amandajo

Oh just ick. Please do not drink this. I spotted this one at a convenience store next to work and thought some tea would be nice. But not this one. Tastes artificial and bitter. And sickly sweet. Try any other mate. I left it in the cabinet at work, hoping that someone else would take it!

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Sick today, trying to soothe a sore throat. This actually hit the spot quite nicely. I raised the water temp a bit and steeped a little longer, knowing that this is a rather light blend. I was pleasantly surprised. Even with my numbed senses I could taste the peanut butter quite distinctly, and it was the soother that I had hoped for. And perhaps it raised my spirits a little too. :)

A lonely pouch of Earl Grey Cheesecake had been chilling in my tea cupboard for quite some time. Frank’s post earlier this week on how to make a pitcher of iced tea brought this little pouch out of hiding. I rarely make freshly brewed iced tea, what can I say, just love it hot generally. And the idea of brewing a whole ounce of one of my favorites just freaks me out. But, its humid here in Kansas this week. And sadly I didn’t love the Earl Grey Cheesecake hot, so I thought, what the heck, live a little. ;) So glad that I did! It’s creamy and kinda smoky, and somehow I am tasting the “cheesecake” more in this version. Wow, you might just make an iced tea convert out of me yet, Frank! I actually think I prefer this tea iced. I suppose this makes sense, after all, who eats cheesecake hot?

Had a little of this today to help me relax, did the trick quite nicely! So delicious with a bit of honey. :)

And we have a winner! This stuff is freakin’ awesome. It really does taste like pancakes, buttery maple syrup get you out of bed on a Saturday morning pancakes! Frank, how about this one for the North American Tea Championship this year?

I’m just happy to have tea while at work and this is what was in the cabinet! Its a little tangy and somewhat sweet like honey without the real sweetness and almost gingery. All in all, not too shabby.

Mmm…certainly liking this little blue wonder this evening. :) I needed a decaffeinated soother tonight, and this is doing it for me!

I’m in Chicago this week on vacation visiting my husband’s family, and Tapal is their brand of choice. This is the tea I’ve been drinking for the past day and a half. I’m happy to say that I think I’m hooked! This fragrant tea is a truly lovely blend. The jasmine balances the green tea quite nicely, leaving a pleasantly non-grassy taste. Neither the jasmine nor the green tea flavors overpower! It’s slightly sweet and clean tasting. I think this is a green that I could drink regularly, definitely something I’ve never been able to say before! :)

Ok…so there is room for 2 chocolate malted teas in my life! I picked this one up on the going out of business day at ZoomDweebies. (No, 52 teas is not going out of business, just the shop so that Frank can concentrate on his online business, DO NOT PANIC! ;) ) It is every bit as yummy as the chocolate malt honeybush! In my opinion, it’s actually more complex and I think I can taste the chocolate more. The chocolate actually tastes richer and darker in this tea, yet still somewhat subtle (if that makes any sense!). And I do love that mate! I love the way that the smokiness accompanies the cacao nibs! Definitely a treat with my pancakes this morning. :)

Oh Berry & Rose, please work your magic for me this morning. How I loathe being on call on the weekend… First call started at 8am, Berry & Rose will hopefully be my salvation. ;)

I can’t exactly feel my mouth right now as I had a filling this morning and 2 shots of Novocaine! My lower lip is numb, as is most of the left side of my face…but the taste buds on the right side appear to be working for the most part! What I can taste is pretty good, very hibiscusy as I remember! Chose this one as I knew it was fairly strong. I will not tamper with my rating as I don’t really trust my judgment right now! ;)

mmm…I wouldn’t mind waking up to this! The aroma of cinnamon is wafting up to my nose, tempting me to try it even though I know it is still too hot to drink. The taste: Lightly sweet cinnamon black tea. At the swallow I can detect the rose; as it cools, it is even more prevalent. Quite lovely! Sweet Cinnamon Rose…delicious indeed!

Thank you Liberteas!

Such a puzzling tea… First impression of the dry leaf: black licorice? Flavor: Woosh! Strong and sassy, no wonder they call it peacock! ;) Definitely getting the floral, and near the end of the sip, I can denote the caramel too. This one is a little frolic in the mouth.

Thank you Liberteas for sending it my way!

The plantain is definitely showcased here! The yummy banana coconut flavor brightened my afternoon. :) First time trying raw green bush, either its subtle or the other flavors are masking it, as I didn’t really detect it.

Edited to add: Thank you Jaime for sending this to me!!

This is definitely a tea meant to be sipped and savored. It’s very smooth and has an almost silky mouthfeel. (Hehe I used the word “mouthfeel” for the first time in a post! I love that word.) I adore the chocolate and hazelnut combination. These flavors do not mask or overpower the black tea, they are all there, and are quite merry together.

Thank you Liberteas for sending me this sample!

Hmm…pleasant but not “wowed”. The tea smells like PB&J but the taste is sadly mostly rooibos. Nice rooibos, but still, just rooibos. For the most part, there is a little nuttiness and a hint of strawberry, but I have to really search to find it. I finally can taste the strawberry when I get to the bottom of the cup.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was indeed a Mate. It was hard to detect the mate flavor (my only other mate experience is drinking it plain and roasted without any additional flavors). The chai spices are smooth and evenly distributed. As it has been mentioned, it is hard to discern one spice from another in this tea. This is a nice, pleasantly blended chai, but there simply is nothing too distinctive about it.

First tea of the day! Thank you Jenny Wren for including this in the tea swap! I read the reviews on this one, seems others have found it overly sour; I actually didn’t think so. I found it definitely a little tart, but still very drinkable. Would you really expect a raspberry/hibiscus tea to not be somewhat tart/sour? Is it a tea to write home about? No. But is it an easy little vitamin C wake up call? Sure. When it cools, the darjeeling is certainly more present.

OK Strawberry Z, I think you may have won me over a bit more. At 2 minutes and 30 seconds, this tea is much less astringent, and much more refreshing. The strawberries still are not quite as strong as I would like them, but it is much more drinkable (for me) this way. I’ll boost you up a few points. :)

Hmm…This is a thought provoking tea. This is my first time trying puerh. I am pleasantly surprised, specifically after the slightly fishy aroma. (Granted, I do like fish.) But I don’t really think it tastes like fish. It’s rather calming and smoky, and has rustic feel. I’m considering my horizons a little broadened. ;)

Thank you Jenny Wren for including this in the swap!

This is a good tea…is it as great as I wish it was? Not quite. I think my expectations were simply too high. Had I never tried Strawberry pie honeybush I might love it. Don’t get me wrong, I do like it, but its just not love. I’ve tried brewing it a few different ways now, just under boiling, at boiling, for 4 minutes, then for 3 minutes. But it still keeps coming out just short of wondrous. It’s a little too astringent for my taste, and it is overshadowing the strawberries and cream. I am sorry Strawberry Z, I guess it just was not meant to be. We can still be friends. ;)

More delectable honeybush from Frank… will our pocketbooks ever be safe again? These teas have become my sanctuary. And this tea in particular is incredible. I tried it as an iced latte. I’m ashamed to say I downed a whole stein in about 2 minutes; I wanted to savor it but could not help myself. Juicy baked goods in liquid form, how could I resist? There is so much strawberry here! And there is a definitive pastry flavor too! The best part about the fact that its honeybush? Aftertaste is non-existent: no astringency, just deliciousness. Do I need to gush anymore or do you get the picture already? I am so glad this is a permanent blend.