cody

First cup with almond milk and sugar, rest of pot without additives. Definitely preferred the latter.

Do people brew tea stronger for use with milk? Because I’m still not ‘getting’ this whole cream and sugar thing. I know I don’t have to like it that way, but I’m convinced there has to be a way I could at least enjoy it. No matter which milk or cream I use, and no matter how little I put in, it just tastes like hot, watery milk to me. The tea disappears completely.

No notes yet.

I think I finally managed to find the perfect balance of time, temperature, and measurement last night, so that there was no unpleasant bitterness to this at all. So I can now rate the tea on its intended flavor.

It smells heavenly… like marshmallows. Even my husband, who is rather apathetic about tea, says he wishes it tasted like it smelled. The taste, however, is decidedly meh. It’s somewhat sweet, but even with a bit of sugar, it just doesn’t wow me in the way the smell leads me to believe it might. Disappointment.

I’ve not been looking forward to tasting this one. The smell of the dry leaves was overpoweringly smoky… and the flavor, while far more mellow, is just too strong for me. I brewed just a single cup, which I rarely do, and have had to force myself to finish it. I don’t think I’ll use the rest of the tin, which is a bit of a shame.

No notes yet.

It’s coming off a bit bitter iced, but it’s entirely possible that I wasn’t minding the time/temperature as well as I thought I was… I had one eye on the balcony the entire time, as I was in the process of moving my books and laptop out here while making sure the cats kept “All Four Paws Inside the Railing at All Times.” Distraction sometimes makes for mediocre tea.

This is the third Earl Grey in my collection. I’ve yet to repeat any other variety this often. Apparently, I’m quite fond of Earl Grey. Who knew?

The smell is very sweet… almost like orange candy, as opposed to the harsher, flowery versions. The taste seems a bit smoother, too. I’ve never really known the proper term for this, but I’ve always had a problem with flavors that don’t blend. Noodles that tastes like chile THEN peanut, or in this case, Earl Grey that tastes like bergamont THEN tea. There needs to be a smooth transition, and this seems to have one.

A small amount of agave this time. Yummy.

Series 3 from Damn Fine Teas arrived on my doorstep less than an hour ago. Between the jasmine and the bergamont, the package smelled very reminiscent of Lush bath bombs. In a good way… a box of Lush bath bombs without the headachey perfumey bombs that break me out, I suppose. (I’m looking at you, Sex Bomb.)

Anyway. Jasmine Green smells amazing. All this time I’ve been blaming jasmine for the iced tea I don’t care for at a local cafe, but now I’m thinking there has to be another culprit, because this was fantastic. The green tea isn’t as… green as some of the other blends I’ve tried and disliked, and the jasmine has a really nice, delicate flavor.

I must try this iced.

I’ve yet to actually try this with breakfast, because it’s a bit strong for my early-morning sensitive tummy. Even the smell gives me a bit of a stomachache… Though, it does taste much smoother than it smells. Once I’ve woken up a bit, and had something to eat, it’s a lovely bold pick-me-up. I’ve tried it with milk, cream, soy milk, and almond milk (separately, of course) but I guess milky tea is just not for me. Unless I’m doing something wrong…

Interesting. A bit smoky for my tastes, but not too off-putting. I’ve been nursing a small pot for about three hours now… watching movies on my first Sunday off in almost 3 years.

I think I give up on artificially flavored tea…

Tried brewing more tea for a shorter amount of time to counteract the bitterness, but it now has very little flavor. Which, again, is exactly the problem I had with the Adagio Vanilla. So far, Cinnamon seems to be the only Adagio flavored tea that likes me. (Though, last night’s cup grew on me after I got past the bitter taste. There’s still a chance!)

Was trying to conserve the rest of my sample, and consequentially ended up with a very weak cup this morning. Can’t decide if that was an even bigger waste… =/

Bought this solely for iced tea. It smells amazing, but I got a real bitter taste with my first sip… the same problem I had with the Adagio Vanilla. Seems the flavored teas might be a bit temperamental.

My first cup of hot tea in months. I like this so much better than the other black teas I’ve had hot.

Another back-log. I love this so much that I’ve been forcing myself to drink some of the other teas in my cupboard to make it last longer.

Doing a bit of back-logging. This has been my go-to iced tea lately.

Over ice with lemon. Fantastic.

Had this for the first time a few hours ago, and it was a bit weak. This time I brewed it a little stronger, and it’s tasting rather astringent. Hmm

Bought this at a snack cart out of sheer desperation for a hot drink today. Wasn’t bad, but it’s been so long since I’ve had bagged tea… it just doesn’t compare.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

Over ice was much better than hot, but I’m still not a fan. Very disappointing, as I usually love peach iced tea.