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Uggg. Teavana I am sorry. I like several of your offerings but this one was just not to my taste. I am usually a fan of fruit tisanes so I had high hopes for this one. It is just kind of tart and tastes artificial like bubblegum. I did not like it all when I brewed it up hot. Finally I decided to cold brew it in the refrigerator with a couple of chamomile teabags from Trader Joe’s to mellow out the Kona Pop. Now it is like a barely drinkable watered down pineapple juice. Oh well. I guess they can’t all be winners.

I am having this as my morning brew today – it is a bit lighter than the black teas I am used to drinking. It seems medium bodied- sort of like a Ceylon but with different flavors. It seems very full with rich honey or buttery tones. I am picking up a bit on the spiciness as an aftertaste. Sadly I will not have time to infuse this more than once this morning, my verdict is an elegant and mild tea which seems suitable for anytime drinking. I hope to add more notes to this as time permits.

As you can see I got my package from Verdant so you can expect some more reviews from me in the next few days as I am babbling away due to caffeine overload. :)

I fear this tea may have spoiled me for life. It is lovely, lovely, LOVELY! I do not have a gaiwan and have been admonished many times for this whenever I go tea tasting. I did brew the leaves in a mug for about 60 seconds and then transferred to another mug. I believe it is practically the same experience but I could be wrong.

In any case, this is an exceptionally fine oolong tea (at least to my novice palate), amber color, smells of cherrywood and has caramel and stone fruit smooth richness which is practically melting in my mouth. Vaguely reminds me of bourbon but I think this is actually an insult to the tea. :) It is hard to find words to describe this!

Very unlike any other green tea I have tried. A delicate, soft blend which reminds me of meadows, clover and hay. Very soft finish and sweet aroma. I will need to be trying some of this cold brewed as well. Very happy with this purchase!

I picked this one up on the way to work. Due to it being Monday morning and my overwhelming feeling of tiredness, I thought I’d try this mate blend. These flavors go well together. I adore lemon myrtle and that is the predominant flavor of this tea – VERY citrusy. It feels refreshing and cleansing. Sometimes mate gives me a headache so we’ll see how that goes!

THis was a tea bag and my tea is pretty weak, it could have used more tea and less water. I think I’ll check around on Numi’s website to see if they sell loose leaf tea.

Overall, not bad, I would probably drink this again.

The Red Blossom Tea Company is a fabulous place to go in San Francisco’s Chinatown for tea tasting. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I knew when I went in that I wanted to try an oolong that was more oxidized than the ones I have been trying. We sampled two wuyi oolongs which were both very good, the Tie Luo Han and this Heritage Rougui.

This is a nice woody tea with hints of cinnamon. It is very creamy and has a smooth finish. The spicy flavor comes out a little bit better with the second steeping here. The tea “liquor” is light and amber-like with a hint of smoke. This is a very nice tea for fall!

This is a very nice dragonwell tea which I picked up at Leland Tea Company a few months ago. The leaves smell of spinach and it brews up to be a slightly nutty green tea. I much prefer the mellow taste of this dragonwell over something like Sencha (personal preference). Nothing spectacular but certainly great for every day/anytime drinking. Organic is definitely a bonus. If you’re ever in San Francisco you must stop by the Leland Tea Company which has an unpretentious atmosphere and a very friendly staff.

Pretty good for a floral tea, not overwhelmingly scented.

Another sample I picked up at Whole Foods to try. When I first smelled it I was worried it would be too much like the dreaded darjeeling I don’t really care for. I was pleasantly surprised that it was a very mellow, slightly fruity and slighty chocolate-y tea. We drank this for breakfast and it was delicious. Very non-astringent without a hint of bitterness. I may have discovered a new favorite type of black tea!

My first hairy crab oolong so I don’t really have anything else to compare this one to. I picked this one up at the Bulk section of Whole Foods to try this afternoon. Some other descriptions I’ve read of hairy crab oolongs say they have a floral perfume but I did not pick that up here, thankfully ;)

About 90 seconds of steeping time in near boiling water yielded me a golden-green color of tea. I am pretty fond of this one actually. It is brothy and rich with a touch of honey flavor. Lightly oxidized Chinese and Taiwanese oolongs are fast becoming my favorite tea for the afternoon and I really like drinking them out of a glass mug to admire their delicate colors. There is no need to add milk or sugar since they are really delightful on their own. I will definitely need to do some more experiments with hairy crabs from different companies.