darby

Wow! This is the first chocolate tea that I’ve had that actually tastes like chocolate! The raspberry doesn’t taste fake and the tea is just SMOOOTTH……

This is my first White Lion tea and was a sample sachet even! I’m thinking I might need to place another order before their low shipping minimum ends for June.

I love everything about this tea and could have it everyday for a nice dessert tea.

Purchased this when I traveled to Austria in 2010. The tea is still as good as day one. It is a nice smooth black tea with chocolate and vanilla flavors. This tea tastes just as good as it smells. Since I only had about 10 minutes before the shop closed that day, I had to make very quick choices…..I think I did pretty good! Definitely a good after dinner dessert tea. I’m possibly going to go back the end of 2014 so now it’s my goal to finish off all I bought there before I go back.

Yum Yum Yum! I am NOT a mint in tea person. I received this as a sample and it just smelled so good! The taste is just as fulfilling. A nice creamy smooth mint flavor. I will definitely be buying more!

Got this in the March newsletter. I’m quite shocked at the reviews because I loved this! The dry tea smells of heavenly sweet strawberry. The brewed tea has the same flavor as the scent. I didn’t even need sugar! I brewed it in a 16oz cup but I think I’d prefer it stronger so using 8-12oz next time.

My Grandma served this to me last night (in bag form). I was completely amazed that it was this good! I’m going to order some loose online now to compare. I loved that the orange and lemon had a nice light balance. In the meantime I picked up some bagged from Target and have made 3 cups already.

BTW – has anyone seen that Target now carries Harney and Sons in tins!!!

Got this tea for Christmas along with the Merlot and Green Tea one.

I was quite surprised by this tea – it’s very complex. I have to say the smell kinda put me off as it has alot of cherry to it. The flavor still has the cherry but it’s more of a smooth taste. I didn’t get any cinnamon coming out for this steep so maybe this cup just had more cherry in it. I really like cinnamon so hope next time will reveal it.

I can’t wait to try it again and resteep (didn’t think to save my leaves the first time). I’m not quite sure if it’ll make my repurchase list but it was definitely worth getting.

I’d definitely recommend this if you like darker complex teas that are smooth.

Had this with dinner tonight. I love jasmine and this tea had a nice smooth jasmine taste. I didn’t need any sugar with this tea. I was very excited about the jasmine so I didn’t pay enough attention to the other flavors which I will do next time.

I’ve never had a tea from Verdant that wasn’t good!

Before I continue this review, my last on for the free matcha program, I just want to say a big THANKS to Red Leaf Tea for encouraging us all to drink more matcha. They have provided us with such wonderful flavors and creative varieties that we will never be satisfied with normal matcha again! I hope to see more new flavors from their creative minds. THANKS RED LEAF!!!
I don’t think I’d be a girl if I didn’t love chocolate. I don’t think anything could be better than matching raspberry with chocolate. My sister-in-law buys these chocolate covered raspberries (in bulk!!!) and so I ordered this matcha hoping that it would satisfy me enough so I wouldn’t steal her stash and become 400 pounds! I opened this matcha and was pleasantly surprised to smell chocolate! I couldn’t seem to smell the raspberry in it. I put it into a tin to keep it fresh, if it’ll make it very long. The small size fits perfect in the tin with a little wiggle room…enough to be able to get the measuring spoon in.
I really wasn’t sure how I wanted to prepare this matcha. I ordered the black matcha as I thought it would compliment the chocolate. First I prepared it with just 1 tsp matcha and 16.9oz of water. It was ok, but not really what I was looking for. I seemed to get more chocolate from it this way and not enough raspberry flavor. SO, next I heated up some milk, added a bit of sugar and frothed it up into a latte. Now here is where I get more of the raspberry. It’s a nice creamy truffle.
On a side note, I’ll be learning to make truffles from tea as a local tea shop this week so maybe I’ll be able to use what I have left in making a tea truffle! You can never go wrong with chocolate and raspberries that don’t make you gain weight.
THANKS again Red Leaf for another wonderful matcha creation….keep’em comin’!
Here is how I ordered my Raspberry Truffle Matcha from Red Leaf Tea:
Size: Small
Quality: Black
Flavor: Delicate
Storage: Air tight refill flat pouch – would definitely recommend purchasing a tin for your matcha to keep it fresh. I did not order one this time since I already had a tin.
To get your own tasty Raspberry Truffle Matcha from Red Leaf Tea – GO HERE NOW!!!!
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/raspberry-truffle-matcha.html

Ok, I have to start by saying that I love Thanksgiving! That is because I love that you can get so many pumpkin things at this time of year. For one month I get to indulge on pumpkin flavored everything! Then I have 11 long months of waiting for companies to bring out the pumpkin again! And let me tell you, I overload myself so much on pumpkin that I’m ready for it to end. That only lasts about a month before I’m craving pumpkin things again. SO, that is why I just HAD To order the Pumpkin Pie Matcha from Red Leaf. I’m hoping that they’ll keep this flavor around and not just have it available in the fall.
I really wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to prepare this the first time. I opened this matcha and got a cloud full of heavenly pumpkin spices. I put it into a tin to keep it fresh but I doubt that it’ll stay there for very long. The small size fits perfect in the tin with a little wiggle room…enough to be able to get the measuring spoon in.
I decided to prepare this matcha as a latte with warm milk. I heated up 10oz of milk on the stove and then used my frother to create foam. I then added the matcha and whisked the latte….finishing off with another round with the frother. This matcha was very smooth. I think the milk really complimented it well and made it taste just like a pumpkin pie! This was so good that I don’t think I want to prepare it any other way. I think it needs the milk to take it to the next level. I did purchase mine with the white matcha as I didn’t really want to much of an earthy flavor in this matcha. I was very happy with it this was so I don’t think I’ll order it any other way.
Here is how I ordered my Pumpkin Pie Matcha from Red Leaf Tea:
Size: Small
Quality: White
Flavor: Delicate
Storage: Air tight refill flat pouch – would definitely recommend purchasing a tin for your matcha to keep it fresh. I did not order one this time since I already had a tin.
To get your own tasty Pumpkin Pie Matcha from Red Leaf Tea – GO HERE NOW!!!!
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/pumpkin-pie-matcha.html

I was very excited to try the Lime Matcha. I opened this matcha and put it into a tin to keep it fresh. The small size fits perfect in the tin with a little wiggle room…enough to be able to get the measuring spoon in. I didn’t have any doubts that this matcha would be tasty. Lime flavored things are so popular nowadays…lime popcorn…lime and sea salt chips….etc.
I decided to first prepare this matcha cold with just water. I added 1 tsp to a 16.9oz bottle and shook it up. I then put it into the freezer as I really wanted it cold. If I had let it stay in there overnight I could have had lime matcha popsicles! I didn’t think about that till after I drank it so I’ll have to try that next time. The lime added just enough tartness to give a kick to otherwise boring water. This matcha intrigued me so much that I decided to prepare it again. This time I used a bit of seltzer (bubbly) water. I think I like it even better this way! I did add a touch of sugar to both preparations.
I purchased this with the starter matcha. If I had really thought about it, I think I would have purchased white matcha as I think it would give it an even lighter flavor. Guess I’ll just have to order it again!
Red Leaf just keeps on amazing me with their creative flavors and the lime flavored matcha does not disappoint!
Here is how I ordered my Lime Matcha from Red Leaf Tea:
Size: Small
Quality: Classic Starter Grade
Flavor: Delicate
Storage: Air tight refill flat pouch – would definitely recommend purchasing a tin for your matcha to keep it fresh. I did not order one this time since I already had a tin.
To get your own tasty Lime Matcha from Red Leaf Tea – GO HERE NOW!!!!
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/lime-matcha.html

There are so many benefits to ginger that I don’t know where to start! I had a bit of a sore throat due to a lot of singing I’ve been doing with the band. I opened this matcha and absorbed the spicy scent and put it into a tin to keep it fresh. The small size fits perfect in the tin with a little wiggle room…enough to be able to get the measuring spoon in. I had been saving this matcha for the perfect time and after a day of singing I needed to bring it out. Not to mention the fact that I could use a bit of a pick me up.
I decided to prepare this matcha hot first since I wanted to sooth my throat. I added just a pinch of sugar and a generous helping of honey (I love my honey)! I did take a sip before adding the honey just so I could get the original flavor. This matcha is very smooth and spicy. It is not in your face spicy, but just enough to give it a little flavor. I purchased the starter matcha as I figured this one would be great in regular, white or black matcha. I think I’d like to order again and try it with black just to see if the flavor changes. My flavoring level was delicate and that seemed just the right amount to me. I didn’t really want to get a ginger high! LOL
This matcha was very soothing on my throat so I think I’m going to save this one for next week when I have to sing again. Sorry friends, no sharing of this one!
Red Leaf Tea mentions this for treating motion sickness when suffering from an unsettling stomach among other things so it’s definitely useful for everyday use. Think I might have to save a bit for my hubby to try.
Here is how I ordered my Ginger Matcha from Red Leaf Tea:
Size: Small
Quality: Classic Starter Grade
Flavor: Delicate
Storage: Air tight refill flat pouch – would definitely recommend purchasing a tin for your matcha to keep it fresh. I did not order one this time since I already had a tin.
To get your own tasty Ginger Matcha from Red Leaf Tea – GO HERE NOW!!!!
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/ginger-matcha-organic.html
A sore throat soother!

OK, so I purchased Cola Matcha, but I was doubtful. I actually ordered it to prove to myself that it really could not taste like cola. I opened up the pouch and immediate put it into a tin to keep it fresh. The small size fits perfect in the tin with a little wiggle room…enough to be able to get the measuring spoon in. It actually smelled sweet and like cola!
OK, so it could not actually taste like Cola….could it? I didn’t even consider preparing this one hot…no one likes warm soda. I still had some seltzer (bubbly) water from my champagne matcha so I decided to prepare this one the same way. I purchased this one with Classic Starter Matcha. I didn’t really think white would balance well and figured if I liked it I would order with black matcha next time.
I prepared a 10oz glass with 1 tsp of matcha and whisked it up carefully. I did add just a touch of sugar for this first time.
OK, so it DID take like cola! I’m not sure how Red Leaf does it, but they know how to flavor matcha. Plus there are none of the calories you receive with a real cola.
I had thought about keeping this matcha to myself, but since I want to order it with black matcha I will share this one with my friends.
Here is how I ordered my Cola Matcha from Red Leaf Tea:
Size: Small
Quality: Classic Starter Grade
Flavor: Delicate
Storage: Air tight refill flat pouch – would definitely recommend purchasing a tin for your matcha to keep it fresh. I did not order one this time since I already had a tin.
To get your own tasty Cola Matcha from Red Leaf Tea – GO HERE NOW!!!!
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/coca-cola-matcha.html
A low calorie treat for the soda lover!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a champagne matcha. I opened up the pouch, preparing it for the tin that will keep it fresh. The small size fits perfect in the tin with a little wiggle room…enough to be able to get the measuring spoon in. It didn’t really smell like champagne to me, but I didn’t really expect to be able to smell a champagne flavor.
I had thought about preparing this one hot, but it just didn’t really make sense to do so. Instead, I purchased some seltzer (bubbly) water and tried to recreate the real thing. I decided to purchase this with white matcha since champagne is a light drink. I actually wanted to imagine myself drinking champagne.
I prepared a 10oz glass with 1 tsp of matcha and whisked it up carefully. I did add just a touch of sugar for this first time.
You know what? It wasn’t bad! Of course most would prefer the real thing, but when you’re trying to be healthy, this will help you stay on track. I’m imagining all the ways I can mix this matcha…with orange juice…cranberry juice…the options are endless!
Here is how I ordered my Champagne Matcha from Red Leaf Tea:
Size: Small
Quality: White Matcha
Flavor: Delicate
Storage: Air tight refill flat pouch – would definitely recommend purchasing a tin for your matcha to keep it fresh. I did not order one this time since I already had a tin.
To get your own tasty Champagne Matcha from Red Leaf Tea – GO HERE NOW!!!!
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/champagne-matcha.html
A toast to your next matcha creation!

My first encounter with this matcha was amazing! I opened up the pouch, preparing it for the tin that will keep in the yummy goodness. The small size fits perfect in the tin with a little wiggle room…enough to be able to get the measuring spoon in.
I was immediately brought back to my younger days when I attended the carnival. It smelled that good! I had intended to prepare this hot, but after the delicious smell, I decided to make as a latte instead. I frothed up a nice 10oz glass of milk (cold) with 1 tsp of matcha. Let me just say, it was hard not to immediately make another one!
I did purchase this blended as white matcha as I was looking for the caramel flavor to shine through more than an earthy flavor. The taste was just as it smelled…creamy caramel with a hint of popcorn flavor. I purchased the delicate level and it had plenty of flavor so I don’t think I’d need to go higher on this one. I also did not need to add any sugar to increase the flavor or sweetness.
My plan for the rest of Caramel Popcorn is to mix it as a latte. I don’t think I’ll be sharing this one, but keeping it all for myself! Now I just need to order more Cotton Candy flavor and have a few friends over for a Carnival Matcha party!
Here is how I ordered my Caramel Popcorn Matcha from Red Leaf Tea:
Size: Small
Quality: White Matcha
Flavor: Delicate
Storage: Air tight refill flat pouch – would definitely recommend purchasing a tin for your matcha to keep it fresh. I did not order one this time since I already had a tin.
To get your own tasty Caramel Popcorn Matcha from Red Leaf Tea – GO HERE NOW!!!!
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-popcorn-matcha.html
In closing – YUM!!!!

I’m glad to see that others like this tea as much as me! It definitely takes on a very floral almost perfume like quality. Sometimes I’m just in the mood for that.

Made a pot of this tonight as I hadn’t had it in awhile. Since it’s being discontinued I wanted to see if I needed to stock up before it’s gone.

I think this is great on its own – however, I’d really like to try blending it with something for fun…..

Any suggestions?

The dry leaves have a nice sweet almond smell.

The liquid is very strong with the almond and a hit of fruit afterwards. I started out liking this cup, but I think for me the almond was just too much. I do like almond but more as a compliment to the tea and not the main note. I think I’ll mix the rest iced or add it to some black tea to spruce it up.

I’m starting to think that where they went wrong with the 12 HoliDays set is that all but one is herbal. I think there needs to be some tea added.

Tomorrow is Ginger Lemon Bash! I’m very excited as I love ginger. I recently had a Lemon Ginger Oolong that I didn’t think I would like because of the lemon – but it’s very good.

So the dry leaf has an interesting scent….probably the coconut. It smells a little off so I was not too sure about steeping it.

The liquid has the same smell – just weird for me.

The flavor is really nice and smooth though! I think it could be even better not being strictly an herbal and mixed with white tea. I drank it right down!

While I did like this tea – it’s not one that I would make permanent in my cupboard.

My first tea from the 12 HoliDays collection! I picked the order that I’m going to drink them according to what I “thought” would be my favorite. I have to say I was pretty disappointed in this tea.

The dry leaves smell of heavenly strawberry and cream. After steeping the liquid smells identical to the dry leaves. The color is a nice dark pink color.

Unfortunately that is where the excitement ends. The tea tastes completely of the hibiscus. There is a slight taste of strawberry afterward, but not enough to really say there’s strawberry in there. I also found it extremely tart. I don’t mind hibiscus tea, but this one was advertised as strawberry so I think that should be the first note I detect.

Too bad, this tea could’ve been a hit! Possibly if they adjusted the blend to have less hibiscus it might work. I might mix this with an oolong or something or try iced as I have enough for about a 16oz cup left.

So, this will not be added to my I NEED IT list!

While traveling through Europe I decided that my souvenirs would be to bring back tea from each country. I visited Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was so much fun seeking out the small shops in each town and then trying to converse with them! I remember just enough german to say hello and such, but definitely not asking about tea. I tried to purchase teas local to the area so most are blends. For instance in Austria I purchased Mozarts blend.

I’ll start off by saying that I’m not a huge Rooibos fan. When picking out teas there, I mostly went by scent and what smelled good. We had limited time as we were on a tour so I couldn’t translate all the ingredients.

This tea is obviously rooibos, but I was new to tea then and didn’t really know much about it. This tea has a wonderful aroma, spicy and inticing. I’ve made this hot in the past and it has a nice spicy bite to the tongue. The clove really shines through on this blend – fortunately I’m a clove lover. The rooibos on this is high quality and doesn’t taste earthy at all!

I need to make space in the cupboard and use up some teas so I decided to try it iced. WOW! I think I like it even better this way. I think I have enough to make another 64oz pitcher of this and then it’ll be gone….or maybe a cup or two for the swaps.

I don’t see that you can order this on their website but if you’re there – pick some up!

Went to my favorite local tea room today and had a delicious chicken salad sandwich paired with this tea.

This is a small tearoom, they don’t specialize in selling tea but they have GREAT tea! I have been there 3 times now and have never had a bad tea. I’ll hopefully get around to adding my reviews of the others soon as you all need to try them!

Let me start by saying that I do not like lemon in my tea, in my water, not at all! This tea smelled so good though I just had to try it. I love ginger in tea and figured oolong would give it a twist. I don’t know how they do it but they create the right blend of lemon, ginger and oolong so that you taste all the flavors without one flavor overpowering the others. It tasted great with and without sugar….I can only imagine how wonderful it would be iced!

If you’d like to purchase – all their teas are $6.95 for 2 oz. They accept phone orders at 763-422-4160. They did tell me they are working on getting their teas on the website but they’re a small family run place so they’re dependant on the website developer.

My tongue has healed! I’m now able to try the teas from the Traveling Box! So there was enough Jasmine Coconut for one cup of tea. I saved this one as I love Jasmine. The idea of coconut added intrigued me.
Unfortunately for a jasmine lover this just did not have enough jasmine. If you are one who doesn’t like floral then you will love this jasmine. It’s soft and subtle. I think the coconut adds a creamy effect but I’m not really getting much coconut flavor from it.
This was ok, but not one I’ll buy.

Thanks again to Dinosara for this tea! It came in the most adorable little tube…I’m a sucker for cute tins and such.
So I had Mariage Freres Tibet and this back to back so that I could compare them. I really loved Tibet. This one seems lacking. It smells wonderful before and after steeping. When I sip though I just don’t get much flavor. I can’t really explain it but it seems Dinosara and I had the same reaction.
I wouldn’t purchase this one but will try making the rest iced. I think I have enough left for a 16oz cup.

THANKS to DINOSARA for this sample…eh..um…huge bag! I’ll be enjoying this tea all winter thanks to you! I really like this one. I’m not a huge fan on straight Earl Grey but love Earl Grey Creme.
I’m going to try steeping this at different temps and times and iced also to see if I can acquire additional flavor.
This first time I did 2 tsp for 16oz, 3 min steep at 208 degrees. I totally tasted the vanilla and bergamot. I did not get any jasmine or orange and I love my jasmine! So overall this is an excellent tea just based on flavor. If you’re wanting jasmine and rose to come through they didn’t for me at this steep. If I don’t get more on other steeps I might try adding a jasmine pearl or two.
I would definitely buy this tea.

Davids is definitely my new FAVORITE TEA SHOP!!!! I have not had one tea that I did not care for by them. Their flavored blacks have such a good quality leaf that they all turn out tasty.

SO…I decided to put this in my glass tumbler that I recently purchased from Mandala Tea. Filled with 208 degree water and just let it sit. Took it with me to go out and it sat for about 2 hours. Never went bitter.

The smell of this before brewing is a strong strawberry. The taste is a nice blend of strawberry and a tart rhubarb. The yogurt makes it all creamy and yummy! The nice thing is that the strawberry doesn’t taste artificial!

I would like a little more dept to this so I might try blending it with something else – maybe Red Velvet Cake. I’d really like to try the crumble one now. I do like having straight herbals on hand though so that I can just throw it in my glass tumbler and not worry about oversteeping.