Tabby

Wow, this is a dark-leaved oolong. I literally went “Ooh” when I opened the packet. The leaves are long and almost black. They’re flat, and smell very sweet. I haven’t had an oolong in a good while, so that distinct and familiar scent is very welcome.

I went with the pack’s instructions, using boiling water and a short time in the water. As it steeped, the scent became stronger and more pungent. I’m reminded of fruit, but at the same time, the forest. Something makes me think of honey and of trees. It’s hard to describe, and intriguing. It brews up to a light shade of brown.

When I taste it, something instantly reminds me of tree bark, sap, and grapefruit. It’s toasty, smooth, and calming… Yet strangely, I feel like I’m tasting… hops? It reminds me of a mild IPA! Is that weird? To think of beer when I’m tasting tea? Anyway, I’m really liking this. I think I’m going to put the rest of my sample on and spend my evening enjoying this unique oolong.

I am thrilled to get to try this tea because all the Gong Fu teas I’ve had from Teavivre have been fantastic. Just having this sample reminds me of all the black teas I need to reorder.

The leaves are indeed very fine. Practically none of them are broken, and they are all very narrow and pointed at the end. Each of them seem to be a different shade of chocolate brown and gold. It reminds me of a little bird’s nest as it sits in my infuser while I wait for the water to heat.

As they steep, the tea smells deliciously toasted and warm. It’s a very comforting scent. I’m somewhat reminded of cocoa and whole wheat bread. The flavor is even better. I’m getting notes of sweet potato, cocoa, caramel, and malt. I’m catching myself trying my best to drink it even though it’s too hot — it’s like I can’t stop myself.

This is the most perfect tea I could have on a wet, cool day here. It’s definitely going to be in my next Teavivre order.

Despite this chai not being exactly perfect, I’ve really developed a taste for it. I’m about halfway through my second tin now.

I still prefer it without milk, mostly because it isn’t really spicy enough to stand up against it. The flavor still doesn’t scream “chai” to me… it’s more like a cinnamon bun!

Since summer arrived, I’ve been making it into iced chai and taking it places. I tend to let it steep for a good long time with two bags plus one bag of Harney & Son’s Vanilla Comoro. I generally use only a few ounces of water to steep it in, then add sweetener and enough ice to fill a pint glass. Upping my rating!

A big thank you to Teavivre for allowing me to sample their teas again! I always love having the opportunity!

Now, I have had a chrysanthemum tea once, and that was several years ago. I know I enjoyed it, but I don’t remember much else. (Besides the fact that it was much lower quality than this one.)

The tea itself is beautiful. Delicate, pale flowers with green buds at their base, almost like little daisies. They smell sweet and sort of spiced. I’m instantly reminded of spring. They seem to have been dried very gently, as there is no trace of bruising or brown spots anywhere. Very interesting! As it steeps, the flowers fluff up and expand, making me wish for a glass teapot to prepare them in. It would be so lovely…

The tea brews up to a light shade of greenish yellow, as I expected. It smells a lot like fresh chrysanthemums, but also kinda like chamomile. But not exactly. It’s a little hard to describe. The flavor is light as well, and very clean tasting. It’s soothing and very floral, of course. The description mentions it being slightly bitter, but I’m not getting that. Perhaps I would if I added more flowers.

This would be a great tea to end a summer night with.

Oh no, rooibos. I try my best to avoid it, but this came in a sampler. I’m willing to give it a chance because I’ve had a few rooibos apple spice teas that I’ve really enjoyed. Also, I love spiced apple anything.

It smells heavenly. Delicious red apple with strong, sweet cinnamon. I’m instantly reminded of fall, winter, and frost. The blend is an herbal and rooibos tea from what I understand, which is interesting. It brews up to a very pretty shade of red.

As far as the taste goes, I can tell it’s a rooibos. It has that aftertaste I’ve become familiar with, but with the apple cider flavors, it works. They compliment each other pretty well. Unlike many apple spice teas I’ve tried before, the spices don’t completely dominate it. It’s heavier on the apple side, which is something I’m liking a lot.

This is another winner from Tea Forte. These guys make such flavorful blends!

Sorry about the absence, Steepster! My laptop’s video card overheated, so I’ve been more or less without a way to update. (Because I sure as hell don’t want to write these posts on a touch screen with no mobile app!)

Anyway, this was on sale and I’m out of darjeeling, so I went for it. It smells pretty good for what I paid, which was two bucks. The scent doesn’t remind me too much of actual darjeeling. More like the standard fodder we make into sweet tea here in the south. As for steeping, I went with the preparation that was recommended on the envelope. Two minutes seems like a pretty short time, but by the end of that second minute, it looked nice and dark. This leads me to wonder if I could get a second steep from each bag. Hmmm.

The flavor is pretty solid, but not as strong as I expected. It’s satisfying, but a bit mild and dull. Next time, I’ll probably go with a longer steep time. It’s also very astringent. As for muscatel, you can kinda taste it in the finish, but otherwise, this is pretty generic black tea. Oh well, it’ll taste good over ice.

Kaliskaa and I found this with the coffee in our hotel room a couple weeks ago, and I decided I should finally give this a try. After all, Tazo’s Earl Grey, Zen, and Organic Apple Red are pretty good, in my opinion. I had been sort of avoiding this one for the past, oh, ten years or so.

But anyway, there sure is a lot going on in this herbal blend. It smells like straight up Robitussin. I’m assuming that’s from the sarsaparilla and licorice root. Also, what exactly are the “natural flavors” it lists? Not impressed. I was really hoping this was just going to be something light and chamomiley.

When steeped, the chamomile flavor does actually come out both in the scent and taste. Oddly, it goes really well with the sarsaparilla. Despite the cacophony of herbal ingredients, it comes out smoother than I expected. The licorice root and mint are most noticeable at the end, leaving a sort of cooling sensation in my mouth. The licorice isn’t overwhelming like I’ve had in a lot of herbal blends. (I’m looking at you, Yogi Teas!) It makes a strange, vanilla-like taste that I’m actually liking. I thought this tea was going to be a medicinal punishment, but it’s actually pretty pleasant.

I’m… the only person to review this? Seriously?

Alright! I decided to be a little gentle with this one for my first cup, which I think turned out to be a good idea. After under four minutes, it’s quite flavorful. The muscatel is present in the forefront, as one would expect. It’s “green” tasting to me, reminding me of spring and grass. There is a lingering sweetness about it that’s pleasant. It also sort of reminds me of green beans, steamed and sweet. As far as astringency goes, it does dry my mouth a bit, but I don’t mind.

The official description of this tea mentions notes of stone fruit, but I’m not really getting that. Hmm. There is a hint of fruit on the exhale, but I’m not tasting anything specific.

Cinnamon and hibiscus? That’s certainly an interesting combination, but in my head, it seems like it could be a good idea. The bag smells appealing, at least. Warm, comforting cinnamon and not really much else. Something about it reminds me of Christmas and gingerbread men. Also Red Hots.

Despite the hibiscus content, it doesn’t brew up entirely magenta. More like maroon-tinted amber. Even when steeped, I still can’t smell the hibiscus, but I know that’s more than alright with a few of you! It’s somewhat present in the flavor, but you really have to feel for it. Otherwise, this tastes like a plain cinnamon tea. I happen to like that, though, so I’m enjoying this a lot. The cinnamon is very vivid, but not enough to burn. For something cheap and grocery store brand, this is surprisingly simple and good.

I’ve been meaning to review this for weeks, but I kept getting side-tracked. Meanwhile, my sample dwindles.

As far as yunnans go, this one is on the darker, earthier side. It has that sweet, malty scent to it, with a hearty taste of smoke and hay. After three minutes, it comes out smooth and caramelly, but if you go longer, it gets a sort of heavy bitterness to it like a keemun. It really depends on whether or not you like astringency. If it was early in the morning and I needed a wake-up call, I’d let this steep for a while to really bring out the strength… but tonight, I was looking for more complexity.

I highly recommend trying it both ways. There is no right or wrong preparation, it seems.

My parents got this as a free sample, so I nicked it from the cupboard after Sunday dinner. My first impression of this tea is not good. I sniffed the bag and could barely smell any spices. Uh oh. Also, the pumpkin flavor smelled strangely cardboard-like. But I’m still willing to give it a chance, out of love for chai.

Granted, the actual brewed tea smells better. Fragrant cinnamon and ginger, with something sort of like if you boiled pumpkin pie filling. Stewed is the word, I guess. I can also smell pie crust, which is interesting. I added a very conservative splash of 1% milk and a little sweetener. The flavor isn’t exactly what I expected. This doesn’t taste much like chai. Instead, it’s basically a pumpkin spice dessert tea. Most of the chai spices, except the ginger, are hidden under the heavy layers of cinnamon and whatever they used to make “pumpkin”.

Overall, this isn’t bad, but it’s also not what I was hoping it would be. It does make me think of Thanksgiving and Christmas at my Dad’s, though, which is oddly comforting. I would drink this again, yes, but I don’t think I’d purchase it.

I finally gave in and picked this up a few days ago because it was on sale at Kroger. (This had been on my Shopping List for at least 2 years.) I also want to note that my tin is black, unlike the one in the picture here.

By now I’ve had it both hot and iced, which is what I’m sipping on now. As far as chais go from my experience, this is a sort of mild one. The spices aren’t particularly strong, but that’s not to say it isn’t flavorful. It is, it just doesn’t burn my mouth like the chai at Java Monkey here in Decatur. (I love the burn…) Since the spices are so mild, I tend to drink this one without milk. When I brewed it for the first time, I put a few teaspoon’s worth in, which was also nice, but I was looking for a bolder experience.

The nutmeg and cinnamon are what I taste first, followed by delicious ginger and cardamom. I can’t say the coconut stands out very much, but it’s there. It adds a sweet sort of vanilla-like note, which I am loving right now. Sadly, though, this tea makes me miss Adagio’s Thai Chai. While I’ll be happy to finish this tin, I think I’m going to keep searching for my perfect chai…

Still on my mint tea kick, I picked up a box of this at Big Lots for $1.80. (Wow…) Bigelow’s official website doesn’t list this stuff, and there wasn’t a page for it here on Steepster, either. That made me a tad apprehensive, but I’m still going for it.

It brewed up darker than most peppermint blends I’ve had recently, and it has a strange, sharp scent to it. It’s hard to describe, but it sort of reminds me of lawn clippings that have been in the sun for a few days. Kinda sour and strangely pickle-like. Yes, pickles. Like the bread-and-butter pickles that come from a jar. Or sweet gherkins. Weird.

The box additionally lists rosehips, lemon peel, and hibiscus in the ingredients, so I guess that explains the darker, more reddish color than what I’m used to. But, honestly, I don’t really taste any of those things. I just taste peppermint and spearmint leaves, which is nice, don’t get me wrong. It tastes fine, nice and cool and minty. It’s just the scent that kinda gets to me. Maybe I’ll mix it into other teas or something…

So, I was at Goodyear getting an oil change and the second I wandered away from the counter, I raided their coffee and tea area. I basically took one of each flavor they had. So what if this is bagged and Kroger brand? I’ve never had it before and I’m willing to review it!

Fresh out of the foil, the bag smells lovely. Minty with the potent, herbal aroma of lemongrass. The peppermint draws me in, as I’ve been out of mint tea for a while, and have been missing it. As it brews, the peppermint becomes the most noticeable scent over the lemony herbs.

Upon first sip, I’m greeted by a very fresh peppermint taste that immediately chills my tongue. It’s followed by sweet, soothing lemon verbena and lemongrass. Just like the scent of the tea, the peppermint leaves take the forefront and are followed by lemon. It’s nice that they didn’t put lemon peel in this, or else I think it would have been too harsh. All around, this is sort of unremarkable, but I like it. It’s simple, gentle, and clean-tasting.

Raspberry Earl Grey! It’s like something I’d make up for myself!

First of all, this tea smells great before it’s brewed. Strong on the raspberry, but not so strong that it reminds me of candy. It’s more like the actual dried fruit. The aroma of bergamot is there, but just barely. Sort of hiding behind the raspberry, but that might be a good thing. One wouldn’t want them to clash.

As far as the flavor goes, it’s much smoother than I expected. The black tea aspect is gentle, but mildly astringent. It’s mostly there in the aftertaste, backing up the fruit. Raspberry is definitely the most dominant flavor. So much, that if I hadn’t known this was an Earl Grey, I probably wouldn’t have guessed it. However, there is a bit of a tingling, cooling sensation that must be the bergamot shining through. I wouldn’t exactly call this an Earl Grey because of my own preferences, but it’s still a good tea. I’m going to enjoy finishing my sample.

As I prepare this, my hopes are high. It smells like it’s going to be a very good, strong black tea. The fine, narrow leaves have a sharp, dark, lightly smoky aroma. It’s almost like a lapsang souchong, but not piney. As it steeps, I smell notes of wheat and cocoa. Almost like kid’s cereal, but smoky.

The dark tea’s flavor is malty and toasted. Great for this wet, chilly day. The smoke also plays a part to strengthen and compliment it, lingering in the aftertaste and exhale. The cocoa does come through, but it’s not the most prevalent flavor. It’s a tiny bit on the astringent side, but not really that bitter. There’s certainly a lot going on in this Keemun, but I like it very much. It’s very satisfying. I will probably get another sample next time I order, along with the Hao Ya ‘B’.

EDIT: Coming back to say that this might be a tea to avoid if you’re caffeine-sensitive!

As I finish my sample, I want to note that this makes a great iced tea! Very refreshing, especially paired with my spinach salad! Something about it being cold really brings out the lychee flavor, too! Upping my rating!

Hmm? I ordered a sample and thought I was getting a pouch of loose leaf, but it’s really three sachets instead? Oh well, it smells good either way. And I’m feeling a little under the weather today, so hopefully the ginger will help.

The aroma reminds me of strong ginger ale and candy. Maybe candied ginger if it was a bit more fruity. Must be the lychee. I can’t say that I would have been able to identify the lychee on my own from just the scent. But lychee is always welcome, especially blended with Fujian black tea.

The flavor is well-rounded and pleasant, with the warm spice of ginger in the aftertaste. It’s not as strong as I expected from the scent at all. The lychee is peppery and sort of gentle, reminding me of rose tea. It’s more on the perfume-like side than fruity. I sort of agree with what others have said about this tea, though. It’s nice, but not something I’d crave. I’ll certainly finish the sample, but I probably won’t get it again.

Another tea from the cute, stackable sampler!

It has a bit of an odd, apricot-like scent as it steeps. It made me a bit nervous, but I’ve really been into light, fruity teas lately. I figured this would be just what I wanted. And surprisingly, it is! It reminds me a lot of the Tea Forte greens and whites I’ve been trying lately. Especially in the way that it reminds me a bit of a Bath and Body Works scent. (As always, in a good way!)

From what I understand, “ambrosia” refers to a heavenly sort of fruit punch? That’s pretty much what this tastes like. The white Assam is muted, there for a sort of background strength that’s hard to describe. I taste plum as the primary fruit, but also lots of other flavors. Berries, pears, cherries. It’s like a delicious fruit cocktail. I might have to get the full size tin of this stuff. Another winner from Zhena’s!

I believe this is my second yerba mate? Now, right off the bat, I messed up the preparation. Turns out I was supposed to treat it like a green, but I read the instructions too late. So my water was too hot. Therefore, my review of this might be a little skewed. (And I don’t have another sachet to try again with.)

The tea smells lightly smoky and spicy. Almost like cinnamon, but different. It’s the only thing I can compare it to. The flavor reminds me of something outside. It’s very vegetal, kind of reminding me of collard greens. There’s also a note of green beans. And leather. I know, this sounds really weird. But it was a freebie and after a night of drinking, I needed something to wake me up.

As far as the buzz goes, I can definitely feel something. It doesn’t seem as strong as a cup of coffee, and it comes on a little slower, but there’s certainly something there.

This was another freebie I got in my last order. It’s kind of strange that I haven’t tasted their version yet!

I sniffed the sachet before hitting it with the water and it smelled promising. I generally like keemun, so it seemed like a good idea. However, as I drink it, I am disappointed. For something with such a nice aroma, this is kind of bland. It’s bitter and dries my mouth without any kind of depth or complexity. It reminds me a lot of how disappointing Mighty Leaf’s breakfast blend was. Just cheap-tasting and lame. Sorry, Harney, this one’s a miss.

This was bought on a whim from my grocery store in a little sampler. They really know how to reel me in. A mint tea, a plum tea, and a raspberry Earl Grey? How could I leave the store without it?

Anyway, the scent of this stuff is enough to make me jerk my head back. That is some seriously strong peppermint! It almost reminds me of minty alcohol, like Fernet Branca. I know it’s just a bagged Moroccan Mint, but it seems like something special.

The flavor does not disappoint. The green tea content keeps it from being too strongly minty, adding a buttery and satisfying calm. But the mint content is very fresh tasting and leaves my mouth very cool. It tingles as I breathe, and has a sort of creamy aftertaste that makes it strangely addictive. I keep coming back for another sip. And a refill. I’m already down to one bag!

Ever since tasting Teavivre’s Golden Monkey, this kind of Fujian tea has been near the top of my list of plain blacks. I’ve been very curious about it ever since, especially from someone as trustworthy as Harney & Sons.

The scent is very fruity and complex, characteristic of this kind of blend. I’m definitely getting the aroma of sweet potato. What’s great about the flavor of this tea is that it’s fruity without being fruit flavored, and it’s so very smooth. There is no bitterness, no astringency. Just delicious, almost breadlike taste. I’m also getting light notes of honey. Truly something to savor.

A bit of a warning — this stuff doesn’t like being treated like a traditional black tea. You want to be gentle with it. Give it a shorter steep time and cooler water than you’d usually go with. Otherwise, the flavor gets pretty overwhelming and distorted.

And a bit of a random note, I made this for my stoner friend who always wants a cup when I offer, and he said “This is really good tea…” while crashing cars in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Okay, Steepster. You need to get your shit together. And give me back my original post, because rewriting it is a waste of my time. Also, when I tell you to remove a tea from my Cupboard, I need you to do it then. Not the fifth or sixth time I tell you to.

I originally wrote to say that I was excited about this because I love apple cinnamon. I went on to say that it smells great, like a spiced red apple cider. It smelled like it was going to be strong, but sadly, it wasn’t. The apple taste was almost hidden behind the mild black tea base, followed by a bland hint of cinnamon. This wasn’t what I was expecting from Harney & Sons, who usually load a tea up with flavor. Like I said about the Vanilla Black, this is just too subtle for me.

The original entry was better, but I didn’t have the sense to Copy before I posted.