AJ

The very last cup of this… I’m very sad to see it go.

I might consider putting in an order online, since the shop’s converted to a Digital Storefront only, but one of my favourite things was walking there myself, going in, and discussing tea.

Well, this is the last of this. I’ll miss it quite a bit. It’s delicious.

I plan to buy a nice big tin of it next year when it circles around again.

I’ve found that I really rather like it plain. It’s delicious, but not quite strong enough to hold up to milk. At least not for me, although I like “chai”-like drinks nice and strong. Still, the pumpkin and the spices—it’s very nice.

Made this quite strong this afternoon, but still all I can taste is sugary caramel, and no real spices. There’s a vague tea smell and taste, although I did add milk again so that might have covered everything up.

I think I’m getting a bit of cinnamon.

Finished this off. I’m still off the impression that there is no actual green tea in this, despite it even being listed under the Green-Black blend on Murchie’s website. It’s nice, and there isn’t so much rose as to turn me off, but I won’t get it again. It didn’t really jump out at me.

Finished this one off. Which is good, as I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would when I first got it. Odd bitter undertones I can’t get rid of.

This is… this is very different. Made it as a latte, so I’m missing out on flavour (will have to make it stronger/drink it straight next time!), but the first sip was caramel and sugar, followed by spices… Not sure if I can taste any tea.

Just used up the last of this. Woe.

That phenomena wherein a tea you were “meh” about from the start begins to become absolutely delicious when you’re running very low on it.

And then there’s the added threat that the company I got it from has since closed down, and I don’t know their sources.

Very classic Ceylon smell, taste is clean, slightly astringent, woodsy—oaky, yes. Dry. You’d think by now I would have gotten a little better at describing tea. Bah.

On my second steep of this, actually. I made the first last night.

Mmm second steep is still strong. Faintly buttery green tea—with sweet caramel.

Finished this one off.

This just smells so delicious and it tastes like heaven. I really should have gotten more. There wasn’t much left when I picked it up, and I’d already picked out three other teas, so I only got 25 grams of this. Next year I think I’ll get the tin. This deserves a permanent tin.

The smell is nutmeg and pumpkin. It’s not overflowing cinnamon as some spiced teas can be. It smells like spiced pumpkin pie, and it’s not a fake taste when you sip it. The spices aren’t too strong, so I like it without milk. The spices aren’t overall strong enough to stand milk very well, if you make it the traditional chai way, I mean. Just have to make it stronger next time I do that.

I made this in my thermos at work, and was in /heaven/. I’d forgotten what it was like to have a Yunnan in my cupboard.

Not a touch of bitterness at all, and I remember there being a toasted marshmallow sweetness. Not strong and peppery, this one. A better note will come when I get a chance to sit down with a cup in front of Steepster.

The leaves are long, wiry and dark, with twists of gold like the picture (although they aren’t nearly so bright).

It smells nice, and brewed to a nice red. I got a faint hint of fruit in the taste, but mostly a Ceylon tea taste. Oaky, I guess, although I don’t really know what that means. Perhaps smoky in that it almost seems salty. Ceylon in the front, sort of savoury. Almost, /almost/ like fruit at the edge, or the beginning.

I realized when making this, that Davidstea puts the same steeping parameters on all its tea. Well, that explains a lot. I’ll be ignoring those from now on, I suppose.

4-7 minutes seems like an /awful long/ steeping parameter for an oolong. I did four minutes anyhow, and just as expected, the tea came out tasting a tad stewed. It was a strong, slightly cloudy yellow.

But the hint of vanilla is very nice. I’m not quite sure what the lemon myrtle adds… I don’t taste a citrus, although the vanilla is almost zesty?

A bit like buttercream frosting. And pouchong.

Second Steep, Five Minutes: Less creamy vanilla, and I’m definitely getting citrus in this. Lemony oolong. It’s present in the smell as well. Pouchong’s less stewed tasting, as it’s weaker overall, but still strong enough to back up the lemon citrus. Very Pledgy.

Third Steep, ~10 Minutes: Let this one get away from me. Forgot about it for a bit. Ten minutes, I think. Got a strong citrus taste, tea, a bit too astringent. My fault.

Finished this off. I’m sad to see it go. It was great in my Libre.

It did not brew inky black despite only doing one steep, but it was a short four minutes (the steeping instructions gave you a range of four to six).

First sip is a good ginger. Still pretty hot, though. I’m getting pu’erh in the smell, though.

I only did four minutes, so I can understand why this is rather soft. I like it, though. The pu’erh isn’t too strong, but there, and I like the spicy ginger.

Chocolate in the smell, but not in the taste. I get very little of the spices as well, although I can smell them. Mostly getting the rooibos.

One of the four teas I received on Christmas.

I’m going to start by stating that I’ve never hate mate before. Sipping this, I get a powdery chocolate flavour, and a sort of deep taste, bakey—coca or mate, but it feels like a foreshadowing to the caffeine. Healthy energy drinkish.

There’s an almond scent (and a berry smell) that trails into the drink as well. Nice, sweet almond cocoa. Berry smell carries into the aftertaste, giving you… chocolately raspberries.

Looking through the ingredients, chicory—yes, I think that’s the bakey taste. It goes well with the cocoa.

Finished this off today. I might get more. I really liked it. The vanilla isn’t overpowering, and it matches very well with the vegetal matcha. Matcha doesn’t taste incredibly fresh, but I wouldn’t expect it to.

I got a milk frother a few months ago and enjoy adding the foam to this. Mm.

Welp, this’ the last of this. Saddd. But I’ll just have to go and get more.

I was a little worried when I opened the box and the smell was /overpoweringly/ mint. I was hoping for ‘minty vanilla green’ and it was just ‘MINT RAWR’.

But it brewed pleasant and vanillay and minty fresh. Mmmm.

Probably should have read some other reviews before getting it. It /is/ quite weak, but still enjoyable. Perhaps I’ll double-bag it next time. Hum.

Finished this off too.

Drinking this tea makes me so happy and so sad at the same time. I don’t ever want to run out of it, but I’ve only a few teaspoons left. Every time I drink it while in front of the computer, I have to run a search on google for sites that sell black tea grown in Arunachai Pradesh, India.

I never have any luck.