New Tasting Notes

This is a “Say it isn’t so!” sipdown :(

I’ve been hanging on to the last bit of this honeybush because I couldn’t bear to see it gone from my cupboard. But today I was searching for an oldie but a goodie, and this one fit the bill perfectly. As with most honeybush blends I brew this one strong and for a long time. It’s nice as a hot tea, but I find that the flavors come out even more when it cools. When I had an upset stomach, I enjoyed a splash of this honeybush with club soda. Goodbye old faithful, I hope to see you soon

Sipdown!

Sil was nice enough to send me a little bit of this! And I could tell by looking at it that it was a Yunnan tea! I get points for that!

As expected, this is a nice light tea, with bright honeyed notes. I can’t really tell the difference between this and other Yunnan’s though. I guess I need to work on that!

So I’m home nursing a bum ankle today, so it’s a tea-splurging day. And this was the first I grabbed out of the pile I set aside.
Got this one recently and I loved the smell of it. Also the ingredients sounded interesting, though I wasn’t sure what half of them should taste like. Lol.
I get cinnamon right off the bat just from smelling it, but not much else. I definitely get the cinnamon in tasting it, maybe hints of something else, but unfortunately the cinnamon is pretty much all I’m tasting from this. I have enough for a cup, possibly two cups, left, so I might try either a longer steep time or more leaf to see what sort of result I get.
I’m glad I tried it, but if all I get is cinnamon next time I make this, this definitely won’t be going in the reorder pile. As it stands now, I probly wouldn’t reorder it at this time.

Edit – Made a second steep (3 min, same temp) of this just ‘cause I figured it wouldn’t hurt. The cinnamon definitely backs off, but lingers around. It’s gotten a bit sour/tart now, maybe from the berries coming through? I added a bit of sugar to tame that and it’s alright. Nothing spectacular or impressive and likely I won’t finish this cup. /shrug/

Finally getting around to trying this one from May’s TOTM club. I’ve only been in the Reserve club for this one month and so far it’s awesome and I really liked 3 out of the 4 selections (still don’t like shu pu’erh).

Once again, I can’t seem to drink tea at work while it’s warm so this is for a room temperature cup of tea. I gave away a second cup’s worth of this to a co-worker with a really unrefined palate (“tasted like a milder tea than black tea”, “all tea tastes like ‘tea’”). I’m sharing a cup of my second steep (for which the water is heating up now) with a coworker with a more refined palate who actually likes white tea.

This tea tastes actually pretty green to me. Maybe it’s because I haven’t really tasted that many quality white teas at all, but this is a very mild, light flavour. I can definitely taste the clover in this, but not so much the marshmallow. This has a much thicker mouthfeel than I was expecting from a tea that barely turns the water yellow. There is something food-like that I also taste that I can’t quite identify, not quite ‘vegetal’ precisely, perhaps the green apple taste that’s mentioned in the description. All in all, this is a really nice tea.

This is a stout Malty brew!

Another free sample from Butiki!

The dry tea smells very mildly of sweet bergamot. Brewed the tea is lightly scented bergamot but there is also a sweet scent to the tea. The brewed tea taste like a medium boldness black tea with light bergamot flavouring. The black tea base is not too strong and it blends well with the bergamot. The bergamot tastes sweet. There is almost a sweet candied orange taste to the tea. The sweetness is not overpowering though, and fits just right with the tea blend.

I would describe this as a traditional Earl Grey, the bergamot is just right. This is a good one for anyone that doesn’t like their bergamot too strong.

I’m not getting quite the depth and boldness that some of the reviewers got from this tea. It’s an ok cup, but nothing spectacular. It could use some sweetener. It seems to have a flavor similar to red dragon pearls from thepuriTea, though not as bold. I remember the dragon pearl tea having a harsh un-sweetness about just as this one does.

Dude. If someone would have told me that this tea smells and tastes just like those Little Debbie individually wrapped iced gingerbread men, I would have tried it ages ago! Okay, I’ll be honest, it is a TEENSY bit bland, to call itself Gingerbread SPICE, but I’m enjoying it anyway, because it makes me think of those cookies. My box is also a bit on the old side, so it might be a little spicier if it was fresher (although some of the other comments seem to indicate maybe not).

In other sad news, I have had to cut ALL caffeine out of my diet because it gives my little girl really bad colic. So that means no black, mate, or oolong tea at the very least. I want to try green and white teas, but I just haven’t yet, partially because I’m scared (it’s REALLY bad colic) and partially because I just haven’t gotten a craving for one yet. It won’t last forever, but it makes me very sad. I just don’t get as excited about herbals, and rooibos and I are not on great terms at the moment. :(

Cold steeped overnight! So I don’t have to be awake to make tea! This one is easier to drink if cold steeped, the grapefruit is slightly gentler. Still not awake yet, I’ll probably need to switch to something with more oomph to it.

Making a big pot at work…slightly difficult, since there are only two temperatures of water that come from the water station: cold and hot, which is too hot for greens.

I’m hoping this tea will makeup for that last cup of terribleness! This is a pretty basic tea, so I figured it would be an easy one to prepare. This one surprised me, in that the tea aroma is very earthy. I suppose I’m used to a sweet maltiness from breakfast blends, but this one has more of an earthy quality about it. The flavor is very full, and has earthy and oaky notes. There is a light maltiness that comes in with the aftertaste. This is a complex flavored tea that keeps me sipping to try to taste all of the flavors. In one sip it seems very sweet, and in the next sip I get a heavy woodsy taste. I think I still prefer my strong, malty-sweet black teas, but this one is a nice change! Thank you, Serenity, for this sample!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves and twigs.
-Dry leaves smell softly malty. Tea liquor aroma is earthy.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Full earthy and oaky flavor and finish. Light malty aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Heavy earthy and oaky flavor with a hint of sweet maltiness.

This was the tea that I was trying to compare the French Blend to. This is a classic Earl Grey tea with well balanced lavender notes. Never thought I’d like lavender in tea, however I have had lavender shortbread cookies that I quite liked so why not tea too! I much prefer this simple addition of lavender into their Earl Grey to the more complex French Blend I tried yesterday.

Grandpa style tea time, now that my first cup of the day was consumed.
Grabbed this tea to bring to work this morning since I didn’t have time to refill my mini-tins with other stuff.

Got this with the spring collection I ordered a bit ago – in April, I think.

I want to like coconut, but I think I’ve been a non-fan too long. The leaves unfurl big and beautifully, and from what I can taste of them, I think they’d taste quite nice on their own. But the coconut flavor just overwhelms everything.

Pretty good, nice in the morning with some milk and sugar tho that made it a bit heavy on my belly.
Not sure if the caffeine or the milk and sugar but my belly kinda hurts now, It was worth it tho lol Yummy delish tea :)
I’ll taste it again soon without the additives

Scribbles sent this one to me this week as part of our swap. Thanks! I’ve never had a tea with nuts in it before so I was intrigued by this one, it looked a little like the trail mix I just bought at Whole Foods.

I wasn’t expecting this tea to be pink once steeped, so that was a bit of a surprise. I was worried that it might be from hibiscus (I wasn’t really looking closely when I scooped my tea in the pot), but it must be from the beetroot in the mix. I was expecting this to have more of a nutty flavor to it, but it was pretty subtle. Mostly I got cinnamon and sugar with a bit of apple and it reminded me a little of an apple crisp. Still, this ended up being a really nice herbal for the end of my day.

Christmas in June! I don’t really want this particular tea on this bright, summery day, but it’s in my cupboard and I just want to get it rated and either in a tin if I like it, or in the swap pile if I don’t. When I compared the ingredients on my sample pack to what’s listed online it varied slightly, so I think they must’ve changed the recipe since I had ordered it. The dry leaves smell very strongly of spicy cinnamon with a hint of cloves. There is also a sickly sweet smell about the dry leaves that I just can’t place – like an artificial sweet aroma. The tea itself has a more ‘Christmasy’ aroma of sweet oranges and spices. The flavor is very strong and spicy. The aftertaste is horrid – very bitter with an artificial flavor to it. I was hoping to get more of a clove flavor out of this cup, but the only hint of cloves that I notice is a light mouth-numbing quality. I added quite a bit of milk and sweetener just to make this drinkable, and it sort of dulled all of the other flavors so that it’s pretty bland. I can still detect something just off about this tea – there is just too much artificialness to it, and it stands out too strongly in this tea. I’m pouring this cup out and making something else!

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves with pieces of spices.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of spicy cinnamon with a hint of cloves. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet oranges and spices.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy very dark brown color.
-Strong spicy flavor and finish. Very bitter and artificial aftertaste. Lightly mouth numbing.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Poor tea. Bitter flavor with a heavy artificial taste.

This tea is gorgeous! It smells amazing (lovely bergamot) and it looks charming with the rose petals. Just the sight of it puts a smile on my face!

When I poured in the hot water the tea immediately separated: rose petals to the top, tea to the bottom, and orange peel going either way. The smell of roses is really coming out as it steeps. Mm… the scent of roses is one of my favorite smells. It’s so relaxing to me!

The tea itself smells great too, now I’m smelling all the elements. Who would have thought chocolatey Laoshan Black would blend with bergamot and rose? Well, Verdant did, obviously! Good idea, guys.

This is a whole different story from the Laoshan Genmaicha I tried. This has a sweetness from the rose petals and a hint of Earl Grey… but it’s so much more than a simple EG. It resteeps nicely, too! The flavors change, of course. The rose is a little washed out and the tea base comes in stronger.

You have done it again, Verdant! Another order, so soon? I’m tempted! Plus, I’ve had my eye on some teaware… not that I need it — we’re moving! Buying more breakable things would be a bad plan. Thank you for this beautiful blend!

Look how pretty: http://instagram.com/p/aheljdRM1a/

Received this as a free sample in my Butiki order.

I am not getting much smell from the dry tea but brewed it smells strongly of cinnamon bark. It reminds me very much of a cinnamon coffee cake. I thought I should have brought some brown sugar with me to put in this tea. Then I read the description on steepster and noticed it says to add some brown sugar… I guess I’m not crazy after all.

The taste of the tea cinnamon and amaranth. There is a slight pastry flavour on top of the black tea base. I get almonds towards the end of the sip and strongly in the aftertaste. This one reminds me of an almond biscotti.

I am not a super fan of dessert teas, usually because they are either disappointing or way too sweet. But this one is well done and I would be happy to enjoy it in place of a dessert.

Iced!

The scent from the 2013 Meijiawu is deep and strong. Roasted vegetal tastes combine with a sweet and nutty aftertaste to make for a deeply satisfying and lasting Lung Ching flavor. This delicious green tea is more reasonably priced than last year.
-RA

I’m not normally a fan of just plain chamomile tea but I do like the soothing effect that it provides. This tea is perfect for that because I get enough of the buttery, apple-like flavor of the chamomile but the hint of juicy citrus keeps it from being too bland or meal in flavor. A cup of this before bed, or on a lazy weekend morning is absolutely divine. I take mine as is, but if you like a hint of sweetener I suggest a dot or two of agave nectar.

This is absolutely one of my favorite teas. The aroma from the bag alone makes me want to just breathe it in. The mix of tropical fruits and actual pieces like pineapple bits makes this a delicious entry tea into the world of green tea. Unlike others who have said they felt the green tea taste was too strong I find it to be a mellow backdrop for the fresh fruity flavors. Mighty Leaf teas are hand-picked, hand-crafted and placed in hand-sewn silken pouches so it’s important to go by the brewing instructions they provide.

A new 2013 crop of this tea arrived in the shop this week! The thin leaves are a brighter green than years past, and have a lovely fresh aroma. The post-brew leaves are less uniform than last year’s crop, but have the same amazing citrus scent. The flavor is at first light, but quickly blossoms into a lush and bright citrus. This tantalizing flavor tingles and endures, fading into a darker, softer vegetal after taste.
An excellent tea.
-RA

Felt i just had to try this tea westernstyle.
I brewed it in the same manner i brew darjeeling SF/AF.

Side by side brewing.
6g / 400ml glazed ceramic pot.
6g / 400ml Zini yixingpot.

Single infusion
3m @ 100C

I decided to try the affinity with the Ziniclay. But to no avail, sofar the only tea suiting my tastebuds with ziniclay is ripe pu-erh. Gone was the creamy complex notes of cocoa, replaced by a slightly burnt aroma although with a nice aftertaste.

The ceramic pot performed better. Creamy cocoa. A very complex flavour. A bit on the light side. Will up the amount of leaf next try.
perhaps 6g / 200ml with a shorter steeping? 1-2m?

If anyone has some experience with suiting tea for ziniclay (purplebrown yixing) feel free to share.