meh. It’ll do in a pinch, but it’s certainly not my favorite breakfast blend. It’s kindof bitter (and I even steeped it to avoid that), and watered down. But certainly better than nothing!!
766 Tasting Notes
Felt a little uneasy this morning, and this cup of tea set things straight.
Adagio isn’t lying with the name! It’s definitely a berry tisane… Less cranberry than I would have expected. Yum!
No notes yet.
I sampled this today, and took pictures, but they’re not posted yet.
When I first smelled the dry leaves I thought it reminded me of Candy Cane Lane, but then I realized what I was smelling was almost exactly like Harney & Sons’ White Christmas. I’m more a fan of green and black teas than white, so I was excited to see how this held up.
Also, I recently realized that I’m not really a fan of vanilla teas, so this was also kindof a test to see how much I dislike them.
Of course, I was wrong. I love vanilla teas when blended with other flavors. I can tell by my past tea ratings. And this was no exception. I adore both Candy Cane Lane and White Christmas, but I think I like this one more. The tea stands up to the flavors a bit better, and you know you’re drinking tea, while still getting a nice blend of mint and vanilla. This mix of green and black teas is really nice as well.
So, I might consider this as a holiday tea this year, or maybe just a tasty tea to keep on hand. :)
No notes yet.
No notes yet.
I made a mug of this after my disaster cup this morning, but then got sucked into meetings and lunch (all fun, at least!)… so I’m just now finishing this cup now. Since it’s a bit chilly, this is now a cold peach tea, and not too bad. The peach strikes me as stronger at this temperature, but it’s still a good drink.
Just had a cup of this with lunch. It’s certainly a cranberry tisane! I barely tasted the rooibos at all, and just noticed a hint of orange. If you’re looking for a punch, but want something herbal, this is a good choice!
So far, I’m not a fan. However, after reading others’ tasting notes, I realize that maybe I messed up in the steeping/water prep/or something. This, apparently, is not a tea to be made in the office. It is one that will make use of my tea trappings at home.
So, I’m refraining from giving a number rating. I’m sure the problem is all me.
The thing is, though, that immediately upon adding water, I got an unbelievable scent of lapsang souchong. I am really not a fan of lapsang souchong. I’m sure part of it is that I haven’t ever had a good one, but it’s also that I don’t like smoke. And since there was a hint of that smell, it immediately went in that category for me, and no matter what I couldn’t get past just the tiniest bit at a time.
So I’m not finishing this mug. I’m going to take the tea back to my house, and try it there once I can control the variables a bit better. I want this to be the amazing tea I’ve read so much about!!
Truly, this is Damn Fine Tea.
So, I’ve finally finished this sample. I didn’t have enough for the two cup pot that I wanted to make, so I added enough decaf ceylon to make up the difference. It’s good, but as I’ve been having really good tea lately, it’s not as good as I remembered. The other tea takes an edge off the earl grey that I didn’t notice before. So, I still am happy with this as a decaf option, but don’t think as highly of it as I did before.
Today’s version: 5 balls, 3/4 the water, steeped 4 minutes + a few teaspoons of agave nectar, and filling up the rest of the mug with unsweetened almond milk. The almond milk idea came from my yoga teacher. She says she loves it in chai, so I thought I’d give it a whirl.
It’s good. It’s like a grown-up hot chocolate, except tea and not chocolate. :) I guess I mean that it tastes like milky tea, but with a hint of chocolate. Today started early, so it was nice to kick off with something a little more fun than normal.
This tea is more about the flavor than the tea. It has a good smell to it. It’s somewhere around pina colada, though it also reminds me of the smell of some of those stores that sell decorations and potpourri for older people’s houses (not old people, just a generation or so past mine). Upon first taste, I can tell there’s a tea base, but pineapple stands out to me. I suspect this particular one will change taste in bigger ways as it cools… we’ll see over the next half hour or so!
Having a cup of this, from the loose leaf, now. I’ve really taken to making a thermos of good tea first thing in the morning, which gets me to about 10am, then I brew decaf or herbal for the rest of the day at work. It’s a good compromise.
No notes yet.
I’m having this today since it’s a Chinese tea, and it’s Chinese new year. It’s a lovely cup of green tea, though as @teaplz said, it seems awful close to a white tea. I, too, was surprised to see the hairs on the leaves and the twig-like look they developed in water.
The tea (and wet leaves) has a great smell to it. It’s almost floral. As the tea gets cooler it becomes more obviously green, though still not as sharp as a typical Chinese green. It’s a great cup!
Update! here are the photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauren_pressley/tags/snowsprout/show/
I went to a valentine’s day themed tea party yesterday! And this is what I had. It’s a good jasmine, and completely fitting for the tea party.
I love oolong tea, but for some reason I don’t ever buy any for my cupboard. I am particularly glad that there are several oolong options in the Golden Moon Tea sampler, and am hoping to come across one that blows me away so I’ll have one in mind to order. (That being said, anyone have any favorite oolongs out there??)
So, today’s Golden Moon Tea sample was Imperial Formosa Oolong. Yum. It’s pretty much exactly what the description says. It’s sweeter than I expected, had a distinct citrus smell and taste, and it’s woodsy as well. Ricky made a comparison to Houjicha, which I completely agree with.
It’s good, but not one that I’m craving, and won’t be the oolong that I order more of. Still glad to start the day with it, though! Pictures here: http://bit.ly/bsU65w
Today I tried this with 6 balls, same amount of water, and same amount of time as yesterday. It’s got much more of a kick, and tastes darker. I actually enjoyed yesterday’s cup a bit more, but this one might be pretty good if I added a little sugar or almond milk (or some type of creamer). Next up, less balls with more time!
No notes yet.
This is always such a comforting cup of tea. It’s not got quite the punch of other Genmai Chas, but it’s still a nice option when the urge strikes.
I had enough points to get something from Adagio, and remembering all the great reviews of this tea here I went with “Dragon Balls.”
But when it came to writing up a tasting note, I couldn’t find the tea to review! No matter how I searched, no correct results for “Dragon Balls!” About five minutes later I put it together: oh, right… it’s actually “Dragon Pearls,” we just have a good sense of humor about things. :)
So now I’m happily sipping this Dragon Whatever tea, which smells like chocolate and tastes as it should: like tea with a hint of chocolate. I think it’s a little weak, but I probably just didn’t use enough balls, or did use too much water. I’ll fix that next time.
It’s always fun to watch rolled tea unfurl, so there’s also that… though by the end it’s less pretty than some of the greens I’ve had. I’ll take pictures of it sometime to post here.
So I finally caved and got the Golden Moon sampler. Yay! Today was exceptionally long, so I’m rewarding myself with a second cup of “real” tea. Which means, I’m embarking on a project that so many Steepsterites have taken on before me: tasting all the teas in the sampler.
I had heard such good things about the Coconut Pouchong that I went ahead and ordered a canister of that as well, so I started the sampler off with that since I knew I’d have easy access to it again in the near future. And it was the right call.
The dried leaves smelled nearly buttery, but with a hint of coconut. The leaves were lovely to watch unfurl in the water, when the smell of coconut began to fill the room. The wet leaves smelled much less of coconut, but the flavor stayed with the tea, as well as a hint of the butteriness that was so clear in the leaves’ dry state. Delicious.
So now, even though I’m hungry, I’m putting off dinner to finish this cup. It’s just too good to have with food and I want to actually pay attention to the drink. :)
You can see it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauren_pressley/4346895667/
