Hesper June

When the going gets tough, the tough drink tea.
What a awful week.
The mediation on Monday went awfully, then I went to the funeral of a friend, and got cornered and verbally attacked 3 different times by 3 different people over something I had nothing to do with, came home, wept bitterly and then had a 36 hour long migraine.
Today, I am feeling better.
Decide to treat myself with this tea, I make a ceremony with the preparation.
Hoping it will bring the tranquility and strength I need.
Only to have 2 wasps promptly sting me as I just get situated on the porch with this tea and my book.
I spill the whole glass and nearly break my cup.
I come in the house, sad and depressed over this whole dad blame week, but as I am grabbing ice for my stings I think “NO! Screw this!” grab a handful of ice and throw it in the blender, add milk and a large scoop of this matcha and a bit of agave syrup and ferociously blend.
Pour into a glass with a straw and AHHHHhhhhhhh!
Its like a large Malted Milk Shake. SO tasty and decadent.
So screw tradition, Hesper June is doing it her way!
Which I think is paying off, because a friend just called and said we are going to get our nails and hair done tomorrow, her treat.
So, here to the rest of the week being wonderful, even if I have to throw it in a blender and add ice!

When you are start out your Monday with a Mediation in the morning and then a funeral in the afternoon, you want your tea to make you alert but also to be comforting.
I choose this tea, I made it strong and then did something I hardly ever do with my tea, I added some milk and agave syrup.
It is clearing the mind fog and the spices are settling my nervous stomach.
See previous notes.

Trying this again (See previous notes)
I added almost another whole tea-spoon of leaf per cup.
The smokiness is coming out and bergamot is much more present.
I am really liking this tea now.
Very good for a morning brew.
(upped the rating a smidgen since I can now taste the notes that they promised in the description:)

After feeling rather jilted from the French Vanilla Tea, I decided I deserved some dessert.
So, I opened this bag of tea and my tummy immediately growled.
Oh, dear, is this one of those teas that make me want to raid the cupboard or bake sweets (my hips do not need that!)
It certainly smells very cookie like, in fact I reached in and snitched a almond and munched happily away while the tea brewed.
Sniffing the tea while it is brewing is like smelling cookies baking in the oven…divine!
My mouth was watering and I was hopping back in forth in front of the timer.
I kept checking the ingredient list while I was waiting, the tea just smells like sugar coated cookies!
I wanted to make sure there really weren’t crumbled up cookies in there;)
Taste is a little calmer than the smell, you can taste the black tea and the almonds with a bake-y note at the end.
A very tasty and cozy tea.
Also, it is satisfying, I have no need to go find munchies or start baking.
I am plenty happy just sitting here and sipping.

Not getting much for vanilla from this.
In fact, I am getting more of a Rooibos odor.
Maybe it is just my nose today?
Taste is not bad. Not great. Just a fairly mild mannered black tea.
I am thinking of letting this cool off some and see if the shy vanilla feels brave enough to emerge.

Wow.
First of all, if you don’t like cinnamon then do not get this tea.
There. Thats the short of it for you Cinnamon Haters out there.
But, for the rest of you, this tea is like those Cinnamon Hot Candies.
Now, as a after dinner tea, to sip while reading a book on a blustery winters eve, I think this tea is perfect.
I actually think if you had a apple flavored tisane about, I think mixing a little of that with this tea would make a yummy Apple Pie dessert tea.
I might have to look into that.

So, I went out on a limb and bought a pound of this tea.
We shall see if I made a mistake or not.
Since it is blended with Earl Grey and has Lapsang Souchong, I was hoping that this was a tea that my husband and I could enjoy many pots of together (EG for me and LS for him)
Smelling the tea in dry leaf form, I can smell the bergamot and a hint of smokiness.
The tea brews up to almost a Maroon color.
Smelling the tea in the cup, and it smells faintly of bergamot and just a nice quality black tea. Not really smelling much LS smokiness at the moment.
Taste is a nice black tea, a hint of bergamot in the background, not much smokiness, but there is something else…there is a honey-like sweetness making itself present.
Very nice breakfast tea, I think I will enjoy it, but I don’t think there is enough smokiness present for the Hubby.

I guess I am the first one to review this on Steepster?
I had to enter it into the database, anyhow.
There are so many other teas I need to be drinking up before I open up anything new.
But, when we got up and the temperature was 35 degrees, this Chai was calling my name from the box.
It knew I wanted, no, needed its warmth and comfort.
So, I broke my own rules and I am not sorry. ( I am such a rebel )
When, it was brewing in my Bodum, I kept sticking my nose down over the cup and taking deep breaths…mmmmmm, Christmas!
It really does smell like Christmas to me. I think it might be the Anise and maybe the Vanilla.
This tea could certainly hold up to traditional Chai brewing, with milk.
What I like about this tea, is the spices are very present but you can still taste a nice strong black tea.
There is a nice spicy bite on the back of the tongue.
This tea brews up to a lovely dark red color.
Very tasty, especially for chilly mornings, I am going to enjoy sipping this many mornings in the months to come.

We are in the full swing of Harvest here.
Running constantly the last week or more,and never sure what day it is.
I have been drinking staple teas such as my Earl Grey, but because I am out in the field all day, I have been down to one cup of tea daily.
I feel like those last five words should be in capitol or italics or in bright red.
It has been utterly grueling.
But, today I am home, doing laundry, cleaning and bound and determined to drink tea.
I have this tea from Angrboda and its a odd duck.
The nose of it dry reminds me of some candy I had in my youth.
The most odd thing about this tea, is its color.
My husband walked by and stopped and then sniffed and then asked me with slight fear in his voice “Is…that tea?”
It is sort of a brown-ish purple color.
Now, I only have had figs a few times in my life, but this tea is not coming off overly “figgy” to me.
More fruity.
But, I am rather enjoying it.
Maybe its just because I am actually sitting down in the middle of the day, drinking a cup of tea that I am being rather forgiving.
But, it is a nice fruity afternoon tea.
Thank you for letting me try this tea, Angrboda.

Sometimes when you have been waiting so long to try something, then it becomes available to you, you are slightly frightened.
At least, that is how I felt when I finally was able to try this tea.
I have been wanting to try it for so long, but then…what if it is not as wonderful as I had hoped?
OR what if it is beyond my wildest dreams and I have to instantly buy some and never be without it!?
But, I should have just trusted the Earl (he has never let me down before)
I smiled when I opened the cute little tin that Angrboda had packed this tea in just for me.
Well, Hello, My Russian Cowboy Earl, where have you been all my life?
I think Kusmi blended this perfectly, there is smokiness but you can still smell a nice bright bergamot.
Neither overpowers the other.
Which makes it mysterious to me…how did they do that?
Mysterious? So now the Earl is a Russian Cowboy 007 Earl. Good Grief.
While the tea is brewing, again there smokiness and bergamot.
Taste is just what the name says it is…A Smoky Earl.
Bergamot and a bit of smoke, perfect for this chilly morning.
Since I have only tried two Kusmi teas maybe I am not a expert on this, but I am finding them to be of good quality, their bergamot seems to be nice and bright and one of the better bergamots I have had in teas.
I want to thank Angrboda for sharing this tea with me.
It is certainly a tea that I will be saving my pennies for.
If you are a Earl Grey lover, I implore you to try some of this Russian Cowboy 007 Earl soon.
Or don’t…then there is more for me.

Here is another tea that I have in my cupboard, drink a lot of it and never have done a tasting on.
I got six tins of this off of Amazon for 17 bucks.
I have a two tins left.
I would not go as far as to say that this tea is my favorite Earl Grey out there, but it does have the qualities I like in a Earl Grey.
A bright slightly rough Bergamot and a brisk black tea.
Overall, this is the type of tea I like waking up to.
The smell starts getting me woke up before I have even taken a sip.
At the price I got this at there is no guilt in having it every morning.
A decent EG at a decent price and it does the job of getting me going in the morning.
Can’t ask for more than that.

I think it strange that some of the teas that I love the most, I hardly ever review.
I think it overwhelms me of what to say.
Oh, Paris, you are one grand lady!
This tea just envelopes me.
I adore it.
Its a lovely blend of vanilla, notes of caramel and a sultry bergamot.
There is a tinge of sweet berry like fruits in amongst the tea as well.
Scent is divine and so is the taste.
I order this by the largest tin and am considering ordering it by the pound.
It is strange, although I absolutely adore this tea, sometimes I go weeks without drinking it.
I feel as if it should only be drank for special occasions.
But, even when I am not drinking it, just the fact that it is in my cupboard where I can open the tin and take a whiff whenever I want, brings comfort to me.
This morning I am throwing caution to the wind and drinking a pot of this,just because its Monday.
If I start the week with this tea, how can it be anything but a lovely week, right?

Lovely sample from TeaEqualsBliss.
Weirdly, I am getting more of a fresh cut cedar scent and taste.
Which, obviously is quite odd since there in no Cedar in this tea.
But, it really is making me think of a walk through the woods.
When I was a child, the only source of heat we had was a wood stove to keep us warm through the winter.
So, about this time of year we would be out in the woods cutting wood for all those long cold winter days.
This tea smells like those days to me.
Anyway, this tea is not anything like I was expecting but I really like it and the memories that stirred up with it:)

When I first saw the name of this tea that TeaEqualsBliss gave me I must admit that I was a little scared.
Carrots? In Tea?
But, when I smelled the tea I was surprised, pleasantly surprised that is.
Then when I tasted it, I was happy to find a bright sweet tea that did not taste like a salad at all.
I love drinking this tea after supper and am very sad that it is now gone.
I think I will be adding this to my shopping list.
Thank You, TeaEqualsBliss!

4th and final in my taste test/Jasmine Pearl Marathon.
I have wrote a tasting note on this before.
However it was my absolute first time I had tasted jasmine pearls, so I left this one for last in case that affected my opinion.
This is definitely the strongest smelling tea in dry leaf form of them all.
But, I still would not call it overpowering.
Especially since the tea itself does not taste or smell strong.
I think in my last review I used the words “honey” and I still stand by that flavor.
This tea is a very lovely tea, I lowered the rating simply because I am realizing that there is a lot of jasmine pearl teas to taste and that I probably am going to like them simply because they are jasmine pearl tea:)
Love all my jasmine teas that I have and had fun comparing them today.

3rd in taste test/Jasmine Pearl Marathon
Right away you notice the jasmine scent is stronger when you open the tin on this one, but what I do like is this is the first tea in my taste test today that I smell the Green Tea as well.
Taste is a bright jasmine tea, the jasmine is certainly present but not perfume-y or overpowering.
And the green tea is nicely waiting in the background.
Very nice Jasmine tea for sure
(I received a phone call from the hospital before this cup was finished and it cooled off some before I could get back to it and the jasmine changed from being as bright to almost creamy and rich, very nice!)

2nd in the taste test/Jasmine Pearl Marathon:)
The dry pearls smell of a nice lovely light jasmine flower.
The color of this tea is very light and almost tan-ish colored.
The smell is very distinctively jasmine, but not overpowering.
The taste is not as jasmine-y as the smell.
This tea is very elegant and graceful.
Certainly a beverage that should be served in a high class spa.
I can feel this weekends stress floating away like jasmine petals in the wind:)

I need a weekend from my weekend.
My mother was rushed to the hospital on Saturday and it has been a roller coaster of a weekend.
But, she is now stable and the Doctors are figuring things out and things are looking better.
All weekend I was drinking Lapsang Souchong, it seemed to give me the jarring perk I needed to be alert.
But, today, I am emotionally drained and really wishing for a spa visit.
But, a Jasmine Pearl taste testing sounds like the next best thing.
This is the first tea in my tasting of all 4 of the Jasmine Pearl Teas I own, that I will be doing for you all today.
Dry, the pearls smell more of honeysuckle than jasmine, with a bit of a bread or starchy background note.
The tea smells of jasmine but there is also a sweetened milk smell too.
This tea is both lighter in taste and smell than some jasmines I have tasted.
Also, that slightly creamy/milk smell transfers into the taste.
Jasmine first hits the tongue but then that creaminess.
I do not get a strong green tea taste with this tea.
If you are not into highly perfumey jasmine teas, then this tea might be for you.
Overall, this is a lovely delicate tea and very nice price too, at $15.50 for 4 oz!

I had a Matcha Fruit Smoothie this morning to get me going.
Then made some nice hot black tea to take with me on my super crazy morning.
Of course, I left it on the counter by the door.
I promptly grabbed a glass and filled it with ice and poured in my poor forgotten room temp. tea and drank it mere minutes after I got back home.
But, this is my first hot cup of tea today.
And a huge thank you goes out to Ashmanra for sharing this tea with me!
When I opened the envelope she sent it in, I could smell BERGAMOT!
Yummmmmmm….
But, after I opened the little baggy and grabbed out a sachet and schmushed it up to my nose (ahem, I promise if any of you ever come to my house, this IS NOT how I prepare tea for guests, Just wanted to clarify:) I could smell something else…spicy and a little hint of smoke.
A Spicy Exotic Earl…well, hell-O!
It sort of calms down, scent wise, when brewing.
Taste is not overly strong, a small citrus bergamot bite and a small amount of the smoke, but it is very faint.
I might not even notice it if I had not read the description before I tasted it.
Personally, I could handle a bit more bergamot and smoke in the tea, but overall a very nice cuppa for the afternoon.
Very happy you shared, Ashmanra!
Next time I do order from H&S, I just might have to pick me up a tin of this.

So, confession time.
One reason I love drinking tea, if because it evokes memories of places I have been.
Rarely, do the teas come into my mind as people, if any of you have known me long, you might suspect my deep love for Earl Grey.
Yes, my husband is aware of my admiration, but oddly enough does not feel threatened.
So far, it has just been EG and then Paris by H&S that have brought people to mind.
Till this tea.
The first time I smelt even the dry leaves of this tea I gasped.
She is stunning. In mind, spirit and body.
She is everything I ever wanted to be.
She makes me feel inferior but if I could just drink enough of this tea maybe also a little like her?
This tea is champagne colored (how perfect is that?) and when I drink I truly feel as if I should be sipping this in a champagne flute.
Classy,and always speaks eloquently with a soft smile upon her lips.
This tea is total experience that I recommend highly.
After the first couple of sips this song came to mind, so I will share it with you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AEoUa0Hlso
Now, that you think me insane for creating characters out of my tea, I shall take my leave.
Maybe I will go and try to find our wedding champagne flutes…

Sipping this tea while I am waiting for the milk to come up to the right temp.
I am making Chevre cheese with all this goat milk around.
I am milking a friend’s goats while she away and have tons of milk around.
So, I am making into cheese, buttermilk and ice cream.
Anyway, I realized while I was sipping this tea that I never logged it.
It is a pretty standard Sencha.
Which is good, because that is sometimes exactly what I want.
Dry leaves smell of hay drying in the sun.
The tea itself does not actually have much of a odor, very light hay smell.
The color is a light yellow.
Taste is grassy and bright.
A bit of a bite or astringency at the back of the throat.
A very enjoyable afternoon tea!

This is a delightful afternoon tea.
If you love Jasmine Pearl tea but do not want to drink it all the time due to the price, this is a great way to get your Jasmine fix.
The fragrance is heady and the taste is floral and honey.
Feels very much like an indulgence, however at 7 bucks for 4 oz, this is a indulgence that can be afforded to be drank often.
This tea is a beautiful honey color.

Another tea from the lovely TeaEqualsBliss
The jasmine is light both on the nose and tongue, but is still present.
The green tea is sweet and produces a darker liquid then most green teas, I am wondering if this is because the leaves are partially fermented?
Great afternoon tea.

Awhile ago I saw a tea by Kusmi that made my heart skip a beat.
It was a Smoky Earl Grey.
I immediately envisioned my rough around the edges Earl but perhaps with a tinge of saddle leather and camp smoke.
Maybe the Earl went a little cowboy?
Anyhow, this tea is out of my budget for a bit.
So, after yesterday when I had Smooth Earl by Compass Teas, I decided this morning to rough up the smoothness a little on this guy, give him five o’clock shadow or something.
So, I added a bit of Lapsang Souchong by Harney and Sons (if you follow my tealogs, this is the LS that I thought was a little too rough)
I thought I could smooth out the rough LS and rough up the smooth Earl.
I smell mainly the LS but there is definitely bergamot in the background.
Taste is the same, LS right up front and then the bergamot.
Not bad, I think achieved a Cowboy Earl.