Incendiare

I tried this as a tea latte earlier since I couldn’t think of what to order, and Earl Grey is usually a safer way to go.

It was alright. It misses the liveliness that other Earl Greys have. Usually, the bergamot bursts like a ray of sunshine but here, it’s a little dull. I just simply left the tea bag in my cup since the milk was really overpowering the tea and I was hoping to achieve more flavour but alas, leaving it in did nothing.

Not horrible, but not memorable nor reorder- or purchase-worthy either.

Oy, is it ever hot outside. Drinking hot tea in this weather is borderline torture, but since I finally got this in the mail, I just had to try it out and see what the rave is all about.

Normally, I’m not a fan of pu-erh. I know it’s an acquired taste. I’ve tried it several times in the past and I just didn’t care for the earthiness, or even dirtiness, of the flavour. But I guess it goes with the territory since I don’t care for super earthy essential oils too, like patchouli. But green pu-erh! That’s a first for me, and this sounded a lot more promising.

The smell of both the tuocha and the steeped tea doesn’t remind of sticky rice, but more of salted popcorn, like when my grandma would oil pop some, add some salt, throw it in a brown paper bag, and give that to me. I got my mom to smell it too and right away, it reminded her of tortilla chips. So we’re both getting corn rather than rice here.

It tastes saltier to me too. Not as popcorny as the smell, but it’s like a salted starch. It’s way mellower than any other pu-erh I’ve tried. I’m getting a fuller, richer mouthfeel than most other teas that I’ve tried. As the tea cools down, the salt comes out a little more too. It’s like salted butter on my tongue.

Overall, there is something very wholesome about this tea, like drinking a warm bowl of carbs. I’m not rating this yet because I’m not sure what to think of it. I like it, but I’m just not sure how much I like it yet. So glad I’ve been able to snag some before CTG closes its doors.

I’ve prepared this tea in two ways: hot and cold-steeped.

First off, the dry leaf is pretty. Colourful from the various dried blossoms and petals. The aroma is deliciously dark, like black currant jam.

Hot, I steeped this for not quite three minutes at approximately 70°C. The smell of the steeped tea is full on black currant. When it comes to the taste, it’s simple, yet elegant. Mostly black currant, but the delicate white tea base comes through a bit. The whole experience of this tea, from the first sip to the last, is great. It leaves a delicate aftertaste of black currant, sweetened blackcurrant. I’m sure the cornflowers are lending a sweetened touch to the currants here. The smell and the taste bring me back to my favourite beverage while I was living in Sweden: black currant sparkling mineral water. Do I ever miss that stuff.

Cold-steeped, this smells way more heavy on the white tea than the blackcurrant. I can barely (I seriously just subconsciously wrote “berry” and was about to add the “ly” to it) smell the currants at all. My previous experience with cold-steeping white teas hasn’t been so swell. They tend to turn a little bitter for me, so the aroma here kind of scared me.

But, it tastes fantastically cold-steeped as well. A perfect balance between the white tea base and the currants. Very refreshing for the hot weather we’ve been experiencing over here. Oh dear, I’m sure if I added some club soda to this, it would make a reasonable facsimile for the Ramlösa mineral water.

Whoa, I steeped this for three minutes this time around (as opposed to the usual four with this tea) and I can actually taste the phyllo now! Before, I was only getting blueberry jam, which was awesome on its own, but now, the flavours are more 3D. I would seriously rather have a cup of this than an actual blueberry Danish.

Another sip. Yeah, it’s without a doubt a golden crisp phyllo. Frank, that’s amazing.

Just downed the last glass of this. Feels good to get it out of the way! Sorry, but it wasn’t worth the money. It tasted better cold-steeped but even then, I always got an artificial sweetener aftertaste from it.

That was some pretty expensive iced tea.

Cool beans, my parcel finally arrived. Despite staying up until 3am last night, I made sure I got up this morning and retrieved the chocolate madness.

The scent of the dry is pleasantly chocolatey. Not prominent, but not weak either. The best description I can really give it is sweetened cocoa nibs. I was hoping for Fry’s cocoa intense but it’s not quite there.

The first steep was for four minutes. The aroma was a light cocoa. Not rich nor creamy. When it comes to the taste, I’m really enjoying the tea base. It adds a depth to the chocolate. It’s stronger than the chocolate itself, but it’s not bitter at all. Very smooth and soulful.

The second steep was for five minutes. It’s weaker than expected. I added a splash of milk and the dairy totally took over.

I didn’t precisely measure, but basically filled one half of a standard-sized tea ball and brewed a pot. I think I’ll just steep one individual cup next time to see if I could extract more intense flavour out of this. Not the most chocolatey tea I’ve tried, but it’s still very good, though. The tea base alone makes this worthwhile.

Sip down over here. I’m enjoying the last of it iced. Didn’t think it would work that well as an iced tea but it has proved me wrong. It’s like a creamy sweet, mildly chocolatey iced black without any actual cream. Totally get why I’ve gone through 150g of this.

I’ve been drinking this one so much over the past few days that I dreamt about it last night. In my dream, I was in a swanky tea shop where this tea was encased in a beautiful jewelry-style box. The box had elegant golden legs on it and the tea itself was in a bottom drawer, while information on the tea, and maybe even a tea ball, was found underneath the lid. Definitely meant as a gift, and I checked on the bottom of the box and it was $23.95.

The best part was next to it there was another tea: white chocolate, macadamia, and coconut (a black tea, most likely). Frank, could you pretty please make this?

Back to the French Vanilla Assam. Love the maltiness combined with the warm, velvety vanilla. It’s a rich vanilla bean explosion of awesomeness. I’m upping my rating.

So, I thought I would do a side-by-side comparison of this tea and the Ujinotsuyu Genmaicha I reviewed the other day. As a side note, Ujinotsuyu’s Genmaicha is a cheaper Genmaicha you can find in Asian supermarkets. I get it at around $5.50 for a 400g bag. I know it’s not exactly a viable comparison since this contains matcha, but whatever, a Den’s vs grocery store tea death match shall happen.

I steeped both for thirty seconds and in the same type of glass. Right away I noticed the difference in the colours of the liquors. I normally drink my tea in a solid-coloured mug. Through the clear glasses, Ujinotsuyu’s is a clear, muted brownish-yellow colour, while Den’s is more translucent and greener. It kind of reminds me of Gatorade but not as electric.

As expected, Den’s smells grassier. Still toasted, but that matcha boosts the scent of the tea above the roasted rice. Ujinotsuyu’s, on the other hand, is basically mostly toasty with a hint of green tea.

Den’s even tastes grassier upon the first sip or two. The rice is in the background, however, the taste of the matcha and Bancha are not as vegetal as the scent. Yet, the more I sip this, and the more this cools off, the more the roasted rice pops. It slowly catches up to the tea flavours and that slightly vegetal bite fades. This definitely has more flavour than Ujinotsuyu’s, but because the matcha makes the green tea flavours more vivid, whereas Ujinotsuyu’s is more delicate on the overall, but in a way, more well-rounded if you’re specifically looking for that toastiness.

Both teas have their merits. Den’s has a fresher taste due to the pop of matcha and reminds me of spring, while the other tea reminds me of a warm, crackling fire in the winter.

Now this is my ultimate staple in my household. I’m on my second 400g bag and will keep on going. I originally fell in love with Genmaicha when I’d go out for sushi with friends and family. The wonderfully roasted aroma and taste of the tea was always an added bonus to the meal. Just had to get some for home and found this for dirt cheap.

And hey, despite it being so cheap, it’s freaking good. There is a perfect balance between the rice and tea. I’ve steeped this for several different lengths of time, in different temperatures, etc. Hot, iced, it’s fantabulous. I’m always up for trying samples of Genmaicha from other companies, but ultimately, I will always be satisfied with this one. I’d also say that out of all the Genmaichas that I have tried, this one has delivered the toastiest flavour.

I just restarted the 30 Day Shred, completed day two yesterday, and today, I am so sore that I can barely walk, so I’m taking the day off and enjoying some tea.

The second I snipped open the sample packet of this, the sweet aroma of cherry danced around me. It was definitely the fruit (more like a cherry candy, though) and not sakura. But sniffing the tea up close, it was straight up Sencha. In all its vegetal glory.

Venturing into the area of taste, this is very fresh, and well, Sencha-y. Slightly vegetal, but not as much as I’d expected. But then there’s the cherry gently woven into the tea base. It’s so subtle. Slightly tart, but just barely so. The more I sip this though, the less cherry I get. I think as this starts to cool, the remnants of the cherry slowly fade into nothing.

It’s a pleasant, buttery cup.

Sipdown to the extreme. This is awesome iced, but how could I be shocked. Pineapple, lemongrass, and coconut in a swirl of Sencha and Bai Mu Dan is a recipe for sheer iced tea awesomeness. It smells tropical and gentle, and for me, taste-wise, this is a perfect balance of all of the above flavours. I shall purchase more someday.

Received a sample of this in my last order, and it’s been steeping in the fridge for a couple days now (hey, life got in the way!). From memory, the dry leaf smelled refreshingly gingery and fruity. Time to strain the leaves and see what this is all about.

The smell is sure gingery. But the taste is… weird. It’s fresh ginger root mixed with strawberries, but the strawberries still taste like they’re hanging out in the garden; leaves, dirt, and all. Yeah, the combination of flavours even reminds me of a cellar. The only thing I like about this is I am experiencing a little heat from the ginger, otherwise, I’m not appreciating the taste of the dirty strawberries.

Half a glass in and I just need to stop right now. So disappointed that I can’t detect any rose hips. Not my cup of tea, for serious.

Ha, I left this to steep in the fridge for around two days. Not my intention but it worked out in the end.

Dry, this smelled more like mango than peach. But yet, it both smells and tastes like peach juice. Not the juice crystals but the big jugs of peach juice my family used to by at Costco when I was a little kid. I can’t taste any guava either.

I love eating peaches, but never liked peach-flavoured or -scented stuff, so I thought I wouldn’t like this once I caught a whiff of it as I was straining the leaves and such. But it’s actually pretty good. It pairs well with the green tea, which is mellow and refreshing. It’s one of those teas that isn’t worth buying but you wouldn’t mind drinking it if someone put a glass of it in front of you.

Normally whenever I see watermelon-flavoured or -scented anything, I slowly back away. Remind me again how artificial watermelon tastes and smells anything like the actual melon?

But this is an exception. It smells like fruit juice, mostly watermelon with a hint of strawberry in the background. It smells like a watermelon slice to the power of 27.

As soon as I take a sip and the tea hits my taste buds, it reminds me of biting into a fresh watermelon slice, but a split second later, even more flavours burst out. It’s ultra melon-y and the strawberry comes out too. And not overwhelmingly sweet either. Why would anyone want to drink juice packed with sugar and calories when you can just have this instead?

Way to be, DT. I wouldn’t mind having more of this.

Today is cold and rainy, so in other words, hot tea weather. I just bought another pouch of this after going so long without it. That’s impressive, you know why? Because I don’t even like rooibos. But this one won my heart a long time ago, because it doesn’t actually taste like rooibos.

The dry leaf is a spice lover’s dream. Loads of whole cloves, green cardamom pods, pink peppercorns, and more. The smell is a balance of all of these spices with ginger peeking out a bit more.

The coconut shines through when this is steeped. Every sip is filled with creamy coconut and warming spices. The ginger is still the most prominent spice, and the peppercorns add a little kick to this. Not much, but just as an accent.

I just added some 2% milk, and in the words of the star of Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time, SUGAR FOR DA FLAVOUR. Ironically, the flavours have died down a bit too much. Just coconut and ginger now. I definitely prefer it “black,” or in this case, red.

Yet another sample I received from DT.

This is so unique. It’s definitely pear, with a hint of crisp apple in the background, but it also tastes a little creamy too. Probably from the vanilla. The aftertaste is pear, but it sits on the fence between being artificial and real. It’s odd, because I normally love tart and sour fruits. Here, it’s tart, but it’s a little off. The way the pear lingers on the tongue after each sip isn’t so pleasing for me.

But it’s not bad. I wouldn’t buy it, but to me, it misses the mark. It was a good try, but there are much better teas out there.

First off, this really does smell like lime jello. Bang on. Secondly, I’ve prepared this tea in two ways today: hot and cold steeped.

Hot, this is like a soothing cup of citrus tea with a twist. Instead of traditional lemon, I think I’d like this whenever I’d be sick because it’s different. The marshmallow in this should also soothe sore throats. And speaking of the marshmallow, it adds a touch of gooey sweetness to the tart lime. The flavours complement the green tea marvelously.

Iced, this smells awesome. Seriously like lime jello with crushed pineapple. The flavour isn’t as intense as I’d expected, but it’s clearly lime jello. It’s not a pronounced marshmallow here but more like a delicate lime creamsicle. I initially bought this with the intention of drinking it iced, and I’m not disappointed.

Overall, very happy with this one. I’m surprised it hasn’t sold out, actually. It’s like a novelty tea that’s very practical, if that makes any sense.

I’m having cotton candy for breakfast. Or at least I’m trying to pretend that I am.

My package unexpectedly arrived yesterday and this went straight into my iced tea jug to cold steep overnight. I must say that the lovely black tea base is definitely an appealing Darjeeling. But honestly, dry, this little concoction smells more floral than candy-ish.

The smell of the steeped tea is very faint too. Basically like a sweetened Darjeeling. I’m already on to my second glass of this and so far, and just like its smell, it tastes like a vaguely sweet black tea. But just like how perfumes need a bit of aging and soaps need a bit of curing perhaps I should let this gel for a little while longer and try make another jug of this in a few days? I’m also curious as to how a cotton candy tea would taste hot.

For now I’m going to rate it based on these initial impressions but if/when I come back to this tea next week and reevaluate it, let’s hope the rating will go up!

Smells like piña colada! Both in the package and steeped. But the flavour falls short for me. It’s definitely pineapple and coconut, but watered down, and waaaay sweeter than I’d like. I cold steeped this for about seven hours, by the way.

Gah, I wish it were more pineapple-y. Tarter. And I doubt steeping it longer or using more of the “dry leaf” would have helped. Probably would just be more sugary. Sorry, not a fan.

But it does make me want a fresh slice of pineapple.

Time to crack open one of the several samples I got with my DT order. I normally don’t care for hibiscus. Too tart. Usually gives me a weird dry feeling in the mouth. But it really works well with the citrus fruits here. Not so in-your-face.

Because I only had a sample size, I didn’t want to cold steep it in my 1L jug (and wanted to simultaneously steep something in there!) so I busted out my Heineken pint glass, covered the brew with saran wrap, and let it sit in the fridge for about five hours.

When I uncovered the glass, whew! Soooo intensely fruity-smelling. Like to the max. The taste isn’t nearly as fruity though. Again, hibiscus-y but it’s not overkill or anything. I definitely still get that overly tart dry-mouth feel after each sip but I’m distracted by the slightly sour citrus notes to truly care. Probably the best hibiscus tea I’ve had thus far.

There is also grapefruit in there, but it tastes much sweeter to me than a straight up grapefruit. I wouldn’t buy this but it’s still better than I expected.

Has anyone tried this iced? I’m sure everyone is sick of my iced tea experiments, but this is definitely noteworthy. I thought it would be weird. A cold pancake iced tea? Huh. But actually, cold steeped, the black base calms down and the maple syrup is stronger. In general, I tend to find Frank’s black tea bases too domineering despite playing with the steeping parameters.

The maple syrup flavour isn’t just maple syrup though. It’s a melange of maple syrup, toffee, and vanilla syrup, but mostly maple. No cakey flavours but I like this the way it is.

Try it sometime!

Ultra mega steep failure. Life got in the way and I completely forgot that I put this to steep, so this got a horrifying ten-minute steep. So down the drain that went and I just redid is properly.

Back to business. The second this touched my lips, I thought, “Wow, that’s buttery!” However, the aftertaste is a little on the vegetal side. It’s not bitter at all and leans towards the sweet side. With each sip, the butteriness subsides and the vegetal side of this takes over (and I personally don’t care for that).

It is nevertheless very well-balanced and excellent quality. I can see why this is a bestseller.

The time has come to cold steep this bad boy. I made a 1L jug of this and just drank it all in one sitting. I think that says it all!

I was worried that the coconut wouldn’t be strong enough for my liking, but it was perfect. Cold, creamy coconut. Such a perfect summer beverage. I still need to pick up some Malibu and try it with this. I very rarely add anything to my tea, but imagine having a Malibu Coconut Cream Pie cocktail at a summer barbecue or something. Perfect.

I already have round two steeping in the fridge. Definitely prefer this blend cold than hot! AND I upped my rating.