Zoltar

I don’t like black tea and never tasted any earl grey tea that one was ordered on the December 50% off sales from zen tea with my normal command i still try to find a black tea i would like.

I’m still sick but it way less worse than this morning at least i can talk now. Being in the mood for tea but not the one i’ve been drinking all day long that one was the perfect choice.

I know i should have tasted it with nothing in it first but i always find black too bitter i did put some honey in it before even drinking it not enough to change the taste but enough to cover any bitterness that might come with the first sip.

Unfortunately that was not the tea that will make me like black tea for that matter that was probably my last try black are just to bitter for me flavoured or not i still drink it with a lot of honey a chance for me it was just a sample.

I don’t give that one a note since i’m kinda bias against black tea

No notes yet.

Definitely my Sick tea. Got another cold yesterday I’m at my 7th cold since last September hope this one will not transforms into sinusitis just like the last 2( kinda getting sick of it .. ya i know bad pun sorry couldn’t resist it ) but where i leave it’s a total epidemic this winter.

Getting back from work this morning my throat was hurting bad, now it hurt so bad i can’t even talk i get back to work only Thursday so at least i have a chance to get some rest till then.

A extra strong cup of this one as been made in hope of soothe my throat but this time more than one cup will be needed it’s a chance last time i bought a lot of it i shall add some honey and lemon in the next one

Received my package this morning containing the pu-erh and Okakura Kakuzō book of tea which was a good thing with a temp of -42 Celsius with the wind a tea and a book was in order to unfreeze me.

Don’t know much ( for not saying nothing at all ) about Pu-erh but for some reason i keep getting the impulsion to try them. Did choose that one totally randomly liked the name or the picture i don’t really remember. Always found that most Pu’erh smell like stable but not in a bad way a aroma more like horse and fesh hay ( maybe i’m just weird ).

no instruction was giving to make it gongfu style so i kinda have to improvised on that one but that part of the fun of tea to try new thing to taste it.

I did the first steep 15 second that was noway enough time the tea as a beautiful color but nearly no taste

Second steep was 30 second the tea is way more dark now nearly as dark as coffee little earthly taste with lot of astringency ( but really a lot )

try the third at 30 second also the taste and the felling was much like the second steep

since they suggest 4-5 minute steep in a western steeping style ( that the way i will do it next time ) i did the last steep at 45 second no more astringency this time but still just a hint of earthly taste i may did something wrong i will make my next tasting according to the instruction they give to me to compare the taste of the two method but for now my head is way to light to read my book or drink more tea

got that one during the 50% off from Zen tea and finally received it today after thinking it was lost in the mail ( won’t let that change my note Zen tea can’t control the postal service after all and they where nice when answering my numerous email )

I don’t really like being with lot of people so holiday like Christmas are not really for me during this one i mostly stay in my cave with a thermos of hot water and some tea listening to ac/dc and playing online game my thermos get only 2 cup of water in it but well it’s better than nothing.

My first steep of that one was a failure not enough leaf probably the smell was really nice but the taste was not there so i won’t give my note from that one.

My second steep on the other hand was awesome i didn’t want to toss the tea without at least another steep but having spill some water not enough was left for a full cup the missing water was replace by some Southern comfort ( i think it’s some kind of spiced rhum with peach taste in it ) the peach from it as make all the flavor from my weak tea appear it’s not something i would do normally but meh it is the holiday after all it was a winning choice since it’s saved my tea so my note come from this steep for now till a try another normal steep

Today i learned that i have a tea shop in a grocery store at 5 minute of my home it’s was my duty as a tea lover to go see what it’s look like ! It’s a counter with maybe 60 or 70 kind of tea and and some really nice tea-ware talking with the woman behind the counter i learned that the store is there since 2009 ( can’t say if it true or not but no reason to doubt what she say to me) maybe she’s in here and i don’t know it lol i should ask her next time.

They seem to know what they are doing the tea is in good air sealed tin so i decided to buy some tea with ginger in it since i’m still sick and was out of ginger tea that one is a green tea but i forgot to take note of which green tea it was ginger and peach also in it and what seem like chrysanthemum flower.

Dry leaf smell really good mostly peach the leaf was broken but as i seen with some tea i ordered Canada post are not gentle with package even with padded envelope so maybe they get that way to them.

The tea lack taste other that peach but i think i did not put enough tea in my infuser.

Overall it’s seem like a good little store but i will ask them more question next time like where the tea come from ( i like to know what i drink )

First cup of tea since at least 2 week i mostly drink coffee this day because of my work but today it’s my week-end it’s cold outside and i have a really really sore throat i always think of tea when I’m sick nothing is better than a hot tea when sick .

I was searching something with ginger in it when i found that one got it with the sample promo from Zen tea a big while ago. I got a weird smell when opened the bag since it have only 3 ingredient i assume it come from the ginger smell kinda like some cough medicine well I’m sick so it okay if it can make my throat less sore and make me stop coughing it could have smelt like rotten fish i would still drink it.

The colour is a beautiful brown it’s like drinking maple syrup it burn when i drink but a good burn. Definitely liking this one a little sweet at first then after a few sip the ginger taste appear don’t really know how to describe it my mind is numb today so now i will go to sleep till my Hobbit moleskine get shipped at my place

No notes yet.

Long time no see Fellow Tea drinker ! Been a busy month looking for a new job not lot of tea drinking as been made now that the job is found stress level get lower and tea come back in mind.

I was happy to see that one not enough banana thing are made but the more flavoured tea i drink the more i hate them there always seem to have weird taste in them when it’s a ingredient i know i don’t like in tea (apple or hibiscus) well that a chance i take but there is other like this one all ingredient i love but still a weird taste i can’t identify like a spice making it barely able to finish the cup.

It does taste banana but nothing near banana pie ( or chocolat or any of the other ingredient for that matter) and that weird taste i get in the background with each sip they smell so good i just want to love them but it don’t happen ! Straight tea it’s gonna be for me they rarely disappoint me.

like with the other i’m gonna finish my sample in hope my note will change but it’s never do maybe i’m just not made for flavored tea

I receive it today that the one i win on facebook From the contest they do ! ( Thank you for the contest Della Terra Teas ) The shipping was fast as always faster than most stuff i order from Canada.

My first impression when opening the bag was WoW! that smell exactly like one of my favorite chocolate ( Dark chocolate with Candied orange peels in it )

Once steeped the tea smell just as good orange with a creamy hint aroma and some sweetness but nothing tart about it. I don’t taste the caramel at all well i don’t taste anything except orange but not because it’s seem to miss something more because all seem perfectly blend together i really have the impression to drink my chocolate :D

The tea look all foggy but exept that it is a pretty good tea in my opinion

Just getting out of the dentist i stop at my local David’s tea to buy the glass Gongfu Teapot and some Tie Kwan Yin to try when they ask me if i want to try this one too ( i don’t care for them try to sell more thing if they don’t get pushy and they don’t) it’s was smelling good so i bought 25g to try also.

Perfect tea to try my Gongfu teapot ( and my first try at Gongfu for that matter ) I can’t say if my technique was good or not and how that affect the tea but i did find that one good a little earthy but just enough for me to like it I didn’t get the pine taste they talk about before the third steep when a little hint begin to appear.

I run out of water after 1 rinse and 3 steep and was to lazy to go get more with my mouth hurting i will get more water later and try more steep

Will give that one a Note after trying it also western style in my steeper

I’m gonna love that little teapot :) a yixing one will take is place probably someday lol

Update Western style : Just made a cup western style in my steepster following the instruction they gave on the bag water at 92 for 5 minute i can detect some bitterness but also some sweetness that was not in the Gongfu If i have to choose this one if better Gongfu less bitter but overall it’s good i still prefer Tie Guan Yin

Making that one right now i don’t really like Pumpkin tasting food but since i really like the smell i keep trying thing with pumpkin wrote on it That one is no exception the smell is really good a hint of cinnamon and what i suppose to be the pumpkin pie spice

The taste : I don’t taste the black tea and that a good point for it but i don’t taste anything else gonna try a longer steep next time and maybe a little honey

Another one of my many sample from Della Terra Teas i choose that one as a iced teas try after seeing so many good review but never happen to try it with the cold weather now the taste for iced tea is gone.

So last night I’ve gone out with friends to explore thing that enter the Strictly forbidden to enter old abandoned place category.

The exploring was fun but it was so so cold nearly -5 Celsius ( yeah that not so much for us Canadian but i was not dress for that low temp) after 2 hour of exploring i was cold to the bone and wet from water leak falling from the roof and a heavy headache i got to sleep at the second i enter my room but the damage was already done as i seem when waking up this morning after just 3 hour of sleep and feeling like another cold is on the way.

Searching through my stash for something with Ginger in it i put my hand on that one and said to myself eh why not i feel like drinking lemon. Holding that hot mug with my laptop on me and watching Supernatural while the divine smell getting to my nose is alone comforting i can’t really taste the cream flavor but i don’t really care this morning that one good and may get in my permanent tea stash i try to put in order ( i love sample but still want some everyday tea )

Another cup was in order this one with honey in a vain attempt to help my sore throat ( nothing beat ginger ) the honey do add a good taste and make the other flavor smoother

I love that thing! really really useful for tea that expand a lot but that also is bad side if i use it with a tea that is not full leaf or tea with powder in it The steeper become a pain to clean even more if for some reason i did not remove the leaf from directly after using it some tea get in part we cannot remove or clean but i still really love the steeper just choose carefully what the kind of tea you put in it !

I must say the main reason i choose that tea was because i love the legend that go with it ( the Wei legend ) ans because i always wanted to taste it

The dry leaf: look like uneven small pearl ( seeing that i should have made it in my perfect steeper and not in my perfect cup they quite expend and maybe use less leaf so they could expend more i put that mistake on another cold coming since i get 1398129387 colds by years that normal ) It as the grass smell of green tea and some flower fragrance too i can’t say which im no good with flower smell and flavor yet for my re-steep i will transfer the leaves in my perfect steeper.

Once steeped the water get a pale green color that look wonderful in glass mug the aroma is still grassy but a smooth grassy i can’t detect any other smell in it no bitterness at all in the taste some astringency that one taste better when hot as he cool down i find that the taste become bitter ( mostly i like my tea when they become a little cooler i suppose everything need a exception lol ) for now i really like that one it’s goes on my maybe keep in stock list will taste it more before giving it a note

Updates: For the second steep i transfer the leaves in my perfect steeper and just WOW some much leaves no surprise they did not expend well in the perfect cup half my steeper was made of leaves lol 3:30 steep this time
Already a more strong green color appear it still really taste like a green tea it’s so smooth and buttery

5 minute since i’m back from the store with 25g of that one and one of the new clear glass perfect cup ( the dry branch i just love that model next thing is the dry branch tea pot before they change the model for the holiday and on the counter behind them near the tea was a gongfu glass tea pot and is box did not have time to ask them the price but next time i will for sure since it was no where in the store except there maybe a new product) steeping it right now as i write this

The dry leaf have a smell i can’t identify it’s smell like no ingredient that is in it once steeped the cinnamon aroma take all the place the brownish color is just amazing in a cup with dry branch in front of it make me feel like i’m in a forest :) and with the heavy fog that is outside i don’t know it’s just fit with the smell( ya i know i’m weird sometimes :P but i totally assume it) there is a little oil floating on the tea probably from the coconut but a lot of tea with nut in it do that so it’s ok with me

The taste: now i’ve steeped it 5 minute the bag say 4 to 6 i like to be in the middle of the suggested time when it’s a tea i don’t know i taste a little nuance of cinnamon taste but i do feel the cinnamon on my tongue taht little spicy effect but that all no chocolate no vanilla and no coconut even no black tea bitterness maybe it’s one of those tea i should put some honey in it and all the flavor will get out it’s not bad but i feel like i could just put cinnamon in water and get the same thing so no note till i give it more try

The mug: i love glass mug since i like to see my tea it’s mostly how i know when it ready for me and i just love all the amazing color different tea give us and i love the dry branch model! ( as i already said it ) i know it suppose to be glass but i just can’t get the idea out of my head that the mug feel like plastic the top feel like glass but not the mug itself i was nearly tempted to squeeze it to see if it will bend a little like plastic but i didn’t lol if it’s glass i don’t really want glass in my hand

That one was good taste mostly chocolate a subtle strawberry taste appear as the tea get colder as i began to taste more black tea i start a tradition for myself to add a little honey just enough to cut the possible bitterness without adding a sweet taste that exacly what i did with that one with just one little mistake from my part it’s was a new honey jar ( the bear plastic one that you have to make a hole it it the first time ) i kinda forgot that … so the top and 1/3 of the jar ended up in my tea .

Whatever drink it says my brain to me it’s just gonna be really really sweet but you like honey so that don’t matter (stupid brain ) preparing myself psychologically for a extreme sweet sip what a big surprise when no honey taste at all ! just the normal tea taste where is all the honey ? but all in the bottom of the mug naturally as i have discovered when i drank the last sip :S and nearly die strangle by 1/3 cup of honey don’t know why it didn’t dissolve but NEVER again i will use honey directly from the jar like that .

A week or two ago i ordered a big sample pack from Della Terra teas this one was in it ( 17 teas for that matter ) I don’t have much not flavored tea since that one was not on Steepster i wanted to be the first to make a taste note on it :)

Two days ago a wild green tea taste appear in me perfect time to taste that tiger tea I told myself! After looking on the website to be sure of the process to make that one. What a good smell is coming from that sunny yellow hot cup ( main reason i like glass mug love seeing all those divine colour ! ) perfect to fight the grey and cold weather autumn seem to bring us fast this year .

Sadly what was going to be a good reading time with a wonderful tea as come to a end fast i can’t even say if that tea was good or not 2 sip was all i could drink. After the first sip a heavy astringent effect appear saying myself that okay was my first reaction not the first time that happen green tea do that a lot after all and it one of the thing i like ( even if i don’t know why ) but at the second sip my mouth as become totally numb just like when going to the dentist that was not normal i will have to begin watching myself with green tea some of those seem to give me weird effect.

No choice that cup got toss in the sink ( i know it is nearly a crime :( ) i was so looking out for that one

Of course I’m not going to note that tea i would let that honour to someone else

Received this tea as one of my mane many custom try me sample i don’t know what to say or think of this one the smell is really really good you can smell the chocolate and the cacao but i can’t find any of the taste when drinking it but at the same time i don’t find it bitter like i do with most black tea so there most be some taste other than tea in it.

i see in the description here 5 minute steep while the Website of Della Terra teas write 2-3 minute i will try it at 5 minute ( one or the other have the wrong info ) maybe the taste will get stronger in hope that it don’t get bitter with that kind of smell i hope to be able to have the taste to go with it

Updates: Following Della Terra Teas advice i was going to try this one with some sweetener ( cane sugar ) but i was out of it so Honey it be ! since it the only other sweet i can take .

The smell was still really nice. With honey in it the cacao taste is stronger, taste kinda like dark chocolate ( with chocolate and cacao i assume that was the purpose ) it my favourite kind so I’m good with it. A weird taste in that cup but that come from my honey .. i was probably really sleeping last time i bought honey it’s some weird flower honey i will have to buy some normal honey when i go for the sugar cane . Was way better that time still have enough to make another cup in my sample will try with the cane sugar.

Got that one as the free sample offer from zen tea ( thank for that offer ) i was happy to see green popped rice when i opened the bag the first time i know it’s normal since there is matcha in it but i still find it funny ( sometime it don’t take me much to be amuse lol) i did 3 steep with that tea the flavour goes like this first steep – nearly only matcha taste with a hint of other green taste
Second – still some matcha !(that nice most genmaimatcha are just normal genmaicha at second steep) and a little more stronger toasted taste begin to appear
Third – mostly normal genmaicha at that point ( genmaicha still my favorite tea so that not a bad point)

Definitively a good tea i like the change of taste from the resteep ( diferent cup without having to change the kind of tea )

Will buy that one for sure

No notes yet.

That is one of my 17 sample i ordered from Della Terra Teas ( ya 17 lol but hey 17 for 30$ with free shipping can hardly do better than that even more if you are from Canada Thanks Della Terra Teas for the good deal ) I try this as a iced tea first ( Thank DaisyChubb for answering all my question :)) i can’t say it’s bad iced it’s just weird at first ( maybe not the good choice to try iced ) the more i drink it the more i begin to discern all the different taste like chocolate and coconut not bad after all will try it hot ( even if i don’t drink hot black i did bought it for a reason )

Updates : Hot cup right now 4 minute steep since it’s the resteep from my iced tea try a little bitter ( but i find all black tea kinda bitter ) but not much probably from the first steep taste way less than the iced tea should probably have steep it around 5:30 minute once it begin to cool the coconut flavour begin to appear more and some chocolate the almond taste in both version are kinda absent probably hiding behind the coconut

Got this one as a sample how could a Canadian resist trying something with maple syrup wrote on it ? simple we can’t the smell is just divine when opening the bag even the colour after steeping look like maple syrup

it’s was tasting a little maple after 4 minute not enough for me ( longer steep next time ) and a taste i can’t remember maybe the honeybush or Green rooibos since i’ve never have neither of them

So far it’s good will update that tasting note after another try with a longer steeping time

My first cold of the season is coming to a end ( well i was thinking at least ) when i began to have sore throat again. That not gonna happen let kill that with hot tea ! I’d watch a couple gaiwan video during the morning so why not try it i ask myself innocently ( my answer should have been because your gonna make a mess since you don’t know what you are doing )

Ah why not maybe i’m gonna have the beginner luck well that was not the case ..

Watching a last video after installing all my stuff just to be sure

All the pre-heat did go well but first impression That thing become HOT! i nearly drop it let handle it a little higher i still need my finger don’t want to burn it

Putting the leaf in the gaiwan – 1/4 as suggested in many video that seem a lot but meh i’m no expert so i have to take my first info somewhere let’s go with what they say ( yah cold make me dumb i didn’t even think to come ask here ..)

Rince it – Done ( that kinda the easiest part lol)

First steep – Used the suggested temperature but steeping time found on the web was 20 seconds ( Gawhhh that was so so freaking bitter first time i get a bitter green tea it’s was worst than any black tea i ever taste even the new loose leaf tea from Tim Horton made by people who don’t know how to make tea i was desperate don’t judge me lol ) too many leaf ? dunno i think probably water to hot ( i could not finish the cup it’s was that bitter )

Second steep – i think it’s was the water being too hot that cause the bitterness so i let it cool down does it change something ? well no sure less bitter but the first was so bitter that i still have the taste in the mouth

i did stop at 2 steep for the sake of my bud taste ( i wish to be able to still taste my other tea) cleaning up the mess was fast since i did not really make some but will cleaning the gaiwan i drop it and it broke ( they are little fragile thing )

So it was my first and last ( for now ) gaiwan experience i finish all this by drinking my favorite genmaicha ( at least i know how to do that one )