VegTea

Still nursing a cold, so my sense of taste is not to be trusted. The apple is coming through nicely, though!

Thanks goodness for tea! A nasty cold hit me hard this morning, so I have been drinking lots of tea today. I really like chamomile when I’m sick, but I wanted something a little different so I used about a teaspoon each of chamomile and rooibos in about 10 oz water. Very nice – good chamomile flavor, and the rooibos adds its smooth earthiness. I’m so stuffy, I’m kind of surprised I can even taste anything, but this really hit the spot.

I was excited to see this back on the shelves at my local grocery store! While I am a sucker for seasonally themed teas, this one is simply delicious. I steeped it a bit long, then added sugar and soymilk. The rum flavor is excellent, and the spices are a little more subtle. I’m happy to have this tea back in my cabinet!

Having this with soymilk, no sugar. I think I like it better this way – it has a subtle sweetness of its own. Lovely!

Backlogging from last night. It does taste like baked apples, and the spices are there. I think I prefer Twining’s spiced apple chai – it is spicier and appley-er. Although I didn’t add sugar and I always add sugar to the spiced apple chai, so maybe that’s not totally fair. Either way, this is not bad.

Backlogging from last night. This is the perfect dessert tea. It has a strong and delicious almond flavor, and a subtle sweetness. It is great with just a little milk and no sugar – I bet sugar would make it even more delicious, though! The tea base holds its own nicely and is not bitter.

I finally replenished my supply of this. Welcome back, old friend!

This one is becoming more of a regular than it has been in past years. I must resist the urge to stock up, though – that seem to be the kiss of death for my consumption of seasonal flavors. :)

I don’t have a ton of decaf teas – usually I’ll resteep my tea from the morning for a less-caffeinated version, but I thought this tea would be handy to have at work. The flavor is identical to the regular Lady Grey, as far as I can tell. Very nice!

Warm and comforting. This tea tastes almost like the real thing, only less sweet. I usually have this with at least a little sugar, but tonight I’m reminded that it is also good on its own.

I went a little crazy for the seasonal tea flavors during my grocery shopping trip last night. I need to clear out space in the tea cabinet!

I really like this tea. The pumpkin flavor is actually stronger than its Stash counterpart. The spices are nice too. I steep this with 2 tea bags in about 10 oz water, then add plenty of sugar and a splash of soymilk.

Had this with homemade oatmeal bread for breakfast. Yum. :)

2nd steep – as good as the first. I really wish I could put a finger on what fruit/floral flavors are going on here! Definitely something a bit tropical that still tastes good as the tea cools. I think this would be great iced too. Whatever the flavors are, they are delicious.

This might just turn me around on green teas! The trouble is, I have no idea what the flavors are. It tastes both flowery and fruity. I would say mango or passionfruit, but not in a artificial or overly sweet way.

2nd steep – Ok, it is growing on me. The 2nd steep is a lot less in-your-face earthy, and more balanced tea vs. dirt flavors. Less of the feeling of, “Should I really be drinking something that tastes so odd?” Hehe.

I steeped for 1 minute, which seemed to be about right for the amount of leaf and my big mug. :)

My first pu-ehr experience. I can see now why people describe it as “peaty” or “earthy.” I’m not sure what’s up with the other review – I’m not getting “dull muddiness” at all. It isn’t smoky, though. This tea is more like the smell of dirt after a rainstorm. I’m not sure this will become a favorite, but I probably will come back to it again and I’m glad I tried it!

I read a little to find steeping instructions, but ended up with very conflicting information (15-30 seconds at 95 degrees C vs 2-5 minutes at boiling). So, I just went the easy way – 2 minutes with boiling water. I’d say that worked out pretty well, but I am open to suggestions.

Another nice tea from McNulty’s. Without additives, this tastes mostly like Adagio’s base for their flavored teas, but with milk and sugar it is perfect. Let’s face it, if I am drinking a tea called “caramel,” I’ll likely be having it with milk and sugar. This also has a hint of roastiness.

2nd steep – as good as the first, if not better! I steeped it extra long since I forgot about it, and it had even more berry flavor. Yum!

Berry nice! ;) I am without an infused at the moment, so I steeped the leaves loose and decanted the tea. This tea has a lovely berry flavor that isn’t tart. I tried a sip plain, then added milk and sugar – it was good both ways.

This tea is becoming a favorite. It was awesome with a couple pieces of black currant chocolate for a mid-morning snack. :)

I was hoping to pick up something new at the grocery store, but nothing was inspiring me. Well, the things that looked good seemed overpriced. So, I went back to an old friend, and I’m glad I did! I used 2 bags in about 8 oz of water, a small spoonful of sugar and a splash of milk. Delicious! I would love to replicate this from scratch with decaf black tea, rooibos, and spices. I just need to get my hands on some chicory..

I wish I could drink the smell of this tea bag! The scent is definitely mandarin. The steeped tea, however, is a little bit weak. It does still smell great, and really it’s not bad. I tried a second steep for a looong time, and it definitely wasn’t oversteeped. I might try two bags next time.

I had this with some sweet and sour faux chicken. The jury is still out, but I’m warming up to it a bit. :) The flavor does seem to change a lot as it cools.

I had some Assam with breakfast this morning but wanted something a little more interesting for the 2nd steep. So, I steeped my Assam leaves with a cinnamon stick and a few drops of vanilla extra. It was simple and delicious!

I left the cinnamon stick in so it got a bit spicier as I drank it, which I really liked. I’m so glad that cinnamon sticks are cheap at the Indian grocery – I think I’ll be going through a lot of them this fall. :)