New Tasting Notes

Symphony is a black tea by Bayswater Tea Company. The best way to describe this tea is “sitting pretty.” There’s really little about it that jumps up as better than average. The liquid is a dark amber color and the aroma, after the first steep, is sweet and slightly floral. The taste is sweet lemon, pleasant to be sure, but nothing fancy. Almost sleepy. In subsequent steepings, the taste of lemon becomes more pronounced.

Recommended for: potpourri enthusiasts
Brewing suggestions: boiling water/1 teaspoon tea per 1 cup water/steep 3 min

This was the newest David’s Tea to their collection.
I decided to try it iced.
The dry smell is mostly lemon. You can definitely see the green and white teas.
After it was steeped this was a refreshing iced tea. It was the perfect amount lemon and it was not overpowering at all. I didn’t taste much of an Earl Grey flavour, but I did think that it was similar to iced teas you can prebuy (Nestea or Liptons). Still one of the good ones and I will go back for some on a hot summer day….soon.

I got this from Tropical Tea Company’s $1/oz sale. At that price, this is definitely worth a try.

Upon opening the pouch, the smell of the leaves reminded me strongly of cherry Coke. The aroma after brewing remained about the same. The tea itself is sort of sweet and creamy (that may have been the tiny bit of milk I added, though). I thought I could detect a hint of vanilla. The cherry aroma from the dry leaves and brewed tea doesn’t actually taste like cherry. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s still a fruity flavour.

I’ll be trying this out again and writing more notes on it. The majority of my tea logs from this week aren’t as detailed as I’d like for them to be, mostly because I’ve been drinking the teas while being absorbed in my textbooks.

There is a very cute little shop in Monterey called Cha-ya, the sign said they sold Japanese tea so I was excited to go in. I got a cup of matcha and took these teabags to go. I am drinking one in the hotel. This is a delicious sencha, especially for a teabag. I was happy to stumble across this in my travels!

Lovely rock mineral tasting tea. Be sure to steep correctly to get MANY infusions out of it!

Thank you again Krystaleyn for swapping iwth me, making it possible for me to try so many more DavidsTea products than ever before possible without spending a fortune. Of course, border patrol opened up the package because clearly tea samples are the new marijuana or whatever they think would be sent from Canada to this lovely drug trafficking hub. Thankfully they took nothing but now I’m all uncomfortable that they are watching me or something.

I had to try the sparkly tea first of course. I used to not really like cinnamon in tea, but it’s growing on me. The clove is a nice touch too in here, it makes it feel like I should not be drinking this with days getting close to 90 close ahead (ugh).

It smells like it’s just going to be another cinnamon spice tea but it just doesn’t taste ordinary. It tastes like real cinnamon, which can always get me, thanks to once working in a craft store. I know that nasty fake cinnamon smell and it’s not in this tea. The sugar adds just the right touch of sweetness to keep the spice from being overpowering.

I made it in a t-sac because that’s all I have right now so I could not fully enjoy the sparkly. Next time. I am going to have to buy those cake teas coming out and this might be an additional purchase with them because I am loving it.

Slim Tea by Hemani

I drink this tea very hot and steeped for five minutes in a cup of boiling water. After steep time, I squeeze some of the limejuice over the tea and stir it in. It does taste slightly better, either that or I am getting used to the taste.

I am glad that this tea is caffeine free since I drink it almost nightly and the refreshing herbs do have a calming effect upon me. On the tea box it states to add sugar if desired, but I have added a squeeze of lime to it.

I note also written on box: Herbal Tea Slim and Smart. So I am wondering what is smart about this tea? I have yet to see inches melting away and now I must look for the “smart” in the teacup.

No laughing matter, I am considering all of these things as I drink this tea.

Had this one to-go after dinner tonight while my friend Colin got his iced Forever Nuts. The boy said he hated tea to me last time we went out so I dragged him over to the wall and found one he enjoyed to prove him wrong. Now he gets it on his own at work sometimes :D

Anyways, this tea this time was very different to when I brewed it at home. There was a lot more cardamom on me than I normally like. It wasn’t a bad cuppa, but wasn’t a great one. Not changing the rating yet, but now I’m kinda glad I didn’t stock up on this one either.

Ruby Red Chai (Spiced Rooibos) by Trader Joe’s

I decided to try this Spiced Rooibos as a true Chai recipe. I mean to have it with non-dairy product like milk. I had purchased some Rice Dream, a Trader Joe’s brand to practice making different Chai recipes. Today, I used two tea bags, a small cup of the Rice Dream and a ½ of small cup of water. I pour the water in small pan and placed the two tea bags into the pan, waited for it to come to boil, I added the non-dairy Rice Dream and stirred mixing the flavors and soy together. It smelled wonderfully sweet. I smell more of the cinnamon and cardamom; it seems adding the Rice Dream brings out the other flavors more than without it. Since I can now discern the ginger and the cloves—making it somewhat licorice in taste.

I think just one tea bag and a small cup of Rice Dream cooked for 3 minutes or until slightly boiling would have sufficed and adding the water is for more tea or to not have it be too thick.

I cannot drink too much of this since my stomach is so sensitive; but I truly believe that Chais are meant to be drunk hot and with milk or soy or some similar non-dairy drink; it needs some thick cream; for the texturing and to make the tea’s liquor to have a character that is a fuller brew and quality.

Green Tea (Specialty Teas) by Trader Joe’s

I have not had this brand of green tea in over a year. I am so happy to have it again. It is such a simple cup of tea that brews a golden color and smells very vegetal and has a fresh grassy scent. Tea is not bitter but medicinal in quality since this is what I am craving at this time; my morning ritual is to have a simple cup of green tea and nothing else matters. It must be very hot and steeped longer than recommended during 2nd and 3rd steep.

Overall this is my favorite store brand green tea because it seems to please me just rightly so.

LOVE! The flavor is very floral, intensely floral! With the first cup, I noticed strong honeysuckle-like flavors … with the second cup (infusions number three and four), I found it to be more like honeysuckle and Orchid, and with the third cup, the floral notes became more like a mellow medley with fewer distinct notes. Mouthfeel is smooth and rich. Lovely sweetness to this tea, and hints of peach and citrus.

Wonderful Oolong!!!

MILK oolong.
I have a sample of this tea from the connoisseur package, and I think this is my first time trying straight oolong.
And it’s just making me realize all over again how wonderful straight, conservative teas are. Blends have never really thrilled me, but straight teas seem to hold all the magic.
There’s so much tradition behind it, and I feel as though I can relate to people thousands of years back who were sipping their tea, thinking wise thoughts, enjoying life in a cup. :)

Any tea that leads to thinking like this deserves high praise.
If it weren’t for the steep prices (ahaahah; did not mean to use a pun) I would definitely get 100g of this right away!!

First off- It’s a green tea. Don’t know why people keep saying white.

Second off- Best jasmine tea I have ever had.

Liked it, but after 2 weeks in an airtight light-tight tin, if I used more than a teaspoon per cup, it would taste soapy.

Wonderful, high quality lavender tea. Pity they don’t sell it any more.

Wonderful green tea, I have had mine for 7 years and am now running out. Smoky peach-apricot flavor. No flavor change over seven years, due to limited access to light and heat.

Yet again, I’ve found myself sniffing teas. This one’s amazing. A heavy dose of coconut and a touch of raspberry make for a smooth scent that really does make me feel like I’m on an island: just as David’s Tea promised.

Without sweetener, this tea is a tad bitter. I steeped it for the max time: 6 minutes, so I’ll probably just steep for 4 minutes next time. The raspberry is dominated by the other ingredients, so much so that I can barely tell it’s there. But the coconut still finds its way out. It’s as good as coconut gets: smooth, strong, lingering on your tongue… But since I’m finding the tea a little bitter, I’ll add honey. Although it’s sweeter, I feel like the honey actually distracts from the coconut, which is a shame.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with this tea. I love coconut, so that’s probably a huge reason why. Next time, I’ll be sure to cut my steeping time. And I’ll be sure to try this iced, I’ve heard it’s delicious!

I was really excited for my box of different teas to come from Teavivre. Spent too much money, but it’s been absolutely worth it.

It’s an oolong with the larger dry leaves, like a Li Shan or Ali Shan. They smell good, and promisingly like those of Shan Lin Xi, which is my all-time favorite. The liquor is a vivid gold, almost green, like brass. It smells sweet and floral, with just a hint of that bakiness that some of the more traditionally made oolongs have.
This steeping seems to taste rather vegetal, but still rather flora, with an aftertaste of that bakey flavor. This seems to be how some teas are supposed to taste, and others, it’s when I haven’t made it quite right, so I’ll be making a followup review, just in case. As it cools a little, that herbaceousness takes more of a background role, and it turns into a delightfully well-balanced tea. In the aftertaste, I see what people have been saying about that butteriness; it’s smooth and quite pleasantly mild.
My adjective department is somewhat lacking today, which I’ll try to fix in the followup review. Really tasty tea, and I’ll be purchasing again from Teavivre when I run out.

I finally purchased some honeybush blends from 52teas because of that promo code. I had barely the restraint to stop myself as it is. The promo just broke through my self-control. hah! Now I DEFINITELY have more tea than I need. More so than before.

Mint chocolate has long been a favorite flavor combo of my, much to my husband’s dismay. He seems to think that mint is vile except in toothpaste. Weird guy. Lucky for me though because it’s the only flavor of chocolate I can leave around the house and take my time to savor without worrying that it’s going to be gone the moment I turn my back. :D

This tea definitely delivers on the promised flavor too! Peppermint and dark chocolate pairs wonderfully here. Both take on a prominent role, though the mint is easier to find. The chocolate’s darker flavor tried to meld with the honeybush, but doesn’t succeed. Like the Grasshopper honeybush, I sort hoped for a creamier mouthfeel. Maybe some added chocolate chips would have done the job. I am grateful that it wasn’t added though since it would only be extra weight when I can easily add my own chips to the brew. Next time… :)

I think I may try this as a latte at some point. It tastes great as it is though.

Traveled for work again. This time I had different colleagues and the trip was much better. Much longer flight though. It’s a trade-off I guess.

I brought only this tea with me. Matcha is so easy. You just stir it into whatever water you have, be it hot or cold. Most of the time, I just added a some into my water bottle and shook the heck out of it. Frothy and delicious. I would have liked it better hot, but it’s still tea. Can’t complain. :) I also love the color of matcha. It’s such a lovely green. It makes you feel positively healthy. :)

Very dense and tasty. It’s like drinking a milky water.

I really did run out of rose petals in this bunch. I think I only have about 4-5 cups left. Less if I prepare the tea to drink in my white cat mug. At least it is a pretty good black tea. I just really miss the rose flavor. The roses made it sweeter.

(The sequel)

This stuff has a mind of its own! Left to its own devices in my fridge, it darkened three shades to dark walnut and strengthened three notches as well. I think this is going to be a go-to iced tea at our house.

For hefty tea lovers only…oops, I meant hefty tea lovers, not hefty tea lovers. I’m medium and I like it just fine.