New Tasting Notes

This tea has a citrus smokey taste. It is sweet without being bitter. I tried it with and without cream and prefer it without. Also too much sweetener makes it taste like candy which is way too much. A little agave is fine or honey. Brewed with spring water…1 TB for 2 1/2 cup pot. The flavor is interesting and unusual. I would not like it weak or iced or over steeped. I did not taste definate rose or chocolate.

Well, I keep going back to see if I am going to change my mind about this tea. After 4 tasteings using Spring Water to brew…a 2 cup pot…using 1 TB and letting the tea steep for about 5 min. also with sugar instead of honey or agave and cream instead of milk. I love this tea!!! The roasting of the leaves is just enough to give a subtle smoke like the experience of chicory coffee at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. The mocha note with orange is just and not cloying. This is not too girly. Solid robust flavor.

This was the first peppermint tea I’ve found that isn’t overwhelmingly minty; it’s subtle and delicious. Just right for a cold day.

This is very good. I must admit, I’m a bit flabbergasted that this was at my local health-food store (next to Yogi tea no less). This tea is a bit of a hybrid since it’s pu-erh, rooibos, and misc spices. I’ve separated this tasting into four parts that include the initial tasting, the apex plateau, the lingering plateau, and the final exhale tasting. I may start doing my notes like this because I think it describes the teas better (if you think otherwise just tell me I suck in my comments).

Initial: The pu-erh itself hits your tastebuds first- very nonchalant and earthy (the same earthy I’d describe mushrooms), but almost immediately the orange zest and rooibos pop up like some sort of surprise party.

Apex: The apex of the tasting reveals cocoa and the vanilla beans (I love that these compliment each other so well). I hate chocolate, but this is very smooth and not over-done.

Lingering taste: The fading of the tasting reveals the cinnamon (which again compliments the apex very well).

Final exhale: A final exhale tasting highlights the miniscule nuances of what tastes like nutmeg and of course the normal lingering chocolate aftertaste.

Overall I think this is a wonderful alternative to hot chocolate. It may not be that chocolatey, but I would consume it when I’d normally consume hot chocolate (because it’s hot and yummy).

Ok. So now I’ve had it hot and cold brewed. I must say, it’s much better cold brewed. Hot, it has a creaminess from the coconut and more spicy flavors. Cold brewed, the fruit punch flavor and almond notes come through clear and clean. It’s less rich but more intense.

In any case, I’m liking this less. Perhaps I have to be in the right mood for such intense flavors. I’m craving an oolong but it’s too late for that now. :(

I am notoriously fussy when it comes to honeybush and roobois teas, don’t really like most of them but hope springs eternal, I guess… :)

This is a really nice offering from 52 Teas. I find that it needs to steep for at least 5 minutes or the flavor is a bit “thin”. The honeybush provides it with some natural sweetness but the pineapple and rum are the things that really stand out for me. I happen to be a coconut freak so ended up adding in some of my own organic coconut extract. Pretty tasty!

Second and last cup from the mailed sample. Still feel the same as before, it is a lot more delightful than I expected. But yeah, if you aren’t a lemongrass fan you should steer well clear of this one.

Went to Teavana today and they fixed me up a drink of this but mixed it with Azteca Fire (chocolate ) and it honestly tasted like a Chocolate covered Strawberry. The taste of the Latin cocoa pieces from the Azteca were exquisite and with it shaken with the Strawberry Paraiso makes it a perfect cup. I made a double batch for my mother and I and put 3 tsp of each in my Tea Press. Shook it up a little bit and let it steep for precisely 15-17 minutes. Then put it on ice. Wonderful treat :)

This is my favorite morning tea; it’s a strong black tea but not at all bitter – just robust. Add in a little cream and sugar, and I’m ready for a great day! Highly recommended.

This was definitely not the tea for me. The first time I tried it I was sick with a horrid cold, and I didn’t mind it. I love black licorice and there was enough of the flavour in the tea for me to be content.

Now that I’m healthy I revisited the tea and was overpowered by the combination of the flavours. If you’re a fan of licorice or anise teas, you’re going to love this one. But if you’re like me and only like the candy, I’d give this one a pass.

I love pumpkin and I love chai, but until now, I hadn’t found the perfect pumpkin spice chai! This blend is absolutely delicious – not too heavy on the chai spices, and just enough pumpkin taste to make it yummy. The chai is cinnamon-based rather than peppery or licorice in nature. Highly recommended!

Growing up (in the 70s and 80s), this was our “fancy tea” – we only had it for Christmas or when someone wasn’t feeling good. It’s still a comforting tea to me; a nice rich blend of black tea with orange and spices. It’s great on a cold day with sugar and cream.

I received this as a sample with my order. I was not bashful with the steep times and the result was very good. Dense fruit and very flavorful. Truly a very enjoyable tea. I was getting a burnt orange cinnamon spice flavor. A lovely aroma. The taste lingers in my mouth….

I got this tea in a tea swap recently, and I love it – it’s now one of my winter “go to” teas. It’s a very smooth black tea with hints of almond and spice in it, but it’s not overpowering at all. It’s hard to explain, but with a little sugar and cream, it’s like a spa moment in a cup. I ordered more since it is only offered around the holidays…

Oh my heaven, have I ever under-appreciated this tea! The beau and I have been turning to this a lot lately as a pot to enjoy together. I find it delicious and sweetly lemon, more lemon cream pie than lemon zest – and I like that. For my Canadian friends, this reminds me of Honey Bee from Davids Tea in some ways, though obviously non-caffeinated. Caffeine doesn’t bother me one way or another, but I like the rooibos base (no bitterness, huzzah!) Highly recommended and one of the rare teas I am actually increasing the rating on after having enjoyed it for a few months. I bought the biggest tin available of this (6 oz) when I placed my order, and for once I don’t regret it – this is fabulous!

This is a really fantastic Nilgiri. Bright and flavorful. A lovely floral note that arrives about mid-sip. Moderately astringent. I’d classify it as something between an Assam and a Ceylon – with the brisk tones of the Ceylon and the deep, rich flavor of freshly baked bread of an Assam. A very pleasant cup, indeed!

I notice as the tea cools a bit the flavors smooth out very nicely, this would be awesome iced!

So today I decided to finish this tea off. I was actually a little disappointed because it was the first time I was actually doing it exactly according to the brewing instructions. I added less leaf than I normally do and it was not as shockingly flavorful.
I think that this particular tea has run its course with me. Although it’s an interesting blend of fruity flavors and packs quite the tangy punch I don’t see it as a contender for other blends.
This tea would be great for my friends who do not normally drink tea. For me it was decently tasty, sweet and just enough stimulant to get me going.
edit I’m also going to add here my short review of my Teavana tea pot I’ve been using.
I got the Belle Amitie glass teapot for my birthday. :) It is very pretty! There really have only been two problems with this pot. The first is I didn’t quite realize how large it was. I now commonly use my 8 o.z. glass pot from Dragon Tea House in favor of this one. 32 o.z. is too large for just me. Especially when I re-steep my teas.
The second (and largest) issue is the strainer. Although it does look natural with the set it just doesn’t work well as a strainer. The water doesn’t move through it well and little floaties get EVERYWHERE. I’m not one that likes that. I end up using my old coffee filter trick to strain this after steeping.
Overall I would give this a 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Tea sample provided by Teavivre for review

I tried this in a gaiwan (30s, +10s resteeps) but didn’t enjoy the result very much. So I then prepared it in a glass and used longer steeps.

First steep tasted sweet, vegetal, with honeydew and cucumber flavour, and was slightly buttery. Liquor felt very smooth and soft in my mouth.

Drinking from the second steep, the flavour is obviously much stronger, but still nice and not bitter. I prefer the delicate aroma of the first cup though.

As a personal preference, I think this tea benefits from a higher water to leaf ratio than offered by a gaiwan. One cup of water (I tend to use a bit more at 250ml) per 1 tsp worked very well for me. I still have plenty of the tea sample left so I will keep adjusting the steep settings to find what I like best.

Overall Xin Yang Mao Jian turned out to be very nice with a strong aroma and a fresh vegetal feel.

Glass mug, 250ml of water, 1 tsp, 2 steeps

I am in love with this tea. It reminds me so much of my first looseleaf tea that I ever had, which led me to my tea addiction of today. It’s mellow and fruity and just such a lovely tea to sit and sip while I’m doing just about anything. I enjoy it at anytime of the day, and at any temperature.

This is one that I will never be without in my tea collection, and which if I share with you, you know you’re one of my favourites!