MaddHatter

This needs to go on my Birthday wish list in triplicate, so I can have one at each of the childcare sites I work at and never have to worry about carrying tea, and tavel mug and this and that. I can just carry enough tea for the day and it will make for a blissful day.

My head is killing me, my feet are cold, it is raining outside and Shaw has yet to fix the cable issue they created two weeks ago… Time to infuse some chocolate feel good, have some painkillers and crawl into bed with a good read on my Kobo…

This time the first infusion I noticed the vanilla taste right off, mmmmm, made me want to curl up and sleep! The second infusion was all black tea, but thankfully not scortched black tea.

Mmmmm! This is so my weekend tea!

I know I probably say the same times each time I log this tea, but today I made an entire 8 cup botum and have infused the leaves for a second time and… wow! I feel spoiled and decadent drinking this tea!

Glanford KK Taste Note

First off, Thank-you DAVIDsTEA for such a generous donation to our Site, we are truly thankful!!

The children enjoyed watching the bamboo leaves dance in the botum as this tea steeped and they also noted a marked difference between how loose leaf tea smells as opposed to bagged tea. The site was split on opinion of how the leaves smelled, and were even more unsure of the tea after it was steeped.

I left the kids to decide for themselves if their tea needed to be sweetened, only a small handful requested either agave or sugar, but most were certian the tea did not need any sweetening. Most could taste the strawberries, and few could taste the peppercorns, everyone noted the bamboo and were shocked to learn there was bamboo in this tea.

The site average for rating the tea is noted.

Again, Thank-you DAVIDsTEA for such a generous donation to our program

Oooh WAOOOW!

I steeped this at least 4 times over and was perfectly amazed each time. When I purchased this as a “to-go” tea today I was careful to ensure I kept the bag, and was so happy I did!

All the infusions held a beautiful dark amber colour! But the first was a clear even split taste of Chocolate and mint the second and third infusions allowed the mint to take center stage and the 4th infusion, athough a pretty colour I could tell the mint was getting tired.

On the whole this tea is definantly delicious hot or cold and for sure a purchase I will make sooner rather than later.

No notes yet.

Since I need to get to the bottom of this tin, to justify trying a new Teaopia tea I will give this another shot, maybe even take it to work today and let the Out of School Care kids have a taste of it – This will be a nice treat compared to the bagged teas they have been having all year, and it will add to movie day, I hope!

This post will be adjusted after I have had my third tasting of this not so great tea.

…..
I think I have figured this out…
When making this tea iced do not follow the principle of doubling the teaspoons (because you are pouring it over ice): That’s bad.

I rounded up, instead of 1.5 tsps I did 2 tsps and I did strictly follow the steeping time today, 6-8 minutes, I aimed for 6. I could certianly detect a hint of strawberry (‘though I don’t remember if there are any in this mix) and there was no over powering scent of orange or rind. First sip, after pouring this over ice was refreshing, no horrible rind taste, no bitter tea taste.

I am still not impressed with how much work this took to figure out, when I walk into other tea places and ask them for directions if I should want to make an iced tea, the staff are helpful, Teaopia was NOT. I got a comment of: “Oh you know, the usual way you would prep iced tea” – clearly after all this I do not know, as I have wasted an entire 50gs trying to figure out how to make this “iced princess” which is clearly meant to be iced, iced.

GAH!

I made the mistake of leaving this tea in the cupboard at the daycare. Not friendly! Especially after the office bought everyone Noodle Box for the Summer Staff Meeting! I am still feeling the affects of that, but hopefully I will make it to the Daycare to grab this before anything embarassing happens… I really need to just not order the foods they offer.

I am bloaty and cranky and could really used the soothing probiotic nature of this tea right now. It should live in my purse for the next little while! It really should!

Oh Lime Gelato, how you make people jealous of us!

I love this tea, I love making it at work in my glass botum and the astonisment of the children as the leaves unfold and the steam fills the room with the delicious lime gelato scent to the point that the oldest child in my care yells: “I can taste the lime gelato in the air!”

I will soon be to the bottom of this tin and a little sad about it, but… but… I know there is still time to buy some more, and maybe DAVIDsTEA will keep this one as a “seasonal item” (at least please keep it on the shelves until September! PLEASE!?!

This delightful guy went really well with the Noodle Box dinner that was served at last nights Summer Training Meeting! Mmmm the lime flavour added that extra punch to my Thai Red Curry dish, and even helped cool the “THIS is NOT MILD Spice” reaction I had to my first and subsequent bites of food. Thank goodness for that!

I love, love, LOVE this tea but I am not sure I could ever enjoy it hot, it just would not work!

Jungle Ju-Ju… Please for the love of God wake me up enough to help me play the part of “Bus Driver” this morning! I stayed up too late, reading a book that was somewhat of a let down and somewhat great, with a little “Happy Kombucha” by my side… But 4 hours sleep will get me know where when the work day today goes from 7am (which means up by 6am out of the house by 6:30am) and not home again until 9pm… Oh I am not sure how I feel about Summer Training Days!

Jungle Ju-Ju, please oh please make sure I am not too grumpy today!

I don’t quite recall how this sample tasted other than it was notable enough for me to consider puting it on my shopping list.

Cranky tummy fixed by Happy Kumbucha!

There is something to be said about fragrant tea and an upset tummy. By the second infusion of this Oolong, I was starting to feel less bloaty, and grumpy by far.

Maybe it is the new tea basket I have, or maybe it is all the practice steeping teas that is making the process not only easy but somewhat enjoyable. I thought Oolongs were not for me, but I think tonight I might actually manage a third steeping.

Steep 1: Fragrant and deliciously fruity as well as marked by that wonderous gold colour that makes safflowers so popular.

Steep 2: Still fragrant, not as fruity, but a subtle creaminess is starting to come through. Still a delightful golden colour, like the rays of the sun.

Steep 3: I am not a fan of the third steeping. It seems more like coloured water, which is in direct contradiction to the scent and vivid colour – maybe it is the heat of the liquid in cup but this tea is still working to make me feel a lot better than last night!

Nope, I tried it a second time, and this tea although blissfully fragrant is just not a tea for me. I wish it were, I love m ango, but it’s more black tea than mango when steeped and that is just a huge let down for me. Esspecially when the leaves are so fragrant before steeping.

Mmmmm, iced is my friend!

I iced this bad boy up to help me through the Summer Program training tonight, I needed just enough caffine to get me to 9pm but now so much that I would be up all night.

I placed 3 tea spoons into an 8 cup bodum and added 1.5 cups of hot water (from the water cooler) and accidentally let this steep for a full 2 hrs before pouring it over ice. Not overly bitter, but the creamy note really came through this time; delish!

I think this will be my mid-day tea for summer!

I am a bit of a cranky pants this morning and this was the first tea I reached for, I hope it is able to lift me from my duldrums!

Nope, still not worth the effort…

I steeped this far less this time, and found that it was still bitter and there was a very distinct orange rind taste, not a light taste of zest but full on rind

The next and last time I try this one I will not double it when making iced tea I will stick with one scoop over ice and see if that will help this tea any.

Oh so still delicious…

This tea is certianly my weekend pick me up tea! So for sure my weekend day start tea is this. Yumm! and this weekend I tried soaking the tea first in cool water; I understand this is probably not best for a flavoured mate, but it worked and I must say it did bring out the flavour slightly. I did notice that soaking the tea first made the chocolate far more subtle and gave this tea more of an amaretto taste as it helped bring the almonds to the fore front.

I can’t wait for next Saturday, already!

I went to a few tea shops with my brother Saturday and walked away from Murchie’s with a Tuffy Basket Steeper and some new knowledge about steeping teas.

And….

I am on my second steep, and loving every minute of it!

First steep was fragrant and flavourful, with lots of intense mandarin taste. While the second steep allowed for more of the spice to come through, so much so that I am worried the third steep might be a little flat. That doesn’t worry me since I’ve already gotten my money’s worth with two steeps.

Smells overly fruity but I am hoping to be pleasently surprised tonight when I make this bad girl up over ice for a bubble bath and a good trashy novel!

UGH! I over steeped this for sure! GROSS! It smells better than it truly is! But I bought 50g, so I had better make the best of it and try again later, I was hoping that because it was a fruit tea there would be no worry of over steeping…. …. aprarently not!

I am not sure if I steeped this tea correctly or if I have just had too many caffinated teas today, but it is not my most favourite tea at this time, but still superior to other teas I have purchased from Murchie’s.

A second attempt later on, might be in order.

I had this one on a day I was in DAVIDs and just looking (like that is ever possible) I think this one may have been under steeped (if that is possible). You can smell the strawberries, but their taste is far more understated than the title suggests.

I might get this one over ice to go today and give it at least one more try before I completely give up on it.

I have not tasted this yet, but Oh My God, it smells like Christmas!

Ummm, maybe not the best tea to have at 9pm, but when I purchased it today, I could not wait to get it home, and there was no paitence to wait for Sunday breakfast… Nope, not at all!

When I first smelled the leaves I was struck at how much this smelled like that horrid “Raspberry Mocha” from Starbucks. This left me a little leary to try it, but I figured there really was nothing to loose since there is only one tea from DAVIDs that I truly did not like (Dolce & Banana) This tea is fun to watch as it steeps and I am a little sad that I left my glass bodum at work, since the raspberries plump right up!

I could only smell the raspberries and chocolate, but taste the mild chicory and almond taste… we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

This was my “tea to go” today, myself and two other co-workers piled into my car for a trip to DAVIDs for a between shift purusal… uh-oh, 3 women in a tea shop is like a bunch of kids in a candy store screaming for the attentions of the one person behind the counter. But I must say she was calm cool and collected!

When I first sniffed these maple infused leaves I was hit in the face with so much syrup I worried that it would come off tasting like a D grade maple syrup, but I decided to take the plunge and who knew this would be so delightful?! Drinking it hot reminds me of winters huddled around troughs filled with snow eagerly holding that precious popcicle stick, breathing in the scent of fresh snow, fresh tapped trees adn boiling maple syrup and waiting, WAITING for that sticky boiled goodness to be poured over the snow so you can wrap your stick in it and stand cheeks rosey and toes frozen as you savour that maple goodness that makes Canada Great!

This is a great tea and my first Rooibos that will leave me looking for more on pancake and french toast Sundays!