3219 Tasting Notes

drank Cassis & Blueberry by Lupicia
3219 tasting notes

Yesterday we drank this hot at tea party. There was about half a pot left because I had used my biggest pot for this blend. Today I added simple syrup and ice and drank it with lunch. Absolutely delicious. I did try it unsweetened and cold first but I didn’t care for it nearly as much as with some sweetening.

Chelle

This one sounds so good. I made a cake one time that you soak with Creme de Cassis. It was so delicious.

JustJames

i have been craving blueberry something……. maybe this is answer.

ashmanra

Oh my. That cake sounds wonderful, Chelle.

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drank Blueberry Green by Harney & Sons
3219 tasting notes

This was the final tea at tea party, a tribute to the Blueberry Buckle with which we started tea party.
This smells so darn good I can rarely stand it! My daughter says it smells just like a grape lip balm she had when she was younger. I taste grape candy, or possibly violet candy. This is really good, and my kitchen and living room smelled amazing.

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drank Tower of London by Harney & Sons
3219 tasting notes

Now my cold steep has had one more day to sit in the fridge. Tonight for supper I finally tried with simple syrup added. It was fantastic. I am glad I have enough of this to last out the summer because I will probably start making it by the gallon. This and Fruits d’Alsace are two of my favorite fruity teas for making iced tea.

If you make it the regular way and then chill it, I find it tastes best after a day or two in the fridge. The flavors really meld.

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drank Queen Catherine by Harney & Sons
3219 tasting notes

JacquelineM has been teasing Steepster with her reviews featuring Blueberry Buckle lately. “Drool!” said gmathis. “What is Blueberry Buckle?” said I. A quick google search and now it is MINE!

I like to serve sweets with a plain black tea and then I select other teas to follow, keeping the lightest teas for last so we can experience them on their own when we have finished the desserts. I have only about one half ounce of Catherine left, so I decided to make this our first tea and use it up so I can order a fresh batch before chilly weather arrives and/or school begins. Around here, school will start Monday and chilly weather might never show up!

The Buckle was wonderful, fantastic, amazing! I loved it! We served it with homemade vanilla ice cream, a very light recipe that I make. The tea was perfect with it. It is smooth, non-astringent, with a hint of smoke, and just the right strength to pair with desserts or to drink by itself. It doesn’t need milk or sugar for me.

This tea is a fitting tribute for an amazing lady.

gmathis

I’ll mail myself to your house for dessert :)

JacquelineM

YUM! I hope to get my hands on some more blueberries this weekend — I’ll have to try The Queen with a new cake. You should try some Golden Monkey if you have any buckle left!

ashmanra

Gmathis – send yourself the expensive way, overnight! We are making cards tomorrow and I have a feeling all the buckle will be gone after that! :D

JacquelineM – this is delicious! Sam got some from my guest, then hubby gave him some because he was standing by the counter whining, then I came in and gave him some, and he is still whining! I think he has had enough! :)

gmathis

Cards?! Waaaahh! I will be slaving away, shoveling bureaucratic paperwork all day…in deep need of a cutting and gluing fix!

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My two eldest kids once never liked tea of any kind. Even growing up here in the South they never took to sweet iced tea. But now that they are grown and I have tried nearly tea there is on them, they both like puerh and matcha! Yay! Go figure!

My son has been coming every weekend to help his dad build a fence and it is brutally hot. In addition to the iced matcha water they drink while working, I have been making cold steeps of puerh for the rest of the time. My son is pretty health conscious. Yes, he loves his Mountain Dew and Taco Bell, but he exercises moderation and makes sure he gets something healthy every day, too.

He has really been enjoying the cold steep puerh, and even texted me for directions on ow to make it with some puerh I had sent home with him.

Cold steeped puerh is truly refreshing, light, and cooling. It feels good to drink something that I enjoy this much that is also so good for me. Many thanks to Bonnie for showing me how good it is this way!

Terri HarpLady

I still haven’t tried cold steeping it…yet!

Dexter

Me either, I have lots of pu’erh in the house that I just can’t seem to get to. Don’t seem to have the time to sit with it for multiple infusions.
ashmanra could you please give some advice on tea to water ratios, steep times etc. Part of my can’t even imagine pu’erh cold, but am willing to try it. :))

ashmanra

The first time I made it, it was a rested. I had used three teaspoons of puerh in my 22 ounce pot to make hot tea, but I saved the leaves and put them in a glass pitcher that is about 28 ounces. I just filled it with water and let it sit for a day.

The second time, I used about the same amounts and I put the dry leaves in my pitcher and poured over just a bit of hot water to “wake it up.” After about a minute, I added cold water to the top and let it cold steep for a day. That pi there was pretty strong which was yummy to me, and I realized it was strong enough for me to pour a glass of tea and top up my pitcher and keep it going for a few days so that is what I did.

This time I just plain cold steeped. Again, it was about a teaspoon of leaves for every eight ounces, but I think up to a tablespoon would be good. I like my puerh strong because I tend to buy lens that I like – ones that are not fishy.

It tastes extra cold – probably mostly because I cold steep in glass – but there is a primal fresh and pure taste to cold steeped puerh that makes it satisfy me even more than plain water.

Dexter

Thank you. That’s really interesting. I usually rinse pu’erh when I’m hot brewing. I think I’ll do a quick wash with hot water, then just plain cold steep it. I have a glass pitcher that’s also about 28 oz. I might just do half the first time to see what it’s like. I have several Mandala samples kicking around here that I never seem to get to. If I’m drinking pu’erh, I usually just go straight to the Noble Mark or Silver Buds.
This intrigues me. I’m going to try it. Thanks for posting about it.

ashmanra

You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

DigniTea

Thanks for the idea about drinking this cold. Yesterday I received my first Phatty Cake from Garret and he included a sample of Phatty Cake II. I’d not thought about cold brewing so I think I’ll try that with a chunk of the cake (not the new sample for I must drink that one in the more traditional way).

Sil

i need to try cold steeping my puerhs!

Garret

Yeah! The Phatty Cake! Despite access to tons (literally) of pu’er, I come back to this one time and again. Can’t wait to start hearing what people think of the Phatty Cake II: The Sequel! The pressing of it was just done in late April so the post pressing action is still going on. But, I made some in-store here for samples two days in a row and people are loving it and buying the cakes already! Another few months and the complexity of the blend will really become evident even moreso than now.

Since we got the shipment of the PC II on Saturday, we have already listed it on the site and have it on special. A tong purchase is a HUGE savings. We just wanna get this stuff out in the world and see what people think of it.

Thanks for your reviews, my friends. It is so helpful to hear from you and helps me to develop more pu’ers for you (and me, of course). May your days be merry and bright!! G

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drank Tower of London by Harney & Sons
3219 tasting notes

This is one of my favorite Harney and Sons blends. I loved drinking Paris, and when I tried this it was very similar but something about it made me want more, more, MORE!

I just finished my tin of sachets and I am well on my way through the one pound bag. I decided to give it the slow cold steep that was mentioned on here a day or two ago.

I put one tablespoon per eight ounces of water in my carafe and left it for three days. I know it is supposed to be four but I couldn’t wait!

And I was SO PROUD! My friend who drinks tea with me took one sip and asked if it was iced Tower of London! My tea proselyte, getting all grown up!

This is definitely delicious, and we drank it sans sweetener. I do want to try it with a hint of sugar next.

Rosehips

I love Tower of London, though I’ve never tried it iced!

Veronica

I really like Paris, but now I want to give this one a try.

Claire

Tower of London is so yummy. I need to get more one of these days.

caile

I have yet to try this – I think I will tomorrow. I like Paris also so maybe this will even be better!

TassieTeaGirl

Its awesome converting people isn’t it! Watching as they can pick things or enjoy things they mightn’t have previously wanted to try. :)

tigress_al

Oh man, apparently I need to try this one!!

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drank Gemini by Nina's Paris
3219 tasting notes

I waited to make this sample until I had a friend for tea. She does a few reviews on here, and I thought it would be good to get more opinions on these samples.

This is really fruity smelling! I do taste the rooibos but I think I taste it even when other people don’t. I have only had red rooibos but I find it very distinctive. My friend absolutely loved the aroma of the dry mix!

We tried it hot and it was quite nice – smooth and fruity with a nice strawberry flavor that stood up to the rooibos flavor well. The grapefruit is lingering on the back of the sip and I think that is my favorite thing about this tea. That lasting fruitiness is great on a horribly hot and sticky day like today.

As I did last time, I saved the last eight ounces to chill and sweeten so I could try it iced. I think that rooibos lovers would be very pleased with this blend for an iced summer treat. In my clear glass, it looks like regular iced tea in both clarity and color and I think someone could fool me that it is a flavored black tea if I thought the rooibos was cherry flavor. I think this is my favorite of the Nina’s rooibos blends I have tried so far.

Thank you, Laurent and Sophie and Nina’s Tea! I quite enjoyed this sample!

yyz

I loved this one to! So far it’s been my favourite tea tat I’ve sampled from Nina’s.

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drank Cassis & Blueberry by Lupicia
3219 tasting notes

The syrup is rescued! I have made simple syrup and flavored simple syrup, but I used a new recipe for tea soda to make this syrup. I shouldn’t have. I should have done what I always do. They said to simmer until reduced by half, which resulted in syrup that was practically hard candy and didn’t dissolve in the soda but rather sank to the bottom in a stiff clump.

I poured it into a saucepan, which took forever because it was thicker than molasses, added water, and heated it up again. I let it cool a while and poured a bit in the bottom of a couple of glasses. I poured chilled Perrier on top of that and added ice, and it was DELISH! I can’t wait to try a whole bunch of flavors like this!

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drank Cassis & Blueberry by Lupicia
3219 tasting notes

I wanted to try to make a tea soda, and I wanted a fruity tea that didn’t have any tendency to go bitter. This was perfect!

I followed the instructions – two cups water, two TBSPNS tea, steep usual time, strain and simmer with two cups sugar.

I chose to use Perrier since I found San Pellegrino to be a bit salty. Someone here mentioned that they used Perrier for tea soda recently, and I am very pleased with the results!

The only bad thing is that the instructions said to simmer until it is reduced by half, and I think that was wrong because I swear this stuff has hit the soft crack stage. The first soda I made was great as the syrup was still warm and mixed well before the ice chilled it. By the time I made the second soda, the syrup was so thick it just hardened in the bottom of the glass. That has never happened with simple syrups for me before, but I have never reduced them so much.

I plan to try adding water and heating it briefly to see if I can salvage the rest of the syrup because it is DELISH!

Nxtdoor

Normally you only boil simple syrup until the sugar dissolved . Reducing it by half, it is not simple syrup anymore, “Once the sugar is dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat. (Note: Do not allow the syrup to boil for too long or the syrup will be too thick.”

OMGsrsly

I will have to try that tea syrup recipe!

ashmanra

Ah, the recipe I was using specified to reduce. I should have stayed with my usual method. Thank you, Nxtdoor!

Ysaurella

Perrier water already contains gas naturally whereas in San pellerino the gas is added to the water, thats’ another difference.
This tea seems really nice as well (for a syrup or for an hot tea)

ashmanra

Thank you, Ysaurella! That is helpful! I think Perrier was a good choice for the tea soda. It really is a delicious tea.

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drank Taurus by Nina's Paris
3219 tasting notes

This is a sample sent by Laurent and Sophie at Nina’s. Thank you! I tried to review this early this morning but Steepster was acting up again and it wouldn’t let me.

I used my whole sample to make a small pot of hot tea. My friend and I drank one 5 ounce cup each with no sweetener. The rooibos base comes through very clearly but the strawberry is nice and fruity. I saved the remaining eight ounces and let it cool. I added simple syrup and ice, and I think this is the way I enjoyed it most. It is nice and light, clear and fruity.

Thank you again, Nina’s!

Bonnie

GOOD THING I READ THIS BECAUSE I TOLD NINAS THAT I’M ALLERGIC TO ROOIBOS AND THEY SENT ME THIS TEA. THANKS ASH!

Indigobloom

Bonnuie, a language barrier perhaps? Glad to see you around here!

ashmanra

A friend just bought Toasted Nut Brûlée Oolong at Teavana. She opened her bag and I looked at it and told her it was almost ALL room is and there was little oolong in it! So don’t drink that one, Bonnie!

Bonnie

I’m appreciative for Nina’s samples and sure that regular containers are labled with contents. Some companies don’t list ingredients even online which is terrible. Nina’s DOES list them online.
Ash, I’d be so upset if I got a bag full of fillers! I actually made up my own box at home with the easy blendables like dry ginger, cocoa nibs, orange peel, dry berries and burdock root, flowes and mint, cinnamon chips. Why pay extra for the easier blends. It’s easy to create a cocoa mint tea or cinnamon puerh.

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Bio

I am a music teacher, tutor, and former homeschool mom (25 years!) who started drinking loose leaf tea about fourteen years ago! My daughters and I have tea every day, and we are frequently joined by my students or friends for “tea time.” Now my hubby joins us, too. His tastes have evolved from Tetley with milk and sugar to mostly unadorned greens and oolongs.

We have learned so much history, geography, and culture in this journey.

My avatar is a mole in a teacup! Long story…

Location

North Carolina

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