New Tasting Notes

Jenier doesn’t seem to carry this tea any more.

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63

One way I have made this tea better is by mixing it with ginger root, now it seems as good as most flavored pu-erhs I have had… ha ha.

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69

Had this today at a restaurant. It was pretty decent, especially because I was cold and just so grateful to have something warm to hand on to. The bergamot was quite strong. I added one sugar and a dash of milk, and that barely touched the bergamot. The brew was strong, but not bitter tasting or astringent. I would have this again.

Preparation
5 min, 0 sec

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70
drank Cucumber Mint by Tea Forte
807 tasting notes

Just needed something light and palate cleansing today. The whole family is just still fighting this niggling bug whatever it is. Were all lazy, super sleepy, and congested. I so want to try some of my new teas that have arrived but don’t want to waste sampling new teas on a palate that is only so so right now. This tea fits the bill. Its not one of my all time favorites but has a touch of mint that helps with the sinuses. The cucumber can still be tasted through my head cold – or whatever it is. Refreshing. Nice tea. Not changing rating but showing some love.

Lucy

Hope you and your family feel better soon!

Azzrian

Thank you Lynne-tea!

Scott B

Maybe a little wasabi will help clear the sinuses?

Azzrian

Ah I do love wasabi! I wish I had some !! Good idea though!

Missy

Well wishes sent to you my friend. :D

Azzrian

Thanks Missy! :) We are feeling a little better but then again its evening time – mornings are always the worst. We are night owls too.

Indigobloom

feel better soon!! xx

Azzrian

Thank you <3

Blake

Best of luck. As in the real world, that just seems to be making it’s way around these boards. Enjoy the evening relief =]

Azzrian

So true Blake and thank you.

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77
drank Orange Oolong by Christiani-Tea
1719 tasting notes

This one came from Tommy the Toad. The liquor is dark like a black tea and smells of orange flavoring and smoked/roasted tea (Wuyi?). There is a bit of an earthy scent. For $2.75/oz, the leaf is actually better than I expected. The flavoring is pretty much exactly what I expected from Tommy’s description. It is a bit overdone and a touch artificial in the first cup. I can’t tell if the flavor is really that far off or if maybe orange just doesn’t mix well with this highly oxidized roasted oolong. I think the addition of a little lemon to support and compliment this tea would help greatly.

The interesting thing is, the third cup is fabulous. The flavoring becomes just a tasty remnant and the oolong looses its roastiness. The earthiness that was present from the beginning resembles a mild sheng puerh – sticky lip feel and all. Orange and sheng apparently work together really well for me. I would drink this cup all day long.

I wouldn’t reorder this tea BUT based on the quality of the leaf and the great price, I would not hesitate to try some of their other blends.

An interesting side note: every time I take a sip the smell makes me think of the world food mart where I buy most of my teas locally. More accurately it reminds me of incense and hippies. Far out man.

Thanks Tommy!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

Psychadelelicious!

K S

Right on, right on…

Bonnie

Maybe this is left over from the Summer of Love …"Are you going to San Francisco …will you wear flowers in your hair? " Oops I’m the only one on Steepster who was ALIVE then! Sob!

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96

This is the first green tea that I have ever tried that didn’t come from a vending machine. I hope I haven’t ruined myself for every other green! This is amazingly complex and bursting with flavor, it really opened my mind to what loose leaf tea is about. This is my first review (and first green) so I will save a rating score until I have a bit more experience and have something to compare it too.

The second infusion, western style, was like a bowl of perfectly seasoned boiled greens from my childhood in southern GA! I know that may not be everyone’s thing and sorry to David for the description as my ignorant palate isn’t picking up on all of the flavors that I’m sure are there! This is definitely one that I won’t mind honing my taste buds with! Well done Verdant!

EDIT After trying several others and gaining even just a small amount of perspective, it doesn’t seem fair to Verdant not to rate this one as it really is worth your consideration!

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

I am afraid you are ruined indeed!

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69
drank Chocolate Malt by 52teas
149 tasting notes

This + a splash of half and half + a bit of sugar = delicious!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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83

This was undoubtedly curious. Not much comes out of the bag, smell wise, but upon brewing (I did a single 10 second rinse) I was able to delineate many layers of flavor. I was most surprised by the role the fennel played. It was remarkably well balanced and a really nice afternoon cup.

Preparation
3 min, 30 sec

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This tea is fun to watch steep. Not as fun as flowering teas, but close.

This tea is really sweet and chocolatey. It actually kind of reminds me of a mocha. It’s a bit malty too. I’m not getting much of other notes than that. That’s not to say it’s boring. It’s super smooth, and the flavor is really enjoyable.

I imagine this will be good for a couple resteeps since the pearls didn’t entirely come apart. I think this would be really good to have in the morning too! I’m hoping it’ll get me back to working on my paper but I had so much tea arrive today I just want to try it all. A cup of something new per page, perhaps?

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 45 sec
kOmpir

What about its character? Can you compare it to some other tea?

momo

I honestly don’t know. I couldn’t think of anything else like it that I’ve had at least recently. Maybe like the Yun Nan Dian Hong from Teavivre got together with an Assam, I’d say is how it tasted.

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78
drank Tokyo by Harney & Sons
2816 tasting notes

Some people don’t seem to like bancha, but I think it’s good.

I just wanted a sample of this to try because I have a lot of green tea already. Steeped via regular infuser mug method. I can see sesame seeds in the dry tea, but as other remarked this sesame is very subtle. There is a nice caramel sweetness in this tea, maybe not as much as a dessert tea but close. I might try steeping this with some extra sesame seeds to see what happens.

Overall, a decent blend. Nice clean flavor with a bit of lingering astringency which cleanses your palate, that provides a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the caramel. I was somehow wishing for something “more”. Not sure I would buy a whole tin of this but I will certainly enjoy the sample that I have. :)

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 30 sec
ScottTeaMan

I have 1/2 a tin of this somewhere-it is probably stale by now, so I guess I’ll have to spring for another tin. Amy, I really enjoyed this and thought it was a near perfect balance. Good Bancha tea flavor, more subtle caramel, and even more so for the sesame seeds. I think I could live with more sesame seed flavor in the blend. I guess that’s what you were hoping for too, so let me know how it turns out. :))

ScottTeaMan

I have 1/2 a tin of this somewhere and it’s probably stale by now, so I’ll have to get a new one soon. Amy, I really enjoy this one with the near perfect balance of Bancha, caramel, and, sesame seeds, but more sesame seed flavor would make it better. Let me know how it turns out! :))

ScottTeaMan

What 2 postings- I didn’t see the first one till the second one posted. It really wasn’t there…….REALLY!

TeaBrat

I was for sure hoping for more sesame seeds!

ScottTeaMan

I would buy a full tin or more even without more sesame seeds. The two ingredients go so well with bancha.

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60

Well, this smells rather nice. I was alarmed when I saw what looked like dust floating on the surface after I removed the infuser, but on closer examination I decided it was a like skim of oil — or bergamot, I suppose. Which is in its own way a little alarming as well.

I’ve just realized I can’t see the color very well in my new tea mug. Should have bought a white one instead of a blue one. But I can dip out a teaspoonful and see that it’s a bright, golden amber color.

But oh my gosh it’s bitter. Did I steep it too long? Did I use too much tea? Or, since this is one of those unopened samples I bought a year ago, is it just too old even though it’s been sealed in a foil-lined packet? Advice from more experienced tea samplers hereby solicited.

Anyway, yuck.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 45 sec
LiberTEAS

It’s been a while since I personally tried this one, however, according to my notes, there is some bitterness to this tea, and perhaps it was amplified by the longer steep time (I steeped my cup for just 3 minutes). I would recommend cutting back the steep time to 2 1/2 to 3 minutes to see if that improves the flavor for you.

Barb

I saw that — both your mention of the slight bitterness and then, after I posted my comment, that you had steeped it for a shorter time. I think I’ll dump this cup and try a second steeping with my eye on the clock. It’s really undrinkable as is.

Barb

Nope. No bitterness, but no flavor either. I’ll start over another day with the rest of the sample and a shorter steep time. Thank you, Ms. LiberTEAS.

Barb

Tried the shorter steep time and posted a new tasting note. Much better! But I think I need to try raising the steep time, and judging by the amount of tea left in my sample, I think I did use too much tea in my first try.

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50

received a sample of this(so only tried it once)

but it tasted kinda keemuny to me .. like an astringent/rusty quality to it… feels like your tongue is coated with it after your done

a little more bold than other black teas ive had, overall decent .. although not something i’d buy

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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95
drank Glitter & Gold by DAVIDsTEA
1 tasting notes

It’s like heaven in a cup!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C

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63

I did make this one last night, used some plain rooibos to tone down the flavor a bit, still seems very strong to me and not at all cookie like. Let me know if anyone wants to swap. :)

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99

I love this tea~ I have been drinking DoMatcha once to twice daily now for two years. I believe in it’s benefits as I have Rheumatoid Athritis and use to have a very high cholesterol and triglycerides. After drinking this tea (the only thing different was also Reichi mushrooms) my TG count fell from over 400 to 157!!
It tastes earthy and lovely just by itself. I love the whisking of it….it truly is a wonderful tea!!
Mamo

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C

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It was still raining today. And it was cold. REALLY COLD. And it was windy, so my umbrella was pretty much worthless. I desperately needed something bold and warn to help recover from my brief trip through the elements, and this tea fit the bill.

I was generous with the amount of leaves I used (As much a one can be when using a tea ball), and I let it sit for a good five minutes for the first infusion. the result is a deep red, bordering on black, and with a taste that was a nice creamy, yet strong, malt. Anyway, I’m sitting here writing, this, and it’s already starting to warm me up, so it looks like this was the right decision.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

Great choice! This is some good tea for a cold day!

Joshua Smith

I might be drinking this a lot this week. The weather decided that the high 60’s are the temperature this coming week.

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58
drank Vanilla Rooibos Parfait by Tazo
7 tasting notes

It’s a tea I drink at work – I work at Starbucks, and don’t bother bringing my own teas because I don’t usually have time to steep it properly, or even finish a cup! ;) This one is very sweet, with a vanilla and apple taste. Too much of it makes me feel nauseous, though – or maybe it’s the job?

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more

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89
drank Supreme Ben Shan by Aroma Tea Shop
58 tasting notes

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84
drank Happiness by Lupicia
807 tasting notes

Got a sample of this and it is so wonderful. I want to get more! The sample was in a tea pyramid but did not seem to be an issue with amazing flavor. Fruity and floral with a wine like taste. Looking forward to having this again!

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec
Azzrian

Just wanted to add – third steep is not bad! Weaker of course but its still flavorful and its out of a BAG! Not bad at all!

Indigobloom

gasps … a bag?? lol

Azzrian

Haha I know Im such a snob right? LOL

Lucy

I wish they delivered to Canada >.<

Indigobloom

hey I hear ya, I have the same reaction when I try a bagged tea that rocks! :P

Azzrian

Lynne-tea why not have it shipped to someone in the states that you know and have them send it to you?

Lucy

I wish I knew someone in the states! I guess I could ask around to some friends and see if they know people =) Good idea!

Azzrian

Well I would be happy to help if you ever decide to go for it. That goes for any order that does not ship to you. I have no qualms about shipping to people in Canada – just ask Indigo and Krystalyn. :) Well those were trades but still I don’t mind helping out.

Kittenna

Can definitely vouch :)

Lucy

Amazing! I am very excited about this. It sounds like I will be buying previously-unpurchasable delicious tea from the states! Thanks Azzrian. I will get in touch when I permit myself to order tea again online (probably about a month?.. that way I won’t feel so crummy about buying so many teas lately hah)

Azzrian

LOL I am the same way – I have to go in spurts. Holler at me anytime about it!

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75
drank White Blueberry by Adagio Teas
168 tasting notes

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96

Second Review. I’m beginning to feel better today but still sticking to drinking black tea. I remembered how good this tea was first round and wanted to revisit that memory.

There is such a warm, light, floral nose to this golden tea liquor. Not malty but slightly yammy. When you take a sip your mouth fills with sweet juice and that yam taste at the back of the palate. The tip of the tongue tickles of tannin…just to let you know that your tongue has been coated with tea. Since I was drinking this cup for my morning tea, I added sweetening and that changed the yam. It became a lighter version with a bit of sweet, dried apricot fruitiness. When I added cream, the flavor of airy puff pastry arrived with a ta- da! Um, what a superb cuppa from a black tea so full of wonders!

This would be good with a mild breakfast ham and egg crepe but not too salty with a mild cheese, or just some plain buttered rolls.

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drank Citrus PILEDRIVER by 52teas
1220 tasting notes

I need this right now a lot. I have an 8 page paper due tomorrow and I’ve written almost 3 pages so far at this point. I’m starting to reach the point of being easily distracted. It’s cold and really windy outside so at least I don’t have this urge to go driving around. I’ve seen that at least two trees have fallen and blocked roads near me today alone so I’ll pass.

So hopefully this cup gets me doing more than just giving myself a basic structure to add to. I always do that and then it becomes such a pain to elaborate on everything. But hey, last assignment for this class. I’m done with half my classes as of tomorrow.

I used boiling water this time and didn’t pay attention to how long I steeped it. It doesn’t seem to me that the temperature makes a difference, in fact I might prefer it with boiling water instead of the cooler water I used before.

I love how the citrus mixes with the mate and guayusa. I still have to try something that’s got guayusa only, since I’ve tried a flavored mate already. But I like how this tastes. This time hopefully I won’t just fall asleep after drinking it. I kind of fell asleep in the middle of reading part of the book for this paper last night.

TheTeaFairy

Good luck with your paper! to make you feel better about the weather, not only is it cold and windy as well around here today, but it also snowed, crap, never ending winter!!

Bonnie

Good Luck with the paper! Sorry to say, it’s 84 here! So guess this means we are sending good weather your way eventually!

momo

Thank you! I’m almost halfway through at this point. It should warm up by the end of the week again but I can’t even imagine snow right now anywhere outside of the arctic!

Tamm

I hope the paper writing is still going well! :) I’ve been there recently! This one sounds really tasty right now.

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90

So good! sigh This is very, very tasty! It is the only tea I really enjoy that has earl grey in it. I feel like it must be a pretty subtle addition. This is even better with milk; which is something I never do!!! I keep forgetting I have this one.

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