615 Tasting Notes

67

Sipdown!

I definitely like this one better hot than cold. The first flavor to come through is the green tea this time! The marshmallow flavor also comes through better, and the cup is creamier and has a smoother mouthfeel overall. The aftertaste is still clean and slightly sweet.

I still see Scooby Doo zombies, and swamp mist when I drink this as opposed to graveyards, though.

Thanks again Shelley_Lorraine.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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81
drank Prince Vladimir by Kusmi Tea
615 tasting notes

I received a sample of this in bagged form from Nicole and loose from momo, so thank you both. This review is for the loose version, though.

My first impression is that this smells like fall. Orange and cloves, with a hint of vanilla.

The citrus taste is very subtle, and it actually reminds me a lot of Bergamot, which I wasn’t expecting. The vanilla here, is slightly creamy feelings and rounds out the whole cup. The finish is spicy, very much cloves and cinnamon.

It’s not a terribly strong tea overall, but I think it’d be amazing with milk and sugar on a rainy afternoon.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 45 sec

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61

Oh hey look, another sipdown!

Still too much hibiscus for me, and I’m wishing I would have fridged this cup and tried it chilled. This would probably be amazing with pineapple juice in it, actually. Or better yet. Pineapple and seltzer.

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec

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68

I hit my the target word count for today, but that means I’m still behind overall because I had a late, slow start yesterday. I did find some kind of awesomely helpful websites, though!

writeordie.com
750words.com

And my favorite:

writtenkitten.net

Sipdown!

Still baked apple kinds of yummy, still not liking the Bergamot in the blend. Definitely better without any additives.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 45 sec
Rosehips

Another Wrimo! Best of luck to you. The last 600 words today are kicking me around like a football.

CHAroma

I keep reading about this and then never doing it. Maybe this is my year!

CHAroma

I love writtenkitten.net by the way. I just pumped out 912 words non-stop! :D

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82
drank Candy Corn Black Tea by 52teas
615 tasting notes

I’m not necessarily keen on candy corn, but Fiance is. I had to hide this package from him so he wouldn’t eat the pieces out of it!

1.5 tsp/8 oz water, 2 oz milk, frothed, 1 tsp sugar.

Another one perfect for milk and sugar. The candy corn melts right into the cup, making a really honey-vanilla-sweet cup. But being that candy corn, is, well, super sweet I think it takes a little extra sugar to make it candy corn instead of a wild honey flavored cup. I wish I had dug into it before Halloween, but now that I have, I don’t think it’s going to last too long.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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78
drank Turtle Cheesecake by 52teas
615 tasting notes

Honestly, my reviews this month are going to be probably a little shorter than usual. I’m going to be drinking a lot of tea, but NaNoWriMo has writing priority. I’d like to finally break my chain of failure in that regard.

That said.

1.5 tsp/8 oz water, 2 oz milk, frothed, 1 tsp sugar.

The caramel was the dominating flavors, and the cocoa the next prominent. There was a dry nuttiness offered by the pecans throughout, as well. The base was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of other flavors present, but that may have been the result of the milk turning it down more than anything else. I don’t think I would be huge on the black base chosen here without the additives. Otherwise, it was a really tasty dessert latte, but I wish the cheesecake element presented itself a bit stronger.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Terri HarpLady

Yay for NaNoWriMo!!!

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66
drank Tiger Eye by Adagio Teas
615 tasting notes

Apparently it’s an Adagio sipping day.

The dry leaf aroma here is very strongly caramel and chocolate. Yum!

Brewed up, it still has a strong cocoa smell, but it’s nearly as sweet or baked yummy as the dry smell.

It took me a little but to nail down what exactly this tasted like, but it’s a caramel mocha with an extra shot of espresso. It’s kind of roasty with just suggestions of caramel, dark chocolate, and a little vanilla.

Not my favorite, but a suitable replacement for a beverage I like that gives me tummy aches.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 45 sec

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50
drank White Peach by Adagio Teas
615 tasting notes

I had popped this into the fridge to steep before I had tried Teavivre’s Peach Jasmine Dragon Pearls yesterday. I’m afraid it really has ruined all other peach for me!

While this isn’t the worst peach flavor I’ve come across, it definitely has that artificial edge to it. It’s very much a sweet peachy flavor with enough natural sweetness to keep the necessity for additives far from mind. I do think the base they use is pretty nice. It’s a little earthy, a little straw-y and contrasts the peach well. Overall, it makes a just-a-bit above meh cup for me.

Thanks for the sample TastyBrew!

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more

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82

I can honestly see the name here. It’s kind of weird, but I’m definitely picturing jellyfish floating slowly on a current as I drink this. It’s a really mellow cup, with strong (but not overwhelming) vanilla and blueberry flavors. The pomegrantate is there, but it’s more of an accent to the blueberry than it’s own entity.

Thanks for this cup KallieBoo!

Bonus jellyfish pic from my last trip to the Shedd Aquarium:

http://bit.ly/1f8ok9s

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more
K S

I could sit and watch Jellies all day. So otherworldly and peaceful at the same time.

moraiwe

I know what you mean. I literally have, like, 45 jelly pics because they are just so…floaty and wonderful and I wanted to capture that somehow.

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95

Once again, thank you to Angel and Teavivre for the sample!

I thought I had peach-flavored myself out on teas lately, but I’m quite glad I hadn’t after this one.

Dry, this leaf smells like peach nectar (the stuff you can buy in a can, made from actual peaches). It’s very sweet and juicy smelling, and lacks any hint of artificial peach gummy.

The brewed aroma is faint, but what is there smells of fresh grass and peaches. The peach flavor builds on your tongue with each sip, making each peachier than the last. The jasmine is initially very subtle, sneaking in at the tail of the sip, but as the peach builds, so does the jasmine and it becomes the most lingering of the flavors. Strangely the amount of jasmine I taste doesn’t really change with how many times I steeped it. It was always subtle, and just there. The green tea isn’t the prominent flavor until several steepings in, and then it is a nice buttery, vegetal green.

Coming back to the peach flavor, though, I can honestly say this is the first peach tea that has genuinely tasted like peach. Even when the flavor is strongest (steeps 2-3) it never crosses into fake or candylike. I’m blown away at how perfect this flavor is.

I’m pretty sure I’ve given up on other peach teas now.

Stephanie

Oh yum! This one is on my must try list! :D

Terri HarpLady

I really enjoyed my samples of this one!
Very delicate, very refined, very lovely.

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Profile

Bio

Intro:

Name: Lauren
Location: Wisconsin (previously a Chicago girl)
Occupation: Student by day and super hero by night
Super Hero? Yep!
Which One? I can’t tell you that! Secret identities and such. Just know I’m not the hero they want, but the hero they need.
Sidekicks: Fiance and two budgies, Skitter and Gandalf

Hobbies:

Reading, writing, cooking, video games, computers, drawing, crafting, papercraft. Oh and tea.

A brief history:

I grew up in a family where the only working coffee maker was in my dad’s office. So the name of the game for my mother and I quickly became (bagged) tea. In 2004/2005, I discovered Adagio Teas. I don’t remember how it happened, or why I decided to pursue a purchase but here we are. I haven’t looked back.

My tea tastes have changed over time and I’ve moved from liking solely flavored teas (mostly black and white) to enjoying Darjeelings primarily, though malty unflavored blacks, fresh tasting greens, and lightly oxidized oolongs come in pretty high on my list, too. Of course, I still enjoy a good cup of flavored tea. I prefer caffeinated teas, as I have a horrible caffeine addiction that I don’t plan on kicking any time soon.

Red rooibos and lapsang souchong (or other strongly smoky teas) are my arch nemeses and I will see them defeated and removed by force from my cupboard. Like all thing, there are exceptions, but I assume they’re guilty until proven innocent.

I really don’t like negatively rating things, because I feel like if you don’t have something nice to say, you probably shouldn’t say it. But in the interest of non-biased tea reviews I’m going to give it a shot. I view every tea as a potential adventure so I’ll try most things at least once.

I love trading and swaps are always welcome! Please note, though, what it in my cupboard includes amounts ranging from a couple cups to 4 ounces or more, so please PM me to find out if what you’re seeking is available in that trade amount.

According to my spreadsheet, I also have about 100 other 1-4 cup samples that are not in my cupboard.. Feel free to message if you’re interested in see the spreadsheet for possible swap options as well.

Tea Ratings:

100-95 Nectar of the teagods that has been bestowed upon my unworthy tongue. I will never let this tin run empty.

86-94 These are the teas I would like to keep regularly stocked, but sometimes life gets in the way. Lovely teas, but not quite god tier. I still get cravings for these.

74-85 Good teas, but not amazing. I enjoy these, but may or may not restock once they run out. I would still recommend these to others.

60-73 Not bad. I’ll gladly keep drinking my cup, and wouldn’t say no if someone offered me this tea. I probably won’t rebuy these as there is likely something else that is comparable and better.

47-59 Certainly drinkable and might even have some characteristics that I enjoy, but I won’t pick it up again

30-46 I’ll probably finish my cup, but this tea isn’t to my taste OR it’s just overwhemingly mediocre. Life’s too short for bad tea.

11-29 This cup is in the sink now and I will never willingly consume this again. If you see a tea rated this way, I probably followed it with mouthwash.

0-10 Please say a prayer for the cup I destroyed in the process of disposing of this tea in the quickest manner possible. I may need tea therapy before I drink a similar tea again.

Location

Wisconsin, US

Website

http://atinyteapot.tumblr.com/

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