VeryPisces

This is a fun tea I got from Bonnie as a sample. I don’t buy a lot of these flavored teas, so it’s a treat to try them. This one reminds me of the winter holiday season, for some reason. I detect an undertone of the deep, sweet flavors of serious, home made ice cream- nuts, caramel/vanilla. I love the nutty aroma. For me, this would be a dessert tea. I’m very happy as I drink it- maybe it’s raising my serotonin levels!

I received this tea from Bonnie. Thank you, Bonnie!

I used to smoke tobacco pipes. I got into it as a qualitative sociologist who needed to study a social group. Along the way I became fascinated with learning about different types of tobacco, and after I wrote my paper I maintained my interest in pipes for a few years, smoking while I graded papers and the like. Then I stopped – got scared for my health.

This tea instantly reminded me of latakia tobacco. And shoe leather. When I first got into tea I started to wonder if one of its draws is its connection to the consumption of tobacco leaves. I loved learning about different tobaccos leaves, their treatment, flavor, aroma and other qualities. With tea I am equally enthralled. This particular tea kind of bridges the gap between Camellia sinensis and Nicotiana for me. Drinking it makes me kind of nervous, as if I’m smoking again. I even feel a little bite on my tongue just as I used to feel as a newbie pipe smoker (though THAT bite came from steaming my tongue half to death). Once I get past the smoky quality of the tea, I detect a smoothness and body that are also pleasantly satisfying. I drank this first mug straight- I’m not sure if I want to alter the flavor with anything.

Do I like this tea? I do. I think I like it mainly because of its uniqueness and the memories it brings forth. I will definitely order some, but I think it will last a long time- it’s not a tea I’ll drink often. I can see drinking it in cold weather- it’s got a warm-you-up quality to it. Maybe it’s the campfire undertone, but I imagine drinking this on the back porch on a cool Fall evening, wrapped in a blanket and gazing at shooting stars.

Subtle perfume of jasmine. I found this to be kind of delicate and vegetal without a pronounced mouthfeel. The dry pearls have a strong, grassy/vegetal aroma with a background aroma that- crazy as it sounds- almost reminded me of coffee or cocoa. I didn’t expect that. I’ll have to read other reviews to see if I’m the only one with this impression.

In comparison, when I take in the aroma of Teavana’s jasmine pearls, I don’t get that background aroma at all, and get a sharper aroma that is both “green” and jasminy. The jasmine scent is of a different quality as well- as if a different type of jasmine were used or maybe a different scenting method.

Both teas are fine- I enjoy them greatly. It was important for me to try Teavivre;s after trying Teavana’s because I felt I might get a more authentic jasmine dragon pearl. When I think of Teavana I think of cloyingly sweet teas, and I wondered if they might make the jasmine scent stronger in keeping with this reputation. I would definitely say Teavana’s jasmine scent is stronger than Teavivre’s jasmine.

Which do I like most? I’d drink either, but I like Teavivre’s subtle flavor and aroma better, I think.

I liked this tea so much that it kicked me off into trying loose leaf. Now I have a large stash of loose leaf teas, yet I still like the flavor blend in Zen tea so much that I decided to make my own blend at Adagio to see if I could make it better. I ended up with what I call Meditation Bliss. It isn’t exactly the same, but I think it’s what this tea would be if it were fresher and higher quality. I love lemon grass and find Zen’s combination of lemongrass and spearmint definitely refreshing. Even their bottled version is good, although it is sweeeet.

I still like Zen well enough and am currently making iced tea out of it with their supersized teabags. It’s really the only bagged tea I buy, and it’s a rare purchase.

(This is the GRADE 1).

I found this tea to be somewhat bitter. I steeped it only three minutes at just under boiling temperature. Its not a “bad” bitterness, though. It has a nice aroma that seems slightly perfumed, and a subtly smooth mouthfeel. Drinking from a black mug (since my white one broke!) brings out the dark reddish undertones in the liquid- very pretty. For me, this is a tea I might drink as a morning pick-me-up, perhaps because of the slight bitterness. It’s not one of my favorite teas, but definitely not one I’d want to discard. I need to drink it more in order to appreciate its qualities.

No notes yet.

This is some hardcore “chai” (I use the term loosely – is there even any tea in it?) It reminds me of a spice bag for slow-cooking some cut of meat over the holidays. Very strong aroma- perfect for wintry evenings and cool spring days. Its definitely more cinnamon-y than anything else. I like it with vanilla almond milk and, sometimes, some type of sweetener. Since its got such a strong mélange of flavors, I don’t mind adding agave nectar, as its flavor doesn’t ruin the chai (I use rock sugar if I don’t want to taste the sweetener itself). I’m not the biggest fan of chai, and would put this in the “go big or go home” category. Nothing timid about this stuff.

This didn’t work for me at all. It’s certainly interesting- I like interesting mixes. But this one…. The aromas don’t mingle well, to my nose. I taste bitterness but smell sweetness. Perhaps strawberry and ginger are too odd a pairing for me.

This is my first white tea so I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t read the instructions so my first cup had about 2 cups of water and one tsp of tea. The tea was a pretty, pale yellow with a light, slightly vegetal flavor and woodsy aroma. But I wasn’t sure what I was tasting. It’s definitely relaxing and smooth. I added a little stevia, which brought out the floral undertones in the taste. Now, according to the instructions I looked at here, I didn’t have enough leaves, so I made another mug, this time stronger.

This time I can really taste the “greenness”, and as the tea cooled, there was more of a floral undertone to the aroma. I liked the tea stronger but you know what? I like it better weaker.

I love the aroma as this tea steeps. It smells fresh and earthy, like walking through a forest after a rain. The flavor is also earthy, but my tea vocabulary is too lacking to describe the tea well- I’ll leave the description to more experienced members. The tea’s aroma is so prominent that it is a true part of the drinking experience- I love it.

OK, so Mountain Rose Herbs sells this as a bulk herb rather than as a tea, so the smallest amount I could buy was 4 oz. That’s A LOT of lemongrass! Luckily, it makes a superb tea with multiple infusions. The smell of this herb is wonderful. Just a light, bright, sunny aroma that makes me smile. The aroma of the brewing tea is just as inviting. The lemon aroma is more subtle than the grassy, more vegetal aroma surrounding it, but it’s there, and makes me think of sunny Spring and Summer days. I love to mix this with mint for a lovely blended tea.

I leave it to you to determine the temperature of the water and how long to steep it. I’ve steeped it for 2-3 minutes using boiling water (very enjoyable), and I’ve steeped it using very hot water from my thermos and letting it steep for 3 – 5 minutes- very enjoyable as well. I have yet to sweeten it with anything. This is definitely a favorite for me, both alone and in blends.

I still have that cold/virus/bronchitis thing that’s hit the nation, and for the past week I’ve been coughing like crazy. I had ordered TeaLuxe’s Throat Tender the week before, thinking I wouldn’t need it by the time it arrived, but here I am, still hacking away. I brewed a cup of this spicy, flavorful tea tonight in the hope that my tender throat would feel better.

Honestly, I’m not sure what I expected. I was curious about the ingredients- especially the slippery elm, which I thought it would make the tea velvety. I think Dragonwell green tea is more velvety than this. I had to add sweetener because the flavor was strong and a bit too bitter for me. With the sweetener it was palatable and, like chai, comforting in the way it warmed me up.

The tea is very pretty, as you can see in the photo, and the liquid is an attractive reddish-amber. I’m not sure this will help my throat, but taking this “cure” isn’t a chore by any means.

One of the reviewers said that this was like a beginner’s pu erh for people who can’t take the real thing, or some such. Yeesh- that makes me a tad nervous.

So, I leaned into my cup nose first, and – ooo hoo! Mushrooms? No- hay or straw.

An old bog.

The wet guinea pig cage from Mr. Padva’s 3rd grade classroom.

This stuff is dark as coffee in the cup. On the spoon, its a pretty, darkish/reddish liquid. Not nasty tasting, as I feared. It’s almost like when you taste limburger and are pleasantly surprised- although this is nowhere as strong or off-putting as limburger. It’s got a strong flavor that is unsweet in the manner of unsweetened cocoa. I don’t really want to say bitter, though.

I may one day try it sweetened, though that would seem to defeat the purpose of pu erh- it’s supposed to taste like…this (my tea vocabulary is lacking). Until I get accustomed to it, I won’t add anything.

I can definitely come to appreciate THIS pu erh – but it’ll take a few brewings.

I am not the world’s biggest chai fan, but I have had a memorable restaurant-chai experience that I’ve longed to recreate at home. Before I knew anything about loose leaf teas I was doing the “dusty teabag” + milk thing and thinking that was as good as it could get. Now that I’ve joined the realm of loose leaf tea drinkers, I’m excited about the higher quality chais I can try- maybe I’ll even like the stuff better.

This chai has a flavor profile I really like. I’m not into the clove/cinnamon/nutmeg and “heavy” flavors that masala-type chais have. This spicy combo leans too much into cinnamon for me, but is still set off nicely by the coconut, ginger, lemongrass and cardamon. The lemongrass and coconut are my favorites (I must say that lemongrass seems an odd pairing with cinnamon, but I can live with it).

After being hit full force by the cinnamon, I detected the lemongrass. Coconut comes in somewhere in the background. Yum! Oh- and you can forget the photograph showing a large slice of coconut. The coconut is of the grated variety (if you want large coconut pieces, try the Caribbean Calypso by Teavana).

I added unsweetened vanilla almond milk (why not?) post-steeping and found that while I liked the flavor, it cut the sweetness a little too much. I put in a few pebbles of rock sugar and – hey, now! Now I’m really enjoying this!

I got down to the bottom of the cup, and you know those little floaters that alway escape the infuser? I almost wanted to chew them, because they made that last bit of tea extra-delicious! Maybe they could be added into some moist, delicious muffin batter.

Anyhoo, I look forward to my next Thai Chai with vanilla almond milk & rock sugar (or honey) experience.

Funny, the “chocolate notes” in this tea were more enjoyable to me than the Chocolate tea from Adagio (that I only gave 15 points). Adagio recommends 2-3 pearls per cup so I tried 3. I could have used 2 and would have been perfectly happy with the flavor, which I would describe as “medium” as opposed to a weak or strong flavor. I tried it without sweetener and with, and think I could comfortably drink it either way.

Watching the pearls unfurl into a seaweed-looking mass of dark brown leaves was kinda fun- so much so that I forgot to take them out. This tea’s earthy flavor doesn’t need to be strong for me to enjoy it. Next time I’ll use 2 pearls and take the leaves out earlier.

UPDATE: I’ve discovered this to be the perfect work tea. I get involved in my work at times and have, a couple of times, steeped this tea longer than I intended to. I’ve discovered that no bitterness is caused by this.

Glad I got only the sampler size. I was all excited because I like the honeybush vanilla tea I have from Teavana. I’ve since learned that HV from Teavana isn’t rooibos- just a close relative. Rooibos Tropics doesn’t even smell that good to me- it reminds me of a chemical used to make a bad aroma smell better. I tried it and did not enjoy the flavor at all. I could tell it was supposed to be tropical, but I didn’t get a clean, clear taste of tropical elements. It’s a muddier mix overpowered by that chemical aroma.

I think I will save this tea to mix with others.

Oh, I so wanted to like this tea. I’ve seen the verbal swooning of other chocolate tea drinkers and figured I’d try a sample size. I took it to work today to try for the first time.

My first impression was of the aroma- definitely cocoa-y more than chocolaty to my nose. Not a bad thing, but I wasn’t sure I liked this chocolate tea idea – perhaps because unsweetened chocolate does not appeal to me. I figured I’d try some half-and-half and was really excited about that! Well, a teaspoon probably would have been enough for my cup but I guess I forgot this was tea. So now I had a cup of light brown, slightly cocoa-tasting milk. How to save it? Agave nectar! Oh, no, that was not the right choice. Lord, what a nightmare I created.

I tossed it out.

It’s a .08 oz bag, folks. Any suggestions for me are greatly appreciated.

I purchased the Dragonwell when I began to build up my “straight teas” collection. Boy, am I glad I chose this! I love multiple infusion teas for my work days, and this is one that lasted all day- about 8 infusions. It’s got a smooth mellowness that I can drink with or without honey (or rock sugar)- a slightly “green,” calming flavor. I loved that the liquid was free of the floating pieces that my herbal teas produce; everything in the cup settled prettily at the bottom, reminding me of the pebbles and plants visible through clean, clear river water. During my recent cold, I added a little ginger tea and found the pairing wonderful. A soothing beverage for sure.

This is strong stuff! The aroma of cloves is sharp (and cloves are not my favorite spice). I’ve had cheap grocery store chais in the past and a couple of times in Indian restaurants, so I am by no means experienced.

I first tasted this “black” and found it a bit too strong tasting. Drinking it in the traditional manner, sweetened and with milk, makes this a less sharp and more mellow, delicious treat for an evening or weekend.

Sometimes I am in the mood for a sharply flavored tea that wakes me up- this would definitely be a morning wake-up tea for me, either “black” or with milk.

This tea is a guilty pleasure. It’s hard to see it as a “serious” tea because it’s like drinking candy. I imagine the sugar rotting my teeth, but I love every sample I get. The two main reasons I haven’t bought it (yet?) is because 1) it’s outrageously priced, in my opinion. They charge the full price for each of the two teas they’ve blended. Wouldn’t it make more sense to charge half the price of each? 2) I want to limit the sugary teas I drink and 3) I figure I can make a comparable blend myself more cheaply than Teavana sells it for. For now, I save this treat for weekends. By the way, I never make the whole package at once. I use 1-2 tsps at a time.

Although I’m in the southwest, it’s winter and the air can get pretty chilly. In addition, I work in an overly-cooled office environment, so I’ve had plenty of weeks to enjoy all-day hot tea marathons. Teavana’s Fruta Bomba, however, disappointed me as a hot tea. The flavor isn’t bad, but it didn’t wow me. Despite some sweetness, it is tarty, with a flowery/berry flavor and aroma. I find that it gives up most of its flavor in the first infusion. A third infusion just doesn’t work. But iced, this is one of the best teas I’ve had! I will most definitely be stocking up on this for those 100F+ days we have down here.

I like to drink tea at my desk at work, where I am a captive to the computer and telephone. A good tea is a blessed escape. I had mixed feelings about this tea when I first tried it at home- particularly upon observing an oily sheen on the surface of the water. I am trying to move away from the fruity, sweetened teas and wasn’t impressed at what I was seeing. Yet, I grew to love this blend of slightly sweet, tropical flavors and the wonderful aroma that reminds me of a sunny beach. The linchpin was when I took it to work and was able to get about 8 infusions from one tea ball – hours of pleasure that helped me transcend Cubicle City for a few magical hours. That was a memorable day, and for that reason I have just ordered 4 more ounces.

I love the aroma of this tea- vegetal, with a hint of vanilla. I was able to drink this tea all day at work- and I mean using the same tea ball from about 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 pm. No loss in flavor until the very end. This was at least 8 infusions. A soothing, pleasantly mild, calming tea I was happy to have discovered.

I found this tea to be unsatisfying. The minty aroma somehow doesn’t smell that wonderful to my nose. The tea gets bitter easily so I steep for 1.5 minutes. The flavor is weak but is enlivened with sweetener. I have used the German rock sugar, which allows me to drink it rather than let it go to waste.