Virtual Tea Tastings FREE!
I made my green apple with a pinch of cinnamon since my first steep a few days ago wasn’t really apple-y. WOW! It really brings out the flavors!
Does it become apple-y? I really wondered about this one if the target audience would be disappointed. I don’t care for apple flavored tea but bravely tried it. I tasted mostly green tea. The apple and other flavors only seemed to support the green tea. That worked for me as I enjoyed it, but again I wondered if apple lovers would be upset. Oh – did you taste the apple pieces? Very tasty.
I’ve been curious about trying this one. I don’t think that I have ever drank a tea that had apples. I’m going to go for it and try it in a while,especially after your comment.
Yeah, the cinnamon definitely makes it taste more apple-y. I was surprised that the first cup was mostly green tea taste, cause there are a LOT of apple pieces in there!
I found this pretty apple-y. I actually think this one might be my favorite so far (I haven’t tried the berry yet).
I does have a very light apple flavor, i didn’t use cinnamon in mine but I did add some sweetener to it and that brought the apple out a little more.
You guys either have a more sensitive palate than I or I just didn’t steep it correctly, because I didn’t get any apple at all!
http://steepster.com/bleepnik/posts/131196
Sweetener does help bring out the apple flavor. We don’t use any flavor enhancers so what you see is what you get. I have been toying with a way to naturally bring out more apple flavor with out covering the green tea.
Bonnie, I am sad that you didn’t taste any apple either, but I am secretly a little bit reassured that it’s not just me. :D
The Green Apple is very nice, light crisp apple flavor that really comes out it ya add a little sweetener to it, I think its ok to add sweeteners to flavored tea like this.
Mint Mind Boost
I am happy you chose peppermint. I really loathe spearmint. The peppermint made this really tasty.
I don’t like spearmint either. Even spearmint gum or toothpaste, can’t stand it. Peppermint, though, yum. I liked this one too!
Of the 4 this was my favorite, followed by Smoky Mtn. I need to steep this again to make sure but I may have a ginko allergy as this one I think gave me a headache. I love the taste and knowing the migraines others deal with here on Steepster, I hestitate to mention it until I am certain.
I am the opposite! I used to really hate peppermint and like spearmint. As I get older, I’m coming around and beginning to appreciate peppermint a little more, but my favourite is still wintergreen (which I affectionally call Ben-Gay flavour).
I didn’t try the mint one yet for some reason, i’m glad now that i read this because i’m just the opposite of you guys i prefer spearmint over peppermint myself.
We list all the the ingredients in our teas to ensure if you have an allergy you can avoid it. We add a lot of beneficial ingredients to various teas which may effect a few people. Hopefully something else caused your headache.
Bonnie – you were the one that came to mind when I tasted this. I am glad it did NOT have any adverse affects. I am hoping the craziness at work was responsible for my headache and not this tea as it was my favorite as well
Trying the Antioxidant Berry Burst, saw that Rachel said it was good cooled down a bit so I think I’ll let it sit. The cinnamon in this is wonderful though. :)
Berry Burst was very interesting, quite enjoyable, at first it was reminded me of raisin bread toast for some reason, I’ve had a few teas with berries and this one beast them all in flavor. I don’t like the way it looks after steeped but thats not really important I don’t have to look at it to drink it :)
the leaves, well the berries actually, they were just not very attractive after being steeped thats all
Interesting stuff. We put the shorter steep time on the first cup because the Lingonberry can be a bit tart on the first steeping. I am surprised about the overwhelming comments on the cinnamon flavor coming through. I suppose it makes the name a bit off even if it tastes good? Love the feedback!!
They were very pretty before my water turned them to mush lol, I think i liked the taste of this one the best tho the cinnamon was a very nice touch
Alphakitty – I wish I had read your statement before I tasted this. I will keep it in mind tomorrow when I have at this again.
Hey I’m here too!
Just finished the Antioxidant Berry Burst and it certainly is the prettiest of the lot. I brewed it in a clear PIAO I infuser to watch the chunky tea evolve. I have to say that there was a generous amount of Raspberries and Goji berries and Lingonberries swimming with the green tea. I did a 2 minute and 4 minute steep. The green tea was the dominant flavor along with the cinnamon. I didn’t taste berry even when as a last resort I added a little sweetening. This is a shame with such beautiful fruit. A sweeter green tea might have changed the outcome and cinnamon is tricky with delicate natural fruit.
Next, Green Apple. Once again, there is a generous amount of chunky apple mixed in with the green tea. After steeping 4 minutes, the beautiful yellow gold color was inviting. This had to be apple goodness. But, the green tea was the only flavor I tasted. Oh My! Even the scent of the wet leaves have no apple aroma. I picked out some of the apple pieces and chewed them and they had picked up the flavor of the tea. This is like making an apple pie with the wrong apples or having the right apples with the wrong seasoning ( green tea). The green tea (can’t call it apple really) tasted good.
Last tea of the 3 for today is Mind Boost Mint Aha! I steeped this tea at 4 minutes and just like the story of the 3 Bears, this tea was “Just Right”. In fact, this was more than just right…it tasted sweet from stevia in the mixture. The mint isn’t too strong either. We’ll have to see about the Ginko Biloba (I don’t think anything is gonna help my brain at this point).
So, I’d make some taste adjustments if it was me mixing blends but as far as the quality of the ingredients, I am impressed.
Also, I hate to look up ingredients every time I have tea on the computer because of allergies. PLEASE list ingredients tea companies. Some people are allergic to nuts, some cinnamon, me it’s rooibos, honeybush and licorice. Some soy.
Thank you for this experience. Any critical comments are meant to help you succeed! I love companies succeeding!
Don’t be afraid to be critical. I love constructive criticism. It is true with the fruit teas sweetener does help to bring out the flavor. I don’t use any flavor enhancers in the tea unlike most companies so that is why the tea itself doesn’t hold apple flavor. I have been toying with an idea to give the tea a natural flavor without adding flavor enhancers. It seems this is something many have commented on and finding a better way to do things is what we’re all about. I must stay true to keeping everything completely natural but finding creative ways to do so is a good thing.
Great assessment, Bonnie. The one thing that I’m getting out of a lot of our feedback is that the flavour in the flavoured teas isn’t present (at all for some people, or enough for others).
As you have probably read here on Steepster, one favorite Vegan all natural tea company (small and personal with great service) is Butiki Tea. It has changed the minds of many people who used to drink only artificially flavored tea and now prefer naturally flavored ones.
There are other companies who only use natural ingredients such as Whispering Pines and Verdant. It must be difficult. I think mixologists with a culinary background have the most success because you have to have an understanding of when to add spice and how they interact with fruits and nuts. Example: One company added clove too soon to their tea blend and that’s all you could taste. They had to pull all that blended tea.
Like I said, your ingredients are beautiful but the fruit is getting swallowed up by the green tea taste. Natural flavoring might be all you need. That’s your call.
I have a culinary background and it does come in handy. I must admit I find it difficult when looking for ingredients to find ones that meet my standards (all natural) I believe it would be best for me to create an all natural flavoring myself to add to the tea just so I am sure nothing else is in there. Most flavorants for money saving purposes have sugar alcohol added to make it go further. They can still claim it is all natural if it was derived from a natural source.
Great! Your background will ensure none of those horrid mistakes with cloves ;)
….and I agree with the sugar alcohol problem. I don’t know what my friend uses but she’s not a big sugar fan either other than raw sugar (but I know she doesn’t use sugar at all herself). So there must be sources. All vegan, all natural and no sugar. Good blending to you!
Bonnie,
I have noticed you have a descriptive way of describing teas that I find to be insightful and helpful. Many people in this tasting mirrored you opinion on my green apple tea and I felt it necessary to change the recipe based off the reactions I received. Because you have been both honest and forthright in your discussion I would like to invite you to try my new blend for free for the purpose of getting your opinion. The new Green apple which is not yet for sale it now made from Bancha leaf Green tea. I was unable to find apple flavoring that did not have oil or alcohol. Though those ingredients are considered vegan they do not fit my standards so I created one using fresh pressed apple cider from a local grower. I reduced it into what can be called an apple syrup and then soaked it in the apples and re-dried them. They came out much more flavorful. I added Hyssop to this not only because the aroma reminds me of apple blossoms but it has some health benefits also. Please let me know if you are willing to do this. You can message me on steepster or join my facebook page so we can discuss.
Just piping up to say this is a wonderful dialogue and I admire @Steapstoppe for the efforts to remain natural. I sometimes fear that many people misunderstand the broadness of the definition of “natural” flavourings (amongst many other ever-expanding regulations) and I truly respect your efforts to keep those standards a bit more strict for yourself.
Okay, my fiance just got here – I’m running out to the marsh boardwalks near my house :)
I’m just going to post my tasting note from the Smokey Mountain if that’s okay, Janet – It’s a little (okay, really) long. I think it’s kind of interesting though! This, the Smokey Mountain, was tied for favorite with the Green Apple, but I thought this one was more interesting.
Tasting Notes for Smokey Mountain:
Yay! Marshmallow roasting time!
Seriously the dry leaf has the lapsang souchong scent but with another sweeter note. Marshmallow!
I have a special fondness for marshmallow (good marshmallow, that is). I have the incredible privilege of living near the great salt marsh. My sister and I grew up playing on it, running across it, conquering its muddy rivers and creeks. We would leap into the salt water at high tide and at low tide we slip down the slick muddy banks and go like seals or penguins through the bottoms of the creeks. The sun would bake the mud onto us and as the tide rose again we would rinse off and let the winds and grasses dry our legs.
It really is that free and perfect.
Marshmallow is not just the sticky stuff in a tub, it’s also a plant. Sometimes around here you can find decent homemade marshmallow. I love the word though – we named our boat “Marsh-mallow” (or Marsh-mellow, we never could decide!).
In good weather we take the boat through the inlets and channels. We push the throttle up and skim across the water in the big channels and then laughing, let it putter down and muddle through the water sending only smooth ripples to run around us.
We beach ourselves at a little scrap of sand and marshgrass where snails are always in abundance. I like to leap off the edge of the boat, plunging down into the increasingly chill water until I just touch bottom and push off to the surface. Then someone throws me a tow-rope and we drag the boat closer to shore. You have to be careful not to step on all of the little snails that litter the beach there, hundreds of them. Horseshoe crabs lurk underwater as well, so boat-shoes are a must!
We eat sandwiches, leap around amongst the driftwood, and then after we are getting chilled we change into new clothes (if we were smart enough to pack them) behind towels and pack up onto the boat.
The ride back is a study in wonder as the sun sparks flintlike on the water and hits the back of our eyes, closed to the wind, in meandering patterns that map themselves like rivers in the mind. We drive fast now because we are all cold and tired. Speeding along, riding at the bow, leaning over the edge, drunk on sunlight and salt air is a moment of transcendence.
Great Salt Marsh. Seriously. Read about it. Go there. Donate to save them. I hate to think about the damage being done to them by building, contamination from trash, as well as whatever was causing them to die off up and down the coast. We are always careful when we go not to damage them. We might play on them, but we avoid the nesting birds and are careful not to cause erosion on the banks.
You can see some pictures of the changing seasons here: http://www.townofstratford.com/content/1302/402/625/1100/5066/5085.aspx
Ahem
Back to the tea. It is good. It reminds me of camping (which is a completely different set of free associations, although still marsh related as we used to go camping at the beach when I was a kid). I like the smokiness of the lapsang with the sweet burned marshmallow.
I love it when stories go along with a tea tasting. There is nothing better than when a taste of something will lead you to a memory
Janet, I think this first tasting (teasting?) has been successful. I realise that people—or even you—may not be able to commit more time, and maybe it’s just me, but I did feel that an hour wasn’t long enough. Then again, if you’re planning fewer (2?) samples in the future, an hour may be sufficient, after all.
In any case, I really appreciate the opportunity to participate. This pseudo real-time experience has been a lot of fun! I had to cut my tasting short because, silly thing that I am, I didn’t have a look at the teas beforehand. If I had, I would’ve seen that they’re all caffeinated. With the cup of white tea I had this morning, I could only taste a small amount of the Green Apple before the room started spinning. But rest assured I will taste the rest of the samples and post my thoughts in due course.
Thank you!
Nik, Love the name teasting! I am notorious for making up names like that. If you wish to still discuss I can stay online. I love all the feedback and your participation is greatly appreciated!
The Smokey Mountain was Awesome! I need to get some more very soon, I’m not sure what to say about it tho except that its Very Good, I love Oolongs and Lapsangs so this one was Great to me :)
Tommy, Glad you liked it, this one was a new avenue for us in that most of our use of smoky teas up to this point was in cooking and our tea spices. It seems to have garnered some positive feedback.
Thank you everyone for your participation and I hope you have a wonderful Sunday afternoon!
I really enjoyed this discussion! It was so much fun! Thank you for making this event and I hope to participate in another one in the future. I loved reading the comments of my fellow Steepsterites. It’s been a wonderful afternoon. :)
Thank you for organizing this! It was really fun, and definitely elevated the tea-drinking experience.
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