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For barre class again. Very yummy.

Another from my swap with Michelle.

This is lovely! Almost… creamy? Kind of sweet and a very smooth, gentle nuttiness. No, not kind of sweet. There is a lovely sweetness in this, which becomes more obvious as the tea cools in my tea glass. A lovely first Dragonwell.

From Michelle.

I made to for the other half while he was finishing making dinner. He took one sip and said “holey f*#+ this is awesome!”. A ringing endorsement methinks. Yet, he said a number based evaluation would have to wait until he’d had another cup. I think this is a ploy to drink it all on me! At least Michelle was very generous with her sample!

Made a cup of this straight and hot to have with dinner. Yummo!

From my swap with Azzrian.

This is only the second genmaicha I’ve tried, the first being T2’s offering. And this is so much better! I found the one from tea too was too, uhh, ricey? Or perhaps the rice was too toasted? Almost tasted a bit burned (definitely the rice not the green!). But this is divine! I’m really enjoying it! Currently having my second steep.

The liquor is a pale caramel, a bit darker than what I’d expect from the straight green, so obviously the rice is at play there. The laoshan green is just beautiful! With minimal care in the brewing ( just using the pre-set 80oC on by breville kettle and leaving for an un-timed 1.5 mins each brew) its lovely and soft and sweet. Just so tasty. And I’m unsure if its the rice or the green, but there is a lovely buttery texture to the tea too. The rice is very smooth, a great soft toasty flavour. The mix of the sweet and savory works so well in this tea. Beautiful.

I’m really enjoying this one, I didn’t think I’d actually like genmaicha after my initial attempt, so thankyou Verdant and Azzrian! I only expect my rating to improve with subsequent brews.

From my swap with Azzrian.

I had this one yesterday, just did two steeps of around a minute each. 2 to 5 seconds? Really? That doesn’t even give me time to put the kettle back on its base! (Our kitchen is small, I usually make tea on the dining room table next to all my tea shelves). But, when I have more time and patience I might have to give it a try.

My favourite part of this one so far? The oolong base. So smooth and creamy, not over powering or lost in the blend. Lovely and smooth. I actually didn’t get a chocolate taste ( though I must confess, as a bit of a chocoholic I really need it present before I’m impressed). The chai blend was a bit unusual for my taste. I guess I’m more used to traditional Indian blends so the herbs in this one threw me a bit. And they were quite soft, where I prefer my chais to have a bit of a kick in them. Though the spices and herbs were perfectly balanced with the oolong.

Verdict? I think I need to try this again, and be more patient and observant. Perhaps use the instructions on the bag! But an interesting cuppa. Rating to come later…

Another from my swap with Michelle.

This one smells great dry. It’s a lovely smooth chocolate smell, and you can still get a hint of the black tea. I steeped it for about 4 mins, because I really like chocolate! and I figured it wouldn’t be so long the black would go bitter. And I was right – no bitterness in the black base, it was quite soft and smooth. The chocolate was also very smooth, and tasted a bit like a softer, milliner chocolate than something like The Art of Tea’s Chocolate Intensitea, which is a big hit of dark chocolate with a stronger black base.

Yes, I’d say this is a softer, subtler version of AoT’s chocolate. Its quite lovely. Not a full blown chocolate hit, but very lovely all the same. Thanks Michelle!

Oh, I added a little vanilla sugar (from Azz) which brought out the chocolate notes a bit more :). Milk was good too.

Another from Azzrian…

So the smell of this dry, wet, and the taste is something I can’t quite put my finger on. Not almonds. Something like a lolly or a soda or maybe even cough syrup from when I was a kid. Weird. Odd. Confusing.

That is all for the moment.

Irish breakfast tea and porridge on Australia Day. Yep, I’m waiting for the hordes to kick down the door, burn my birth certificate and kick me out. (Btw, if is happens I’ll pack my tea supplies and move to Ontario. Maybe NS, apparently Halifax is my home town Hobart’s doppelgänger.)

Anywho, this is a lovely breakfast tea! Or brunch, as its 10am. Flavorful without being too strong, soft and not even a little bitter. I went with the soft side of Michelle’s recommendation (around 3mins), so I’m looking forward to playing with steep times.

And just because its been one of those weeks, I’ve added a little of the vanilla sugar I got from*Azzrian* in my swap with her. Swap melding is cool. Just another lovely aspect of this cup! Adds a little sweetness, which soothes my soul if not my taste buds (though it does taste delightful!).

Having this iced. Gave it a good 6 mins so the flavours came through when cold. And they do, so raspberry-ee, so coconutty. And the white tea has this comforting, oddly warming sensation even when iced.

Just stunning. If you’ve never tried this, ORDER NOW! Seriously, international shipping be damned, it’s just sooo good.