Laura

Been forever, past year was a tad crazy…
I tried the bagged version of this at a coffee and tea shop for free coffee/tea day. I didn’t really examine the package, but noted it’s by Twinings, and as soon as I opened it up, the smokey smell hit me. Wasn’t expecting that.
So I don’t know what I think of it. The black tea itself is decent. It’s quite potently smokey, even in its aftertaste. I’m not sure I want to taste anything smoked after the fact—makes me think I ate some kind of smoked meat. Will I drink it again? I don’t know. Most likely I’ll stick to Earl Grey, chai, and my other usual favorites.
I am planning on converting to loose leaf teas, but I need to finish up all my bagged teas, and I need to find my infusers!

I was feeling crummy today, so I went home early. I went to make a cup of tea and… the water was shut off! Once that was taken care of, I finally got to have my tea a few hours later. I grabbed a previously steeped bag of this out of our improvised teabag drying center (a.k.a. a couple plastic egg cartons with the tops cut off) and enjoyed a relaxing cup of Earl Grey. I love this brand, since it has the right amount of bergamot. Sometimes I add a dash of sugar, but not this time. I feel so much better now!

I tried a jasmine green tea at a sushi shop a while back and really enjoyed it, so I decided to get some of this at the grocery store. It’s savory and mellow and everything I like, and it even resteeps well! (talking about the bagged version) A very good stress relief, as this week has been rough.

It’s that time of year again. To prevent myself from becoming so congested that I can’t sing, I’m using everything from my neti pot to this tea with honey and lemon. I can’t really rate this right now, since my sense of taste is kind of shot. I think I taste the honey more than anything else.

I have been worried lately about some things. My husband made me a cup of this right before waking me up this morning. He sweetened it more than I would have, but it was still very good, and a nice pick-me-up.

One of my bridesmaids got the traveler’s tin of this (and the blueberry green) to put in our honeymoon breakfast basket.
I had some again this morning with just a bit of sugar, and it was pretty decent, but had a pungent grassy/metallic taste along with the sweet and savory. I think I prefer Uncle Lee’s.

After reading a post by TeaEqualsBliss about a Summertime Earl Grey, I just had to drink something. As the post was about a peach-flavored earl grey (which sounds amazing!), and I love fruity teas, I decided to break out my Celestial Seasonings fruit sampler (I know, they’re not real tea).
Following my thoughts from the last time I logged this, I microwaved the water longer (still no kettle) and just left the tea bag in. It is a much stronger, but still mellow flavor. Someone mentioned it tastes like a sour peach gummy, which I sort of agree with. I think it would do well iced with a hint of sugar.

We went to the Perkins at the location of our honeymoon and got a tea basket. Went to the one back home, and all they had was Tetley black, though it wasn’t in the round bag described above, but a regular tea bag. Tasted decent with a packet of Splenda, but I don’t care for unflavored black. Maybe I’d like a full leaf one?

Had this at the French restaurant as well. I plucked a spearmint leaf off the garnish on my plate and stuck it in this tea. They seemed to go surprisingly well together, though the bergamot flavor could be stronger.

We went to a nice French restaurant on our honeymoon, and I saw this one in the basket. It went well with the chicken curry I had, and I thought the flavor had a nice balance. It’s been about a week since we went, so I can’t completely recall the flavor. The smell of the teabag has a predominance of cinnamon and clove. Is clove in chai, or am I actually smelling cardamom?
Sidetrack: I tried cardamom gelato a couple weeks ago, and it was amazing! Any chai lover will adore it.

One of my favorite green teas so far. It may not be the strongest, but I don’t think the citrus flavor overpowers it too much. Granted, I love a fruity tea… Resteep was extremely weak and not worth it.
Also great iced, but it isn’t a strong one. A little sugar helps, though. It is a perfect refresher in the summertime :)

I definitely tasted the mango, but the coconut seemed to hide from me. It was definitely fruity, which I like, but it seemed mild… I may not have steeped it long enough. One of the better ones I’ve tried by Stash, though.

No notes yet.

Catching up on my tealog!
My cousin took me to brunch at Firestone’s last week on Sunday, and I decided to try the earl grey of this brand, which I’ve never heard of before. It was quite delicious, but I can’t accurately rate it since it’s been a while. One of the better ones I’ve tried, I think, as I recall having about 3-4 cups of it.

Tried 3 to 4 cups of it today at lunch in DC. Bagged version, though, so I don’t know what the loose version is like. It was up my alley; a strong enough tea base without being overpowering (yay green), citrusy flavor and savory flavor from the ginko, which I could only describe as “leafy,” but not in a bad way. It’s a little less fruit-y than Good Earth’s green with citrus something-or-other, but still good. I see I’ve tried other teas from this company before and been satisfied.
The tea did get weak by the third steep, but that’s typical for a teabag.

Steeped this twice today. For some reason, the smell makes me think of a latte, and even though I hate coffee, I kind of like this smell. I like the rich but not overly dark presence of the tea, mixed with the sweetness of the caramel and vanilla. The flavor lingers for a bit, which is nice. Makes a good “dessert” tea, though I still prefer Pomegranate Delight by Twinings in that regard. I relax a little with this one, but others have a greater effect on me.

The water at the wellness center where I had the tea was not as hot as I like nowadays, so the tea came out weak. It seems decent, though I haven’t been too impressed with the varieties by Stash that I’ve tried. It was definitely lemony, though.

We went to Bob Evans for brunch, and as usual, I ordered the tea basket. I was intrigued when I saw this for the first time in the front, so I tried some. Smelling the bag, I already sighed with delight. There was a rich combination of tea and fruit just in the smell, and after the first sip, I was in heaven. The flavor was very full and satisfying and needed no sweetening. I’ll definitely get some to use as a dessert tea!
Second steep was much weaker, though, probably because it was bagged.

I added three drops each of honey and lemon. Sure, it has them in it already, but I have a voice jury in 3 hours. Going to go eat a small lunch and warm up in a while, but for now I’ll just relax and focus my mind. I love this tea!

Made this at lunch and drinking the cold remnants.
I was agitated this morning, thanks to issues concerning my major. Chamomile seems to relax me when I’m in that state, but I definitely need to be in the mood—I don’t usually care for chamomile. I like the blend of herbs in it, giving sweet undertones.

Backlogging…
I was trying to sing my repertoire on Tuesday, but my voice seemed to have less presence (probably because I was sitting at a piano). I drank this at dinner, and at my studio recital, I had some of the best sound I’ve ever had. It relaxes me and keeps my throat soothed when it’s not too phlegmy :)

The full leaf version is back at the student center. I was so psyched, but thankfully I looked into my thermos before I put my teabag in. I had just washed it back in the dorm, and a few bubbles formed when they put the hot water in, even though the water seemed clear when I rinsed it out several times. I rinsed it out again and had the tea at lunch. It’s definitely a more interesting flavor than the regular one, though I might start adding Splenda again. Or maybe I’m not digging a darker taste today. I still like it, though, and I’m glad one of my favorites of the teas they carry here is back.

I’ll admit I was hoping for a slightly stronger cup—perhaps I need to up the microwave time. Oh, for the days when I will have a kettle…
Anywho, a nice, light peachy flavor, with some other unidentifiable savory flavors. Would taste wonderful iced and lightly sweetened, I’d imagine. Note to self: hotter temperature next time.

Had some at lunch, and I was like, “there’s a minty taste in here…” and then I checked the packet, and as it’s made with spearmint, that makes sense ^^;
It’s a good tea, though, one of Tazo’s better ones. I like the lemongrass and mint in it—they’re just mild enough to complement the tea without overpowering it. A pretty relaxing cup :)