Gander

I received this from SoccerMom, who found out she wasn’t so fond of earl grey. I am always open to trying different EGs, so I was very happy to receive the package. I loved the smell, which didn’t smell like a typical earl grey because of the addition of vanilla and cream flavors. So far so good. I used 10oz water instead of the standard 8oz and steeped 2 minutes and 30 seconds, which is what I usually do when I drink my earl greys straight.

The result? I have to say, thank you, SoccerMom! I like this. As an earl grey, it is on the lighter side, more floral notes than bergamot. I am not a big fan of vanilla by itself but the sweetness made the floral scent less perfumy for me. I like it. I also like the blue cornflower that makes the blend look quite pretty.

I ordered this because it was on 35% sale on Amazon until the end of February (I think). I was a little worried because my friend described it as having a “cherry-like” flavor. I had it straight this morning and now I know what she was talking about- it’s the stronger, slightly bitter taste of raw almond rather than the sweet nutty flavor of roasted almond. Like almond or amaretto syrup, if you have tried them. Pretty good.

I had couple cups hot and straight this morning, and while I like it, I wasn’t blown away. I like this with milk because it’s round yet refreshing. The flavor remains strong when chilled, so I would love to make a shake out of this, except that my dingy student apartment is kinda cold, reflecting the usual Michigan weather. For now, I think I’ll try some more straight before making my final decision. But even if I don’t “love” this tea straight, I’d buy this again to drink with milk… Will be great in summer, too.

I was hesitant to try 52 Teas because I’m rather conservative when it comes to flavored tea and their blends sounded too complicated or exotic. So it’s rather strange that I ordered this, especially considering that I’ve never had mate before. But chocolate and malt, those two can’t go bad, I thought, so I gave it a try.

And I’m happy I did. I opened the pouch and immediately smelled rich chocolate with a hint of malt, mixed with the mint (not exactly mint, but a distinct refreshing scent that I think comes from the mate). I’m sure this is great straight, which I will try perhaps tomorrow, but today I enjoyed it with milk and sugar. It has a lot of flavor but doesn’t get too heavy because of the mate base. I made a big mug-full so I left a bit to chill to see how it’d taste iced, and it’s very good. I can see myself making iced tea latte or shake with this one.

This is my favorite tea at the moment, but I’ll see how I like it straight and if it’s still as good as the first time after several more tries. As of right now, I would love it added to the permanent collection, esp. 52 Teas has yet to add a yerba mate!

Smells malty, not enough depth. It was okay but not fabulous. Slight bitterness towards the end; perhaps I should decrease the steeping time a little (I steeped five minutes as suggested) or try it with milk. I think Irish Breakfasts are best with milk, so I will try it again next time with milk; I just felt like drinking my tea straight this morning.

Valentines was yesterday, but it happened to be on Sunday so I had to wait till the next day for my Adagio package. I am just starting to try flavored teas, and I have to say, at first I was intimidated by the strong scent. It did smell like chocolate covered strawberries, sweet with a slight sour tang, it smelled like. It was screaming dessert, so I added milk and a sugar cube. With the additions you can taste the flavors pretty well, and it makes a nice dessert cup. I don’t know if I’ll try this straight, because I liked how milk rounded things out… and to drink this straight wasn’t my original intention.

It smells good, if you like hazelnut. The predominant scent is hazelnut but you can smell vanilla as well. I just tried my free sample from Adagio, and I’m not very impressed with this one. It is a tad bit bland.

However, it was my first try, and I might be biased since I just realized that I am not a huge fan of hazelnut flavor (except with chocolate). I will give it another try, and also try it with milk.

So this morning’s formula was: 200ml boiling water with two tea bags (approx. 6g) for two minutes, 200ml warm milk plus a cube of La Perruche brown sugar. Not bad. It makes me want to sweeten a little more, add ice and tapioca to make my own bubble tea.

I don’t dislike green tea, but it’s not my favorite. I can appreciate a good cup when I’m invited or when I receive one as a gift, but I rarely invest myself. However, there are times when I want that clean, distinct grassiness, straight in warm water without no additives.

Today I had something slightly greasy for dinner, and wanted a cup of green tea to cleanse it out. Usually I go for Puerh or Oolong, but I didn’t have any on my cupboard. Instead I tried this complimentary tea bag I just got from my last Twinings order, and it does its job. Steeped for a minute and a half, light and just right for my taste.

I first tried this from my friend, whose English boyfriend converted her to a tea drinker (but then again, she didn’t like coffee all that much so maybe it’s not so much of a conversion). This is his daily morning tea with a splash of milk, and now it is hers too.

While this is not my favorite morning cup, it is quite affordable, and feels… sturdy. It’s strong, a little bitter when straight, but with the addition of milk it makes a hearty cup. I also like that the pyramid tea bag infuses better than standard ones, and that it has 3g of tea as opposed to 2g. Overall, I wouldn’t mind having a 40 count box on my cupboard.

Note: This is a review for the bagged version.

I like Twinings English Breakfast with milk, and sometimes a brown sugar cube as well. But this time I decided to try it straight, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s not a fabulous morning cuppa that will blow your mind, but a reliable and affordable (this is very important because I drink a lot in the morning, esp. with milk) breakfast blend.

Last night I stepped on nasty sheet of ice without realizing, fell down, and almost broke my nose. Well, I didn’t break my nose, but I woke up this morning to find out that my right foot is too swollen to fit into my clogs even half way. Every step was painful and getting from the bed to the kitchen was such a chore, and I was limping at the speed of a sea turtle at a dune.

Why am I bothering to write this misery in this steepster-verse full of happiness and joy and kindness and tea? Well, because I did make it to the kitchen, and while making myself an ice pack, I boiled some water so I can make myself a cup of tea to make me feel better. And this Prince of Wales was the one I chose. Usually this is too mild for breakfast, but I was aching and cold, and just wanted mild, soothing tea past my throat.

This tea is like an everyday friend, not overly friendly or gorgeous or welcoming, but calm and elegant, always ready to give a smile when you’re feeling somewhat down. Not a cheer-up tea, but a tea that makes you think that it isn’t all so bad. Oh, and “everyday” includes the price tag. Likely to be a staple on my cupboard.

Let’s see, this is my fourth cup of tea today and second cup of Prince of Wales. And I have to say that for a tea bag, this does the job very well. It’s a mild Chinese black good for cold late mornings or in the afternoons.

Since I am not very adventurous when it comes to Chinese Blacks (I tend to stick to one or two for a long time), this may be a staple on my cupboard for quite a while. When I run out of tea bags, I’ll order some loose leaf.

Note: This is a review for the bagged version.

This time I had it straight. Just standard English Breakfast, nothing special, but not bad. I added a little bit of warm milk to finish up the latter half because it turned a little bitter, and that rounded it out. If I’m actually having breakfast with this tea, I will drink it straight, but otherwise I will add a bit of milk. Overall, a solid budget tea, like most other Twinings tea. I prefer Irish Breakfast, though.

My second time trying this tea. This time I tried it with honey before adding ice, and though I am not a fan of ice tea or fruit flavored tea, I might occasionally do so once summer comes. Still mostly peach, and ginger is more of a supporting role, cutting the sweetness from being unbearable. Not my favorite tea, but something I might have once in a while for a change, especially since my local bakery cafe (Panera Bread) carries it.

I see why lots of people don’t like this tea. I sent some to my friend, and she immediately texted me “it smells heavenly,” only to text me “I feel like I just drank perfume, yuck.”

I always have mixed feelings about earl grey. I have to be in the mood for it. I don’t like this Twinings tea bag straight, but it’s a very convenient and affordable base for my tea latte. With foamed milk and vanilla syrup (or other sweetener), this becomes a “London fog latte,” which can be very soothing. There are better EGs out there, but I like to have half dozen of these on my cupboard for when I suddenly feel like fixing myself an aromatic tea latte.

I got this tea bag as a complimentary sample from my Twinings order. The orange scent is pretty strong, closer to Popsicle or soda drinks rather than plain orange, like many other orange flavored teas. I’m not a big fan of citrus with black tea (Bergamot being the sole excpetion), and I felt like the orange was too overpowering.

For someone who likes orange flavored teas, this may be okay. I had it hot and straight, but left half a cup to go cold to see how it might potentially taste iced, and it’s definitely a possibility. I stayed away from sugar though, because the tea already smelled very sweet.

Second try. I don’t know what went wrong the first time, but this is a solid basic Chinese black good to enjoy anytime of the day, though you would have to like mild tea. For me, that is what I like about this tea.

Sometimes I want to take a break from all those assertive teas I enjoy and relax, without frills or flavors. This is pretty good for a bagged tea in doing that job. One of the staples on my cupboard is an affordable, mild, but drinkable Chinese black, and this is a candidate. I will have to try the loosed leaf version.

Note: This is a review for the bagged version.

It’s morning and I needed to wake up, so I made a strong cup and added some milk. Basic English Breakfast, nothing special but so far I like it. A bagged tea I wouldn’t mind. I will have to try it straight sometime.

I am hesitant to give this tea bag a low rating, and here is why:

I like Chinese Blacks when I want a mild cup of tea straight. I smelled this tea and liked the calm but smoky scent. When I say smoky, I’m not talking about extremes like Lapsang Suchong. For me, the most noticeable characteristic of Chinese Blacks (Keemun, for example) is the slight smoky flavor in the otherwise round cup.

I liked the tea for the first couple sips, but later on there was a strange astringency that I did not expect from this tea. It was not from oversteeping, so I am wondering if I should use more water; I used a bit less than the standard, reading other people’s review that it was too mild. I am not sure what went wrong, but it was an unpleasant experience. However, I try again in a day or two and write another tasting note.

Note: This is a review for the bagged version.

It is currently 7:30pm. I have an exam tomorrow, so I made myself a thermos tumbler full of Irish Breakfast with a splash of warm milk to keep me awake. It’s a malty, masculine tea and goes very well with milk, and sugar too, if you feel like it.

Twinings version of Irish Breakfast is, like others noted, on the strong side, somewhat rough; the “drill sergeant” metaphor isn’t far off. I have yet to try this straight, and when I do I will write another tasting note. I am on a search for my favorite Irish Breakfast, and plan on trying several different companies before I order my loose leaf tin. I wouldn’t count this one out.

Note: This is a review for the bagged version.

I really wanted to try this tea because a good friend of mine, who hates bergamot and therefore cannot stand earl grey, said she liked this tea, and described it as a “lighter earl grey.” Light, yes, but definitely different from earl grey. The citrus note stands out more than, say, the lavender-like intensity from earl grey. I sometimes add milk to my earl grey but I think this Lady is best straight, though I will try it with a bit of milk on my next try.

Overall, it was a light tea, and though I prefer Earl Grey, it was a nice change. I saw the loose leaf before and they were quite pretty. I would like to try some, but it is not my favorite tea; I don’t see myself buying a whole tin.

Definitely more peach than ginger. You realize the ginger is there if you compare it with other peach flavored tea without ginger, but it can be slightly difficult to single it out. Good with honey (I think honey is better than sugar for this one), though you don’t need it. Pretty good.