Tabby

Took this with me to work today. I don’t know if it was my preparation or the fact that I’m drinking from another sample, but the caramel taste seems less potent in this cup. I’ll give it another try, but it seemed like the last batch was better. Hmm.

I got this tea for Christmas and after reading the reviews, it piqued my interest the most of the three. I was a little put off by the idea of puerh flavored by anything other than flowers, but then I read the ingredients. Apparently this is mostly plain black tea, then some puerh added.

It brews up very dark, and carries a decent kick of caffeine. The cocoa flavor is mild, similar to the way the milk tastes after a bowl of Cocoa Crispies. There’s also a little bit of a vanilla’s sweetness. I can’t taste the puerh very much, but it’s there. This might be a good place to start for people with really westernized tastes. (Speaking from experience.)

Now I’m kinda sad that I traded most of this to QueenOfTarts. (But I love to trade, so I’m just excited about all the tea I received from her, muahaha.)

This is a fantastic yunnan. I’m really impressed with Adagio on this one. I see why it’s in their Masters collection of teas. The dry leaves are like curled-up spiders, glossy and different shades of tan and brown. When steeped, they unroll long and slender, pointed at the end. The liquor is dark brown, and smells very strong.

The taste is powerfully yunnan — sweet and fruity and croissant-like. Almost chocolatey. There’s also something in it that reminds me of marshmallows! I’m in love. It’s truly blissful. The kind of tea that would put a smile on my face in the morning every day. This is just as good if not slightly better than Teavivre’s full leaf yunnan. But for the price, I’ll take Teavivre. The 2 week wait is worth the price difference.

This is my last Teavivre tea to review. Then I’m onto random things again.

I think this might be my second favorite of the greens I’ve tried by this company. The scent of it was fresh and especially sweet. Inviting. It brewed up to a shade of pale greenish yellow, and smelled almost fruity aside from the usual green tea scents. The taste is very naturally sweet and delicious. Even at such a short steep time, it’s strong and complex. But I still prefer the more bitter and smoky Chun Mei.

This is my third tasting note, and my second tub of this tea.

I was at the market again the other day picking up shrimp, green curry, and some miscellaneous produce when I realized I needed some kind of plain black tea to make sweet tea from. Since this stuff is under $3 a tub, I figured I could have my loose leaf fix and be cheap at the same time. (Sweet tea is just fodder for myself and whoever’s over anyway.) Made a 2 quart pitcher from 9 teaspoons and added sugar. The pitcher was empty by the end of the night.

The texture for this tea’s dry leaf is so interesting. As far as greens go, it’s dark and chunky. The leaves are rolled up in a way that reminds me of oolong, but not done as tightly. And there are also lots of light colored, fluffy new leaves mixed in, too. The smell is very strong and a little intimidating to a green tea newbie.

Anyway, this is a smooth and nutty green. It’s satisfying in a way I’m beginning to appreciate, finally. Something also reminds me of sweet wheat bread, but it’s also fresh and veggie-like. And as usual, something like hay or dried grass. It smells much more pungent than it actually is, especially if you sniff the leaves themselves after steeping. And by pungent, I mean strongly of seaweed and the ocean.

I have made this tea several times by now, I just haven’t logged it.

A few times, I’ve made a tall cup to go. It’s good hot, as the tea beneath the lemon flavor is pretty decent and is good for the morning. I grew up drinking Ceylon, so I’m a little biased. There are very few Ceylons I would give a bad rating to.

I can tell it’s cheap, but I’m not complaining. Especially when I make it iced. The lemon flavor isn’t painfully artificial, but not exactly natural, either. It could maybe use some lemon peel or something to liven it up. But it would make a good staple for iced tea, especially for days where I don’t have fresh lemons for it.

Ooh, here we go. This is what I like in a green tea. I know it seems weird, but I didn’t know what I was “tasting for” in them before. I had experienced so few that I didn’t know what characteristics I liked and wanted to pursue.

The smokiness pleases the black tea lover in me. It’s more in the scent than the taste; subtle. I don’t exactly taste the plum that Teavivre describes, but I sense some sort of creaminess that I’m also liking. There are no strong vegetable or seaweed tastes to it, which I’m still adjusting to. Maybe a little nuttiness. Anyway, this is really good. I’m going to have to explore Chun Mei, I think.

Made my last cake tonight for the guys. They seem to like the packaging a lot, and the fact that the tea is sort of vintage. Like I said, it’s a mild, smooth puerh. Satisfying and complex.

While I’m intrigued by puerh and the fact that the tea has aged, I’m always a little apprehensive when trying one. I tend to shy away from teas with even a hint of fishiness, and puerh is notorious for it.

The cute little cake itself smells great, though it definitely smells different from fresh black tea. It smells like dried grass and promising maltiness, but with a hint of that aged flavor. Before I made this tea, I read that it only needs about a minute to two minutes to steep. I didn’t believe it, but I went with what the professionals said. By the end of the first minute, the tea was darker than a seven-minute-chai. I panicked and decided to stop it at 1:30.

It smells like sour honey and wood. But the taste is like something I’ve never had before with a puerh. I definitely taste leather, like others have said, but it’s a good thing. It’s incredibly smooth and flavorful, and like many Teavivre teas I’ve had, it’s naturally a little sweet. I can taste the same sort of flavor that I associated with fish, but it’s different in this blend. I’m glad I still have one cake left.

Oh, wow, this is the most powerfully orange-flavored tea I’ve ever had.

The tea smells strongly of citrus, with a hint of dried apple and currants. It smells incredibly fruity and sharp, almost medicinal. (I mean that in a good way.) But mostly, it’s just orange. I gave it about eight minutes to steep with 6 teaspoons for 16 ounces of tea. The tea even looks orange, like a deep reddish orange.

The flavor is tart and citrusy, but not just like the citrus fruit itself. You can taste the bitterness of the peel beneath it. Like the kind one would taste in orange spice teas. The currants add another layer of sourness, but in the finish, the apple pieces mellow it out. They add a pleasant sweetness. Anyway, this is like an orange juice fruit medley. I’m not a huge fan of orange or orange juice, but I think the people that are would love this.

Another green tea provided by Teavivre. Like I’ve mentioned before, I feel like this is part of a green tea education I’ve needed for a while.

The leaves are very dark green and rolled very thin. Like dried moss. They’re thinner and more delicate in texture than any tea I’ve ever had. They became a brilliant spinach green when brewed, though the tea itself was very lightly colored. A faint yellowy green. It smells like the sea and vegetables and honey all at once.

The taste reminds me a little of nori, but my senses are not very refined for this sort of thing. I’m also reminded of okra for some reason. Something about it just makes me think of summer and fresh veggies from my grandparents’ garden. Despite the short steep time, this tea is very flavorful. I think I’m starting to develop a liking for green tea.

Still on vacation, but taking a moment with Steepster. A moment away from reading and savoring the fact that my cell phone is turned off. Yes, I’m one of those people that Christmas makes miserable.

Anyway, I went through the entirety of my sample pouch in one night. We stayed up talking and getting drunk, sipping tea in between. As usual, when I serve this tea to groups, it’s always a big hit. And it was. I had three cups, myself, at least. Though by the end, I’m not sure how much it was. It’s all a bit hazy. But now my boyfriend’s mom, who we’re visiting, has ordered the pound bag.

If you haven’t given guanabana a chance, and you like fruit teas, this is something one should have at least once.

Mmm, this is just what I needed on this wet, cold day.

As far as Earl Grey teas go, this is a very good one. They don’t go overboard on the bergamot, and the black tea they used is nice, if not a little muted. But that’s to be expected with any flavor. It’s not bitter at all, just very tasty. Lemony, but not mouth-numbingly so. There’s also something malty in the aftertaste, which leads me to believe that this is the first Earl Grey I’ve ever had that I could taste anything besides the bitterness of the black tea and bergamot oil. Its actual flavors shine through. Kinda awesome, if you ask me.

And if it makes any difference, I’m drinking the pyramid bagged version.

Made this as the communal pot last night. The instant I opened the pouch, I could tell that this is yet another Adagio tea that has been enhanced since I last ordered it. The caramel scent was almost overwhelming, and sweet like you wouldn’t believe. I admit, I had to sniff it again. And then again.

This tea might have to stand as my staple caramel tea. I like to have one around, as caramel is one of my favorite flavors and if it’s in tea form, I don’t have to feel bad about having a lot of it. It’s a mellow Ceylon with a very realistic buttery caramel taste. It doesn’t come across as artificial, and it even has a sort of creamy aftertaste. Sort of like a caramel square you’d get from your grandma.

Sadly though, this just makes me miss Sweet Caramel O’ Mine. It doesn’t have that nice hint of smokiness that I liked.

So, I logged back into Adagio the other day and realized I had wracked up enough points there to get some free tea! Like a kid in a candy shop, I picked four sample sizes and paid $1.75 total for it. Love! And this was the first tea I selected.

The first time I reviewed this tea, I was talking about the bagged sample version. Now I’m trying the loose leaf and it does taste a little different. The mouthfeel is much heavier, but otherwise, it seems about the same. Still can’t really taste the cinnamon. Hmm. Also, the apples taste like baked apples, not fresh. I don’t believe I mentioned that before.

Guanabana! ♥ Again, I haven’t ordered this tea in 2 years, and it looks like another blend Adagio has stepped up a bit. Last I saw it, the Ceylon leaf was lower quality, and there were much fewer sunflower petals. Plus, I don’t remember there being actual chunks of dried guanabana in it at all. But I could be remembering that wrong.

This was one of my absolute favorite teas for a long time. I used to make it for friends all the time in the summer of 2009. Tasting it again now, I still feel very strongly about it. It’s fruity in a serious way, but it also has a sort of toasted sugar taste and scent, like someone caramelizing it in a pan. But mostly, since I’ve still never tasted real guanabana, I compare it to starfruit. It has that sort of tart floral/citrusness that really appeals to me.

Happy to have this in the cupboard again. Might go for a 4oz again once I get low.

I feel like I tried this a few years ago, but didn’t like it. I most likely oversteeped it then, which I was prone to doing. (And still am, occasionally.)

But this time, having a little more basis for what a yunnan should taste like, I like it. The leaves smell bright and sweet, but satisfyingly malty. They aren’t smoky, just smooth and very flavorful. It’s strong enough to be good with breakfast. The description mentions a peppery taste, but I’m not getting it. I guess that comes out if you give it the full 5 minutes.

This would be a good yunnan to have around, but I still prefer Teavivre’s Yun Nan Dian Hong Golden Tips.

So, my favorite lunch place on Peachtree has Harney & Sons tea now! They have a few different teas there, so I picked two to go in my purse for later. This one intrigued me because I haven’t had many flavored oolongs in the past. Also, the package said it was a tie guan yin (Iron Goddess), and I’ve had a few of those that I really liked.

Anyway, the fruit flavor is very powerful in the scent. It burst out as soon as I opened the packet. At first glance, I thought the balled up leaves were a little small, and not as glossy. However, they expanded enormously in the pyramid bag, filling it completely. I gave the tea 3 minutes to steep, and it became a pale straw-like yellow. Upon tasting it, I think it could have benefited from steeping longer.

The fruit is in the forefront, as one would expect. It does taste a bit like tart pomegranate, but also sort of like strawberries. Real ones, not the artificial strawberry candy taste. The actual oolong flavor is hardly present. It’s more present in the scent of the tea. Still, I like it. I would probably grab another and try again.

Our evening pot of tea tonight. I went with a longer steep time this batch, with a stronger result. The muscatel flavor is more potent this way, but it gets a sort of aftertaste that I’m not sure about. I also want to note that the leaves themselves are a lot darker than other darjeelings I’ve had in the past.

Another great but subtle white tea from Teavivre.

The leaves for this tea are beautiful — narrow and complete, silver and fuzzy, with just a bit of green. They look very fresh, and there is practically no leaf dust in the bottom. The taste is very clean and satisfying, light and springlike. Something reminds me of the way grass seems after the frost melts. Fragrant and fragile. I don’t know why I hesitated to try this tea. I should have expected excellence before I cut open the pretty white pouch.

That said, I think I prefer the Bai Mu Dan over this. It seemed like it had more going on…

This was our nightly pot of tea tonight. As I’ve said before, this is a strong tea and it gets bitter fast, but it’s creamy too. It kind of makes me wish for a pure vanilla black tea, though, as much as I love Earl grey…

Yes! Of all the free holiday samples they could have given me, this was the one I wanted the most. I love apple flavor in all its incarnations.

Now, I like the packaging, but who decided to make the steeping instructions darker red on a red background? I can barely read it. And the pyramid bag is convenient, but no string? I had to pick it up out of the water by a corner, which was probably not very safe. I guess they assume I have a spoon.

Anyway, this is a pretty good candy apple tea. Like others have said, I don’t taste the cinnamon at all, just apple and caramel. Which is fine, I like it. It’s like a step up from Tazo’s Organic Apple Red, which I know is a rooibos, but they taste almost identical. My only complaint is that the caramel apple flavor could be a little stronger. I find that after 5 minutes, which is what’s recommended, the ceylon gets a bit overwhelming. But if I had a chance, I would definitely sample this again.

Mango! An old favorite. It was my first loose leaf black tea. I always get a little of this when I make an order with Adagio. However, it’s been since 2009 since I’ve had it, and that was before the big tin/pouch switchover. I just recently made my first order with the pouches, and though they’re not as aesthetically pleasing, I feel like all the teas I’ve received are a lot more fresh. Plus, they seem to smell much stronger.

I disagree with the recommended steep time, and would go with 4 minutes instead of 3. Then again, I like my black tea to have a bitter kick sometimes. Plus, the fruit flavor brightens up a bit, too.

Now, when I say fruit, I mean indistinguishable citrus. This doesn’t taste much like real mango, but it’s close. It tastes “orange” for lack of a better word. But then again, this seems to taste much better than it used to back in 2006 in my grandparents’ kitchen. Either my preparation has gotten much better, or Adagio has improved this blend.

I wonder if they’ve improved their vanilla… Maybe used the vanilla from Earl Grey Moonlight… Nah, that’s probably wishful thinking. Also, this tea reminds me a lot of flavored hookah smoke.