Steven Smith Teamaker

Herbal tea of the afternoon – by coincidence the peppermint, ginger and licorice in this blend are a nice tonic for tummy problems… I upped the rating a wee bit today. See previous note if interested.

This is the 2nd half of the holiday sampler from Steven Smith. I woke up this morning and had a pot of Golden monkey and I think that’s all the caffeine I will have today. I thought I was getting over this illness I had but last night I started developing a fever which is not good because I am supposed to get on an airplane tomorrow night.

Anyway this is a nice tisane from Steven Smith, it reminds me a lot of Bonbon from the same company but isn’t as sweet. Mostly what I am getting is mint and licorice, hard to detect any of the other ingredients in here. Pretty nice for an herbal but not something I would bother to stock on a regular basis.

Finishing this one up at work the last couple of weeks. My previous reviews still apply and I still like this one enough to want to keep it on hand. But I have discovered that if I forget about it and oversteep it I get smoke out of it. Blech. :) But if you like a bit of smoke, oversteep this at around 5 minutes or so and you may get it!

Ah yisssss!!!! This is what I have been chasing ever since more than a year ago when I had my introduction to Yunnans by chance in a random coffee shop. Dense and chewy, mildly sweet, leathery, thick and wonderful. I do get what my tastebuds identify as “smoke” but it lingers politely in the background, coming out more in the second steep but still as an aftertaste more than anything else. The first steep is best but the second is okay if you are trying to stretch your supply.

I’m starting to think what I taste as smoke is something else since so many others don’t notice smoke in teas that I do notice it in. Still makes my brain say “smoke” but maybe it isn’t what other people would think is “smoke” – and that probably makes very little sense. :)

Whoa, this tastes just like a candy cane, only yeah, slightly more spiced/grown up…I can definitely understand the complaints and reservations because it’s so, so sweet, truly like sugar candy, but I’m weird and when the majority of a tea’s sweetness is thanks to licorice root for some reason I really like it (Stash Licorice Spice was a staple guilty pleasure of mine back in the day) despite knowing abstractly that it’s not that removed from the gross chemical-plastic pin-pointy saccharine cloying flavor of something like, I dunno, those ‘80s packets of Sweet n’ Low. It reminds me of those individually wrapped peppermint candies that come in squarish pillowy chunks (like fat candy canes that have been chopped into segments) and have a slight marshmallow-y give to them, you know the ones I mean? There’s SWEET, and mint, and then licorice rootiness and a tinge of gingery spice. I gotta admit, as someone who hasn’t eaten holiday peppermint candy in over 10 years this is totally doing it for me right now.

Ugh, been outta commission due to work and then the last couple days when I’ve had free time to finally backlog Steepster’s been wonky. I’ve tried a ton of good teas the past month but logging has passed me by. :/ Will try to make note here and there the ones I remember being restockable.

The pine in here is lighter than I was expecting (I’m a fiend for those evergreen and rosemary-ish notes) but gives a little mysterious oomph that makes this good as a first-thing tea on a winter morning. The tea itself is nicely morning-y TEA flavor sturdy but not bitter or drying; I found the smoothness rather remarkable given the bases. Along with Bon Bon which I got obsessed with over Christmas, this is a definite “would restock” from SST (which is nice—I’ve been underwhelmed by the more notorious Steepster faves I’ve tried like Lord Bergamot and the Assam). Alas, it’s seasonal only. But bonus, like some of my favorite low fuss (read: no finicky temps needed) Harneys it’s bag-only and good for the holiday season when I’m mostly likely to be out of town and in need of decent bagged tea.

As someone obsessed with all things pine this time of year, when people started logging this for the holidays I was all over it (it helped I’d had a couple SSTs floating in the corners of my wishlist for a long time too). Steven Smith’s available in town but only 2 or 3 of the most obvious choices (think assam, mint). Decided to close out today’s festive outing with a cup before going to bed. Crazy I know but tomorrow’s an easy half day of work before 2 week break begins (yessss), and the scrumptious coffee stout I tried at the new local brewpub’s likely going to keep me awake a while longer anyhow…

This is lovely. The pine needle scent is most apparent in the dry leaf and freshly steeped, never heavy or obvious but there if you know to look for it, giving the whole thing a je ne sais quoi oomph I really dig. The tea itself is smooth and rich, perfect for this time of year—it’s hard to believe it’s darjeeling as it’s smoky and “dark” tasting, more like a lapsang souchong or assam but with a light, haunting body. [EDIT: I see now there is assam, so that solves that mystery!] There’s a slight roasted nut element in the taste more than smell that’s great and goes really well with the pine and smoke too. Really pretty stuff, and just what I was hoping for. A bit like holiday whiskey, ideal for this time of year if you like stronger flavors. Unlike for their Lord Bergamot the recommended steeping parameters do not result in an overly intense, bitter brew (a friend of mine in med school described it as “wake up and get your pith helmet” and boy she’s not foolin’); it’s just right. Tea has not been letting me down this week!

R.I.P. Steven Smith…

I just noticed this in my cupboard again and thought I should try it. I’ve had it for a couple of years and it’s a tea I rarely crave due to the strong licorice and mint combo. Somehow it seemed appropriate today because the weather we are having is gray and dreary here in San Francisco. Maybe I will get around to finishing this off sometime in the current decade, lol. Reminds me of Candy Cane Lane but really on the STRONG side. Only recommended if you like the combination of licorice and minty…

This is a tea that I drink rarely, mostly because between the licorice and the stevia it is so sweet and really strong. I seem to remember that licorice is very helpful for sore throats and coughs, so I thought I would drink this one today and see if it helps. I have another licorice tea from Yogi tea, maybe I will break that one out as well. Can’t really taste much so this isn’t offending me at the moment…lol

Purchased this with my last order from Steven Smith. They aren’t lying about this tea being sweet. Licorice is plenty sweet enough for me, but there is also stevia. The sweet element really jumps out at me, followed by the mint and then the ginger. There’s also sarsaparilla in here which I had a difficult time detecting (never got the chocolate flavor they mentioned either). When I first tried this I thought it was way too sweet, but it’s kind of nice when you’re feeling under the weather. This is the second licorice blend I’ve had today (after Yogi Tea’s version) and it’s supposed to be good for sore throats, we shall see! This is okay for an herbal but not sure I will be buying it again. I tried it when I first got it so impressions of flavor are recorded from a healthier time… ;-)

Gah, I can’t believe some of the negative reviews of this tea but I guess we all have our preferences. I think this is lovely, vegetal but also sweet with a silky like quality, I was thinking vanilla. Sweet and fresh are definitely adjectives that top my list. Oh, how I wish I had picked up some of this with my last S. Smith order (this is only a free sample), I think I need more. I don’t have time to write more but this is so lovely…

Backlogging

Yesterday, I made a trip out to Smith HQ with my mother. Usually, I end up with a pot of Darjeeling, and she goes for the Lord Bergamot. This time we did TWO pots of Morning Light – a Douglas Fir tips-‘n-rosemary-laden black tea blend out for the holidays. I’ve had fir tipped teas before, and had an earlier variation of this a year prior.

This years was better by a longshot. The rosemary adds a spicy tickle to the woodsy mintiness already in play. Very relaxing and tasty.

We went through two pots of the stuff in about an hour.

It’s bitter and I don’t want to drown it in milk and sugar. Tried diff parameters. At Steven Smith the lady suggested to make it 12 oz water 1tsp 5min steep. Bitterness decreased but it was kinda diluted not enough flavor. I prefer H&S Nahorhabi Full leaf Assam

very nice Assam i had this morning after irish oatmeal with dried fruits. very solid and flavorful cup. I ended up adding splash of whole milk and 1tsp maple syrup. it reminds me Harney’s Nahorhabi Assam Full Leaf a lot. Maybe im wrong. will have to test it side by side

The dry leaf smells of raisin and vanilla and is mostly dark leafed with a scattering of golden tips among the slightly broken leaf. It brews up to a nice dark rosewood coloured brew.

After 3.5 minutes, the tea smells of malt, sweetened cooked barley, a cross between sweet potato and roasted marshmallows, citrus, and caramel.

It tastes of malt with nice deep bitter tones, a hint of floral, cocoa and caramel, finishing with citrus and spice notes.

It has a smooth, rich, dense flavour. Thanks TastyBrew for a thoroughly enjoyable first cup for the day!

Got this as a free sample with my Steven Smith order that arrived today. It was good. I’m glad I got it as a sample. I almost ordered it but didn’t, knowing that Ceylons are not my most favorite thing. Surprisingly, it was pretty good. Lighter than I like and if I get the astringency then I want a Darjeeling instead. :) But it wasn’t super astringent or bitter, decently smooth and very… tea like. Nothing I’ll order but I’m glad to have tried it.

(Hey, at least I had a sipdown on the Kusmi Golden Yunnan today – and that makes an empty slot plus an empty tin to store the Steven Smith Yunnan in…)

Sipdown!

This is a tea I will miss having in my cupboard. It is a wonderful blend of black tea with douglas fir needles. Would definitely get this again if they offer it next holiday season. On the other hand, it is nice to actually be purging myself of some stuff.

Tea of the morning here. I love this unique and savory blend from Steven Smith. the Douglas Fir and Rosemary are so just so warming and satisfying, especially on a really rainy day like today. this is good plain or even with soymilk. I kind of wish this was a regularly stocked item by Steven Smith (it was only out for the holidays) but maybe they will have it again next year.

Tea of the morning here. I’ve reviewed this one before and it’s so unique and lovely. I am digging the fir scent/flavor of this one a lot. Good tea cheers me up quite a bit, I just wish I could do more stuff right now. Seriously considering hiring a home health aide…

Order from Steven Smith arrived yesterday – yay!

This was part of the holiday two pack I got. I love the tins but I wish this came in loose leaf form instead of the sachets.

I steeped it up at 5 minutes per Steven Smith recommendations and am sipping on it plain. This is a hefty blend that combines an assam, a darjeeling and a ceylon along with douglas fir needles. The overall effect is really delightful and interesting. I feel like there is some smokiness and also a lot of comforting warmth. The herby taste of the fir tree is making me want to go out and buy a bunch of douglas fir tea.

As far as the tea blend itself, the assam and ceylon seem to predominate. I’m not getting a lot of darjeeling in the mix. It has a slight tinge of bitternes in the finish, I think from the assam. Overall it is very unique and enjoyable, especially for the holidays. I wish they had this available year around!

I tried adding two other Smith teas to the database last night but they haven’t “shown up” yet. Hopefully they will in a few days.

Tea #4 from Traveling Tea Box C

I wasn’t able to get my hands on any of this for the Battle of the Earl Greys, so I took the opportunity the box presented to give it a try. It is a tasty one, but the low bergamot makes it taste a little more like an English Breakfast to me than an Earl Grey. I’m still going to enjoy the rest of the cup, though!

Additional notes: Sipdown! If I were blindfolded, I would have guessed this was tomato soup today! Tasted exactly like tomato soup… though I don’t think it did the last time. Another victim of my tastebud change? This would be good mixed with some tulsi/basil! I don’t love tomatoes, so I’m lowering the rating from a 97.

Steepster seems slow today, so here is a tasting note! You’re welcome! :D Another I was dying to try that I’m so thankful that Terri Harplady sent some of. Turns out, this is exactly the tea I wanted this morning!

Steep #1 // boiled // probably 3 1/2 minutes
I added a teaspoon and 1/3, mainly so the next steep session is a sipdown. The leaves are dark with just occasional hints of gold. Steeped, the cup color is very red! I love the flavor: brisk, malty, bready. If I hadn’t added an extra 1/3 teaspoon of leaves, I probably would have gotten more of the caramel that others have noticed. This one actually compares to the Ovation black teas I have that I have a ton of, that no one really wrote tasting notes for. They may have rated as high as this one if others had tried it. So I’m glad I have large amounts of the Ovation.. I don’t really have too much quantity of plain blacks and those are my favorite. (Most of my teas are sample sized – not usually any over two ounces!)

Steep #2 // boiled // 4 minutes
This cup was still delicious, yet oaky. I’m trying to figure out why second steeps often have this flavor. It’s either too many leaves or too long of a steep time, BUT I’m beginning to think that it’s since the leaves are already unraveled from the first steep, they might be over steeping. Like I said though, still delicious! A tough tea: wake-up, it’s flavor!

While this is a delicious assam, especially with a wee bit of maple syrup, I think there are others I prefer.

This is a delightful kick in the pants. Nice and strong, loads of assam flavours (ha), smooth with a bit of a bite.

Thanks, Sil, for sharing this with me. :D No, I didn’t share this one with my brother. He’s been loving puerhs and toasted oolongs more than the black teas lately.