Indigobloom

Second time around… when I’m not sick… and it’s a bit rosier than I recall, but not by too much.
Lowering the rating a tiny bit because while it tastes great, somehow it was better before. More soothing. I just got home from my intro to tea exam so I’m a bit wiped. Forgive my shoddy review!
Anyhow, I’m glad to have this in my cupboard. Sil, don’t be too afraid!! :)

Second time around… when I’m not sick… and it’s a bit rosier than I recall, but not by too much.
Lowering the rating a tiny bit because while it tastes great, somehow it was better before. More soothing. I just got home from my intro to tea exam so I’m a bit wiped. Forgive my shoddy review!
Anyhow, I’m glad to have this in my cupboard. Sil, don’t be too afraid!! :)

It’s been awhile since I had a matcha, made the regular ol’ way. Lately, it’s been shaken bottles and smoothies.
Upon realizing that last night, I immediately dove for my strawberry matcha, because all of a sudden I had the most undeniable neeeeeed for berry goodness in a cup!
No additives needed, it was super sweet on it’s own. So very tasty. I love that it’s tart strawberry made this way, and campino candy via shaken bottle! Definitely one I will want to replace, but there are so many other flavours I’d like to try… what ever shall I do? (answer? order more matcha!!)

Backlog from the other day. Oh man, what a treat! and the first ayurvedic blend that has ever made me swoon.
I think it’s the burdock root that pulls everything together, for me… Despite what I said in my earlier note.
Sadly though, I was distracted by making tea for Mum and gave this a longer infusion than intended. It was a bit thick and lost a bit of the sparkle. Oh well, still super tasty!

Dunno where to start with this one!! I’ve had it in my cupboard for so long… I think I was hiding from it? The reviews are so polarized that I was worried about being poisoned by perfume haha.
But ya know what, it wasn’t half bad. I fully expected to be tossing the rest of my packet (one serving left! Mucho thanks to whomever sent this my way)
So you could say that I am pleasantly surprised. And eager to make my last cuppa iced!
Now, starting off with the negative points, it is a tad soapy and peppery, when hot… except as it cools, I’m getting a citrus and caramel association more than suds. Hence, why I think this will go better iced.
Oh! also, I went with a really short steep. Two minutes I think? so I may get a second one out of it to!

Oh dear. This is just too good. Tea gods, can I swim in this? would that be sacrilege?
I’m really getting pudding this time around. Not sure about the plum part, as it’s more citrusy in my view. Still on the first steep here so perhaps I’ll get more come out in the end. Will update later if I make it to the second infusion. I say IF because this flu bug seems to be sticking around and I am so very tired…
Also, I accidentally used near boiling water. Perhaps that is the way to go?! Hmmm.
Anyhow, big thanks to Stacy for this sample!!

Uhhhhm. Hmmm. This is different! Not what I was expecting, but I can certainly see how this tea lends itself to “oatmeal”.
Bare, I was not a huge fan at all. At three minutes my cup was very light and fresh tasting, with a mellow serving of spice on the side. Not exactly reminiscent of the 52teas black base I’ve come to know.
Milk and a dash of sugar really helped it along though, making it more oatmeal like. I’ll bet this lost some flavouring in transit, because while I can see where it’s going, there is something missing that I can’t quite put my finger on.
Also, it grew a tiny bit on me as the cup cooled, or perhaps that’s as I drank it? initially I was considering a 67 rating…

Many thanks for the sample Raritea!
I liked this. Bad idea to try it right after kale chips… ha!
On the second steep now and it’s still nice. Very floral, with a mild cinnamon note, whereas the first one was more vegetal and butter with floral in the background.
Huh, I am getting an odd broth note in the swallow. Almost bubbly even. Must be the power of suggestion, as I saw someone elses review earlier today that mentioned that.
No no, after another sip, it is still rather broth like!

I have a feeling I’ll tire of this long before my packet is in sipdown range. Yeah, I enjoyed my cuppa today… but please don’t ask me to have another tomorrow! Considering it’s been a few weeks since I had any, I’m rather surprised.
Perhaps its just my mood today. Who knows!

Thanks to Raritea for sampling some out!!
This is nice and light. I didn’t steep long, and didn’t get much mint. It was more of a citrus herbal drink. Definitely lemongrass in there! I could have sworn there was some licorice or perhaps anise, not too much though.
Overall, I quite enjoyed my cup. Something I’d consider picking up more of.

SIPDOWN!!!
A big achievement for me, since this was a 50g purchase. Woohoo!!
and despite there being a bunch of fannings/broken pieces/dust, it was really tasty. What a great way to see off a tea. Thanks for the good times Doomur. You shall be missed. Kicking up the rating a few notches. Rose coloured lenses and all…

I. love. this. tea.
Loooove it! A new favourite folks! Possible even more than my precious Dragonwell. Who’da thunk it…
It’s quite possibly the most unique, complex green tea that I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting.
Sweet like spun sugar, mildly vegetal like snow peas, and a hint of bitter like arugula on the finish. Beautiful.
Mind you, that was just the first steep. I wonder what more is to come?
Oh and I entirely forgot that it was green when I made a big mug yesterday… with boiling water. Guess what, it held up pretty decently! in fact, there was absolutely no bitterness. That part came out when I brewed it with cooler water. Of course, there was no sweetness there either. In fact, it was more malty than anything else. Beats me how that works but I’m not one to complain!

Wow. Wow. WOW. I am floored.
There is sweet potato, chocolate and absolutely no astringency. Like drinking a cloud. A silk one. Dipped in gold?
Don’t wanna spend too much time online since I’m at my friends place… but I could not resist logging this asap.

Edit: So the second infusion was pretty bland. I almost didn’t drink it but then decided to add a dash of milk and that spruced things up quite a bit.
The third steep however, was great! It had a distinct mineral quality to it, with a warm cinnamon/potato background to it. Very nice.

At my friend Tim and Joannes house… I gave them a kettle that I didn’t want/need and this is what we christened it with.
I wanted something plain so that I could tell if it had been rinsed properly, not to mention I’m a tad unwell, but mostly better. Overall… its still a hair plasticky (even though it’s a stainless steel contraption)
There seems to be alot of sadness going around Steepster today, so I’m sending out my best hug vibes. Smile! Even if only because you are drinking a cuppa tea :)

You know, this is not bad!! From the scent, I expected something overwhelmingly floral and not fruity at all. Yeah, it IS floral, but in a rather light, unassuming kindof way. The Cherry part is even milder, meshing seamlessly with the floral part.
Now that it’s cooled, my cup is super refreshing. I think I’ll save a bunch for summer so that I can make it iced!
(bear in mind, I AM flu-ridden so there is a chance I’m missing some notes)

Way to punch through the flu Mr. Chai. You’re a good friend in times of need.
A little too much cardamom this time around, which I found a bit odd. Milk and honey certainly helped :)

Hot: Sweet peppermint, wow is this ever tasty! This part would have earned a 90 rating. Seriously. I swear there was sugar…

Cooled: Meh. Regular peppermint tea. Not nearly as smooth.

Second infusion: Ewwww. The initial sip is ok. More pure strong peppermint, but the aftertaste? Oh no, that was nasty. Sour and bitter!
So… if I can remember to drink the rest of this sample when it’s hot, and not make a huge cup so that it doesn’t get cold by the time I reach the bottom(like I did this time)… this will be a great tea for me! Of course, by the time I get around to it again, I’ll have forgotten. ha.
Now if only I could remember who gave me this sample… they deserve my thanks :)

Sweet oolong, how I love thee! It’s vegetal and sweet floral in just the right way, and it lingers into the aftertaste to. Sometimes, I find oolongs are “jasmine” floral, which I can’t stand… but other times its more of an “orchid” type note, and I love orchids! Funny though, I don’t taste the osmanthus. Perhaps that’s because I’m down with the flu, so I won’t rate this today… I mean, as much as I love this cup, it isn’t what I expected so that wouldn’t be a very fair assessment.
Thanks to Sil for the hookup!

Chocolate!! and Orange! Oh yes this is good. I can taste it quite clearly despite being sick!! Mucho thanks to Sil for the sample :)
It’s a little heavy for my liking, I may have overleafed the cup. Next time, less leaf, longer infusion!
I love that there is no sugar required, yet I’m getting quite a bit of smooth citrus rind, along with an overall impression of chocolate.
Can’t wait to have a second cup now :)

It was ok. Apple goodness and black tea. I don’t blame the tea for falling short, not this time grumbles… darn head cold

Flu bug attack mode; This makes things better. Incrementally anyhow. That is all.

How on earth do I have any of this left?? it was hidden away in the corner.
It’s still heaven. Even though I’m coming down with a bug of some kind so I’m sure my buds are dampened. Boo. Oh well. Incentive to get better!

Hibiscus! wow is it ever present. I think next time I need to make sure there is less in my spoon. But… other than that, I am really enjoying this cup!
The banana and cherry work together wonderfully. Unfortunately, it’s also a case of steeping longer to get the fruity flavour I want, or steeping for less time to minimize the sour hibby. That is, if picking it out doesn’t work. It isn’t exceptionally sour, as I can still taste the other aspects quite clearly.
Either way, this will be gone all too soon. Thank you Kally for screwing up and sending us free tea! :P

Thank you Sil for the sample!! :)

Why did I have to pick two teas with cacao nibs in it? Hmmm. Subconcious craving?
Bah. So I am liking this much more when the cup is cooler. Hot, it’s too minty, like toothpaste. Lukewarm, I get alot more complexity. The tulsi is a little earthy, and the chocolate, in my opinion, is more “white” than it is dark!
Overall, it’s an interesting cup. The aftertaste is fascinating as I am getting a hint of that foggy note that came with Graveyard Mist. Only in GM, the fog was at the beginning!
I imagine it’d be super refreshing made iced.