Melissa

I’ve never had gunpowder tea before but the description on the packet sounded great. I really like smokey black teas so I thought this had potential…

The dry tea smelt like burnt green tea leafs to me. After steeping, the tea smelt more like cigarette smoke then the smoke of a fire. (By the way, cigarette smoke is one of the worst smells in the world to me). So, now I’m hoping that the taste is spectacular or I’m not going to have time to brew more tea to take to work with me today.

Oh! As I’ve typed this the tea has cooled a bit and the smell now has more of a green tea scent. There is hope! Ok, not great but the tea tastes of a green tea with bitter aftertaste. It’s not the bitter I’m use to though, a different one.

So this isn’t great and I wouldn’t buy it but I don’t have to dump it at least.

The smell is completely amazing. I wonder, is this the lost tea. I had a tea a year ago that smelled like this. I loved it!

So for the taste, I think the lost tea might be a lapsang but not this one. The flavor here is more like the ash then the smoke of a fire. The lost tea tasted more like the smell then this one. I could have brewed too long… I followed the directions and did 5 minutes. Perhaps less would be better. It’s not bad. Just a bit disappointed after the smell that it’s not that flavor I had been expecting.

This tea is growing on me as I drink it. I’m not sure how to describe it really. It’s very tea like in my mind. There is a element of nuts/flowers at the end of a sip but it’s very faint. The tea tasted really strong but became much tamer as it cooled a little. I probably would have had less strong if I hadn’t steeped as long but I really didn’t get any of the astringency of steeping too long. I think it probably was a shock on my tongue after so many other teas with various stronger additional flavors to the tea. Not my favorite tea but not bad at all.

I’ve been craving black tea and it really came out while tasting the melon that I needed to brew a black tea as well to satisfy this.
This tea smells wonderful. So relaxing and full. The lavender really relaxes me (I’m very susceptible to lavender.
The flavor is not what I was expecting. The citrus seems stronger in the scent then the taste. Maybe it will come out more as it cools. The lavender is definitely there.
It does a bit. I may try steeping longer next time and see if I can get a bit more flavor out of this. It’s not bad though and I would consider getting it. Due to the lavender this is a tea for after I get home for the day.

Brewed after letting it cool for a bit post boil.
wow! This really smells like melon! I didn’t and any sweetener since it smells so sweet already.
For the taste, I’m glad I didn’t add sweetener. It’s light, refreshing, with that sweetness of melons that actually annoys me if I have too much (in the melon as well as the tea). If I concentrate hard, I can pick up a tea flavor at the end of the sip. Really though this tastes like melon. I imagine it would go well with a summer breakfast (then again, that’s when I eat most of my fruits during the day). For me, it’s too specific of a taste for everyday. Now and then, just like the fruit, I like it.

I really need to start writing these while I’m drinking the tea again instead of this afterward habit I’ve gotten into.
This tea was a bit of a surprise it smelled and tasted mellower then I was expecting with an Irish breakfast. There was some malty aspect but the honey quality tamed it. There was a detention I couldn’t name, perhaps that it the cherry and the prunes they mention on the label. I rather liked this tea. Not what I expected but pleasant and something I could see myself drinking with some regularity.

I’ve wanted to try a loose leaf chai for awhile. I admit, I took the shortcut for preparing it and brewed it as I normally do steeping for 4.5 minutes this time. I tasted first with no milk or honey (I very rarely add anything to my teas). I expected I’d probably want to add something but I figured I’d taste it straight anyway. Not bad, the spices are quite strong straight. It made my tongue feel weird. So, I added some milk and honey.

The taste is amazing. Just the right balance of spice and tea. It’s almost meditation inducing. Too bad I didn’t measure the milk and honey so I could reproduce this. The scent is intoxicating.

I’m really enjoying this tea.
Oops, as it cools I realized I think I put too much honey in. It’s getting a bit sweet.

I’m feeling a bit off this morning so I thought a green might be a good idea.
Trying to preserve the health benefits, I waited about 10 minutes after boiling to let the water cool.
It smells like grass and looks like a pale green (quite pale).
It tastes grassy too, and healthy. I wish I could find the healthy taste enjoyable. That would make life so much easier.
In the end, I don’t enjoy the taste but hopefully the healthy quality will help. It is why I picked it today.

Ok, so I actually tried this tea 2 days ago. Oops. I got busy and only typed a few lines before I needed to run off so this will be brief. I still wanted to log it though.

Smells of vanilla, Tastes of black tea with vanilla. Warming. Nothing special but nothing bad. Hmm, I wish I’d typed more or had it in front of me now but sadly this tiny bit is all I can manage for this tea.

Ok, this is my first Pu-erh. This one seemed to have better reviews then others so I bought a sample of it. The leafs smell fishy. Not very strong but for tea, it just feels wrong to me. when brewed the smell is much the same. The color is very dark with a hint of red. If I drank this in front of others they would likely think I was drinking coffee.
For the taste, very weird. Honestly, I feel like if you removed all the saltiness from soy sauce it might taste similar. It’s not offensive. I had been afraid it would be. On first taste though, this isn’t something I’d buy.
So, this one might be good with a dinner next to a beach. I could see myself growing to like it. I’ll probably give it another try at some point in the future but right now, it’s too intense and mature a taste for me.

I’m really tired so I think this will be short. So this surprised me with the light color. I also felt that the scent was extremely mild. Initially, I didn’t taste much. As I drank though, a light taste of tea began. This tea wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t good. I think it’s just too subtle for me right now.

The dry leaves smell like a traditional black tea to me. The scent of the steeped tea is of a woodsy black tea.
For the taste, this tea is woodsy as well. I’m having trouble describing it but it’s easy to see trees all around me when I drink it. It’s not a very heavy tea though and the black tea is the main taste.
This was very pleasant and refreshing. I also don’t think it’s one I’ll remember far into the future but that’s not always bad. I still think I’d like to get this one.

Hmm, I just noticed more of the honey quality as the tea started to cool. Interesting. I’m still fascinated by how tea can develop new tastes like that.

This makes up for my last tea. The cup is quite pale, the scent is a strong coconut cookie. It smells so good. It tastes somewhat like a coconut cookie too but not as intense. There is smooth, buttery, lightly sweet with coconut mixed in. I don’t see myself drinking this everyday or even that often but as a nice dessert tea here and there it has potential. I’m going to try a second steep and take it to my lecture with me.

I’m back logging a bit. I had this one this morning. This really reminded me of the teas I get at restaurants and planes but better. It was crisper and cleaner in a way. Nothing really impressive but certainly nothing bad. It’s a really safe choice, especially for people not that use to tea. I’m not sure if I will buy it, it will depend on the price when I place my other Golden Moon orders.

I’ve never really had white tea before so I thought I’d give this a try. The cup is light and golden. The smell is intense and not pleasant to my nose. It smells like flowers but not fresh ones.
If I hadn’t had other floral teas, I would conclude I just didn’t like a floral but I’ve had some I love. This one tastes more of stem then anything. The taste is thankfully not as intense as the smell was but still not something I would buy. I’ve considered not finishing the cup but I didn’t quite get to that level. This did not meet the spot so I’m going to have to pull another from the basket.

Hey all! I am very excited today and have to share this with everyone :) . I just found out I have now passed both parts of the USMLE step 2 for med school.
On to the tea- Very nice smell of pear in the dry leaf. Made my tongue get ready for a nice dessert. Brewed, it smells a little too sweet. I like the pear underneath the scent of sugar though.
It doesn’t taste as strong as it smells. I can still taste black tea and there is pear and honey on top. It’s not a dessert taste as I expected but a light spring weather afternoon tea to me.
The tea isn’t bad. I’d pick it over some and would enjoy it in another sample pack but I couldn’t drink this enough to buy it.

This smells much fuller then the Twinnings I’ve been drinking.
I’m not very sure how to describe this tea but I find it better then other English Breakfast teas I’ve had. It doesn’t seem like anything special to me though. I think I like teas with another layer of flavor right now. Perhaps I’ll try lemon in the future with this. I’ve never been fond of sugar in tea and cream just doesn’t do much positive or negative for me. This might be a tea that I will stock in the future. There are plenty of people who like the simpler black teas and my not like my other selections and this is a pretty good tea for the morning.

Pre steeping this smells just like a set of bath salts I remember from childhood. It smells so wonderful. While steeping, the black tea scent becomes stronger although I still smell the rose. The petals are so pretty floating above the leaf.

It is definitely a black tea, and definitely floral. I actually really like this tea. It makes me feel pretty. I think it would be a great option to have at a woman’s book club or tea time.

This is a tea I’m going to want to buy. It won’t be a daily drink but something for a day off relaxing. Now, if I could find those bath salts again, or better yet move somewhere where I can plant roses, life would be great!

After a cup, I wanted more, so I steeped again and still loved it (4 min). I thought I’d try my luck for a 3rd steep too. It started getting a bit lighter at this point. It’s not as good but I’m still enjoying it. There is a soft/sweet rose quality that is more apparent. The scent is still wonderful!

So, I just got my sample order from Golden Moon. I love the box and seeing all the tea varieties made me so excited. Here is my first. Brewed at below boiling (unsure of temp- how do you all tell the temp?) and for about 3 minutes.
Ok, I love anise but the sent of it mixing with the sweetish component of the white tea reminds me too much of my herbal tea for sore throat which then reminds me of being sick…
Ok, the taste is much better then I expected. It doesn’t have that sickening sweet taste the herbal one had. It’s actually quite soothing. I actually never had white tea before but I imagine what I’m tasting is the white tea with the smallest hint of anise (although if I hadn’t known what it was I wouldn’t have been able to tell it was anise). It’s a really gentle tea. I’m surprised. I kind of like it. I’m not sure if I like it enough to order it. The scent bothers me too. I would drink it if I ordered another sample or if it was offered but I think I can find a gentle relaxing tea that I like better.
Interesting though, when I picked out this sample to try today, I was expecting something more filling/energizing- more anise. Not bad though.
Second steep: Sent still bothers me. This one is more of a licorice flavor and while I love eating anise/licorice, this really reminds me too much of being sick. I’m ending here.

Ok, I got a sample of this after reading some of the reviews. All cups were at just below a boil.
My first cup (2 minutes) really does smell buttery and so amazing.
Prior to pouring, the leaf gave off a sent that reminded me a bit of spinach. Not what I was expecting this post pour scent though is amazing and I have no idea where it came from.
Very smooth texture. I didn’t even know tea could have a texture…
The taste on this first one is lighter then expected. There is a veggie like after taste.
As I drink, I note the beginning of the sip does have a butter quality but not intense. It is followed with a flowery taste.
This is a very soothing, soft cup, especially compared with what I normally drink.
I held the tea in my mouth for a few seconds and when I swallowed there was another flavor, though I can’t name it.

Cup 2: (3 minutes) Similar scent. It’s still flowery but not in the same why other teas I’ve had are. The leaves are really quite pretty. It is refreshing to be drinking something so clearly natural.

Cup 3: (4 minutes) I agree with previous posters that this cup does have a greener taste. Still good though. The scent is still buttery with a hint of flower. This may be a good tea for hosting. It seems very friendly and makes so many cups that it will keep the party going.

Cup 4: (5 minutes) The scent of this cup is much weaker then the previous cups. There is still something soothing about it though. I’ll admit too that I did put a bit too much water in the pot this time. I’m using a pot designed for two cups so I’m guessing each time. Definitely a greener taste here. The buttery is clearly disappearing. There is an end note that I can’t describe exactly but it’s starchy. I would love to be sitting out in a beautiful garden while drinking this. Stupid city.

Cup 5: (6 minutes) I’m getting the steamed green bean element now being mixed with the same underlying “green” taste that has been there from the beginning. The butter is pretty much gone in both smell and taste. The taste and smell are a bit mellower then the previous cup.

Cup 6: (7 minutes) This will be my last. The flavor is dimming and honestly, I’m getting a bit tired of tea. I’ve never had this much straight through before. And as for tea’s effect in weight lose, it might be that now, so close to dinner, I’m full from the tea. So, this time, I’m getting a little of what people were calling the bread taste. It’s pretty weak though. I love bread so I’d love to be able to get this flavor stronger. Otherwise, this tea is now starting to remind me more of green tea.

Well, this is the longest tea journey I’ve had. Will I buy a larger volume in the future? Probably, although not right now. This is also my first Oolong tea so I’m going to want to try some others as well to make sure I find the right one for me.

No notes yet.

This is so well named. Every time I drink it, I get a lift. It is so refreshing with the lemon accent to the black tea. It makes me more alert and ready to go so it’s a perfect early afternoon tea. Not as much of a kick as I require for mornings but a nice gentle but solid pick-me-up.

Ok this is the bagged version.

For me, this tea is nothing special. It works to satisfy my tea craving but other then that, I find I can just as easily drink something else. I ended up with a huge box of it and I will finish it but I’m not sure I’ll buy again. Though if the leaf is better perhaps I’ll give it a shot.
The other thing about this, when I tried to use the bag a second time, that very much did not work. Again, I’m not sure if it’s just the bagged but it tasted so dirty that after one sip, I dumped the cup (which I rarely do).
So, this is a tea I’ll have if offered, I’ll finish my remaining tea bags, but it will be a one cup per back deal.

I enjoy this Earl Grey. There is an element of citrus. It’s very different from Lady Grey though, with it’s more potent flavor. It is more flavorful then a few of the other Earl Grey’s I’ve tried. I love it as an afternoon tea.