Jessie

So, yesterday was a trip to Stratford that involved great theatre but also a lot of money in gas, a pair of shoes I don’t really need, and taking advantage of the rare opportunity to buy this tea even though I really, really don’t need to be paying $18.50 for 100g of tea. But, I have to think it was worth it. The pretty black tin helped me wake up this morning, looking forward to making it to take to work. Unfortunately the lid for the steeping basket of my Breville has gone missing (seriously, how far could it have got?) so I didn’t have it pre-set to be ready for me, and I ended up running late (as per usual) so this suffered a bit from a too-short steeping time. Still a deliciously delicate balance of fruit and floral.

With the return of Pumpkin Chai, I broke back into my tin from last year. I do love this tea. Pumpkin spice is one of my favourite flavours and favourite scents, and it works really well here. But, my complaint is always that this comes out thin. I feel like it needs more oomph. The scent is to-die-for and the taste is delicious but why do I always get this impression? I’ll have to try some from the new season/batch because I’m intrigued by DaisyChubb’s calling this thick! I’ll definitely have to stove-top it soon.

This is interesting largely because it presents chamomile in a new way to me. I do get a lot of chamomile in this, and the floral is kind of distracting when I’m looking for a bakey creamy sort of flavour. It’s indeed creamy, and it’s sweet, but I’m not getting buttercream. And, disappointingly, it was kind of bland! What’s with that, fall collection? I’ve got to give this and Copabanana another try with hopefully more memorable results.

This wasn’t bad. Actually, it was pretty good but unremarkable. I gave it a good hearty steeping but it still came out kind of weak and non-descript. Definitely banana-heavy, sweet, and tropical-tasting. I’ll have to try it cold like DaisyChubb as that sounds good.

I had really high hopes for this one, after being dragged in by the mention of lilacs (my favourite flower). I enjoyed it but it fell short and I’m not going to rate it till I have another go at it, probably with longer steeping times. It was light and crisp and floral (though I got more lily or orchid or something than lilac) but for some reason I expected more. The tiny, tightly-rolled balls were a pleasure to watch, though. And it did hold up well to several infusions; it wasn’t very flavourful but the flavour was consistent.

Opening my recently-arrived pouch, this tea just screamed CHOCOLATE at me. Rather amazing! The chocolate is a lot less apparent in the liquor’s aroma, which smells more green, but does show up flavour-wise. It takes a back seat to the nutty sweetness, though. Smooth and medium-bodied and delicious!

No notes yet.

I needed something comforting this morning after waking up with the news of Jack Layton’s death, and nice strong Assam with a hefty dose of cream was it. After watching some great but sad tributes to him, this and reading his last letter (http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/08/22/pol-layton-last-letter.html) helped perk me up as much as possible. So very heartbreaking, though. It’s rare for there to be a political leader, especially a Canadian leader, that the people can so unanimously look up to. At least I think we can be confident that he’s left quite the legacy of hope and change.

Wow, I’m really pleased with this and sad it stayed at the back of my cupboard for so long after I received it. I got six really solid infusions from it last night and it was only starting to go downhill. Lightly buttery, a bit darker-tasting than I expected but sweet and smooth.

Oh yes. So good, any time of day. Such an odd combination of juicy berries, creaminess, and sweet caramel. But, that makes it stick in my head and means when I look at my stack of sample Kusmi tins this is the only one I want!

I’ve been finding this one really, really light. It’s still sweet and fresh and green, but I’m not getting much else in the flavour department. I’ll have to experiment with some longer steepings for this one as I need to free up space for more oolongs!

This. This is the best tea I have ever tasted. It always takes me back to being fascinated that the leaves of a bush can do such wonderful and varied things to the tastebuds (this isn’t even scented!).

This is just divine and I would live off it if I could.

I am drinking this in celebration.

First, it’s a celebration of getting through the final for a pretty intense summer class (and thus having a month of actual summer ahead of me between summer class and regular class). I ordered myself a little sampler set from Camellia Sinensis and made myself wait till after the exam (which ended at 10 pm!) to break into it.

Second, it’s a celebration of a discovery I think some here might be interested in unless it’s already widely known: cream of tartar is nothing short of a miracle for teaware. It has removed some truly disgusting, seemingly permanent stains from my Breville with little effort. I’ve had baking soda help somewhat, but nothing like this! My Breville hasn’t looked so good since I first bought it. It’s shiny and beautiful again.

Anyway, that’s worth celebrating not just because stains quite bother me, but because it had really been affecting my tea drinking. I use the Breville to heat water even if I’m brewing in something else, and I found that teas were really starting to pick up an off flavour from the tea buildup. I’ve been avoiding more delicate teas without really noticing it. I tried a Huang Shan Mao Feng from this same set and it was totally ruined by the Breville water. So, drinking a white tea is liberating and exciting!

As for the tea: I’m not too often in the mood for whites but this is hitting the spot now, even as my first tea of the day. It’s vegetal and green, and sweet. It has a nice and surprising fullness, too, which I’m really liking. I’ve had three infusions in the pretty little gaiwan I also let myself buy, and it’s going strong. Sweet and fluffy.

No notes yet.

I had several delicious infusions of this last night while avoiding studying. Now I’m logging it to put off studying a little more. I used shorter steeps this time, and a really surprising and delightful degree of sweetness came out.

This is so reliable. So soothing on stressful mornings. Yum!

I don’t think I can rate this one, being pretty firmly anti-cherry flavouring. I cold-brewed it, and not for very long. On one hand, I was surprised that I found it quite drinkable (I don’t like cherry flavours) and refreshing. On the other, it tasted pretty artificial and I don’t think I’d make it again. I can’t imagine it hot because this was already pretty strong.

This was quite nice for a citrus-mint tea. Nicely flavourful, juicy and citrusy. It’s not really my thing, but it was a nice balance between relaxing and energizing at work today.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

Unfortunately, and hopefully due to my sniffle/sore throat, I’m not getting any flavour beyond hot water from a rather hearty steeping of this one.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

I’ve been a bit scared to break into my Tea Forte sampler (thanks Tea Forte!) for all the reviews I’ve been seeing. This one in particular scared me because I’m not into ginger. But, I’m thinking my stand on ginger may be softening or I like it with the right flavours, because this isn’t bad. It was my first sample since I’ve been coming down with a summer cold (I managed not to get sick all winter but now, in August?)

I don’t think I’d purchase this, though maybe just to have on hand for when I want a ginger tea (i.e. when sick; ginger seems to work incredibly well for me). Anyway, this is definitely bitingly gingery. My tongue is tingling. And I can see what others mean when they liken it to cleaner or medicine. And yet I think if I happened to be in the mood for ginger (rare), this is a pretty decent option. I am really liking the tart-and-sweet fruity hint in the aftertaste. So, definitely not a favourite but I think it does what it does pretty well.