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This was gifted to me from Derk (who I believe got it from Martin), thank you both!

It has a pleasant aroma… citrus forward, leaning a bit more pithy-orange, with a fair bit of florality on the nose as well. Tried a sip and it tasted vaguely citrusy, so I decided to take Derk’s suggestion and add the second teabag to the cup to try to strengthen the flavor. That made a world of difference! It’s pleasantly tart with a nice citrusy flavor that falls somewhere between kumquat and orange for me. A subtle florality comes in towards the end of the sip, mostly of elderflower but I can get the lavender in the aftertaste. Very pleasant, and I’m happy to get the chance to try it!

This was a gift from derk, thank you so much!

Some rain has finally pushed in this morning, causing me to brew my first cup of hot tea in months. I enjoy plain mugicha, so I’ve been looking forward to this!

I’m surprised how strongly I can smell the cocoa on the nose. It’s sweet, like chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack. It really comes through in the taste, too! I was expecting that strong, roasty, coffee-esque flavor of the barley with maybe a chocolately background hint, but instead I’m getting gooey chocolate chips and sweet dough with crispy cooked edges. There is something a little peanutty about the flavor too, reminding me of soba tea.

It’s not what my brain was expecting, but it’s delicious! Tastes more like chocolate chip cookies than any tea I’ve ever had before specifically titled as such.

I’m not sure when or why my tastebuds changed, but I went from actively disliking jasmine tea to craving it. Maybe the strong aroma is no longer triggering my migraine brain like it once did…

This is cheap, off-the-shelf grocery store jasmine, which I wouldn’t exactly recommend (I’ve always found bagged green tea a bit iffy) but it works for my purposes, which is easy coldbrewing. Plunk four teabags into a liter of cold water, stick in the fridge overnight, remove the next morning, and add two tablespoons of peach syrup. It’s soooooo good! There is something about the floral/fruity taste of jasmine (I always get a sort of “grape candy” flavor from jasmine) mixed with the sweet peach that just works for me. I’ve been downing liters of the stuff during this unending heatwave.

This was a gift from Derk, thank you so much!

I had no idea quite how to brew this beautiful tea, which looks like long twigs and pine sprigs. Camellia Sinensis’ website recommended 3g to 500ml at 194F, and I mostly followed that, except I had a little over 4 grams and just dumped it all in my 500ml teapot so I wouldn’t have a weird amount left over. Steeped for five minutes.

The dry leaf has a really fresh, pine aroma. Steeped, I have a harder time describing the aroma… still a bit of pine, a citrusy zing, and a soft florality I can only describe as the smell of cotton sheets straight out of the dryer. The taste has a wonderful pine overtone that lingers on the tongue, with a lemon citrus note and something a bit woody or earthy underneath… like a cross between oats and bark.

Definitely relaxing… I normally sleep through my weekends so I’m not going to say this tea caused drowsiness, but my nap definitely felt very restful!

I put the spent leaves in some cold water and added the remains of my now-cold-after-napping teacup and will see how that turns out for iced tea. Not sure how well the spent leaves will fare cold-infusing, but no harm in trying. I figure even slightly piney-tasting ice cold water would be okay in this heat we are having here.

I have a lot of GI issues related to my chronic migraine condition, so having a ginger tea around is a must. Grabbed this blend from my local grocery and actually preferred it to the brand I’d been buying, Twinings of London’s Lemon Ginger. The lemon flavor doesn’t taste as artificial/cleaner-esque in this tea compared to the Twinings, and while I know most people abhor licorice root, I’m not one of them, and I like the inclusion here because it takes a little bit of edge off ginger spiciness while still allowing a nice amount of healing ginger. Sadly it has been perpetually sold out on every subsequent trip I’ve made to the store, so I had to restock the Twinings that I don’t like as much. This was definitely my first choice, though.

Another sample gifted from Derk, thank you!

It’s sweaty yucky summer here now so I prepared this coldbrew. I really enjoy coldbrewed green tea (more than hot, actually) and this one is great! It actually gives me some white tea vibes from the flavor profile. There is a sort of fruitiness to it, that tastes a bit like a cross between pear and muscat grapes, with a bit of floral honey. Beneath that is an autumn leaf grassiness. Very tasting and refreshing! I love it!

Thanks so much, Derk!

I start every day with a smoothie that includes a teaspoon of matcha. I’ve tried experimenting with using flavored matcha before, but because they are always chalk full of sweetener, they made my smoothies waaaaaaaay too unbearably sweet. 3 Leaf Tea has the only unsweetened flavored matcha I could find, so I grabbed a couple of their flavors not long ago and added this as a sample to reach free shipping.

One of my favorite smoothies is a combo of blended coconut milk, mango, vanilla Greek yogurt, and lime juice. I decided to add this matcha instead of plain matcha to go for a mojito vibe, and it worked well! The flavor of the matcha holds out nice and strong against all the smoothie ingredients and adds a very refreshing minty note to the drink. I was expecting a strong peppermint flavor, but I’m actually getting more of a spearmint note. It’s really complimentary with the tangy lime. I can’t comment on the actual matcha itself, as I don’t really taste the grassy matcha taste in smoothies and I pretty much never drink it as a plain drink.

There is only a little left in the sampler pouch now, but I’d definitely be willing to get this one again. I may use what is left paired with a strawberry smoothie to see how much versatility I can get with a strong flavor like mint.

This is one of the three flavors of Teeccino available in my local grocery store (as grounds). I’ve been putting two scoops of the grounds in a fillable teabag and cold-steeping overnight in a liter jar to make coldbrew.

This is really nice. Definitely has that same roasted coffee flavor of the other Teeccino flavors I’ve tried, but the nutty notes are amplified, and the hazelnut flavor is actually very spot on. I think my brain association with hazelnut and chocolate also brings out a really dark and bittersweet chocolate flavor. It’s a tasty coldbrew but is very thick and mouth-coating, which isn’t always the texture I want for a quick thirst quencher or a cold drink accompanying a meal, but I love the mileage I can get out of a single bag of grounds making coldbrew. I think I’ve been drinking this as my main cold tea for several months now.

I did attempt to try it warm one morning, but I nodded back off into sleep on the couch and when I awoke, it was already cold. Ah well! I’m sure it’s just as tasty warm.

I’ll probably get another bag at some point, but I plan to try the last available-to-me flavor first (Mocha, if memory serves). I did like this one more than the French Vanilla, mostly because it so perfectly nails the flavor on the tin (hazelnut) while the French Vanilla one tastes of coconut to me.

I received this sample as a gift from Derk, thank you!

I kept putting off having this due to my belief tea like this “has to be brewed gong fu,” and I just never have the time for gong fu, so I finally decided to be a heathen and brew it western. 3.25g to 350ml 205F water, steeped for 3 minutes.

The liquor is a lovely pale yellow with just a tinge of a green hue. The brewed tea smells beautiful, like a spring garden full of lilac bushes and fresh greens. There is also a hint of cream on the nose. The smell alone is reminding me how long it has been since I’ve dipped into a Taiwanese oolong, one of my favorite tea types.

The mouthfeel is very silky, with a strong floral note… orchids, lilacs, gardenias. Beneath that is a bright citrusy note mixed with fresh greens… sweet grass, wildflowers, garden peas. Ashmanra mentioned “baby powder” and I totally get that. Has a very relaxing energy, and the bright floral and vegetal flavor fits for a spring day (usually we are well into summer in this area by now, but our winter lasted into April, so now our Spring has been pushed all the way into June… Summer might finally start rearing its head by next week. I’m not looking forward to it!)

Thank you, Derk!

I received this sample as a gift from Derk, thank you!

It’s a rainy morning here so a darker oolong just sounded right. The aroma is an amalgamation of roasty, earthy, and nutty notes… like nuts harvested from wet, metallic ground. Also a hint of nutmeg aroma on the nose.

It tastes as it smells. Rain-soaked earth, walnuts, a hint of spice. The roast is pleasant, giving it a mild char aftertaste without tasting like chewing on charcoal ash. There are some undertones of very dark, bittersweet chocolate. I don’t get the fruity notes that so many others have noted — maybe a hint of apple sweetness beneath the roast, nuts, and earth? — but perhaps that is due to my heathen Western brewing preference over gong fu.

The warm roastiness and metallic earth really do make this a nice accompaniment for a drizzly morning. Thanks for sharing, Derk!