Cory O'Brien

I selected this blend as my free sample from Teas Etc. and was very happy with the result. It’s a white tea, so the subtle flavor was to be expected, but the rose petals added a nice flowery bite, and the coconut added a sweetness to the flavor that made for a great mix of aromas and flavors that unfolds with each sip. A definite winner, with a great story that just adds to the experience.

The leaves have a fantastic aroma that reminds me of amaretto. It’s a nutty, almost liquor-like smell that is very inviting. The tea itself still has a smooth almond accent to it that isn’t sugary or over sweet, though the aroma and the flavor does mellow out from the aroma of the leaves.

In terms of taste, this tea has a sweet almond flavor that’s smooth on the palette with no bitterness. It’s pleasant, though the almond flavor could be a little stronger.

Not a big complaint though; as this one’s a keeper.

This tea has a flowery sweetness upfront and a honey finish that is accented by just a touch of bitterness that lingers on your tongue. It’s not an especially aromatic tea, though the leaves do have a kind of woodsy, cinnamony smell to them that is pleasant but subtle.

Today was the last steep from my 1oz. tin, and overall I was very happy with this tea. It has a nice bit of fruit flavor to it, as well as a flowery, spicy taste that makes for a complex cup. It’s also a tea that can be enjoyed by itself, and at any time of the day, since it’s either caffeine free or light on the caffeine. (The tin says caffeine free, but Steepster says it has a ‘natural’ caffeine, whatever that means…)

I don’t know that I’d buy more of this tea, since it has a lot of flavors that blend together to make a great, though not distinct tea, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone that’s looking for an easy to drink mate with a lot of different flavors and aromas.

This is a great tea, and definitely deserving of its World Tea Championship award. It’s smooth and full-bodied, with a nice hint of bitterness and a malty bite on the finish. I’m looking forward to giving this a few more steeps and really diving into the flavor.

The smell of the leaves is strong and spicy, with cardamon dominating the aroma. It mellows out a bit when you steep it, but there is still a nice spiciness to this tea that creates a very complex flavor. For this cup, I added some soy milk to make it thicker and creamier, and it think it adds to the experience, though the soy does take over more of the flavor than I’d like. Overall, a good chai tea with a mix of spices that creates an enjoyable flavor.

To me (and this may just be me) the leaves of this tea smell EXACTLY like Froot Loops. In fact, I was having childhood flashbacks just sticking my nose in the tin.

After the recommended steeping, the tea has a sweet, flowery aroma that’s both pleasant and powerful. Again, it’s very reminiscent of Froot Loops, and brings to mind the idea of smelling sugary. (Not sure if that’s even possible, but hopefully you know what I mean. It smells like the sugar coating on a bowl of Froot Loops.)

In terms of taste, this tea has a definite sweetness to it, as well as a bite on the edges of your tongue where the tart/tangy nature of the tea comes through.

There’s also a lingering, sugary sweetness to the flavor that rounds out the Froot Loop experience. It sounds crazy, but the association was so strong, it was hard to ignore.

Overall, I enjoyed this tea, and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys sweeter, flowery flavors.

Great blend, though I think I over-steeped it in too hot water, so the coconut flavor didn’t come through as strongly as it could have. The lemongrass was a fantastic addition to the spicy chai flavor though, and adds to the aroma as well, so that was nice. Definitely a tea with a lot of potential, and one that I’ll enjoy as I try and perfect the formula.

I bought this tea for a friend that LOVES bacon, so I wasn’t expecting much (I figured it was more novelty than anything) but I was pleasantly surprised by a tea that mixed sweet and smokey to create a perfect blend of flavorful black tea.

When you first open the bag, the leaves have a strong, sweet smell that reminded me of pralines. There’s a bit of bacon in the aroma as well, though it’s more of a woodsy, smokey smell than a meaty, porky smell.

When you brew it, the aroma mellows out and leaves you with a dark, golden brown/caramel colored tea that has a wonderfully smokey aroma and hints of salty bacon. The smoke definitely overpowers the maple and the bacon though, so don’t expect to be drinking liquid meat. (Which is a good thing.)

Next steep, I’d go a little longer and see if the bacon gets a little stronger, but this is a surprisingly good tea with complex flavors that will be enjoyed by anyone that likes a smokey, hearty tea.

This time around, the tea came out sweeter than previous steepings, and I was surprised by how well-balanced the flavor was. There’s a general sweetness to it, with just a hint of smoky flavor, and it’s rounded out by a nutty, chocolately taste that adds an extra layer of complexity. Still not what I’d call “great”, but it’s definitely growing on me.

Revisiting this tea, and still not impressed. The spice does add to the flavor, but it overpowers the pumpkin, and you just end up with a spicy black tea.

No notes yet.

Another cold morning in San Francisco made better by a fantastic black (or more appropriately, black and golden brown) tea. Golden Spring’s subtle sweetness makes for a mellow flavor that’s smooth and enjoyable, while the smokey, sweet aroma rounds out the experience. Great stuff!

What goes well with a sleepy Wednesday morning? Dragonwell! This time around, I’m picking up more of the sweet flavors that Dragonwell is known for, and it results in a nice tea to start the day with. I also love how the leaves start flat and lifeless without a lot of aroma, and then open up through the steeping to reveal their true character. It’s a great metaphor for what I feel like after drinking a cup of the dragon. Love it!

Today was the last of my sampler tin, so I decided to steep it out with a bang. (7+ minutes of steeping.) Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. The flavor was wonderful and flowery, with subtle hints of grass and minerals, and not a lot of bitterness. Though this tea didn’t wow me at first, it did grow on me, and I was sad to see it go.

I can’t pronounce the name of this tea for the life of me, but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying it! Steeped for an extra minute today, and I’m not sure if it unlocked an extra something special or what, but it was delicious! Smokey tones, a rich, dark color, and an earthy/smokey aroma combine to form a potent black tea that can easily be enjoyed by itself on a cold, damp morning.

This tea redefines what a smooth, semi-sweet black tea should taste like.

The leaves are a beautiful golden color, and the tea actually turns out a lot darker than you’d expect based on the color of the leaves. Once steeped, there are hints of sweetness in the aroma, though the true flavor really comes out in the first few sips. While not a ‘hit you in the face with flavor’ type tea, the sweet tones and hints of honey and caramel create a subtle yet complex flavor that’s hard to disagree with. With a four minute steep, there is no bitterness, which creates a really smooth flavor that can be savored and enjoyed. The finish is equally enjoyable, with a sweetness that lasts from sip to sip. Definitely a winner that’s worthy of the ‘best black tea’ distinction.

I love the look of this tea’s leaves: A nice mix of cocoa, green and gold that just begs to be steeped. The smell of the leaves is on the subtle side, with hints of cocoa and earth. When steeped, it turns a nice caramel color that’s dark enough to imply flavor, but not so dark that it fools you into thinking the taste is going to be stronger than it is. The aroma is equally subtle, with just a bit of spice and a smoky/earthy side to it. I accidentally steeped this one for two minutes too long, so the taste is probably a bit more on the bitter side that it was supposed to be, but even still, it’s very mellow with just a hint of bitterness and spice. Summing it all up: Good tea, but not one that will wow you. Just a solid black tea that’s hard to go wrong with.

Steeped for an extra minute today to see if that would bring out more of the flavor, and while it did make it a bit stronger, it wasn’t much of a difference. However, there’s still just a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste, so I suspect there’s room for an even longer steep if needed to make a really strong, flavorful tea.

I was intrigued by a green tea that steeps for 5 minutes in boiling water (usually reserved for black tea) but was pleasantly surprised by the results: A smooth, strong taste and aroma without a lot of the ‘grassy’ taste usually associated with green tea. The leaves themselves unroll as they steep, so the process is interesting as well. Definitely lives up to the hype that other reviews have given.

Good, but not great. It’s a sweeter black tea with a nice, golden brown color and a smokey aroma, but the taste isn’t as strong as it could be, and the smokey aroma doesn’t last through steeping, so it looses a lot of what could make it unique. Not bad, and I think it could really open up with a longer steeping since there’s still no bitterness at 5 minutes, but not as good as I was hoping for from the “embodiment of this tea’s wonderful potential”.

The soft, airy, golden colored leaves brew a much darker tea than you’d expect. Though the leaves do have a subtle/sweet aroma to them, the full aroma doesn’t unlock until you steep it, when their sweet and savory quality comes out and invites you in for more. Taste wise, there’s a definite sweetness to this tea, which makes it a smooth and easy to drink tea for a cold morning wake-up. Aftertaste is smooth and sweet, with just a little hint of black tea bitterness. I don’t really get ‘meaty’ from it, but it does have a thicker mouthfeel, so I can see how that would make it a little more ‘meaty’. Overall, a definite winner that can easily be enjoyed throughout the day.

This tea brews DARK. The leaves do have a slight fishy smell to them, but it’s not overpowering, and it doesn’t really transfer to the taste. Earthy is a better word for the taste, with mossy hints and a smooth, woodsy finish with just a hint of bitterness. While not my favorite black tea, this does have a unique flavor that works well for when you’re looking for something different, so I give it a thumbs up.

Great black tea, with a subtle, peppery flavor and a nice aroma. Not too strong (as with most teas, I think the flavor could be a bit stronger) but it isn’t bitter or too acidic, so it’s smooth and pleasant. The flavor also lingers for a while, so you can enjoy it slowly. Color is a nice golden/copper orange, and looks like the flavor will be stronger than it is.