Bonnie

This is NOT the first time I’ve reviewed this tea. Somehow it disappeared from my cupboard even though I have a good stock. It’s one of my basics. Trickery I say!

This morning I was rummaging through my big tea cupboard. Come to think of it, I’ve never explained how I’ve used recycled items usually tossed into the garbage for use as tea bins. Here goes…well, you know the big plastic containers that are used for washed bulk salad greens like baby spinach? That’s what I use to hold envelopes of tea. I cut off the tops and stick a canning jar label on the front with the name of what’s located in the bin: ‘Oolongs’, ‘First Class Black Teas’ or what the bin title is and then place the bin up on the shelf. When I need tea it’s easy to grab the bin and bring it down from high above. I have a ‘New Tea’ bin, ‘To Be Reviewed’ and ‘Samples to Send’. No way could I keep track of 80+ tins (I do have a few tins) in the cupboard since it’s pretty tall. Crazy huh!
My morning cuppa smooth creamy sweet Earl Grey never disappoints me. This is so comforting and reliable. There is something about a good Earl Grey that makes you want
to throw a wrap around your shoulders and watch an old movie with a dog on the couch by your side. No harsh lights…golden low-light. The fragrant bergamot perfumes the air
in a subtile way, waking up my senses slowly and gently which is a good thing because I am not nice if jolted awake quickly in the morning! Not nice at all! This is so good and truly one of my must have favorites. Classic and timeless!

I received this sample from someone somewhere and I have no idea. It was awhile ago. Sorry and thank you mystery person! I had no label to read when I did my brew. There was just the Teavana and the name of the tea so I wrote what I tasted without checking the ingredients first. Here is my honest review.

The first steep was 4 minutes when I began to pour. Since this is a fruit Mate I added sweetening..just a bit… and took a trial sip. I tasted creamy apple and the heat of ginger, some sort of nut background and a little lemony pineapple. The flavors being not too strong or spicy are a little strange which I can’t explain. I had not taken the brew basket out of the teapot so I poured a little stronger brew which was still tasty and a little more hot on the tongue and lemony. By the third and forth mug the tea was very lemony and had picked up more ginger heat. Don’t get me wrong, these cups were highly drinkable…just more potent and just the sort of cuppa you want to cure your sore throat. Tasty. The fact that you can take one big tablespoon of Mate from the first flavor profile to another and another without it getting wierd or bitter is pretty spectacular don’t you think? I do. This is something I might try again just for fun! (Now back to my TV show!)

This was my breakfast tea this morning. Today is a beautiful Spring day and warm again’ Temperature is going up to 61 degrees with NO SNOW not even a hint that it came by yesterday! What a trickster the weather can be at 5000 ft.
I’ve never had a Darjeeling, just read discriptions. I know millions have this tea regularly for breakfast or midday tea with milk and sometimes sugar.
I don’t turn on my computer until later in the morning…but I take my Kindle Fire with me to the couch so I can check Steepster…and my cloth covered tea tray with glass pot covered with a paisley tea cozy from April Cornell (I like that they are reversable and $14 when they go on sale). I stay in my Big Brown Hooded Zippered Robe that makes me look like an old craggy monk… because I’m Retired! After 4 minutes steeping the liquid pour has become dark like coffee which is what I want! No insipid weak morning tea for Bonnie. Not bothering to drink this straight up I put a bit of cream into the tea and took a sip…toasty and lightly malty ending with a clip of tannin at the tip of my tongue to pop the flavor. Reminds me of Rome in the morning and me having a creamy perfect cappuccino. Bold, rich and beautiful in taste and color. I added a little sweetening and caught a lightening bolt of cream brulee with the maltiness. Very nice cuppa and not a thin tea but one that coats the mouth with richness. Perfect for breakfast. I finished the whole pot wanting more!

Second Review. Sample thanks to Angel at Teavivre.
I mentioned in another review that Sunday the temp. here in the Rockies was 81 and today when I woke up it was SNOWING! Good Grief! Right away I know I wanted a great Pu-erh and decided to review this one a second time. I used my PIAO I glass pot which is easy to brew Pu-erh and observe all the color and action of the leaves. I sat my tray by the patio window watching the snow when a huge robin joined me…sitting and watching for a long while. (later the snow went away and turned into light rain…the first in 7 months…and the forcast for the next 10 days is back to the 70’s). All the steep times 4minutes.

1. The small Toucha with the rosebud on top has a hidden world inside. Who could guess what after one quick rinse and a 4 minute steep such an extra-dark beef-broth colored liquor could extract from such an innocent looking pebble. There isn’t a fishy-foul smell or sour odor or bad taste to this clean, gentle Pu-erh. For the first time ever I am NOT running to add sweetening or milk to temper the earthiness on the first steep. This is very clean tasting and has an bit of earthy, dark and musty cave scent and flavor with a slight mineral finish. I can’t taste any rose but I do taste a little caramel.

2. The leaves now smell like hot, wet leather.(That will get you to buy Pu-erh!)…so now that I have your attention, the liquor is still dark Chocolate Brown. The rosebud is floating at the top of my steeper like a submarine and the Pu-erh leaves are heavily sinking to the bottom like wet mulch. Oh the flavor is beautifully mellow even more than before. Slightly sweet with the perfect level of Pu-erh earthiness that lovers of this type of tea crave. Straight up this is a delight. The slightly astringent finish is not bitter or dry. I added sweetening to see what would happen and the caramel jumped out as a surprise. I added cream and decided that this is THE perfect choice for latte’s…the one I would share with my best friend!

3. The color has changed to a lighter Whiskey Brown…with a very light and gentle taste. Hints of earthiness are now very fresh and clean straight up. The flavor is sweet and medium juicy with a little tannin. There is a little smoke. I caught another scent and had to think about it for awhile….hum….the scent is like when I wash and clean Kale…when I am ripping off the leaves from the stem. (Sorry, best I can do on that one).
This was a nice morning ritual. Great tasting snowy/rainy day Pu-erh. Delicious!

I just drank about 24oz. of Pu-erh in less than an hour so I’m done at 3 steepings for now…gurgle…but this is so delightful! Teavivre is sending me some more Pu-reh’s to review which is exciting for me! I do so want to learn more about them! I have found that they take my appitite away and I need to drop some weight. Good side effect!

Last Note For lunch I made a Vietnamese Sweet Yellow Curry Soup with coconut milk and green peas and cilantro for color. I needed some added richness, ah ha! I still had Pu-erh from the morning brew. I steeped a quick one in the pot and poured about a cup of weakened Pu-erh into my soup. Um! Then I sprinkled some very dark black Urfa smoky chili flakes on the soup and the belovely bowl was ready. Yellow and bright green, noodles and speckles of black smoked and sweet chili, an undertone of Pu-erh and coconut curry. Come on over and have a bowl!

Yesterday I had to pick up my Aerobeds from my daughter Annalisa’s house so I brought her favorite fruit-flavored green tea (Blackberry Mojito) to share with the family. Everyone in my family loves tea! My 3 teenaged girl grandkids were not around but the little boys were ready for yummy grandma tea! My daughter is a tea pro! She has a beautiful large white porcelain teapot (among the many) that she chose to use this day. While the tea was steeping she prepared a tray with a pretty teatowel and teaspoon for stirring agave into each persons cup…for sweet tea. She ordered us into the living room…grandma (me) in the easy chair…baby foster boy on a blanket, foster toddler (3) in line with the other 3 grandsons each holding their cups impatiently waiting for a turn at pourings of tea and agave. I was served first.
“Ummmm.” You could almost see the boys quiver…leaning towards my cup to smell my tea. “Ummmm this is good. Like real blackberries!” And each one got their fill and refill until the whole big pot was empty! At the end of their second cup, and while I was still enjoying my delicious truly berry yummy brew,…the boys turned on the Music Channel on the TV to the 80’s Retro Channel and began dancing. The 11 year old was the leader and the other two (9 and 7) did their best to copy him! So cute and funny. Being a grandma with such a little thing like blackberry tea is pretty neato!

Second Review. Playing with Tea.
Today I’ve been in a playful experimental mood. This is not an infrequent state of being for me. Usually I whip up a new dish in the kitchen…and now and then I create a tea infused recipe like hibiscus tea honey or earl grey vanilla pudding. Tonight I was cold! With the temperature dropping from 81 at 5pm yesterday to 34 at 9pm tonight…I wanted some non-caffeine tea that tasted good to warm me up! The gears began turning. Ah, I have this Oh Canada tea but it’s a little too sweet for me. Maybe it’s too maple for tonight. What will I do? Light-bulb! Bing!
I went hurridly to my Spice Cupboard…picked out my Cube brand Applewood Smoked Salt (really good) then went to my Tea Cupboard and pulled down the Black Tea/Lapsang Souchong box picking out the Lapsang Souchong. Now ready for action, I was set to steep a pot of Oh Canada adding a small pinch of Lapsang Souchong and another pinch of Applewood Smoked Salt to the brew basket!
Steeping done, I poured the brew into my mug, added some sweetening (I’ve had this tea before and knew that even though there is lots of maple flavor, adding sweetening brightens the flavor) and took a big sip. This is a winner! Not too strong but just right! The slight salty smokiness really brings a fabulous sense of campfire pancake breakfast with syrup feeling to this tea that I find is better than the 52 tea’s version of pancakes. (I know that sounds conceited…but this has more smoke so I mean it at least for me!).
Try mixing this recipe if you have this tea!

Thank you to Emilie for this big sample! This really smells like candy canes and a bit of cherry…like the chocolate gooey cherrys from Christmas that you pop in your mouth as a kid and almost get sick on…yes those ones!
Well, today it LOOKS like rain. We had 81 degrees yesterday and today it might rain for the first time since the end of August!!! Skiers will be glad to get some new powder snow in the higher up’s! Good weather for peppermint tea. I brewed this fragrant pot up and took a big sweet slurp (add sweetening please). Tasted like a paper dry peppermint stick with a cherry finish and was less cherry than expected. Fell kinda flat. This tea needed something more. When a recipe needs tweeking you tweek it right?! I KNOW you guys add stuff to your not-so-great tea. Spy’s are watching! I add things too. The comments about “Oh I wish it had a little more lemon”, or “Why isn’t there some chocolate?”…well, I see you scurring to the cupboard for the chocolate and to the frig for lemon. Can’t fool me! I went to the DARK SIDE! (where else would you expect me to go?) I added a pinch of Lapsang Soochong. I wanted to make the peppermint cherry SMOKIN! It was just small enough an amount to make it interesting and give depth. I liked it. This is something I have done before to play with my tea. Call me crazy. (I know you do!)

Second review. I’ve been running through my box of tea’s to be reviewed religiously and now I am done – pooped out. Pie-Yow! Time to have a good ol dessert tea that I don’t have to be too serious about…just enjoy. Like a pair of comfy slippers. An easygoing tea you drink and kick back…without watching the leaves and all that. Thus I steepeth and poureth this rum by gum and I’m delighting in the nectar like flavors. This is creamy like DAVIDsTEA Cream of Earl Gray but without Bergamont and you can taste some coconut and vanilla with this rummy cocktail worthy of the beachs at Isla Verde. Stick an umbrella in it and call it deliscious-scrumptious!

First Review of this lovely black Yunnan Golden Bud tea. Each infusion 3 minutes. 1TB Leaves used per instructions on the Verdant Website Per Cup. traditional method (PIAO 1 glass pot used).

1. Beautiful medium golden brown (with a twinge of green) colored liquor. There is a very pronounced honey scent that picked me up and carried me away…I mean it…all through this first tasting…to my crazy place! (You should all be afraid!) I went to my cupboard and pulled out some honey. Buckwheat honey…yuk…not that one…too strong. Then the local Prairie Wildflower Raw honey (Copoco)…which was closer to the scent( I’ll get back to this later). I needed to taste this tea! The flavor reminds me of those honey seseme candies…but slightly astringent on the finish. Juicy and bright.

2. This I was hoping would be the ‘MegaMillion’ Pour. Soooo much darker! Rich and silky looking caramel orange liquor. The same color that you don’t want your tanning lotion to do to your body! This smells like a slightly floral honey…here we go folks…that Prairie Wildflower Honey! Sumptious and bright on the tongue! Juicy! I just HAD…yes HAD to add sweetening to see what would happen to the honey and it was the best thing I ever ate. No, that’s a show…but it was so darned good! That sweet addition brought up the cinnamon and spicy pepperiness which made a huge difference to the whole cuppa experience. I have to say that when I finished this second cup, there was a feeling and coating on my tongue like whipped creamy honey thick and gooey.

3. The liquor is getting lighter now but still nice and amber. What to expect here? No floral notes but still some honey flavor exists. What is so pronounced at this stage is cinnamon and pepper. If you are a spice-aholic…this is where you jump for joy and say “Mama Mia! "
(I’m thinking Verdant is going to bar me from writing comments about their tea!)

How fantastic to have honey and cinnamon in your tea without having to add it! It’s there already naturally! This is worth a try!

First review. A disclaimer. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT PU-ER! (Don’t know why it’s spelled Pu-erh, Pu-Erh, Puer, Pu-er either). My background is working in a tasting room at a Winery, entering cooking contests, and international cooking. That’s it. I have a pretty good palate for THOSE things. I bring what I know about other things to tea and am learning new ways to think about tea as I progress. Nuff said. This explanation is given because this was a tea that took a lot of turns in reviewing.
Here goes:
I used my new PIAO I Glass top drop infuser and 3 minutes for each steep .
I did 1 quick rinse before the first steep. Raw the Shu looks like dark tan-bark. Really!
1. I poured on the water and let the steep go watching the liquid begin to lightly turn brown. Beep…pushed the button to release the water to the reservour below. The liquid is light honey colored and tastes like toasted rice. No earthiness, slightly salty and sweet. Really good and savory. Not a hint of grass or hay but maybe a shitaki mushroom sauteed in there. Super delicious.
2. Way darker color like whisky. Earthy scent. While steeping you can see the leaves begin to float and open pushing away from the solid bark mass. There is a slightly astringent finish and pepper on the tongue, linen and rust. No bitterness. Juicy and light. This makes no sense but it’s what I taste and smell. Oh, faint nutmeg also. I opened the top of my steeper and smelled the wet tea…arh…paint thinner! Whoa…no kidding!
3. This steeping released long-legged creatures moving around the steeping cylinder releasing all the tea flavors just for me. Eight long years from China to Colorado they were locked up waiting for this moment! Eh…timer went off…Really dark liquor this time.
Less paint thinner smell on the leaves! Lighter less earthy flavor. More astringent but still juicy and not bitter. There is a tartness which is like black walnut and an introduction of salt and smoke. Bless My Soul! I like smoke and salt. In fact…Hum…I have some gumbo in the fridge and think this would be a good finish after some gumbo and rice. Not during the meal but after. Very delicious Shu! I have loved all the selections from Verdant thus far! Find the new videos helpful to a rookie like me.
This is not a fancy review but MY review. It’s what I enjoyed this afternoon as a part of my life.

First Review. Natural Coconut Oolong…now doesn’t that sound delicious! Um Yum! So many of us Steepsters love our Coconut Tea and I’m one of those who does also. Tricky to find a good tea has enough coconut without being cloying or artificial tasting. I was hopeful that this would be a winner so I followed my set of Oolong brewing instructions and set to the task. I failed, or should I say bombed. First I used water that was a tad too cool and steeped 4 minutes which was too long. The tea tasted like coconut but was bitter, icky. OK. This won’t deter me. Do over Bonnie! Put the Temp up to 185 and steep time at 2 minutes…much better ahhhhhh. Rich and juicy coconut, sweet without being floral orchid Oolong way I’m used to. Really nice. Creamy but not buttery. There is a slight astringent finish. As the tea cools the cream coconut thickens and coats the tongue blocking the astringency. Adding sugar or agave really brings the coconut flavor up a notch in a delightful way. This is a cuppa to sip on the beach in Kawaii! Anyone want to join me?!

First Review. March has been awesome! The weather has been high 60’s and 70’s and this Saturday we Northern Coloradans end with a burst of heat over 80 degrees! Time to go to my garage and take my outdoor carpet out of storage and fix up a place to sit and sip tea on the patio. I have a nice table and chairs and space to grow herbs and MINT (my favorite). When it’s hot I like a good Mint Tea…usually fresh Mint in the Middle Eastern/Egyptian manner with a pot full of leaves very hot and sweet…but dry tea leaves in regular tea form is fine too. When I read about this tea it sounded like a winner for year round use. Nice for cold days in the Winter and cooling for hot Summer.
The first thing you notice is the dry scent which will knock you down it’s so Pepperminty! I cautiously steeped for 4 minutes. Hum…a first sip without additions like sugar or cream proved just a little bit sweet and drinkable but thankfully not as pungent as expected. After the first taste which is mint, there is brandy in the background.
Whoever the blending guru was for this tea showed restraint and did not overdue the flavoring. Good thing too. It would have been gross, fake, gag me bleh with too much brandy. The taste is just right and interesting! Very Flavorful and rich. I’m liking this tea! Add sweetening and cream for a very special dessert tea. I like dessert! Cool and refreshing. I want to see what happens when the temperature decreases. Can this be iced? I’d love it iced if it can be done and add a little real mint. Pretty in a tall glass!

First Review. I’ve been beating around the bush…waiting for just the right time to taste this tea. The reports being so glowing and all…I wanted time and a peaceful state of mind. Tea is for that moment when we stop and appreciate what has come from the Earth. For me, I offer thanksgiving to the Giver of Life. I have a new toy called a PIAO I Teapot which I bought from Amazon for $28 plus shipping. It is glass and has a pitcher and a top infuser that you put the tea in. You pour in water and after steeping push a rod and the tea is released to the bottom of the pitcher when a glass ball lifts up. No stainless basket or anything. So I used this method for this tea and it worked well. (Bought it mainly for Puerhs).
First steep 4 minutes…Beautiful large green leaves…the scent is like artichoke hearts when warm and fresh (not the canned kind). Beautiful light golden yellow liquor and a taste that is almost non-floral at all but there is a hint of orchid…a tease only. Where did the napoleon pastry come from? That custardy buttered layered crusty pastry? And then, a juicy rush that takes over your whole mouth and almost goes up your nose. The flavors linger. As the liquid cools the butteriness deepens and the flavors mellow like a sigh after the last crumb has been devoured on the dessert tray.
Second Pour: I’m afraid to drink anymore after the first deliciousness. The juicy mouthfeel is still there. I peeked at the reviews and saw something about Keiffer Lime…OH REALLY? I have Keiffer Lime in the cupboard, so I went and got the jar down and sniffed it…then sniffed and sip-slurped the tea. OK, there IS a subtle flavor of Keiffer Lime in the tea but you’d have to really know lime to know that it’s there. The Marshmallow comments I can understand more. Marshmallow is SUGAR and this does taste at times like a vanilla, custard sugar like a NAPOLEON pastry. Or like vanilla cake (in case you never have tasted a Napoleon). The comments on grass flavor in this tea I do not get. I went to smell the tea leaves and on the second steep there is no vegital scent but just a nice sweet plant leaf smell like lettuce but not like artichokes anymore. I bought 4 oz of this and I’m glad I did! I get to keep steeping all day!!! Hooray for me!!! Pastry tea!!!

Manyous Thanks to Tegan Again for this tea-bag-alicious sample!
Redemption! After the last review which was blech-y, I rushed to find the next tea to review in my “TO BE REVIEWED” box, next to another “NEW TEAS” also to be reviewed box and so on. Never ends does it?! Well, Tegan had saved the evening with this tea bag sample…this Organic exotic (which I myself also am) spiced Chai! Horray! Besides black tea the ingredients say ginger, cardamom, pepper, lemon-grass, cloves. I like those things. So, I steeped the bag 5 minutes, added milk and agave which worked perfectly with the brew. Here’s what I liked about this Chai compared to others I’ve had. This Chai doesn’t make you feel like you’re in a spice market in India ready to dance as a Bollywood extra (and I LOVE to dance to Bollywood music myself and I love to bellydance too…but that’s another story…) because this Chai is subtle. There is more of a peppery feel on the tongue and a lite spiciness. The cardamom, ginger and clove is restrained so that you can’t pick out the individual flavors. That’s not easy to do with such aggressive spices. Many people avoid Chai because they are so pronounced and assertive. This one is relaxing which would particularly be nice when the weather is hot. I can see why the reviews have been so positive.

Many thanks to Tegan for this sample! what a day! Running around doing errands and irritating my fibromyalgia (back and core hurt) but I was able to go 7 hours on my feet in a marathon of gettin stuff done…so I could come home and flop an (yes an) have some tea. (tomorrow I’m going to pay for what I did to my body today arrrrr). Anyhoose (did your grandma or grandpa say anyhoose?) I had this tea from Tegan that is low caffeine from Teavana and thought what the hay…some white tea, coconut, apples and kiwi, papaya, lemongrass and lemon peel and pineapple. Sounds good. I was really into wanting a good cuppa. I steeped 6 minutes and did a test sip…nah…watery…went longer and poured. Very watery still. I had put in enough tea. But, I added some more and kept brewing. Still not very flavorful. I added sweetening. Not good. Added more, and more. Still really no coconut, no flavor standing out and saying “Hello there, I’m Pineapple” or “Papaya” or even “Lemon”. If it was more acidic and stronger it would have been a cleaner. Sorry folks but it was dull and uh…dull. Think I’ll try something else. I’ve not had much luck with Teavana for some reason.

First review. I must say that unless you pick up the brochure at Teavana you have no idea what’s in this herbal tea except pineapple (on the label). The bags are labeled with the name and a bunch of generic brewing information and that’s all. I had to look up the ingredients…pineapple, apple pieces, fragrant marigold, orange and mallow blossoms. OK. Following the steeping instructions of 5-6 minutes I did a sample pour which was like water so I waited another 3 minutes. Pouring again there was a little color (more of a blush) and a light pineapple fragrance. Sipping the brew straight the tea is not very bold and flavorful. The pineapple is not juicy but dry and undeveloped like the core of the fruit. It has a true flavor alright, just disappointing. I could not taste apple or floral or orange because of the very weak flavor blend. Adding some additional tea did not improve the taste. I added sweetening…which did help enormously with the drinkability
( I would have tossed the pot of tea down the drain otherwise). One thing I never do is add honey…but it seemed that this Pineapple Kona Pop could be the exception to the rule. What could ruin this herbal tea anyway? Adding some Colorado Wildflower Honey was a nice try but still the tea stayed pretty BLEH! I’ll drink it mind you eventually, because I have few decaffeinated or herbal tea’s in my stash. However, I don’t recommend this tea at all!

Thanks Tegan for thie sample of Birthday Tea!
I thought today was a good day to celebrate! I went with fear and trembling to pick up my Tax Return…ugh…knowing that I would likely owe a bundle this year. My Tax lady said “You don’t owe anything.” Are you positive?!"said I. “Yes, we get it right, I’m sure!” she said. Wow! Unreal! But, as I drove home something just didn’t seem right. I went over my return at home where I discovered the BIG error… she had failed to record the large IRA withdrawal from when I moved to Colorado and bought my condo and paid off my car and credit cards to qualify for the load in January 2011. Oh No! So I called and this will be corrected and I will pay Big Tax Bucks! Now what to do? Be mad or be sad? Nah, make some tea. Make some tea and review it. Pick a good name like Birthday Tea. (It’s not that great a tea really…too one dimensional… vanilla and that’s it). Some tea review huh. Tea review and life lesson review. I have too much to be greatful for. Not much money but lots and lots of tea! I love the tea people I have contact with also.

I would like to thank Lady Tegan for sharing this splendid tea in a swap (I being a lowly scullery maid and all).
I’ve written before about picking blackberries in the Coast Range Mountains of Northern California in the Summer. Finding just the juiciest ripe ones but usually eating the best because they are too irresistible. Their unique flavor is mixed with sunshine and is truly magical. Have you ever seen anyone sad with a bowl of fresh berries? I’ve never heard of such a thing although I suppose it’s possible. Wondering what this wildly crazy named tea could taste like drew me in. Didn’t you wonder about it too? Mafia and Jane Austin in the name? Oh yeh!
I took the steep to the 4.5 min. Today, I’ve been washing curtains (96in. white, tall window curtains!) and I wanted no whimpy tea for me this afternoon. It’s 76 and warm outside which is lovely. I need tea now! My last blackberry tea was really pretty good from Teavana…the mojito…which my daughter agrees has a good blackberry flavor. By comparison, this blackberry tea is not as light and bright or fruity. There is almost a licorice finish that is NOT, understand me here, unpleasant. This may be due to it being a black tea and the Teavana was herbal which is going to color the flavor. This tea has tannin (a little bit) and a hint of bitterness (again just a bit). The vanilla flavor mixed with the blackberry is nice and restrained adding smoothness. This tea begs for sweetening and milk. Yes both. Miss Jane would serve it to guests with both on her tray wouldn’t she? Of course she would!
As for the Mafia. I guess, some people (maybe me when I’m washing curtains) would KILL for a cup of tea like this one (or hire someone to do it for me…like Tegan or Indigobloom or K S or Emilie or Ian! (oops not Ian he’s the Butler!)

Thank you Melanie for this wonderful sample!
I’ve been seeing this tea reviewed over and over again…so what’s all the hype? What’s so great about this tea? Curiosity got the best of me when I saw that Melanie had this in her cupboard for a swap…hee hee…would she part with a pinch for moi? She agreed (to my delight)! I don’t go along with the crowd unless there is danger… I form my own opinions and hope you all do also and this tea review is not an exception. Beginning the process I kept the steep at just 3 minutes and at about 180F. Sniff, there isn’t a huge burst of fragrant coconut…no…I’m reminded more of oolong…a faint memory of that corny, floral butter scent. First sip is very creamy and rich, diving right away into a deep pool of coconut taste the way you get it right out of a fresh coconut in the tropics. It’s the aftertaste that is so honest. I spent 4 months living in Puerto Rico where you could stop and get a chilled coconut at the roadside, have the top lopped off with a machete and drink the coconut water with a long straw. So good. That’s the coconut flavor I taste. But there is that floral orchid mixed in also. Makes you want to put on a sarong and lay on the beach. Sometimes it helps to pull away and come back to tea when it is so intensely complex. Doing this was helpful for me. I came back to my glass cup and realized that there is a custard quality quite a bit like the fragrance of jasmine in the Summer on a hot evening when you swear there is coconut cream pie somewhere close by…or you hope there is one waiting at home (there never is though). Real jasmine never tastes like that smell. Tragedy! I think this is very good tea but not one I would serve with food. Too special for that. This is dessert and could stand up to fresh strawberries or pound cake. I thought chocolate was too strong alongside the tea because I tried some and said “no”. Tried some sugar and it was good. I’m off to finish the lovely liquid without you now…bye.

First Review. Thank you Emilie for this big sample of Gunpowder Tea! I’ve been off at St. Spyridons which had an added luncheon celebration after Liturgy for Greek Independance Day! A reminder that it’s time to sign up for the lamb on a spit dinner served on Pascha (Easter)! Double yum! Feasting after the Fasting! So, getting home later than usual in the afternoon, it was time to choose a tea to try out and I was tea thirsty! What to try?
Gunpower seemed like an interesting name for tea and I wanted to taste it to see if the name had anything to do with the taste. Smoke in those little green bullits? I set the water temp to 175 and steeped 3min. before pouring. The liquor is light canary yellow and smells a bit vegital, sour but not smoky. Took a sip. Medium light smoke, a little bitterness and a mildly salty finish. I’m not sure about how I like this. Looking up other reviews it seems that others enjoy 2nd or 3rd steepings more than the 1st so I’ll try that and see what unfolds.
2nd Steep Ok this is much better! Milder and no bitterness even after 4 min. steep.
Very low on the smokiness. I have to be honest in saying that unless you love really subtle tea this is NOT for you and it’s NOT for me I must say. Maybe if I was feeling poorly though. Color is good and taste not very complex. Bit of paper or cardboard finish. Oh and as for mint…well, I grow 6 kinds of mint and I do not think they add mint that can be detected! It’s hard to HIDE mint (if you know what I mean).

First review. This is my first Genmaicha so I’m a rookie. I picked this out as a ‘buy this Bonnie’ option when I decided to stop at the Teavana store, close to Boulder, on an outing with my granddaughter because the Steepster rating was good. There’s something about the customer service everywhere in Colorado that is unbelievable! When I moved here from Northern California it was like stepping back in time…to the 1950’s or 1960’s when people said thank you, please and how can I help you…ALL the time. Part of normal behavior. This is what happens here wherever you go and took time for me to get adjust to. Smiles and kindness. The Teavana store had about 9 samples available to try when I walked in and never once did anyone try to SELL me. In fact, the service was friendly and kinda over-the-top respectful! Ah well. One Teavana store that did a good job. Needed to give them their due.
Now here at home it’s time for steeping at the right temp. (which I did) and a short 45 seconds and no longer. This kept the tea from going bitter. Very important! I was skeptical. Honey, how was this going to work out in 45 seconds? But, it did. My oh my did it work out well! The fragrant nutty brew reminded me at first of corn nuts. Nah, that’s not right. There isn’t a vegital spinach or green bean taste but what is this flavor?
I ran through my mental recipe file and landed on stir fry…but not exactly. I tried again and finally settled on 3 things…1. Toasted Sesame Oil, 2. Roasted Rice and 3. A bit of Stir Fried Bok Choy. That’s it! Absolutely the bomb! This is really good. I know that you should drink this tea straight up but people being what they are…I knew someone would add sugar or agave or something sweet so I tried it that way too. And, it’s ok. Not ok, ok, but good even in a way I really thought would be yucky but isn’t yucky. The sweet, salty toasty thing works and is good. I bought 4 oz. and I’m glad I did. This is good Genmaicha. Coats the tongue a bit and makes you lick your lips and say mama.

First review of this lovely sample from Teavivre and Angel for which I am greatful!
I woke up with the sunlight trying to get into my bedroom. This can be good for other people but for me it can mean the beginning of a migraine. Light sets them off. I wear sunglasses indoors and out…even now writing this review. Caffeine helps ward off migraines so I went for the best black tea option in my review box! Such a delight too!

My steep time was 2 1/2 minutes at the 185F temp. and the color of the tea liquor is a medium gold with a hint of green. Very pretty! A sniff…vegital just a bit but what kind I can’t figure out…will have to come later.
A sip….honey…really smooth and silky and not a vegital flavor but maybe cookie? At this highest beginning temperature there is a slight bit of acid. I let the tea cool down and then…well…there began to reveal such velvety richness and an open full mouthfeel delish! The vegital was not yam or sweet potato but sauteed, slightly honeyed carrots. I’ve made them so many times and there is a duel vegital and fruity sweetness rolled into one in carrots that is perfect to discribe what I am getting from this tea. (One time I made a carrot pie with pistachios that was awesome). The acid or tannin I felt in the beginning was almost absent when this tea cooled a bit. I didn’t taste any orange. Adding some sweetening was nice but milk is not what I would recommend because it makes this tea look and taste watery…uh no! Straight up this is great and sweetened it’s good too! (Bonus for me…my head is feeling a lot better already!)

Thank you Emilie for this sweet sample! I have not had Chai or an apple tea for ages! I won an apple pie contest and I don’t drink apple tea…so what’s the deal?! If it wasn’t for Emilie I’d still be un-appled…wanting and vacant. Therefore (great word that), today being my go to Boulder for tea day (went to Teavana and scared the poor guy who worked there until he asked to follow me on steepster…too funny!, and to Dushanbe Teahouse and one other that was beautiful…Ku Cha House of Tea) I wanted to begin with some caffeine and Chai so here it was. A nice sample. What a lovely way to begin a warm Spring day. This had a bit too much clove for my taste…would have preferred more cinnamon and vanilla but that being that it is tasted good with milk and sweetened. So, I think this is pretty good. Not great but pretty good. There are lots of Chai’s out there. Nice to have a good apple one.

Beautiful Spring Day in Boulder and my granddaughter Schey and I traveled 1 hour from Fort Collins to drink tea at the Dushanbe Teahouse. http://www.boulderteahouse.com/
The teahouse is beautiful…the interior carved and painted, made without power tools by hand in Tajikistan as a gift to Boulder. So amazing. We arrived, went past the fountain and up to the bar because lunch was over and it was time for tea. I asked for the tea menu and decided to try one of the Puerh selections I was not familiar with since I love to try a new tea. The tea bartender was well informed and brought out my selection the Bamboo Fragrance Puerh. I smelled the scent in the bamboo…nice and clean. Yes, that’s what I wanted. While waiting I found out that their tea comes from exact locations and specific farms, which I appreciate. Finally after a 3 minute wait the generous basket of Puerh was finished steeping and removed, poured into my cup and I began tasting (big pot of Puerh!). Very pale yellow. Lightly fragrant in a hay, straw, bamboo sweet way but very light. Some tannin. No earthiness like every other Puerh I’ve had (kinda missed that aspect). I found that this is very mild and light which was nice with the warm weather. Kept sipping and pouring until finally…things got a bit cool. This is where it all changed…cool…was not too good. The bitterness and tannin came out as the Puerh became a puddle. Sorry to say that I was not expecting this and hoped it would be a nice Puerh to ice in the Summer…but not so fast! This Puerh will have to stay warmed up. I still prefer my hefty and hardy dark Puerh’s but for all those who can’t stand the earthiness then this is where they might just find comfort and jump in and try again. Thanks to the fantastic staff at Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse for a fantastic afternoon teatime!