ashley annie

This is the first time I’ve had Florence since I purchased my Breville. And WOW. I didn’t realize how good this tea was. I was having one of those nights, and Florence made me feel a little bit better. (Thanks Erin!) It made me realize I need to restock asap. Then before I tried to sleep I just managed to catch Frank’s post on Facebook that he’d added some more Banana Bread and my drug of choice, Cinnamon Roll. !!!!!!!!!
Boy was I excited. So excited that I placed an order for several, then panicked and realized that I needed even MORE……and placed a second order right in a row.
My name’s Ashley, and I’m an addict.

Another sample from Jenn, thankyou!!
Wow! This is the first white tea that I’ve really enjoyed. I’m also rarely a lover a hot fruity teas and this one’s got me sold. I’m really falling for David. Again. (My boyfriend’s name is David.) My biological father’s name is David. Davids everywhere. haha

I steeped the recommended 2 teaspoons, at 200 degrees for 7 minutes. Brews to a golden liquor. I expected this to not have much flavor, as most whites I’ve tried were very light and frankly unsatisfying. But woah was I surprised! (As I have been with every David’s tea I’ve tried.) This is definitely not lacking in flavor. And it smells wonderful! Tropical paradise. Mango is hardly ever mimicked believably. And I had a delicious mango this morning, so it’s fresh in my mind and that makes me all the tougher critic of mango flavor. But hats off to David; this is great. It does taste a bit more tart than a mango, more like mangos and apples, (I’m noticing a lot of David’s teas contain apple.) I’m also loving the quite apparent tangerine flavor, and I hint a bit of plum and the taste of real strawberries, and probably a couple other tropical fruits I can’t put my finger on right now, but they all combine to produce a lovely cuppa. I added brown sugar to sweeten it up a bit since I like my mangos really ripe and sweet. This has be to quite refreshing iced. I’ve got to start trying more whites and fruity teas.

Edit
As this cools it just keeps getting yummier! I’m definitely going to have to order some of this.

Received this as a sample when I ordered some iced teas. I had been curious about this one. Thanks Frank! I love honeybush, especially since I need to watch my caffeine and oxalate intake.
I steeped 1 heaping teaspoon per 8 ounces at 205 degrees for 10 minutes.
Added a bit of brown sugar and a splash of coconut milk.
This is pretty good! Candy banana flavor, reminiscent of those banana shaped candies and banana cream pie, (especially with the creamy coconut milk.)
The banana flavor is becoming more prominent as it cools. Don’t know if I’d want to drink this all the time but it’s not bad!
It does make me miss Hot Buttered Banana Bread. Wish that was a permanent!

Edit
Don’t know if I’ll be drinking this anymore.. I notice it makes my throat tickly, I’m never allergic to anything.. but I just might be slightly allergic to a flavor component in this blend! :/

Backlogging from yesterday. Received a sample of this From Naomi – thank ya!
And I have to say, this is the best chocolate tea I’ve had! I decided to try this right after I was disappointed by Read My Lips chocolate tea from Davids Tea. I have to say in comparison, this isn’t strange artificial chocolate tasting me to me at all, it’s more like fresh baked brownies! Scent and taste. And it still tastes like tea, it’s a great balance. I added brown sugar to really make it a decadent treat. I didn’t add cream because I was out but I’m sure that would be amazing!

Last night I had a little too much fun. It started with wine tasting and then my boyfriend and I walked to the bar down the street since we haven’t been able to go out for ages.
This morning I woke up with a muscle in my back ACHING. It’s still killing me. I have no idea what I did. Is there a masseuse in the house? Ugh!
On the positive side, I opened the mailbox and had a nice surprise! The best part of wakin’ up is new tea in your mail box! My two bags of Caramel Vanilla Chai from 52 Teas! I really enjoyed the Decaf Extra Bold Masala Chai, and caramel and vanilla flavors are my weakness, so I had to drop some dough on those puppies quick.

I was kind of surprised to see that the dry leaves were not really leaves at all but actually resembled soil. Dried out soil with tiny bits of dried out leaves and bark. Very ground up. Hmmmm.
The aroma was very bold clovy chai with apparent notes of caramel and vanilla.
Steeped 1 tsp per 8 ounces at 205 degrees in my Breville for 3 minutes.
Eek. I have never had a tea escape the Breville infuser THIS much… I took a picture to show the sediment that slipped through using only 2 teaspoons of tea – http://i55.tinypic.com/2zom8bb.png
o_O
The little pieces that didnt’ escape got stuck in the holes of the infuser. First time that’s ever happened with a tea in the Breville, also.
I don’t know if I should lower the score more for that? But the tea ended up tasting pretty darn good, especially with a spoon of brown sugar and a spoon of vanilla icecream, (I was out of coconut milk, but icecream works great as creamer!) Totally representative of the name. Caramel Vanilla Chai goodness. A pretty bold chai at that. I’m starting to learn I like my chais a little more heavy than this on the other spices..especially cardamom. This tea is pretty predominately clove and cinnamon. But overall, yeah.. I think it’s pretty good. I’ll have to see if my opinion changes after I have it again. (Although I’m really not looking forward to dealing with the small bits of tea again :/ )

This is a really cute tea in the bag. With the contrasting colors and little lips and chips. It smells JUST like this chocolate mint icecream candle I have that I absolutely love. I had good expectations.
To me the best part of this tea is the refreshing feeling from the mint after you swallow. I wish there was more chocolate, but all I’m really picking up on for chocolate is an artificial chocolate scent. Which is something I’d like to smell, like in my candle for instance, but not taste. If that makes sense. Maybe like how I like the smell of fresh laundered clothes, but I wouldn’t want that taste in my mouth. That’s how artificial chocolate scent is to me. I’ve worked with artificial scents/flavors in my life a lot so I guess I’m just picky when it comes to that subject. I’ve got quite the judgmental nose and palate.
Thanks to Jenn for a sample of this, really glad I got to try it!

Edit
Yeah, the more I try to drink this the artificial chocolate scent/flavor is getting on my nerves. Not my cup of tea! I’d love to just use the leaves as a pretty potpourri! lol.

Received a sample of this from Naomi, thank you! This is a blend of rooibos and honeybush. There’s also lemon bits and pretty cornflower blossoms throughout. It smells like sweet lemons and vanilla cream with delicate herby notes.
The website recommends using 1 teaspoon per 6 ounces of water. I steep in increments of 8 ounces, though, since I always use my Breville. (The minimum amount of water necessary to make tea is 16 ounces for the Breville One-Touch tea maker.)
So I steeped 1 1/2 teaspoons per 8 ounces, at 205 degrees, (Joy’s Tea recommends steeping in the range of 203-212 degrees for this particular tea,) for 6 minutes to get the maximum flavor.
Steeps to an amber liquor. Smells just as beautiful as it did dry. Tastes lovely! This is the smoothest lemon tea I’ve ever had. It’s very naturally sweet. The texture is satisfying. The scent of the dry leaves didn’t carry over as boldy into the steeped tea as I thought it would, and I’d probably like it a wee bit bolder, but this is very enjoyable. It’s like the sweetheart of lemon teas. I feel like maybe it’s not named correctly, like the name should hint at it’s creamy humbleness. It really is a great balance of sweet and tart, with the perfect amount of herbiness and a smooth creaminess that makes it a mellow lemon tea easy to fall for.

Goodness gracious great BALLS OF POPCORN! This smells like the movie theatre, both dry and liquor. It tastes like popcorn balls and apples and heaven. I had no idea apples went so well with popcorn. It’s like kettle corn with a hint of sweet apple flavoring. I added a touch of german rock sugar and a pinch of salt. I am literally gulping this down. I need to order this pronto. Thanks Jenn!

*I steeped the recommended 2 tsp per 8 ounces for 7 minutes at 200 degrees.

First off, I had really been wanting to try this one, Jenn! Thanks so much, really enjoying the samples!!
Dry leaves smell like buttered popcorn and butterscotch. Pretty blend, I love the color of cornflowers. Steeped 1 1/2 tsp per 8 ounces at 205 degrees for the recommended max of 6 minutes.
Steeps to a golden brown liquor reminiscent of rum. The buttered popcorn scent seems to have mellowed out and the butterscotch has taken the forefront. First thing I notice is the good base tea used, especially for a flavored tea. It’s crisp and astringent yet smooth and not bitter. I expected a darker, maltier black tea but this was a good choice.
I’m not tasting a lot of rum. What I am tasting is butterscotch, for sure. Especially as it cools, and especially after I added brown sugar and a splash of coconut milk. That really kicks it up several notches. Lots of buttery butterscotch. But it’s a touch darker than butterscotch, if that makes sense. It has more depth and isn’t as cloyingly sweet. That’s what had always turned me off to butterscotch flavor in the past – it’s intense richness and sweetness. It still tastes like tea. A very well balanced tea.
I’m going to take off a few points because I can’t really taste rum, and I like rum. I’ll have to order some of this and try it with a shot.
All in all a very enjoyable, bright, smooth, balanced butterscotch tea that keeps me wanting more.

Peppermint tea and yoga.

Good ol’ Twinings Peppermint tea. Raising my rating because it’s always there for me when I’m feeling crappy, and it helps tremendously.

Goodmorning!
Thanks so much to Erin for a sample of this! I’d been wanting to try this blend for a while. My boyfriend’s a really big fan of mate so he stole most of it to take to work. :P But I did reserve a small cup to review :)
Dry leaves smell like bran flakes. Steeped 1 1/2 tsp per cup at 205 for 6 minutes.
I have to say this isn’t the best mate I’ve had. It’s not bad, though. It’s smooth and decently roasty. But I’d like it more intense, and roasty-er. I am picking up on the hazelnut and chocolate, but it’s faint. It’s like I can taste a hint of Florence from Harney & Sons…which just makes me want some Florence. Which I’m out of, but WHICH Erin included, THANKS ERIN :D.
Basically it tastes like it smells: bran flakes. Cuppa cereal. I added a splash of coconut milk & brown sugar. Enjoyable, but not knocking my socks off. Glad I got to try it, but I don’t know if I’ll be purchasing it.

Enjoying a nice cup of super beneficial parsley tea. Read my description for more info, and try it! :)

WOAH! I have to admit I was not expecting cola flavor to be good in a non-carbonated tea version.
Linsey has proven me wrong! I steeped this double strength, added a touch of brown sugar and poured over ice, and WOWZERS! Most refreshing iced tea I’ve had in a long time. And I love that it’s rooibos and naturally caffeine free.
It’s not like drinking flat cola at all. Yes it’s a dead on ringer for cola but the carbonation isn’t necessary in a tea, it’s just in a different class of it’s own. Although I am curious what this would be like if I steeped it really concentrated and poured in some carbonated water and ice. I’ll have to order more and try that!

Another memory flashback prompted by tea! Thanks so much to Jenn for her generous package of tea samples! I went through and took a whiff of every sample and this one immediately made me smile and almost tear up, so I definitely knew I had to try this one first.
I’m always amazed at how much scents can bring memories rushing back. The minute I opened the bag of this I was immediately transported back to my youth. This smells like back to school clothes shopping with my mom at the mall 40 minutes away. My eyes bugged out, my eyebrows shot up and I couldn’t believe that my brain had taken note of the exact scent of that mall when we’d back to school shop and stored it away to later be recalled to a tee by this tea. It really is NUTS. Also, the hue of this tea was my favorite color when I was younger – a gorgeous hot pink. I have to say that this tea was made for me.
I just could not stop smelling the dry tisane. My mom and I would take off at 8 in the morning and wouldn’t leave until the mall closed. I adored shopping; I was a girlie girl. And the memories my mom and I made together were irreplaceable. It was mother daughter day. We’d get Chinese at lunch in the food court and pig out. This is making me tear up just typing it! Sigh…
So as I said it steeps up a beautiful hue of hot pink. I really can’t figure out why this smells like the mall but it’s a sort of oatmeal cookie, apple, just really homey, comforting fragrance. The taste? Hits you first with apples! Next you notice the yummy oatmeal cookies and spices, especially after you swallow; it really lingers on your tongue and makes you smile. That’s my favorite part of this tea, the aftertaste of a perfectly spiced oatmeal cookie. It’s also starting to make me remember my dad’s love of homemade oatmeal cookies. Ahh, waterworks! It’s a hard thing growing up.
My rating for this tea is probably a bit biased due to the memories it’s conjuring up. But of course I love it. It takes me back to a time I was filled with glee and excitement and love. Even if it didn’t bring back said memories I’d still give this a high rating. It’s very enjoyable. Thanks so much to Davids Tea for unconsciously creating a tea that means so much to me. I will definitely be purchasing this soon. Thanks again, Jenn!

Edit
I must add that I drank the most of this without sweetener, and that’s a rarity for me when it comes to flavored teas. There was a natural sweetness that balanced out the tartness of the apple. When I later added sugar I kind of regretted it (mostly because I was out of my german rock sugar and had to use regular white sugar.. which is kind of gross to me mainly because it imparts a not so good flavor instead of just enhancing the tea’s flavors) Note to self: Order more expensive german rock sugar. It’s worth it.

For some reason the dry leaves smell like Lifesaver’s Wintergreen Mints to me, (which I love,) yet root beer at the same time. Maybe those flavors both have similar chemical makeups or something. Or I’m just really strange. Has root beer always smelled/tasted like wintergreen? Hmmmm…
Instead of using the whole ice tea packages I use 1 tsp per 12 ounces of water. (Normally I use 1 to 1½ tsp of tea per 8 ounces of water but these are quite strong.) I steeped 2 teaspoons of tea in 24 ounces of water. I left half out and put half in the refrigerator to chill. I had a feeling I’d enjoy this hot because I’m weird like that. But who says root beer flavor can’t be enjoyed hot. I used to eat those A&W root beer barrel candies when I was little, and those weren’t cold.
Stirred in some brown sugar. This is actually pretty good. I bet it’d be nice with a splash of cream, but I’m all out. Why am I all out, you ask? Oh, just because my boyfriend accidentally threw the rest of the bottle of cream all over the kitchen, AND me. It looked like the set of a “Got Milk?” photo shoot.

Edit
This is great iced. Mmmm!

Received this as a sample when I bought a bunch of Frank’s iced teas that were on sale. I had been curious about this one, so I was excited when I saw it in my package.
I was really surprised with how great this was, as was my bf. Very smoky – which I absolutely love. I added a squeeze of maple syrup and a touch of brown sugar, which really brought out the maple and bacon flavors. It was like smoked maple bacon, candied and liquified in a cup. Actually really enjoyed this and it reminded me how much I love smoky teas. Gets more bacony the more it cools. The thought of this iced seems kind of strange, though; a tall glass of refreshing iced bacon tea? I don’t know about that. haha.

This is the second tea I’ve tried from The NecessiTeas. Smooth and lovely just like the Orange Marzipan. The taste is a bit bubblegummy but in a good way. I think it really delivers on the name, it tastes tropical, like a little Hawaiian vacation in a cup. I also really love the hint of vanilla, it adds a soothing comfort and sets it apart from typical tropical flavors. I absolutely love the aroma of The NecessiTeas blends, I deeply inhale each time I take a sip. I would bathe in these teas. I drank this one warm (which was quite enjoyable,) and put some in the refrigerator for later to try iced.

Instead of throwing the whole packet in without measuring I decided to experiment. I found 1 tsp of tea per 12 ounces of water is how I like this tea. So I brewed it accordingly, double strength (I used 8 teaspoons of tea in a total of 96 ounces of water) and it came out great. Added a touch of sweetener for my sweet tooth. Refreshing. Nice light flavor. It tastes like the same coconut flavoring used in “Coconut Cheesecake Honeybush” tea is used in this, which I love. Glad to have snagged the last couple bags of these.

Edit
After trying this again later, I have to lower the rating a bit. I’m not too crazy about the base tea used. It’s a little harsh to me or something.

Edit 9/9/11
I have an idea. I THINK what’s making me not like this is the little itty bits of tea left over that continue to steep and make it bitter…
So next time I’m going to put this in tea bags before I steep it. I’ll keep you updated.

I really enjoyed this! First tea I’ve tried from The NecessiTeas. I tried it hot, but quickly iced it as it was very hot here today. Yum! Smooth, sweet and lovely. I added a touch of sugar to bring out the flavors. I wouldn’t have thought these flavors would work so well together but they really do. AND I don’t normally love orange flavors. This tea delivers on the name but also tastes like those Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls. Mmmm! I’m at the bottom of my cup and craving more. And my bf inhaled it in less than a few minutes. I’ll definitely be ordering more of this.

Still feeling not good. Need to get things more balanced in my life. Having a cup of this to help my body sort itself out. Peppermint always seems to really help.

On the positive side, I’ve been reading a lot about naturopathy and I think I’d really like to be a naturopathic physician. It encompasses everything I’ve ever believed in and strive for. I definitely want to be involved in that field. I had a sort of aha moment the other day.

Not feeling too good right now. Meh. Just one of those nights.
I’m not sure this tastes like cherry or cheesecake, but I really enjoy it iced with a spoon of raw honey. So although it doesn’t quite deliver on the name, it is my favorite iced tea currently.

Yummy with a splash of coconut milk :)

Enjoying a hot cuppa with a splash of cream and brown sugar paired with a generous slice of cinnamon crumb cake. Mmmm cinnamon.