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On an appreciation for ginger scale, I fall somewhere between ‘tolerates’ and ‘enjoys from time to time’. So I was understandably a little leery of something named Super Ginger. Shmiracles sent me this months ago and the tea and I have been staring each other down for the whole time.

But I brewed it up today and realized that it wasn’t the stink eye I was getting. Silly moraiwe, this tea just wanted to love all over your tastebuds.

It’s definitely a strong ginger flavor, but it’s not as biting as raw ginger. It reminds me of pickled ginger or candied ginger, both of which I quite like. There’s a tingly, kicking pepper feeling in the back of my throat that elevates this one just a bit more.

So, thank you Shmiracles for expanding my tea horizons. This tea and I are gonna be super tight, I think.

Operation Cococaramel

I ran another Cococaramel Sea Salt experiment today.

1 tsp Cococaramel Sea Salt (Teavana)
2 tsp Ceylon Star (DAVIDsTEA)
6 oz milk
6 oz water

Then cold steeped for 6 hours.

And while this might not be the best thing I’ve ever had, it’s the best tasting Cococaramel Sea Salt has ever tasted to me.

Overall, this cup is anise-y and just a little naturally sweet, but in a way that actually works. There’s a little bit of chocolate flavor that leads into the caramel at the tail of the sip. The milk seems to have the body that the Cococaramel needs (otherwise it’s just too, too much).

I think I can definitely finish off what’s left of my bag like this.

Rating: 79/100

I went at this with a much lower steep temperature, hoping to leave out some of the smoky/roastiness that I don’t particularly care for from the gunpowder.

short story, it was a success, though it nixed some of the citrus flavor from the Citron Green as well. The berry flavors dominated the cup, and there was still kind of the brothy fuller mouthfeel I associate with gunpowder, but no smoke flavor. While I still don’t think I’d purchase myself this blend, I’d drink it again at these parameters.

What a pretty tea! The dark leaf is accented with colorful blue mallow, cornflower and safflower. Pieces of orange rind, yellow-green lemongrass and small shreds of eucalyptus appear throughout. It looks like confetti exploded in the leaf.

This brews up into a vibrant cup of celebration! Aside from the tea itself, lemongrass and orange are the dominating flavors. The eucalyptus and safflower pair to create an herby flavor with a tingly finish. The base is a little brothier than a lot of base for flavored teas, with a little bit of earthyness. It seems to keep the whole cup cohesive, and with so many flavors going on it’s impressive it does the job so well.

As a fun blend with different sights and flavors, this totally lives up to it’s Carnival moniker.

I think I’m in the minority in really kind of liking the black base that Kusmi uses. It’s more brisk and potent than a lot of others, without becoming offensive or overwhelming.

The vanilla adds a subtlety creamy mouthfeel and isn’t too terribly strong. It sort of slips in towards the end of the sip and then lingers a little white before slipping off again.

It’s not becoming my favorite vanilla tea any time soon, but I’m enjoying the cup well enough and wouldn’t turn down another if I were offered.

Thank you Nicole!

This is Fiance’s favorite tea EVER. We buy it by the pound for him at work.

But. Man. I’m just not a mate person. I like Teavana’s usually mate because, let’s face it, there’s honestly not much mate there. This pretty much seals the deal on mate for me, though. Like most mate I’ve had, it’s bitter, it’s grassy, and now that I found guayusa, I don’t have to force myself to drink this.

Lot’s of mate flavor here with a touch of orange and lemon. It’s not lemon cleaner flavored, or fruit loopy either. It’s more like natural oils and flavors from those fruits. Honestly, if I cared for mate more, I might enjoy it.

Anyone else think roasted mate smells like stale cigarettes? No, just me? Okay.

The tulsi and peppermint pretty much make this blend for me. They add a sensational cooling element in my mouth, and just taste fresh and scream ‘WAKE UP’. They are also the primary flavors (yay!) The mate adds a roasty element, kind of earthy and a little ashy, and then hangs around for the aftertaste.

For a roasted mate blend, this is pretty awesome. For a cup of tea for me I could probably pass. Luckily, Fiance is a bit of mate fiend

Thanks for the chance to try, though KallieBoo!

There’s no orange or clove flavors present — this is all cinnamon spiced. I saw a lot of reviews saying Red Hots and Big Red, and they are very, very apt. It really is melted Red Hot candy in a cup! Sweetness and all.

For not being sweetened, this is intensely sweet and only gets moreso as the cup cools. There’s also no real tea taste. It’s not a bad thing, but if you prefer your teas a bit more orthodox, this probably isn’t the cup for you.

Thanks KallieBoo!!

Things that wound up in my 12 oz cup this morning:

3/4 tsp Darjeeling Sungma Summer (Adagio)
3/4 tsp Ceylon Sonata (Adagio)
1/2 tsp Tulsi Signature (LaJava)
1/2 tsp fennel & anise seed

I didn’t have enough Summer Sungma for an 8 oz cup, so I needed to get creative. I brewed at 200 and steeped for 3 minutes, and maybe wish just a little that I had gone a little shorter. Something in here got mildly astringent. Maybe even just a smidge bitter, but I mostly notice the drying feel on my tongue.

The anise adds a sweet licorice-like flavor that pairs all right with the base combination and fennel. The fennel itself is sweet and a little savory. The tulsi adds a little bit of cooling mouthfeel, but also contributes to the savory feeling of the cup. It becomes more prominent as the cup cools. Sugar and milk/creamer probably would have benefited this cup too, but it was fine without any add-ins as well.

Rating: 78/100

Also, I’m on dogsitting duty so here’s Tango:
http://imgur.com/338ECNg

Oh hey! It’s Forever Nuts from DT with less beetroot (so it doesn’t brew up pink). I definitely thought Forever Nuts tasted like an apple crumble with almond topping, so this is pretty much the most appropriate name in the history of ever.

It’s naturally sweet and buttery, with strong almond flavors. A little bit of tart apple comes in on the middle of the sip, and there’s a lingering apple/almond/cinnamon flavor. It even has the same downfall of Forever Nuts and needs more leaf, otherwise it’s just a touch underwhelming.

I think I’ll have to blind sample these because I couldn’t honestly say which I like more. (Though this one is priced better at $9.95/4 oz (114g).