jennlea

Got this in a swap, thanks Bethany!

Aroma is ever so slightly smokey though that does not come through in the taste. It is very clean and smooth, no astringency so far. This almost reminds me of a Darjeeling, but it doesn’t quite reach being exactly like one. Has a little bit of sweetness and I have to say I quite like it. After my earlier horrible cup of tea, this more than makes up for it.

Braving this tea again today and I have to say I’m thankful I won’t have to drink it again. Tried steeping this for 1 minute this time instead of 3. While that did help with making the tea less strong, it still isn’t good to me. It is way more astringent than I care for in a tea and makes my mouth pucker. I also noticed an odd metallic bitter taste this time. Yesterday it was just flat out mega bitter, but with the shorter steep time the bitterness becomes metallic. Not something I enjoy.

I don’t like this one. Strong, bitter, extremely drying, and just not pleasant. Added sugar with no luck. Would have added milk but I have none. Drank half of my cup so I could at least have something to say about it, but this isn’t for me. Even at 3 minutes this was strong. Perhaps someone that likes teas to pound their senses will enjoy this? I may try steeping it for less with the other sample I have, but I’m gonna wait till tomorrow. I can’t handle drinking it again.

My last tasting note of this was 8 months ago and I stated that I liked it even though I wasn’t a fan of black teas. I giggled to myself because now I adore black teas! How interesting and exciting it is to find that our tea tastes can change. And how awesome that we can keep track of those changes!

This tea has a nice full flavor. The grenadine and vanilla are just enough to make it sweet and interesting without adding anything extra to it. The black base isn’t overpowering or bitter but does have a slight drying sensation on the back of the tongue. Nothing extreme though and it doesn’t bother me. Not bad for a flavored tea!

On Monday this was great because it didn’t push me too hard into my morning. Today this was perfect because it was calm and relaxing which is what I needed. I love teas that always seem to be whatever I need them to be.

No notes yet.

Sometimes one needs something that is simple, straightforward, and reliable.

I almost decided not to add a tasting note to this, but I am going to despite the fact it may make me look bad. I don’t have a lot of experience with Oolongs but I am incredibly intrigued by them and have been meaning to spend more intimate time with them. I recently sent off a sample of this in a swap and realized I hadn’t tried it myself so what better time than now?

I pulled out my favorite gaiwan and warmed it up with hot water. While I did that I focused on the aroma of the dry leaves and found they smelled sweet and slightly buttery, almost creamy. I covered the bottom of the gaiwan with leaves and poured almost boiling water over them. Covered it up and began counting to 45 which was the amount of time I decided to start with for the 1st steep. Somewhere around 23 I wandered off to the back of the house to help my dog find her ball. If you have an obsessive pet then you know that results could be dire if they don’t get what they need right then. Found the ball in a shoe and we played fetch for a couple of rounds.

All of a sudden I remembered my Oolong steeping away. I figured it had more than likely been between 2 and 3 minutes since I had added the water and so I drank it. I can’t say that I enjoyed it. It was incredibly bitter. So much so that I couldn’t taste anything else. I managed to drink the whole cup, which really wasn’t a whole lot, because I wanted to try and find something exciting about this tea.

I steeped it again for 35 secs focusing intensely on counting and found a much more enjoyable cup. Sweet and creamy describes it well with a hint of something floral in there. I steeped it again for 45 secs and this time found more of a sweet floral taste and less creaminess. I am gonna have to spend more time with this one and try not to get distracted. I have a feeling Oolongs are not a tea you should walk away from during preparation.

Uggh. It is Monday. I wanted a tea that would ease me into my day instead of forcing me to accept the fact it is the start of another week. This tea has the name ‘Light Black’ and I had never tried it so I thought this would be a good time to do so.

It has a soft nutty aroma with a little bit of sweetness coming from underneath. The taste is much the same. It does have a drying effect on the back of the tongue but it isn’t unpleasant at all. I quite like this and think it would be good for anyone who might be scared to try a full blown black tea. This does taste like tea, but it is soft, nutty, and sweet which makes it really approachable. Quite happy I chose this to start my day!

Snowed a bunch last night and will continue to snow on and off all day so I made a whole pot of my favorite black tea to start my day. This is incredibly lovely with a comforting aroma and taste. It is flavorful without kicking my mouth and smooth as can be. No bitterness or astringency but there is a soft hint of smokiness which I find very appealing. I plan on drinking multiple steeps of this all day which is fine with me. This tea is so wonderful it deserves a whole day dedicated to it.

Kinda an odd day. Trying to finish a gazillion and one things with a deadline of today minus my main work computer because the screen went out. Got to get websites up, finish monthly school newsletter, and record class podcasts. Yikes.

Also, it is snowing and somehow I managed to not die on the way to work, but will have to cross my fingers the same thing happens on the way home. I’ve been here several hours already and am just now having my 1st cup of the day. And I just feel off. Ever have days like that?

I know, I know. Chamomile makes my nose run but I’m still recovering from some chest and head crud so what does it matter. Besides, I love chamomile. I can tell this one is obviously chamomile but it is quite light and I can’t taste any of the orange peel that is in there. I wouldn’t keep this around because there are much better chamomile’s out there, but for an easy clean up infusion, this is OK.

I have had a box of this at my work tea station for a while and just drank the last bag. I almost shed a tear or two. Were it not for the 20 students in the room I might have let myself mourn properly. The tear shedding urge was twofold:
1. I am out of my favorite tea at work (thankfully I have a bag of the loose leaf version at home).
2. I forgot to pick up a new box this weekend when I went tea shopping at the International Food Market. I knew I needed a new box and was one of the reasons I went. I got side tracked by all the other teas and forgot to restock this. Much sadness on my part.

Drinking this with breakfast that was thankfully provided for us this morning. I rarely eat breakfast because the option of sleeping 10 extra minutes is more appealing. Of course those 10 minutes can often turn to 30, but that is a story for another day.

Back to the tea, it goes wonderfully with food. Doesn’t take away from food but doesn’t disappear either. Just a great compliment to a meal. May just have this with lunch too.

Once upon a time my little brother was nice to me and gave me some herbal tisane that had the most amazing blueberry flavor. I adored it and I drank the whole 3 cups worth he gave me. Sadly the store he got it from closed before I had the chance to restock a lifetime supply and he had thrown away the packaging leaving me without hope of ever finding it again. Many years passed but my desire for a delicious blueberry drink was still deep inside of me. One day, I came across this Blueberry Rooibos and figured I would try it and see if it would live up to my beloved memory.

This story has a happy ending because this is all I wanted it to be! I shall forever cherish this rooibos and hold it close! I will NOT be sharing this with my brother.

I needed a bright, happy tea after dealing with stupid med insurance junk that I’m still confused about and this does the trick. A wonderful flavored green tea that tastes tropical and makes me smile.

Picked this up today at the International Food Market after forgetting to pick some up the last few times I went. I swear I always forget something even if I have a list with me.

First tried steeping this for 3 minutes (which is where I start all black teas) because I don’t like really strong tea. But 3 minutes was WAY too long for my tastes. Whoa. It was strong beyond belief to me. I couldn’t even finish a few sips. So I tossed out that cup and tried again with a 1 minute steep time. Much, much better.

This is a good basic black tea for everyday. Nothing extraordinary, but it does the trick of satisfying the tea craving.

I got this tea around Christmas time from a local tearoom and it has to be the neatest tea ever! I don’t know exactly what is in here so I will do my best to take a guess. Basic black tea base with plum flavoring and pieces of hibiscus. There are also little pieces of something silver (I think they have to be some sort of sugar crystal).

These silver pieces dissolve in the water and make the tea SPARKLE! I kid you not. The tea sparkles, or perhaps shimmers is a better description, when the light hits it. It is really cool looking and actually tastes really good for a flavored tea. I don’t think the silver pieces add any flavor or sweetness. They just as a sparkle. Hoping it is safe to consume, but it sure does look awesome!

EDIT TO ADD:
A quick photo of it that isn’t very good, but you get the idea-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46557959@N06/4279978022/

Needed a strong tea this morning. Cold has moved from my head to my chest and is rock solid in there. Can’t taste a whole lot but boy could I taste this!

I’m kinda impressed with this little tea bag. Found a box hanging out in the teacher’s lounge and jumped on it since I love teas with ginger and peach. Has a nice ginger flavor that isn’t too strong and the peach comes out more in the aroma than the taste but it is there. Can taste the green tea/matcha and it isn’t bitter but instead compliments the ginger. I quite like this and am already planning on adopting the box should no one else claim it.

Hmmm, I’m almost out of this. Seems I drink it a lot

Needed a good ole flavored tea I could trust today. Nothing that I had to think too hard to enjoy since I am lacking brain activity today. I have decided in my next life I will not work with young human creatures for the sole reason that they seem to carry nasty germs around. And I always catch them. (As a side note, I do love my middle schoolers. I really do.)

So to comfort my poor immune system, I am consuming a large amount of strawberry tea and peanut butter cookies. The two of them actually compliment each other very well.

I have a thing for Genmaicha. And this one is the closest to perfection I have found. The added matcha just takes this to the next level. This is savory, nutty, sweet, comforting, relaxing, tasty, and wonderful. It does not taste bitter or burnt. I honestly could never get tired of drinking this. It is always what I need right at the moment I drink it.

This was a good choice to start my morning with. Smooth taste with a hint of sweetness that eased me into my day instead of pushing me.

This smells just like hot chocolate while it is brewing and tastes like a spicy chocolate drink. I was quite surprised that it actually tastes like chocolate without being watered down and the spicy quality gives it a really interesting twist. Really nice treat!