New Tasting Notes

70

This was the last of my sample from Teavivre! Thank you! My husband and I enjoyed this tea this morning. As usual, I rinsed it then gave the first steeping to my husband and I took the second steep. The second steep was delicious and more like chocolate. This is a nice tuocha! :)

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61

This is a bit of an odd one, I bought it at a little gift shop in Dallas and I can’t seem to find any evidence of its existence anywhere online. Maybe its a Holiday blend? I don’t know.

Anyways, its decent enough. Tastes mostly like vanilla, I don’t really get much cranberry. Its actually kind of weak at 3 minutes, maybe I should have steeped it longer. Might be decent in latte form. Overall this isn’t really ‘my cup’ of tea, so I’ll need to find someone willing to take it off my hands.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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80

This is pretty mild, and I do taste the butterscotch as well as the caramel but it isn’t strongly flavored. It’s a good black tea base so it’s easy to drink even if the sweetness that I hoped for isn’t there. Of all the teas I’ve tasted from the huge order I have in my house from Culinary Teas, this is one of my favorites so far. I wouldn’t reorder it, there are teas I like far more, but since there are 3oz lying in a box in my house, I will drink it.

Lala

The name of this tea makes me want to try it! Sounds delicious.

Ellyn

my favorite butterscotch tea is from art of tea. so good.

Starfevre

I haven’t tried a butterscotch tea yet, this sounds interesting.

Rob Rauschenberg

Need to try a butterscotch tea… sound amazing.

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80
drank Maple Tea by Culinary Teas
160 tasting notes

I actually really didn’t mind this tea. Living in Vermont and having Maple as the official state flavor (who knew that even existed?) I have high maple standards. This is not in your face sweet, though I was kind of hoping for that. This is very mild, with a caramel type flavor that didn’t get bitter. It was a nice cup of tea, I would like to blend it with something else, maybe a vanilla and a fruit flavored tea. That’s something I like about this tea, I think it would be a great one to blend.

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I had a bit of this tea left and I could not resist the ice cream recipe I found.
(Hubby gave me an awesome ice cream maker for our anniversary)
So, I made Caramel Matcha Ice Cream.
Oh, heavenly days, was it a dream.
I am ashamed to say that Hubby and I ate the whole batch minutes after the ice cream maker finished making it.
It was so creamy and dreamy and green!
I know this is not a tea drinking review, but if you have a chance to make some matcha ice cream, I say do it!
My recipe was custard based.

Fjellrev

Moments like this I wish I had an ice cream maker. Sounds delicious.

Hesper June

Oh! I adore mine! I highly recommend getting one.
This is mine:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006ONQOC/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
There is a lot one can do with tea and a ice cream maker, I just spotted a earl grey ice cream recipe too;)

Fjellrev

Oh yeah, I was admiring that one a few months back! I’m glad to hear it works. I’m always afraid of investing in something only for it to break or not function properly. Earl Grey ice cream would be fantastic, especially if you put add a little citrus zest in there. Yum.

Hesper June

Well, I have only had it for 2 weeks, but its works wonderfully so far.
And oh,yes! Earl Grey and citrus zest sounds lovely.
I was also thinking of tea granitas this summer would be delish too;)

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79
drank Cherry Cordial by Culinary Teas
160 tasting notes

Now I thought this smelled awesome until I handed the bag to my boyfriend, Rick and he said “Blech! It smells like Robitussin!” I smelled it again, and sure enough it had that same cherry with a kind of tangy spicy medicinal tinge to it. Brewed it anyway, I just so happen to kind of like Robitussin. It tastes more like a cherry cordial than cough medicine if you ask me, but sometimes I find that I have to be thinking about the flavors while I’m sipping the tea to really taste them. This one is kind of like that. Not my favorite, but I’ve had worse.

I’m not really impressed with Culinary Teas so far, I placed a huge order with a gift certificate about a month ago and it took exactly a month to get the package. I’ll review everything I try, I have a lot of them to go through. I’m a dessert tea freak so unless it’s up there with 52teas Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake, Della Terra Smores, or DAVIDs Red Velvet Cake…my ratings won’t be too high.

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81

Ok this tea is wicked cute, I love the sprinkles. It’s not too spicy, but I don’t taste a lot of pumpkin. I think in comparison to DAVIDs Pumpkin Chai this is more chai and DAVIDs is more pumpkin. I truly think that chai lovers will enjoy this tea, and I bought 3oz of it so I’m up for swaps haha. It didn’t wow me but I definitely don’t dislike it.

Alphakitty

I like this one blended with Culinary’s Pumpkin Cream, balances out the chai/pumpkin nicely! Maybe it would work the same with the Davids blend if it’s more pumpkiny?

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86

SIPDOWN! Oh yeah baby! I’m going to get REALLY excited everytime i get to say that because ladies and gentlemen, my cupboard is a giant mess. I likely won’t get organized until the end of march but anything i can do to get through my smaller samples will go a long way.

I would for sure order this again if i needed a staple black in my cupboard. Do i love butiki’s premium assam and verdan’t laoshan black more? yes but this is a good solid delicious black that can hang out in my cupboard anytime i want a bit of a change from those two :)

Terri HarpLady

I’ve been craving some Dragon Pearls for about a week. I also want to order & compare Teavana’s, Mandala’s, & Teavivre’s pearls. I went to Teavana for the instant gratification of getting some, & they were out :pppppppppp

Guess I’d better leap into action & place a few orders. Ironically, I’ve drank all 3, but not side by side, or even with days of each other. They all taste wonderful to me!

Sil

i think i have some coming from tealux as well to try out.

Terri HarpLady

might have to add them to the list…

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83

Now I’m always up for some new mate in my cupboard for those times when you get home after a long day with a pounding headache and you just NEED a strong dose of caffeine…hence buying this.

It brews up nicely, but I would recommend timing it at maybe 5-6 minutes because the sweet fruitiness did get overwhelming and bitter by letting it sit untimed. I could definitely taste the chili, and of course the longer it brews the spicier it is. I don’t handle spicy as well as most people though so my version of spicy may be more mild than yours.

The mango isn’t obvious, it’s definitely a fruit, it’s kind of more citrusy than anything else. I think this would probably rock as an iced tea, and the sweetness of it would be more appealing cold. Overall I’m glad I have this and it’s not just a sample size. I would recommend it to fruity tea lovers, mate drinkers, and those looking for an iced tea mate.

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83
drank Blueberry Zabaglione by 52teas
892 tasting notes

Just finished the last of my sample off! It was nice. Thanks again Momo!

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92
drank Thé des Anges by Nina's Paris
772 tasting notes

Got this sample from Nina’s Paris during their sample promotion. Just enough for one oversized mug, plus another steep after as soon as I finish this cup.

This is SO STRAWBERRY! And in a good way, not that terribly artificial stuff that plagues a lot of strawberry tasting teas. This is really good! I was a bit disappointed with my first Nina’s tea, but this one totally makes up for it, and I heard that it resteeps well too, though I haven’t tried it yet. But I will in a few minutes! This tea is pretty brilliant. I pick up faint hints of vanilla, but mostly just strawberry and that’s interesting, but not a bad thing. Mostly the vanilla just leaves a creamy edge to the taste. I approve of this tea.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Nina's Tea USA

If you want an other the des ange samples, we can send you for a large mug ;)

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90
drank Human by Adagio Custom Blends
248 tasting notes

I’m still aliiiiive. I’ve just been swamped with work, vet tech school applications, etc.
Anywho, put in a recent order from Adagio with a gift certificate I got during Christmas and this was one of teas I ordered.

This smells freaking fantastics. I would inhale this all day long if I could. It reminds me a lot of Crunch Berries. Yum. The taste is lovely too, light and a bit fruity. The gingerbread kind of mellows everything out. I could easy drink pots of this. Still fiddling with temp/times but I’m pretty satisfied with my first attempt.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Mercuryhime

For a moment I had a thought that this was a cannibalistic tea. Human flavored. Actual tea sounds tasty. :)

Kiaharii

I don’t know, if people tasted like this than maybe…

Mercuryhime

Haha Fortunately, most humans smell rather unappetizing. Otherwise, we’d be living in a scary place. :)

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80
drank Butter Pecan by Compass Teas
863 tasting notes

I’m first to review this – feels kinds of strange being in uncharted territory, haha!

I don’t know that I really got the chance to say so, but my recent Compass Teas order included 12 random samples. 12! And they weren’t like, one cup samples, either. They were all about an ounce. I got a lot of rooibos, and some black teas and one gen mai cha, which works out good because herbals and black teas are more my thing than flavored greens/whites.

Anyway, so this was one of the 12 freebies, and one I REALLY was excited about because I love butter pecan. I don’t eat ice cream much but when I do, butter pecan is one of my top choices. Also, being southern, pecan pie is one of my Thanksgiving undertakings that I do because my dad is even more of a fan than me.

Being that this is new for me and I have no other tasting notes to go by, I followed all the recommended brewing instructions for this, which was 1 tsp. leaf per 8 oz, at the below parameters. Also being that nuts tend to be rather astringent in tea, I just added milk and a bit of sugar from the beginning.

The result was pretty yummy! I could definitely see this getting bitter if steeping went beyond the 2 minute mark, but as is, I got just what I was supposed to – this is definitely butter pecan and it is perfect as a black tea. I love that the flavor was captured so perfectly, and that I’ve got a few more cups of this to enjoy!

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec
Alphakitty

I am tempted to order from them just for the free samples—but you have to spend $50, and that is more than I like to put down on a company I haven’t tried! Have you overall been happy with the teas you got from them?

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97
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
169 tasting notes

I have waited a really long time to try this tea.
A Big Thank You to SIL for giving me a sample so I can finally try this much loved (at least by Steepster folks) tea.
And I thought this would be a good tea to re-introduce myself back into the tea tasting world.
Yes, I do think I finally beat this horrid upper respiratory flu thing that had me down for nearly 3 weeks now.
I still get horrible coughing attacks that last about 10 minutes, but I believe my full taste and smell has returned.
I could not keep my nose out of the brew basket when I was making this tea.
It smelled SO good brewing!
I smelt chocolate and avocados, some earthiness and something sweet.
Wow! If this tea tastes half as good as it smells, I am really in for a treat.
Then the dreaded wait time till it cools enough that I can sip.
The color is stunning, such a rosy gold, it so lovely to look at sitting in my bodum cup.
Taste is more delicate than I thought it might be, however that does not mean it lacks flavor.
Chocolate and honey.
Avocado and wood.
Floral and creamy.
Baked goods and earth.
This tea has it all, gently unfolding in taste, like a journey where you are not sure what is around the corner.
This tea is a real treat and is well deserved of its Steepster love.
Thank you so much Sil, for giving me the chance to try such a delightful brew.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Sil

YAY! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Also, it’s finally back on Verdan’t site for purchase lol.

I’m glad you’re starting to feel better. I hope you also enjoy golden fleece when you get around to it. (though i think i personally like laoshan black better heh)

gmathis

That review is just downright poetic. (Well, after the coughing part ;) Glad you’re feeling better!

Fjellrev

I hope you feel better soon! That’s horrible that you’ve been sick for so long. I get the same once I start coughing. Seems like if it ever reaches that stage, be prepared to be sick for weeks. Ugh.

Hesper June

Thank you all, I am so glad I am back and feeling better too.
Although, I am still on a liquid restriction by my doctor for another week till I get re-tested (crossing my fingers that the tests turn out that I can drink as much tea as I want;)
Gmathis, LOL, yes the coughing is certainly not poetic.

TheTeaFairy

Lovely review as always, and this was the perfect tea to have after such a long flu, glad you feel better :-)

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92
drank Organic Matcha by Two Hills Tea
11 tasting notes

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drank Cream Earl Grey White by Culinary Teas
1220 tasting notes

From tea box B.

Last night my mom suggested I try to see if Sebastian would play with these plastic balls with bells in them. The first parakeet I ever had, Beaky, started playing with us when my mom and I rolled ping pong balls on the floor.

I took Sebastian over to my bed so I could kneel on the floor and hopefully that’d make him feel more comfortable. I set him on the bed. I start shaking one of the balls near him, and he just jumps on that hand. Soooo…guess not. But hey, he likes my hand! He then eventually flipped out and this ended with him climbing through my hair. I thought he was lost in there briefly.

I have had only one white EG, but I thought this sounded intriguing so it’s my first tea today, another day where I am too irritated to go anywhere. I don’t know what my problem is and it’s driving me crazy. All the tea I drank yesterday didn’t help.

I am experimenting with white tea steep times now, since I liked a tea at just one minute the other day, I tried it with this one. It works, I quite like it better than going for 3+.

At first I wasn’t sure about this, the way the hay notes of the white tea blended with the vanilla was kind of weird. But after letting it cool just a tad bit more, I quite enjoyed it. It’s really light on the bergamot, though it mixes nicely with the white tea.

I would actually like the bergamot to be a bit stronger but since I’m sure the other notes on this steeped it longer than me, it doesn’t seem like that can be brought out with a longer steep. No problem though, that’s just how this one is!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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34
drank Green Tea by Trader Joe's
237 tasting notes

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81

I have no idea why this wasn’t a tea I chose when I ordered three sample packs from DT, since chocolate raspberry is entirely my thing… but thanks to Starfevre, I get to try it anyway. Maybe I just didn’t want to try all their chocolate teas at the time, or they had other teas I’d rather try like the oatmeal cookie. This doesn’t have too much flavor. I’d say the very sweet raspberry flavor is the strongest, rather than the black tea or the chocolate. I expect not to taste the black tea with DT though! I think I’m picking DT’s black teas when I want a black tea but not so much caffeine. But maybe I’m assuming it has less caffeine since the black tea isn’t as strong? This is nice, but I’d prefer more flavor!

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95
drank Orange Pekoe by Tetley
13 tasting notes

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