Emily M

Nice little wake-me-up this afternoon. Perfect on a cold day like today. The cinnamon/vanilla flavor really warms you up. I’ll be sad when I run out of this one. Still one of my favorite flavored black teas! Glad I chose this one to drink. It really hit the spot.

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I am still totally enjoying this one. One of my top oolongs currently. Buttery, milky, creamy and sweet, yet light and earthy. A great balance and a wonderful oolong.

So, I’m revising my previous score of 80 for this tea. I don’t know if I was just really feeling this tea at the time, or what, but the more I drink it, the less in love with it I am. Its just a bit too sweet for me. It tastes good, but the sweetness gets to me after awhile I’m finding. It’s like that first bite of really dense chocolate fudge. You bite into it and it’s sweet and yummy. But get about three bites in, and all the sudden you don’t want it anymore. It stops being yummy and becomes a bit of a burden. Anyway, that’s how I feel about this tea lately. I guess tastes really do change!

For more taste related notes, see previous post.

This tea smells like peaches and flowers upon opening the tin. I was worried it’d be too floral for me, but once brewed, the floral smell is less intense. The floral taste is also very subtle in this tea. It’s not half bad. The peach comes through, although not in a overtly annoying way. It blends in with the smooth, sweet taste of the white tea. As for melon, I suppose it’s more in the aftertaste than anything. I actually prefer this, as most melon teas have an odd, overpowering flavor that I just don’t like. But the melon in this is nicely balanced. I actually seem to be catching its taste right as I am catching the slight tanin taste (don’t worry, it’s not really bitter/astringent, more of a little spark. It’s a smooth, light, and refreshing cup. Perfect after a long night at work, cuddled in bed with a book. I’m actually surprised at how much I’m digging this tea. It’s only been sitting in my tea basket for a month! Might order this again someday. Maybe in the summer, so I can try it iced!

Here’s a hint to those who are nervous to try this tea or are getting bitter results:
Steep for about 2 minutes rather than the suggested time, and make sure the water temp is on the low side! You don’t want to be brewing this tea with water anywhere near 180-200. I’d aim for low 160’s or mid to high 150’s. Mess with it a little, and you can get some nice results.

This oolong is so yummy! I tried this the first time in store, and fell in love with the flavors instantly. Needless to say I bought a batch for myself that day. This tea is nutty, earthy, and has a slight note of honey in it. All these flavors meld together to create one tastey, smooth brew. Multiple steepings are just as good as the original. Worth the money, for sure.
I’ll write more later about this tea.

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Wow. I was so pleasantly surprised with this one. From the smell upon opening the sample package I was a bit discouraged. It had a very strong nut/mulberry/something I can’t exactly pinpoint smell to it. I brewed it, not having very high hopes for it. I then got distracted and forgot it was brewing, making the brew time much longer than I would have liked. I thought I’d ruined it (luckily it’s a tisane), as I thought it would be way to powerful in the first place, judging from the smell.
SUPRISE! I actually really enjoyed this one, despite my over brewing. The flavors melded together quite nicely, and the nuttiness of the tea was delightful. I was very happy I gave this one a shot, and will be buying some for future enjoyment. Hopefully I can expand on this tasting in the future when I have it right in front of me, rather than doing the tasting note a day after.

So, I had posted a review on a mysterious tea sample I had recieved called “Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel”, and suspected it was in fact the same tea as “Eight Candles” by Della Terra Teas. I bought this in order to verify my suspicion. After tasting this, I’ve concluded that this tea is the same as that sample. In order to save me some time, I’m just going to post the tasting notes I wrote for the other sample here:

This tea is really nice. It smells like hot coco w/ marshmallows to me. The taste is also very similar to hot coco, only less chocolate, more caramel. The marshmallow comes through pretty nicely (this from someone who dislikes marshmallow), but doesn’t make it too sweet. It also makes for a slightly creamy cup, which I found rather enjoyable. The sugar candy also adds a little sweetness, but it isn’t like drinking a latte or anything. Just present and pleasant. It’s a smooth cup, with the black tea base just breaking through to give the cup a nice, subdued, black tea taste. As I’ve said in previous reviews, I’m not a fan of strong black teas, so this brew was well received. The tea base is present, but contains no astringency, nor is it overpowering. The tea tastes best once it has cooled a little bit. Overall, I really enjoyed this Holiday brew.

I bought this tea after finishing my stash of “Blueberry Fields” from TeaSource. Figured it couldn’t hurt to try a similar tea from a different vendor. This tea smells like blueberry, without a doubt. It’s a wonderful smell.

Once brewed, the tea still smells like blueberry, but the black tea base is also present. The same can be said for the taste. I’m picking up a nice, soft sweetness from the blueberry, and the blueberry taste is just where it should be; it’s not too strong (artificial), but it also isn’t weak and under the radar. The black tea base is actually nice and smooth (this may have to do with my low steeping time), and meshes incredibly well with the blueberry taste. It’s more of an earthy black tea than an astringent one.

Overall, this is a nice, simple, flavored black tea. There isn’t anything extra special about it, and it isn’t exactly what I’d call a “wow factor” tea, but it’s exactly what I was expecting and I think Lupicia did well on this one. It’s a nice blueberry tea, and holds up to what I remember the “Blueberry Fields” tasting like. I may order it again in the future.

Bought this one as a chance-buy. The dry tea smells strongly of the honeybush/rooibos, with a little of a cream scent. The orange is not very detectable.
The same can be said about the brewed tea, except the cream is a little less present.
This tea, unfortunately, holds little if any orange flavor for me, something I was quite looking forward to. The cream flavor is also less pronounced than I was hoping. It is mostly honeybush/rooibos, which I don’t mind the taste of too much, but I am disappointed that this is pretty much the only taste I’m getting. The time I’ve let it steep has kept the honeybush/rooibos from being too strong/spicey, and maybe the cream flavor is helping make it smoother than either of the two usually are alone; either way, the tea is suprisingly smooth.
Overall, I’m not sure I’d purchase this again. It’s not exactly what I was expecting, and while it’s not bad, it isn’t great.

I might try brewing it longer and see if any of the flavors peep through. I did brew it for a shorter time than suggested. If I find anything new to say, I’ll be back to update this tasting.

This tea is wonderful! I’m a big Oolong fan, and this particular Oolong made me a happy camper when I first tried it. It brews a nice, smooth cup. VERY smooth. I don’t know how to quite place the taste. It’s not what I would call sweet or overly floral (thank goodness!). It’s got an earthy (not grassy) tea leaf taste, which is very light. This basic taste becomes extraordinary with the aftertaste, where a bit of the licorice root comes through. It’s not strong, but it makes your whole mouth feel cool, and provides for a semi-sweet and very interesting finish.

Sorry I can’t be more specific with the taste… I can’t quite figure out a way of describing it. I fear I’m not doing this tea justice with my review. sigh
Oh well. It’s a great, relaxing cup. As I’m almost out, I’ll have to look into getting more!

NOTE: Don’t steep this tea for too long, and definately don’t use boiling water. The tea picks up an overpowering/astringent quality and loses it’s smoothness.

A sample from DavidsTea I got with a recent purchase. The name alone had me curious. Dry, this tea smells very much like berries, with just a hint of the hibiscus. I believe another reviewer had said it smells like berry fruit leather, and I think that about hits it on the head!
As for the brewed tea, it smells very much like apple and hibiscus, which has me a bit worried. I’m not a huge apple fan (or hibiscus fan, either, for that matter), and I am prepared for a let down.

On the first sip I’m definately getting some apple, but it isn’t as strong as I thought it would be, judging from the smell. The apple seems almost sour, which may be attributed to the cherry that’s supposedly in the tea. I’m picking up a bit of the white tea base, I believe, with a subtle and rather faint taste of watermelon following it. The hibiscus seems present for me as well, though not overt.
The more I drink it, the less watermelon I taste, which is rather disappointing. I love me some watermelon and wish it stood out more in the tea. The berry that I had smelled in the dry tea seems to be mingling with the apple, but the apple is really winning out. A floral taste is also present, although sometimes apple flavored teas give me this impression, which may be why I don’t like them much.

I’m suprised to see that some people found the watermelon to be the main flavor they got. Maybe my sample just had less watermelon and more apple then theirs?

Overall, this isn’t horrid. I’m glad the apple taste wasn’t quite as strong as it smelled. I would’ve loved some of the other fruit flavors to be more pronounced, though, especially the watermelon. Not bad, but I don’t think I’d buy it for myself.

Main Flavors:
Apple, Hibiscus
Subtle Flavors:
Berry, Watermelon, White tea base
Flavors I’m not tasting:
Pumpkin, Cherries (other than possible sour flavor)

EDIT: I’m actually, strangely enough, picking up some more watermelon as I finish the significantly cooled off tea. It’s still not the strongest, but I’m tasting a bit more of it now. Interesting…

I received this tea through a sampler package I’d bought a bit back. The sample came in a gold packet with only the logo for “The East Indies Tea Company”, the name of the tea, the type of tea, and the address of the company. Therefore, I can only guess as to what is in it and tell you what I’m picking up. I could find no info online for the tea, and I didn’t find a single tea retailer who offers it, at least not by the name on my sample package. I have e-mailed the company in hopes they can give me a little more information. Anyway, onto the good stuff:

Upon looking at this tea, I saw what appeared to be bits of marshmallow, some kind of snowflake sprinkles, and the same gold sugar balls one can find in David Tea’s “Glitter & Gold”. There also seemed to be some pieces of caramel in there, though this I am not 100% on. It smells almost like coco when dry, and I also detect a hint of marshmallow.

Upon brewing the tea I noticed it sparkles, just like “Glitter & Gold” does. Very pretty. It smells like hot coco w/ marshmallows to me. The tasting is also very similar to hot coco, only with less of the chocolate. The marshmallow comes through pretty nicely (this from someone who dislikes marshmallow), but doesn’t make it too sweet. It also makes for a slightly creamy cup, which I found rather enjoyable. The sugar candy also adds a little sweetness, but it isn’t like drinking a latte or anything. Just present and pleasant. I do seem to pick up a very faint caramel taste, though I can’t be certain. It’s nice, though, whatever it is. It’s a smooth cup, with the black tea base just breaking through to give the cup a nice, subdued, black tea taste. As I’ve said in previous reviews, I’m not a fan of strong black teas, so this brew was well received. The tea base is present, but contains no astringency, nor is it overpowering. The tea tastes best once it has cooled a little bit. Overall, I really enjoyed this Holiday brew. Now, if only someone sold it….

I’ll update if I find anything out about this tea.

EDIT: So, I looked online for a marshmallow black tea with gold balls and blue sprinkles and found a tea that seemed either the same or very similar to what I’d had. It’s called “Eight Candles” and it’s sold by Della Terra Teas. This may be the same tea, but I can’t be certain. Maybe they changed the name?

Got this one as a free teabag sample from Lupicia last month. I really liked the taste, so I went ahead a purchased some loose tea.
This tea is sweet smelling, definately large hints of rum, a little more subtle in the caramel. You also will pick up the rooibos scent, though it’s not overt. I do think that next time I prepare it I will let it steep for less time, as it came out a little too potent for my taste.
Taste:
The caramel comes forward a bit once it’s brewed, and I can taste it, though the rum taste is more prominent. The rooibos is detectable, but I didn’t find it overpowering. This tea is definately sweet, and sometimes by the end of the cup I’m glad there isn’t any more, or else I might get sick of it. It’s a nice treat after dinner, though.

Another Teavana tea that I bought when I first started out in loose leaf brewing. This tea, like many others have said, tastes and smells like either “Big Red” chewing gum or those cinnamon candy hearts. Because of this, it tastes and smells artificial. The cinnamon overpowers any other aspect the tea might have had, even though it really wasn’t that strong. I wouldn’t describe the taste as “hot” or “spicy” like you’d expect in a cinnamon chai. It really just tastes like brewed Big Red without the hot aspect. It wasn’t undrinkable or bad, just uneventful and bland. I finished it, but I wouldn’t buy it again.
Definately not one I’d recommend to anyone looking for a good, flavorful chai. This one shouldn’t even be listed as one, regardless of the ingredients they put in it.

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I was really not a fan of this tea. First, like many others have said, it tastes nothing like the description states it should. For me, the smell itself was a bit overpowering. Spicey smelling, but there was something else which I couldn’t put my finger on. Upon brewing it became a spice/fruit combo which I cared nothing for. I like both of those in a tea, but apparently not together. The tastes seemed conflicting, and to my palate it was pretty undrinkable. I tasted none of the Oolong base. Very overpowering/conflicting flavors, and as I stated, it had a taste to it that I cannot for the love of me put my finger on. Almost chemical? Unfortunately, this had been one of those “read the description and buy” teas. Wish I had been able to sample it first, as I wouldn’t have wasted my money.
Had to throw it out.

This tea is a mystery and has an interesting flavor. Unlike what some said, I wouldn’t describe it as “fruity”. You do taste a bit of something fruity, but the tea also has a peppery flavor, which I catch every time. The black tea base is about medium in intesity. Not a bad tea, but not one of my all time favs, either. Overall, worth a try.

I first tried this tea in store with my Afternoon Tea meal. I enjoyed it so bought a bit to take home.
The tea itself smells buttery, mixed with the earthy oolong scent.
Once brewed, there is a subtle, yet present milky/buttery taste. It’s a smooth cup, and I found it quite satisfying. I like to keep a bit around all year long.
Beware, though, as if the temp is too high/low or you steep too long, you can lose the nice light milky taste and get an overpowering astringent tea leaf taste (I suppose just as with most teas, though I find this tea a bit more tempermental when it comes to this). I fiddled with the temp and time quite a bit, but can’t remember the perfect temp and time I stumbled on. I do tend to use water at a lower temp than recommended on their label, though. I’ll try to update the next time I brew it with what I’ve found most pleasant.

I recieved this tea in a batch of samples. The sample bag just said it was called “Glitter & Gold” and that it was a black tea. I had no clue what to expect from it, but went ahead and brewed it. There is definately a cinnamon scent, though not overpowering. You can also smell a bit of the earthy black tea base. The gold sugar balls flake off and create the shimmering effects this tea boasts. It is quite beautiful to look at.
Now for the taste:
Cinnamon, though as I said, not overpowering. There also seems to be a hint of vinilla in there, creating a smoothness. There is orange peel listed in the ingredients, but I didn’t pick much up, that I can recall. It does taste a bit sweet (though not overtly so) and this is to be expected as the tea contains sugar. The black tea base isn’t too strong, which I like. I’m not a huge fan of black tea because it can have the tendency to be very strong and astringent tasting. This tea, at least the way I brewed it, was very mellow and pleasent. Perfect for the holiday season and the cold weather!
Needless to say, I went ahead and purchased some. It’s pretty darn delicious!

I actually really liked this tea. I usually have a problem with flavoured black teas, as the black tea base can be either too strong or overpowered by the flavoring. This tea, upon opening, has a powerful “candy” strawberry scent. This made me nervous at first.
Once I brewed the tea, though, I was pleasantly suprised! I could taste the black tea base, but it wasn’t so powerful that I couldn’t taste the strawberry/vinilla flavor. The strawberry isn’t over powering, and the vinilla is soft, but definately detectable. It was a good combination. Now I buy this around the holidays; it’s a nice treat after dinner.