taste but I’m enjoying this a lot—it’s great as a dessert tea. It’s almost like Pineapple Ambrosia but without the marshmallow fluff.

I detect no pipe tobacco-ness or woodiness like I would with a rooibos. Honeybush is great! :)

_{From Tokyo to Paris in 24 hours…}

The dry leaves smell, scarily, like cherry cough syrup!! Oh no! Very scary.

Once brewed that “screeching” cough syrup scent fades and turns into a super sweet strawberry jam.

First sip…is like a strawberry creamsicle. Or a strawberry & cream flavored Creme Savers candy. It’s a fruity hard candy taste with an almost creamy aftertaste.

Subsequent sips…there’s something distinctly citrusy in here—like a strawberry-flavored Earl Grey. Yep, I can sense the bergamot!

In the background, the black tea tastes smooth and a bit biscuit-y.

I think this is a fairly good cup. It didn’t “wow” me like I hoped it would. The flavors are pretty mild. But I can’t get over that initial cherry cough syrup impression. I hate cherry cough syrup with a passion! _gag I think it colored my overall tasting for the worse. So this was an “average” experience, for me.

The brewed aroma is deliciously toasty, bready and peppery. Like steaming, sweet malt. Sooo yummy !

The first sip seems sweet and yeasty to me—like King’s Hawaiian Bread! I love King’s Hawaiian Bread. I remember eating so much of it, as a kid—it was like cake to me.

I’m not getting much of the typical Yunnan pepperiness or earthiness, in the initial flavor. Maybe more as an aftertaste.

Very smooth, no bitterness or astringency (despite boiling water and a longer-than-recommended steep time).

I’m enjoying this cup immensely! It’s simply a delicious black tea!

I was very excited to try this—since I love sesame-flavored Asian sweets!

The leaves brew up really “fluffy”—they expand almost like an oolong! So my tall mug looks like it’s half full of leaves after putting in about a teaspoon and a half.

The taste is florally and sweet—no green tea bitterness or astringency. I detect mostly the caramel and just maybe a hint of the toasted sesame. The sweetness reminds me of Golden Moon’s Sugar Caramel Oolong—without the steamed banana leaf flavor I always get with their oolongs.

I wish I can get more “sesame” out this—but, overall, I’m really liking the sugariness!

This is a green tea I can see myself reaching for everyday. It’s very tasty and easy to drink.

Yes!! Red Hots Candy/Big Red Gum/Cinnamon Altoids deliciousness!! If you like cinnamon at all, you must try this. This is sweet cinnamon black tea at its best. There’s a hint of orange and clove that just heightens the flavor. This is so sweet that I think they’ve added sugar or some kind of sweetener—but no?

Either way, I love it and must get a full tin soon! I find cinnamon very soothing and warming in the tummy (I have stomach aches alot), so this is perfect for me.

I felt like something chocolatey tonight, so I chose this. Mmm….cocoa and roasted peanuts in a cup! This has a dry, bake-y, nutty flavor that I find very delicious. It tastes like those Mexican Ibarra Cocoa tablets except without the sugar. There’s this heavy sprinkling of roasted peanut shells-taste in the mix too.

Super comforting and super yummy!

This is another reliable, forgiving “great to drink at work” tea! I’ve been drinking this a lot. I brought a big bag as my “stash” to keep at work and it’s become very popular with my co-workers too. It smells so wonderful, brews up beautifully in the water from our water cooler’s hot water spigot and it can handle oversteeping!

It’s also a good “palate-cleanser” after a heavy lunch. Very refreshing and sweet—like a rainshower in the summer surrounded by hothouse blooms.

So I’ve been drinking this pretty regularly—it’s my “default” tea at work. It seems to brew up perfectly in the hot water we have here (190 degrees). It stays nice and toasty and never gets bitter, no matter how long it’s steeped. The caramel flavor is sweet, creamy and delicious.

I love it!

I’m surprised on how much I like this tea! Usually white teas have been a “meh” for me. But this is actually pretty yummy. I’ve kept the leaves steeping in my travel mug and the flavor just seems to get richer and richer. There’s a thick, almost buttery quality to the liquid and the scent is like brothy white flowers. I also added more leaves than normal—like two tablespoons in my 12oz—because I’ve read that it’s good to be generous when brewing white tea (you have to make sure to add enough leaf).

I’m now down to the last dregs in my mug and the taste is almost starchy—like potatoes—and bit bitter, but I still find it good!

I can taste the malty Assam and the smoky-piney Keemun in almost equal measure. This is very smooth, with no bitterness or astringency. It doesn’t seem very strong, though. So, instead of a kick-starting jolt, this seems to ease you into the morning.

A calm, easygoing morning blend. _{maybe just a tiny bit ho-hum for me!}

The dry leaves’ scent does seem like sandalwood! “Honeyed sandalwood”, like the description implies—delicious! My anticipation of the actual tasting increases!

First sip….

The taste is super mild and subdued. I’m not getting much taste, actually.

Sadness! :(

Maybe the heat of the water is obscuring the flavor. I’ll wait for it to cool down.

After slight cool down…the taste is a little nutty, a bit woods-y, a tiny hint of sweet.

Conclusion: A very soft and _quiet tea. It seems to require a lot of focus to understand and much patience to unravel its nuances. Which means it’s either very mysterious….or very insipid. ;)

While browsing the tea aisle at Whole Foods (aka “Whole Paycheck” :P), I tossed this and Rishi’s Ginger Pu-erh into my basket.

I’ve read good things about the restorative powers of tulsi as well as these amazing properties:

“…reduces stress, enhances stamina, relieves inflammation, lowers cholesterol, eliminates toxins, protects against radiation, prevents gastric ulcers, lowers fevers, improves digestion and provides a rich supply of antioxidants and other nutrients. Tulsi is especially effective in supporting the heart, blood vessels, liver and lungs and also regulates blood pressure and blood sugar.”

What a magical herb, eh? ;)

The scent is spicy like cloves and cinnamon but the taste is so mild—mild but not wimpy—there’s a nice peppery, tannic bite. It’s slightly sweet with just a hint of clove-like flavor. I sense licorice too.

I like this. Even in its mellowness, I find it pretty good. I love the aroma. And, perhaps it’s the power of suggestion, but I can feel myself unwind already. The stresses of the week seem to be melting away… :)

I bet this would taste even better (and stronger) in the loose-leaf version. But, sadly, it wasn’t available at the store.

The dry leaves smell almost too peachy—very acrid and chemical. Like a Jolly Ranchers Peach Candy on steroids!

Luckily, though, the taste is pretty mellow. Basically like a roasted oolong with a hint of peach. But it’s not a fresh peach, it’s peach jam.

I want more of a “juicy peach” taste. Maybe that’s hard to achieve with flavoring (or maybe I should just eat an actual peach while drinking tea, huh? :P ). So, although this is drinkable and I will finish my sample, I will not order more.

(and I won’t be compelled to throw away my sample like I did with the Madagascar Vanilla Sunday Blend _shudder)

In honor of today’s H&S Steepster Select, I decided to dig into my sample of Vanilla Comoro!

Oh my my god…you guys, the reviews aren’t wrong—this tea is delicious!! It’s delicious for a decaf tea, it’s delicious for a regular tea. The flavor is is just rich and great!

Like ashmanra says, the scent of the dry leaves is just like maple syrup. The taste is like caramelized vanila sugar. There’s no hint of cough syrup or that awful fake fruitiness in this tea! And underneath the vanilla flavor, I can actually detect the black tea taste! I’m really surprised this is decaf. It’s very satisfying for decaf.

This is on my list to order a full-size!

I just added the last teaspoon of this to flavor some blueberry yogurt and the bittersweet-ness enhanced the jelly-sweet blueberry greatly! It was extremely yummy.

Goodbye Matcha Super Premium! I will order more of you soon!

I’m trying to like you, Earl Grey from A&D. I really am. But it’s just not working out.

You may have an excellent pedigree, but I’m afraid your charms are lost on me. You seem too soft and soapy for my tastes. Please try not to be bitter.

It’s not you, it’s me.

I thought I’d like this, but I don’t. :(

It tastes and smells like cherry cough syrup!! Blech.

I don’t know…maybe the vanilla flavoring is too strong. I was surprised on how artificially “fruity” this was.

It’s only tolerable with plenty of milk.

No notes yet.

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The scent is like the “lite” version of A&D’s Caravan misted over with Hawaiian Punch! There is this veil of red fruitiness covering the toasty, smokiness of the tea. Smells pretty yummy, actually. However, contrary to its scent, the taste is very soft and light with not much body—kind of wimpy! There’s this hint of salt and yeast with a sweet aftertaste. Seems better suited as an “afternoon” tea—way too mellow for breakfast! I’m glad I have a sample of this, but there has to be more “pizzaz” for me to buy more.

A promising tea which, sadly, falls short.

This is tasting better and better to me nowadays. Maybe I’m getting used to the herbally/potpourri flavor. It’s definitely more enjoyable if I use less leaf (herbs?). I mainly drink this “medicinally” (in the evenings as a sleep aid or in the daytime if I feel anxious) and I often make the mistake of thinking “more is better”! But too much leaf just tastes overwhelmingly potpourri-ish and icky. So, just a little less than 1 level teaspoon per 12 oz. is perfect.

You really don’t need much. It’s pretty potent!

The scent of the dry leaves is amazing! I can really smell the creaminess of the caramel. It reminds me very much of the popular caramel spread from Argentina called “dulce de leche”. The tea brews up quite dark—like a roasted oolong. The taste is toasty and sweet like a sugary Genmaicha!

I’m really really enjoying this—it’s sweet, toasty, creamy comfort in a cup.

(While the aroma is deliciously rich, the flavor is actually really mellow and smooth—no bitterness and no astringency)

No notes yet.

I just want to add that this is fantastic with milk! The creamsicle aspect is enhanced and whole effect of drinking this is very soothing—must be the warm milk. The taste seems “naturally” sweet (are the flavors sweetened?) so no additional sweetner is needed. Reminds me very much of an Earl Grey Latte from Starbucks (what they used to call the “London Fog”) but much less $$$.

Upping the score (because of this yummy “tea latte/milk tea” experience)!

Edited to add: It’s so strange because my last note on this I added milk and it wasn’t this delicious at all! Must have overbrewed it or used too much/too little leaf or something! So for this note, I used 3 heaping teaspoons in my small teapot which can hold up to 2 mugs of water (I think that’s 16oz?) and it came out perfect for milk tea.