Featured & New Tasting Notes

I was very happy with this tea. This was the first Chai that I owned and made myself, and I find that about 1:3 ratio for Milk to Water with a spoon of Creamed Honey put straight into the pot makes this tea amazing.

Chinese green teas are very underrated in the tea world. I encourage all the Japanese Tea fans out there to try a Chinese green tea today.

This one is light and only slightly vegetal. A perfect complement to the Thai food I enjoyed for lunch.

After a long day, I decided to ice this tea for a treat. Mmm! What a good idea it was to ice this. I like the the jasmine isn’t as prevalent as in some other green/jasmine teas. The jasmine flavor and the vegetal green tea flavors coincide very nicely. I will continue to sip this down too fast for my own good :)

I really had meant to steep this for only 5 minutes. Hurrah for children. Anyway…this is a bit stronger than I usually have it since I used a mug rather than my tetsubin. The mug vs tetsubin also threw off my sugar ratio. Plus I usually blend this with either orange or jasmine tea, and/or add cloves cinnamon and nutmeg for a nice rose chai.

Sigh. Not the relaxing experience I was looking for. I guess I just prefer blending this one rather than drinking it plain.

This tea is every flower.

I first brewed it and it was jasmine. Then it cooled and became the flowers and herbs from my one grandma’s garden. Then it cooled more and became all the flowers and bushes from my other grandma’s garden.

It is also a friendly tea – not bitter and astringency is light.

I do not consider myself a fan of flowery teas, but this is still one of the better oolongs I’ve had. It’s worth trying for anyone, but flower lovers have to have it. The little packages it came in are very convenient and cute.

This is a sampling from Doulton (Thank you!!!)

The very first flavor I got when I took a sip was that of raisin. Since that is pretty unusual for me when it comes to raisin teas (generally, I have to drink a little bit before I get much raisin taste), I was quite happy to taste the raisin immediately.

The chocolate is quite a bit more subtle for me. Now that I am about 1/3 of the way into the cup, the chocolate is more pronounced, so it just took a while for the chocolate to hit.

I am really liking this tea. Still not my favorite from 52Teas, but it is really good.

I think that this may be the first black tea that I’ve added to my shopping list after trying a sample! For lovers of black tea I could imagine that this would be pretty boring, but for me I loves it. This is what I think I’ve always imagined a basic black tea should taste like.

Smelling the sample packet all I could think of was “it’s a black tea.” The smell of the cup at first was “black tea with maybe a teeny-tiny hint of floral or honey.” I know, my descriptive powers are beyond compare.

For me, the money’s in the taste. Whatever type of tea is its base doesn’t have that astringent tongue-killingness that I’d begun to associate with most black teas. It’s smooth and there’s a natural sweetness to it that I adore. I think “nectar” is right on in the description. I can sense honey, but as for lotus and sandalwood my tastebuds do a collective “Wah?” I’m dying to read the other tasting notes to see if I can start to have a better understanding of what I like/don’t like in regards to black teas. TG

The husband was cooking brunch this morning and I told him don’t get the food done before I get my tea made because I really want to try my new A&D Earl Grey this morning. He kind of looked at me. I asked him if he’d like me to make a pot instead so he could have some. He said yes. Apparently, earl grey is the one tea he used to get at B&N on the rare occasions that he’d get tea instead of coffee and he was fond of it. So I steeped us a pot.

The Dry Leaves — Are black with some brown hints and small to mid-sized. Smell strongly of citrus, sharp, and a bit soapy in a good way.

The Wet Leaves — Look like wet black tea leaves. Smell the same as the dry but fainter.

The Tea — Tasted strongly of bergamot and little of black tea with a ting at the end of each sip. The husband noticed the ting too. He said it was like a mint ting but not mint. I thought it might be the black tea peaking through. EG could have used a little more black tea showing. But it was still good as is. The husband really liked it.

I’m not sure it would ever be my favorite EG or one I’d order over other EGs but I’ll enjoy drinking the rest of it. This is my least favorite of the A&D teas, which is not saying that it is not a great tea, just that A&D teas are that AWESOME!

2nd steep: 7 min, 205° F.
At first, I thought it was weak and I’d be needing to add a pinch of fresh leaves in the future. But as I drank, I realized that it was mostly bergamot and strong enough to drink without more leaf. The husband drank a second cup without being offered it. I think we’re found a tea that he clearly likes more than “it’s good”.

Just HAD to have some earl grey this morning. Do you realize that I haven’t had any earl grey at ALL this week? I am not counting my horrible paper + soap tippy earl grey experience. In fact, I am attempting to block it from my memory altogether. It’s not really working well so far.

It’s interesting coming back to this tea now after having gone through all of my Upton samples, since I think this was only the second Earl Grey I tried. It may just be Earl Grey withdrawal talking, but I am enjoying it a lot more the second time around. I really like the kind of fruity flavor that I suppose the cornflower brings, it accents the bergamot flavor very nicely, and gives it a nice well-rounded taste that’s not just “ohai gaiz we added MOAR bergamot.”

May have to seriously consider getting more of this. But have to try the Extra Bergamot again, first. (Ok, fine, I am totally a fan of the “ohai gaiz we added MOAR bergamot” approach. I feel suitably ashamed of myself)

First off, I need to say thank you to Doulton! I was one of the winners of the Dragon Ball Giveaway (see thread here: http://steepster.com/discuss/501-dragon-ball-giveaway ). I had never heard of Silk Road Teas, but after tasting these balls, I will be sure to place an order from them. [Also, I need to give a preemptive “that’s what she said,” because this tasting note is going to be nuts – no pun intended]

I also need to say that these balls were alarmingly huge. Everyone – my self included – who has ever had Adagio’s Black Dragon Pearls remarked about how large those are. These are easily 2 to 3 times as large! Like I said, it was startling. As you can see here – http://www.flickr.com/photos/47736372@N04/4531751436/ – they are about the size of an iPod Classic scroll wheel.

Doulton enclosed a note with the package (written using what appears to be a lovely fountain pen – I do love fountain pens) saying that the balls would need a bit of prodding to get them to open up completely. This is true; I plunked them in the water and they just sank to the bottom and sat there until I took out a spoon and knocked them around a bit. When they were done steeping, the water had turned a lovely orange color – http://www.flickr.com/photos/47736372@N04/4531755036/ . No, that isn’t an ice cube in my mug. It’s the reflection of the beaded lampshade I was using for light (my photography skills leave much to be desired).

This is a black oolong, my favorite kind. It’s extremely smooth and slightly buttery. It is sweet on its own, no sugar needed. The aftertaste is slightly woody. The tea as a whole is more than slightly delicious. As I said in the beginning, I will be ordering these for myself.

Doulton, I know I have said this many times before, but thank you! Your tea giveaway was a lovely idea!

Just tried this tea for the first time!

I have to say that I was extremely excited to get this tea, as I’ve heard great things about it from many people!

The smell of the dry leaves was kind of sweet and earthy, just as I’d heard, however whenever I rinsed the tea and made the first steep (5 min), the smell was kind of off putting and surprising to me. This being my first pu-erh, I wasn’t sure whether or not it was normal, so I just went with it.

The taste to me was…odd.

I’m not going to say it was bad, because my palette is still developing for tea, and I know I have a lot to learn. I didn’t taste the sweetness in any of the three steeps that I made, just a very earthy, dirt like taste.

Having finally tried Maiden’s Ecstasy, it wasn’t quite what I expected, but I’m going to keep drinking it and hope that I start to acquire the taste.

As a final note, I’d say: Give this tea a try, but don’t be surprised by the unique flavor.

I chose to start my day with a Nilgiri. One of my two favorite black teas (with a good quality Yunnan being first, a good quality Nilgiri being second).

This one has a nice complexity. It is bright and flavorful, with interesting fruit-like notes (I can definitely taste a citrus-y flavor, especially right at the finish).

Very smooth and rich tasting for a medium-bodied tea. This is definitely a tea you want to watch carefully to not over-brew, as it can get bitter.

I had to use a different tool today to brew my tea (yep, had to grab a different gadget!) The brewing of the Fleur De Vie tea last night left my smart brewing device smelling quite like the very fragrant tea, so the device requires some added attention to free it of that aroma so that it doesn’t possibly affect the flavors of the teas that I brew today.

So, I got out a teapot, and used for the first time a Mary Pop-In. This seems like an effective tool to strain teas from a tea pot, but I don’t know how well it would fair with a rooibos or a finely cut chai. I shall have to do a little more testing.

I also used for the first time a tea cozy from Thistledown Cozies – I like this cozy! What it lacks in handmade charm it makes up for in conventional wisdom.

So, there! See! I can and do use gadgetry. However, there is something that is quite peaceful and meditative about simplicity when brewing tea, and I prefer that overall sense of calm to being the TEAtective Gadget, which is why I am so resistant to the gadgets in the first place. Tea isn’t just about good taste, it’s about that beautiful sense of serenity that comes from the process… it helps the chaos of everyday life melt away for a few moments each day.

I had this for dessert last night: three flowers in a small punch teacup, continual topping up of the water. This was a bit weaker and the tea itself didn’t turn as bright green, but it was still very tasty — I think I like it a little better a bit weak, actually. The flowers started out floating on top of the tea but eventually sank to the bottom of the cup (and were very pretty to look at as I sipped). Interestingly, given the lesser coloration of the tea, when I washed out the cup this morning the flower petals had streaks of green staining them!

Reading up on chrysanthemum teas, I hear that they aren’t generally soporifics; apparently it’s just coincidence that I conked right out after finishing my last cup of this last night! I guess it was just plain old soothing.

Finished off the last of my sample of this from Ricky (thank you!!) and I must say it was very good, probably one of the best from 52teas (that I have tried, at least).

The dried tea itself is what appears to be the typical black tea base with small and large flakes of coconut. The coconut smell coming out of this tea is fantastic, it smells like sweetened coconut milk, creamy, coconut-y and delicious. I brewed the tea a few different ways, and none of them were bad, they just varied.

The first way was hot, five minutes, no additives. When the hot water first hit the tea, the coconut fragrance liberated, as it infused, the tea aroma took over the coconut. Unfortunately, this actually smelled a little too astringent and strongly of black tea, that I was afraid I would hate it. That being said, I added some milk. The milk mellowed the punch from the black tea, and made an actual coconut cream flavor. It legitimately tasted like coconut milk, which one would associate with coconut cream pie. Very, very good.

As the pot cooled (because I do not have a cozy and sometimes take entirely too long in between cups) I noticed that the astringency went away. So this time, I enjoyed the cup with no additives. I have to say that it was not that strongly of black tea, there is still a creamy almost vanilla flavor incorporated with the coconut and black tea that does make this creamy without any cream. Fears vanquished, still very good.

The final way, and how I finished my sampling today, was hot, five minute infusion, a pinch of rock sugar and some milk. The sugar made it sweet, very sweet, almost heavy with sweetness, but not unenjoyable, kind of like ice cream, or dare I say it, coconut cream pie. The milk cuts the astringency again and helps to meld all of the flavors, the vanilla creaminess, the coconut flavor, the sweetness from the sugar and of course the black tea flavor into one very delicious cuppa.

Overall, very good tea, highly recommended that if you like coconuts and you like tea, you will probably like this tea. Enjoy!

Golden Moon Sampler Tea #20:
Running out of black teas for the morning, so looks like I’m going to have to settle for a flavored tea. Well, I say settle but I’ve been looking forward to this tea for a while now. I love rose flavored stuff. I realize it’s really overpowering for some, but to me it brings back childhood memories of confectionaries.

On the first steep the rose flavor WAS almost overpowering, I couldn’t really get much of a tea taste from it at all, but it started coming out as the tea cooled. Are you telling me that you wish to be an iced tea, Rose Tea? I am unsure if the world is ready for rose flavored iced tea. Especially without hibiscus. Everyone knows proper flavored iced tea needs to contain hibiscus. This is Fact.

The second steeping was more tea flavored, but it was also a little anemic. Hmm…I am, however, suddenly filled with a craving for shortbread. Mmmm, shortbread.

The Leaf: The dry tea, beautiful curls of tiny tips, has a surprisingly fresh aroma. After enjoying 3 good steeps, a close look at the wet leaves revealed that a bud, or a bud and one small leaf, were picked to make the tea.

The Liquor: Round, malty flavor enlivened by subtle notes of black pepper. Smooth, full body with nuances of baked yams and damp wood. Clean finish with a delicate dryness. I added soy milk to the latter half of one cup, with a squirt of agave, and the tea flavor came through nicely, bringing it’s stimulating, spicy element along.

After reading tasting notes on this one I decided I have to place an order for it. Then I thought hmmm maybe just maybe AmazonV sent this to me in her (very generous selections) that she sent to me.

I opened up the box and squealed “Thank you, Thank youuuu AmazonV!!” Grateful I didn’t have to place a order and wait for it to find out if I like it. I steeped it up according to the directions and had a bit of a tea failure in that I spilt some of the leaves into my actual cup by over pouring water into the strainer. So I am having my tea leaves and all!

Okay so dry leaf smells the same as steeped tea (keep in mind there is actual leaf in my tea cup) the smell reminds me of Bath and Body Works. I love the smell in Bath and Body works so this is a good thing and it’s not a strong smell a very faint scent of B&B.

The tea tastes very good! It is white tea mixed with berry flavored I can only think berry as I ‘ve not knowingly ever eaten a black currant and therefore am unsure what they taste like. I enjoyed this cup I think I will make a cup iced today since I read in Jacqueline’s review that it is yummy iced I will try it and revisit my notes then.

Thanks AmazonV you rock!

P.S. Anybody looking to trade some Black Currant Bai Mu Dan for a almost whole bag of Buttered Raisin Cinnamon Toast let me know. :)

Ok, so I’ve been putting off rating this tea for a while. Because everyone loves it, and I initally didn’t find it particularly special. I wasn’t getting the amazing dessert overtones that everyone else got.

But, it’s been growing on me. And now, I really like it. Especially when I have it with half and half and sweetener. Fruity, smooth, and just pleasureable.

Yum.

I steeped this one longer to see if I could make it into a morning tea instead of the afternoon-ish tea I accused it of being with a 3min steep. Mission accomplished. It’s still a very sweet Yunnan, making me think of figs and raisins, but the extra minute let this tea develop a little chewiness to the body and made it stand up nicely to a small dash of half & half and sugar. Now on the Yunnan spectrum (light and sweet Samovar’s Yunnan Golden Buds on one end, rough and tumble Andrews and Dunham’s Series 4 on the other), it definitely clocks in more on the A+D S4 side of things. It’s still not quite as heavy or as thick as the Tiger and there is a very strong fruity taste to it that does make it feel overall lighter than S4, but it is still quite tasty. However, as far as Yunnan morning teas go, I think Samovar’s Breakfast blend still has my vote since it seems overall smoother, even without additives and at a 4min steep.

From the Wikipedia entry on East Frisia:

In an otherwise coffee drinking country, East Frisia is noted for its consumption of tea and its tea culture. Strong black tea is served whenever there are visitors to an East Frisian home or other gathering, as well as with breakfast, mid-afternoon, and mid-evening. Tea is sweetened with kluntjes, a rock candy sugar that melts slowly, allowing multiple cups to be sweetened.2 Heavy cream is also used to flavor the tea. The tea is generally served in traditional small cups, with little cookies during the week and cake during special occasions or on weekends as a special treat. Brown rum, mixed with kluntjes and left for several months, is also added to black tea in the winter. The tea is alleged to cure headaches, stomach problems, and stress, among many other ailments."

As for me, I had a pot of it this morning with breakfast: it is an ideal blend for that time of day. But I couldn’t abide sweetener or cream, so I had it black. It was delicious! Perhaps if I ever travel to Ostfriesland, I shall try it the traditional way

Today I was a little more careful. I used only 4 ounces of water. I still don’t think I’m getting the full effect. I’ve noticed that the tasting notes are all over the place on this tea. I can smell the floral aspects which are pleasant but not to-fall-in-love-with. I can also pick up on a sun-shiny buttery aspect of the tea.

I think my palate prefers the big boom to the delicate touch. In terms of being a tea drinker, I feel a bit like Sir Walter Scott felt about Jane Austen: "The Big Bow-wow strain I can do myself like any now going; but the exquisite touch, which renders ordinary commonplace things and characters interesting, from the truth of the description and the sentiment, is denied to me. "
The exquisite palate is denied to me but I certainly enjoy those Big Bow-wow teas.

My ratings, by the way, reflect my own pleasure in the tea and have nothing to do with the tea’s actual merit or lack thereof.

Another selection from Miss Sweet’s goody bag that she sent me…YAY!

mocha…CHECK

chocolate and coffee…CHECK

roasted matè, cocoa…OKAY…I’ll buy it!

almond…IS PRESENT, slightly.

cactus flowers and cornflower blossoms…CAN’T TELL

All-in-All I totally see what they are going for here! And I would say it would be comparable to Roasted Chocolate Almond Coffee or Mocha…

I’m glad I got to try this, not sure if I would buy it myself. It’s nice for a change but not something I would drink daily. It seems to leave a slight barky after taste…but not too bad.

Fairly good considering all the ingredients and the coffee alternative mask…

Thanks to Tea Bird for sending me some of my favorite tea! I love this, but I ran out, and I’ve made a promise to myself (and my bank account) to not order any tea during the month of April. It’s been a while since I’ve had this, and it was just as good as I remember. It’s funny how tastes can remind you of things. Like today, when I took my first sip of this, I remembered how I used to drink this during my English class in the mornings. I could hear the sound of my professor’s voice and the buzzing of the kid’s phone who sits behind me and constantly texts during class.

I love how the white tea is still detectable behind the blueberry taste. The two are such light tastes that they compliment each other perfectly. This is definitely a great summer tea.

The dry leaf smells like tart strawberries, but the honey colored liquor smells mostly of cheesecake. The taste is a bit thinner than the smell but I think that could be fixed with another minute of steeping or a bit more leaf. Though the taste did get stronger as it cooled.

This is a very pleasant tea that bring to mind Victorian parlors, fine china, and afternoon tea parties in English rose gardens.