Lori

No notes yet.

This is a VERY SMOKY SMOKY tea and a perfect wake-me-up cup. As this tea is very intense, I added a shot of milk and some sugar to temper the smoky flavor. This is no problem for me as this is my custom for my first cup in the morning.. Without the milk, I would imagine this LS would be almost undrinkable…..On the other hand, if this were a milder LS, it wouldn’t be bold enough for the milk addition….

After reading the other reviews, Golden Moon’s LS is a milder option and one that I am interested in sampling and braving a taste milk-free…

No notes yet.

This tea brews up to a neon retro lime green. What fun I thought! I had high hopes for this tea based on the reviews and my positive experience with Samovar. But, alas, I just don’t like genmaicha tea. I can’t get over the liquid popcorn taste. Worst, as I take my tea with sugar usually, the addition of sugar, only turns this into liquid kettle corn….

This seems like a fine version of a genmaicha although not my type. I will set my numerical rating to reflect the consensus so I don’t skew the ratings….

I have had my share of amaretto sours during the holidays (a favorite of my grandmothers) or amaretto in coffee or just amaretto on the rocks. This tea does mimic the flavor of amaretto but with a pleasant lightness and not the heavy syrup flavor in the alcoholic liquer. This would make a nice light afternoon tea.

The tea is a sample courtesy of Doulton. So , alas, I better not get too attached as this blend is no longer listed on the TG website…

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

Had this tea in the afternoon as suggested by DF. Certainly a perfect way to celebrate the end of my workday-excercise hour…Very chocolatey. Of course, I added milk and sugar which made this even more like a sweet treat. I could not detect the almond flavors but instead detected caramel?

Like most French teas, the DF advertises a multitude of flavors for this blend: chocolate! vanilla! cherry! strawberry! And like most French teas, they magically blend into a subtle /sophisticated flavor like a classical symphony and certainly not a rock concert…..

One more mystery: these French tea blends are typically leaf only w/a smattering of flower petals. No chucks of cocoa nibs, chocolate chips, caramel squares, vanilla bean chunks or dried fruit are present. Do they flavor these teas with a French-patented flavor oils?

This is the first DF tea I have tried from Doulton’s order and phew I have many more to sample…

Experimenting w/cold steeping- brewing the tea overnite in the fridge. Brewing Paris via this cold method resulted in a weak tea (so far peppermint /black tea has been the best cold brewed) ….

Meh. This is just ok. Maybe I did not let it steep long enough but it just tasted watery and somewhat chocolate-y….

This is my third smoky blend. This one has just enough smoky flavor to not be overhwelming.. If I compare, Samovar Russian Blend is like a roaring fire, Upton’s Caravan is a wisp of smoke, and this one is right in the middle and perfect.

This has been a chocolate weekend for me courtesy of Doulton’s sampler! First, lots of Mayan Chocolate Chai, then Dawn, then Haute Chocolate (from Teavana), and the best for last, Florence! This is by far the most chocolatey tea blend I may have had “ever” and perhaps, the hazelnut gives it a richness that a solo-chocolate blend would not be able to provide….

This is “Nature’s Miracle”. Hard to believe that a tea without any additional flavorings or additives (natural OR artifical) can conjure up the flavors of chocolate and coffee and maybe caramel…. This tea is bold but not bitter or astringent in any way..

Thanks to Doulton for this sample and I will soon be purchasing this one…I definitely agree w/the other Steepster-ites who have been raving and praising this one…..

Now this is a tea to start your day! Yes the does start off smoky (and strongly smoky) but rounds off to other non smoky tea flavors. And even though sometimes I may let it steep for >5 minutes, still does not taste bitter or astringent…

Now my daughter tried this one and prior to tasting said," Mom, this smells like beef jerky!" but after she tasted, “Hmmm,,,this does not taste like beef jerky. Wow! This is good….”

One problem- As I am new to world of smoky teas and based on the reviews, I may have been spoiled early by this excellent blend …

No notes yet.

This tea is simply excellent. Prior to tasting, I expected a slightly sweetened traditional chai with a lil’ extra cayenne pepper kick (kind of a cajun-style chai)… How wrong was I! Instead, the tea flavors are a symphony blooming in the following order : an overture of chai w/chocolate, then the crescendo of almond sweetness (yes almonds), then the cayenne pepper kick like a cymbal.

Thanks to Doulton for the sample and Cofftea for raving about this one! After I finish the 52 teas samples Doulton sent me, I plan to place an order for this tea!

Drinking this at work. Minty tea. The base tea is a darjeeling and not really noticeable. This is refreshing, but nothing special but I would reorder this again…

Suprisingly this is nice. Prior to tasting this, I was ambivalent- I hate bergamot and love mint. The verdict? not bad. The bergamot is subtle (how is that possible?) and gives a tang to the mint. I think I like this one…

Basic chamomile- buttery and sweet. And an improvement over the bagged stuff… Drinking this tonight hoping to settle my stomach….

Love this tea and another delight from my Mariage Freres samples. This tea is like liquid perfume combining the flavors of rose AND fruity apple. The inexplicable part is the flavors combine into something light and refreshing. One warning- don’t let this tea get lukewarm! Boy when cold, yuck! The odd rose and apple combination just does not work…

Wonderful black tea and perfect in the afternoon. Not astringent. Not bitter. Unlike most breakfast blends, no milk is needed to round out any bitterness.

Typically, I prefer flavored black teas (especially dessert teas- chocolates, vanillas, melons, chocolate mint, etc.). Yet, this tea is very pleasant , malty, and intriguing without any flashy flavors. Will it become my favorite? Can I give up the glitz? Not sure as I am still working on developing a taste for non-flavored teas but this one is setting me in the right direction…..

This is quite a cerebral tea and certainly not a run of the mill vanilla . On the forefront is the sweet vanilla ; in the background, is a slight pepper/malty? flavor from the yunnan. As I drink this tea and contemplate the contrasting flavors, I keep thinking to myself, “hmmm…what is this?”

Yummy! Thanks to Spohkh for this sample….For some reason, I was expecting this tea to taste like amaretto and syrupy sweet. I was quite suprised by the cinnamon combined w/ a subtle almond flavor. This really did taste like a cookie. Next time, I will need to try this tea with milk….