DavidT

Birthday tea #2, this one from my son. The dark liquor is strong, robust and flavorful. A tad astringent, but nothing at all unpleasant. I can sense a vague hint of tropical something underneath. Not too complex of a flavor, but all in all a great morning cuppa.

I got this today for my birthday along with a few other teas. I’ll log the others in the coming days.

Normally, scented teas or ones mixed with other herbs don’t really do it for me, but I love this blend. The aroma that comes from the dry leaves and flower petals is amazing, just dripping with rose essence. The brew smells just as marvelous. The quality of the black tea itself is quite good, displaying not even the faintest of hint of any astringency or bitterness, while still being producing robust, full-flavored yet light-in-the-mouth liquor. Reddish amber in color, the brew has a natural sweetness bursting of roses. A good any-time tea, I would make this morning, noon, or night.

Disregard steep time, the flower stayed in the pot. Pouring a cup out at around 7 revealed a pale golden yellow liquor that had a very light flavor. Absolutely no grassy or vegetal taste, only a light floral essence with a hint of honey-like natural sweetness. Maybe a whisper of melon, perhaps cantaloupe.

A bit later around 15 -20 minutes into the pot, the second cup tasted much like the first, but if anything somehow less flavorful. It still retains its honey-sweetness, but has lost some of the flowery bouquet. Odd, for having steeped about an extra 10 minutes.

3rd cup @ about 10 minutes longer of a steep time. Tastes about the same, as #2, but with just a tad bit of chalky astringency on the back of my tongue. Interesting how this doesn’t get really get stronger over time.

Again, 10 minutes later. Still honey-sweet, but now it has a light vegetal flavor of a good green tea, and the astringency has vanished. #5 is quite a different cup than the previous ones.

6th and final cup, 10 minutes later. Quite grassy and green now, almost a little too much. Not much sweetness left. Still decent.

Hehe and in case anyone is wondering if I’m running from pot to cup to little boys room, I’m using a small pot and a 2 oz cup.

Dark twisty leaves brew up a pale green liquor. Very slightly vegetal flavor, with hints of nuttiness and a good amount of natural sweetness. Light and crisp.

Thin, dark and wiry leaves brew this tea to an almond golden colored liquor. The first taste on the palate is vegetal but soon fades away and is replaced by sweet, fruity/floral aspects. There isn’t much of an after taste, per se, but is more like breathing fresh springtime meadow air for the next 15 minutes.

The dark twisty leaves of this tea unfurl to brew a very light golden liquor. A very light vegetal flavor blends with a slight nutty/earthy richness. There’s something almost ‘crisp’ about this brew, it would probably make a great iced tea. I didn’t feel it needed any sugar added due to it’s light nature and lack of any bitterness.

No notes yet.

I’m excited to try this tea. The dry leaves are a lovely chocolate brown color with many golden tips, and they emit a hickory smoke/earthy scent. I wonder if it will taste as it smells.

Just like the Rohini Estate, I’m left with a myriad of downy hairs floating on the surface of the green-gold liquor. The brew has a subtle sweet scent, with a tad of that smokiness still hinted at in the steam. Initial sips give off a vegetal, yet robust dark flavor. A tad bit of astringency accompanies the taste, but just like the Namring Estate, it’s not enough to make it bitter. So far no hints of the woodsmoke in the mix. Hints of flora. All in all, quite a good cuppa tea.

The leaves of this tea brew a light coppery-green liquor. A sweet smell of steam rolls from the cup, and the brew itself has a thin light feel in the mouth. The muscatel flavor has a slight astringency to it, but not so much to make it bitter and unpleasant, while slight notes of vegetation fill out the flavor.

This wonderful Darjeeling brews up a very light pale green-yellow, and the leaves have enough downy hair covering them to leave some gently floating on the waters meniscus. The smell is rich and slightly malty, with a similar flavor. Vegetal and slight fruity notes round out this fine liquor.

Edit: Came back to bump up the rating. This tea is great, and changes flavor as it cools. So many shades of fruityness, flowers, berries, and fresh crisp vegitation. Second brew is almost as good as the first.

This is a very very light and fragrant tea. A pale yellow liquor smells mostly of jasmine, while the flavor is balanced quite well. Both the quality of the green tea and the light addition of jasmine makes this a great cup. A slight vegetal hint broadens the floral nature of this tea. Disregard the brew time below, I just left the leaves in the cup.

Both the the dry leaves and the brew have a fresh vegetal cent. The liquor presents a bright yellow cup, with a taste to match its smell. It’s not a very complex flavor, although it does pleasantly linger on the tongue for quite a while after sipping. A good relaxing cup of green tea, none the less.

This is a very mellow blend of masala chai. The tea is smooth and malty, and the spices add a gentle warmth to the flavor. The coconut is slightly overpowering, and mutes the other flavors a tad. This tea could have more heat, as I absolutely love a nice spicy masala chai. Overall, not too bad for a bagged tea.

A friend says:

In the words of the oldest man in the house,“this was nummy”. For a first time sipper, it was quite pleasant on a blustery December day.

Edit: I served my last cup of this up to my friend. I normally wouldn’t have brewed up the last pinch of one of my favorite teas, but he had never tried it before.

I remember this tea as being a wonderful mix of flavors. A medium coppery brew had robust black tea notes, as well as finer flowery and mild grassy green nuances that blended perfectly with just the right amount of jasmine flowers. This tea displayed none of the usual “chalky” betterness that I usually associate with jasmine teas. A wonderful anytime tea that I will definitely be purchasing more of.

The curled emerald green leaves of this tea have a lovely sweet smell to them before brewing. The bright golden liquor smells lightly of fresh greenery, with a taste to match. Just a small amount of sugar brings out grape and plum notes that dance on the tongue.

Normally Moroccan mint tea is made with green leaves, and although this blend is not the traditional mix, it still makes a great morning cup. The bright red liquor of this tea has a really nice smooth flavor to it. The medium to full-bodied malty black tea is accented nicely by just the right amount of peppermint, and only displays a tad bit of astringent bitterness. Sweetener is a must for this brew.

World Market’s Ti Kuan Yin brews a very light cup, in respects to its bright yellow liquor as well as its flavor. The earthy green hints are complemented nicely with nuances of plum and other fruits, creating a very light body great for sipping. Infusing this tea multiple times will produce several great cups, each with its own subtle uniquities.

This assam brews a deep yellow-amber liquid. The flavor is smooth, full-bodied, rich and malty. There is a slight astringent bitterness that is easily cut with a splash of milk, which also complements the malty flavor quite nicely. A good, strong, morning cup of tea.

The medium-dark liquor of this tea has a very light flavor. The tea itself has floral notes, while the lychee adds hints of plum and honey. Taste it first before adding sugar the first time you brew this up, as it is quite sweet on its own.

The only thing that would make this cup better for me is if the actual tea flavor was a tad stronger in comparison to the lychee.

Peet’s Golden Dragon Oolong is a wonderful afternoon tea. It has a light, fruity flavor and a brews a bright golden liquor. Make sure to double the measurements of this tea to get a flavorful cup, as it is a large leafed variety.

This tea brews up a lovely amber color and has a subtle malt flavor. Hints of earthyness add to the boquet. Overall a good cup, but not the best Yunan Provence tea I’ve tasted.

Peet’s Organic Pu-erh tea brews up as black as coffee, and has a wonderful earthy taste. Hints of moss and bark are just strong enough to contribute texture to the flavor with out adding any bitterness. I take mine with just a hint of sugar.