Emily M

Sipdown on this one!
A little sad to see this go, but I have an order on the way from Butiki with a ton of new teas to try so I’m not too crushed! =)
Nice pecan-y flavors. Subtle, but delicious maple notes. See previous tasting notes for more in depth coverage of this tea.

This sample came from a swap with teapot1. Sipdown!!

Dry: I was surprised at how much this smells like a cinnamon bun! I’m only picking up a little of the honeybush scent (totally fine with me, as I’m not a huge fan). The cinnamon is the most prominant, followed by the sweet icing smell! Yum! I’m so excited for this one!

Brewed: Seriously. I am getting liquid cinnamon bun. This smells so good! The cinnamon and icing smells are so right on target here. A little of the honeybush scent is present, but thankfully it isn’t overpowering or strong. It fades into the background, and I actually think the sweet smell of it works nicely with the cinnamon.

Taste: Not 100% as good as the smell, but it’s pretty close. The cinnamon is definately front and center, with the icing being more subtle than in the smell. I’m also getting a slight smokey flavor (?) that I’m a little confused about, but it isn’t awful: just unexpected. The honeybush is present in the beginning of the sip, but as I said, it kinda works well with the cinnamon and the sweet icing so I don’t mind it much.

Overall, this is probably one of the better honeybush blends I’ve had. I love the smell, and wish the brew tasted just like it, but the taste isn’t too far off. I love the cinnamon and icing notes, and am impressed at how close to a cinnamon roll they are. Yum! The smokey flavor – puzzling, but it fits in alright with the rest of the flavors. It just isn’t what I’d expect in a cinnamon roll tea. UNLESS the cinnamon rolls were baked over a campfire flame. Spot on cinnamon roll? No. Tastey cinnamon roll-esque brew? Yes.

Thank you, teapot1 for sending this to me. I enjoyed it, and was very happy to have gotten the chance to try it.

UPDATE: The smokey taste lessens a bit as it cools off.

Sample I recieved in a swap. Backlogging this tasting from yesterday, and making the rest of this tea right now. Addition comments not a part of yesterdays tasting will be at the end under “Update”. This one came from Alphakitty. Sipdown!!

Dry: This shoots me right back to when I was a kid. We went to a couple of fairs every year and I was always getting cotton candy and fried dough (Oooh. Now I’m thinking fried dough tea!). This smells like pink cotton candy (and also a little like Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum…hmmm); sweet and fun (yes, you can smell fun).

Brewed: A little of the black tea base has seeped into the scent, but it’s still incredibly sweet and cotton candy smelling!

Taste: Hmmm. I don’t know if this is traslating for me in the taste. I’m getting a rooibos flavor, which is totally strange! Maybe the tea sample picked up on another sample in the package? I am getting a slight sweetness, and it does taste faintly of cotton candy. The aftertaste is definately cotton candy (yay). I am picking up the black tea base, too, and it’s slightly astringent. I think I’m going to wait for this one to cool down a bit, and take it from there.
-Once cooled down, this tea definately gets better. The astringency is gone, and the cotton candy, sweet flavor picks up. The aftertaste is still the most cotton candy-esque, but I’m digging this one cold. Next brew I’m going to add sugar and see if that helps it hot.

UPDATE: Sugar is definately a friend of this one. It brings the cotton candy flavor out to a good level, so long as you don’t add too much. I’m still slightly getting that strange rooibos-like taste (maybe my taste-buds are just translating something in this tea into rooibos) but it isn’t as powerful. The black tea base is nice and subtle (no astringency). I’m liking this one a lot more today.

Overall, not bad. I don’t think it’s a favorite, but it was pretty good. Thank you, Alphakitty, for sending this one my way. I’m glad I got to taste it! =)

UPDATE #2: I put what I had left from this past steeping in the fridge for a bit – the cotton candy/sweet flavor really popped after that. Changing this from a 74 rating to a 78 to reflect this nice change.

Sample sipdown! This one came from Lariel as well. =)

Dry leaf: Smells like raspberry, with notes of bergamot and the earthy black tea base. Slightly sweet smelling.

Brewed: The raspberry and the blueberry come out a bit more, with the bergamot trailing not far behind. I’m also picking up citrus notes (most likely from the orange peel), and hints of vanilla/cream. It’s sweet and earthy smelling.

Taste: The berries aren’t as strong as I’d thought they’d be, given the smell, which is fine as it allows the other flavors to come through. I’m getting the raspberry more than blueberry, but that’s ok. I like raspberry! The cream/vanilla flavor is also quite present. It makes this a smooth, creamy cuppa, but vanilla for me is hit or miss in a tea. This one isn’t what I’d call a miss, but it does taste just a tad artificial for my tastes. I often feel this way about vanilla, though, so it could just be me. The bergamot and the black tea base gives it that “earl grey” taste that I love so. The citrus notes linger at the back of the sip, providing a refreshing aspect. This cuppa is mildly sweet and relaxing.

Overall, this is a pretty good custom blend. The vanilla aspect is something I’m not really feeling (this is just personal preference, I think), though I do like the mouthfeel it gives the cuppa. I also wish the blueberry was slightly more represented in the brew. I do really like the earl grey flavors, here, as well as that nice citrus finish!

Thank you, Lariel, for letting me sample this! Glad to have tried it. =)

This one came from a swap with Lariel!

This one smells so good. Dry, the blueberry scent sticks out a little more. Once brewed, the black base, bergamot, and cornflowers are more detectable. Luckily, the blueberry is still there, and not overshadowed by the earl grey notes.

Taste: Yum! I love me some earl grey and I love me some blueberries, and this tea delivers on both. All the basic aspects of an earl grey are present; the earthy black tea, the bergamot, the citrus notes. And the blueberry shines through very nicely. Not overpowering, but almost naturally blending with the other aspects. It isn’t artificial in the least. I love this! Too bad Ovation is no more. =(

Thanks, Lariel, for letting me try some of this before it was gone forever. Happy to have tried it.

Sample sipdown, backlogging from last night.

Dry Leaf: Very strong lemon aspects, with a nice balanced ginger component. There is an incredible sweetness, here. And pineapple? Yes, that’s what that is. This smells absolutely delicious! It reminds me of those lemon ginger hard candies…if anyone knows what I’m talking about.

Brewed: Once again, ginger and lemon, with the ginger just a tad more pronounced now. I’m also still picking up the pineapple scent, though it’s subtle. There is also a bit of a floral smell to this now.

Taste: Nice, balanced ginger and lemon notes! Neither is overpowering, which is awesome. When I saw ginger, I was expecting it to be really spicy, as it has the tendency to do. Glad this was not the case. Just as with the smell, there is also a slight floral aspect peeking through. This too is balanced. This is a sweet, slightly spicy, relaxing brew.

Overall, I really liked this one. I think it would make a great “sick” tea, or just a nice “unwinding” agent. In fact, I found it made me so relaxed I said “screw you” to homework and fell asleep!

Yum! This one was fab this snowy morning. =) Really hit the spot. Super bake-y (making up words again) this time around.
See previous notes for taste profile.

Sample from my first Teavivre order! I do love me some blueberries, so fingers crossed!

Dry: This smells like sweet blueberry, black currant, and maybe because I had grape tea earlier – grapes. I’m also picking up a bit of the roselle. It’s sweet, tart, and bursting with fruitiness!

Brewed: The blueberry scent has pulled back a bit, and I’m smelling mainly black currant. Don’t get me wrong,t he blueberry is still there. It’s just not standing out as much. Hints of grapes and other berries are present. It’s more tart smelling this time around, but maintains the sweet scent as well.

Taste: Very tart in the front, and slightly sweet at the back of the sip. I’m tasting more black currant and roselle than anything else. The blueberry is very faint. The grape is gone. I don’t think I’m diggin’ this one. I don’t know if it was me and my brewing or what, but this one is just too tart, not enough sweet. It’s almost sour. =(

I’m glad I tried a sample instead of buying a bag of it. Maybe I just don’t like fruit tisanes? Not something I’d repurchase, unfortunately. Wish it tasted more like it had smelled. Not undrinkable, but not somehting I want to finish, either.

Sample from Butiki! I’m trying to drink all my samples/almost finished teas in order to make room for a flood of tea orders I have coming next week. This afternoon seemed like the perfect time to try this one out! I’m going to preface this whole review by saying that I am usually not a fan of grape flavored things (candies, juices, popsicles…), but I wanted to give this a shot. It was too interesting sounding to pass up. A grape tea!? I was there.

The dry leaf of this tea smells more floral than grape-like, but I am definitely smelling grape (almost like grape bubble-gum. Oh no!). Once brewed, the tea, while still floral smelling (orchid? lilac?), takes on a stronger grape-like character (again – grape bubble gum).

Taste: Luckily, the grape bubble-gum smell has not translated into the taste. It’s shinning through quite nicely. It’s not that overpowering, overly sweet, cloying grape that I find so unappealing in most grape flavored things. It’s lighter, possibly balanced out by the floral aspects. It also tastes closer to what a red (purple?) grape would taste like in real life than most grape flavored things. I’m surprised to find the floral flavor and the grape flavor working together so well in this! It’s almost as if they are the same flavor! The floral highlights, and for me enhances, the grape flavor. It should also be noted that the oolong is not obscured or completely covered up. There are notes of light earthiness in here. This tea is very nice. Smooth and subtly sweet.

Conclusion: Grape flavored tea? A must try! So happy that I decided to sample this one. Finally! A grape flavored drink that I enjoy! I’ll have to pick some more up and share it with my younger sister (she loves everything grape).

NOTE: I did not add any sugar, as I liked the way it tasted right off the bat. I think it’s grape-y enough without it.

Ok. So I think this tea has been discontinued, as I can’t find it or any information about it on the Whistling Kettle’s website. I’ve had this one for about 6 months…

Smell: The dry leaves smell like mandarin oranges and a grassy green tea. Once brewed the mandarin stays present, but the grassy smell fades. Instead, it is replaced by the fruity, unique smell of lychee! Yum! (That’s what prompted me to have this one. I was dog-sitting at my neighbors house tonight, and he and his girlfriend left all kinds of Chinese teas out for me to try. They had a lychee black that I made tonight, and it was amazing. Now I just have to find the company/name of the tea…I’ll have to rummage the cupboards tomorrow and see if they still have the bag. Anyway, side note over. Back to the actual tea I’m reviewing). Anyway, this tea smells sweet, fruity, and citrus-y. =)

Taste: What I’m getting in the taste is about 60% Lychee, 30% mandarin, and 10% green tea base. The lychee and the mandarin work very well together in this tea, and the green tea base adds a nice sweet/grassy note. The green tea base seems to like to hover at the end of the sip, while the other two flavors meld together throughout. There is no bitterness, as well. Big plus! As for the bamboo…I don’t really know what it tastes like, so I wouldn’t be able to tell you if it was present.

Overall, I like this one. If they ever get it back (maybe it was a summer/seasonal blend?) I’d probably consider it again. Not an all time favorite, but not something I wouldn’t buy again either. Somewhere in between.

Got this as a sample, but there was no description and no instructions on the bag. It just said in handwriting “Fancy Japanese Sencha”, so I went with it. Steeped it about two and a half minutes with 175 degree water.

Dry, this tea smells slightly sweet and mainly grassy.
Once brewed it smells much the same, but the sweetness is a bit more detectable. There is also a vegetal scent on top of the grassy scent.

Taste: Well, it’s a tad bit bitter, so I may have brewed this one a little too long (or it could be an old sample), but I’m definitely picking up other flavors, so it’s not a loss. It’s slightly buttery, with a grassy flavor (not too strong, but it’s the most prominent). There is a sweetness to it as well as a light vegetal character. Overall, not bad. I’d definitely try another sencha sometime, but this one isn’t one I’d keep stocked. Could’ve been worse, could’ve (I think) been better.

NOTE: As the tea cooled more, it got more bitter. Could’ve been my fault, could’ve been the tea (I suspect this is an older sample, as that’s what they tend to send out in their $2 for 6 samples flash sale deals). Not completely sure which. I have a bit of this left, so I’ll give it another go later. For now, I think I’ll withhold the rating.

After waiting not so patiently for two weeks for this order to come, it’s finally here!
This tea is gorgeous! It blooms an amazing red color, and the green tea leaves expand beautifully. And it smells really good, too! Slightly floral when dry, with a really nice sweet, almost black tea scent (even though it’s a green). Once brewed the floral notes hit the background, and your left with delicious, sweet, almost wine-like honey notes.

Taste: So, taste wise, this tea isn’t as strong as I might have thought, given the strong, rich scent of the dry leaf and brewed tea. That’s ok, though. I’m still picking up some nice flavors. Some vegetal notes are present, with the nice sweet honey notes throughout. At the end of the sip is a light floral aspect. Overall, though light, this is quite yummy!
To be honest, I wasn’t holding out any high hopes for flowering teas…they looked too pretty to actually taste good. This one, however, has defied my expectations.
Also, I give this one a A for beauty. It’s not as out there as some of the other ones I’ve seen, but it’s simple and colorful. Nothing wrong with that. =)
Can’t wait to try the others!

NOTE: Second steep was a little more floral, but still had some nice honey-ish notes, as well as an earthy aspect I hadn’t caught before. Neat.

Ok, back to this tea! Finally going to do an official tasting note of this one.

Dry – Smells just like a pecan! There are subtle maple notes, but the pecan seems most prominent.
Brewed – The maple comes out a more in the brew, but the pecan is still slightly more prominent. I’d say it’s about 40-60. Smells very good, like a maple pecan baked-good.

Taste: I did add a bit of rock sugar to this one, as I felt it needed some to bring more of the maple out. The initial sip pre-sugar was more pecan-y then I had wanted it to be. After sugar the maple came out to a nice level and the pecan was toned down just a tad. The oolong is also present here, lending a nice oaky, earthy flavor to the whole thing. Thought his is just water and tea (and a tad of sugar), the brew is quite thick feeling. It’s smooth and flavorful. Very interesting tea.

Overall, I think this tea is quite nice. I don’t think I’m too big on pecans, but that’s my fault and not the teas. If you do, however, love pecans, this would be an extremely good one to try. I’ll gladly finish up the rest of my bag. I think this tea succeeds in its mission and stays true to the name.

Got this one in my custom try me pack a while back and am just now getting to it.
As soon as I opened the package I wanted to eat the tea! It smells so good! I get pumpkin pie, but more than that I am getting a nice loaf of pumpkin bread, which is one of my favorite things about the Thanksgiving season. Yum! It’s spicy, pumpkin-y, and sweet smelling.
Once brewed the black base came out more. It still smelled like spice and pumpkin (even the pumpkin bread smell remained), but it wasn’t quite as strong.

Taste: I’m getting a lot of pumpkin in here, and a fair amount of cinnamon, though I think it could be enhanced. It tastes like a pumpkin spice tea, though not sure about the pie part (or the delicious pumpkin bread I smelled!). I am picking up a hint of a nutmeg-esque taste, though I think that, too, could be a little stronger. The black tea base is very light, only popping through here and there. I think it’s a tasty tea, but I feel like it’s lacking somewhere; maybe the spicing? I think I’d like a bit more of the cinnamon/nutmeg combo. I also think having a black tea base with a baked-goods aspect to it would benefit this tea (some black teas I’ve had give off this wonderful taste and I think it would be perfect for anything that’s supposed to taste like a baked good). Here, the black tea falls a bit flat. In the past I would have liked this, but lately I’ve come to appreciate pure black tea and all the wonderful flavor profiles they can have. The mouthfeel is smooth, but I wouldn’t say creamy.
There is also a bit of an artificial taste that I don’t care for at points in the sip. Maybe this is from the pumpkin candies? Or maybe the flavoring is artificial… I don’t remember if it’s natural or not. Whatever it is, it’s not totally over the top, but I’m still detecting it.

I have enough left of this sample to have another cup, so I may try adding a little sugar and milk to see what I get.

Overall I think this tea is decent. Is it perfect? No. I think there are a few things that could be improved. Is it awful? No. I think some things are well done. To me, this is a blend that hasn’t found its sweet spot yet. I think a little more balance is needed. I wouldn’t discard or refuse this if it was given to me, but it isn’t what I’d call a permanent cupboard dweller. Now, if it tasted more like it smelled: YUM! Maybe every once in awhile I’d pick up a sample size.

I’ll update once I try this with milk and sugar.

Got this as a sample with my last Butiki order.

Dry, this tea smells very floral to me. I’m also picking up some earthiness.

Once brewed, the floral smell isn’t strong. Yay! I’m getting honey notes, mushroom-y notes, and a nice earthiness. I’m also picking up some pine-like aroma that the description mentions. Cool!

Taste: So, I’m getting a lot of earthiness here, which isn’t a bad thing, but it was surprising based on the smell. Interesting. The mushroom is coming through mid sip, and it’s delicious! There is also a light sweetness, perhaps honey, but it is mostly confined to the end of the sip. The pine needle in the description is also mostly picked up at the end of the sip, and lingers as an aftertaste. Neat. I am getting a bit of a fruity note as the tea cools a little more, but I don’t know if I can quite identify it. Finally, there is very little floral taste coming through for me, but I’m more than ok with that as floral teas are not a favorite of mine. The floral notes are very subtle, and I’m finding them in the beginning of the sip, every once in awhile.

This tea is slightly astringent for me, and I don’t know if that was my bad or if the tea is usually like this. However, that said, I don’t find the astringency overpowering or unpleasant! This is a nice black tea, overall. I don’t think it’s a favorite, but it sure was interesting and I’m very happy I got to try it. It was helpful on my quest to appreciate and distinguish black teas! I’d try it again, if I had the opportunity. Thanks, Stacy!

NOTE: I found I liked this tea more once it had cooled off significantly. The astringency was also even lighter. =)
I’m also finding that the aftertaste, while including a nice pine quality, has a wine like flavor! Very interesting!

Sample sipdown! Got this with my last Butiki order and figured it’d be nice at this time of night.

Dry, this tea is floral smelling with a slight buttery hint to it. There is also an underlying sweetness in the smell.

Once brewed, the tea smells a little more buttery, with a nice hay-esque scent and some mellow floral notes. This also smells slightly sweet. I love the way this smells! Nice and light and refreshing!

Taste: First and foremost I would like to say how smooth this one is! The mouthfeel here is spectacular! The hay-esque notes are coming through in the taste; very pleasant and light. There is also a light buttery note to this tea, which is very enjoyable. The floral taste here is also light (thanks goodness it isn’t overpowering!) and lingers in the aftertaste. There is also a slight earthy taste hovering in here, which is interesting. The sweetness I smelled is coming through both in the middle and at the end of the sip, with very light peach-like notes detectable every once in awhile. Also, absolutely no astringency – hooray!

I’m enjoying this cuppa very much! It’s smooth, refreshing, light, and soothing. May have to add this to the shopping list so I can play with it a little more. This time around I think I used a little more water than I should have, and I think the flavors may be enhanced slightly if I were to use less. Not that this mistake takes away from the tea! I still find it really nice. =) Just think I may be able to get a bit more out of it.

Thanks for sending this sample my way, Stacy!

EDIT: 2nd steep was more floral.

Sample sipdown!

This one, brewed, smells slightly buttery with strong notes of marigold and vanilla. I’m also picking up some lemon notes. I’m not thrilled on the marigold being so pronounced… but we’ll see.

Taste: I’m definately getting a lot of the floral marigold and vanilla aspects in the taste. There is a slight citrus thing going on as well. There’s a buttery taste in the very beginning of the sip that disappears into floral/vanilla very quickly. This is a VERY smooth cuppa, but unfortunately I don’t think it’s for me. It isn’t undrinkable, I just don’t think the flavors are working for me. The vanilla, in my opinion, is a little artificial tasting, even though the ingredients are supposedly natural. Maybe it’s the vanilla and the citrus together that is making me get this taste. Also, the marigold/floral taste is more pronounced than I was expecting. Finally, the creamy taste I was hoping for is limited to the beginning of the sip. While very smooth on the tongue, the flavor just isn’t showing up for me. =(

Overall, it’s not a favorite. I wouldn’t say it’s undrinkable. It just isn’t my cuppa. Vanilla can be hit or miss with me sometimes, so I wouldn’t blame the tea. Maybe if the person really liked vanilla/floral teas and was looking for something smooth they would enjoy this one more than I.

Sample sipdown! Got this one in my last sample package from The Whistling Kettle.

Dry, the tea smells like Mango and Pear, with a bit of earthiness from the Pu-erh.

Once brewed, the tea smells more like strawberry pu-erh with a slight pear undertone. The mango has disappeared, it seems.

Taste: I’m getting mostly strawberry/pu-erh here too. I think the white tea has slightly mellowed out the pu-erh, but it’s not detectable. It’s a tad tart, mildly sweet, and mostly earthy/woodsy. There is a little of the pear taste on the finish of the sip, but I wish it had been more detectable throughout. I find it odd that there is no mango taste here.
As the tea cools down, the fruity taste emerges more and the earthiness tones down. The flavors work alright here, but I don’t see anything really WOW about them. I think there is some room for improvement for this blend.

Overall, this is decent. I don’t think I’d buy it and keep it around, but I was happy I got to try it.

Free sample form Upton! Cool. I guess they started giving out samples with every order, as this is the second time I got a little bonus! =)

This tea smells nice and toasty, with a slight nuttiness and a bit of the green tea base.

Taste wise, this one is pretty good. It’s partially sweet, has the nice toasty taste I love in a Genmaicha, and is nice and smooth. It’s also got a nice vegetal/earthy taste mixed in.

It’s a basic Genmaicha, but there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s tastey, relaxing, and just what I needed after a really rough night at work. Happy I got to sample this!

Got a sample of this in my last Upton order. Glad I did, as I do like it and was happy to get to try it.

This tea smells nutty, roasty, and earthy/woodsy once brewed. It’s interesting. I was actually expecting a slight vegetal note because of the slight green character of the oolong, but I’m not really picking any up. Not that this is a bad thing. I don’t mind either way.

The taste of this one is slightly roasty (though not nutty), with a stronger earthy/woodsy character. It’s pretty smooth in the front of the mouth and slightly (very slightly) drying in the back. I’m also picking up a slight sweetness, and that sweetness carries into the aftertaste. The more it cools, the more that sweetness is highlighted. Interesting. There’s also a nice champagne like smell coming from the cup, now. I don’t really think it’s coming through in the taste, though.

Overall, this is a nice oolong offered from Upton. I’ll have to see how this stacks up against the other oolong samples I ordered from them. I like the different aspects of the flavor and how they work together. It’s got some nice complexity. I’d buy this again. It would make a nice standard, everyday oolong. =)

Yum! Just as delicious as I remember. Glad I ordered some more! Just the thing I needed to wake me up this morning and get my day started.
This black tea is so impressive. No astringency, an awesome buttery/baked good taste, slight honey notes, and a nice mild earthiness. See previous notes for more in depth taste profile.

Does anyone else know of a good black tea with no astringency and a similar/non astringent profile? I’m trying to get more into blacks, but I’m a little hesitant.

This one sounded so promising, I just had to try it! Used my gaiwan, increasing by 15 sec with each steep.

Wash: I took a sip of it, and yum! Nice and sweet, with a strong honey smell. Can’t wait to get brewing.

1st steep: Buttery, strong honey like scent.
Taste: Sweet, slightly vegetal. Notes of a wine-like flavor are present. Honey notes are also present. There is also a slight buttery note, and the mouthfeel is smooth.

2nd steep: This brew smells very sweet, slightly like honey, and has a stronger wine like scent to it.
Taste: Sweet, honey taste in front, followed by the wine like (barley?) taste. Ends with a nice sweet note, mixed with a little vegetal oolong taste. I’m also picking up some fruitiness. It’s almost like what a mango flavored honey tastes like. Interesting. Buttery note I picked up previously wasn’t detected this time around, but I don’t miss it! This steep was exceptional!

3rd Steep: Smells more like a wine, with very light honey notes.
Taste: This one is less sweet. Tastes more like a dry wine. Has a bit of a drying effect on the mouth, too. The slight sweetness of the cup comes at the end of the sip. Fruitiness is absent in this cup, as well, but it’s nice in its own way. Still think the second steep is going to be my favorite.

4th Steep: Surprise! The sweet smell is back! Honey and wine.
Taste: This brew is sweeter than the last, but still not as sweet as the 2nd. It’s also slightly buttery again. Very smooth, not drying anymore. The wine taste is very laid back in this brew, and what I can only describe as a “typical oolong tea” taste has entered the picture. Slightly earthy, and delicious. Interesting steep.

5th Steep: Sweet and the most wine-like smelling brew. Nice honey-ish notes, too.
Taste: Reprise of the 2nd steep! Well, almost. The wine taste is a little stronger in this one, but the honey taste and the slight fruitiness is back. There’s also a lingering sweetness at the end of the sip! Yum!

I feel like this tea could probably go a few more steeps, but I think I need a break. It’s kind of late, and if I don’t stop now I probably won’t sleep. ;)

Overall, a very, very nice oolong. A new favorite, that’s for sure. Thanks Azzrian for bringing this one to my attention! And thanks Mandala for having this one in stock!

Had this one yesterday on the go and took notes while I was in class (pay attention!? Nah…not when I have tea tasting notes to write!).

When I saw that Butiki had an eggnog flavored tea I was so very excited. This year I seem to have developed an egg intolerance of some sort (just feel really sick to my stomach), which means goodbye fried egg sandwich’s, farewell scrambled eggs, and worst of all – so long Eggnog! This holiday season was a rough one, as we had eggnog in the house and I kept drinking it even though it made me feel sick. Anyway, when I found this (too bad it was AFTER the holidays, as this could’ve saved me a lot of discomfort!) I was thrilled! I swear, I heard the Hallelujah chorus and a beam of golden light shined down on my computer screen!

So, here it is, the solution to my eggnog problems. Verdict: I was not disappointed!

Dry, this smells just like rich creamy eggnog – a real treat to my nose! Once brewed it picks up a little of the vegetal green tea scent, but the eggnog/vanilla/creamy/sweet scent is still very much there.

The taste: The creaminess of this cup is amazing! It’s not cloying like real eggnog can be, which is a plus. The eggnog taste and the vanilla taste aren’t artificial, but seem quite natural (as natural as an eggnog taste can be). The blending of this flavor with the green tea base is also really well done, as it provides sweetness but also, through the vegetal notes, keeps the eggnog flavor in check. Very refreshing, yet at the same time nice and dessert-y.
As others have said, the spices are missing, but I don’t find myself too upset about it. I think this tea works very well in capturing the eggnog taste while keeping it unique. I think adding the spices to this tea would take away from all the great aspects I found.

Overall, I’m very pleased with this substitute. Is it real eggnog? No. Is it just as delicious? Yes, in its own wonderful way. Plus, it doesn’t make me feel sick, so that’s a big plus! =)
Big thanks to Stacy at Butiki for blending this up.

This is my first Genmaicha, and what a treat it is!
I love how it looks before it’s brewed. It’s got a great contrast between the white popcorn bits, the toasted rise, and the green tea leaves. I love it when a tea can make me happy just by looking at it!

Anyway, the smell of this brew is very toasty and slightly sweet. The toasted rice stands out the most, followed the green tea base and the popcorn. I love that I can smell each ingredient in the tea.

Taste-wise, this is quite nice. Toasty, slightly sweet, and best of all – no astringency! Yay! The green tea base provides a nice earthy tone to the tea, and the taste of the toasted rice and popcorn work very well with it. I love how the taste of the popcorn lingers after the sip! I’m also really digging the green tea base – I sometimes have a problem with green tea being either too grassy or getting bitter quickly. There’s none of that in this cuppa, and that’s the way I like it!
This is perfect on a cold day/night. Warms you right up!

Can’t wait to resteep this one and see how it holds up!