Lori

This vendor offers a great deal on samples. For $3 bucks including shipping- you get a sample of tea. So I was pretty suprised when I opened my package and received a small orange filled with pu-erh tea – all for $3. Warning – the orange was a bit moldy-well the orange and the tea have been sitting in a cave since at least 2005…

Onto the tasting- this was my first pu-erh. I rinsed the leaves first and steeped for 30 seconds as recommended by the vendor. Suprisingly, this tea is mild w/only a subtle (and I mean subtle) orange flavor. The earthiness is very slight and no bitterness. Also, suprising, is that no sweetener is needed for this tea (and I love my sugar in tea). The orange flavor was more sweet and did not have the usual tang associated with citrus…

According to the vendor, this tea is good for multiple steepings. Next time, I am going to try a longer steeping time to get the more traditional earthy flavor expected from a typical pu-erh. Unsure if I am going to purchase a larger amount but I am definitely pleased and am looking forward to trying more pu-erhs…

This is a wonderful and light summer treat. First, when this tea is warm, it tastes exactly like melted lemon drops….Cooled, light and lemony. The lemon flavor is not from some icky artificial flavoring but from lemon grass and citrus (maybe lemon?) peels….

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After reading Soccermom’s review of this tea, I thought I would revisit my Yunnan Gold sample. Yep, I agree w/Soccermom- this tea is OK. On the plus side, this tea is smooth, not astringent, mellow. However, I do not detect any peppery notes or maltiness. In fact, hmmm, I do not detect any flavor at all…oh well…

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Similar to figs, this is flavored with a lightly sweet, mild flavor. This tea is very pleasant. Not much more to say though….

Doulton mentioned this was similar to fig newtons…but my own experience w/fig newtons are those Italian fig cookies flavored w/anise. And of course, this tea is not similar to those cookies at all…

This drink is my favorite before bedtime drink. Mildly spicy but tempered by the chocolate. Perfect with milk. Decaffeinated but no rooibos. Richly flavored compared to other night-time decaf chocolate-y, spicy teas.

This sample came courtesy of SoccerMom…..Honestly, I was leery of this tea. Would the cherry flavor be overpowering, sickeningly sweet – reminiscent of cherry-flavored liquid Tylenol of my youth? …. After sipping, I was relieved. The cherry flavor was very subtle and did not mask the delicate green tea flavor.

Personally, this tea is too mild and subtle for me. But for others, this would be a calm and relaxing treat…Darn, if only I wanted to buy this one, I could get the precious tin!

Very smooth berry flavored tea. If you are looking for a solid berry flavor that is not tart then this is a wonderful blend…

When I first saw the blend’s ingredients, berry flavors and pepper, I was curious… And then when the blend arrived in the mail and I same some red peppercorns…. So I was expecting this tea to taste like a sweet and spicy combo. Somehow, I could not detect the pepper AT ALL. But, hey, I am from Louisiana!

As an added convenience, the TeaSource sells its blends in two convenient sizes: 2 and 4 ozs.

Thanks to Meghann for this sample!

This tea is spicy w/strong licorice flavor and sweet undertones. As I am a fan of licorice, (can’t resist Sambuca), this could turn into a favorite of mine. And who could resist the welcome caffeine boost from the guarana?

Ah- this tastes like cinnamon- no chocolate, no chili pepper detected. Hmmm..upon close inspection, this sampler does contain lots of cinnamon bark ….if you want a cinnamon flavored tea, this is it.

This was a blah tea for me. I brewed this up on Sunday and tried the multiiple infusions. Sure if I squint my eyes, I may be able to detect some of the flavor notes that the other reviewers noted…This oolong is very subtle. This would be a perfect drink for an afternoon of calm introspection reading at a desk…I just am not sure if this drink fits into my routine….

This tea has a juicy, and bold mango flavor that is natural and not artifical… This is no frilly French blend- this tastes like mango, mango, and nothing else. In fact, although I like mango, I was worried about the black tea mango combination – but this turns out to be a delightful summer treat.

Thanks to Soccer Mom for my Golden Monkey taste championship – Adagio vs Teas Etc. The verdict: Adagio… The Adagio’s version is much bolder, malty-er. In fact, I find that I may have a new mission: which vendor supplies the “best” golden monkey?

Sure the award-winning Teas, Etc had more golden leaves and brewed to a darker liquor but where was the taste?

Thanks to SoccerMom for this sample. This one is just OK to me. Comparing Adagio’s Golden Monkey w/this one, it seems that the Teas Etc. just does not have the bold flavor as Adagio’s version…..

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After sampling 52 teas Shamrock teas (which became my favorite mint tea ever), this tea’s mild mint flavor was a personal disapoinment.

But this is no reflection of 52teas quality, as how did they get a tea to mimic champage? Upon removing the filter after steeping, I think I actually saw champagne bubbles. This tea does magically capture the “dryness” of champane.. but for me, I am not a champagne fan. Shoot, the only champagne my sweet tooth likes is some bargain brand (Verdi?) sold at the corner CVS…

I did not detect any lime notes even after cooling…

Absolutely delightful. Although the vanilla is not noticeable, it takes away the bite from the peppermint. The spearmint further smooths out the minty flavor. In fact, with about 1 tsp of sugar, this tea tastes exactly like a spearmint sno-ball. This has become one of my favorite mint teas!

Thanks to Doulton for the sample….

Thanks to Doulton for this sample! I have read many positive reviews for this tea.
Perfect for the afternon, this is a light tasting rooibos pear flavored tea…The pear is natural tasting even though the blend had apples and no pear?

Art of Tea sells a Green Tea- Pear blend. Personally, this would have been my preference. I could get the delightful pear flavor, no rooibos, AND green tea….

Delightful balance of spicy chai and chocolate. The chocolate flavor tempers the chai spiciness making this a wonderful dessert tea. I am looking forward to trying more Kusmi teas….

I ordered this tea from the online Kusmi store. Delivery was prompt my tea arrived at my door in less than a week. They also added a couple of tea samples….

This is my first unflavored oolong w/multiple steeps. First and second steep, mild , pleasant and relaxing flavor. Not sure if I am crazy about this tea…But again this may be reflective of my personal tastes/oolong inexperience and not necessarily the quality of this oolong…

I would have to disagree w/Samovar’s claim that this is a replacement for coffee- it certainly does not have the rich and strong undertones present in coffee….

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