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Sip down. But it’s OK, because I have more on the way. My wife went into withdrawal already on the Chamomile Vanilla Bean and it isn’t even gone yet. So since I am paying shipping anyway might as well take advantage right? Also grabbed the Earl Grey for a friend.

For those of you who avoid fruit teas for fear of hibiscus – this one does not have it listed as an ingredient. Super fruit is pretty accurate – pomegranate and gojiberry, but you can taste the Sencha base, and that is important to me. The lemon grass is just a hint. Definitely my favorite from Fusion. It is my second favorite fruit tea from any I have tried. (Number 1 is Empire Tea Services Peach Apricot – it is amazing.) I love this one steaming hot or room temperature. It remains consistently good through out.

Backlogging from Friday:
I enjoyed yesterday’s cup enough that I wanted to see how well the leaf would survive the night. 12 oz boiling water, 1 minute steep in my press. The orange flavor and the heavily oxidized roasted (charcoal like) oolong are both kind of extreme flavors, but the short steep balances them pretty well. I can pick each out if I think about it yet neither stands out in a casual sip. It still has a cooling affect on my mouth and throat, which I find fascinating from a hot drink with no mint. I must admit the bizarre nature of this combination is beginning to grow on me.

This is my second attempt at this one. I started with a healthy spoon of leaf, and added 12oz of boiling water for a one minute steep in my press. The leaf of this oolong is very dark in color. The scent of it dry is heavy orange flavoring. The press scent after brewing is of roasted oolong and flavoring. The liquor is similarly dark to a black tea.

The sip is much improved over the last time I tried this. Using boiling water is necessary to open the leaf and the short steep time is crucial to keep both the heavy roastiness of the oolong and the orange flavor from becoming overwhelming. Especially as it cools, this is easily drinkable. There is a bit of a cool blast on the throat like mint.

I think orange with a greener oolong would be much more relaxing but ignoring the website recommended steeping instructions and going with my own has made this a pleasant drink. I have a few herb ideas growing that I still want to try later to see if I can further tame this beast.

Cue loud blues guitar. Woke up this morning… Stop the music, we all know a blues song that starts like that doesn’t end well. Though it usually does have a pretty awesome riff. Anyway, I woke up with a throbbing headache. Driving to work the sun was bright, on the horizon, and in my eyes the whole way. Some days you just miss the rain. I walk in the door and a buddy is standing there with a box of peanut butter cookies. Oh yow, the blues just turned into the hallelujah chorus. Immediately start thinking what goes with PB cookies. Grabbed old reliable.

I used a healthy spoon of leaf, a 2 minute steep, and 12oz of just under boiling water in my press. Made three(!) delicious steeps of delicious, slightly astringent (which I like) mugs. The secret to this tea is not to steep too hot or too long or it can get too much attitude.

For the uninitiated, Ahmad does a great job of value for dollar with their low cost loose leaf teas – and even their bagged teas. Similar to Twinings in cost, leaf quality, and bergamot level. The biggest difference to me is the base has more guts in this one.

I have not tried many higher quality EG’s. If I did, I might find one I really liked the taste of that had great depth and complexity, but I don’t know that would prompt me to switch. This one is like an old pair of jeans with the butt and the knees wearing through that you wear anyway because they are comfortable. Nothing like a good comfort tea.

I started to take this to work with me yesterday because I have all the proper equipment and the experience with it to brew this correctly. Last time I got it too weak and not hot enough. My wife saw me heading out the door with the bag and asked what I was doing. I told her.
She said, “It will put you to sleep”.
“No it won’t. It doesn’t have that affect on me.”
“Well, you’re not taking it”
“Because?”
“It’s mine!”
I’m smarter than I look. I put the bag down and walked away.
So when I got home from band practice late in the evening, I put a pan on the stove – not using the microwave this time. Brought it to a rolling boil and poured 2 cups into my press. In minutes the water was turning a beautiful golden caramel. I think I got it right this time. The vanilla aroma mixed with coconut is really nice.

The sip is vanilla at the front, followed by a mixture of flavors I don’t recognize but can only assume is mostly the chamomile. Late in the sip it fades into a pleasant coconut/vanilla mix that remains in the aftertaste. I do like this. I can’t say I fully understand it, but then I am not the chamomile drinker. So I ask my wife what she thought – is this good?

She said, “Oh, yes. You need to thank Fusion tea for sending this and tell them how good it is.”
“Done. So is this something you would drink often enough that we should order?”
“Absolutely. I love chamomile and this one is really good.”
As for me, this is the first chamomile I even wanted to finish so it looks like this is one we will be sharing – because I can’t leave the house with it.

The dry leaf smells amazingly floral today. This leaf is now 14 months old but still makes one of my favorite delicate cups of tea. Creamy today with a pleasant aftertaste. Love it.

Sip down. I took Monday off, so I have had three days of abusive eating (my favorite kind). When I went to bed last night I knew I was drinking puerh today. It was just a question of which one. This loose leaf sheng came from ashamanra a while back so I am not sure how old it actually is but in the time I have had it, this has morphed.

The first cup @2 minutes is extremely milky in taste and feel. There is also a quality that all I can think of to describe it is shiny. Yes I know shiny isn’t a taste. Maybe mineral? Metallic? Not coppery. This has also become quite sweet. I add Splenda and this is almost sweet enough I don’t need it (almost – stupid monkey). The aroma is wet hay, which becomes part of the sip midway through. It has that wonderful sticky lip feel. Not sure why that always appeals to me. I think it is because it is followed by a rumbling tummy. Mission accomplished.

Second cup @ 1 minute, loses the milky taste. The press aroma is poo, I mean shu like. The taste now is mild sheng still with some sweetness and the shiny flavor.

Cup 3 @ 2 minutes. The press scent is back to a normal sheng like seaweed. The shiny taste is gone. Mild with just a hint of mushroom (in a good way). It is a bit like wet leaves but not yet earthy.

Cup 4 @ 3 minutes. This is the best cup yet. It is still mild but darker flavor. Sadly this is the last cup I have time for today but it was a good ending.

I got home from work Friday and awaiting me was an unexpected sample of this! My wife loves chamomile tea. I haven’t liked any of them because of the other ingredients. No rose and no spearmint in this one. Yeah! Hopeful, I steeped this in my press. It was really clear. I took a cup to my wife and said, “I’m not sure I made this correctly”. She sipped and said, “You got it right”. Woo hoo! So I took a sip of my cup. Despite what she said, I didn’t get the water hot enough. Also not sure I used enough leaf. I am holding off a rating until I try again.

For now I will say even made wrong I really like this. This starts vanilla then mid sip there is a bit of something different (a touch bitter). The late sip turns coconut. Even though I could drink this often I am convinced with a little tweeking I can get more out of it.

Yeah I know, its Lipton, but its actually pretty good. While this is no Fusion Tea Superfruit Sencha, it is better than any of the Republic of Teas fruit teas I’ve tried. It is light and at first makes me think pomegranate then the sip turns Jolly Rancher watermelon stick without the heavy sweetness. I’ll have a full review on my blog hopefully in a few days.

I drank myself half silly with this one all day yesterday at work. Six (12oz) mugs I think – kind of lost track. I came in this morning and the leaf was still lush and green. I thought what the hey, let’s give it a try. The leaf just took right up where it left off. Multiple mugs today. Anyone else notice how hefty this leaf is once it unfurls? It’s like twice as thick and heavy as anything else I brew.

The name of this sounds so heavy and ominous, yet the liquor is so clear and transparent with the lightest yellow/green tint. The scent is lovely, even though someone here describes it as smelling like latex gloves and now I can’t erase that from my mind. Lightly buttery, with a bit of vegetable late in the sip, followed by a pleasant lingering aftertaste. 3 cups before lunch.

Then had a Jalapeno Crunch at SnS. Wow! (no I don’t work there). Double burgers, pepper jack cheese, salsa, jalapenos, onion straws, & chipotle mayo. There is also something smoky in there as well. I do not even want to know how bad it is for me.

Of course I was miserable afterwards and thought I need puerh but there are still a lot of steeps left in this tea. This is too good to throw out before its time. I am going to lie to my stomach and tell it this is now a sheng.

At the end of the work day this was still going strong. Upping my rating.

Tea of the afternoon. I have no idea what emperor’s pride leaf is but it makes for a good cup of tea. This smells so good just sitting on the desk. Of course sipping it isn’t so bad either. Drinking on this one all afternoon.

Determined not to repeat yesterday, I took extra care in putting on the full armor this morning. I brewed this one as it so very good and in anticipation of Wednesday morning. There is an elderly lady that has been with the company forever. She comes in for half a day once a week to go through the mail and keep the owner’s checkbook. More importantly she brings snacks. Usually it is cookies – she makes the best lemon sugar cookies on the planet – today it is brownies. I always thought I hated brownies. Turns out I only hate my Mom’s brownies (sorry Mom). These are so soft and fluffy. She says the secret is to add one additional egg. They taste like a hug and brought out the bread qualities in this tea. Drank on this all morning.

Tazo – why? Why would you bag this stuff? I don’t care the other reviewers apparently liked this, it is just gross. It smells like perfumey rose powder or toilet water.

That’s what I get for taking a day off. If it could break or go wrong this morning it did, and the moment I walked in the door I was irritated by the attitudes of the unscrupulous narcissists welding power. Not jealous, saddened by it. On top of that I learned the plant is going on strike at the end of the week. We haven’t had a raise in 3 years and now we are expected to go another 3 without one. Have you seen the price of everything lately? I need tea.

I picked up two or three and put them back before grabbing this one for no real reason other than I don’t have to think when I drink it. I decided to add 3 or 4 chocolate mint leaves. This is a simple heavily roasted bagged tea. The mint is very mild and adds depth to the drink. I never know how it will react in a tea. This time it creates a really creamy texture than tastes almost like milk chocolate. Usually it just tastes like a mild peppermint, so this is the first pleasant thing that has happened today.

This is what they serve at the local Mexican Restaurant. It is kind of reminiscent of Snapple. Sure it could be more complex. Then again you could do a lot worse. Beats the heck out of the Con-Tea that Arbys sells.

By the ratings, I guess you either love this or hate it. Count me in the love it… sort of. No whipped creme, and 2% milk. It probably isn’t too unhealthy, other than the sugar I would have put in it anyway. Did not realize it was matcha until I got here to Steepster. It was cool and fun. Yeah I got brain freeze. Took the day off to look and lawn tractors. Like everything else they are way expensive, just like this tea thingy.

This came from Tommy the Toad. Thanks! I have had a couple Choice teas before and found them to be pretty good bag teas. I used my typical black tea method of boiling water and a three minute steep. The bag plumped up nicely. The brew is dark and shiny. Not at all murky. The smell is light and not overwhelming. The spices are very balanced with a bit more cinnamon flavor just ever so slightly more prominent in the aftertaste. More importantly, I can taste the tea base. I never really crave chai tea but this one is very nice. I thought I would try one final test and added French vanilla creamer. This didn’t really add anything to the experience for me. It did introduce a mild pepper note that is not present otherwise.

I think I have tried six different Fusion Teas. I have liked all of them. This one I love. It has Goji berries, lemon grass, pomegranate, and obviously Sencha leaves. This fills the room with a wonderful fruity fragrance while steeping. The taste is hefty on the fruit without being overwhelming. The flavor while intense does not come off as fake or candyish. If you have had a RoT or Stash type pomegranate tea and kind of liked it, then try this one and taste the difference (I should be in advertising!). Seriously, this is on my must reorder list. I have kept this hidden in the back of the drawer, so I wouldn’t be tempted, and have slowly rationed it out. I have enough left for one more day of steeping. The last cup today I iced and it was excellent.

I also plan to try their chamomile vanilla bean. I haven’t seen any reviews of that one. My wife loves chamomile but all of them are crap as far as my taste buds are concerned. It would be nice to have one we could enjoy together.

I haven’t been posting the last couple days. Steepster has been creepster. Time to up the rating on this one a bit. Three cups before I ran out of time today. I think I love the smell of this in the pot almost as much as sipping it.

Nothing beats value comfort tea when you have brain overload.

This one came from Tommy the Toad. The liquor is dark like a black tea and smells of orange flavoring and smoked/roasted tea (Wuyi?). There is a bit of an earthy scent. For $2.75/oz, the leaf is actually better than I expected. The flavoring is pretty much exactly what I expected from Tommy’s description. It is a bit overdone and a touch artificial in the first cup. I can’t tell if the flavor is really that far off or if maybe orange just doesn’t mix well with this highly oxidized roasted oolong. I think the addition of a little lemon to support and compliment this tea would help greatly.

The interesting thing is, the third cup is fabulous. The flavoring becomes just a tasty remnant and the oolong looses its roastiness. The earthiness that was present from the beginning resembles a mild sheng puerh – sticky lip feel and all. Orange and sheng apparently work together really well for me. I would drink this cup all day long.

I wouldn’t reorder this tea BUT based on the quality of the leaf and the great price, I would not hesitate to try some of their other blends.

An interesting side note: every time I take a sip the smell makes me think of the world food mart where I buy most of my teas locally. More accurately it reminds me of incense and hippies. Far out man.

Thanks Tommy!

A while back there was a discussion board thread on ordering hot tea in fast food joints. I couldn’t relate at the time. Until last week, during my usual Saturday breakfast outing at Steak N Shake. It started out great. A young lady who usually does not serve us actually brought it to the table before I even ordered. Wow! and yeah, I go there a lot. When I asked for a second cup I was brought another little pot of water but I had to reuse the bag. What? My wife never has to reuse the grounds for her coffee. Because she was so on the ball up front and pretty busy I didn’t say anything. This week, we got our usual waitress. She brought out two bags in anticipation of my second cup. I love that, and I really like this bagged tea.

Lady Grey Latte, Ah interesting, while I am sipping my Lady Grey my tea drinking coworker brings me a cup of his creation. Coincidentally he had also brewed Lady Grey but while pouring it up he decided to add Mystic Chai Vanilla to it. It is an interesting twist on the classic. Vanilla Lady Grey. Not too shabby.