Dinosara

Well I’m stuck here in Las Vegas for the next few days because I’m at a scientific conference. I wasn’t really expecting a lot of tea options in the area so I was pleased to find this coffee shop that also has “the tea leaf” in its name. They have more options for take away than your typical coffee shop but to start I decided to try their Earl Grey. It’s a pretty decent tea; nothing to write home about but definitely drinkable. There’s only one other review for this on Steepster and it’s a pretty bad one that complained about the stong bergamot. Yes, this is a bergamotty tea but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, at least to me. I love bergamot and prefer my Earl Grey with robust bergamot, as long as it’s done well. Here it’s not bitter or astringent, but pleasant and citrusy. The black tea base is smooth and pretty tasty. As it cools the bergamot does get a bit astringent, so this is one of those teas that’s best enjoyed hot.

This is one of the few Teas’ Tea varieties that I haven’t tried (that I would want to) so when I saw it here at JFK I grabbed it for the flight. I wasn’t expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. This tea is not for the floral faint of heart… it’s really jasminey, which means I’m a fan. The jasmine’s fresh though and not soapy or perfumey, with that flavor of honeysuckle sweetness (even though it’s unsweetened). There’s a bit of a bite from the green tea, which provides a nice, slightly grassy background. Definitely a tea I would readily buy again. (No rating because I dictated this review to my iPhone and the sliders don’t work.)

I wanted to try this Earl Grey again and finish up my sample; it’s inclusion of lavender excluded it from the straight Earl tasting a few days ago. But I did have that Earl Grey Choice by Zhi Tea that also has lavender then, so I thought it would be nice to compare. Once again I was left with not quite enough leaf in my sample pouch, but last time I had this I thought it was a little weak so I didn’t want to take a chance on that again, so I brewed it in an 8oz mug instead of my 12oz Kati cup.

It’s still a remarkably light tea at 4 minutes, but I’m also really enjoying it. The tea base is oh so smooth, and the bergamot and lavender are perfectly balanced with each other and it. The bergamot is bright and citrusy without being astringent, the lavender is floral and soothing without being too herby or soapy. This is definitely going on the to-order list.

Mmmm. No more disappointing teas today, ok? I thought about going back to a known favorite, one I can always count on like Harney’s Jasmine Pearls or Paris, but I still wanted to go through old samples. This one blew me away the first time I had it, so that’s a good sign, right? There ended up being a little less leaf than I would normally use left in the pouch, so I steeped it for an extra minute (but still within the 2-4 minute steep time on the package instructions).

Still really delicious! I think the flavors are a little lighter this time around, but I totally love them. Buttery, sweet, baked coconut macaroons in tea form, with a lovely, slightly floral, green (very green!) oolong accompanying it. This one is definitely one to buy a whole tin of.

Somewhat disappointing tea day! I just haven’t had anything I was really into today, and the streak continues with this, which I cold brewed last night. I continue to be boggled at how tart this tea is. I actually found it to be undrinkably tart as a cold brew, and unfortunately I didn’t have any sweeteners that were easily soluble in cold water. I’m sure that it would be fine sweetened, but again, not the tea for me!

I got to work kind of early this morning (earlier than usual at least), so I have time for two teas this morning! I’m kind of pushing myself to consume more tea so what I have doesn’t languish in my cupboard for too long. My sample of this is nearing its end, and since finishing up samples is a goal right now, I decided to try this one again.

I finally managed to steep a cup at the temperature that I think is appropriate for this tea (which definitely appears to be a black/green blend), so I’m looking forward to trying it this time. In the aroma of the steeped tea, the scents of vanilla and jasmine combine remarkably to make a very minty aroma. I actually got some mint out of this when I cold steeped it, so I guess it’s not surprising. Vanilla mint, really, like some candy mints you can find. Flavor wise… I’m afraid my estimation of this tea is only dropping with subsequent tastings. I’m almost getting a hint of soapiness now, crazily enough. The jasmine is just not working for me in this tea, and the vanilla isn’t too inspiring either. Clearly this is one of those polarizing teas since plenty of people really love it, but it’s another that’s just not for me!

I reached for this one this morning because I’ve seen a couple of great reviews of it recently. To be perfectly honest dark oolongs aren’t really my favorite kind of oolong; I tend to prefer the sweet, fresh taste of green oolongs over the roasted flavors. I still enjoy them ok, but they just don’t blow me away… but maybe this one will. :)

The dry leaf smells sweet and leafy; not green, but no distinct roasted aroma either. Of course, after brewing that definitely changed. The scent of the steeped tea is roasty, toasty grains like the other Da Hong Paos I’ve had. The first thing that strikes you about the sip is less the flavor than the texture, which is bright, crisp, almost metallic, or perhaps the mineral sparkle of high-end mineral water. The main flavors of the sip are what I would consider toasted, almost burnt grains. As the cup cools, a whisper of fruit plays in the aftertaste, which I definitely enjoy. Overall after my first steep I’m left with an odd, dry sensation in my mouth. The second steep is definitely less overwhelmingly roasty, even brighter and more minerally. I’m left with the feeling that this is no doubt a fantastic tea, but I really just can’t appreciate it properly. Big Red Robe Oolongs just aren’t for me! If this tea couldn’t convince me otherwise, I’m pretty sure nothing can.

It’s been so long since I had a plain rose tea! I saw this sample in my drawer and decided to finish it off. I actually didn’t have quite enough for my usual cup, so I rounded out the rest with some China Rose from ESP imports. It’s a pretty similar flavored tea, and I don’t think it was enough to make an impact on this one. It still retains it’s lower-key rose flavor, a bit more herbaceous than candy-sweet in profile. It’s nice to just sit down and have a nice rose tea once in a while.

I’m taking a break from Earl Greys this morning and decided to try this black currant tea that I got from SimplyJenW. Thanks so much for sending a sample of this! I really love black currant flavored things, but I haven’t had too many black currant teas. I recently found out randomly that the reason black currants and the flavoring isn’t popular in the US is because currant farming was banned in the 1900s because they were a vector of a disease that affected pine trees. They are still banned in some states!

Anyway, the dry tea has that characteristic black currant aroma, rich and berryish. It’s carried over into the aroma of the steeped tea, along with the black tea base. Harney is somewhat inconsistant in their black teas when it comes to my taste buds, so it’s almost a toss up whether I will love a tea or not. Fortunately this one is a winner for me. The black currant is nice and strong, and it pairs well with the black tea base, which supports the black currant flavor and doesn’t steamroll over it or stick out. I find myself really wanting almonds in this blend, like Harney’s Boston but with black currants instead of cranberries. I do have a black marzipan tea that I could try it with…

Another round two tea from the Earl Grey side-by-side tasting. I’m doing 5 at a time, each tea brewed under the same parameters: in a tea filter bag, for 3 minutes with 205°F water. I dunked the tea filters around to make sure they were getting enough water flow since I don’t usually use them.

This one also doesn’t have a rating since I messed up my first steeping a bit. I’ll hold of rating until I drink a full cup of it, however. This is another tea that completely surprised me. I don’t know if when I tried it first I didn’t have a good comparison in mind or what, but this time it was incredibly, utterly roasted. It tasted strongly coffeeish, which I suppose makes sense coming from coffee roasters, full of toasted grains, and the bergamot was almost lost in comparison. It really surprised me how utterly different it tasted from the other Earls.

Another round two tea from the Earl Grey side-by-side tasting. I’m doing 5 at a time, each tea brewed under the same parameters: in a tea filter bag, for 3 minutes with 205°F water. I dunked the tea filters around to make sure they were getting enough water flow since I don’t usually use them.

This tea was unexpected. The first time I tried it I wasn’t that impressed and it didn’t seem to stick out from other Earls. But tried side-by-side… woah. It was floral, almost oolongy in character. This floral didn’t seem to be a floral bergamot, but rather florals in addition to the bergamot. It was light, with a very distinct tea base. At one point I got an almost sweet aftertaste. It was totally weird! I’m not sure what to make of it, but I do have enough for another cup, thankfully.

Another round two tea from the Earl Grey side-by-side tasting. I’m doing 5 at a time, each tea brewed under the same parameters: in a tea filter bag, for 3 minutes with 205°F water. I dunked the tea filters around to make sure they were getting enough water flow since I don’t usually use them.

This one is another that probably doesn’t really belong here, but I forgot that it had lavender in it until I had already portioned it out. Oh well! The lavender really makes this one stick out here, and it is, like I tasted before, very strongly lavendery, which gives the tea an herby character. As far as lavender Earls go I think this is a little too much lavender.

Another round two tea from the Earl Grey side-by-side tasting. I’m doing 5 at a time, each tea brewed under the same parameters: in a tea filter bag, for 3 minutes with 205°F water. I dunked the tea filters around to make sure they were getting enough water flow since I don’t usually use them.

This is a brand new Earl Grey to me, and as such it doesn’t have a rating yet. And it didn’t really stick out in this tasting at all. It was a little weak, a bit forgettable, with not much distinct about it. As it cooled I actually got a hint of lemony flavor, moreso than the bergamot. Will try this one under normal circumstances, but it definitely didn’t distinguish itself here.

Round two of the Earl Grey side-by-side tasting! I’m doing 5 at a time, each tea brewed under the same parameters: in a tea filter bag, for 3 minutes with 205°F water. I dunked the tea filters around to make sure they were getting enough water flow since I don’t usually use them.

This is the tea I drank tons of throughout Argentina, and I almost forgot to include it in the tasting! This round was the more surprising round, as these Earls had very different characters. This was probably the most traditional one, and it holds up as definitely tasty. It’s a well-rounded tea, with a floral-style bergamot (not added florals, but that somewhat floral character that bergamot can sometimes have), with a citrusy aftertaste. This is a Ceylon base but it has a completely different character than the others from the first round. It seems a little different from a very traditional Earl, but it’s hard to pinpoint right now. Overall a top contender.

Another tea from the first round of my Earl Grey tasting. I’m doing 5 at a time, each tea brewed under the same parameters: in a tea filter bag, for 3 minutes with 205°F water. I dunked the tea filters around to make sure they were getting enough water flow since I don’t usually use them.

This tea seemed the most floral of the samples, but at the same time it also had a decent helping of citrus pith to the flavor. It has an intriguing flavor that’s a bit different from the more straight bergamot teas in the round, but I couldn’t quite suss it out in my small sample. This is one that I have 75g of, so I will definitely have plenty of opportunity to try it again.

Another tea from the first round of my Earl Grey tasting. I’m doing 5 at a time, each tea brewed under the same parameters: in a tea filter bag, for 3 minutes with 205°F water. I dunked the tea filters around to make sure they were getting enough water flow since I don’t usually use them.

This tea might not have really belonged here since it really isn’t a straight Earl Grey. It has not just citrus peels but also lemongrass and jasmine flowers in the mix. Nevertheless, it’s here, and it’s definitely a different flavor. This tea tastes almost spicey in comparison, which is a little odd (though looking back at a previous note I caught the spiciness before), but perhaps it’s the lemongrass adding that note. It’s also has the least inspiring tea base, which is not as flavorful and a little bitter. Definitely the weakest competitor in this round.

Another tea from the first round of my Earl Grey tasting. I’m doing 5 at a time, each tea brewed under the same parameters: in a tea filter bag, for 3 minutes with 205°F water. I dunked the tea filters around to make sure they were getting enough water flow since I don’t usually use them.

This tea has the lightest bergamot flavoring by far. It is really most driven by the tea base, which has a pretty different flavor from the others since it isn’t primarily (or exclusively) Ceylon like the others. I’ve already detailed why I’m not very fond of this version, but this tasting pretty much just confirms that. Sorry Harney, you’re just not the Earl Grey for me.

Another tea from the first round of my Earl Grey taste test. I’m doing 5 at a time, each tea brewed under the same parameters: in a tea filter bag, for 3 minutes with 205°F water. I dunked the tea filters around to make sure they were getting enough water flow since I don’t usually use them.

This is probably my favorite from this round. The bergamot flavor was strong but not astringent, and citrusy without tasting like other fruits. It has a warm, rich flavor that integrates nicely with it’s base tea, which is smooth and tasty. I don’t have much of this left, so my next cup will not be a full cup unfortunately, but hopefully it’s enough to get a good sense of in in comparison to my other favorites from the test.

It’s the great Earl Grey tasting! I’ve been hanging on to small samples of various Earl Greys for a while now, intending to do a side-by-side tasting of them in the attempt to determine my favorite traditional Earl Grey that I have to keep around. On this rainy day it seemed like the perfect opportunity sit down and taste 10 different Earls. I’m doing 5 at a time, each tea brewed under the same parameters: in a tea filter bag, for 3 minutes with 205°F water. I dunked the tea filters around to make sure they were getting enough water flow since I don’t usually use them. All things considered tasting conditions weren’t optimal since I wanted only small amounts of each tea so I didn’t have too much, and as such they cooled really quickly. I think I’d like to take the top teas from this tasting and have full cups of tea under my normal conditions relatively back-to-back to really see how they play out.

Of the teas in this round, this one had the brightest bergamot flavor. It was crisp and clean and light, and the Ceylon base complements the bergamot well. It’s interesting that the Ceylon doesn’t give this one as much warmth and richness that I feel like it often brings. This and the Earl Grey from Joy’s Teaspoon had the truest, most unadultered bergamot flavor. I think this one is still near the top of the list when compared directly to others.

At home after being out in the cold rain, looking at possibly a couple of inches of snow tonight, still recovering from a cold, I wanted a pot of comforting tea this morning. This really is a nice vanilla tea. I like the rich, almost caramel notes complementing the vanilla, though for some reason (I use slightly too much water? it’s in a sachet?) it seems a little bit weak. Still an enjoyable pot of tea this morning.

Today has seen two new teas tried and one sample finished so far, so I decided that finishing another sample would be a good idea. I think my next course will be going through the remaining cups on each of my Golden Moon packs to figure out which teas from this company I will want to keep in my standards.

I am definitely still enjoying the dark, floral honey notes in this one along with the bright pear. I am definitely a fan of this tea, but how much do I love it? Golden Moon only sells it in a 4oz tin or a 1/2lb or more. I’m really not sure if I love this tea 4oz worth; that’s a lot of tea for me because it takes me a long time to drink through even teas I truly adore. If I could buy 2oz of this tea, I would probably pick some up.

I’m slowly but surely trying to work through trying all the new teas I have as well as stash busting some old samples that have been languishing in my tea drawer. I cold steeped the rest of my sample of this one. It was pretty tasty, but I think it would benefit from a steeping time of less than 24 hours; the green tea was actually a little bitter, though the rest of the flavors were definitely tasty.

I was emboldened by my earlier success to go ahead and try the other teas from this company. This one I chose because the description noted almond in the addition to the fruits. A quick search yields that it is being sold under the name Pearl of Fruits by a couple of other retailers.

The dry leaf smells pretty much like generic tart fruit candy. I can also get a fairly distinct orange note from it, but not much else. Steeped, it has definitely mellowed, and now I do get a light nutty aroma joining the fruit (which is not so much orange now, more berry-ish). The flavor is pretty pleasant. Is it an almond/fruit blend that can stand up to Dammann Freres or even Harney’s Boston? No. But it’s drinkable, which is good. I’m not sure which “exotic” fruits are supposed to be in this—the description just mentions berries and orange—but they are melding together in a way that is difficult to tear them apart. I was hoping for maybe a bit of florals but I am starting to think I should know better with this type of tea; the fruit flavoring completely obliterates any florals that might have been. There is definitely a nutty, marginally marzipanny almond to this, but it doesn’t seem to work perfectly with the fruit flavoring, and kind of sticks out a bit. I can’t really taste much of the tea base, for better or worse. Overall, not a complete failure (like the unfortunate “Jasmine Lemon”/Macabeo), but not one I’d reorder.

This was a mistaken tea. I actually ordered the Caramel Roasted Almond black tea, but they sent this instead, and I never heard back from them when I emailed about the mix up. So I’ll shrug it off and drink this one; at least it’s still almond.

The dry leaf smells powerfully almondy like almond extract or very strong marzipan. So far, so good. The sweet almond/marzipan aroma is still present in the steeped tea along with a richer, nuttier aroma which I feel like is the black tea (Ceylon, yay) making itself known. And finally, the marzipan carries over to the taste, which, if you don’t know, is exactly what I look for in an almond tea (but rarely have found). The flavor is very almondy, but the tea base is a little bipolar. Black/Green blends are always tricky, and under the best of circumstances they combine the richness of the black tea with the freshness of the green tea. This one the bases seem a bit muddled, and I kind of wish it was a black only base. Nevertheless, I am shocked by how much I am enjoying this tea. I wasn’t really expecting much based on the other teas I’ve had from this company. Different wholesaler on this one, I guess. As it cools I am getting a tart, fruity, almost apricot flavor at the front of the sip. As far as almond teas go, I still prefer my Marzipan from the Tea House in London, but as I can’t get that one without going to London, this is an impressive second option. I do wish I could try the Caramel Roasted Almond as well now.