jessiwrites

It’s my birthday, so I’m treating myself to my favorite teas and enjoying a delicious cupcake made by my sister, who studied professional cooking. Banana cupcakes with cinnamon frosting… even I am enjoying them, and I don’t like cake. http://distilleryimage0.s3.amazonaws.com/b30c2c94ca3511e2b66f22000aa81a39_7.jpg

Anyway, this tea is quite possibly my favorite black tea ever. It’s so creamy and minty and smooth and amazing. Just kind of perfect. I will be very sad when I run out, so I drink it quite rarely. Today is a treat day.

Yum.

This really does taste like strawberry ice cream… which I don’t actually like eating. However, in tea form, it’s quite delicious.

Della Terra’s black base doesn’t work for me so often, and I think that’s really the only issue I have with this tea. If I want a strawberry dessert tea, I’d rather reach for Strawberry Cupcake from Simpson & Vail… but I have a 1/2 oz coming to me from Della Terra next week, and I don’t think I’ll have a problem drinking that.

Thanks for sharing, Cavocorax!

When I moved to the US and they didn’t have butter tarts, I was thoroughly disappointed. Pecan Pie was the closest thing I could find, but it just wasn’t the same. I did learn to quite enjoy it, though… and thanks to moraiwe, I got to try a sample of this tea!

It has the same nutty warmth that pecan pie has, which I certainly appreciated. And while it’s not super pastry-y, I felt that it did have some pie flavor, maybe a bit caramel-y? I quite enjoyed this tea, and I’m glad I have more to make a few more cups. Thanks, moraiwe!

This is awfully good.

I have had it twice now, since my Butiki order came in last week. It’s amazing how subtle, but still delicious, the caramel vanilla flavor is. I am just finishing up my first cup this afternoon, and I am already looking forward to another. It resteeps quite well, and it’s too good not to. Yum.

This is super delicious.

My favorite guayusa is still The Killer’s Vanilla, but this is nice for days when I’m not looking for a real comforting, cozy cup of tea, but something a little more tangy and zesty. So perfect.

I love that it has the sharp bite of citrus combined with a wonderful creaminess to make it not at all overpowering – it actually just blends perfectly with the earthy guayusa to make a very satisfying and flavorful drink. I am so glad I ordered this one.

I like this a lot.

I really love how creamy it is, I imagine from the coconut? I don’t know, it’s delightful. And the citrus blends well with the rooibos, which I did feel a bit sketchy about. I did add a bit more spearmint for my second steep of this, and even more for the third steep I am about to attempt. It still smells amazing, so I am giving it a shot.

I was tempted to cold brew, but I think I’ll do that next time. The ever-wonderful Courtney sent me enough of this one to sample a few times.

Stacy was so kind to put this on sale last month, so I ordered a couple ounces. It is one of my most favorite teas. So smooth and delicious and flavorful, I love how the vanilla complements the natural guayusa flavor. And the lavender is so soothing and lovely that I really can’t hate it the way I usually do.

Thank you, Stacy! This tea is just perfect.

Courtney sent me a large sample of this to try out, and I am actually surprised that I like it as much as I do. I don’t normally care for cherry-flavored anything, I find that it tastes too much like cough syrup. And even fresh cherries, not my favorite. So I was a bit hesitant about this one, especially after reading Courtney’s review about how she didn’t like the cherry in it.

For me, it’s the lemongrass that seems out of place. I normally really enjoy lemongrass, but it’s giving this tea a bit of a sharpness that I am not loving. I am really enjoying my first cup, though, and I am planning to toss the leaves in a jar overnight for a cold brew. Yum!

Courtney sent me a little sample of this one, too. I thought I’d try the rhubarb ones together, to see which I preferred.

Honestly, I think I liked Rhubarb Cream better. This one smells floral-y to me, which really isn’t doing it for me at all. Especially since I have been having major allergy issues today and can’t seem to stop sneezing.

It tastes nice, though. Sweet and tart, and honeybush-y… but I don’t really get much PIE from it. Totally not complaining, though, because I like the strawberry rhubarb part a lot. Yum.

Courtney sent me enough for a cup of this, and I actually quite enjoyed it. It’s not as rhubarb-y or as creamy as the name would imply, but I still thought it was a nice, subtle tea. I enjoyed the tartness that I did get from the rhubarb.

I probably wouldn’t ever order it, but I’m so glad I got a taste!

I don’t think I care for Adagio’s black base.

I got a sample of this one from akgrowngirl, because I was somewhat curious to try it out. I also have limited options when it comes to Adagio, since their shipping to Canada is ridiculous. So it’s fun to sample it when I can.

Anyway, I preferred my second steep of this, when I added a bit of coconut palm sugar and a sprinkling of peppermint.

Thanks, akgrowngirl!

Jackie T sent me a bunch of matchas to try, and so far, I think this one might be my favorite. I had it yesterday at work, I took it in a mason jar. Yum.

This one, I would consider ordering. Thanks for sharing, Jackie! I can’t wait to try more.

Bye, Candy Cane tea. You were lovely and delicious, but Adagio charges insane shipping to Canada, so I probably won’t ever get to order you.

Sigh.

I’ve been drinking comfort teas a lot this past week, and this has become one of them. It’s so sweet but refreshing and light all at the same time. Such a unique tea, I love these mint / marshmallow root blends from 52teas. I think I will go have some more, because it resteeps beautifully.

TastyBrew sent me a super cute little sample of this one with our swap, included as a surprise for me. Thank you so much!

It tastes very bread-y, in a way that reminds me of Fat Tire beer. There is also a lovely blend of cinnamon and nuts. It definitely feels like I’m eating a delicious pastry, it’s so bizarre that it’s actually tea and I’m really not eating anything unhealthy.

I have enough to try this one again, but I am definitely going to resteep these leaves and see what it’s like the second time around.

Still not loving this one, but I’ve found that by mixing it with DavidsTea’s Cookie Dough, it makes a lovely dessert-y treat. I also have noticed that the chemical-y smell seems to be getting better with time.

I much prefer the Marshmallow Treat, though. Yum.

Only enough left for one more cup of this after I enjoyed it yesterday afternoon. It is perfect for spring with a lightly sweet, fruity taste, and a lilac-y fragrance. Yum.

I’ve been super busy and also kind of depressed and avoiding being on my computer in general, because I’ve been actively trying to not spend time doing nothing.

But… I have missed logging my teas and chatting on Steepster, so I’m going to try to ignore my shitty feelings and focus on things that make me happy. Like tea! And Guayusa. Especially mixed with a bit of Santa’s Secret. Still, one of my favorite combinations. Yum.

No notes yet.

I only have enough for one more cup of this one from my sample, and I’m sad already.

GAH.

This tea tastes so much like Big Red gum, it’s like I just chewed on a fresh stick. Amazing.

It reminds me of Hot Lips, but I actually think I like it better – without the hot spice, this is just delicious cinnamon. I would order more of this for sure, if there was a way that I could do it where I wouldn’t become incredibly irritated.

I am so glad to finally drink a Harney & Sons tea that doesn’t make me want to immediately place another order.

It’s not that this one was bad, though. It was a lovely blend, I did enjoy my cup, but I found that the delicious chocolate / hazelnut flavor that I was looking for didn’t really show up until after the sip. Then, it felt like I’d just eaten a spoonful of Nutella.

Very good, but I wish I could taste that while I’m actually drinking it.

This was very delicious and fresh. I think I would have liked a bit more of the vanilla flavor, but I love how this tea was refreshingly minty without having much bite. Just a nice tingle, like I just brushed my teeth. Super yummy, I am glad I got a bag of this before it disappeared.

Waiting to rate because it’s been a couple days since I had it, and I’ll rate it the next time I drink it.

I had this one for breakfast yesterday, mixed with a little of Della Terra’s Blueberry Crumble. YUM. This is a great blend, I might drink it like this from now on.

However, this tea on it’s own makes for a much better cup of breakfast tea. Together, they take on the dessert-y flavor that Della Terra is better known for.