gmathis

Fighting a mild cold, so I tossed in a couple teaspoons of dried peppermint leaves from my own plant hoping for a Vapo-Rub vibe. Didn’t quite work—I really have to hunt for the mint taste. Wonder if it’s due to leaf-drying error on my part (I just let them air-dry.) But it’s warm on a scratchy throat.

Wrote a more eloquent review for future posting to www.itsallabouttheleaf.com. Okay, maybe not eloquent, but at least more wordy and full of adjectives and verbs and things and even a lame attempt at quoting Shakespeare. But at any rate, here’s the first sip:

My first experience with lapsang souchong was pretty disastrous—-reminiscent of sucking pork rinds—-so when I first opened this tea packet and the first whiff that hit my nose was souchong-like “smoke,” I was very apprehensive.

But, intrepid tea taster that I am, I persevered and was pleasantly surprised. The big, black loose leaves brew up a luscious, clear red-gold color. At three minutes with boiling water (again, I erred on the side of caution thinking this was going to be really strong) the smoke taste does lead the caravan, but the other teas in the blend add a little sweetness and balance.

Some flavorings are perfect with rooibos—-vanilla being one of them. This is a fine, fine balance of the two flavors, even better with a little milk.

All this needed was a little love. (Milk.) Much better than my first experience.

m – a – y – b – e just a hint of the herbs and fruit on the back of your tongue as you swallow. No scent to speak of, but it’s not a bad tea if you’re just needing some hot leaf juice.

Another one that’s been in hibernation over the summer months; glad I could resurrect it. One of the closest-to-coffee teas I’ve ever had. And some groggy mornings, that’s a welcome thing.

Every time I’ve had this previously, I’ve complained about it being wimpy. Had about 1/3 of an Adagio-sized sample tin left and just dumped the whole mess in a tea-for-one to get rid of it. I should have done that sooner…finally, flavor! Still light, but finally found the “butter zone.” Was good for our first really chilly afternoon in months when I didn’t want heavy caffeine. Upping my rating just a scoosh.

This is a sample from Doulton I’ve been waiting and waiting to try until weather made an evening cuppa welcome. And it was worth the wait. It steeps up almost milky in texture—I guess that’s the yogurt—but is sweet and caramelly and syrupy without really needing extra additives. I’m thinking it’ll be even better with a little milk.

I have a longer review ready for itsallabouttheleaf.com, but this one disappointed me a little. It’s good tea—nothing I’ve tried from Golden Moon is less than excellent quality—but seemed a little too nondescript for a breakfast tea.

Think I’ll have to give this one a meh; I’m not getting much pomegranate—just tart cranberry.

My original review contended this nice Assam (I just love the name…purr…) didn’t need additives. Got a little happy with the half-and-half this morning, and while I think I like this better as a standalone, it takes milk OK.

Most herbal stress busters lean on a lemony base, and TeaFrog’s Stress Reliever fits the stereotype. It’s pleasantly lemongrass-heavy when you examine the dry blend and when you drink a steeped cup.

(Reviewed and rated for medicinal value for an upcoming www.itsallabouttheleaf.com post.)

Vanilla. Decaf. Not much more to say than that; it just is what it is.

Purchased in bulk because it smelled h-e-a-v-e-n-l-y rich and malty in the jar. Didn’t quite live up to the in-store marketing, milder than expected. More like a genteel English breakfast, instead of a hearty kick-yer-hindquarters-awake Irish.

Here’s the first part of a more scholarly (?) studied (?) dissertation at http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1099/tea-review-golden-moon-sugar-caramel-oolong/

The name of this tea is somewhat misleading—it represents the ingredients accurately, but doesn’t convey its character well at all. With sugar and caramel as the leading adjectives, I expected a heavy, sweet tea with the flavor of Sugar Daddies that would be fine alongside a doughnut or work well as a dessert tea.

If that’s what you’re looking for, best move on.

But…

First time I’ve ever consciously tasted “not rooibos” in order to compare the two. Really nice…there’s something just a touch sharper in the taste profile than rooibos; enough so that my husband mentioned a similarity to Red Zinger minus the tartness. Better still—it was inexpensive; our local health food place has bulk-by-the-ounce so it’s doesn’t cost much to experiment!

My fault for storing this improperly…nice sample sent by Lori (I think … sorry for being forgetful!) has been in a baggie instead of a tin, so I think it lost some muscle during the summer months. Very nice and smooth and I will enjoy it to the last leaf, but I’m not sure if I were doing a blind taste test, I’d say, "Oh! That’s peanut butter flavored tea!) Next cup, I’ll try some milk and sweetener.

This was a surprise … looked weakly pink in a clear 12-oz tumbler, so I didn’t expect much from it, but has a nice cidery flavor. I think it’ll do even better when I use a smaller mug.

Will be reviewing this one soon for itsallabouttheleaf.com, but further research necessary. (Oh, shucks. I’ll have to make more.) Even with likely user error on my part—I think I didn’t make it strong enough—it promises to be a nice Assam.

Addendum: got it figured out—-full review @ http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1077/tea-review-lochan-tea-harmutty-golden-paw-first-flush-2010/

Hibiscus again. Sigh. But it’s the third ingredient on the list and hides pretty well behind the rooibos/blueberry. Pleasant berry-y smell and taste.

Probably too sophisticated to pair with my Hot Fudge Sundae Pop-Tart this morning, but it works.

Read the ingredient list before tasting and was automatically prejudiced against it: hibiscus is the FIRST item on the list; licorice powder is the last. Two blecchs in my book. But it’s OK. Fruity without being painfully zinger-y. Then again, I’m concurrently eating jelly beans and lemon wafer cookies which may be tainting my taste buds.

This was a get-well treat from one of the most well-read people (and one of my favorite people) on the planet. The tea itself is basic black English Breakfast tea, nothing unusual about it, but I am grateful for the thoughtfulness and enjoy the quotes on the tea tags. This morning: “Books had instant replay long before sports.”

Back, more or less, to the land of the living after four weeks of unplanned sick leave. As it is, there wouldn’t have been much for me to post - it’s been so torturously hot in our area the thought of a hot drink made me cringe. That and my beverages, out of necessity, were running toward IV fluid and Gatorade.

But now that I’m back at work with air conditioners running full blast, a nice morning cuppa is quite pleasant, such as good ol’ Celestial Seasonings, which I’ve reviewed at http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1007/tea-review-celestial-seasonings-authentic-green-tea/.

Happy Wednesday.