Uniquity

I went and bought tea this morning before having my first cuppa. Of our three new selections, we’re trying Cloud nine first. The smell is delicious, though I love black currants, so that helps. There’s also a bit of a weird smell to it, almost chocolatey which is weird since there’s none in it. Maybe the St. john’s Wort?

Upon steeping, the liquor came out really brown…starting to worry. There is a strong earthy sort of smell, and I’m starting to lose the resemblance to the dry leaf smell. Hard to imagine black currants in it at this point. Really hoping this is a misleading beginning. There is also an annoying amount of little floaties in the tea, despite my fine mesh infuser.

Of course, as I steep this I talk to a friend about new teas I bought. He reminds me that I smelled this at his house and complained of the smell. Repeatedly.

Okay, here goes. I had a sip. It tastes different than it smells, which is weird. And it ends really sweet and fruity, but the smell that I can only describe as chocolate is freaking me out. I like it more than I thought – Probably won’t buy again, but at least I have something different on hand. I can’t really say much else about it yet. Will try again later. Maybe a second infusion?

Steeped it a shorter time today and threw in a few granules of raw sugar. Delish!

After lunch tea. I think it’s time to change out some of my work teas. Everything is too fruity! Where is the mint?

Enjoyed it so much this morning I thought I would have it again. The liquor is more pale than I expect, and the green apple taste is delicious. I don’t actually know what chamomile tastes like, but I assume it to be subtle since I don’t find there to be an over-powering flavour.

As it cooled I started to notice something more and more that I referred to as laundry soap – Presumably that was the chamomile. Didn’t like that so much. Downgraded rating : (

So yummy. Was a lovely start to the work day!

Breakfast tea!

It’s a good thing that caffeine has no discernible effect on me because I’m on a roll today. After some shifty tasting teas I felt the need to go for something comforting that I know I love. Black currant, it is! I have a box at home and one at work, and since I spend 9 hours a day here, the work one is going fast.

DELISH!

The last of a sampe plack given to me for Christmas by a thoughtful colleague – This tea is a treat to steep. I’ve used pyramid ‘teabags’ before but the flavour of that particular tea was weak and terrible and I ended up prejudiced against the whole lot. The beauty of the pyramid, however, is that you can see the tea inside expand and fill all the available space. Beautiful!

As for the taste, I like chai. I occasionally get one that is overpowering, but this is a nice compromise. The overpowering cinnamon smell/taste can come in if the sip is too big, but that’s become a personal issue. Small sips = delish!

Edit: downgraded the score as the cup is less tasty as time goes on, :(

Over-steeped. It happens! Might throw a dash of cream or raw sugar in there. Starting to think I should bring my honey from home to work ‘just in case’!

Bumping my rating up as I am really enjoying a cup of this right now. Not sure what I found fault with initially, other than the strange peach juice flavour.

Mmm, morning. Very nice with peanut butter on toast.

If I had just one more wish, I would wish…

I know this isn’t much to go on, but I received this tea and two others from an aunt for Christmas. They each came in a little gold bag, with a sticker saying they are Pippins Tea Company Inc., Queen St., Toronto. The name of the tea is hand written on the bag in blue felt marker, and there is no description at all!

The tea itself smells very interesting, it reminds me of the scent of Amaretto. I am not a fan of amaretto so that was worrisome, but the tea came out less sweet than I feared. All in all, it was a nice rooibos with strong almond flavour. I think another cup and close inspection of the contents might give me more to go on, but it was extremely unusal for me. Enjoyable, and appreciated!

ps – Closer inspection revealed other forms of nuts in here as well. Certainly are 100 mysteries!

A friend was over, the three of us needed a relaxing bedtime tea. Mother’s Little Helper was suggested and now I feel warm and fuzzy, ready to hit the hay after a great evening. I always have a weird time with this tea, as I find the floral scent off-putting but still enjoy the day. Bit of a rarity in me cupboard, but nice when the time is right.

Second verse, same as the first!

Still a fan, though after having tasted the rest of the sample pack, I understand that all their berry teas really taste the same. This is the top pick, nonetheless and I will enjoy it until it’s gone!

(Saving the bag for a re-steep :D )

Backlog, from yesterday: (Mis-posted as Wildberry…makes me laugh now that I know the truth).

The smell of the teabag while dry reminds me of licorice candies my grandfather likes. Luckily, licorice is not on the list of ingredients. Nonetheless, this is an off-putting smell for me. While steeping, the liquor is the sort of berry juice purple I’ve come to expect from Celestial Seasonings.

Finally, the smell comes in as promised – berries! And a lot of them. The steeped smell is similar to childhood fruit punch, though the taste is not nearly as strong or sickly sweet. What I am left with if I can ignore the (still strong) sugar smell is really a nice berry flavoured tea. I can’t pick out specific notes and it is a bit of a ‘busy’ tea, but quite tasty. I think I’ll stick with True Blueberry in future, but this is the beauty of the sample packs – I find out what I like for cheap! : )

So in paying attention I’ve established that my review of this tea yesterday was actualy a review of Black Cherry Berry. Sad to say, if that was supposed to be Black Cherry, it was not a good rendition.

Though, in actually drinking the wild berry tea, I like it! Seems redundant considering the other berry teas they make, but maybe they wanted to corner the market.

Edit – Rating is going down down down as it gets more bitter despite not continuing to steep. Stick with Blueberry – Check!

This morning’s steep wasn’t as delicious as usual…I fear I am starting to like this tea less. Will add a splash of milk and see how that goes.

Another favourite! Just like the doctor, all I needed was a good cup of tea – and Zing Me was the one for me this morning! Wakes you up with a lovely ginger/apricot mix, with the strength of the flavours depending of course on how much tea is used and how long it’s steeped. This tea will definitely be re-bought if I can ever bring myself to use what I have left…I tend to hoard my favourites, rather than gulp them down.

Having never eaten a lychee I don’t feel fit to comment on authenticity of taste, but I think the pear aspect of this tea is really quite good. It’s a mild flavour, obviously, as preas aren’t the most in your face fruit but it is nice and tasty, sweet but not sugary so, more just like a ripe pear. yum!

The re-steep is, as expected, delicious!

Also, please enjoy the musical stylings of Santana, since I felt the urge to join TeaEqualsBliss and her nutty musical scheme. The song? Black Magic Woman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaKnRUfh_5I

Still delicious. This will make a handsome resteep after my cup has emptied..

It was my yummy first thing in the morning tea today. I like to think I don’t like flowery teas, but there are definitely floral notes in here and I enjoy it anyway. Sweet, though it can get a titch bitter if left to steep to long. A lovely tea, really.

A perennial favourite, I’ve just enough time to finish this mug of deliicous spearmint tea before work is over. The name says it all – There are no other ingredients and there is no confusing the taste. I’ve finally come to understand that non-mint nuts are afraid of mint teas tasting like toothpaste – no danger of that here. Just a delicious warm, fragrant mint tea. Makes me nostalgiac for the field of mint that grew beside the driveway of my ‘childhood home’.