Kally Tea

The final sample from my swap with Sil. Judging from the colour, there’s a lot of my friend hibiscus in here. While the scent is orangey, it’s also quitge spicy to begin with, although it does take on a notable creaminess as the steep progresses.

To taste, this is surprisingly sweet and creamy. The spicy notes I got from the dry mix made me think this would be quite sharp and tart, but it’s not like that at all. It actually reminds me a bit of Refreshers. Given that there’s probably a considerable amount of hibiscus in here, this is actually one of the nicest fruit teas I’ve tried in a while. It lives up to its name perfectly, somehow managing to be sweet, definitely orangey and creamy despite all indications to the contrary. A really enjoyable tea that I’m glad to have had the opportunity to try. Thanks again to Sil for sharing it with me!

I’m down to the last few of my samples from Sil now, and this is one of the ones I’ve really been looking forward to. I’m a big fan of both white tea and berry tea, so this should be a good fit for me.

The dry leaf smells really lovely. Sweet, with definite notes of raspberry and maybe the merest hint of champagne. There are a good proportion of silver tips among the leaves and stems, and everything looks very fresh and green . I was drinking Adagio’s white peony yesterday, which is probably why the greenness stands out here. Although I love Adagio’s version, the leaves are much darker, almost black-brown in some cases, and just don’t have the look of freshness about them that these do.

Anyway, I waited patiently for the water to cool, and gave this about 2.5 to 3 minutes. The liquor is a beautiful golden colour, rather like champagne, and the champagne scent itself is more noticeable now it’s brewed.

To taste, this is wonderfully delicate. The champagne flavour actually comes across really well. I’m not sure what gives that effect – maybe it’s a slight grapeiness I’m picking up on? The floral nature of the white tea base helps a little too, I think. It could only really be improved if it was fizzy, let’s say that! The raspberry is more subtle, but it’s definitely there in the background. In terms description accuracy, this really is like drinking a glass of champagne with a couple of raspberries in it, only in tea form. I’m enjoying this as a warm drink (I’m not going to say hot, as I was good and waited for the water to cool, such that it can’t really be described as hot any more…). I’d love to try it iced, though. I have a feeling that’s how it would really shine. As flavoured white tea goes, though, this is a triumph. Hugely enjoyable. Thanks again to Sil for sharing it with me!

sipdown!

Cold brew of this one and it hasn’t changed my mind. While this isn’t a bad tea, its not really a tea that has a decisive flavour. Really not much else to say about it but bon voyage!

SIPDOWN! (274 though all my tea is currently spread out on my table so that i can re-organize and make sure nothing’s been missed in my cupboard and that will change with the teas i’m getting tomorrow from raritea and kittenna).

It feels good to be getting through some of my kally teas. They’re not “old” as nothing in my cupboard is more than 7 months old, tops. But they’ve been around longer than some teas so i’m trying to pay a bit more attention to them. That’ll be the last time i order that much tea in those quantities in one go lol though i have to say at least they were economical so i can’t complain too much :)

Enjoy this one quite a bit as far as rooibos goes. Flavour is a little on the weaker side for what i like but it’s still tasty :)

SIPDOWN! (276 though that will change again tomorrow) I figured i should finish this up and get the rest in a bag for Tastybrew who wanted some. There was just enough to make a small cup after packaging up a few cups worth for her so i said what the heck! Still a lot of teas to get through in the next little while so it’s nice to be able to cross a few off my list. Maybe i’ll have time to re-organise my overflowing cupboards tomorrow after gym and costco :)

Still really like this one, it’s tastier than your average green caramel, which i think is because of all the stuff going on. Happy i got the chance to try this one from Kally tea.

not quite a sipdown unless someone wants the last of this to try lol. Still not a bad rooibos, though it’s not my favourite. It’s not a rooibos with that distinctive “rooibos” taste so it’s good in my books :)

Got this is a swap from Sil.

The dry tea smells like creamy cherry. Not authentic cherry but candy cherry.

The brewed tea has a very strong metallic rooibos flavour. There is a creamy flavour and an artificial cherry taste. You can taste the rose underneath the cherry taste.

I find this to be an OK rooibos. It seems to be quite artificial tasting to me.

mmmmm one of my last teas for this evening…I managed to get down to 270 teas this weekend, so that makes me pretty happy. I’m picking up a few teas from my parents tomorrow so it will go up a bit but over all it’s looking like i’m on the downward slope again….finally. I won’t make 200 teas by the end of June but I think I can hold out and not buy any more teas until the end of June or keep it to really small orders.

This tea? It’s still one that i enjoy, though i’m nearing the end of it. I’ll have to figure out if i want to re-order this one as i’ve consistently wished the flavour was a little stronger. Still though, it’s a decent one for the no caffeine factor :) Plus kally teas has some great customer service!

So, fruity cherry banana. Another sample from Sil, and part of my ongoing quest to find a fruit tea I can really love. The dry mix is pretty impressive – I can identify pieces of most of the things that are supposed to be there, including strawberry, banana, apple and orange, along with the seemingly ubiquitous hibiscus and rosehip. Cherry is notable by its absence, but possibly that’s just in the flavouring. It’s hard to say exactly what it smells like dry – generically fruity is the closest I can really get, and none of the flavours seem particularly dominant at this point.

Brewed, this is a different story. The liquor is a deep pink-red, and the scent is more decidedly of cherry and banana. There’s also a slight background nuttiness which is intriguing. After my first sip, I was concerned that this was going to be primarily a hibiscus tea. Initially, that’s the flavour that comes out most strongly. Fortunately, it’s quickly followed by really quite distinctive notes of cherry and banana. It’s curious, because it sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it definitely does! The cherry is quite tart, and marries well with the hibiscus and rosehip while tempering some of the sourness that those two ingredients on their own would contribute. The banana is sweet and creamy, and just seems to help bring the whole thing together. I know the taste is reminding me of something, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is at the moment. Some dessert, probably! I’m really happy with this, though. For a hibiscus based fruit tea, it’s not half bad!

Thanks Nicole for the sample! This one is really good. It’s probably my favorite of the three teas you sent me. It is sweet, the base isn’t too bitter, and it is very inviting. There is a slight hint of flavor at the beginning of the sip that’s a bit interesting/don’t know if it’s my favorite; but it’s still very nice.

Sil Sample Sipdown #1 (of the day)!
This is an interesting tea. The main flavor I’m getting is a toasty rice breakfast cereal, or a sweet rice crispy treat, with salted butter. I’m also thinking of a payday bar type confection, with the rich caramel center, only with toasted rice on the outside instead of peanuts.
It is tasty. Thanks Sil!

Sipdown!!! I better work on getting my numbers down a bit further! I wonder if I can dedicate Sat and/or Sun to sipdowns, or if I have enough teas that are 1 cup away? :|

This was an enjoyable one. :D

Sip down! (by my roommate)

Successfully converted roommate to teas – mostly jasmine greens, roasted mate, pu’er and blacks. Another win for Team Tea!

Go Team Tea!

EDIT: Oh boy, I think he got tea drunk. At first it was “Wow, there’s something happening to my head” to “Woooo I love tea!’
Now picture it being said by a 6’4” 220lb guy waving around a small mug dancing around.

Thank you Sil for this tea.

I have tried one or two teas before from Kally and have been impressed, it’s a shame they don’t ship to UK. :(

Usually I don’t deal with Chai but there are times I make an exception to the rule and this is one of them. In dry form this smells like spicy cola cube sweets, it’s amazing! I have never heard of cola being mixed with Chai in a tea before. Also reminds me of a strong ginger beer.

Once steeped the tea is orange in colour with a thick cinnamon and cola essence. Yummy! The Rooibos is noticeable but down down slightly by the spice medley. It’s sweet and spicy with cola candy elements and a light, refreshing after taste. Luckily for me it’s not cardamom heavy :)

It might taste more like cola cubes and less like Rooibos if I were to add a sugar or two which I will try next time. The first cup is good though, I’m glad I gave this one a try. It goes to show that you can’t judge a tea by it’s ingredients alone.

Thanks to Sil for the sample!

This is pretty nice and delicate. I can definitely taste (and recognize!) the bai mu dan base, and the tangerine/spices just accent it. It’s a nice tea when you want something flavoured while still being fully aware you are drinking tea. :)

Mmmm, I’m really digging into the box of teas I got from Sil, & this one is very tasty! Thanks Sil!

Last tea of the evening. I figured i should stick with one of the rooibos teas that i’ve had for a bit longer than the others. I still enjoy this one though i think i’d much rather drink the toffee and cream version from Kally tea. Just not enough chocolate in this one though there is enough “berry” taste.

Thanks to Sil for sharing this one! Only a short tasting notelet, as I probably oversteeped this one (no brewing instructions on the website and I figured a Ceylon should be okay for 4 minutes, anyway). The smell was amazing, and I now know that I must have an osmanthus tea somewhere in my cupboard, though this may not be the osmanthus for me. The taste was much weaker, and as the tea base was rather bitter, it was hard to get anything else. I’ll try again shorter and maybe cooler.

I prefer their Milford’s Grey over this one but this is pretty wonderful, too! It’s a stronger black tea overall with a medium strength bergamot and EG flavor to it. But that could be because I did a double shot of the Loose Leaf at half the time! I agree with Liberteas on the Drier astringency notes, too!

Tried this tea this morning, but realized I couldn’t taste anything except weak white tea (not exciting enough for me) … Maybe I didn’t steep it long enough or I underleafed, but I am trying to limit my caffeine intake and this one just wasn’t worth it for me. I wanted to make it count so I made some Caramel Matchaccino instead ;)

Thanks for the sample though, Sil!!!

Backlog:

A really delightful flavored Oolong. The Oolong is sweet, creamy and slightly vegetative, and this melds nicely with the notes of tropical fruit. Floral notes also complement these flavors. I tasted notes of peach, mango and papaya, with a distinct pineapple note.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/19/tropical-heaven-oolong-from-kally-tea/

SIPDOWN!

The rest of this is on it’s way out the door in a swap and while it’s a little sad to see it go, i’ve also got more than enough tea to survive. I like this much better super hot than as it cools, since the spices come out to play a bit more as it cools, making it a spiced cola. However, there’s a part of me that wishes i thought to steep this in vodka as i think it might make for a pretty decent mixer. Ah well, happy to share this with folks, especially in the event kally does another awesome black friday deal!

Sipdown!
Thanks again Sil for this Rooibos blend, which I thought was pretty tasty, & my son Drew agrees.

Mmm still find this one quite tasty :) I like what’s going on with all of the bits that are in this one. Busy working from home while also trying to re-organize my teas cupboards. Figured i’d take some time to revisit a few teas that have been in there that i haven’t had in a while. That way i can figure out if they need to be swapped out or if i need to put them somewhere i’ll drink them more often :)