Michelle

This is very… average. I feel as though it tastes the same as the Jasmine Dragon Pearls from Teavana. If I compared the two side-by-side, I’d probably notice a difference, but there’s really nothing remarkable about this tea.
It’s fairly heavily scented with jasmine which gives it a drier sort of mouthfeel. The green tea is sweet underneath, and it blends well.
It’s just nothing new.

EDIT: I like it a lot better on a second steeping. Maybe it’s because the water’s cooler, or maybe because it’s not as strong… I really don’t know what the temp/time was, since I just let it sit while I picked up a few chores. But it tastes sweeter and clearer now. I’m enjoying this cup. I probably won’t buy it again, but at least I have a ballpark idea of how to brew better tea.

I bought a sampler pack of Primula’s blooming teas awhile back – they all taste the same, but they bloom in different configurations. And they’re not bad teas. Just loose-leaf, I wouldn’t buy them, but they’re nice to show off for guests, and I enjoy sitting in class with my double-walled glass travel mug blooming one of these. Okay, maybe I’m a tea snob… I prefer the term “enthusiast.”
It’s a very light jasmine taste, and it’s great that I’ve never had any trouble with oversteeping, since I leave the ball in the bottom of the cup while I drink and sometimes it steeps for upwards of 30 minutes. I probably will buy them again, just because they’re not especially expensive and they’re cool to show to company. The jasmine flavoring is wonderfully light too. So many companies scent it so strongly that you lose the flavor of the tea itself.

I’m a pu-erh novice – I’ve tried a little, but not very much. This is the first one I’ve ever liked, though. I wouldn’t have ordered if it didn’t come in a sampler pack I ordered, but I’m glad it did.

I do get a lot of the fishy smell that other people are getting, but I don’t get it in the taste, which I’m glad for. (Although maybe I am and just don’t know it – I’m a vegetarian who doesn’t eat fish!) And it’s not fishy like a fish market would be… more like taking a walk in the woods near an ocean? There’s definitely an earthiness that comes out, especially on subsequent steeps.
But the liquor, true to its name, is definitely a beautiful golden-red color. It tastes very earthy, especially as it steeps more and more times (I’m brewing this gong-fu before class in the morning – I knew I wouldn’t have time to finish a mug, but I could do a few smaller cups!)
It’s very earthy. I don’t know if I’ll order it again, but it’s not a sample I’m running to get rid of.

This is okay. I don’t love the orange flavor – I think it’s a bit overpowering. And the cloves are very strong here – a bit too much for me, as I much prefer floral teas to spicy ones.
That being said, I got a box of this from a friend and it’s definitely drinkable. It’s warm and aromatic, and I think it’ll be great iced with a little bit of honey or sugar – just needs a bit of experimentation to get it right. And I’m glad that, even though it’s a teabag, it’s a Bai MuDan base so I don’t have to worry too much about oversteeping, which always worries me with bags.

I got this in a care package today from a fantastic friend – she sent an adorable little teacup, and chocolate cookies, and tea! So happy.

This is… okay. It doesn’t have the delicacy that I like in whites, and I’m not huge on the whole lemongrass thing. But it’s soothing, and it isn’t bad – it’s not like it’s full of ginger or something. It’s good with a bit of honey, and it’ll probably be good on sore-throat days.

I got this in a lovely care package from a friend of mine today. And Lord knows I needed it. I haven’t actually had bagged tea in a long time, but I’m not about to not drink it just because it’s not loose. I’m not that much of a tea snob. I just wouldn’t buy it for myself (though I think I’ll keep the bags in my… bag… for work and stuff like that, when I can’t get up to my dorm).

It’s not a bad tea. It doesn’t quite have the depth of flavor that something like the Jasmine Dragon Pearls from Teavana has, but it’s decent. It’s definitely floral with hints of sweetness. I can’t say I’m going to give up my loose leaf for this, but I’ll certainly enjoy it while I can.

This is a great Irish Breakfast. I first started drinking tea when I was in Ireland, and it became a habit that carried over when I came back. I much prefer Irish Breakfast to English Breakfast now. It’s heartier, more flavorful, fuller.

This is one of the better ones I’ve tried. It’s dark and malty without being bitter, and sometimes I get little notes of cinnamon. I really like it hot and plain, but it’s fantastic when iced with a splash of milk. (Interesting, because when I was in Ireland, I NEVER added milk or sugar to my tea, or drank anything iced.)

I just got a small sample size from Adagio – I’m definitely ordering more now.

I ended up with this by accident. I placed an order with Amazon for Art of Tea’s Silver Needles and their Coconut Cream, and was sent this Mandarin Silk instead of the Silver Needles. Just a human error, I think – the packing label said Silver Needles. So I contacted Amazon and they said “We’re very sorry. We’ll refund your account; place another order for the Silver Needles and dispose of the Mandarin Silk in whatever way you feel fit.”
So I drank it.
And it’s good.

The leaves in the tin are very fragrant – sort of like oranges and cream. They’re rolled into very long, thin leaves. It brews a beautiful bronze color, and the light shining through it is lovely! It’s definitely a dessert tea, and it’s complimented well with a little bit of sugar – I use about a teaspoon of German rock sugar. Delicious.

Not my favorite oolong, but not bad. The leaves are dark and small and tightly rolled, and dry they have a scent almost of orange and dark chocolate. It brews almost black, losing a bit of the chocolate notes but keeping the orange – it smells a lot lighter once it’s brewed.
It’s a bit astringent, but not in a bad way, just a little more than I’m used to. I think I just have more of a preference for greener oolongs. And the taste is sort of dark and earthy and lingers on the tongue.

Gah, class registration. Making a huge cup of this so hopefully I’m caffeinated enough to press “Enroll” at the proper time?

This is a smooth tea. It’s creamy and rich, and, like any Earl Grey, it’s complimented well by milk and sugar. I don’t really like adding things much, so I’m glad that the flavor is smooth enough not to require much. Teavana’s Earl Grey, for example, has SO much bergamot that whenever I make it, I have to leave half the mug empty milk / sugar. This just needs a splash of milk and a few rocks of sugar. I’ll definitely keep it on my cupboard for those days when I need a morning tea.

It’s a really pretty golden color. The first steep is light and flowery and woodsy, and there’s a bit of astringency that really isn’t distasteful. I’ve had better Darjeelings, but this one is certainly decent.

On a second steep, I mixed about 1.5tsp of DAVIDs Dragonwell tea in there, and that made it much better. I’ve always been a fan of the Darjeeling / Dragonwell blend, although I’ve only ever had the Teavana version. I wasn’t thrilled with the DAVIDs Dragonwell, but when mixed with the Darjeeling it added a bit of sweetness and spice to the tip of the flavor which wasn’t there before.

I’m usually not a huge sencha or flavored tea fan, but sometimes I like the two of them mixed together. I can definitely smell the mango here, and the taste is a little sweet and a little grassy. It’s brought out with a little honey. I don’t love this tea, but I do enjoy it, and I may consider buying 50g of it in the future. It’s a beautiful pale green, and it smells warm and crisp and inviting.

I really wanted a bright citrusy tea to warm up today… it’s so dreary and rainy out. And I just remembered I still have a ton of David’s samples tucked away in a tin, so I pulled this one out to try.

This is tart and bright. It definitely smells citrusy dry, and it begins turning the water a light pinky-purple as soon as it starts to infuse. When it’s done, it’s a fantastically dark red. I can really taste the grapefruit and hibiscus in this.
While it is citrusy and fruity and summery, I’m not a huge fan of it. I think it’d be good iced as a summer treat with a little bit of sugar, but I’m not sure I like it enough to want to buy more than the sample I got for free. It’s okay, but it tastes a little artificial and isn’t really my style.

It’s a decent green tea. The liquor is a bright yellow green, and the leaves are uniformly shaped, flat and silky. However, the flavor is a little more vegetal than I’ve come to expect from a Dragonwell, and it seems a bit weak. On a couple of sips I’ve caught hints of sweetness, but nothing consistently. On the whole, I much prefer Teavana’s nuttier, toastier Dragonwell. This isn’t bad, just not something I’d order more of.

It’s a breakfast tea. It’s very pretty clear, light orangey-brown, and it smells like your typical “American black tea.” (I know David’s Tea is Canadian. I’m just saying.) Fairly light on the taste, with a tiny bit of astringency. I can definitely taste the Assam in this. It’s gets creamy and smooth with a splash of milk, but it doesn’t need sugar.

I love this. The pearls are uniformly, tightly rolled and they smell like dry jasmine. They brew a beautiful pale yellow-green, and the jasmine scent floats over the sweetness of the green tea. Delicious, and good for many steepings. As it steeps longer, there’s a caramelly sweetness which lingers on the tongue, and it’s the best part about it.

I want to preface this by saying that this is the first milk oolong I’ve ever tried.

The leaves, dry , are tightly pressed into uniform size but not shape, and there’s definitely a different scent to them – not anything I’d ever associate with tea. Creamy is one word I might associate with it, but I don’t think that’s right. It almost smells like rice pudding simmering on the stove.

The leaves in the tasting cup are about an inch or two long, with ragged edges and a dark green, spinach-y color. The rice scent intensifies, but there’s also a more vegetal, typical “oolong” scent as well.

The liquor is pale yellow, and the rice/pasta scent comes out more strongly here. I can’t say it’s appealing to me. It subsides on later steeps and I sort of start to see where the floral notes other people seem to taste come out, but it still doesn’t taste right to me.

Up for swap if anyone wants!

Dried, this tea looks as if it will taste delicious. it’s comprised of tightly, not-quite-uniformly rolled, emerald green leaves. There’s an earthy smell to them with hints of jasmine. When brewed, the whole leaves are about two inches long, thick and rubbery, olive green with ragged edges. The liquor is pale yellow, and the taste is definitely primarily “oolong.” The floral notes come out mostly in the scent and the first few infusions, and then there is a buttery, caramelized sugar undertone that comes out at the front of the taste which really gives it some depth. It’s delicate with a dry finish, and the jasmine scent lingers on the tongue. I brewed this gong fu style and got about 7 or 8 infusions out of it (I wasn’t counting).

It’s good for what it is. It’s bright and citrusy and sweet. It tastes like summer, and it’s delicious iced. My problem with it comes in in terms of cost – it’s really only good for one strong steep, and it’s a weak tea so I brew it strongly. That being said, I can purchase the ingredients straight for much less money and blend it myself. I’m glad I bought it though, as it is delicious, just not worth the price.

It tastes like chamomile. It’s certainly a lot fresher than the chamomile found in bag form. It’s a little apple-y with a bit of grassy floral notes toward the end. It’s good with honey, although I can’t see myself drinking this every day. I imagine that I’ll be using it mostly in blends or for sick days in the future – it’s calming, if a little overpoweringly strong. I used 1tsp/8oz for 6 min and I think I need to adjust the ratios a bit.

This was decent. The aroma of the coconut in the bag was really warm, although it subsided when I brewed it. I brewed this gong fu style, and I found the coconut flavor really coming out on subsequent brewings – there were notes of coconut and butter. It was toasty and mellow. I have a feeling it’s going to be a great base for blends – I’m going to try it in a mug, and then maybe try using it as a base.

This has a beautiful bright green color. The dry leaves are small and brittle, with an earthy, vegetal scent. When steeped, they open up into large, brownish green leaves. They don’t smell particularly strong, although they certainly smell dark. The tea when brewed is vegetal and slightly sweet with little notes of honey toward the finish. I brewed this gong fu style, and the flavor just kept getting more and more complex.

This is a beautifully sweet green tea. The leaves are flat and silky, and they smell warm and vegetal. On a first steep, the tea has a vegetal flavor with a lingering finish, and notes of nut and butter.

This leans a bit toward the fig/currant flavor profile instead of the grape, which makes me a bit sad. Still, it’s not a bad tea. It brews a very pale, golden yellow and smells a bit malty. The white tea comes in at the back of the flavor and the fruit dominates; it’s a tea to drink quickly. It’s not one that you sit with for a long time and savor every different flavor.