127 Tasting Notes
Another sample courtesy of Just Organic Teas:
I steeped this one in simmering (vanilla) almond milk on the stove and then poured it through a sieve. This method seemed to let the spiciness shine a little more than my previous method, but I definitely will be steeping chais and such in non-flavored almond or soy milk from now on, because the flavoring definitely interferes with the teas flavor. I added a bit of the Just Organic Sweetener to this as well.
It has a nice spicy scent and taste, though I don’t really get the orange at all in scent or taste. If I had to choose I’d definitely pick the Just Charming Chai over this one.
Just not feelin’ this one like I used to. It’s definitely still and excellent tea and one that used to be my second favorite black tea, but lately I am just not that into it. I think it’s the bergamot.
Today I steeped it lower than I do at home and I forgot about it while it was steeping, so it got a bit bitter thanks to user error… but the smell is just way too strongly bergamot for me right now. I drank every bit of it, because honestly it’s still a great tea even when I’m not in the mood for it.
Preparation
Aw. This is still one of my must haves, I fell in love with it when I first tried it and that hasn’t changed! I love EG teas and bergamot though
This is my fiance’s favorite black tea, but he like you, loves EG and bergamot. I think I’m just going through a anti-bergamot phase, because I used to really love this.
Steeped this at a lower temp than usual (again with the office water cooler) and I like it much better. The fruity flavor is definitely taking the lead and the cardamom is just blending in much nicer this time. I get mostly apple and lemon, very little if any pomegranate. Still smells quite spicy, but that just adds to its warmth since I don’t taste over whelming cardamom.
Preparation
This was actually the first of the Just Organic Teas that I tried from the samples they sent me. (Thanks again!)
I haven’t had a lot of rooibos, and this is the first I have ever had that was just straight rooibos. It was warm and pleasant tasting. It had a lot of depth of flavor, though I fail at remembering the specific tasting notes, because I actually drank it a week ago. It smelled like wood shavings to me… but definitely did not taste like steeped wood shavings, I promise!
Not going to rate this one because I don’t feel like I have a fair grasp on it or one straight rooibos.
Preparation
Another samples that came in my Butiki order.
While this one was very strongly lemon scented, it was much more subtle once steeped. Deliciously like a fluffy piece of lemon cake. I don’t make a habit of stocking lemon teas, as they are not my favorites, but I would definitely ordering this one in the future.
Preparation
mmmm… banana bread….
Interestingly enough I bought and tried a banana bread beer the other day and was pretty impressed with it… it was like drunk banana bread and it was delicious.
This tea reminded me of that. The two had a similar flavor as far as having real true banana flavor. Nothing sickly sweet or banana runty about this flavor!
The dry leaves smell like a bag of banana chips, which I guess is appropriate because there are real dried banana chip pieces in there. The steeped tea smells like the batter for homemade banana bread. it’s fantastic.
When first sipped I tasted mostly the black tea base with a hint of nuttiness, but the banana flavor soon follows and lingers nicely in my mouth.
As the tea cools the banana flavor does fade a bit, but it’s definitely still there in the finish of it even cooled. I really enjoyed this one.
Preparation
I wonder who Foxy Roxy is?
Marzipan-Here is Foxy Roxy: http://www.butikiteas.com/Custom.html
Banana Bread Beer goes great in beer bread. Here is a recipe if anyone is interested: http://butikiteas.blogspot.com/2012/07/beer-bread-recipe.html. Beer Bread is awesome! Every time you use a different beer it is like making a different bread.
Wow, Stacy, that sounds like a fantastic idea! I may have to make some beer bread with my banana bread beer this weekend.
Personally, I love making the bread with a dark beer like a stout or Quad but my friend loves making them with the Banana Bread Beers. I posted this recipe on my blog because my friend would ask me for the recipe like once a week, so I just posted it there so she can just look it up.
This smells like pancake syrup or maple syrup to me… though it does not taste anything like either…. haha. It is definitely very warm and pleasant smelling.
I have no idea what Carob tastes like, so I couldn’t tell you if it lends its flavor to this tea or not. I don’t taste a whole lot of vanilla, but it is evident that it is there. Some of the blame for me not being able to taste the flavors entirely is probably on the fact that my water was a little cooler than it called for… but I our water cooler at work only does one temperature… 180 is the best I could do this morning.
Overall its a nice smooth black tea with a warm pleasant flavor, but not one I would run out to purchase again.
Preparation
I was very excited yesterday to find a package full of samples in my mailbox from Just Organic Teas! I was expecting this one and one other, but instead got all twelve of their current offerings! Very exciting stuff.
I love the way this one smells. Such a rich chai with so many spicy layers. I knew I wanted to use this one to try a homemade chai latte for the first time, which is exactly what I did this morning.
I steeped it in about half the water I would normally steep tea in and then whisked in hot vanilla almond milk with a pinch of Just Organic Teas sugar, which was also included in the package I recieved. It turned out pretty tasty, but I think next time I would do two things differently, steep the chai for a bit longer (or use a bit more chai) and use regular almond or soy milk not vanilla. The almond milk definitely masked a lot of the spiciness from the chai, so I don’t feel like I got a chance to really taste this one. It still made for a flavorful and delicious chai latte that I drank every last drop of.
As a side note, making my own chai latte highlighted just how much sugar is really in those starbucks chai lattes… holy cow. I think I am a homemade chai latte convert. And I do believe I will be picking this chai up!
Preparation
Thanks for the tip about steeping in Vanilla Almond milk. I just got those teas, too. Super generous to give samples of all of them! Some people noticed how strong the smell was when they opened the package. I put the bags in containers with baking soda and put a lid on it. It seemed to take a lot of the smells out so they are not cross contaminated. Just a suggestion. :)
That is definitely helpful. I noticed the strong smell for sure, but I promptly separated the ones with cinnamon and clove, etc from the other more mild ones and put them in entirely different places. Seemed to do the trick because I didn’t notice the scent this morning.
I’m surprised how long it has taken me to add tasting notes on this tea, especially considering I am nearing the bottom on the tin on this one.
It has the most delightful soft and comforting jasmine scent both in dry leaf form and after is has been steeped. The taste is wonderfully delicate when the tea is hot to warm, with the jasmine flavor lingering in my mouth. As it cools (and today I forgot about it half way through my cup when I was distracted by the Atari 2600 my mother dropped by my house) the floral notes become much more pronounced.
I definitely prefer this one hot to warm, which is good considering this tea usually doesn’t last long enough for it to cool for me. This one has been in my top 5 teas for a long time and I imagine it will be there for sometime. I’ll be sad to see the bottom of this tin.
Preparation
Decided to give this one a try iced and sweetened. It turned out great. Definitely has some strong flavor. I taste more apricot than anything… though it does taste slightly more like peach than apricot to me, but there is definitely a creamy vanilla quality to this tea.
Definitely don’t think I’d like this one hot and unsweetened, but it’s a nice sweet ice tea. I’d drink it again.
I do have to say though that this blend confuses the crap out of me… i mean given it’s name and its purpose in the harry potter universe you’d think it would be an caffeine-free tea or decaf at the least. None of these flavors have anything to do with the namesake potion.
