DeKalb County Farmer's Market

Used it for iced tea and didn’t like it quite as much as the farmer’s market’s peach ceylon, but it was a nice, faintly lemony black tea.

My go-to tea for iced tea. If I don’t feel like sweetening it, the floral smell and light peach flavor add enough interest to drink it plain. No fake peach taste at all.

After Bonnie mentioned the ice brewing technique for Gyokuro, I had to try it with this stuff. It’s not the best by any means, but I figured I’d give it a try anyway.

Holy crap, it really changes this tea. It’s like drinking grass. Seriously. That might sound gross but it’s actually quite mindblowing.

It’s amazing. It’s so powerfully flavored; it’s pure grass at first and then it’s the naturally sweetest tea I have ever tasted.

Since I don’t have the proper stuff for making this, I just put 5 grams of tea in the infuser for my cast iron pot, then added 5 ice cubes, or however many it was that fit in there and let me put the lid on. I’ve been using the small cups that came with my gaiwan to have some as its ready and it’s just wow. I don’t even know what else to say. It’s turning cheap gyokuro into gold.

Hahah here I took a picture and everything, expecting this to not be listed yet, but Tabby beat me to it.

I love the bulk stuff at this “farmer’s market” (it’s more like an international grocery). I did not know before that they had greens and oolongs because it’s so crowded I only saw the black teas. So I had to immediately grab this.

I was not expecting much. I paid $2.30 for about 3 1/4 ounces.

I don’t know if it was my low expectations or what, but holy crap, this is actually good! It’s very grassy but sweet. I didn’t want to make much so I used my gaiwan and guessed a bit and steeped it for a minute. It could probably go a bit less and of course I couldn’t find the little booklet from Den’s Tea to at least try their parameters on it. (That search begins after this.)

This will do until one day I have the money for a really good gyokuro.

Hmm, I’m still the only person to review this tea so far. It’s sad that Atlanta seems to have so few Steepsterites.

Anyway, I’ve reviewed this tea three times before. It’s a coarse and cheap flavored Ceylon that’s better served over ice. Bright green apple flavor and mild black tea.

No notes yet.

This is my third tasting note, and my second tub of this tea.

I was at the market again the other day picking up shrimp, green curry, and some miscellaneous produce when I realized I needed some kind of plain black tea to make sweet tea from. Since this stuff is under $3 a tub, I figured I could have my loose leaf fix and be cheap at the same time. (Sweet tea is just fodder for myself and whoever’s over anyway.) Made a 2 quart pitcher from 9 teaspoons and added sugar. The pitcher was empty by the end of the night.

I have made this tea several times by now, I just haven’t logged it.

A few times, I’ve made a tall cup to go. It’s good hot, as the tea beneath the lemon flavor is pretty decent and is good for the morning. I grew up drinking Ceylon, so I’m a little biased. There are very few Ceylons I would give a bad rating to.

I can tell it’s cheap, but I’m not complaining. Especially when I make it iced. The lemon flavor isn’t painfully artificial, but not exactly natural, either. It could maybe use some lemon peel or something to liven it up. But it would make a good staple for iced tea, especially for days where I don’t have fresh lemons for it.

Made a pot tonight to share. It’s not the French vanilla taste I’m looking for, but it’s still good. I like it, and I like blending it with my other teas. It’s not a creamy vanilla… more like the coconutty vanilla. Or like a sugar cookie. Either way, this is my breakfast every now and then and I’ll probably buy it again out of convenience.

Upping my rating and adding a photo!

I made a pitcher of it and brewed it for thirty seconds less than I have been before. Those thirty seconds really made a difference. Before, it had a sort of spicy aftertaste that I wasn’t liking, but when the steep time is cut, it goes away. Anyway, I had it sweetened over ice. With a bendy straw, because those make everything taste better, right?

Like I said before, this is a mild and mellow Assam. Smooth and simple.

Made the tea last night, using a little more leaf than I should have, and left it in the ‘fridge overnight. But before I did, I blended two pinches of the DeKalb Farmer’s Market’s own apple pie spice into it. The next morning, I had a cold apple tea with the perfect balance of strong Ceylon flavor embellished with rich spices. It was a wonderful autumn treat that I will certainly be making again.

As far as the assams I’ve tried in the past have tasted, this one is a little mild. It’s a mellow, slightly musky black tea. Pretty unremarkable, but will make good fodder for mixing and making in big batches. I’ll probably overlook it next time I’m at the market, as I liked their ceylon a bit more.

I’ll have a picture for this tea up tomorrow!

I’m nearing the end of my little tub. I’ve made several pitchers and countless tall icy glasses of this tea. I had a feeling it would be my summer staple this year, and it definitely has been. I’ve also been experimenting and blending it with other teas to create flavors like Raspberry Apple, Raspberry Plum, or Raspberry Darjeeling, etc.

I will definitely pick up another tub when I go back. I still can’t believe 5 oz. of loose leaf is only $2. Also, I’ll be trying the Earl Grey and whatever else catches my eye.

Alright, so I gave this tea another go. I made it iced instead of hot, and I think I got a better batch. I definitely used enough leaf this time and it turns out that it’s about as strong as the raspberry blend I also have. I’m bumping up my rating, because I love anything apple flavored and this is no exception. Yum.

The first thought I had when I opened the container to sniff was “Wow, Sour Apple Blowpops”. This is definitely a green apple flavored tea, not apple cinnamon. The package doesn’t list ingredients, but there is no way this isn’t artificially flavored somewhat. It’s too strong and candylike.

I found that even after almost five minutes, this tastes a little weak. I’m keeping my rating a little low because of it. The apple flavor is very pleasant and nice, and it lingers in my mouth, but it’s not as flavorful as I expected from the scent. Next time, it gets a longer brew time and more leaf. Then maybe I can make a more final judgement.

Thanks to Zij-Ra, I got to try this oolong yesterday afternoon.

I didn’t take part in the preparation of this tea, so I can’t describe it much. Zij-Ra didn’t use an infuser, as she explained it wasn’t necessary. I was really impressed to see why. The leaves, though rolled tightly, expanded and uncurled to reveal that they were entirely whole. This is something quite impressive to me since I mostly stick to (admittedly low grade lately) black teas. It looked lovely in the cup, and I found myself looking down into it as I sipped, watching the leaves swirl about.

As for the flavor, it was most definitely an oolong even though the leaves are a little lighter green than some oolongs I’ve tried. I added a little honey to enhance the flavor, which seemed to bring out the oolong’s nuttiness. However, it did seem to taste a lot like a green tea as well, for lack of a better description. It had more of that fresh taste than I was expecting.

The steep time is just a guess since we never took the leaves out. I waited a pretty long time, probably more than I logged, because I’m sensitive to hot water.

Sipping an iced glass after work, lightly sweetened. No lime slice this time. I sort of burned myself out on it for a while.

I also wanted to welcome Zij-Ra to Steepster. Follow her, guys, she knows what she’s talking about. Anyway, she and her man, Kevin, were over yesterday and we made this tea iced with chunks of fresh lychee. We added the nut-fruits (fruit-nuts?) to the hot water, where they sort of infused with the tea and vice versa. The result was a little stronger Ceylon-y than I intended, but still delicious. The raspberry flavor held strongest, but the lychee added a certain exotic flavor. I would definitely do this again. Makes me wonder what other things I could infuse it with…

Made a pitcher of iced tea, sweetened, with a sliced up and slightly muddled lime. It’s divine. New favorite summer drink.

EDIT: After sitting in the fridge overnight, this got incredibly limey. I can’t even drink it now. It’s too strong and tart. Next time I’ll just use lime juice by itself.

Finally took a picture and uploaded it. It bugs me when teas I review don’t have images.

Made a glass iced last night. The raspberry flavor is more subtle when it’s cold, but I like it. It’s more refreshing than fruit juice, and yet it comes with a nice caffeine boost. Wish I had a lemon or lime slice to put in it. Something to think about for next time…

I cut through the woods to the farmer’s market today (to see if I could — never again, though, it was briars the entire way) and couldn’t resist. Anyway, I had just finished their darjeeling and felt I needed something new.

This is a good, strong Ceylon with most of the raspberry flavor in the finish. Then again, I’m having it iced. So experiences may vary. The scent of the leaves reminds me of raspberry flavored Tootsie Pops. (But in a good way.) The Ceylon’s flavor and bitterness keeps it from being too candy-like.

This is one of my first raspberry teas and I am liking it very, very much. It’s going to be a staple this summer, I think. I’ll have a picture up tomorrow, once I have some sunlight.

This a pleasant Assam. The packages I have bought are marked organic. I have bought it several times, and the flavor and quality have been consistent.

This is not a complex tea. It is smooth, hint of maltiness, a lovely dark, rich taste. Takes milk very well. Would be pleasant mixed with another smooth, more complex tea.

I really enjoy this one. Has a bit of a splurge taste, a thickness that I find very nice.

If I remember correctly it was $9.50 per pound, plus taxes.

I use two rounded teaspoons of tea for just under four cups of filtered, purified water. Water is boiled in stainless steel over gas flame. Steeping time: 4:30. It might hold up to a tad longer steeping time.

To me, this one is good enough to give as a present, if the other person knows it is a daily, or almost daily tea, not an extraordinary tea. It is very nice to have an inexpensive Assam available at a place where one buys the weekly groceries. (I wouldn’t drive across town merely for the tea.)

ETA on August 26, 2011: This tea leaves a residue, not only in the teapot and tea cups, but on my teeth. As nice as it is to drink, I have stopped drinking it, because it is so hard to clean the tea stains off my teeth.

This is a clean-tasting tea, bit of almost citrus-like layer on top of the taste. It is nice with a tiny bit of lemon juice in it. To me, it doesn’t have enough body or strong undertones for milk. It isn’t good enough to savor plain.

The flavor is not multi-faceted. It is enjoyable, for what it is.

The bulk teas at DeKalb Farmer’s Market are packed in plastic containers, exposed to light. Plastic is permeable, so the flavor of the tea is continually lost through the plastic, and other smells get in. I put their teas into glass jars stored in a cupboard, immediately.

The price is comparable to loose Lipton at a grocery store. The quality of the tea is only a tiny bit higher.

It is a pleasant, useful, ordinary tea.

I use filtered, purified water. Boiled in stainless steel over gas flame. Two, rounded teaspoons of tea leaves for just under four cups of water. Steeping time: 4:30. I preheat two pots. One for the steeping, and then strain it into the pot I use for serving.

I like that I am not paying for a brand name or expensive packaging. The quality and taste have been consistent over the last six months.

It is an enjoyable tea, if one knows that it is basically a grocery-store tea. Much nicer than the store-brand, tea bags on the lower shelves at grocery stores, but nothing really special.

Editing to add, on August 26, 2011: Have been drinking this tea black as a substitute for the Assam. I use circa 1.5 tsps. for 3.5 cups water. It is pleasant and smooth, and it doesn’t stain my teeth like the Assam does.

Second review. I went with my chai idea this morning and was pleased with the result. Nothing about it clashed, and the vanilla managed to stay strong against the chai spices. I added sugar and a splash of milk. Will do it again, I’m sure.

I also want to mention that while I was at a convention with Kaliska, who will be joining us shortly on Steepster, we brewed this double-strong in the hotel room. I poured it over ice with just a little sugar and Stoli Vanil vodka. The result toned down the vodka’s bite and added black tea’s pleasant bitterness, all the while being almost overwhelmingly vanilla. While I liked it more than I should have, haha, I think I would adjust the tea/vodka ratio just a little.

I had such high hopes for this tea. But now I feel like I shouldn’t have even wasted the sugar on it. It’s awful. There’s no way around it. It reminds me of some kind of terrible floral and orange scented floor wax. Also, my tea does not match the tea in the picture. There are no petals or bits of dried fruit to be found. I’m glad I only paid $1.75 for this.