Mike

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Oh man. Oh, oh man. Been looking forward to this tea after having read through everyone else’s tasting notes. Picked it up in Select last week. My first from Art of Tea.

Let me keep it simple: if you like pear, you’ll love this tea.

Now, I happen to be a big fan of pears so that works just fine for me. As far as the other elements, I’m thinking about the caramel in particular, I didn’t get much of that. Really, just pear. In fact, when I sought a particular flavor out that I thought might be coming through I was just hit with…more pear. Mind you, this is not a bad thing. In fact, this is easily one of the better rooiboses I’ve had in a while, if not my favorite. It’s a lot of fruit, without being too much fruit, if that makes sense.

If you’re looking for a nice fruit blend and have had enough of the citrus, apple et. al, definitely give this one a shot! Great after dinner tea.

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Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Not too spicy — kept the steep time shorter than I normally would per everyone else’s experience (thanks, everyone!). The result was rather smooth with a smell and taste that lives up to the name.

I’m not a Heath Bar guy but recall it as mostly toffee wrapped in chocolate. I didn’t get a sense of the chocolate in this — toffee came through though. Honestly, without the description/name I would have suspected the active flavor to be caramel, not chocolate or toffee. Perhaps it’s my palette…I did notice hints of the “protein bar” smell you’d find in your typical chocolate flavored tea, but it was subtle (much to my preference).

Anyway, I enjoyed the tea, my first from 52teas (received in the TTB: http://steepster.com/discuss/212-travelling-teabox-on-the-way ). It was very smooth, not too sweet (something I was worried about). Overall, a very nice flavored black. Excited to try more from these guys!

Received as a sample with my last order. The (over) use of lemon grass produces a smell reminiscent of lemon scented cleaner. It lacks a fresh flavor, tastes artificial. Wasn’t able to even finish the pot. Sadly, it’s going to take some hard work to remove the smell from my pot :( …won’t miss it when it’s gone…

Giving this another shot (although, I haven’t logged it before for some reason…bad Steepsterite!). It’s simply not tart, it’s just bitter. And for a flavored black, especially one named for a fruit, one has greater aspirations. I’ll drink this pot and update if the liquid nearer to the leaves brings some tartness (didn’t mix well post-infuse…which reminds me… new teapot! 34 ounce version of this: http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-17-Ounce-Glass-Stainless-Steel-Filter/dp/B000MWG4CY …love the spout).

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First, the smell reminds me of the pseudo-chocolate flavoring that you’d find in a PowerBar. Not a good thing…in my opinion. The story gets better with taste. The chocolate is far more subtle than the aroma lets on. There are problems with that though, since even though the taste isn’t as offensive as the smell, there’s nothing about it that really stands out. I know none of that gives a very strong impression of what this tea actually tastes like…and I think that’s because I just don’t have an impression. On top of that, I can’t really say I’m looking forward to another brew :(

My Chocolate Souffle Steepster Select came yesterday with this in tow. Reminded me of an apple chai. Not enough apple came through as I had anticipated from the aroma. Given the name, I thought it may have a natural sweetness from the caramel/almonds, but that wasn’t true either. Going to have to give this another shot but my first impression is of slight disappointment. Not a bad option (especially as it’s caffeine-free) for an evening tea, but not great either.

I’ve been down on most green teas lately, but this one remains an exception. A nice golden color with a subtle, earthy finish.

After a late night of releasing some updates to Steepster (whoo!), needed something strong. This is almost doing it. Tried a longer steep this time (not recommended)…need the caffeine anyway :)

Just…can’t get enough. It’s at the point now where I can anticipate the taste from just imagining the smell, which… is just so smooth. Perfect for the changing seasons (btw…when IS it going to get cold?).

This tea just keeps inching itself toward the happy, green faced man licking his lips. I think I settled on 5 1/2 minutes as my ideal steep time with a temp right around 185 degrees.

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Brews a nice redish-pink. Not too sweet, flowery with a fairly strong strawberry finish.

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I think this is my first Oolong :)

Great golden color. Smell is a little too earthy for my tastes. But, the taste! Nice, very flowery. Reminds me of a green tea, but not as strong. Just kept sipping, before I knew it had gone through two large cups. Off to a good start for me, as far as Oolongs go. This was actually the “cheapest of the nice Oolongs” that McNulty’s had, as the gentleman there described to me. Curious to try some others…for now, back to sipping!

Steeped longer and a bit hotter, also had a second steeping this time. Really growing on me.

Great aroma. But- not picking up much of the taste promised by that aroma… Chalking it up to understeeped…have to give this another shot.

Smells very strong and similar to the Snapple drink of the same name, tastes much less artificial and sweet (a good thing, in my opinion). Very naturally fruity tisane to have in the collection when I want to brew something sweet.

Prepared with milk and sugar, for a change. Great, deep brown color. Enjoyed the full taste, caramel isn’t overwhelming or too sweet. A fun, flavored tea that doesn’t lose the black tea taste… just what a like!