New Tasting Notes

Edit: SIPDOWN! lol since the rest is going to kittenna haha

YAY for organizing my tea cupboard this weekend. I’ve managed to pull out all the tea that’s nearly at the end of their package so that I can focus on drinking those over the next two weeks as well as trying out a few of the teas in my cupboard that i haven’t yet tried.

This tea falls into the first category – there’s only about enough for another cup of this (well one of MY cups…so that’s like 2). So I had some tonight to get that down a bit more. I’ll likely reorder this at a later date from Stacy as it’s a pretty enjoyable blueberry tea and it has decent re-steeps as well which is always nice.

I had this as a chai latte at the DFW airport on my way to vacation last week. I was looking for some breakfast before the flight and this jumped out at me. It was excellent. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a green chai, much less a powdered one. The guy making it told me he was also putting Japanese matcha in it but who knows. He was a little hard to understand and it was early in the morning. :) He did give me the extra that wouldn’t fit in the regular cup in a little tasting cup and gave me a medium for small price. I had asked for a small and he either misunderstood or he was bored because he made a medium and then told me he was charging me the small price. Not gonna complain about that. :)

At any rate, this was thick, rich, sweet and amazing. I’m going to have to keep an eye out for some. It was best hot, but cooled off to lukewarm it was still good, though the aftertaste got stronger and wouldn’t have been my favorite part of it.

UPDATE: The dude who made this for me did indeed add matcha to it. When I made this at home tonight, it was not green and it tasted different. Still had an odd bit of aftertaste, but not as creamy and not green. :) Tried adding some matcha powder I got from Teavana awhile back and blech. I think I need to figure out how to mix matcha before I try this again. That and I’m pretty sure I just don’t care much for matcha when it tastes like matcha. :)

Had a rotten day so dug around for my favorite tea.
Not sure what does it for me with this combo but I love it. It’s happy and relaxing and all around GOOD!

Sadly I may soon run out.

Definitely bold, definitely sweet. Very vanilla. Very forgiving. I steeped for quite awhile by accident and it doesn’t seem to have suffered much. Going to have to try this next to Tea Merchant’s Silk Dragon and see if there is a difference and if I prefer one to the other.

I could drink the silk oolongs all day long, I think.

Sipdown sadness :(

Loose
Appearance: basic black leaf,, mostly coffee dark black, small curl
Aroma when Dry: malty, fruity, astringent
After water is first poured: fruity, malty, sweet
At end of first steep: fruity, sweet
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: Shadowy brown
Staple? Type No, would drink this one again, might buy
Preferred time of day: any
Taste:
At first (without milk)?: flat, non astringent black
As it cools?: notes deepen, raisin notes surface
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Only slight mineral notes

The vanilla flavor in this tea was not as good as Numi Vanilla Decaf; it was less intense, less vanilla-y. It tasted more artificial, like a second-rate vanilla ice cream, rather than like a premium ice cream. I’m sure that Harney and Sons uses real vanilla, so I wonder if they used less vanilla, or the tea base didn’t blend well with the vanilla. Or perhaps decaf tea works better with vanilla than regular tea, since others seem to like Harney’s decaf Vanilla Comoro.

I ordered this because my Wednesday tea party friend loves, loves, LOVES blueberries. I was pretty excited about it, too, because I am a tea nerd and I think the tin is pretty. And it’s new.

I am not disappointed. To the contrary, I plan to start harassing Mike Harney to give this to us in loose leaf as soon as possible. This is brilliant. I swear it smells me candy or something very familiar that I can’t quite put my finger on, something like American Smarties?

The blueberry is almost grape candy flavor, maybe because of the lemongrass which is a delightful touch and brightens the tea without being harsh or tart. The vanilla is smooth and light.

Since this only comes in a thirty sachet tin right now, I was a little worried about how fast I will burn through these sachets. The ability to resteep was a big concern. I am happy to say that cup number two is every bit as enjoyable as the first one. Hooray! Michael? Russell? How about a fifty sachet bag and some loose leaf? You have a winner here!

Edited to add: Even when dry this sachet was absolutely stuffed to busting! I got three steeps!

This tea practically leaped out to me tonight when I was looking for something out of the ordinary to sip while working on homework (exciting Friday night, huh?) The dry leaves smell wonderful, like sweet milk chocolate. The tea smells like hot chocolate, and with a little milk and just a pinch of sweetener it’s very much like sipping a nice hot cocoa. I wish it was a little more creamy, but overall it’s a nice tea treat.

-Dry blend has black tea leaves and pieces of cacao.
-Dry leaves smell like sweet milk chocolate. Tea liquor aroma is of strong hot chocolate.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium brown color.
-Heavy chocolate flavor with a sweet rich finish.
-Best with milk and the smallest amount of sweetener.
-Good tea. Heavy chocolatey dessert tea.

Had this tea this morning…. not bad. I got the strawberry taste but less of the chocolate-strawberry combo. Unfortunately, I accidentally let it cool down too much so I had it slightly colder than room temperature. I would definitely prefer it hotter.

Love this “tea”… The dry smell is delicious, it is like taking a whiff of an apple pie. The taste might even be better. I can definitely get the apples and the almonds. I also love that is is caffeine-free. A perfect evening treat. Oh and the brewed color is this wonderful shade of pink. Funny enough this tea made me buy a see through glass mug, just so I can see the liquid.

I loved this blend. The mix of Assam and Golden Monkey was perfect; the flavors complemented and enriched each other. I liked Golden Monkey, but did not love it, but the combination with the Assam gave it depth and richness. Flawless!

This is one of those teas that I purchased with such high hopes. I prefer black tea over green tea, but my fiancee likes green tea, so I thought this would be a good one to keep in our cupboard. Even he ignores it when making tea, so I’m rating and passing it along. The teabags smell like tart hibiscus and berries. The tea liquor itself actually reminds me of the warm berry filling in a pie or cobbler. Unfortunately the flavor is rather lacking. It starts off with a burst of tartness, but then this icky, musty taste with an artificiallness to it finishes. Sweetener brings out a little more berry flavor, but doesn’t disguise the yucky finish. Just blah. I even checked the bottom of the tin to make sure that it hasn’t expired, and it’s good until this upcoming June. It may be good as an iced tea, but I just don’t even like it enough to try it out.

-Round natural unbleached teabag.
-Teabag smells like tart hibiscus and berries. Tea liquor aroma is of warm berries.
-Tea liquor is a deep purple color.
-Tart flavor with a musty artificial finish.
-Best with sweetener.
-Poor tea. Nasty artificial-tasting finish.

Sipdown!

Thanks to the lovely kittenna for a sample of this one. I was pretty sure this wouldn’t be my favourite as I’m starting to realise i’m not overly a fan of guayusa. I don’t hate it but it’s just not a base i can REALLY get behind. When i steep this one, I actually taste more mint than anything while the after sip is where the vanilla is hiding. However, in between the two is the weird earthy/grassiness of the tea that makes my face scrunch up a little.

If you like this tea base and enjoy vanilla, this is likely a great tea for you. The lavender is just a hint in the tea, so floral haters need not fear (i despise floral teas). I really appreciate the chance to give this one a whirl! Thanks Kittenna

This is the fifth Butiki guayusa that I’ve tried. I’ve been a bit hesitant to try this one, as I detest lavender (especially the smell). I shouldn’t have been worried. It tasted very smooth, I couldn’t detect the lavender, and there wasn’t even a hint of the grassiness that guayusas are known for. Just a nice, almost creamy taste. This is a good combination of flavours. I like mint, but if you don’t, don’t worry, it’s not overpowering here.

I way over-steeped my tea as I’m packing to move and got distracted, so I had it after it had steeped for 20+ min.

This tea surprised me. The loose, dry tea, resembles more black tea than it does white. The lavender and vanilla are in good balance. This tea is sweet, creamy, and almost has a nutty flavour. The tea is heavy and thick. The lavender leaves a slightly astringent aftertaste. The more it cools, the stronger the lavender notes get. This is not my favorite tea, but it is enjoyable.

This tea was so familiar to me and I couldn’t figure out why….I read through the comments here and someone mentioned this was similiar to Teavana’s “Cha Yen Thai” black tea. Yes – that’s it! I drank that tea frequently a few years ago. I’m happy to find something similar in a rooibos blend.

This was the second sample I tried from the Den’s Tea sampler set. After letting the tea bag infuse for the allotted set of time, the liquor took on a murky, light green appearance. The aroma was pleasant: toasted, evoking the smell of fried Chinese vegetables, particularly that of bok choy (I’m probably the only one who thinks, but, hey, it’s what I was reminded of). The flavor of the tea was full-bodied and smooth, and had a fine balance of the sencha and the roasted rice. Due to the “extra green,” or matcha, it was also slightly bitter.

I enjoyed this tea very much overall. Plus, the wet leaves in the satchels were pleasant to smell!

EDITED: Around ten minutes of the finishing the first infusion, I felt a energized!

I am not sure what to think. My taste buds are in a bit of shock. It is good. The problem is I am such an earl grey addict I had never branched out to all of the earl grey variations that are out there. I love the strong bergamot, the caramel definitley gives it some sweetness and very creamy flavour.
I am sure I will enjoy this over and again.

I ordered a sample box from Liberteas and was delighted when it showed up today! She managed to stuff 23 samples in there, and nearly half of them were from 52 teas, so now I’ll have a better idea of what those crazy blends are like. Each little bag is nicely labeled and has the brewing instructions too so I don’t have to worry about not knowing what the heck I’m doing. I don’t know how often she does these little sample boxes, but I highly recommend it as a great try-me package – you can check her profile for the link if anyone is interested.

I should mention that I had a good amount of say in what I wanted her to send but I decided that besides trying some 52 Teas, I’d like to be surprised.

I ran out to check for mail before I made any tea, so once I opened this treasure chest up, I picked this one because of the name and I am off to a great start on this sampling journey!

I have a really hard time describing it – it’s very complex but I guess it’s a blend of three different teas and each are contributing something to it. I love how smooth every sip is, and slightly malty, but more and more into the cup I’m getting fruity notes and cream too! I think I have enough in my sample pack for at least two giant 16oz mugs so I look forward to trying to puzzle this tea out.

Hmm – maybe Assam and Darjeeling? Not sure of the third.

I really love this though. Guaranteed that if I ever order from Hugo, I would get this!

Bought this as a Christmas gift for JP. He made it himself with “too much tea not enough water” and thought it was far too strong.

Fast forward a week with me making at at the listed prep specs, low and behold he liked it! It has nice sweet notes and is a pretty mellow Assam.

I discovered this gem while touring Celestial Seasoning’s plant in Boulder Thanksgiving of 2011. I highly recommend the tour and tasting room to anyone who finds themselves in the area! While on the tour, the guide told us about an extra-caffeinated tea that had been discontinued, but recently brought back into production due to its large cult following. Being a graduate student who regularly works late into the night, I had to check it out. From the first sip, I was hooked!

I bought an entire case (6 boxes) in the gift shop after the tour and ordered another case online a few months after that. I went through a phase where I was completely obsessed with this tea. I still adore it, and it’s probably the only bagged tea that I will regularly buy when it runs out. My caffeine tolerance is not what it used to be, so I haven’t enjoyed a cup of Fast Lane for a very long time until last night when I needed an extra caffeine boost. I was a little surprised by how much I still love it after making the switch to loose tea.

I love the smell of this both bagged and brewed. The cinnamon dominates and has the quality reminiscent of baked cookies (rather than red hot candies). There’s also a sweetness that I think comes from the cola nut. It’s divine. This tea is really smooth, so long as you pay attention to steeping time.

It sounds completely crazy, but sometimes I wish there was a caffeine free variety of Fast Lane. I know it completely defeats the purpose, but it tastes so damn good that I wish I could drink it more often without staying up all night!