New Tasting Notes
Interesting. I didn’t get the caramel notes as discribed. My first reaction was that it tastes like a sort of light cider. Definitely something you could enjoy on a cold snowy day. Still usually on such days I prefer that which a bit heavier and this is clearly light. I got this as a sample from David’s Tea so I don’t have any more to experiment with but I imagine if made stronger with more tea and longer steep time perhaps I could have added honey and maybe a little milk but that would be reaching for me. Nevertheless, it was alright and I imagine I will not be trying this again because if I wanted to I’d have to purchase it unless they send me more with another order and I simply didn’t like it enough to order more.
Preparation
The good news is that my jet lag seems to be subsiding. The bad news is that I seem to have picked up a cold bug on the plane. I have felt swollen tonsils and a cough since my second flight Monday, but it wasn’t very bad and I was hoping it would just go away. But this morning wasn’t very pleasant and I actually almost fainted at one point! So I am staying home today. Luckily I have a spare tin of this for home, so I have an nice pot of tea for the morning. One of my faves, and it’s comforting when I feel crappy.
Preparation
apologies again to my steepster followers but i’m trying to finally make even the TINIEST OF NOTES on the last few teas left in my tealog that had no details added.
i bought this as a sampler and drank it at work. it was before i really understood tea. i was just getting warmed up. it was a baby step. a charming little baby step.
Backlog from yesterday!
Yesterday was a very nice, laid back Wednesday. I didn’t have any homework after I finished my online stuff that was due for this week, so I sat back, watched some Netflix and Food Network (my favorite channel for anyone who was wondering!), read, and enjoyed some nice, simple tea. I wasn’t in the mood for anything too complex or difficult, so it was a simple flavored black tea kinda day-one where I could just put the water on, wait until it boiled, steep, and enjoy!
This one was sent to me by Amanda along with a host of other teas that I have yet to review because I’m lazy! Don’t worry, those who have swapped with me! I have got your stuff and it will be reviewed! :P Anyways, last time I drank this I wrote that there was something funky tasting about the chocolate and I think that I’ve discovered what it is-it tastes like hazelnut coffee! Which I mean, that’s okay because I happen to like hazelnut coffee, but I won’t raise the rating on this one because it’s not supposed to taste like hazelnut coffee, it’s supposed to taste like chocolate covered strawberry. I do get a little bit of juice from the strawberry but it’s not really as strong of a flavor as I’d like. I have yet to find a chocolate covered strawberry tea that I like (I believe I said that last time I reviewed this one, too). When I think of chocolate covered strawberries, I think of a really sweet and juicy strawberry that you bite into and you get the sweetness and then the chocolate is kind of a background creamy, sweet kinda note. Anyone get what I’m sayin’? I just think that strawberry is supposed to be the main flavor and so far (I’ve tried three!), all of the teas I’ve had of this flavor have had chocolate be the main note! Oh well, I’ll have to keep trying!
Preparation
It has been a longggg time since I’ve had a chocolate covered strawberry. They look delicious, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. I love strawberries on their own, and I think the chocolate overpowers and makes them tart tasting,ruining their flavour, but that’s just me. :)
Second tea of the morning…. (SRP #19)
I picked up a few individual bags of this with my Market Spice order a while ago. I think I was anticipating a future order from there since their signature tea held quite a bit of promise for me, so this was a way to sample this tea without ordering the 4 oz minimum. I know I would shop at Market Spice if it was someplace close that I could visit, but the amount of the shipping with the fact that I was not truly taken with the teas I ordered means it was probably my last order with them. Their service is great, though. I did have an order mistake that was promptly corrected, and they do respond to email very quickly. It may be a great place for others to order, but I need a little more than great service to keep me coming back and, like I mentioned before, the tea I ordered just did not wow me.
This tea is a great one for the fruity and sweet tea lovers out there. I honestly get Welch’s Grape Soda from this. How fun this would be for kids! I still taste tea, but the grape-ish flavor is pretty strong. I am certain if I had encountered this tea in the beginning of my tea journey, it would have been a favorite. The tea base is smooth with not a hint of bitterness, and it is tasty. I do have to give them props for this. What a fun tea!
Bag in a mug method….yep, just 8 oz. boiling water for 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.
Preparation
I almost picked up some Huckleberry Tea last week at the DAM Store on the way to Rocky Mt. National Park. Yes, all the grandkids love to say the dam store with all the dam stuff in it up by the dam.(there are a few dam stores by dams in Colorado…we picked up maple duck,elk venison and wild boar jerky) .
Tea of the morning….. (SRP #18)
This tea comes from Amanda. And of course, I had it as an inaugural cuppa in my daughter’s new Kati cup. (I know, kind of weird, but I asked her if I could use it to compare to my mug…)
This is lovely. This is my favorite Vanilla tea to date. The Harney Vanilla Black is a close second to this, but it oh so much more affordable, and much easier for me to obtain. I love Vanilla Comoro, but I can still taste the remnants of the decaffienation process, even though it is the best decaf vanilla tea out there, and I do score it a little higher than I normally would because I can drink it at night. I also have to say this is one of the first Mariage Freres teas I have really liked…well this one and The Au Tibet. I have tried a few other popular ones, but they just did not appeal. I am not sure it will make the shopping list due to there being only a few places in the US that carry this tea. I see a cup of Vanilla Black from Harney in my near future just to see if this would be worth the effort to get it.
All that nonsense aside, I am so grateful to Amanda for sharing this with me. It is really good! Thank you!
Usual mug method.
Preparation
finally found boxes of this tea again after eons of going without. this is my morning must-have. i steep it for 6 minutes usually & take it with one sugar cube and enough milk to turn the tea a caramel colour. it remains my favourite tea, especially in the mornings. it’s strong & tastes right. growing up in a British family where tea was steeped in a Brown Betty tea pot for ages has left me needing strong tea. this Irish Breakfast fits the bill nicely.
Like Azzrian, I got a few of these when Tea Forte had a FREE Kati cup with the purchase of a tin of tea. One will probably be a gift, this one is actually for my daughter (it is the one with the tree on it and a white background). I have a ForLife Curve Tall Tea Mug with a strainer, too. So really this is kind of a comparison of the two. I also ordered the orange Kati with the white flowers. The orange is a muted version of an orange crayola. I was hoping it would be a brighter orange, but it is still cute.
Volume on this is 12 oz. and it is supposed to be double walled. The ForLife is 15 oz. and is not double walled, but it has a handle. One thing that I don’t like about the Kati, it still gets pretty hot. I felt like I had to wait to drink my tea. I don’t think this will be much of an issue for my daughter because she will know when she can drink it if the cup is not too hot.
The strainers are completely different. It looks like the ForLife strainer will hold at least three times the volume of the Kati strainer. The ForLife mug uses the same strainer that goes in their 24 and 45 oz teapots. It is very handy when drinking large leaf teas. I also like that the ForLife strainer sits flat in the lid when you are done steeping, where the strainer in the Kati kind of wobbles when sitting in the lid. I do find the holes in the ForLife strainer to be much finer than the Kati, but if you need super-fine, I recommend the Finum basket strainers.
As far as looks, the ForLife one is pretty boring. It just comes in single colors. The Kati had some cute prints. For my daughter, having some kind of print on the cup is a bonus as she really enjoys decorated things.
For function, the ForLife wins hands down. But the Kati is so pretty!
I think I may also pick up a cup from David’s Tea so I can have a print, too! The ones at David’s look very similar to the ForLife, but not quite exact.
We have six of the DavidsTea ones, not counting the one that broke because I am an idiot. We love them. Seriously, we have enough mugs in this house to keep a small country well hydrated, but when we run out of perfect mugs, there’s always a moment of “Oh crap, we’re out of mugs….no, wait.” XD. I cannot recommend them enough and I think they’re well worth the price.
I’ve had a Kati cup for quite a long time now, and it’s my primary brewing method at work. The handle broke off my strainer a while back, and for a while I just pried it out of the cup with an implement. Finally I bought a ForLife infusion basket that also fits in the cup and I’m very pleased with it. I definitely understand prefering the ForLife baskets.
As far as the heat issue goes, in the end it works for me because I don’t like to drink my tea super hot so if I can pick it up, I can drink it. No more burning my mouth on too-hot tea!
These do look so pretty – I do want one! (of course)
I just got a Finum yesterday though and I love it…
Drank some more of this tonight as an incentive to go into the lab. Sigh.
Still got the strawberry aroma initially. shrugs I guess that’s just how Madagascar Vanilla comes off to me.
For some reason I wasn’t as into this one today. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t use enough matcha, or because I was just being fussy. I felt like I couldn’t taste the flavouring at all. However, it may also be that I can’t remember what an unflavoured matcha latte tastes like! Thursday is my usual matcha latte day, so maybe I’ll go for the Matcha Matsu from DavidsTea so my tastebuds remember.
Preparation
Ooh, bad me. Thanks to Azzrian for this sample!
A bad time to be trying a new tea apparently, what with my mouth being all mad at me for brushing my teeth before some teas (yeah ok, I knew it was a bad idea.) But, it’s steeped and sitting here, so I may as well drink it!
This one smells much like Mango Madness (DavidsTea) to me, although stronger, and without the (useless) white tea. OH WOW. So sweet! Way sweeter than I’d expected. Like, so sweet it’s literally juice. And I’m pretty sure there are calories in this. Too sweet not to have any (and it doesn’t taste artificial). But anyways, other than sweet, this tastes slightly citrusy, and… (surprise), like mango.
… cannot get over how sweet this one is. It would be a great juice substitute. I mean, I know people talk about teas being “juice-like” and whatnot, but this one blows them all away… Also have just realized that brushing my teeth was totally in vain now that they’re probably coated in fructose…
ETA: Second infusion in practically 1/3 cup water (oops) was great too. Third infusion in a larger amount of water will be too weak, I think. Pretty impressed with this tisane though!!
Preparation
I think a five minute steep is on the light side of things as my cup tasted a little bit weak. It was quite an intriguing tea (or tisane, I guess), lightly grassy with fruity strawberry flavours and a smooth, almost creamy feel in the mouth. I’m not getting any heat from the peppercorns so the ‘blazing’ part isn’t really happening at the moment – but at least the ‘strawberry’ is!
On a side note, I’m glad I finished my tea before reading the horror stories about finiding snail and worms in this tea – now I’m afraid to look at the spent leaves. 0_o
Preparation
Suuuuuper excited to try this one!! Azzrian was generous enough to send me a sample of her precious, precious stash! Ever since being in Japan and experiencing melon everything (seriously. Among other things, I bought a melon Kit Kat and have a melon Pocky key chain), I’ve adored melon. Mostly honeydew, but cantaloupe will do as well!
The tea smells like classic melon. Even more excited now, because that’s exactly what I was hoping for!
AHHHHH OHMYGOODNESS!! THIS IS AMAZING! Tastes like liquid, creamy melon in a cup. And with a glorious aftertaste of creaminess. It’s light, but I am loving it. LOVING IT. (Right, like you couldn’t tell.)
I can’t taste a great deal of white tea, but have been getting hints here and there.
Ohhhhh man. This is… probably better than I was expecting. I will now make my way to Butiki’s website instead of showering and going to bed, like I should be doing. Yep, it’s good enough that I want more NOW.
Cannot thank you enough, Azzrian! I know it was probably super hard to part with, but thank you sooooo much!!
Three big consecutive tea hits in a night. Good thing this doesn’t happen too often…..
ETA: Ooh! Second infusion (same parameters) is different and interesting. Tastes more like cantaloupe without the cream, this time. Delicious, authentic taste though. This is so good :D (I’m tasting something odd here too… pretty sure my mouth is having a few issues right now. Sigh.)
ETA again: Wow. Even the third infusion tastes lovely. And the fourth! Yes, the flavour is weakened, but… yum. I would go for a fifth if I didn’t have like 8 cups of other teas sitting around me right now :D
Preparation
The smell is oolongy and delicious. Not as much floral as I was expecting.
Taste-wise, I’m obviously getting lovely strong autumn tieguanyin floral flavours and butteriness, which just seem to be enhanced by the blending. Delicious. It really isn’t a blend that’s all that far off from the autumn tieguanyin, but just enough to make it different. I can’t specifically pick out jasmine, saffron, or citrus though (which is ok with me!)
Ohhh yes. Loving the oolongy aftertaste. Looooving.
Definitely curious to see what the second infusion will bring. Probably not tonight though, after looking at the time… (what can I say, I was in the lab until 1:30am!)
Thanks for the sample, Azzrian!
ETA: Ok, definitely tasting the orange in the second infusion! Actually, at a little over 3 minutes I feel it’s a touch oversteeped (at 94C this time). A bit of astringency coming out which is unnecessary. Definitely much less floral as well. (And again, the funky taste which confirms that yes, indeed, brushing your teeth half an hour before tea is a Bad Idea. Good thing it’s only an aftertaste.)
ETA again:
Mostly oolong in the third infusion, but I can get some floral notes that aren’t usually around in oolongs for me at this point. Still good. Mmmm!
Preparation
Bah. My computer crashed and I lost my note. I’ll attempt to recreate it.
This tea, both dry and steeped, smells absolutely delicious. Like hot blueberries! The smell is quite strong too – when I opened my box from the lovely Azzrian it was definitely what I got my first whiff of :D Yum.
The taste, like DavidsTea’s White Tiger, is true to hot blueberries, and absolutely delicious. I think it’s stronger, though, and of course, they have different bases, so that contributes some differences as well. I love the white tea flavour with the White Tiger, and am getting just a bit of astringency with this one (although I oversteeped by 30s, so maybe that’s why).
This could potentially be a purchase for me if it’s around in the future. It is pretty good :) Won’t replace White Tiger though, because of the aforementioned difference in base teas. Thanks Azzrian!
ETA: Second infusion, same parameters. Still pretty good; some of the blueberry aroma and flavour has disappeared, but not too much. I feel almost like I can taste more of a pastry flavour here. Or wait… why am I tasting metallic?? That’s really odd. Wondering if brushing my teeth half an hour or so ago is impacting anything here… Anyways, I think it’s probably just fine. Hopefully I’ll go for a third tomorrow :)
ETA again: Third infusion (4min, boiling) still had flavour! But not enough. And, it was in half the water. So I took apart the teaball, and ate that big fat blueberry. And boy was it good :D:D
Preparation
This stuff is like an ancient relic in my cupboard since I have no idea how long I’ve had it or when I bought it. I don’t buy too many teabags anymore now that I’ve discovered a store where I can get most of my herbs in bulk.
Today has been a crazy day of very long working hours and my brain is kind of fried. I definitely wanted something soothing and relaxing so I thought I’d give this a whirl again. I know some people don’t really like chamomile but I do think it’s nice. It’s always felt very soothing to me and I like the appleish sort of flavor. Lavender is a more difficult thing for me to get used to in tea. I love the aroma of it but since I use a lavender bath oil I always feel like I’m drinking bath oil or soap.
This seems to be a pleasant diversion right now and is hitting the spot. As you can imagine, most things from a company called “Traditional Medicinals” are more focused on health benefits than they are on flavor. I’m finding the lavender to be strong but nice. I did feel the need to add a bit of sugar to this. Don’t know if I will buy anymore but will finish off the few teabags I have remaining.
Hopefully I will be drifting off to lullaby land soon, good night Steepies. :)
Preparation
Wow! OK… so as I was pouring this from my teapot to my mug, I could swear I was smelling cinnamon and sugar donuts! YES … donuts. That is what this smells like fresh from the teapot.
And it does have elements to it that give it a sort of cake-y, donut-ish flavor. It is cinnamon-y and sweet, and the chicory gives it a deep, roasted flavor and together with the honeybush it creates a savory, freshly baked cake kind of taste. It’s very satisfying … my sweet tooth approves!
I’ve been meaning to get to this tea for some time, but this is the first time I have remembered I have it, and it is the right time to have it, since it is later in the evening and I don’t want any caffeine before bed.
I wasn’t sure how much to use as it wasn’t printed on the package like the other teas, so I just used 2 (heaping) teaspoons and let it steep about 5-6 minutes. Coming here, I see the instructions say to use more, but I think I used the right amount for my tastes.
There is definitely a smell of pineapple with the dry mixture. Once brewed, I can’t really taste anything beyond the tartness. I’ve never been a hibiscus fan, and while roselle is milder, it is still tart. Much more tolerable tart, but more for iced than hot tart.
The colour is beautiful, and the taste is a little lighter than the Blueberry tea, though I think the Blueberry tea is a bit more complex in flavours. I do prefer the Blueberry over this one…though this one will probably be made iced, and possibly blended with sparkling water or juice as a summer treat.
My thanks to Angel at Teavivre for sending this generous sample my way!
Skipping over a backlog of tasting notes numbering in the mid 30s. I had hoped doing that the first time was a one time thing; now I’m just hoping this doesn’t become a habit.
This tea had been pretty meh and generic to me. Nice, but not something I find myself reaching for. It isn’t very strong so I don’t find myself drinking it in the morning when I can’t decide what I want either.
So I have started to tinker with it. I’ve really only had a it few times so far. I increased the steeping time and the amount of leaf I used a little.
Now it seems like a more solid version of its former self, if that makes any sense, and I do like it more this way. I don’t know how much more I could increase the steeping time or leaf amount without it veering into too bitter or too strong tasting.
It paired well with a mango and some strawberries and made for a tasty breakfast.
Preparation
Wow! I like this a lot! I’ve tried Mauna Kea’s green and Oolong teas, but, I had not yet tried the sweet roast, and this is unlike any green tea I think I’ve tried. When I think of roasted tea, I immediately think of Houjicha, but this is not quite like Houjicha. This is more like a thin Matcha – not thick and creamy like Matcha but I taste more of a Matcha-like taste to it, but with a roasty-toasty quality to it too.
I like this a lot… and I think that this makes up for the other two less-than-exciting teas in the Steepster box this month. Excellent choice, Steepster!
I dislike this one. Blech
Wasn’t my favorite either. There are better cidery teas.
I agree guys. I will say though I desperately want to order from David’s again. Even made a wish list. Trying to resist the temptation.
Hahahaha, you should swap with someone with a whole whack of them instead (like me!)! Unless your list is full of favourites you want to restock :)
Rachel—I can totally swap some teas with you! I really need to create an excel spreadsheet with all of the davids I have. I have way more than what’s in my cupboard on here.
It’s a great idea Krystaleyn and Erin, except honestly I don’t have many. I just started buying them. However, if I start collecting a lot I’ll definitely consider swapping. Most that I had tried previous were from swags which got me buying them now. :)