Frolic

My first ever flavored matcha and I am in love.

I got—

Size: Small (30g )

Matcha: Classic

Flavoring: Distinctive

My first task was getting the powder into the tin, no easy task and I’m very glad I put a sheet of newspaper down first. Once that was accomplished I put some water on to heat to 175 and about 6oz of coconut milk(my preferred latte base) in the microwave. I used my electric frother to mix the matcha into 2oz of hot water then mixed that into the coconut milk.
I took a tentative sniff and wrinkled my nose. It tasted, well simply it tasted like burnt caramel. I was getting nervous but I bravely went on bringing the cup to my mouth.
Then came the moment of truth…
WOW this is good! The flavor is round and true with the sweetness of the carmel. Not a hint of the burnt flavor I was smelling all sweet corn and butter and sweetness. This would make an awesome iced drink I think. Yesterday I went to a cafe that had coffee ice cubes so your iced coffee didn’t get watered down as they melted and I think that would translate well to iced matcha. Of course before i go making any iced drinks I suppose I better get some ice trays.
But I digress. This is delicious. I was a bit nervous trying a flavored matcha so I went with what I felt like was the safe rout of making it into a late but I think this would stand up by itself as a good wake up drink.

Find it at http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/caramel-popcorn-matcha.html

No notes yet.

Mmmm. The house was freezing this morning. It was actually in the 50s. Now that might not seem cold to those of you from chillier parts of the country but here in SoCal it’s mighty cold. So it was with much effort I dragged myself from bed and into the kitchen. The thought of new tea to try was a huge motivator.

I decided I wanted a black tea to start the morning and went with Nina’s because they had been so gracious to send me a sample. On first sniff it was all cream and raspberry to me. After it’s been brewed the current peaks out a bit more and balances the raspberry.

The one thing that strikes me about this tea is the level of creaminess and underlaying sweet tones. It would be easy for a tea like this to become bitter but it tastes like a dessert tea even without an additives. I do taste a faint note of caramel that could be increasing the sweetness and giving it depth but I’m really not sure if that’s exactly what it is.

Next time I don’t know if I’d have this as a breakfast tea. It seriously feels like I’m eating dessert first. I was looking into ordering more of this but while the price is pretty reasonable the shipping from amazon is pretty steep to get just 50 grams of this which is what I would want.

Overall a wonderful tea. Thank you Laurent!

Backlogging

I love lime. Like I really really love lime. Some of my favorite teas have been Franks lemon lime cheesecake honeybush and Numi’s super tart Desert Lime tisane.

So while I don’t eat jello(gelatin and all) I was happy to see this tea. That and the fact that Frank does amazing things with marshmallow and I’m now convinced that he needs to offer a marshmallow sampler along with a cheesecake sampler.

So back to this tea. It smelled delicious and I was able to identify lime by my blind sniff of it before I checked the label. It’s really not tart at all but still very limey. I didn’t read the description before I drank it and wasn’t able to identify the pineapple but I can definitely see it there in retrospect. There is a general fruitiness about it. But oh the marshmallow. So very good!

Probably going to be a pouch for me. Frank you’re killing me this month. I’m already dipping into next’s months tea budget and will probably have to go beyond that and spend some christmas money. I’ve been trying to have less coffee outside of the house in an attempt to convince my husband that all the money I’m saving by carrying a tumbler of tea everywhere should go back into being spent on tea.

Backlogging.

Yummy but a little on the flat side. I rarely drink anything other than my pg tips with milk and/or suger but I think this would be improved by it so I’ll hold back my rating till I’ve tried it that way. I’ll probably end up finishing the package but it won’t be a pouch order for me.

Backlogging

Was not fond of this tea. It started off at a disadvantage because I don’t like earl grey. It wasn’t horrid but really just not to my taste. I don’t really have much to say about it so I won’t ramble on.

ETA— If anyone who didn’t get the 12 days of tea and wants to try it I can send it off to you.

Mmmmm. This is another one that got away from me. I had actually forgotten about it so I’m happy to see it in my Christmas box.

It’s like sun and could mist tea’s older more sophisticated sister. While the fluffy kitty tea is lemony sweet and adorable like the picture on the pouch this is a more refined and savory tea. Perfect balance of lemon and cardamom. I was actually not familiar with Chun Mee but I might have to check some unflavored out because it serves as an excellent base here.

Held up to two good steepings, first at two minutes and the second at three. I think it might be good to use the leaves from the second steeping for cold brewing and might try than next time. It worked well for fluffy kitty tea.

I did not like the smell of this tea. It was sickly sweet. I don’t like banana flavored things they always remind me of banana runts which are absolutely disgusting.

Soooo….

I was shocked and amazed when I liked this tea. I’m not going to rate it yet because I’m still a little undecided on how much I like it. Um I don’t know if I’m even making any sense cause I’m exhausted but I never really understand how the weirdness of Franks teas actually works. I mean a hot fruit smoothie? Ewww!

But no. This works. I kinda want to buy a bag but I’m scared to blow my tea budget too early and not have any left for the next 10 days of tea. I’ve already bought weeping angel and brown coat tea last night so I think I’m in trouble this month….

Frank you’ve done it again. I was sad when I missed out on the first run(s) of this but the money simply wasn’t there.

Since this was the “1st tea of Christmas” i opened the pouch and took a deep wiff before I looked to see what it was. It smelled exactly like if you added my favorite perfume to tea (bpals Boo—Eerie billows of spun sugar, fluttering white cotton, and sheets of cream). I wasn’t quite sure how well this would translate to tea but I have faith in Frank so I brewed it
up and took a sip. Heven.

I loved his boo-berry cotton candy and I’m all ready rationing it so it’s not surprise. It isn’t perfumy tasting at all like some flavored teas are. It’s sweet and fluffy. The black tea base is delicious. I don’t know if I’ve had any of Franks black tea blends since he switched but regardless I aprove. It would be a good tea even without the flavoring.

Excuse me while I go refill my cup…

Weird.

This is another one of Franks spot on blends but I"m not sure how well the flavor carries over to a hot beverage. I might try putting some milk in it, something I’ve never done with honeybush.

When it cools it is fabulous. The cheese cake is prominent followed by the peanut butter then chocolate. I might have enjoyed a little more chocolate but all and all this is a lovely night time tea.

Backlogging a bit here, but I seriously have been drinking a ton of tea so this is only from laste night.

This is probably the strongest chocolate tasting tea I’ve had. I’m not a huge roobois fan but the reviews here convinced me to get a sample to try and I’m happy I did. I needed just a few more dollars to get me to the right size order and I had no idea what I wanted to sample.

ATR actually forgot to send me this sample but as I posted in the discussions they were super fast in getting it out to me when I called them and I couldn’t be more pleased. This will probably be a reorder for 2oz next time. I’m happy to find a roobois I actually like because they are few and far between. I’m usually a honybush person for my evening teas.

While this isn’t my favorite 52 teas blend it’s quite good. My only complaints are that the base is a bit bitter and the blueberries taste more dehydrated than fresh, though I have no idea how you’d get a fresh blueberry taste in tea so it’s probably as good a flavor it’s going to get.

OMG!

This tea is amazing. Really the only thing keeping me from giving it a 100 is the price. It’s creamy and smooth but not overpowering. I can’t believe I’m the first person to review it. If you like coconut you will love this tea even if you’re not a huge oolong fan(though I do adore oolongs).

I was in a motorcycle accident on Sunday and I’m all fuzzy headed from the concussion and pain meds. It’s the perfect tea to keep me warm while I ice my back. I’m not even bothering to ration it any more(I only got a sample due to the price) because I think I deserve something good when I hurt this bad.

Yum!

I’m not usually one for fruity teas but this one is delish. It reminds me of the cranberry bliss bars starbucks make. There is a kind of white chocolate undertone that adds a sort of creamyness to the winter fruits.

Of course the fact it’s pink certainly raises my rating of it a few notches.

Oh boo-berry, where have you been?

Today has been a crappy day. In the midst of a panic attack and running out of ideas of what to do I remembered my tea had come this morning. I figured the caffeine was low enough it shouldn’t make things worse so I’d give it a go.

How can it be so sweet without tasting sweetened? Frank how do you work your magic? It’s not overly sweet it’s just right. I’m drinking it hot and plain and the blueberries are juicy, the coton candy is delish and the marshmallowness lurks in the background.

Yummy! It’s as good as all the reviews say. I did 3 minutes on my first steeping and 2.5 on the second. I think I’ll lower it by 30 seconds next time to cut out the tiny bit of bitterness I got from it. It’s so much more than a lemon green tea. It’s just as fluffy and sweet as the little kitten on the label.

I’ve put the used leaves in a pitcher to cold brew over night and will report back on how it does.

Mmmmm. Creamy.

I haven’t had very many oolongs and I just didn’t get how a regular tea could be creamy without flavoring. Now I get it. It’s slightly floral and green with a smooth creamyness. Ultimate comfort tea.

I want to snuggle up in my jammies and read even though it’s the middle of the afternoon.

Upping the rating. Third and forth steeping are much better. It’s so soothing and relaxing. I had a mug last night when I couldn’t sleep because I was so anxious and it calmed me right down.

I upped the the steeping time on the later infusion and the flavor really came out. It’s still very mellow but much more enjoyable.

I’m wondering if I did something wrong the flavor is so light. The brew is almost the color of water. I used the entire sample bag so I don’t think the amount of tea is the problem.

What flavor there is is light and pleasant. I get the hay notes other people are getting but my cup seems to be a bit more on the fruity side. I think this would be delicious cold brewed but it’s very refreshing hot.

Ok I’m going to come back and write a better review later but I’ve been a bit obsessed with this tea since I got back from Berkeley where I got it from Teance.

3 word review—

Honey
Nut
Cheerios

Ok maybe a bit longer than that. I want to explain that this is a very good thing. It’s subtle not in your face but the sweet nutty flavors are there under the beautiful oolong exterior. I definitely get some grain notes that further emphasize the cheerio-ness I’m getting from it. Don’t get me wrong it’s no where close to being a flavored tea, not that I don’t enjoyed my 52teas(psst Frank, a honey nut cheerio green would be lovely me thinks)

Pleasant. Not amazing but still a nice treat. Tart with warm buttery notes. The blackberry is much stronger than the peach but the peach still peaks through. I would like it more if the fruits were a bit more balanced but enjoyable none the less.

Finishing up my last of my loose leaf supply of Dry Desert Lime. This one I suspect isn’t much worse off bagged because of how fine and dusty the herbs are to start with. I don’t know anywhere around here I can get Numi loose as I originally got this from the source.

My original verdict still stands, it’s zingy and lovely. I’ve come to prefer it unsweetened. I agree with many of the other reviewers that there is a medicinal note but that’s one of the reasons I adore it. I have a headache and my tummy’s a little iffy but this is just what I needed.

Cheers!

I got a sample of this in a holiday tea swap and OMG it was amazing! The perfect balance of chocolate and spice it was good even without milk, I’m wavering on whether to try my last bit with milk or just not mess with a good thing and have it plain.

I have a bit of a problem with this tea.

I can’t stop drinking it. I’ve had it for 3 days and I’ve drank 1/3 of the pouch. I’m going to have to start rationing this at the same time I start a campaign to get it added to the permeant collection. It’s good hot. It’s good cold. It’s magic.

After I bought Cinnamon Roll Honeybush I became nervous. I dislike most cinnamon teas. What had I done! The allure of cinnamon rolls drew me in and seduced me but no tea could really taste like cinnamon rolls.

I was wrong. Wrong Wrong Wrong. I’m still a little mystified at how Frank does it but all the notes of a warm gooey cinnamon roll are there. Sweet cream cheese frosting? Check. Comforting squishy dough? Check. Spicy Cinnamon? Check.

Excuse me while I go drink the liter of goodness that I just brewed.