potatowedges

Found five bags of this stashed away in my collection—I had no idea. It was a whirlwind of Christmas 2010, of just-rightness, warmth, and love.

Isn’t it nice when things just work?

I was lucky enough to win 30g of this from the KaiMatcha contest—thanks so much! Couldn’t wait to try it.

Color-gorgeously green and fresh, vibrant and enticing.
Aroma-deep, rich, and soothing.

I mixed a little less than 1/2 tsp with hot (about 140 degree F) water, first whisking it with a small amount of the water with my bamboo whisk (which really does the job). Next time I will get the froth better, but this time it was pretty darn good. The color, when added to the water, is stunning and deep. It’s a forest I could get lost in.

And the taste…this is without a doubt the best pure matcha I’ve had. It’s thick, buttery, smooth, lush. No astringency or bitterness here—none. It’s fabulous…my only goals for next time are to achieve a really nice froth.

I can’t wait to have another cup—thank you again for your generosity!

First time getting matcha from the legendary Red Leaf! After much deliberation, I ended up picking the Pumpkin Pie because hey, it’s fall.

You can get it here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/pumpkin-pie-matcha.html

My first adventure into this matcha led to me using too much (1 tsp) by accident—although it was incredibly strong (especially in the spicy note), the powder blended more smoothly than any other I’ve tried. It was really easy to whisk and froth with my bamboo whisk. Also, the color is worth noting—this matcha is so luxuriously green!

My first try, like I said, was a learning experience, but the second time I made it, I used about 1/4 tsp, some hot water, and soymilk. Frothed the matcha and water together, added the soymilk, and BAM! This is fantastic. The pumpkin pie flavor is spot on. I would recommend Delicate for this flavor because of the strength of the spices.

The texture of this is worth noting—in other companies’ matchas I’ve noticed a lot of silty residue toward the end of the bowl. Not so for this one; it’s incredibly smooth and blends perfectly, even when I used 4x the amount I should have by accident. Also, the aroma of the pumpkin and spices is intoxicating!

It’s perfect! Can’t wait to have more matcha-y adventures with this one.

Options:
Size : Small
Matcha Quality: Starter (Basic Grade)
Flavor: Delicate

Try some; you’ll be glad you did.

Holy yum. I’d heard good things about this one, and even though I try to stay away from caffeine (I don’t want to become dependent on it like so many other people I know) I had to try it. Come on, just a little bit! Peer pressure! The first 50 grams are free…

(No, actually they weren’t. Just extending the metaphor.)

Anyway, 50g of this flew to me in a box with some other fall delights yesterday. I opened the bag with some fanfare and breathed in the luxuriant aroma of what to me smells like chocolate-covered raspberries (leaning heavily toward the raspberries). I couldn’t wait to try it, but it was night, you see, and I didn’t want to mess with that.

Morning came with its rosy fingers, and I was ready to try some—and as soon as the water hit the leaf, I was intoxicated. I felt like at that point, all the scent notes separated out, putting space between the chocolate, raspberry, phantom banana (I’m glad I’m not the only one), and the roasty mate. This was going to be good, I can feel it.

And oh, was it. Smooth, seamless intertwining of chocolate and raspberry, with phantom banana swirling in. This is truly one of the most fabulous teas I’ve ever tasted, and it’ll be hard to limit myself to 1 cup a day. (Speaking of which, I was intrigued to see how it would affect me. And I could notice a bit of a peppiness difference, but not anything astronomical. Good to know.)

Yum. Yum. Yum.

First time having this tea after a summer of being off teaching in Massachusetts. (Living out of a suitcase and being needed for 16 hours a day is not terribly conducive to gongfu times…) I’m back home at St. Olaf and everything is so right. Including this tea…the lightly caramelized, burnt raisin taste, the centering aroma, the rhythm of making cup after cup, celebrating the fact that my 5 oz glass teapot (thanks Garret!) is out of hibernation.

Some things will always be there.

Ah-yum. This brought joy to my life this summer working out in Massachusetts. Some proper tea in the morning was much appreciated…good basic EB with a toastiness that is really brought out by a splash of soymilk. (P.S. It’s good to be back to Steepster; it’s been far too long.)

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Love this. Love this. Love this. I got some in a trade with one of my lovely friends…I’ve been on a quest for a good chai for a while, and I was looking for something that, ideally, didn’t have caffeine. This has the most perfect blend of spices—the smoky peppercorns, the cardamom, the cinnamon that doesn’t taste like red hots (I’m lookin’ at you, Cinnamon Rooibos Chai), and the coconut, which takes it over the top and makes it reminiscent of Adagio’s Thai chai (but a caffeine-free version). I can even get two steeps out of this one—the second one I usually drink straight up (the first one is generally with soymilk).

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Also, nothing clears up a cold like this one. I’m almost out…

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I don’t even understand. This is so ridiculously good, good enough to wash away fear, frustration, shame, and rumination. It’s even good for a SOLID resteeping. Thanks, Frank, for making an anxiety-easing potion to rule them all.

Got this from a friend of mine who received samples of it and Exotica and didn’t like the smell. I liked the smell of both of them! Plus I just like tea swaps. But I digress.

This is nice, no more, no less. It’s got a light body and a pleasant nuttiness once you get down in the cup a little bit. I’m still not good at tasting white tea, so I don’t know if it’s evident or hidden in this blend. I enjoyed eating the little swelled-up goji berries (I usually keep a stock of dried ones around and like them anyway) from the spent leaves. I liked it enough, but I wouldn’t fork over money for it.

I used a serrated knife to cut this cube in half, which worked well. This tea is sweet in an earthy, straw-like way, and a perfect all-day sipping tea. It’s also impossible to over-steep—I left some going for maybe 15 minutes and it was still delicious and not at all bitter. I’m really excited to have this more—it’s really everything I could want…

Read all of these glowing reviews and started salivating. I couldn’t wait to order some and try it for myself—I seem to often be deficient of options for caffeine-free evening teas. When I opened this…mmm. Cinnamony. As it steeped, it started to remind me in an odd way of a scented candle that smells like some sort of heavily-spiced pie or cookie…I don’t like scented candles, especially ones that try to smell like food, so I was a little wary as I brewed some of this up. However…upon sipping that faded away. I don’t think I would’ve said this tasted like a cinnamon roll after that first cup, but I loved it! Perfect amount of spice and sweetness. As an experiment, the next time I added a splash of soymilk. That took it over the top—now it tasted exactly like a delightfully doughy, soft, fabulous cinnamon roll. That’s how I’ve been making it lately, and it’s the perfect nighttime treat! I LOVE this tea. Love love love. It’s a good thing I got 4 oz, because I’ve gone through almost an ounce in the past week alone. It’s also good Frank’s got this in the permanent collection…

So in conclusion, you all need to get some of this.

I was looking around my cupboard for greens and, despite not really being in the mood for a toasty tea (like this or Genmaicha), this was one of the only ones I had left. I decided I should give it a try. I was very pleasantly surprised! Toasty, cozy, nutty, green, tasty. I could compare the grassiness of this to, possibly…Gunpowder. Very pleasant and nice. I don’t know how often I’d be in the mood for it, because I rarely feel in the mood for things like this. But it’s really good.

This is a green that has been a very, very acquired taste. I remember my first time drinking it, when I made some up to sip while I plunked myself down in a hallway in the science building to do a perspective drawing. I took my first sip and…ugh…the astringency and grassiness really put me off. However, I wasn’t a particular fan of green tea to begin with at that point. I really needed to get into unflavored greens themselves, which I have (most enthusiastically) for several months now. Even after that, I avoided this tea for some reason, thinking I still wouldn’t like it.

Not so. I had some this morning, just after having a little piece of dark chocolate, and its grassy, earthy, somewhat astringent flavor was perfect and soothing. There is a definite depth to this tea—I feel like I’m tasting soil as well as foliage. I’m eagerly anticipating the second steep, and I’m also trying to figure out when I can make a big order of green again…I know I need to cool it for a while so my pantry doesn’t overflow.

This is fantastic. So much love.

Tried it again, this time with a freshly cleaned teakettle, basket, and mug. Still smoooooth and creamy. Definitely nutty. It almost tastes like there’s some milk in there…and it has a little note of what might be cinnamon. It’s as rich-tasting as green tea ice cream. How does this work? Regardless, I love it.

I read the description and had to add it to my cart. Almond brittle? Yes. Vanilla? Yes. Flowers of some sort? Yes. Licorice? Yes. Lemongrass? Sure! It had so many interesting flavors that I knew it would be, if not delicious, at least memorable.

When I opened this up it smelled like…I couldn’t figure it out for a while, but…like the Tofu Lime Tarts that the deli at my hometown co-op makes sometimes. Vegan pastry crust + tofu lime creamy cheesecake-ness= best ever. I think it must be the lemongrass in this that reminds me of this fantastic dessert. There’s no licorice in tofu lime tarts! Anyway, I couldn’t wait to try this.

Morning came, and I brewed some up. As soon as the water hit the leaves, the aroma changed to a more pungently lemon one, and I got a little concerned, because sometimes my relationship with citrus is less than amicable. But I was still excited to sip it—and I did, far too early, nearly scalding my lips. But it was worth it. This is…fantastic. And unusual. The zing of the licorice plays across your palate, followed by lemongrass that tastes, somehow, creamy…maybe it’s the almond brittle and vanilla. On the back of the sip you can taste the nice Yunnan black tea that’s under it all. There are so many delightful flavors in this that it never stops being interesting…some I don’t notice, like the strawberry pieces, but I really don’t mind. I hope I can get a few steeps out of this.

Wow. This is awesome. It tastes like I added some unsweetened soymilk, it’s so creamy. (But I didn’t.) Maybe this really IS the tea incarnation of tofu lime tarts…with a little licorice.

Had my last bag of this this morning, and dang if it wasn’t fantastic. Creamy, smooth, spicy (but not really spicy). Better than all the other bags, I think…this tea knows how to go out with a bang.

Part of a Christmas gift. I brought a few bags with me while traveling, as it was a little easier than bringing my basket, loose tea, etc. I hadn’t had a jasmine in a while, and I’m not always in the mood for jasmine, but I was, so I made up some of this to try. And it’s delicious! The jasmine doesn’t come across as overbearing or perfumey, just a nice, sweet companion to the green, which is also tasty. I’m often wary of bagged jasmine greens, but this one is very well done. I’m glad I have it on hand for travely-type situations.

Dry, this smells like vegetation and shade. The aroma of the brewed tea is soft and inviting, and the flavor…my perception of it requires some explanation. As I sip, I taste a vegetal note that spreads through my whole palate and then—this is the interesting part—seems to go down. Not in the sense that it goes down my throat, but…it deepens and spreads out. The synesthesia comes through here. I am thinking for some reason of a green, supple root of a plant arcing through the air. The strength of the flavor leads me to think that it could end up being astringent at the end of the sip, but it’s not. Not at all, just smooth and fresh. It won’t make much sense to say it tastes cylindrical, but that’s the best way I can explain it. Very slightly sweet. I’ve never been into white teas before, my previous experience with them not being great, but this…this is special. This is destined to become a favorite.

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My package from TeaSouce was waiting for me when I got back to school. Yay! I started to unpack my teas and when I got to this one, I HAD to try it. I still haven’t finished taking the others out, because I’ve been partying with this tea for a while. Delicious, pure green aroma…I could bask in it all day. I love greens now! I left my thermometer at home, so I guessed at temperature again. Liquor is a warm straw color. First sips…whoa. Smooooooth. And sweet, too. I made some Oh Canada in this mug last night, but I’ve had other tea in it since then, so I don’t think that’s what’s giving it this sweetness. It’s creamy and silky and nutty, kind of reminding me of caramel. I’m fairly sure it’s not from the Oh Canada, but it might be. Slightly grassy. Delicious. I’m going to wash out this mug carefully so I can figure out where this delightful sweetness is coming from…wow, this is good. Creamy. Mmmm. A great start to the first day of spring semester.

Before I begin: not a particular fan of citrus tea or chamomile, although the latter one is starting to grow on me, since it was one of the most reliably available teas in Costa Rica. With that in mind, onto this tea.

Smells powerfully citrusy. No surprises there. I think I steeped this a minute or two too long, and especially after I saw hibiscus in the ingredients, I was concerned for a moment that it would be another incarnation of Wild Sweet Orange (GAH!), but it wasn’t. Tangy and citrusy, but definitely drinkable. Still not my cup of tea. Ah well. It was warm. Not bad if you like this sort of thing. I just don’t.

Side note: when steeping, this suddenly turns an odd green color, and then gradually shifts to purpley red.