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I received this tea from a blog contest run by our very own LiberTEAS and TeaEqualsBliss. This is one tea that I was a bit apprehensive about since I’ve not always enjoyed floral teas in the past. However, I should not have been afraid of this one! This tea is absolutely great! Very feminine and nicely balanced. This is what every jasmine or rose tea aspires to be. The tea does not taste like perfume or soap, just nicely light and floral. I think the lemon myrtle really sets it over the top though! Great job, LiberTEAS!

Oh, and according to the nice personalized letter from LiberTEAS that I received with my package, the second infusion is better than the first….stay tuned!

Many thanks to threewhales for the chance to try this tea.

I am a bit apprehensive because I’ve had more poor experiences than good experiences with green oolongs. The smell of the dry leaf is slightly vegetal and sweet, but not off-putting. I’m following the suggested prep of boiling water for 1 minute.

The tea brews up a very light yellow hue with a definite “clean” vegetal smell. The taste is very light and smooth. I’m not picking up a lot of the vegetal tastes, which is a really good thing in my opinion. There is a slight buttery aspect that I am really enjoying. Only time (and cooling) will tell if I truly like this oolong. The rating may change.

Many thanks to threewhales for sharing this tea with me.

I didn’t expect much from this tea because banana splits aren’t exactly my favorite desserts. However, this tea really nails it. Initially I can taste the banana followed by sweet pineapple/strawberry combo flavor. The vanilla and chocolate round out the experience in the aftertaste. This is REALLY, REALLY good!

Usually, I can take or leave Ceylon as I tend to find it uninteresting and weaker than I prefer my black tea. However, this Ceylon is an exception. There is a definite cocoa note that truly reminds me of a less earthy Dawn. This may become one of my favorites.

I’ve been drinking a fair amount of tea lately, just not logging it…

Much like Florence, this tea has been growing on me. It is different than I expected, but in a good way. It isn’t something I want all the time, but there are moments when only Paris will do.

I’ve been drinking this tea and the Cinnamon Raisin Toast more than I would care to admit. I’ve been having lots more caffeine lately, but once again I’ve realized that when you first start a new job there is no such thing as enough caffeine.

The first time I heard about this blend, I really didn’t think it was for me. However, as the number of satisfied tea drinkers around here grew, I knew that I had to at least try it. Especially if it really nailed the taste of Cinnamon Raisin Toast with Butter.

The smell out of the pouch is overwhelmingly of cinnamon with a hint of a buttery scent. Hmm…toasty, cinnamon, raisin, and a hint of butter. The butter aspect is more in the texture than the flavor, but you can still taste it. Yep, this tea really nails that particular flavor. It is complex and beautifully balanced. I’m very pleasantly surprised by this one! This is very promising – I haven’t had anything from 52teas that I didn’t really like. I’m already contemplating my next order.

Yay!! My 52teas order came in today! Wow, this tea smells really good. Like I almost started to eat the dry tea good. But the most important factor is the taste…which is also really, really awesome. Mostly the tea is just very creamy, I did add a splash of milk but it is more than the typical milk creaminess. There is a healthy dose of strawberry that is very natural and not over the top. I particularly like that there is a bit of dryness at the end of the sip which saves this tea from being cloying. I haven’t had zabaglione before, but I really want to make some now just to eat while drinking this tea!

Oh, and this tea does remind me a bit of Marco Polo. Yea, it has been awhile since I’ve had Marco, but this resembles what I remember it tasting like.

Alright, so one half of my tea order arrived this morning! I’m hoping to see my 52teas stuff on Monday….
This tea smells so good, fruity, and rich. I really like that the black tea base isn’t lost through all the flavoring and that the flavors do not taste artificial. At first I followed the directions on the tin of steeping for 5 minutes. I didn’t feel that the flavors and base were balanced at this length of time so I tried again at 4 minutes. Much, much better!

I added a bit of milk and sugar and was greeted with the comforting taste of dark red berries and cream. After trying a bit of Marco Polo a while back, I can totally see the resemblance but Marco is more strawberry shortcake while Paris is red berries in a river of slightly sweetened cream.

The second infusion at 6 minutes is quite a bit lighter than the first, but the balance of flavors is still present enough to be worth a second infusion. I have been drinking this with milk and sugar today, but I believe it would be equally good plain as a morning tea as it is dressed up as a dessert tea.

My love of Florence grew daily when I had her in my cupboard…initially I am liking Paris more than Florence so Paris may gain a permanent cupboard spot. Only time will tell!

This was a request from my anti-chocolate husband, go figure. This tea just gets better the longer it is steeped, I may have to restock when I’m through with my sample.

Today I have a bad case of tea-order-impatience syndrome. I don’t really want any of the teas in my cupboard, because I just want to have the new teas I ordered. Maybe they’ll come tomorrow….

Until then I’m going drink a few random things, such as these PG Tips. These are fairly decent and malty with a nice caffeine kick.

I’m really liking this one tonight – minty, chocolate, and delicious!

This is a decent, basic black tea. I tend to like my blacks teas a little bolder, but this will do in a pinch.

On the plus side, I should be receiving some awesome teas in the mail soon! I placed a small order with Harney and Sons and 52teas this morning!

I’m taking a short tea break from my marathon house cleaning! This one sounded surprisingly good today and I’m actually enjoying it a bit more than usual. Not enough more to justify a ratings increase, however.

Alright, finally some good tea! We went to my in-laws for (supposedly) one night so I didn’t bring any of my tea stuff. They usually have pretty decent bagged teas for me to work with, so I didn’t want to risk breaking my teapot by transporting it for such a short trip. Well, we ended up staying an extra night and I was dying for some really good tea!

I’m having an interesting combination this morning. I’m finishing up the last of my Mayan Chocolate Chai (which looks extremely cayenne rich…) with a mix of Adagio’s Caramel and a bit of Yunnan Silver Tip Choice. Overall, this mixture tastes very good. The MCC delivers on the spice and chocolate added to a caramel kick and a malty chewiness. But, Wow, is this last bit of MCC spicy!

I don’t think I would repurchase this Mayan Chocolate Chai, but I would be interested in the Chai with Chocolate, since the cayenne is the only part of this tea that is a bit overwhelming for me.

This tea is filling a deep need for something sugary right about now!

Mmm…finishing up my Jasmine Pearls! I have to be in the mood for these, but when that mood strikes, this tea tastes awesome! I think I’ll need to search out the perfect Jasmine Pearls to add to my cupboard. Any suggestions?

Drinking this again! I really like this one. Malty, bold, and smooth – seriously good plain or with milk/sugar. After this I only have enough for another cup, but I may save that for a rainy day!

I decided to give this one another try today even though I’m pretty sure that it will still taste like whiskey without any benefits. As before, this tea smells pretty good with a slight alcoholic scent to the edges. Wow, this smells just like hot whiskey after brewing. I’m getting a bit apprehensive now, maybe I should have picked something else. I added a fair amount of milk and sugar to be on the safe side. Okay, it tastes like a whiskey flavored chocolate. I can handle this, but I am pretty sure once I run out of my sample I will not be buying this.

I’m using this extra spicy-end of the bag part of my Mayan Chocolate Chai to also finish up my sample of Kusmi Spicy Chocolate. The end result is fairly good and not overly spicy. I still have a bit more MCC though, so I’ll have to figure out a good tea to cut it with.

Well, this is just the day for finishing up samples!
I did it, Steepsterites! I controlled myself and waited until the cup cooled enough for the caramel goodness to emerge. I love it! Caramel in a cup, absolutely great.

Another finished sample!!
I’m a bit sad that I’m now out of this tea, this is the best pot of it by far!! Delicious! I let it cool a bit more before drinking it and that allowed the pineapple to become the shining star of the show. I wish I had done this all the other times I had this tea.

This tea got me by the name and it sounded so delicious. The scent was near perfection both before and after brewing. I was a bit scared by the bright pink hibiscus hue to my tea and the tea was very tart plain. After adding a bit of honey, the tartness was toned down just enough and the tea was very fruity and creamy. I really enjoyed this one and my husband was crazy about it.

My husband goes through iced tea like crazy and lately he has been enjoying cold brewed green teas. He asked for something different this morning, so on a whim I pulled out the genmaicha. I was a bit nervous about how it would turn out cold, but it is really awesome. Buttery, nutty, and smooth with a slight sweetness – I may use the remainder of my genmaicha for iced tea.