Amy oh

This one I have had for too long and it really needs to go, so I brewed some up in my handy little Lupicia cooler. I’m having some hot now and the rest is going into the fridge so I’ll have an iced tea tomorrow!

hmm. I am a little confused by the description on Lupicia’s website as I got a tea called Ume Vert from their store that claims it is a white and green tea blend that is flavored with apricots and the website says it is flavored with plums so obviously I am going to review the tea that I have.

I really like this one, it just sounded so light and delicious from the description on the bag. They claim you can use boiling water but I was a bit skeptical so I steeped this for around 3 minutes @ approx 175 F.

this is a flavored tea but the apricot flavor is very subtle and the white tea flavor really comes through. Oddly I am getting more white tea flavor than green. This will be a great tea for the springtime and would also be very good as an iced tea.

Verdict: yum!

I bought a whole box of this a while ago evidently hoping I would love it, but alas…

It decided to steep some up today to see what I remember of it, an orange jasmine-y tartish perfumish mess. Smells like a perfume my Grandmother might have bought that went rancid. It is definitely more enjoyable with soymilk but now I’m just kind of sad I have so much of it. If anyone wants to swap, let me know. Other people really seem to love this tea!

So today I tried steeping this up along with my Oriental Beauty oolong from the Aroma Tea Shop. That was a very good combination. The cinnamon plum is a little tart on its’ own but mixing it with something else seems to help. I still wish there was no hibiscus in it (see my previous tasting notes).

Drinking this today out of a beaten up chipped and stained infuser mug I got in Chinatown – lmao! Looks like I might need a new mug very soon. :)

When I think of a classic high mountain oolong something like this would come to mind.The dry leaf smells a bit floral and a bit like licorice in the bag.

This was steeped for around 2 minutes at 180 F. I got a sweet, mildly buttery and rich tea which is very soothing. It has a nice floral aroma as well.

I steeped it again and the second steep was much like the first. I am enjoying it and would consider ordering it again if I ever place another order with Tea from Taiwan. Still nothing about it really stands out among the other oolongs I have tried from the same company. In a way I will be kind of glad when these samples are all gone and I can move on to something else. :))

This was another tea I got for Christmas from my brother and am just getting around to trying it now.

I decided I was going to use my xi ying teapot for wuyi oolongs only. I think the clay teapot really enhances this tea for some reason. I steeped mine for about 60 seconds and this first steep is reminiscent of toasted grains, there is a lingering sweetness and also a plummy/raisin-y fruit quality.

Second steep is about the same as the first – it’s a good tea but doesn’t rank up super high in terms of unique or intense flavors like some other wuyis I’ve had. Still. I wouldn’t mind having this around as an everyday sort of tea. In the future I might let the steeps go a bit longer to see what I end up with.

I found a Fukugata teapot today at Daiso for $4 and I couldn’t resist buying it. I never liked this Detox tea but it’s a little late for caffeine so I decided to steep some of this up to anoint the pot. The tea is still yucky but the teapot was fun to use. I noticed it has an infuser basket instead of the traditional sasame (clay filter). I think it’s a little too soon to figure out how this cheap teapot will affect the flavor of my tea. I guess I need to start first with a tea that I actually like. :)

I bought two sampler packs from Tea from Taiwan and I confess a lot of them do taste similar but this one was definitely different. For one thing it smelled so fresh and clean and VERY vegetal when I opened the bag, kind of like boiled spinach.

Due to these factors I decided to give my first steep only 60 seconds in approx. 180 F water. It’s a nice light infusion but it really is vegetal, sweet and clean. It has a bit of a “roasted” or charcoal quality. hmmm. I really like this one a lot. It is also one of the more expensive teas on their website (just my luck!)

For the second steep I decided to keep it light, only 30 seconds to see if I could capture some of the elusive fruit flavor. I am getting a little bit of melon and now it has a slightly floral aroma but I want the charcoal back!

Third steep: I am going for the gusto. Two full minutes brings back more of the delicious flavor here. This is a tea that takes you on adventure. Now I am getting a buttery popcorn flavor.

This one is very enjoyable so I am adding it to my shopping list although $29 for 75 grams is a bit steep for me. It’s very tasty though and according to the website you can steep it 8 times…

Interesting that some other tasters found it boring, I am not bored in the least! :)

Another ancient sample from David’s Tea – evidently it is cleaning up and purging ancient things time…

I was really dreading this after reading the description. Well, I do like lemongrass but with hibiscus and citrus I was anticipating a big tart mess… this probably would be a good iced tea and good with booze in it. It’s a bright pink fruity cup that has the hibiscus zingy kick. It’s pretty ok but that’s about all. Better than Teavana but I doubt I will ever come to love a hibiscus fruit blend tea.

It’s been ages since I’ve placed my last order and I have no idea why. Maybe the new spring tea collection will be coming out soon??

yummm. I was really looking forward to trying this sample after reading the description! ;)

I steeped this in an infuser mug at 180 F but I lost track of the time, it might have been 2 or 3 mins. It is buttery, slightly vegetal with a little bit of sweetness in the aftertaste. I believe this is the apple flavor that was referenced in the description?

The second steep was only for about 90 seconds. I think a light touch is paramount with this one. The vegetal notes have backed off a bit and is getting more creamy. I am enjoying it but I don’t think it will go on my “must have” list. Not sure if I need to steep this a third time, oh well. It isn’t really standing out but I’m also feeling kind of nauseated today so that isn’t really helping…

I unearthed this ancient sample from my stash – I have no idea why I didn’t try drinking it before now. I believe this was one of their spring teas and it also looks to have been discontinued but maybe they’ll bring it back.

This isn’t quite as terrible as I was fearing it would be. I actually like the raspberry here in this blend but I don’t think the coconut goes so well with it. Kind of sickly sweet somehow & might be better iced. I guess I haven’t been missing much. :-/

This was another sample pack I received when I placed my order with Upton. I really wish I had ordered more of these, they are so awesome and cheap!

This assam was steeped with boiling water in an infuser mug for 4 minutes per the company’s recommendations.

This is a delicious smelling assam – very dark, fruity and malty. It has a lot of pungency towards the end of the cup and I fear I may have steeped it a little too long or I should perhaps use a little less leaf next time because I brewed it up very strong! I love the flavor but am wishing for slighly less pungency so stay tuned, I may need to adapt this one out of sheer necessity. Soymilk is definitely helping to tone it down a bit.

Here’s my tea “nightcap” for tonight. I did notice tonight I felt the cinnamon in this blend was pretty strong so I may have oversteeped it. See my previous tasting notes. Still it’s great with soymilk as a nice treat :)

my tea notes are probably getting repetitive but at some point I will break down and just buy an entire pound of this since I drink it almost every day. =)

I am sure I will want to keep ordering this tea forever. I’m tired today and the weather is grim but this is tea is so delicious, smooth and strong. Chocolate malt perfection – Perfect for a long, cloudy day. See my previous tasting notes. :)

It is today’s first tea. Steeped this morning at boiling for 4 minutes. It’s nice but not destined to be a favorite, see previous tasting notes. I will try adding a pinch of cardamom or dried orange peel next time.

yum, it’s a tea “nightcap” – hoping there is not too much caffeine in this one. Definitely a dessert tea, great with some soymilk. I don’t see it as a coconut cream pie as much as a coconut banana cake made with whole wheat flour. Anyway it seems to be hitting the spot at the moment.

working late tonight, this tea is a nice boost and is very soothing and rich as well. A guiltless indulgence. :)

This came as a sample in my last order from Verdant. I was very surprised to find that this does smell a lot like cocoa – intriguing! I steeped it for around 3 minutes at 175 F or so. I may have used a bit too much leaf however.

I am finding this slightly less sweet and more vegetal than the spring Laoshan green. It has a full and rich flavor, definitely green beans are the predominant note here. I felt it got a bit pungent so I may need to revise my steeping parameters. I like it though…

Second steep here at 2 minutes was a lot better, I guess you don’t need much with this tea!

This is a great black tea to lift your spirits and start the day right – see my previous tasting notes. :)

I got this as a blend to mix with other teas, I don’t intend to drink it on its own. Last night I added about 1 tsp. to some plain generic honeybush and it was great, I also want to try it with assam. I think the saffron and the elderberry are both nice touches to this blend which make it a little bit out of the ordinary.

My first time trying a yellow tea. The leaves in the bag are slender and light brownish with some white areas. I steeped this in an infuser mug with water around 180 F for 3 minutes. The leaves, after steeping smell a bit sweet but also like seaweed.

I do think this is pleasant but I’m not really blown away by it. It’s a golden yellow color and has a slighty sweet/nutty flavor profile. There is something mildly oceanic in the aroma of this particular tea. I am enjoying it but I don’t think I will need to rush out and get anymore once I have depleted this sample. Also I think it is great that Upton offers sample sizes on all of their teas, just thought I would mention that! :)

This was only my second straight up nilgiri and I am having a cup of it again this morning. It is fruity, (I am getting plums and berries in this steep) but lacks the tannins/astringency of a darjeeling which makes it nice for me. I upped the rating a bit today.

This was part of a Kusmi Russian tea sampler we got. My boyfriend loves Earl Grey/bergamot blends so he likes them a little bit better than I do, I find them to be a bit perfume-y. The orange is very nice in this blend though. Might be better with a scone. ;-)