Tabby

So, my man works for Leon’s Full Service, and this is one of the teas they carry. He snuck me into the little server station and opened a case that had all kinds of Mighty Leaf sachets. I picked this and a darjeeling while no one was looking.

Sadly, I have to agree with what a lot of you guys have already said. While this is actually pretty good, it’s just not great. I gave it longer than the brand recommends by 45 seconds, and that did make the black tea pretty strong and bitter. (But I like that.) Anyway, I prefer my Earl Greys to have a stronger bergamot flavor, and this one is on the mild side. You can smell it before you sip, like an exotic perfume, but it doesn’t translate much into the tea. And the black tea base they use is really, really standard. Boring, even.

What I’m trying to say is that Harney & Son’s Earl Grey Supreme has ruined me forever.

I got this in a trade with Spencer, as I just can’t get enough Earl Grey these days.

I have to say, this is the first EG I’ve ever gave a thumbs down. In his letter, Spencer mentioned that he didn’t care for it. I thought that surely, I’d like it anyway, but no. It’s like a cheap, sharp Ceylon with the stingiest brush of bergamot. I almost don’t taste it. I’ll finish the rest, but this is not a good first impression for this company.

This is my second mention of this tea.

Nothing new to add, really, I just wanted to say that I’ve been making it before work a lot. (It turns out, it’s good even when it isn’t brewed for eight minutes, haha!) Iced and sweetened in a to-go cup, as usual. It has served me well.

Sad to see this go! I made myself two cups throughout today, then brewed the rest into iced tea. It’s chilling in my fridge in a green glass bottle. I’ll be getting the 4-ounce pouch next time I order from Adagio.

I should also note that my non-tea-drinking boyfriend actually liked this one… Probably because it smells like pancakes…

Another tidbit that was included in the sampler from KeenTeaThyme. The dry bag smells very strongly of cinnamon. I am instantly reminded of winter and Christmas time with my grandparents, even though I’ve never had this tea.

The taste is very mild on the actual black tea aspect. It just tastes like straight up cinnamon and anise. My mouth literally tingles with the combination. It’s very flavorful and interesting, but not really what I’m into. Especially in the summer. But I can imagine this might be nice on a gray, icy day.

I know I said I was done with herbal blends, but I got this in a sampler from KeenTeaThyme, and decided to give it a go anyway. My previous experiences with Stash have been good, after all.

It smells very tart and citrusy, plus some other fruity scent that reminds me of hibiscus. The flavor does remind me of mango, but there’s just so much else going on. I mean, it’s pleasant, and there is something sweet in it that’s close to passionfruit. But mostly, this just tastes like an orangey Celestial Seasonings Zinger.

I agree with others that it gets better as it cools. Not sure why, but it’s true.

I think this is my third review of this tea.

I’ve been sipping it constantly since I made a pitcher last night. I made two quarts with eight teaspoons of this yunnan, and one teaspoon of the DeKalb Farmer’s Market’s lemon Ceylon. You can’t really taste the lemon, but that’s alright. I’ll know next time to use more.

So, the owner of Taste talked me into getting this. She said that her French customers requested she carry it, and that it was a big deal in Paris. Now, this stuff was expensive at $22.50 per box, but I had ScoutMob, so I only paid $12. And after I read the list of ingredients, I was intrigued.

When I opened the packet and sniffed, the Earl Grey lover in me went “Oh yeaahhhh…” It smelled like lemony bergamot heaven. And when I brewed it and had a taste, the first thing I noticed was how absolutely smooth this is. The black tea in it isn’t bitter in the slightest. It’s a very malty black, especially in the aftertaste. Almost creamy. There is no astringency, no sharpness. The bergamot is gentle but firmly there, and not too terribly loud. It harmonizes with the faint orange oil that reminds me of orange bitters if orange bitters weren’t, er, bitter.

I am going to savor this stuff. And give it the full 5 minutes next time.

So… My sample of this got contaminated by a minty tea it was shipped with. And to add insult to injury, I used too much water for the sample size.

This is me right now: http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6q03rGnWq1qbob5to1_500.jpg

Next time I shop at Adagio, I’ll just get myself a tin.
No rating until I try it fresh and unadulterated.

This is my second time reviewing this tea, as it’s the second sample pouch I’ve gotten my hands on. However, this time it tastes different. The Earl Grey flavors are more muted, as with the lavender, though it’s still present. The vanilla/cream taste is much more pronounced, as is the tasty black tea. Plus, there’s something else in it that I don’t remember at all, and it reminds me of pancakes. It’s not a bad thing. In fact, I like it very much. It just makes me wonder.

I feel like I’m never going to get through this box. What was I thinking when I bought this? I just do not like herbal blends anymore, especially hibiscus-heavy ones like this. Anyway, I made it iced and sweetened, and drank it when I first got up today.

Does anybody want the rest? It’s still good and I have 9 individually-wrapped bags left. You don’t even have to trade me anything. Just let me know and I’ll mail ’em in an envelope. I really hate to waste tea!

Picked up a box at Big Lots for $2 today, thinking for the price, it could be terrible and I wouldn’t care. I just needed some Earl Grey to hold me over until my teas from KeenTeaThyme got here…

I put two bags in a mug to steep for iced tea, set the timer for four and a half minutes, and then my phone rang. I ended up forgetting all about my tea and spent about eight minutes on my balcony talking to a friend who had just broken up with his girlfriend. Oh dear.

When I returned, it smelled delicious but very strong, and a little on the sharp side. It was dark, but not as dark as I would have expected. I sweetened it, hit it with ice, and hoped for the best. It’s actually not bad! The bergamot is more lemony than what I’ve had recently, but it doesn’t taste like Pinesol, so I’m happy. The actual Ceylon aspect is a little milder than what I would have hoped, but it’s going to keep me satisfied for a while. If I were broke and in a pinch like this again, I might lean toward Tazo since they add lavender, but this will do.

I found this tin in my cupboard and had forgotten all about it. It was a little puck of a container that Kaliskaa had given me a while ago at one of our conventions. I loved the idea of it after reading the descriptions, so I went for it.

It turns out, the idea seemed better than the execution. I can barely taste the bergamot at all, and the vanilla reminds me of artificial orange. Like a Dreamcicle. I’m also reminded of the Adagio Zodiac Series blend, Leo. I know this sounds like blasphemy to a lot of you, but I’m just not digging this one very much. I had wanted a real Earl Grey, and this is just not really one at all…

Or maybe my sample is stale?

I purchased this sample a while ago, back when I was in love with Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte. I thought somehow they’d be similar. At first sniff of the leaves, I am not sure they’re even from the same planet. It smells strange and sweet… and not really like pumpkin or spices. Honestly, the aroma reminds me of cheap bubblegum, like the kind that comes in fat, pink cylinders.

I made it hot, because iced seemed even worse, and gave it some time to cool. The flavor isn’t terrible… it’s just not what I was hoping for. I guess it does taste a little pumpkiny, but it feels so fake. Maybe this could benefit from a splash of milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I’ll give it another try, but later, when I’m less turned off.

How did I get to the bottom of the tin so quickly?! I seriously tore through this stuff. There are two bags left for tomorrow. I have been on an Earl Grey binge, brewing a strong iced cup almost every morning for my commute/first shift. It’s been a ritual. And luckily I bought a little more EG from KeenTeaThyme on Teatra.de, so all is not lost. In the meantime, I can give the rest of my collection more attention.

Also, one of my coworkers said it smelled like Froot Loops. Just thought I’d throw that in there.

Made a pitcher of this as sweet tea tonight, which I admit, I do with black teas that don’t really impress me. I don’t mean to sound snooty, but I’ve had some really great yunnans lately, and they’ve kinda raised my standards. I wanted to love it, but it’s just a little boring and bland.

This is the last of the teas Teavivre sent for tasting. I still have a few unfinished samples here and there, though, so it’s not completely over.

However, I don’t feel as if I have much to say about this tea as I have about the others. To me, this tastes exactly like their other slightly roasty oolong, Taiwan Monkey Picked (Ma Liu Mie) Tie Guan Yin. I’m not entirely sure what ginseng tastes like, as most things I’ve had with it as an ingredient have also had overpowering ginger. I associate the two, unfortunately.

What I’m trying to say is that I can’t tell the difference between this and the other oolong I received. Am I the only one?

Another bottled Harney & Son’s tea from Fresh To Order!

I know I said I’d get to the currant flavor next, but this one really caught my eye. Now, this is a little different from the other two I’ve tried. It’s much sweeter and lighter on the actual tea aspect. I can tell there is black tea in it, but just barely. It’s mostly in the aftertaste, and dries the mouth a little bit. If I didn’t know better, I might have missed it and just thought this stuff had a slightly bitter finish.

The berry aspect is delicious, though. Raspberry is what I taste the most, then blackberry, and maybe grape juice. (Though I don’t think there actually is any in there.) It says there’s apple juice, hibiscus, and honey in it, too, but I don’t really taste it. Maybe there’s a hint of hibiscus if I really feel for it. It mostly just tastes like berry juice. But I like it. It’s tasty for what it is, if you don’t take it too seriously.

This is actually the third time I’ve tried this tea. I’ve just been incredibly busy this week with work. (I made the mistake of mentioning that I needed money in front of my manager. He gave me nine shifts this week. Thanks, but I’m gonna die!)

This has been one of my absolute favorite new teas lately. I’m actually pretty impressed with Adagio. The beautiful, fuzzy gold and chocolate-colored leaves unfold long, slender, and pointed. They smell very sweet, and slightly fruity with a bit of that malty black tea scent.

The flavor reminds me of yunnan tips. I can taste a sort of raisin-like fruitiness. There’s also a strong note of caramel that I have fallen in love with. This tea is such a treat. I highly recommend giving it the full five minutes, as it brings out a certain cocoa-like quality as well. And it doesn’t get bitter with that much time — just more flavorful and satisfying. I might have to get more than the sample size next time.

Also, I have no idea what all of you are talking about when you say this reminds you of meat. Seriously. I don’t get it.

Alright, after a week of tooling around, drinking iced Earl Grey and bottled stuff, it’s back to my “tea homework”.

I’ve never had a monkey picked oolong, but they seem to be very popular. I’m sure they aren’t actually picked by monkeys… right? That seems like a health hazard. Anyway. It brewed up to a pleasant shade of yellow after two minutes, and smells different from most oolongs I’ve tried. This smells like it has been roasted. I’m getting sort of a nutty scent, along with cooked veggies. Interesting.

As is my habit, I made it over ice. Wow, is this different from any oolong I’ve ever had. Where most of Teavivre’s oolongs have been gentle and fruity or floral, this one is very hearty. It tastes like straight up roasted nuts and maybe a hint of sesame oil. It’s a very foreign flavor to me, but I like it. I could certainly get used to this. I want to pair it with wakame salad or maybe satay chicken. Mmm.

Posting from Fresh To Order in midtown on my break. I plan on trying all of these eventually.

Much like the coconut green I tried previously, it’s very lightly sweetened, which is something I like. I can’t stand overly sweet bottled teas, like Arizona’s, for example. The peach flavor is great. It’s strong and realistic, and stands out the most. It isn’t tart at all, though it is a bit astringent. The black tea they used is pretty standard, and just bitter enough for you to tell it’s there. I can’t really detect any complex flavors in it because of the peach. But this is good, especially during this heat wave. I would get it again if given the chance.

I was very excited when I found this tin on the clearance table in Taste, a little foodie/kitchen shop in Decatur. I only paid $5 for 3.2 ounces! Also, the lady behind the counter turned out to be the new owner, and she asked me to come in and help her figure out what new teas to carry! I’m happy to help!

So, after a night of drinking and watching shuffleboard at Twain’s, I wanted something iced and fast. I was cautious since it’s new to me, so I only gave it 4 minutes to steep. I used two generous teaspoons versus 16 ounces of ice and water. The result was a little milder than I was expecting. It still had that lovely malty but fruity taste I’ve come to adore from yunnans, but it just didn’t pack a punch. There was also a hint of caramel and smokiness, which kinda makes this an ideal black tea for me, but I’m going to have to work on making it stronger. Maybe next time I’ll do five minutes and 2.5 teaspoons.

The second I opened my sample packet, I was hit with the strong scent of woodsmoke. I immediately thought of burning leaves in fall. (And I also thought of Brimstone, a Texan whiskey known for its powerful campfire taste.) It wasn’t exactly something summer-appropriate, but the curiosity got the better of me anyway. I’ve had one Lapsang Souchong before, from Adagio, but that was several years ago and I was less experienced then. It frightened me away and I ended up trading it.

Even though I gave the tea less than two minutes to steep, it still brewed up as dark reddish amber as a standard four minute black tea. I lightly sweetened it, and let it cool for a little while. I was a little hesitant, but I trusted Teavivre. Surprisingly, the smokiness seems to be more extreme in the scent. The actual tea is much more subtle and smooth. It reminds me of their other black teas with that sweet, bread-like taste.

I should not have been afraid to try this. But I may save it for the first chilly nights of fall, for the full effect.

Ahh, I had been missing a good Earl Grey. I got this as a birthday gift from Kaliskaa and had it for my commute and first shift. As I’ve been doing lately, I brewed it strong and put it over ice with a little sugar. It was almost overpoweringly strong before the ice had time to melt, but I had only used 2 sachets for about 14 ounces of water! This stuff doesn’t play around!

Once I got to work, I dropped a lemon slice into the cup and gave it a good stir. Over time, it became a beautiful lemonade-like drink with the bitter bite of Ceylon. It tasted so clean, and yet so dark. I will be doing this a lot this summer.