Will Work For Tea

Enjoying a day off work and a large mug of this! Thanks to tattooed_tea who so generously swapped this out of her cupboard!

Fireside S’mores is one of the few teas I was able to try before the Teavana-takeover. In my opinion its a nice, balanced mix of many things I like: marshmallows, chocolate and hazelnut – nothing really overpowers the other. And it’s not a strong tasting tea, which makes it kind of comforting on a chilly winter’s day. I enjoy this most as a latte with a little rock sugar.

I am saddened that this is no longer available, but feel very lucky to have a decent amount of this left. Thanks again tattooed_tea!

This is TEAlicious!!!!

I do have to disagree with the naming of this. I really don’t taste the caramel here. The main characters are almond and cinnamon.

Like others have said this is very close to DT’s Forever Nuts in both smell and taste. It does taste a little more cinnamon-y to me though. Teavana’s version is just a tad more expensive (like $.00576856 more per gram) – kind of a wash really. :)

I love the pink hue this brews up! And the smell reminds me of passing by a kiosk in the mall selling those sweet, roasted almonds in a paper cone! Mmmmmmmm!

The name on this is spot on – It’s so creamy and smooth! Even though it doesn’t necessarily say it’s a milk oolong, it’s very much like it. There’s a little vegetalness (probably not a word, but I’m using it anyway) in the end of the sip. Creamy in the front, vegetal in the back.

This is really lovely. I have a soft spot for good milky oolongs and this is one of the few that I’ll repurchase soon.

This tea has piqued my interest for awhile and I’m finally getting around to trying the sample that came in one of the sampler packs I bought from DT awhile ago.

Both cups were steeped for 4 minutes.

The first cup I tried with a little rock sugar. There’s definitely chocolate and mint in here with a touch of peppery spice at the end of the sip. It wasn’t overpowering like other teas have been, but I could probably do without the pepperiness so I tried it again as a latte.

The half and half I used to make the latte helped drown out the pepper, so that was a step in the right direction.

Quite honestly chocolate is not something I’m usually drawn to in general, but this had a nice balance of chocolate and mint. Probably not something I’ll end up buying 50 grams of, but if it came in another sampler pack, I’d be alright with it.

Hmmm, I thought I had logged this when I first bought it. Ooops! I guess this will be the overall note having finished off the last of the bag this morning.

You know those chocolate-covered malted milk balls – Whoppers? I HATE them – they are gross to me. Maybe it was the chalkiness of the malted milk ball, or just the way the malted milk ballI tasted, but I was sure I didn’t like malted anything because of them.

I honestly couldn’t tell you why I picked up a bag of this. I guess it was just another shot at trying something that I knew I liked (chocolate and roasted yerba maté). At worst I figured I could trade it out. But this little bag of chocolate malted milk goodness really grew on me. It’s a nice change from the regular non-chocolate black teas I have in the morning. And of course, the last cup of the bag had to be the tastiest!

Sadly I did not take time to measure anything as I was in a rush to get out the door (which is usually the case). I did have this with a bit of milk and rock sugar – this is my method of choice for this tea.

I may be picking up another pouch of this later.

This is something that I really wanted to try, but could justify shelling out the dough on a 50 gram bag that would most likely take me forever to get through. Thanks to DT for the sample in my order that came today!

Brewed it tastes like a vegetal green oolong with a clear vanilla finish. I enjoyed my cup, but am glad I didn’t purchase a bag. I haven’t gotten to a point in my tea journey where I reach for a simpler, natural flavor profile.

I really like mint teas!

This one is really nice. I like how my cup of tea evolved during this tasting. At first taste while it was still piping hot, all I could taste was mint. But as the temperature cooled, it mellowed a lot – to the point where I could tell there was coconut. My cup ended with a creamy, minty finish – very nice for winter!

I’ll have no problem finishing this bag. :)

No notes yet.

It is well past breakfast time, but this has been calling to me for a few hours now. So I’m trying this thanks to the Traveling Tea Box (A).

I tend to prefer flavored teas, but am finding that unflavored ones are slowly creeping onto my shopping list.

There’s very nice balance to this even though I’ve let my cup cool a little too much. I can’t see drinking this in the morning, as I usually tend to reach for something more on the punchy side. (I’m not a morning person!) But this will be a nice lunch or early afternoon tea for me.

I’ll keep an eye out for as one of the local grocery stores carries Rishi Tea. This will fill a void when I’m in-between staples coming in from Asia and can’t wait for them to arrive. :)

Honestly, I haven’t had a good experience with a blueberry green tea, but I’m not giving up!

This version came my way in the Traveling Tea Box (A). I’m not as experienced with greens, but this was even more different than my past encounters. The leaves aren’t as green as I’m used to seeing and they’re rolled into oddly shaped balls. I am always a sucker for Cornflower petals in tea – it always looks so pretty!

Upon opening the baggie I can smell the blueberry. I brewed this in the fridge for about 18 hours.

I noticed some bitterness after straining the leaves; not something I was expecting. I probably shouldn’t have, but I added a little simple syrup to mute that. There’s a slight smokiness that I’m detecting now that I’ve killed the bitterness. The blueberry is nice in this.

I’m leaving this in the box for others to try. The quest for the right blueberry green tea continues…

Another tea in the Traveling Tea Box (A) – this smelled DELICIOUS! Slightly sweet and almond-y.

I haven’t had a blend with green tea and green maté before, which was interesting. But this doesn’t taste like Black Forest Cherry cake to me – I’m not sure what it tastes like exactly. There’s a sweetness to this (almond?), but I don’t taste cherry. It’s not bad, just not what I was expecting based on the description.

This is the first tea I tried from the Traveling Tea Box (A)! It’s been on my shopping list since it became available a few months ago.

The smell from the bag was pretty off-putting, which was surprising. It was pretty stinky!

The initial taste was odd as well. Perhaps it was too hot when I first tried it, but it tasted like it smelled. After letting it cool for a bit, it started to taste like cola and cherry.

This isn’t as great as I thought it would be, but happy that I was able to try it without having to buy 50 grams of it. :)

I used two teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie (robust flavored) Matcha in the buttermilk pancake recipe I made this morning. I liked it and probably would have used a little more if it was just me, but I didn’t want to scare my husband away from breakfast.

The pancakes were a Fall-ish shade of green too!

There are two similar teas in my cupboard – this and Shamrock (both by 52teas). Since I love the later tea so much (with an additional vanilla bean mixed into the bag), I wanted to see how Graveyard Mist compared.

In short, I like this one better! No sweetener needed for this one, which I couldn’t say for Shamrock. There was a minty “POW” in the Saint Patty’s Day-blend that still needed to be toned down, even though there’s vanilla to mellow it.

But in Graveyard, there’s a damp, gentle coolness – kind of like what I’d expect fog to taste like, even though it (disappointingly) doesn’t. (Yes, I’ve stood in the fog with my mouth wide open…) I find it pretty awesome that Frank has created that feeling in a tea – it’s perfect for these Midwest October days!

This one’s a re-stocker!

No notes yet.

This is day four of abstaining from caffeine AND sugar, which is really limiting my choices of tea, and a lot of other things. As a black tea-lover with a bit of a sweet tooth, this (religious) act (which will continue for another 3 days) has left me very tired. It’s a little crazy to see how much caffeine and sugar I consume on a regular basis.

So thank goodness for this new-to-me tea. I believe this came from tattooed_tea – so thank you!

The dry tisane smells very sweet – almost vanilla-y and orange-y. Steeped, it’s not as sweet as it smells, but its still pretty good for an unsweetened tea. Good for morning as an orange juice alternative. Probably not something I’ll keep in the tea cupboard, but very enjoyable right now.

Thanks goes out to tattooed_tea for this sample!

In all honesty I usually gloss over the non-flavored teas for the most part, especially greens. Maybe it’s because of the vegetal-ness I get from them, which is not my favorite flavor. But I am glad to try this as it’s not something I would normally seek out.

I got a weird spicy note on the first sip, which I really wasn’t expecting. But then the vegetal washed it away. This happened all through out my cup. It was very interesting.

I am resteeping the leaves as a cold brew, so we’ll see if that can coax something different from this.

I’ve been curious about this version of chai since before becoming a Steepsterite. But I’m very cautious to actual purchase a new one until I can taste it. I really should have thrown caution to the wind this time…

For my first cup, I chose to prepare this “The Ultimate Pumpkin Chai” way, and MAN is it good! (Note to self: try increasing the chai by a half teaspoon for even more pumpkiny goodness!) This is mostly creamy pumpkin with some cinnamon and nutmeg spice notes – Not spicy like some chais. I can’t wait until I place another DT order as this will surely make it into cart – especially since it’s being offered in a special tin. :) (I’m a sucker for those!)

Much thanks to tattooed_tea for sharing a sample of this (and so many others)!

When I receive a new matcha from Red Leaf Tea, it’s become customary to tear into the package (ASAP!), removing the matcha from its gold foil packaging and emptying it into a tin. I’m always surprised at how delicious each one has smelled during this ritual. And the Brandy Matcha is no exception!

The smell of this particular offering is really fruity and sweet, very much like what Juicy Fruit gum smells like. I almost didn’t believe I got the right item, because in my mind, the alcohol tends to overwhelm the fruitiness of the brandy. (Maybe I’ve never had any great brandy?) I almost always get that spine tingle when I consume alcohol – probably because I’m such a lightweight now that I rarely ever indulge. I had to look at the packaging to make sure what I got was what I ordered: Brandy Matcha, Size: Small, Flavor: Robust ( found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/brandy-matcha.html ) – yep, that’s it!

Onward and upward – I start with a Brandy Matcha latte. (The thought of having it straight scares me a little with it’s intense smell right now.) One teaspoon brandy matcha with three-fourths teaspoon sugar and two ounces of warmed water. Wisked to frothy perfection and added 6 ounces of icy-cold half-and-half.

The taste is very true to the smell, intensely sweetened fruit. Quite honestly, it’s too much!

So I tried again, this time with just a teaspoon of Brandy Matcha and 2 ounces of warmed water. Wisked and added another 6 ounces of cool water. No sweetener, no dairy – it’s is so much better! It’s matcha with brandy flavoring! Really, there’s no need to add sugar/sugar equivalent to this – its quite sweet already.

Initially I as I was drinking the Brandy Matcha latte I was thinking that this is probably the first matcha from Red Leaf where I would actually consider nocking the flavoring down to “distinctive” level Don’t get me wrong, it’s good at robust, but maybe a little overwhelming if you’re looking for something less fruity. But now that I’ve tried it straight with no sweetener (which is not my default way of drinking matcha), I’m finding a simpler preparation is better.

I have a soft spot for blackberry and apple brandies – I think they’re the first type of brandy I ever tried. Memories of good times! I look forward to trying this mixed with either of the apple matchas or a dark berry matcha Red Leaf offers.

We had such a nice Fall Saturday morning. The ground was still pretty damp from overnight rains and the air was cool and crisp – I actually needed a light jacket to have breakfast on the deck. We took advantage of the cooler weather by making an unplanned trip to a local apple orchard after enjoying some homemade breakfast burritos.

We took a nice walk down half of the orchard before spotting raspberry bushes, still with lots of fruit! So I got to pick a small bucket’s worth for the awesome price of $5! We also made out with a peck of Gala apples, a butternut squash, a gallon of apple cider, two caramel apples and 2 fried apple pies that were amazing! I’m already planning on going back next month if for nothing else a pumpkin or two, more apples and cider.

We got a couple additional cups of cider for the 35 minute drive home. I hadn’t finished all of mine by the time we got home and found some Cider Guayusa chillin’ in the fridge and dumped it into my remaining cider. It was quite tasty! Couldn’t taste the guayusa too much, but the tea added an energy boost to my cup of cider. Definitely something I’ll do it again. :)

I’ve had my eye on Red Leaf Tea’s Cheesecake Matcha for some time now. Amanda was generous enough to send me a sample of her’s – which I immediately fell in love with. I believe her’s was “delicately” flavored. There was a nice tang to the matcha which was consumed – in record time – as an icy latte.

When I got around to finally placing my order for this, a month later (gasp!), I had a very difficult time trying to figure out which matcha base to go with. I knew I already liked the regular ol’ starter matcha, but would I branch out and try the white or red base? I probably placed each version in my cart at least 3 times before the basic grade finally became my choice. Seriously, it was a really hard choice to make!

So as a frame of reference my order was comprised like this: small, starter matcha with robust flavoring (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html ) and a small metal tin, which I’ve come to really like! The tin is a nice size for a small matcha and doesn’t hog my precious refrigerator space. When I find myself in between matchas, I like that I can reuse the tins to take small samplings of loose leaf tea when I travel. I’m a sucker for small, reusable items!

Anyway, the smell of the matcha is tangy and slightly sweet, even though there’s no sugar added to the flavoring. I prepared this my usual way – cold latte style. Two ounces of warmed water with a teaspoon of matcha and a half teaspoon of super-fine sugar – wisk until blended. I didn’t try sifting the matcha this time, and it frothed up very nicely without any clumping. Six ounces of cold, creamy whole milk (yes, I’m naughty!) and the taste was so smooth and creamy with a bit of tang – just how I like my cheesecake to be!

After my first cup as a cold latte, I went for a second cup – this time as a warmed, straight matcha. The tang and creaminess are much less noticable the second time around, but the matcha base is much more prevalent. As the cup cools, the tangy taste comes to the forefront with the matcha and the creaminess lags behind. It’s kind of like having two very different teas, which is pretty awesome for just buying the one! A creamy, dessert-like cup of tangy cheesecake with milk/dairy alternative or a green tea with a little tang – it’s up to whatever kind of mood you’re in!

With the start of September I have been craving autumnal flavors, especially pumpkin. So needless to say I was really bummed to find that the post office was holding my latest Red Leaf Tea order over the Labor Day holiday. Was I being punished? Probably not, but it definitely made receiving it today all the more exciting!

Upon opening tearing into the non-resealable foil packaging, the robust pumpkin pie flavoring filled my nose. It was AMAZING! It smelled exactly like a spiced pumpkin pie was sitting in my kitchen.

I immediately made this into a cold latte based on the delicious smell alone. All I could think of was “WOW!”. Two ounces of warmed water blended with the pumpkin pie matcha (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/pumpkin-pie-matcha.html ), a smidge of sugar and a healthy 6 ounces of icy-cold milk later, I found myself speechless! After downing the entire cup in record time, I must admit I really want another one! This is Fall in a cup!

My default ordering for Red Leaf Tea has become robust flavoring. I love flavoring, what can I say? In this particular offering the spices are rich! Cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg – they all mingle with the pumpkin without overpowering it. It sort of reminds me of the old Starbucks Pumpkin Pie coffee lattes I used to look forward to around this time of year. I loved them so much I’d try recreating them at home. Well now I don’t have to! There’s a much healthier version right here without the added sugar.

Regret began to fill my mind – I really should have gotten more than a small, robust blend! This will not last me very long.

I’ve had my eye on this one for awhile. With each 52teas order (and there have been many already!), this one never made it to the final purchase round. It’s jumped in my cart a couple times, but each time I end up taking it out in favor of a more unique/limited creation. So thank you to Awkward Soul for sharing a couple cups worth and satisfying my curiosity about this one.

This smells delicious before taking a 3-minute hot bath. After infusion, the tea liquor smells creamy and strawberryish, but less so than the dry leaf did. First few sips leave me a little underwhelmed… Added more rock sugar than I care to admit and it started to be a little tastier.

I do have the leaves resteeping in the fridge, so we’ll see if that turns out to be any different.

This isn’t something I’d purchase, but am glad to cross off another tea from my shopping list.

This one hit the spot today! I was really looking for something creamy with a little spicy kick on the backend and found it with Adagio’s Thai Chai.

Really liking this one better than the old coconut chai I had been housing for what seemed like forever! Zhena’s Gypsy Coconut Chai is too spicy for me – not a fan of black pepper in my chai.

This one has cinnamon, ginger and a little cardamon – just enough spice to keep my tongue excited. :)

Half-n-half and sweetener made this almost too much for late summer, but in the winter I can see this as a regular winner!