canadianadia

Now don’t get me wrong, this tea tastes pretty good. I’m just struggling to interpret it as a pumpkin spice. O.K…Sure, I get the spice right from my first sip, but it fades too quickly and blends with a fruit taste. The fruitiness is nice, just a little distracting when you’re trying to think pumpkin.

Now that I look at the ingredients, it’s clearer why I didn’t taste what I expected. The first ingredient isn’t tea, and it isn’t spice, nope! It’s Hibiscus?! Kind of an unusual choice, compared to other pumpkin teas I’ve tried. Fortunately, while it’s hot, I don’t taste the sourness that I frequently experience with teas that have high hibiscus content (although the tartness is a tad more evident when it cools). Hmmm…the fruit taste is likely from the apples and oranges. I’m also a little surprised to see that there is no mention of some of the more typical spices associated with pumpkin teas such as nutmeg, or cloves. Not a bad tea, but I’m just not wow’d by this one yet. Oh well! Perhaps I will use this one as a base for my experimen"tea"tion? Halloween is coming so creating a Frankenstein tea seems rather fitting don’t cha’ think?

I’m finishing off the last of this tisane right now. It’s tasty, but much better suited to Spring or Summer.

I had to brew myself a quick cup while I was flying out the door this morning, so I grabbed this convenient teabag. It has a nice scent and as far as bagged, flavored, green teas go, I would venture to say that this has been one of my favorites this past year or so.

However, this tea is nowhere near the quality and the yumminess of a good number of my loose teas, nor can I achieve the multiple steepings that I get from other options(the flavor is extremely light). That being said, it’s tasty and convenient, so I’ll continue to keep it on hand.

I got this tea at a breakfast buffet when I stayed with my favorite hotel chain a little while back. It’s a little tart, which might be expected from a Cranberry Apple flavor, but it may also have a little to do with “hibiscus flowers” being the first ingredient? Hmmmm? This tea works fine in a pinch, but it’s not at all one that I would purchase. This teabag will give you one solid steeping and anything beyond that quickly loses flavor.

I’m just finishing off the last of this tea today. I really didn’t care much for it when I first tried it, but the more I drink it, the more it grows on me. It’s a perfect tisane for Fall, and when I sip it I’m reminded of apple cinnamon muffins baking it the oven. Mmm…I could go for that right about now.

Many of my other tisanes are tart, but this one has no tartness, and instead leans more towards tasting spiced. This isn’t one that I would care for year round, but it’ll be a seasonal Fall repurchase…hmmm…possibly Winter also.

I’m sipping on this while I bake brownies and roast a turkey for a potluck with friends tonight. It’s a lightly spiced blend – the cinnamon and allspice are evident in each mouthful. Paired with the scents coming from my oven, and the brightly colored leaves outside my window, it really feels like Fall.

My Dad came over for a little visit tonight. I made this tisane because it was getting late and I didn’t want to have caffeine right before bedtime. We enjoyed this fruit melange; it’s just that right combination of sweetness and tartness, and smells absolutely wonderful.

I just finished the last of this oolong today. I’m a little sad. I plan to repurchase another small size of this on occasion, but I am curious to try other types of oolong to see what I might be missing. You see, I only allow myself a certain number of repeat purchases at a time, to allow the opportunity to find new favorites (and to be kind to my wallet). It’s my version of self-control and discipline. But sometimes I go into David’s and I just can’t restrain myself …this tea might be a prime example of this…I’ll keep you posted :)

I enjoy the peach taste of this tea, it’s sweet and satisfying, and I love that this tea leaves a pleasant and lasting peach aftertaste, especially with the first steep. The second steep is more mellow, but still flavorful…hmmm…I better go shake out my piggy bank – lol

I just finished the last of these leaves. I still think it tastes more like a tea version of an orange punch with just a whisper of mango. It’s tasty though.

I plan to buy another small size of this in the future, but I might hold off till the weather warms up since there are so many yummy Fall tea options available right now.

My Dad stopped by for a quick visit and we polished this tea off. The dry tea smells unbelievably fruity. But when I brew it, the tea and the fruit all compliment each other, rather than competing with each other. I will have to pick up another little sample size of this one to keep in my stash.

Eww….make the yucky stop!!!! There are just too many flavors in this one. The sourness of hibiscus mixed with, cinnamon, fruits, nuts, rooibos, BLECH!!! It’s wrong…so very wrong.

I was hoping that I might like this tea at least a little more this second time around – No such luck, in fact, I think I like it less. Oh well, at least this sample is done now. On to better teas….waaaay better teas!

One thing that consistently amazes me with all of the Teavivre teas I’ve tried, is the number of times I can re-steep the leaves with little or no loss of flavor, and this one is no exception.

The dry leaves for this tea are long and skinny and include more stems than I’m used to, so when I scooped out my 2 teaspoons, I had to resist the temptation to throw in a pinch of extra leaves to make up for the open spaces caused by their unusual shape. I’m glad I decided to try it as is; otherwise I would have probably had to water it back down. This tea is light and nutty with a slight bitterness that reminds me a little of pecans (or maybe that’s just because I had pecan pie with my Thanksgiving dinner last night, and it’s still on my mind?…yum!) As much as I’m fond of this tea, I have to insist that my taste buds are still partial to Japanese green teas as far as pure green tea goes, so this wouldn’t be my first choice. I will definitely enjoy this on occasion though, when I want a change from the norm.

Thanks again Angel and Teavivre for all the generous samples you provided for review. Sampling your tea has been a wonderful experience. I recently purchased a selection of your assorted tea packs and I look forward to trying more varieties of your tea, and finding new favorites. Thanks for introducing me to your high-quality teas.

Ahhh… this is lovely! It seems that I’m quite a fan of Teavivre’s Silver Needle White teas. This Jasmine tea has quite a strong smell when I open the package, but as I sip, it’s nicely floral, fragrant, and sweet.

I accidentally spilled a little of this tea on the shirt I was wearing this morning, and I decided I even liked the smell of this tea as a perfume…kind of strange I know.

Thank you Angel and Teavivre for this sample, this one was a perfect fit for my taste. I will have to explore any other options you might have with Silver Needle White – I’m curious what other treasures I might find. In the meantime I will be enjoying this one….mmmmm….

Thank you Angel and Teavivre for yet another generous sample.

This tea is quite nutty in both aroma and taste. The nuttiness is evident in the first steeping whereas the second steeping brings on a smokier flavor. For the third steeping, I got distracted emailing our real estate agent, and left the leaves in for too long so there was some definite bitterness. I’m sure that this was completely “user error” as my other brews had no bitterness – silly me! This is quite a lovely green tea, but it’s not a must-have for my cupboard. As far as pure green tea goes, it seems as though my preference leans towards Japanese green tea (probably out of familiarity).

My Teavivre samples will likely have a much better chance at winning my heart with their non-green teas (so far their organic silver needle white tea is a definite champ with my taste buds). Perhaps I will give the jasmine sample a try tomorrow. While sorting through my untried teas, I sniff at that jasmine packet like a bloodhound on a hot trail. So hopefully tomorrow will be the morning that I grab that pack out of my bag of goodies while I’m practicing my half-asleep morning tea making ritual…I’m rooting for it!

The hubby and I went to the local cranberry festival today. We ended up going a little late, so many of the typical cranberry booths were shutting down by time we got there. It was still a nice day out, and I found a cute little tea shop that I never knew existed. They were having a special on some select packages of tea, so I of course decided to indulge, and selected this one as one of my three picks to come home with me. The dry mix smells SWEET, it reminds me of the smell of shredded bubblegum I used to buy sometimes as a kid (I think it was called big league chew)? My hubby says it smells like red licorice Nibs.

As with many other tisanes I’ve tried, this one has a touch more tartness than I would like (likely the hibiscus), but if I water it down, the tartness becomes much less obvious with this tea (unlike others), so that is a very easy remedy. I was drinking this tea and hubby asked for a taste (he very rarely wants to try my tea). He took a miniscule little sip and was about to hand it back, then quickly pulled it back his way and started chugging it, mumbling inside the cup “this doesn’t have caffeine right?” between gulps. lol, I think he’s a fan.

WHAT THE WHAT? I remember being really disappointed with this tea when I first tried it this past summer, but now I’m a little stumped as to why I didn’t like it. Can my taste in tea really be that influenced by the seasons? This tea really does taste like Autumn to me, specifically like freshly baked apple cinnamon muffins. Cinnamon isn’t typically my favorite in tea, and last time I tried this, I was probably just too disappointed that the tea didn’t taste like almonds to appreciate it for what it is. But it’s nice to mix it up a bit…upping my rating!

Thank you Angel and Teavivre for this generous sample

I enjoyed the first steep of this tea the best. It was a tad softer and had a more elegant appeal. The 2nd and 3rd brew brought on a stronger and more bitter taste, which I didn’t mind, but didn’t love either. Subsequent steepings were mellower but maintained the depth of flavor with considerably less bitterness.

I must admit, my palette is a little biased towards Japanese green teas as that is just what I am more familiar with. But having said that, perhaps by time I finish all the generous samples of green tea from Angel and Teavivre, I might acquire a new-found love for the Chinese green tea. As for the number of times I steeped these leaves – I’m on number 5 and the leaves are still going strong.

Ack! I just read the first line of the tea description “We’re jammin’” …cute, but now I’m going to have Bob Marley stuck in my head all night.

My Dad just came over for a visit, and he selected this tea from my stash to try. I had it “as is” and he added a touch of honey to his cup. We both enjoyed the lovely taste of blueberries, and the smell…oh my! Spot on!

… ♪ and I hope you like jammin’, too ♫

Thank you Angel and Teavivre for the very generous samples

Ahhh…smooth luxury. This tea has absolutely no bitterness or artificial taste, it’s just simple, light, silky satisfaction. First, let me say that I love that this tea came individually packaged. I’m sure the intent is to ensure freshness, but I must admit, tearing into the pretty white packaging made me feel like I was opening a wee gift made especially for me. Perhaps that sounds delusional, but it’s the little things that can make a girl like me feel special : ) And what a gift this tea proved to be! My first brew had a faint natural aroma and flavor, somewhat akin to straw, which I surprisingly enjoyed. The second steeping was my favorite: absolutely flawless, smooth deliciousness, with no bitter aftertaste. The sheer number of infusions I get with this tea with more of maturation in flavor, rather than a loss of taste is astonishing. This is only the first of several teas sent to me from the generous Angel and Teavivre, but if the rest of the samples are even half as impressive, I will be placing my order with them by next week.

So I changed my avatar to my wolf face painting in celebration of Halloween. I hope y’all don’t find it too creepy?

Aaahhh yes! October ~ the happy haunting month~ how I love the way you make it more socially acceptable for me to smear makeup all over my face, decorate my house in creepy fun, and eat way too much chocolate – lol! Wouldn’t it be great if there was an adult version of trick-or-treating, but instead of candy, people would hand out tea? We can call it trick-or-teaing!: Crazy thought of the day…hmmm…does that imply that I only have one crazy thought per day? Hmmm..yeeeah…that might be a misnomer…

Anyhooo…So I made this tea much stronger than I have in the past, and it turns out that I like it better this way – yay! It’s lightly fruity and refreshing, a nice tea to drink either hot or cold, but I think I like it a little bit better cold. So I think I will put off repurchasing this one until next Spring, and opt for drinking the Fall and Winter teas right now.

The name Bamboozled reminds me of an episode of Friends where Joey is practicing to audition for a game show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhnpTPTp_1A That show still cracks me up even though I’ve seen it too many times to count. I think I subconsciously like this tea more because it reminds me of that episode. I drink it and smile to myself. People who see me wonder what I’m up to…it’s great!

Tastes great, especially as a Fall treat to warm me up.
I understand that the greasy film comes from the chocolate chips, but it still creeps me out a little, while I’m sipping. It reminds me of the dishwater when washing a roasting pan, especially if I let it cool down a bit – icky oil floaties! Oh well, it tastes good, and apparently keeps me entertained enough to keep drinking it…so Cheers -to my odd thoughts!

O.K. confession time: I pocketed a teabag from our complimentary hotel breakfast area when we were on our weekend getaway a while back…well alright, a few teabags…**cough***cough***5 to be exact***cough*** I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to try, so I thought the only logical thing to do was to try one of each. I know –BAD NADIA!! I’m sure the hotel wouldn’t mind since it’s the only hotel chain I ever want to stay at, and I don’t plan on doing it again, so they have more than made up the cost of the teabags. Justify…justify…justify…

Anyways, here’s what I thought of this one: It’s a quick and convenient green tea, but I find I can taste the paper teabag. Maybe it’s just subconscious? Or that I’ve grown accustomed to tea made with loose green tea leaves? Or perhaps it’s bad karma for taking extra tea? Whatever the reason may be, this is not my favorite green tea, but it will do in a pinch.

I had this one cold today. It’s lovely and refreshing, but it didn’t blow me away. At least I will enjoy this one while I continue my quest for a favorite black tea.

Another lovely Davids tea with chunks of dried fruit that I have to resist eating out of the dry mix. The tea and fruit are complimentary to each other, and neither overpowers the other. It’s not a tea that I crave, or one I feel I must have on hand at all times, but it’s good enough that I’d randomly repurchase a sample size in the future.