Azzrian

See previous tasting note and also please see my full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ tomorrow April 9th, 2013. Here are the snippets from that review:

So this tea has an excellent oolong base, and the perfect flavors to make you feel like your sipping on sweet succulent caramel apple juices! The caramel flavor is well balanced so that you also get a wonderful fresh fujian apple taste as well, and I do know my apples, I love Fuji apples, and this tea tastes exactly like them! The apple tastes so fresh I swear I can taste the skin!

Oh and let’s not forget the oolong, its a nice quality oolong that does provide a very good base for this flavor combination, as Frank says, serendipitous, but it works perfectly!

I will savor each sip of this tea, then put in my bid for a re-blend and once again, cross my fingers. A stash must have!

Full review tomorrow – April 8th on http://sororiteasisters.com/ So I have taken my first sip and oh my goodness, this is delicious! As I taste fruity notes, smokiness, and mineral notes. There is a wonderful sweetness to this tea, a brown sugar or German rock sugar sweetness, somewhere in between the two. I am not getting as deep of a sweetness of a brown sugar, but there is something a little more to it, like a caramel perhaps.

I also get a lovely white flower note as well as a green note, but not green like vegetal, more green like greens themselves, almost like dandelion leaves.

This tea is a must try for anyone who loves oolongs, especially darker roasted oolong tea.

Full review tomorrow April 7th on http://sororiteasisters.com/ but for now let me just say …

Lilac Blend from Strand Tea Company has me just beaming with happiness. It is a beautiful sun shiny day outside, I am looking at my first flowers of the year, although they are daffodils, not lilacs, and dreamily sipping on such a delightful surprise! I love lilacs, they are so very fragrant and beautiful. This tea speaks to my sensibilities of summer, flowers, and yet there is a wonderful, surprising fruitiness as well. Mmmmm, so good!

Lilac from Strand Tea Company has a full mouthfeel nearly creamy. Add a splash of milk and you have a dessert tea for sure, oh so creamy and delicious! The mouthfeel is surprisingly heavy for what one would think is a light dainty tea. This tea has some heft to it.

And the taste? Can it match up to all my self imposed hype? Why yes, it can! It is sweet – like honey, fruity, wonderful berry notes, almost a blueberry flavor but I get some deep red berry notes in here too. It tastes wine like, a bit like a blueberry mead tea.

A BIG THANK YOU TO Aplhakitty for sharing this with me!

Sipping this now. Full review will be on http://sororiteasisters.com/ tomorrow April 6th
Here are my snippets:

So I am trying to slim down my matcha stash, not because I want to get rid of it, but rather I want to order some of the awesome new flavors that Red Leaf Tea has! So I looked over my matcha stash and saw this Eggnog Matcha sitting there beckoning me. I decided that it was what I was craving! Thick, creamy, very frothy, and heavy in the mouthfeel. It reminds me of custard, just like the description says. I like making mine with vanilla almond milk to give it a bit of a sweeter taste, but the flavors are dead on for Eggnog, and who says that it has to be the holidays to enjoy eggnog? Not me that’s for sure.

There is a distinct vanilla flavor to eggnog, but also a slight nod toward nutmeg as well. What I really love about this flavor is that the matcha flavor is not lost in the blend. I can taste all of the matcha goodness here too! I would suggest you consider ordering the robust or at least distinctive blend in this specific flavor because it is not as strong as some of the other Red Leaf Tea flavor options. That is not to say you can’t taste the Eggnog flavor, you can, but if you really want that punch in the face flavor you need to at least go with Robust. When I order this flavor again it will be in the “There’s Matcha In There?” option.

Full review tomorrow April 5th on http://sororiteasisters.com/ but here are my snippets:

Oh yes, this is an oolong after my heart! Organic China Oolong from Whittard of Chelsea has every bit of that smokiness I adore in a dark oolong and a berry sweet note that drives me wild! The aroma alone is intoxicating, I would wear this as perfume, not that it tastes like perfume at all but it smells so dreamy!

The cup steeps into an amber vision of beauty with a clear view to the bottom of the cup. The first note I pick up is a light honey note, with a backdrop of maple, and wood. This is a very sweet cup considering its dark smoked nature.

I also get a brandied candied flavor in the tea, a brothy sensation in the mouthfeel that is welcoming and warming.

This tea does not really conjure up feelings of sitting by a campfire as much as it does feelings of walking in the deep woods sipping a hardy grog from a chalice or a canteen perhaps. It makes me feel more like Robin Hood than Roy Rodgers!

Full review tomorrow April 4th on http://sororiteasisters.com/ but here are the snippets:

I am a huge fan of oolong tea. Money Picked Oolong from Red Leaf Tea is a great one! The price is more than fair for this quality tea. At 7.99 per ounce it is robust with fruity juicy flavors and deep earthiness. The aroma is intoxicating and inviting. You can taste and smell ripely sweetened berries, and a caramelized sugar flavor that is just outstanding!

The flavors linger on the palate for quite a long time, beckoning me to take another sip, yet as I am generally one to drink my teas rather quickly, there is something that makes me just want to sit back and allow the flavors to meld over my palate, and just enjoy the after taste.

I tend to be a big fan of Dong Ding Oolong, but this Monkey Picked Oolong from Red Leaf Tea my just be winning my top spot for oolong love!

Full review tomorrow (April 3) on http://sororiteasisters.com/ but here are snippets:

Upon first sip you will get a sweet raisin note, a light grape essence, not nearly as muscatel as some Darjeeling, and you may even think that it is a rather light, bright, tea with a clean finish. But wait… sneaking upon your unsuspecting taste buds is a rich, full mouthfeel, almost creamy, velvety, with a nutty, woodsy, backdrop of flavor.

I could see this tea being quite excellent iced, but it requires no additives and I feel adding any thing, even sweetener, would ruin this perfect cup.

Sipping some now and raising my score as this is impressive! Excellent coconut flavor and Im not easy to please with coconut. Wonderful natural fruit flavors. Just a well blended tea.
I am falling in love with White Lion teas!

Full review – tomorrow – April 1st on http://sororiteasisters.com/ but here are snippits:

A big THANK YOU to Marcel Duchamp for this sample!

I really have to be in the mood for a chai. Coconut Chai Tea from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea was really calling to me today. Sent to me from a Steepster.com friend, and I am happy for it, I am sipping a yummy chai with a nice hint at coconut, and a slight taste of vanilla. No vanilla is listed in the ingredients but I taste it nonetheless. Must be how the coconut gives the tea a light milky and nutty flavor combined with the typical spices in chai. Regardless, I am really enjoying this chai from Zhena’s.

I will say if you are expecting a really coconutty tea, this isn’t it. Honestly I would not mind a bit more coconut flavor myself, but I am satisfied with it being lightly flavored.

Full Review tomorrow on http://sororiteasisters.com/ but here are the snippits and a special thank you to Alpahkitty for this sample!

White Persian Melon from Golden Moon Tea is one of my top five favorites from this company.

There is just such a light and lively flavor to this delicate Bai Mudan. The aroma is sweet and juicy fresh and reminds me of why I am longing for summer.

White Persian Melon also has a tad bit of a wine like flavor to me, almost bordering on a brandy like essence which I really enjoy.

Full review tomorrow on http://sororiteasisters.com/ but for now here are the snippits:

My first experience with Lotus from The Persimmon Tree was almost a year ago from a sample The Persimmon Tree sent me. I am so glad that they did because this is not a tea I would have selected for myself. The main reason is because I detest anise. Actually had I remembered that Anise was in this tea I may not have even tried the sample, but one day I grabbed the first thing from my sample drawer and steeped this up, without reading the description. I am glad that I did! It was a happy mistake. The anise in this tea comes over more as a black pepper taste on my palate, but it is like a flowery black pepper! Then at the end of the sip this lovely creamy vanilla note comes creeping over, leaving behind a lovely floral after taste. As I sat there enjoying the floral note, the pepper creeps back in! This tea makes you do a double, no, triple, then a quadruple take!

This tea is spectacular, completely different from any tea I have experience before including other lotus teas. I have noticed the reviews on Steepster.com and it appears that this is a love it or hate it tea. I really suggest getting at least a sample size to try for yourself. I know how much I despise anise, yet this tea is so yummy. Every time I get ready to prepare it I brace myself to dislike it, just because I know how much I dislike anise, yet every time I sip it I sit back and smile thinking how good it is.

Full review tomorrow March 28th 2013 on http://sororiteasisters.com/but here are snippits:

Orange Peppercorn Breakfast from Handmade Tea has everything I love in a breakfast blend! Its deep and robust, perfectly sweetened naturally and lightly by the citrus, with a wake me up spark from the peppercorns. It tastes a little like a mimosa with a kick and trust me I need a kick in the morning!

I love Caleb’s Handmade Tea! I have only received two months thus far but both have been beyond expectation and somehow I feel as though he has been stalking my tasting notes to figure out exactly what I want in a tea! I realize that is not possible as he has so many people who subscribe to his membership plan, there is no way he could stalk us and appease us all, but I tell you what, somehow he has managed to please my taste buds perfectly!

Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 27th of March 2013 but here are the snippits:

This Strawberry Cupcake from Simpson and Vail is one of the freshest tasting strawberry teas I have ever sampled. As a dessert tea however I do wish it were a little fuller in the mouthfeel. That is not to say it is thin or watery but I do think that somehow the ripe fresh juiciness almost hurts the thickness in the mouthfeel. I know that does not sound like too bad of a thing now does it? Because it does taste so amazingly fresh almost as if biting into an actual strawberry! I guess I was just anticipating by the decedent aroma and darker colored cup that it would be richer.

I really rather like this since a lot of teas have a wine like flavor, or even mixed drink type flavor, this is one of the few that have this beer type flavor!

I have been surprised by this tea and am thankful to my Steepster friend Marcel Duchamp who shared it with me. Yup this goes on the wish list and I will order it sometime in the future.

BAARRGGGG Steepster ate my tasting note the ONE time I forget to copy and paste before posting (insert cruse words all over the place) OMGMFINARRRRRRGGGG
Anyway – THANK YOU to the dear AlphaKitty for sharing this never to be made again one of a kind rare blend! Your a doll!
Pineapple, mango, passion fruit, guava, – TROPICAL with a spicy aroma and slight flavor.
Pretty decent stuff!
My other note was long but BAH forget it – its not like we can order it so it won’t help anyone and this is a gratuitous post OTHER THAN thanking ALPHAKITTY for sharing with me!

Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 26th of March but here are the snippets:

Doke Organic Silver Needle Second Flush from Driftwood Tea offers a crisp, clean, and juicy sweet cup.

The mouthfeel is what I can only describe as medium, not light yet not heavy, it is somewhat brothy but it has a very nice cleansing effect on the palate.

The natural sweetness is delicious but I find the fruity notes very light, more apricot than peach on my palate.

I must admit this is not my all time favorite tea from Driftwood tea, but then again they have so many teas I have throughly loved, and obviously white tea is not something I drink a lot of. I enjoy it, but have to be in the mood for a straight white tea.

Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on March 25th here are the snippits:

The bergamot is extremely light, barely noticeable, but the vanilla is what shines in this cup.

I tasted absolutely no bitterness nor astringency even after a rather long steep.

It may lack some of the promise the description eludes to especially if you are expecting much from the Bergamot notes, but if you have a sensitive palate you will taste it.

I think it is rather nice, and I personally love it because I prefer my Earl Grey to be light on the bergamot. I like bergamot but I too often find that bergamot is all I can taste in most Earl Grey. I think this blend is unique for those of us who only want a light EG flavor, and let us remember, this is not being sold as an EG.

The flavors pop more as the tea cools. Would be excellent iced.

Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on March 24th but here are the snipptis:

My immediate reaction is that the aroma was far more inciting them the flavor, at first I thought it rather bland, but as soon as that thought had left my mind I got those intensely sweet honeyed notes and a lovely blanket of malty goodness on my tongue

I am not normally a big fan of Ceylon teas but this one has some elements that remind me of Darjeeling, and I like that a lot!

This is one of the smoothes teas with absolutely not one bit of astringency or bitterness I have ever had!

Full Review on the 23rd on http://sororiteasisters.com/ Here are the snippits:

Turkish Green Apple from Red Leaf Tea is a very light flavored tea with apples being only a slight flavor in the overall profile. It tastes more of buttered spinach and has a slight salty taste as well. The apples taste to be semi fermented in a sense, as they taste in a hard apple cider yet in this blend very delicate and only a slight bit tart.

There is a creaminess to the mouthfeel, and even a slight cream flavor. Buttery, creamed, spinach with an apple appeal. Haha, get it?

Thank you Alpahkitty for this sample! Juicy Pineapple and some excellent Sencha! What’s not to love?
Den’s tea offers some of my favorite Sencha and their flavored sencha have all been delightful!

Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 21st of March but here are snippits:

Gad if only I had not just eaten two HUGE jalapenos with peanut butter! I could surely enjoy Shamrocks and Shenanigans from Della Terra Teas even more! However knowing that I did just eat those devil jalapenos and knowing I can still taste this delicious tea – you know it must be really very good!

As I sip on this tea longer the burn from the jalapenos is subsiding and I am tasting more of the chocolate note, where before I was picking up more on the vanilla. This is a mild flavored tea which is comforting and sweet, but not overly so. I really like the chocolate note as it tastes very natural due to the use of cocoa nibs.

So points for a good chocolate note, points for a lovely vanilla note, points for it not being overdone on the mint, and points for a good base that I can taste but allows the flavors to do their work since the flavors are somewhat relaxed and mellow.

Full review here http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 20th but here are the snippits:

So I wanted something super dessert like, something really sweet, something fruity, something that would replace the fact I am not eating many “goodies” these days. This was my selection.

I could not resist all those blueberries, the sweet yummy smell of fruity goodness. This is the best next thing to having jam on my toast which I crave every morning but am not allowing myself to have right now. Lately I have been having juicy plump blueberries either in my matcha (they take the place of boba) or just on their own.

Also I love that this is made with organic ingredients! Oh and did you know how good blueberries are for you? If I could only have one berry in my life I would have to select blueberries as they just have such wonderful health properties and they are so very good!

Full Review on the 19th on http://sororiteasisters.com/ But here are snippits:

Ginger Peach Black from White Lion Tea is juicy, succulent, delicate, and joyful. There is just the right level of ginger in this tea so that it allows the gorgeous sweet peach to shine through. The peach flavor in this tea tastes very natural, as if fresh picked right off the tree in an orchard. This is not a fakey flavored peach tea, so it won’t be as in your face as some peach teas you have tried before, but it is so well blended that you taste the peach flavor lingering on your taste buds long after each sip, if you can wait long enough to find out that is, because all you want to do is take another sip!

White Lion Teas says this is excellent over ice so I had to try it this way as well and I must agree that the flavors totally popped! I also found that adding a little rock sugar made another wonderful twist on this tea too! Either hot or cold I really enjoyed this tea just slightly sweet. I do not normally add sugar to my teas but in this case I just wanted this to be a little more on the dessert side after thinking of the spiced peaches I used to make the kids.

The wonderful thing is that so far I have yet to meet a White Lion (tea) that I do not like. Stellar teas from this company!

Full Review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 18th but here are the snippits:
(GET THIS TEA!)

Potato Pancakes and Applesauce form Butiki Teas brings back memories of my childhood. My grandmother would make us kids potato cakes often and I loved them. I have since tried to recreate them myself but I can never get that really yummy dark fried coating on them the way my grandmother could. Perhaps it is because she cooked in a very well aged cast iron skillet. Or maybe it was that she used lard or something I do not use myself. Whatever the case, this tea brings back those fond memories of days gone by and leaves me with a happy and content feeling.

I will confess, I ate all the bits and pieces – more like chunks – right out of the steeping basket after my second steep and they were still bursting with flavors!

I love the use of Organic Huangshan Mao Feng, I feel that it really compliments this blend with its sweet and buttery nature and its already obvious potato note.

The taste of this tea is so real to its namesake that you can taste the starch coming off of the potatoes! The apple chunks are so yummy with the right amount of sweet cinnamon upon them. This is not a highly concentrated cinnamon tea however, the cinnamon is quite subtle in the background. The apple pieces taste more like bits from a caramel apple.

Full Review on March 17th but here are snippts:

As a lover of oolong teas I can see how some people could be disappointed in this tea if they go into with expectations of it tasting like any other oolong they have ever had before.

Or if you are one who loves jasmine teas, I could see some disappointment there as well as this is not your typical jasmine tea either.
Honestly, if no one told me, or I had not read the label before hand, I would have thought this to be a puerh. The leaves do come from a tree that is over a thousand years old according to The Persimmon Tree’s description and I believe it as this tea does have an aged flavor to it for sure.

Other notes I pick up on aside from honey, berry, jasmine, and oolong, are mushroom, earth, woods, brown sugar, toasted oat bread, to name a few. You really need to discover this tea for yourself.