TeaSource

Teeny Tiny TTB Round 2

Hooray, I got the box! And there are actually quite a few things I want to try, which is awesome. I’ve actually heard really good things about this tea, though for some reason it has barely any reviews, and a low rating? Weird. The leaves look nice enough, they’re black and quite thick and curly. There are a few blue flower buds mixed in as well. Dry scent is sweet blueberry jam.

Mm, the steeped tea smells very blueberry, and it’s actually quite convincing too. There’s that deep sweetness but also a little hint of tart that makes me picture fresh blueberries instead of jam. Hm, this is way too light on the blueberry for me. If I drink a blueberry-flavored tea, I want it to taste like blueberry. It mostly tastes like a somewhat woody base tea with a little bit of blueberry and a touch of floral. Meh!

Very light tea, fairly strong chamomile flavor.

Strong body. As dark as coffee if you steep up to 30 minutes. Rebrew up to three times. (I usually do first brew at 4 minutes, second for 8.)

Love this, so delicate yet also complex. I could drink this every day.

The ginseng and licorice don’t taste at all like ginseng and licorice, because they meld together to create something entirely new that is very pleasant. It has an aftertaste that leaves the mouth feeling smooth and cleansed.
I brewed this in my YiXing pot that I have seasoned with Blue Beauty Oolong. The cumulative taste has made it a wonderful choice for an YiXing pot.

I don’t believe this is something I requested in my swap with Inkling but I am so glad she included it because it’s great! When I read both “ginger” and “peach” in the description, I immediately thought this needed to be iced so I dumped the whole sample in my gravity steeper and started brewing. I actually wasn’t sure if this was for me but then I smelled the wet leaves and it was a noseful of peachy goodness.

When it came time for drinking the tea, I worried the base might take over but from the first sip, I am happy to announce that the mouth-watering peach smell translates perfectly into the taste. The base is incredibly smooth which allows the fuzzy peach-like flavor to shine all the while, a slight kick of ginger underlying the sip keeps things interesting. Once again Inkling has not only introduced me to a tasty tea but also a new company to explore. This is why I love swaps! Also, thank you Inkling for such a fantastic package :) 182.

From the Cooking TTB.

I’m glad I got a chance to try this, but this is not for me. On the first steep, the ginseng sweetness is a bit cloying, in the way that licorice often is, and masks the taste of the oolong. On the second steep of these leaves, the balance of flavours is better, but the oolong is very woody tasting. Probably my least favourite flavour profile for oolongs.

Ah well. I’m sure someone else will enjoy the rest of this sample more than me.

Matronly, thin and disgusting.
Sounds more like a description of your mother in law than tea. However, this is not tea… its potpourri with some tea in it.
I do not like flavored teas, but felt obligated to try it as it was sent to me as part of my Steepster Select membership… which so far has yielded nothing I have enjoyed, but that’s a different story.
The reddish brown color of the cup is inviting, however the aromas of toffee, butterscotch and caramel remind me of walking by Garrett’s Popcorn in downtown Chicago around the holidays… which is not terrible at all, when that is where you smell it. The taste profile is better than the aroma, but not by much… sweet peppercorn and cardamom dominate, with hints of citrus (orange), which is supported by the coriander cinnamon notes and closes with a decent astringency, which may be its savior. The actual black tea flavors are all but completely washed away. Overall the mouth feel is thin and the finish, although lasting is a bit minty, soapy and disgusting… like the smell of one of those candle-potpourii-soap shops in a mall has been jellified and you brushed your teeth with it.
Now… with all of that being said, this is far less offensive than other flavored teas I have had, and I know that some people love it and I am not saying they are wrong for enjoying it (some people also like sangria over wine – cough)… this is just my opinion and an honest review of the product. Now if you will excuse me, I think my cats stole my yarn and I need to finish my knitting for the holidays. Here kitty kitty… haha

I’m not crazy about this one—not a surprise. I’ve had mixed reactions to China Blacks and especially the ones from Anhui. I do love Black Bud and Hunan Dark and Keemun Mao Feng, which is an Anhui tea. But hated Empire Keemun, and this is more reminiscent of that one. Just a bit too earthy, too smokey for my tastes—especially unadulterated with milk—a little dairy or almond milk does make this more drinkable, but hardly a favorite.

I can only second Teaman’s review. This isn’t quite what you expect of a Assam. The maltiness is there, but it’s smoother, with less bite, and for me more reminiscent of some Chinese blacks I’ve known and loved than the Assams I’ve tried. And I quite like it. Definitely one I’d order again.

This was the last of four Darjeeling 2nd Flushes sent me by a friend. We really loved a Giddapaphar Estate and Thurbo Estate, was less wild about the Oaks Estate. I’m afraid this belongs with the second group. It’s not bad—there’s nothing odd or off about it, but nothing that stands out either. In that regard its less distinguished than the Oaks Estate tea. It tastes to me like a generic second flush darjeeling. More medium-bodies and less oolong like than the spring flushes, pairs well with milk but still a good self-drinker, slightly astringent with that slightly fruity taste, but certainly not as honeyed as the Giddapaphar 2nd Flush. Drinkable and enjoyable.

We recently received a bunch of teas from a friend, including 5 different varieties of 2nd Flush Darjeelings, which are particular favorites of ours. This is the third we’ve tried and suffers in comparison. It’s not bad at all—nothing unpleasant, if rather strong, almost smokey for a darjeeling. It’s just we loved the Thurbo Estate and Giddapaphar Estate Darjeelings we tried and this didn’t impress us after two days in a row of teas we loved.

A friend gifted us with some black teas, including a variety that have been favorites of ours, 2nd Flush Darjeelings. My aunt LOVED the Thurbo Estate 2nd Flush Darjeeling we tried yesterday and even asked for more, which she never does, then today we tried the Giddapaphar Estate SFTGFOP1 Tippy 2nd Flush and she told me she loved this one even more.

So did I. This one was a bit astringent, but not unpleasantly so. And what was prominant to me was a really lovely honeyed note. So did I love this more than the Selim Hill Darjeeling, our previous favorite of all time? Been so long it’s impossible to know. But this one is a keeper we’ll be ordering again when available.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a darieeling. The darjeelings, especially the second flushes have tended to be our favorites, with Selim Hill at the tippy top. So long it’s been, I’m not sure how to rate this tea. Is it exceptional among its relations? Or is it just that its a good enough second flush darjeeling and we tend to love that? I’d call this medium-bodied, with the usual malty, almost fruity note you taste in many a darjeeling, and one that pairs well with milk. Definitely a keeper—my aunt drank her cuppa right up and wanted seconds.

This was gifted me by a friend. I was surprised to like this as much. I’d had Genmaicha before at TeaLeaf. That one tasted way too brothy for me, while this one was more a toasty flavored—well, Green tea. One I could enjoy—I’ll be keeping and enjoying this. The only reason I’m rating it relatively low is because there are so many teas, even green ones, even green flavored ones I like a lot more from TeaSource: Green Pomegranate, Tai Ping Hou, Clouds and Mists, Houjicha among the greens, not to mention lots of oolongs and blacks. So I don’t see myself ordering this with so many other alternatives.

This tea smells really nice. I could enjoy that while the tea was still too hot to drink!
I appreciate the spice, striking the right balance between asserting itself and not being overpowering. The fruitiness is a nice complement to the spice.
This tea reminds me of Christmas, although that might be a result of the trauma of seeing Christmas decorations already on display in stores. A solid tea!

This came in my first Steepster select box. I haven’t tried many black teas because of the caffeine. I woke up with a terrible headache today and wanted something with caffeine. It smells divine! I brewed just like the package suggested in my Breville one touch. I did add creme and sugar to this one. It has a heavier mouthfeel similar to coffee. This certainly goes in my top 5 favorites so far!! It has a hint of a spicy fruit in it. But not a fruity tea. I taste clove and possibly nutmeg- fall flavors. This taste like Autumn!

This is the first tea that I have tried from my steeper select shipment. From opening the bag to steeping the tea, the spicy aroma of cloves, citrus, and an array of other fall-like aromas fill my nose. This was a nice and sweet compliment to the poached pear and popcorn I decided to consume while drinking it. The re-steepings in my teapot were not as sweet. For cold mornings, this could be better than a chai to warm me up.

This is a colorful mix. There are whole cardamom pods complete with their little stems, dry orange peel, and red peppercorns in a black tea.
You gotta be ready for spice and orange-cinnamon to drink this. I had opened it yesterday and it was more than I wanted to tackle lol so I planned when to drink it.
It smells spicy and orangey.
I brewed one cup of this and let my water cool down to brew some green tea. I drank all of my green tea then this one had cooled down to where I could really get the flavors.
This is very spicy, orangey, and cinnamony smelling. It smells like those holiday pinecones at Walmart with the cinnamon oil on them. I am scared to drink it lol (I like TeaSource teas though so I know it will be ok).
Flavor is orange and cinnamon with a little bit of cardamom (I had two pods in my teaspoon). It is very much like an herbal tea to me,,,I don’t taste the black tea at all and the liquor is a clear golden color.
This is not too bad, definitely one for holiday time.

From the Steepster Select Box; October, 2014

Really liked this tea and the blooming aroma from the tea pouch, the teapot, and the cup itself. Felt like a great fall tea and really enjoyed the orange rind that added to the aesthetic.

From the Steepster Select Box; October, 2014

Tired some 2012 sheng last night. Bought a 200 gram brick for 8.99.
New brick not sure of any of the specifics about it.
All I know is using a puerh knife is mint I am getting way better taste since the leaves are generally more intact.

Used a small amount of leaves 4.5 grams to my 6 oz gaiwian, did a 10 second rinse followed by 30 seconds rest for the leaves.

First flavors noted were a Mellon like vegetal taste with a slight smokey aspect.
Very smooth for the first 5 infusions. Almost like water in a good way. Didn’t want too much buzz before bed sometimes tea gives me the most intense dreams if I over indulge before I fall asleep.
After around 7 infusions I noticed a minerally aspect to it with very little bitterness but some astringency found.

Not too much qi with this small amount of leaves but this morning I ramped it up to 8.5 grams of leaves to my 6 ounce gaiwian.
Same rinse and rest of the leaves but I found this is where I find this tea shines.
the taste was smooth just as last time but more flavor in each steeping.

The Muskmelon taste is back and more predominant.
I found a rather notable vegetal smokey flavor to take over the majority of the infusions.
I find the lingering taste to be more apparent but still no dryness to this puerh.
Took it to 20 steeping’s before I wanted to try something else.

Gonna experience this one a few more times before I age it.