Kittenna

Thanks for this one, Sil!

Naturally, I didn’t save my sample of this one from the English Tea Store to compare… but they’re totally the same tea. So, I love the caramelly flavours and wish it was a bit lighter on the pu’erh, but would definitely drink this again (but not keep a great deal on hand as I’d prefer a black blend).

Sipdown, 831. Another tea courtesy of Azzrian :)

Brewed this the same as Wild Watermelon; gave it 2 minutes in boiling water, then chilled it (without leaving the fruit pieces in, since it has hibiscus). Similar result – cardboardy, not great tea. There is a bit of cherry flavour to it, but it’s very minimal. The tartness is quite tolerable, but overall it’s just not great. I much prefer tisanes without hibiscus as a major ingredient.

Sipdown, 832. Thanks Azzrian!

Damn. I forgot to check the brewing instructions again. My bad.

Anyways, brewed this (again) as a fruit tisane (e.g. boiling water), but for a shorter time (2 min), then chilled it. Pretty meh. It was certainly more drinkable than my first attempt, which was overwhelmingly hibiscusy and disgusting, but it wasn’t terribly tasty. I don’t even think it’s because I oversteeped the green tea or anything like that, I just don’t think I care for the blend. I was getting almost a cardboard taste from the tea, which was kind of strange. Ended up sweetening it with maple syrup (I was desperate for iced tea) and drinking it anyways.

Yep, I still feel like this tea tastes like spiced sour cherries! Anyhow, it is delicious. I hot-brewed and chilled a large cup of it last night and drank it super fast when I got home today. And it was awesome. Not a lot of flavour on the sip, but wonderful aftertaste. A great sub for cold water.

Mini-sipdown! 833.

I still have some more of this one, but I’ve now finished off the original bag that Sil gave me. Mmmmm. So delicious….

Sipdown! 834.

Yum. That is all.

Sipdown, 835.

Hrm. Strong rooibos smell upon brewing, and it’s pretty strong in the flavour too. I’m getting nothing really in the way of pineapple or coconut… I would have been more apt to guess that this was a raspberry-flavoured tea. Maybe there’s some creaminess from the coconut…? And maybe that tartness is pineapple, not raspberry? It’s difficult to tell.

Luckily, though this tastes unmistakably of rooibos, it’s not super medicinal, so it is palatable. But, it’s nothing I’d really want to drink again unless I was desperate. I’m getting a bit of the scratchy throat feeling from it, and that’s certainly a feeling I think I should avoid.

Real sipdown of this one, now. 836. Apparently Sil had some of her own, so it’s back to me :P

Anyways, brewed this up pretty light today, and it doesn’t have much aroma to speak of, but I can taste the banana. Not really any walnut, but I’m enjoying it just the same.

I thought this would be a sipdown! Sadly not. I should have used a larger mug to justify putting in more tea.

Anyways, I still have a fondness for this one, because it really does remind me of cookie dough, particularly in the aroma. I should have steeped it longer today (I thought because it smelled good, it was done, but probably not). It’s not something I’d keep around, but it’s nice enough, and I think it is one of the better teas DT has released recently. I’m not really getting the off flavour that I previously mentioned, so perhaps it was a product of a too-high temperature, as I had guessed.

Anyhow, happy news – definite improvement in back pain. I hadn’t felt much improvement by this morning (but also hadn’t been able to sleep) – finally got to sleep during the middle of the day and stayed that way for the better part of about 6 hours. Boy ever-so-nicely came over (finally! :P) and I’m not sure if it was because of the back massage, RubA535, laughter, kisses, or what, but I’m feeling better (certainly not 100%, but I’m fairly mobile without painkillers). He thinks it’s just because I was more active and stretched things out a bit; I think it was him. Haha. Anyhow, tis good news, because I think I can now sit up and write my thesis a bit better… which is super critical at this point. GOTTA FINISH.

Hmm, perhaps I understeeped this one at… 2.5 minutes, but it’s not super flavourful, and I’m not a huge fan. There’s chocolate, and maybe some nuttiness, but it’s really nothing special, which I guess I kind of expected it to be. Ah well – I’ll steep bag #2 a bit longer next time and see if that improves it.

Thanks for the samples, Sil!

ETA: Reading ashmanra’s note… apricot?? Yeah, I could believe that… kind of puts a different perspective on it for me. Tastes a bit better now, haha.

ETA again: Bleeehhh, second infusion was way cardboardy. I dumped it.

Trying this a second time (I had misplaced it briefly! The horror!) – my first attempt was not as good as I’d hoped, so fingers crossed #2 is better.

I think that overall, this tea isn’t quite what I was hoping for it to be. Yes, the base is amazing, and there’s no astringency. Yes, I can taste the caramel, though not a great deal of vanilla. Yes, the tea tastes good. But, I think I’d rather just have plain PTA over this blend. Or alternately, Two Friends, which is pretty much the most perfect flavoured tea ever. I’m not sure whether it’s just that I want more obvious caramelly/vanilla, or that the raisiny notes are poking out where they don’t quite fit for me. I mean, I’m not going to have any issues drinking the rest of this. And I’m certainly going to enjoy it. But I think my cupboard staples will just be Two Friends and unflavoured PTA, and I’ll leave this for those who will enjoy it more :)

Thanks to Jackie T for passing some of this along. I almost bought some, but my common sense took over (but I still needed to at least try it!)

My verdict on it is that… it’s ok. It’s not what I was hoping for (delicious amazingness a la H&S’s SoHo Blend), but I am enjoying the cup. I can taste the chocolate, which is great and not fakey, but I’m not catching much in the way of almond or coconut. Perhaps it’s because I just drank H&S’s Royal Wedding tea, which prominently features both of those quite deliciously. One interesting thing that I’m noticing, though, is that the flavour is a bit reminiscent of 52teas’ Cashew Turtle! I don’t know if it’s the chocolate, or the nut… but I’m diggin’ it.

Hmmm… the more I drink, the more I’m falling for this tea. Bleh, figures. It’s just alike enough to Cashew Turtle, which I adored and am all out of, that it’s filling that niche for me. Sadness. I think I have another cup or cup and a half left, and will savour it…

Uhm… I am loving the coconut flavour in this one. The first time I steeped it, I didn’t know that H&S teabags required 12 oz. of water, so it was way oversteeped and astringent. But I thought it had promise – I wasn’t wrong. This time, I used the right amount of water, and I’m pretty much dying at first sniff. Delicious, sweet, coconutty goodness. The flavour isn’t strong (I perhaps could have left the bag in there longer than 2 minutes), but it’s really quite tasty. The combination of almond and coconut invokes almost a white chocolate sort of flavour, which is absolutely delicious. I can’t taste any floral from the rose at all, which I’m pretty ambivalent about. I also can’t really taste the white tea, but honestly, I’m happy enough with just the delicious flavours.

Yum yum, thanks Lala for sending some of this to Sil (and to Sil for disliking coconut!)

ETA: Second infusion was very grassy/hay-y… perhaps I could have finished it, but I didn’t enjoy the sips I did take, so I dumped it. I guess H&S teabags don’t re-steep well? I could have sworn that I concluded the opposite when I brewed up both the Valentine’s tea and Tower of London.

Sipdown! 837.

This is only a sipdown of the tea I got from Azzrian – pretty sure Sil “gifted” me with some more that’s lurking somewhere…

Anyways, this was my attempt at making this one into iced tea. I didn’t cold-steep, as I often get too much astringency when I do that with “real” tea, so I just brewed extra strong normally (3min/90C), then diluted it and chilled it in the fridge. In fact, it got so cold in the fridge that the top layer was ice! Perhaps I should bump the fridge temp up…

For whatever reason, I was kind of “over” coconut oolongs as hot drinks… sure they’re good, but something wasn’t really working for me anymore, and I wasn’t really craving them in spite of having a few different (yet very similar) options. However, I’m really enjoying it cold, and it kind of reminds me of coconut water, with a bit of toastiness – and the coconut flavour lingers after sipping. It’s really quite tasty and refreshing. I just guzzled the entire 2-cup glass of it that I retrieved from the fridge. I think I may make more of it this way…

In other news… my back is still pretty painful, and I am having trouble sleeping partially because I can’t get comfortable. It sucks. I’m currently waiting for more painkillers to kick in in the hopes that they knock me out a bit… and meanwhile getting my veggies in by snacking on a giant bowl of snap peas (not from my garden, sadly, but the pea plants still live! Haven’t been munched to the ground by bunnies yet!)

It has been too long since I last had this one. Tooooo long! But, that just means I’m enjoying it all the more! Or I suppose I should put that in the past tense, since that cup did not last long at all. I may venture up to brew up a second infusion… or maybe will wait until morning. I was supposed to spend the day with the boy, heading to a family event followed by watching his soccer game, but I’m not really sure that it’s going to happen given the state of my back… bleh :(

Sipdown, 838. Hmm, could have sworn I had this twice previously, not just once. Ah well. It’s enjoyable tonight, but I think my crappy storage of it might have reduced the citrus flavouring just a bit. Not a tea I’d likely keep around, but would certainly happily drink it again, as it’s pretty tasty!

Sipdown, 839. Super excited to see that this one has been re-blended! I desperately wanted more when I first tried my sample, but it had already sold out. Given that I just placed a Verdant order though, I probably won’t order any right away, but I’m glad that the option is back. This tea is just so deliciously savoury, and a bit gingerbready. Love it.

Sipdown, 840.

In spite of my lovely injury, I managed to make up a bunch of tea (this was before I realized why exactly I couldn’t move). And managed to get in three sipdowns! Yay! I would have preferred to make progress on my thesis, but I’m not sure how that’s going to be happening now… ugh.

Anyways, this tea was better fresh, but is still pretty tasty. Sweet and beamy, lighter I think than the Laoshan Green, but IMO pretty flavourful for a white. I’d probably pick this one up in a sample size again (only a sample size because I don’t want it going stale on me!) Hopefully it makes a repeat appearance this year.

Sipdown! 841. Hot/cold-brewed the last of this, and it’s much better this way, IMO. This tea is clearly meant to be cold; it tastes like bubble-gum/fruit punch.

So, guys… I think I may have “slipped a disc” in my back tonight flipping over a table (I wasn’t mad, I just screwed on the legs and was putting it upright!) Any suggestions on what to do? There’s intense pain in my lower back when I try to move, particularly bend down (and the longer I stand, the more my tailbone area starts to hurt too). I managed to take a couple ibuprofen and migrate bedding and my computer down to the couch (my bed’s on the floor, so I’m worried if I lie down I won’t be able to get back up). Currently lying on the couch… :/ This sucks.

Sipdown! 842.

Finishing off the last of this one in my possession. Sigh. It’s one of my favourites, right up there with Marshmallow Treat, but I’m too wary to purchase any more since I’ve hated all the recent genmaichas :/ This is pretty much like a bit less of a creamy Marshmallow Treat, plus some cherry flavour. (Good, real cherry flavour, not fakey maraschino stuff). Yum.

Sipdown! 843. Second try at this tea, thanks to Sil (and possibly TerriHarpLady).

I was still detecting a bit of soapiness in the aroma of the tea, but thankfully there isn’t any in the flavour. I have to conclude that when coconut in blends goes “off” or rancid, it develops a soapy sort of flavour. This tea pretty much does taste like a very much unsweet version of Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Coconut Chai… less creamy, though, and more savoury. Sweetened, it’s probably pretty decent, so I may fiddle around with the rest of the cup if I get around to it, but I’d go for Zhena’s over this one.

Orangey and bakey… this one is pretty good :) Looks like I wasn’t particularly fond of this the first time I tried it, but I also steeped it for a mind-blowing 4.5 minutes compared to the 2 I used this time. I don’t particularly taste strawberry, but it tastes an awful lot like the (chocolate) orange scones my mom made a little while ago. And a bit reminiscent of Butiki’s Two Friends, at least in terms of the orange flavouring. Glad I have a cup’s worth left (well… maybe I’d rather a sipdown, but at least it’s a tasty cup that remains).

Thanks to momo for sending me some of this tea like… forever ago!

Hmm, interesting. A sweet sort of berry, perhaps not obviously cranberry.. atop a bit of an astringent black base. Not my favourite. Maybe this would be good iced? And sweetened?

Last Culinary Teas sample from Jackie T.

Hmm, initially I thought there was a creaminess, but then I only really tasted spice. And not quite chai spice either. No pumpkin either. I’m also not a big fan of sprinkles in tea… they make things gross and are totally unnecessary. If you want to make a tea pretty, put in flower petals or something.

Anyways, not really impressed with this tea. I’ve had better pumpkin spice teas.