cody

Liking this much better brewed up on the stovetop with soymilk and vanilla sugar. Still not as strong as a good chai, but it definitely works better as a creamy chai-like drink.

I haven’t had chai in ages, but it’s my current obsession. I’m going to have to head to the spice shop downtown and pick up some good whole spices and experiment. Might be a good way to knock out the black tea samples in my cupboard, too.

Still working my way through my B-list teas, in an effort to clean out my cupboard. I like this a lot more than I did the first time, as my tastes have changed quite a bit. It’s kind of disappointing that the Masala Chai scent is so strong, when the Irish Breakfast tones down the flavor so much. I might have to try brewing this up a bit more like chai, as I’m drinking it straight right now.

Grabbed brunch before class today… Was in the mood for tea, and this sufficed. It was pretty weak. Tolerable, but weak.

No notes yet.

So, I mentioned before that I am currently holding my favorite teas hostage until I work through the massive pile of samples I’ve acquired recently. This is one of the Adagio samples I need to finish to win my goodies back. (You’d be amazed how often I use this sort of technique in my life.)

I like this tea. I don’t love it, and I’m not sure whether my personality keeps changing, or its does… but we have a very complicated relationship. Sometimes it’s super sugary sweet, sometimes it just tastes sort of… musty. I think most would call it “earthy”, but I’ve been noticing “good earthy” and “bad earthy” in my black teas. The bad earthy seems musty to me.

My last cup was very sugary, caramely, and malty. This one is bordering on “earthy” but is still a good balance of the two.

Funny story; I swapped a few teas with Meghann M for some of Adagio’s new mate samples. The next day, I received an order from Adagio (a tasting set) and suddenly remembered that I’d been promised the mate sampler with my next order, after making a comment on Facebook about missing out on that deal. (Tea companies are truly awesome sometimes, don’t you think?)

Well, maybe not so much funny as boring. Anyway. I now have far more mate than anyone should.

This is definitely a new experience for me. I’ve been curious about mate for some time, but I hadn’t any idea what it would taste like. I’m having trouble putting it into words at the moment. Just… toasty. And earthy. And good, but not mind-blowing.

The leaves in this are so… airy. I never know how much I should be putting in the cup. Hmm. Still works out well, though.

Got it in my head that I was going to make chai this morning, but soon discovered I didn’t actually own any cardamom. (I have no idea what’s in my cupboard, to be honest. The life of the attention span-challenged baker.)

So, with that project failing, I decided to experiment… and concocted a delicious drink with this tea, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla sugar, and soy milk. I don’t know what it is, but it’s fantastic.

Finally got myself a white cup (Adagio’s tasting set, specifically) and am now able to SEE my teas… most of them for the first time. This one brews up to a nice caramel color, and tastes just as strong and yummy as ever.

No notes yet.

Dry leaf smells bright and… zingy. The brewed tea is a bit lighter. The green tea base is only occasionally noticeable, but is a nice, light, grassy taste when it is.

The ginger sort of rolls in afterwards, leaving just a bit of a tingle in the back of my throat, but isn’t overpowering. (Though, my love for ginger is pretty strong, and I wouldn’t be offended if this tea packed a wallop.)

I haven’t yet located the citrus flavor, though there are plenty of bit of dried fruit in my cup.

Definitely good, but I would love to see it a bit stronger.

Nearing the end of this sample… I’ll be sad to see it go.

No notes yet.

Reading some of the comments, I decided to try steeping it a bit longer. I also added just a bit of amber sugar. It’s like a completely different cup of tea. The plum comes through a bit more, so the hibiscus takes a backseat. It now tastes more like a juicy plum than just the tart skin. Still not getting a real strong sense of the tea base, but it’s a nice fruity cup nonetheless.

Super-fruity smell on the dry leaves, brews up to a nice pinkish gold color. A bit tart, and maybe a little heavy on the hibiscus, but still wonderful. I’ve never been big on hot hibiscus teas, but I love them iced. I’ll have to try it with this one sometime.

My second Pu-Erh, and I’m starting to pick up on those… not so nice descriptions of the smell. Specifically, fish food.

Luckily, that description doesn’t translate to the taste (not that I’ve tasted fish food, mind you) but I’m still not overly excited by this one. After reading some of the reviews suggesting a longer steep time, I tried it again, but not much had changed. There’s nothing bad about it, exactly… just nothing I find particularly interesting.

My first Pu-Erh… apparently this is the month of trying new things. Once again I had no idea what to expect.

The leaves have a nice, earthy smell. I was a little wary at first, as I’ve heard the scent of some Pu-Erhs described in… less than pleasant terms. It seems to be brewing somewhat dark, but I rarely use a white or clear cup. Perhaps I should change that…

The taste is very smooth and mellow. For some reason the word ‘silky’ comes to mind. It’s a bit smoky, which is usually a turn-off for me, but it’s a different kind of smoky than I’m used to. The smoky teas that I don’t care for usually remind me of bacon or BBQ… whereas this one, if anything, reminds me of burning sage. (What can I say? This hippie vegetarian prefers the latter.)

I’ve got a few more Pu-Erh samples from Arbor Teas, and I’m looking forward to trying those as well.

No notes yet.

Over-steeped this to a nearly unpalatable degree this morning. Sometimes I get too distracted while getting ready for work…

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

Brewed it a bit stronger today. The malty, sugary notes that I’m used to are really coming out this time. The aftertaste of Assam reminds me so much of a honey taffy my mom used to make… Seriously crave-worthy. Bumping up the rating a few points.

Holy unfurling leaves, Batman! I’m brand new to Oolongs, this is only my third, and each of them have been a unique experience… and I haven’t even gotten into the “good stuff” yet.

Being new to Oolong, I never really have any idea what the descriptions mean, so I’m often flying blind. I understand “scented” easily enough, but I have to ask… scented with what?

The dry leaves, rolled more tightly than anything I’ve ever steeped before, smelled very floral. Jasmine, maybe. It smells wonderful. After steeping, the scent mellows out a bit, and the flavor is kind of nectary. A bit fruity. It’s smooth and soft, and while I am under the impression that Oolongs can be creamier, this is one of the creamiest teas I’ve ever had.

I’ve never kissed a mermaid (merman?) but if the opportunity ever presents itself, I hope it’s like this. (Yeah, I said it.)

No notes yet.