rubicat

I am a dedicated milk tea drinker, but this oolong, an inspired choice by a new friend, may very well sway me back into green and light tea territory. It has a lovely aroma and taste, and is not bitter at all (I did add sugar to my first cup, but drank the following cups straight). It re-steeps fabulously; the tea-person at Teavana assured me this oolong, at a pricey $22.00 per 2 ounces, could re-steep 3 to 4 times with no trouble. And it did!

I’ve now enjoyed five cups of this fabulous Oolong, earthy and light, with a touch of fruit and creamy textures. Very cleansing and comforting!

No notes yet.

Oh, Teaism. First you had me with the Chai, and now you throw a wonderfully smooth, tasty Genmaicha over my tastebuds. I am generally a black/milk tea person, but any cup of tea that essentially tastes like liquid Frosted Flakes has my vote. But YOUR genmaicha, Teaism, isn’t quite as cloying as others; it is more subtle, but the toasted rice comes right through. Assertive little things.

I look forward to my next visit to Teaism in DC. I’ve had a bracing black and a gentle green; I want to try so many more!

I ate dinner today and Busboys and Poets in Arlington, VA; our server brought a tea chest filled with Liquid Planet teas and I chose the Mumbai Chai.

Wonderful chai tea, with balanced, fragrant spices. Very smooth and yummy with milk and sugar.

While visiting a friend in DC, I had breakfast at Teaism. I thought that I had tasted all manner of Chai from mild to spicy, but I had never had THIS Chai. The fragrant burst of spice from the cardamom makes the initial spice of this chai very assertive, but the flavours throughout are smooth and delicious. I ended up going to the store and buying a bag to make a proper chai at home.

I tried this tea recently for the second time, because I don’t like to walk away from a potentially good tea. My problem is that Chai, to me, is a milk tea that should be smooth and creamy. I don’t like the sudden tang of peppercorn in this tea. At all. I’m not a fan of Rooibos either, but the tea did not detract too much from the smoothness of the coconut. The peppercorns, however, were too strong a contrast, and left me with an aftertaste.

For those who like peppery teas? Worth a try. So far, though, my favourite Coconut Chai remains the Southern Seasons blend.

I brewed this as iced tea this summer, and it was lovely. I’ve just steeped my first hot cup of barley tea of the winter, and I’m in love again. I’ve always referred to barley or genmaicha tea as “frosted flakes in a cup.” My friend Erica concurs, although her cereal of choice would be Sugar Smacks. Either way, barley tea gives you that comfort of breakfasty goodness, especially if you drink it with milk, as I do.

I steeped for a fairly long time (around 4 minutes, and using boiling water), but the barley just grew more intense and robust, not bitter. It appears to be a forgiving tea for those who get distracted by things while steeping. :) I added milk (like I do….) and the barley is still a pronounced taste. It feels, to me, along the lines of a mild Yunnan, but with a more roasty/nutty flavour.

Find this brand in your Asian supermarkets; I got mine at H Mart in Burlington, Massachusetts. :)

Ahhh, Lupicia. You always know how to put summer in my mouth. :) The peach and vanilla flavours in this light, fruity tea are smooth and tasty. I didn’t even have to sweeten it!

My dear Momoko, I’m sorry I almost boiled your water and steeped you for longer than recommended, but you still made me quite happy. You are a very good tea, and I intend to have you in my cupboard soon. :)

My summer addiction. Some have their weekends on the Cape; others have their parade of trashy novels. I have Tazo Chai Tea Latte. I take mine with an extra pump of chai, 2% milk, and just a bit of ice. My venti Chai makes me very, very happy, and I have been drinking one at least four times a week all summer. Thankfully, I received a Starbucks gift card for my birthday, so my addiction hasn’t broken the bank.

I have been logging only NEW teas that I drink. I recently read a couple notes from people who simply log EVERY tea they drink. I wonder whether that’s the way to go, since I haven’t been drinking new-to-me teas all summer….

This tea is aromatic and tasty with a subtle bite from the cinnamon, which doesn’t overpower the tea. I’ve had this tea both with and without milk, and I love it either way. The cinnamon is such a welcome taste in the tea, and it’s quite smooth.

I’m curious to know whether the past reviews of this tea were based on Teavana’s old Thai blend or the new Thai blend. The last time I bought Thai from Teavana, in spring 2010, it was still simple, straightforward Thai tea: strong black tea with traditional Thai flavors.

The last time I stopped by Teavana for a refill was in early January. To my horror, the Thai tea I knew and loved has turned into a ghastly over-perfumed mix that they call their “interpretation of the popular Thai iced tea blend.” To be fair, this blend might taste quite nice iced, and I will try it this summer. For now, I bemoan the departure from what I deem “true” Thai tea into this over-flavoured mix of assam, rooibos, star anise, almonds, and “a bevy of” Thai spices.

I feel like Teavana hijacked my Thai tea. :( Now I have to find it elsewhere!

I’ve been enjoying this Darjeeling for a while now. This is a straightforward darjeeling that is aromatic and smooth. The light floral notes make this an excellent afternoon tea! This darjeeling is simple and uncomplicated. A perfect cuppa. :)

No notes yet.

Subtle Earl Grey flavour that is smooth and not at all astringent! I LOVE this tea!

I’m already a fan of the Sadaf special blend with cardamom, and I’m a fan of Earl Grey. So why, one asks, did it take me this long to try the Sadaf special blend with Earl Grey? Because I couldn’t fully appreciate it until a cold afternoon where I’m at my wits’ end and running errands which, serendipitously, included a Lebanese food store.

I always drink black tea with sugar and milk, and this brew mellows quite nicely into a lovely cup. I get the taste of Earl Grey, and a not-too-bold base of black tea. This is a fabulous afternoon tea.

I work at a salon with a Keurig machine, so I brought in my own tea k-cups. This English Breakfast k-cup by Bigelow is certainly good, even though it tastes a bit run-of-the-mill for tea. Seems to have an astringency to it, but milk and sugar help lessen the bitterness.

Okay, so sometimes you have the tea that you love, and sometimes you need something quick that resembles the tea that you love. And every now and then, you slum it with a generic tea dust that somewhat resembles the memory of tea that you love, but really you just want something because you’re out of range of good tea.

It’s Dunkin Donuts. Still, I’d expect a bit less bitter of a taste, you know? Thankfully, I’m a milk- and sugar- tea drinker, so it’s not awful. And if you’re at Dunkin Donuts and not a coffee drinker? It’s like a pity offering. It will get you through your tea fix, but …. well, it will get you through the tea fix. :)

I have drank my first three cups of Eggnogg’n Tea this season. It’s definitely a milk tea, but it satisfies my cravings for an afternoon sweet snack without having to indulge in chocolate. :) My rating stands – still love this tea. If you like milk, vanilla, or generally “creamy” tea, you should try this one!

Picked up a packet of Good Earth Earl Grey from a store’s tea basket, and I don’t think I’ll try this one again. While I love Earl Grey, this particular blend is quite citrusy and is overtaken by the bergamot. I always drink my Earl with milk, which usually smoothes out overzealous peppery tastes. This still felt astringent and strong, even for a normal steep. I would suggest a light steep to determine taste, with an additional steep if you like some face-puckering Earl Grey taste. Then again, Good Earth is noted for having very bold flavours, no?

I have a serious cold, and decided to try Lupicia’s “After 5” mint green tea with honey. It cleared my head a little, but it’s surprisingly mild. I’ve used Penzey’s Spices to make mint tea – their dried Spearmint with honey and lemon is amazing. Of course, Lupicia is giving me mint GREEN tea, so the subtle nature of the tea is understandable. Considering the complexity of so many of Lupicia’s teas, I don’t think I’ll be ordering this when I’m in the mood for mint or green tea.

My first taste of this tea was in the middle of winter, where I longed for something akin to comfort food. It was rich, creamy, and yummy. A few teacups later, I am finding myself skipping this tea for more solid milk teas. It’s still a good basic tea, but my love has waned a bit.

I received from Mad Tea Party Blend teabags for my birthday, and tried my first cup today (with milk). A lovely, fruity cup of tea that is interesting with an attempt at complexity, but the flavour feels a bit confused. The apricot is front and center, but there seems to be some notes jostling for attention. It’s almost cloying in its fragrance. Still, a delightful, happy cup of tea for a nice afternoon treat.

Hawaiian Islands Tea impresses me again with this smooth, creamy black tea with a yummy vanilla flavor that’s not too overpowering. I added milk to my cup, which goes very well, in my opinion, with vanilla/black teas. Next time I think I’ll try it without milk to get an even better taste of the flavour of this tea.

Fabulous comfort tea!

I tried this as iced tea yesterday. Quite wonderful! The cardamom still lends personality to the tea, and this has a lovely flavour as an iced tea. I imagine it would be great with a Thai style splash of cream as well – I’ll have to try that soon. :)

I’m not a fan of rooibos, but while at Teavana in the mall I’ll taste anything. This is a wonderfully fruity, light tea where the rooibos doesn’t seem to alter the berry personality of the tea. I bought 2 ounces to take home for iced tea. A wonderful perfume that’s not too cloying in its sweetness. I plan to mix this with other black and fruit teas to create iced tea blends this summer. :)