Cavocorax

My first Irish Cream! After smelling it I was pretty eager to give it a try. It’s not really an afternoon tea though – it’d be better suited as “slap-me-in-the-face-to-wake-me-up morning tea”.

I love how strong the aroma is. Malty, and creamy. When I sip it, I find it to be a little astringent, but not undrinkably so (thankfully because I can be a wimp that way). Mostly I’m getting astringent malt in each sip, with a creamy finish and some earthy notes.

I would never have bought this on my own (although I shouldn’t really let $9 shipping deter me as that’s starting to be the standard with the new US rates too) so I’m happy I was given this. I need teas to be dropped in my lap otherwise I might miss out on something wonderful.

Wow! This is so good! I just received this today in my FIRST Amoda subscription box. (And as such, I’m sorry if I am supposed to wait a few days to review it for those expecting to be surprised? I’ve never done this before.)

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, I’m not so big on fruity teas, or I didn’t think I was, but I NEED TO RETHINK THIS IDEA. I used about half my sample to cold steep it in the fridge for a few hours, and now that I sip it I am blown away.

It’s very delicately fruity and the cherry and kiwi are balanced quite nicely. If it’s not too pricey, I think I’d like to stock up on this – either ordering from Amoda, or diret from Tiesta.

Looking back at it, maybe $15/mo for 60g of tea isn’t THAT GREAT of a deal, but if it exposes me to high quality tea (and surprise tea!) I can justify it that way. :D

12g is not enough!

I made this, did baby things for a bit, then came back to it and forgot what it was. I knew it was sweetly delicious and very fruity.
Then I recognized the pomegranate and remembered what this was. It resteeped tolerably well too.

I didn’t think I was big on fruity teas, but I love this! Will nerd to get more at some point, as well as try it iced.

Before I realised it, my cup was empty! That’s a pretty good sign that this is a good tea.

I keep forgetting that “plain” black teas are amazing in their own right. I bought this tea a few months ago and never tried it because, oh it’s just ceylon no big deal blah blah blah. I should never listen to my brain. This tea is GREAT. Will do a proper review next time.

I was afraid to make this for the longest time because I knew it was fancy, and I was wigged out by the 3-5 second steep recommendation for my gaiwan and had to look it up because that sounds too short. But as others have pointed out, it’s too good to let waste away in my cupboard! (and thanks CrowKettle for surprising me with the sample!)

First steep: very light and fancy. Floral and refreshing.

Second steep: Still lightly floral, but with a hint of cocoa!

Third steep: it’s turning a nice orange now I’m getting lots of cocoa and malty notes. I can see why people enjoy this tea so much.

After, I steeped it three more times, and then used the last of my sample to brew it Western Style and resteeped that. I don’t know that I have ever dedicated one day to one tea like that before but it was wonderful. On to the shopping list with this one!

This. Is. Great.

This is really good iced. Like really, really good. I wish I’d figured that out an ounce ago!

No notes yet.

Sipdown!

This is a backlog from earlier today – too bad I was too busy stressing out earlier and didn’t really get to enjoy the last of it. Now I don’t know if this is one I’ll want to purchase again later on or not.

Oh well. I have plenty of other teas to enjoy.

I thought I was going to love you forever. What happened, Red Velvet Cake?

Maybe I have less of a sweet tooth now so I don’t enjoy it as much as I used to. Or maybe I’m just having an off day.

I still have 50g left to figure it out.

…it’s not you, it’s me.

Wow – there are A LOT of things in this blend. I can’t taste them all but I CAN taste the banana. That’s the number one. Then I can taste a bit of chocolate, coconut, almond, and mushy fruitiness. This almost makes me think of Malibu. I wonder what it would taste like if I mixed it?

Tonight is not the night to find out.

I’m going to sit and sip away at the rest of this pot, and rate it another day.

I sorta ended up at a DavidsTea today to look at the new teas/stuff, even though I hadn’t planned on it. :| #whoops

I walked out with 20g of Coconut Oolong, CopaBanana and Pom Tango, and a to-go cup of Daydreamer and only spent $7. Not bad!!!

I was really excited about the tea because I ADORE Zen Tea’s version (http://steepster.com/teas/zen-tea/30457-coconut-oolong) and wanted to try this version.

So, I think that means that it’s time for a SIPOFF!
DRY
Zen Tea:
-dark black/green leaves. no sign of coconut
-very slight coconut smell

DavidsTea:
-light green/black leaves with lots of bright coconut flakes.
-stronger coconut smell. slightly musty
-smaller leaves

STEEPED
Zen’s Tea:
-very smooth, buttery with lots of spinach notes
-pale yellow colour
-fresh “oolong” taste

DavidsTea:
-far less butter. not nearly as smooth/light
-rich. more spinach?
-almost nutty?
CONCLUSIONS:
So this was a tricky decision but I think I still prefer Zen Tea’s blend over this one. They are both VERY good, but DT’s is a little darker/mustier than what I’m accustomed to. Perhaps if I steep it for less next time, my rating will change. Also, DT’s blend is a bit cheaper so I honestly don’t know which one I’d restock once I run out.

If you are at all interested in the tea, give it a shot though!

So when Frank announced this week’s blend of Genmaicha S’mores, I bought it without hesitation. I hope it’s as good as Browncoat Genmaicha. I also picked up a Raspberry Strawberry Honeybush because more decaf options are always good and that one was rated so highly.

Anyways… now I’m in the mood for S’mores and I won’t get my order for about 2-3 weeks (stupid shipping to Canada… #grumblegrumble). This will have to tie me over! Actually… I’ve only got enough for one more cup after this one so I better make it last.

Ok how is this even the same tea I rated earlier? I drank it and immediately thought that this was amazing and my new favorite tea! I brewed it Western Style, and this is very smooth, delicate and lightly sweet. There are some really tasty flavors that I love but can’t quite narrow down, except cocoa and honey!

I will have to order some!!!

Thx ozli!

Are yunnan teas normally like this?

Thanks Mercuryhime for the sample!

After reading the reviews and finding that this is one of the ‘fancier’ teas, I whipped out my little gongfu pot for serious tea brewing business!

It was worth it. I steeped it three times, and I really enjoyed the buttery green flavours. I tastes a little sweet and a little citrusy as some of the reviewers have mentioned. Maybe I should have steeped it for longer but this feels like a delicate green, suitable for quiet reflection (as opposed to some of my flavoured blacks that are good when I’m juggling 5 things at once and want tea that comes to me, instead of me sitting down to enjoy it!)

Thanks Val for the sample! (This is one of our Steepster Tea Club selections!)

I like this tea – it’s a mix of a lot of things but I immediately think ‘this is fancy’ when I sip it. There are just so many flavours in it that it’s a treat to sip. I’m getting jasmine notes too. This is a great afternoon cup to drink and re-steep!

Thanks for the sample!

Not sure what happened with this – maybe I have a bad association, but this made me think of cherry cough syrup. I don’t know that cherry is my thing so I won’t rate it as other people may enjoy this tea!

Thanks Yssah for letting me try it out!

I don’t know why but this tea is synonymous with late-night sipping. Even though it tastes artificially sweet and orangy, i still crave it. I guess it’s like when I crave Big Macs or something like that. :P

Once I’m done drinking the 2 oz I have left, I have 2 oz of this Three Cinnamon Tea my mom brough me from the interior. :D

I decided today that I needed to drink Checkmate! Usually I just start boiling water and then sorta stare at everything wondering how I am supposed to choose, but not today. I svaoured this cup, had a nap, and then am off to resteep it! It’s so lightly nutty and flavorful. It really really tastes like white tea to me now – I guess I’m slowly figuring this stuff out.

Besides my Amoda tea order, which I don’t think I’ll get until April because I subscribed 2 days after the March deadline, I have NO MORE TEA on the way. Everything I have now, is what I have. So I feel more like I can just relax and enjoy it instead of, “OMG I better pick something I can sipdown! Why do I have all the tea?”

(I know. Life is so rough.)

I cold-brewed this for about 5 hours in the fridge and this was the first of many experiments to come! While this is one of the Murchie’s teas that I’ve always consistently enjoyed, this is smoother and mellower. Maybe I understeeped it as it almost feels like this is a green/black blend instead of all black.

Thanks ozli!

I sorta oversteeped this, by steeping it for about 5 minutes or so but it worked out just fine. It is really good!

That is all. :P (for now)

This was a free sample from Yssah with my Ovation package. Thanks!

It semlls quite strongly of blueberries, and it was in such a cute little bag that I thought I would try this out right away.

Once steeped it smells quite strongly of blueberries, but the taste is quite mild and relaxing. There is a lot of creaminess in there, with a hint of vanilla. The black base is very smooth with only a touch of astringency.

Thanks Mercuryhime for the sample!

Had I known this was so expensive I might have saved it for another day. Instead I drank the first steep over a few hours while taking care of the baby, and am just now savouring the second steep while I sit down and relax.

The first steep was very smooth and grassy and oolongy, and it made me wonder why I don’t drink regular oolongs more often. They’re so good!

This second steep is much richer with lots of vegetal notes. It’s really enjoyable, but I think the fanciness is lost on me as I don’t really see how this is that much better than my Iron Goddess Oolong (Tie Guan Yin). Maybe I will set the rest of this sample aside and try it again in a few more months to see I can distinguish more.

I just received this one today, and as the smell of it had completely dominated the package, I thought I had better try it – it smelled so good!

I’m pretty happy I gave this a shot. I was nervous because DavidsTea’s Cherry Cola was abhorrent (is that too strong of a word? Maybe not), but this is very smooth and nice. It reminds me a little of 52 Teas’ Butterbeer.

How do you describe Root Beer tea? I wish I knew what herbs/spices were in it because Root Beer can have a lot of things in it. What I do know is that I steeped it for 5 minutes and it is very smooth and not at all bitter. I think there may even be a bit of vanilla notes mixed in with the “root beer” ish spices.

… I am not doing this tea justice. :P It’s nice though!