Amy oh

I love visiting the Monterey and Moss Landing area but their tea shop selection leaves something to be desired for a tea fiend like myself!

So a Peet’s was my saving grace this morning before we trotted off to the aquarium to see fish, penguins, jellyfish, birds and all manner of aquatic life.

I was a little bit scared of trying this from the description. Most lapsangs can be WAY too strong for me and the Russian Caravan from Peet’s is very smoky. Fortunately I rather enjoyed this a lot, not exacly sure what the Indian teas were, I think perhaps a mix of assam and ceylon. The lapsang note was very light and provided a hearty and rich flavor to this dark tea. Just what I needed to get going today… BF says it is slightly reminiscent of hu kwa. I might have to get a tin of this, at the very least I will get some more when I find myself near a Peet’s!

I’m back from my trip, sad that 3 day weekends seem so short (as do all weekends, or any time I’m not at work).

I decided I wanted a cup of something from the minute I walked in the door but maybe caffeine was not a good idea at this late hour. I had not tried this blend from Fusion Teas before now. It smells exacly like a pumpkin pie when you open up the bag… mmm!

This was steeped for around 8 minutes with boiling water. I did add some soymilk to mine since that’s usually how I drink rooibos. This reminds me a bit of a sweet potato pie! There’s some stevia in it which is definitely not my favorite. I’d rather just add my own sweetener. Stevia leaves a weird aftertaste in my mouth. Aside from that, this blend has a lot of cinnamon, ginger and mace which does give it the flavor of a pumpkin or a sweet potato pie. If there was no stevia I certainly would have rated this a lot higher. Note to self: be a bit more careful on reading labels in the future.

There is a very cute little shop in Monterey called Cha-ya, the sign said they sold Japanese tea so I was excited to go in. I got a cup of matcha and took these teabags to go. I am drinking one in the hotel. This is a delicious sencha, especially for a teabag. I was happy to stumble across this in my travels!

We are on vacation in Moss landing but it just started pouring down rain… boo

There was no good tea at our B&B so I was glad I brought some with me. :) I had a teabag of Paris that I brought with me, it was a sample from the International Tea Festival. All we had was hot water from a dispenser which was still not very hot. I am a whiner… yes, when it comes to tea I can be pretty whiny. I think tomorrow I will try green tea with my breakfast.

I am treating myself to this today. It’s been a while and I forgot how good it is! (see previous notes)

I accidentally typed this note in the Orange Spice rooibos section a moment ago, so I’m going to try again!

Herbal blends can be difficult to do well, or creatively. This is a very earthy cup with orange, cocoa notes and a bit of citrus from the lemongrass. The cocoa element I found to be fairly light but lends some depth to this blend. It is fairly well balanced but also hearty enough to be a nice substitute for coffee. I am not feeling too overpowered by the spices in this blend, but I like my teas kinda spicy.

I liked this a lot and would definitely reorder.

This is nice when you cold brew it, I tried that last night. But not so nice with a shot of Captain Morgan’s Rum added… ;-)

Sometimes it really taxes my poor brain trying to figure out what kind of tea to drink…

I had a cranberry muffin for breakfast and this darjeeling is going very nicely with it… a bit flowery and fruity. I am enjoying it!

The morning cuppa. I really liked this one, it is indeed “tippy” and perfect with a touch of soymilk! see previous notes.

I really can’t rate this one for now… upon smelling the wet leaf and the tea I could not place the aroma, then it reminded me: OMG! Indian food! To me this smells exactly like a curry dish. I even had to check to see that there was no turmeric in this. A bit of sweetener was a must but I still feel like I should be dipping a samosa into this.

I tried a bit of the wet steeped fruit in my blend and there must be something spicy in this besides ginger, maybe even cayenne pepper? Wow. I generally like spicy herbal teas but this is potent! I did not overdo it with the leaf but perhaps next time I will try slightly less?

I will check back soon with the Steepster crowd to make sure I am not losing my mind….

I found that if I steeped this at a lower temperature for a longer period of time it takes on some different characteristics and this really brings out the sweetness, while retaining a woodsy almost spicy quality.

Now that I’ve decided I don’t hate rooibos after all I thought it was time to try this blend because carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts. This was steeped for around 8 minutes at 208 F.

First off, this smells amazing in the cup as I am sitting here, it’s like maple heaven! With my first sip I’m getting the traditional carrot cake spices like cinnamon and maple. I am picking up on a touch of clove and ginger as well as a slight raisin element. I added soymilk to mine which definitely has upped the creaminess factor. I did not feel this needed sugar at all. The base of this tea is a honeybush/rooibos blend which works well here, I think. The aftertaste here is very “clove” which I don’t mind at all.

I did not pick up on a lot of carrot or coconut but no matter, this is pretty yummy. I would definitely drink often this as a dessert tea, as it’s a bit one the sweeter side even without added sugar. It is certainly a bonus that this tea has no sour aromas that I so often associate with rooibos.

I think I’ve discovered a new favorite vendor for herbal blends. Not a dud in the bunch so far with Fusion Tea Room, I’m excited to try the others I got!

The after lunch pu-erh. :)
These mini coins unfurl so beautifully to display long and sweet smelling leaves. The resulting brew is earthy with a lingering sweetness and a faint creaminess. see previous notes for more info…

This is my first experience with guayusa – I only got a small bag of this because I wasn’t sure about it but am open to new caffeinated beverages since I quit drinking coffee over a year ago due to heartburn.

My first impression is good – I like this! It’s earthy and slightly sweet and is definitely not as herbaly and bitter as mate. The apricot flavor is a nice touch here, it is fairly subtle but that’s much better than being overly fake or cloying.

I did do a resteep for about 8 minutes and although the apricot flavor has diminished quite a bit it is still a very pleasant drink. Glad I tried it!

yum… exotic pear.
It took me a while to decide if I wanted to try this tea from Butiki but now I’m glad I did. I believe I’ve had a few pear green/black teas but no pear white teas aside from the Celestial Seasonings brand. Overall I find pear flavors are tricky to get well into tea, or at least the ones I have had are not exceedingly well done.

I did steep this for 3 minutes at 180 F along with some of the yellow flowers that came in the bag. The pear flavor is pronounced but not overdone or too sweet. Reminds me a lot of a barlett pear. Star anise is an interesting choice to blend with the pear and the floral element of this white tea, but of course I like anise in all its forms. The blend is smooth and delicate but still quite flavorful. I quite enjoyed this!

It has been a long day and I thought I’d try some more tulsi before going to sleep.

This is a very pleasant blend, the papaya and orange is quite tasty and goes well with the tulsi, I think. Rosehips are not as tart as hibiscus but this is still a little on the tart side for me, I might add some sweetener next time around. I think this would make a really great iced tea so I will need to try it one of these days. I like the apple and pear flavor a little bit better than this one but this is still a great tulsi tea (i’ve had a lot of bad ones lately) so I hope Fusion Tea Room makes more of these. :)

My apologies for this short and brief note – good night Steepsterites…

Hoooray – this is exciting! If you’ve been reading my tealog you know I’ve been having a hard time finding tulsi blends that actually taste good and this one is rockin’!

The tulsi is lending a nice herby and minty note while the apple and pear combination lends a nice fruity taste that complements the tulsi while also hiding it a bit -lol. Also I love the fact that it’s a fruity tea that’s not too tart. And no hibiscus is a definite bonus (I am just not a fan).

I will for sure be wanting more of this once my sample runs out…

this is a pretty yummy flavored green tea from Butiki!

okay so it doesn’t taste that much like ice cream to me (it is a hot beverage after all)

I think the base of this tea is a Chinese green and I am getting some nutty flavors from that already. I did add a touch of sugar per the recommended suggestions. The pistachio flavor is slight and there is a touch of vanilla and a bit of floral type sweetness. I will need to try this again with soymilk, perhaps as a green tea latte. :)

I’m really not much of a mate drinker but I ordered some other things from Fusion Tea Room so I got a sample of this to try… I’m hoping it will taste like a frappuccino or something. :)

Steeped in usual mug method at around 190F for 7 minutes. The aroma of this is very coffee like and minty. After having the first sip I am picking up lots of spearmint and mate. There is a mocha flavor here but the mint is quite prominent. I did add some soymilk to this and liked it much better that way than I did plain. As a dessert drink this is pretty yummy but it definitely needed the creamy element for me.

I do worry about mate as they say drinking large amounts of it may cause cancer… but I will have no problems finishing off this yum-a-licious sample. I do miss coffee drinks so this is a great substitute.

Now I wish I had gotten more mate from them but I got some other neat stuff… stay tuned. ;-)

I did start airing this out at home in my cupboard to see if I could get the weird odor to dissipate. From what I have read it isn’t a good idea to store pu-erh in plastic anyway. It does seem better than it did when I first tried it – I am upped the score a teeny bit today. This is not a world class pu-erh but it was very affordable and benefited greatly by a hot water rinse and short steeping times. I will probably finish the cake someday but will not be in a big hurry to do so. I think it needs more time to air out, frankly.

Mediocre pu-erh is just so sad…

I tried this again today and moved the rating up a few points. I’m not sure that I will ever love keemuns but I am enjoying it more than the first time I had it, perhaps due to the gloomy rain we are having? still seems kind of bitter and smoky at the end…

Thanks to Scott Tea Man for sending me this lovely sample!

This is yummy, after steeping the wet leaves smell like lemon and pepper, they are still so green and olive…

I don’t have a lot of experience with darjeelings but I thought this was a beautiful cup of tea. Light orangish and yellow in color with a definite intoxicating floral & sandalwood aroma. The flavors are so delicious and light. I am getting a bit of butter pecan nuttiness to start, delicate floral flavors mingled with a pineapple sort of sweetness and then a bit of lingering astringency in the finish but a very moist and refreshing mouthfeel. OMG! When are the 2012 first flush teas coming from Thunderbolt??

I don’t know if it is just my imagination but teas from darjeeling and nepal always seem to have the most profound influence on my mind – expanding but relaxed at the same time. This would be a good tea for meditation and reflection. Sweet! Yum!

I did a resteep also and although lighter, it was still delicious – thanks again Scott!

Still working my way through the Le Palais de Thes gift set…

This smells slightly fruity in the tube and it appears to be a Chinese green tea with a few flower petals. I steeped my sample at 180 F for around 2 minutes. It’s an earthy and mellow tea with a light peach and flower flavor. I do detect a bit of rose in here but it is very mild. This is certainly nice but I don’t think I need to purchase a larger size, which has been my impression with most of their flavored teas thus far. I’m not sure what else to say about it since it didn’t make a big impression on me. I bet this would make a nice iced tea.

I fear my tealog is getting repetitive, but I love these. yum!