Tawny Kira

I saw this on Upton’s website while getting some other samples and thought “YES. I love bergamot!” and added a sample of it to my cart. When I got my parcel in the mail today, this was the one I immediately went for to try first.

The smell of bergamot was great in the dry tea leaves & I had high hopes. After tasting, however it wasn’t as amazing as I thought it would be. They weren’t lying when they said extra bergamot! It is not bad by any means, but the tea flavor gets a little lost in this. It’s still there, but it’s not as present as I would have liked. I’m also getting a slight spicy note on the back of my throat after each sip which was unexpected. Luckily I love bergamot so I will be sure to drink all of this sample, but I think this tea would have benefitted from a slightly lighter hand when adding in the bergamot. I mean, extra bergamot is great & I do like this tea, but I’d like to taste the tea as well.

backlogging some teas from the other day before getting to today’s tea. Forgive my lack of detail in my tasting notes as of late, it’s been insanely hectic with the kids & I haven’t really had time to sit down & really write out my thoughts, so I’ve been just jotting down some quick notes & rushing off to tend to the babes

I actually purchased this tea for my husband. He likes the idea of chai teas, but hates cloves (unless studded into a ham haha!). I am glad I did because it is the perfect chai for him.

The coconut adds a sweet silky touch and the lemongrass gives a delicate floral citrus note to this tea that makes it quite different from other varieties of chai I have tried over the years. It lacks the punch that more traditional chai blends have since this has no cloves in it, but you still get spice lingering on your tongue with each sip. It’s a great option for people like my husband who do not really like cloves, or for people who are intimidated by the strong flavors in a traditional masala chai.

backlogging some teas from the other day before getting to today’s tea. Forgive my lack of detail in my tasting notes as of late, it’s been insanely hectic with the kids & I haven’t really had time to sit down & really write out my thoughts, so I’ve been just jotting down some quick notes & rushing off to tend to the babes

After having this after only having had bagged English Breakfast, I can’t really say that I know much about it, but I can say that I will never go back to bags again after drinking this.

Gentle understated smoke with earthy leather notes with a smooth finish. With my second cup I detected a maltiness that was quite nice. No bitterness at all (by that I mean unpleasantly bitter qualities, as I do like a slight touch of bitter to my teas). It was a very comforting cup to start off my morning the other day :)

When I opened the bag the aroma that greeted me was overwhelmingly medicinal. I wish I could say that that quality was not carried over into the flavor of the tea once steeped but alas I cannot. It was a sharp bitter medicinal flavor that I could not get past. There was an underlying floral note to it, but it was almost hidden by the unpleasant medicinal flavor. I think that perhaps this flavor of tea might pair well when blended with other teas & perhaps the floral notes might shine through if the medicinal flavor was tempered by other flavors.

That being said, I plan on giving it another shot later on down the road and seeing if it grows on me. It is my first hibiscus tea, and I do love floral teas, so I’d hate to dismiss it based on one tasting.

My first infusion of this lovely tea from Stacy at Butiki (thank you!) was very light. There was a slight silky, butter like quality to it and a hint of fruitiness. I think that perhaps the leaves not having been fully submerged (which I noticed after it had already steeped for 3 minutes) may have lessened the strength of this tea, as it was a little too delicate for my tastes. The flavors were beautiful, just very light.

With my second infusion, I rectified the previous issue of the leaves not having enough contact with the water & it improved things greatly. The resulting tea had a little more color and the weakness of the first infusion is gone. There’s a juicy peach hint to the flavor as well as an underlying floral quality. Still delicate, but more more flavorful. I definitely like this infusion and feel like I have a better understanding of this tea than I got with my first try.

I am usually a fan of more robust darker teas, but I think that I may end up liking the gentler white teas just as much! :)

I have been craving some Earl Grey Lavender tea for the past several days & of course I was all out & my order won’t be delivered until Monday… so while I was at Walmart today picking up the ingredients I needed to make my own laundry detergent I took a walk down the tea aisle. As always I was underwhelmed by the selection at Walmart & longed for the better stocked tea aisle at my local Target, but I noticed this tea sitting on the shelf (almost hidden) and decided it was worth a try.

I like the pyramid sachets that this comes in. They give a lot more room for the tea to expand than a traditional paper teabag which is good because the tea leaves were larger than I expected for a bagged tea. Not really full leaves, but definitely not the shredded dust that a lot of companies use. I also liked that the sachets were packaged in a resealable bag to keep their freshness.

The scent of lavender was nice and strong when I opened the bag, and as the tea steeped in my cup. But while the lavender was nicely present in the flavor, I felt that the bergamot was lacking. It tasted like a standard black tea with lavender in it rather than an Earl Grey.

While this will make do until my tea arrives on Monday, I would only ever purchase this tea if I found myself with another shortage while waiting for the postal service to bring me the tea I really want!

I was unsure whether I would like this tea as I’d never had any honeybush teas and I’m not overly fond of chocolate teas, but I was pleasantly surprised with this. It’s naturally sweet, smooth with a slightly dry woody finish. I’m detecting some honey notes as well (I’d hope so with the name HONEYbush haha) and the chocolate flavor was perfectly balanced. Even my husband who has just recently opened himself up to trying hot tea loved this and said he’d drink a cup any time I make this :)

My sister-in-law gave me a box of this tea today while I was at her house. She warned me that it is kind of weak, so I brewed it with a little less water in an attempt to make it a little stronger. It still came out kind of weak & there was a bitterness to it as well. I ended up sweetening it quite a bit. It wasn’t BAD and I will keep it as a back up for if I ever find myself out of my other teas.

First off, I’d like to thank Stacy for sending me this sample :) I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to try it!

This tea is visually very beautiful & the dry leaves fragrant and enticing. As it steeped the aroma was very juicy and sweet. I couldn’t wait to try it! I have had pear teas before that I wasn’t too fond of & I had a good feeling about this one :)

Upon tasting it, the juicy quality of the aroma was translated into the flavor. It was sweet, delicate, and juicy. It wasn’t my favorite cup of tea, but I think it might just be that I am not partial to pear teas because this tea was not bad by any means! The flavors were lovely and my husband actually thought it was very tasty. It may not be MY favorite, but it’s definitely a great tea for someone who is more fond of pear teas :)

My first foray into darjeeling tea, I was quite pleased with this. I’ve read that Darjeelings can be a little confusing with first flush, etc etc. and I’ll admit that that’s part of what has kept me from trying them myself. This has been noted as a good beginner’s darjeeling and I think I quite agree!

The aroma that greeted me as this tea steeped was woodsy, slightly roasted and made me think of warm grains. The flavor was astringent but not overpoweringly so, with notes of spinach and light grains. It was crisp and made me think of walking through the woods in autumn and feeling the leaves crunch beneath your feet. At the end I get gentle notes of wine like flavor (unsure of an adjective to describe it other than that as I am not all that knowledgeable in wines).

Over all a very enjoyable tea that makes me want venture out to try more Darjeeling varieties!

Not so much a tasting note, but this is the tea in my cup at the moment.

Should have seen it coming- one child gets a stomach bug & the other is bound to get it as well. Especially when they’re attached at the hip. Our 3yr old spent all yesterday throwing up, so it looks like I’ll be putting off trying the rest of my tea samples for at least a couple more days. At least until I can get the carpets thoroughly scrubbed and the apartment back to smelling clean and fresh >.< Can’t properly sample tea if you can’t smell it!

I haven’t been on steepster in a while, I apologize for that. It’s been hectic. Our littlest came down with a stomach bug & during that time I wanted to stick to the teas I know well rather than try anything new. I wasn’t in the mind frame, nor did I know if I would have time to sit and thoroughly explore something unfamiliar!

I have tasted this tea before, but one of the kids ran off with my tasting notes which had been scrawled on a scrap of paper that was apparently very interesting. So here I am now, tasting it for a second time & pretending it’s the first haha.

I’d like to thank Bonnie again for the lovely samples she sent me! (and Stacy too- I will be pulling those out of the cupboard this afternoon!)

I have found in my recent exploration of teas that I am quite fond of pu erh and this is no exception! Rich, earthy and silky it is so far the best pu erh I’ve tasted. Granted, I haven’t had a LOT of experience with pu erh but nonetheless this is definitely delicious. I even had my husband try a sip (telling him first not to sniff it because I knew the barn-y aroma would deter him!) and he thought it was quite good! That’s a big compliment coming from someone who hasn’t really had hot tea outside of the couple times I’ve had him try it (and isn’t sure if he likes it yet) :)

When I opened the bag, it smelled of honey and flowers. As it steeped I detected a delicate spicy note beneath the honey scent.

This is my first time having chamomile tea, and I can tell that it is a tea that might take some getting used to. The flavor is that of honey with a hint of herb like spice that lingers on the tongue. It’s a very soft tea however and with each sip I found myself growing quite fond of it.

Add to that the seemingly amazing calming quality of this tea and it’s pretty good (upped the rating just because of that, I’m not going to lie haha)

I got this sample free with my ‘order’ from Adagio (I had a $10 gift certificate, so technically the whole order was free). I had some tasting notes written down for a puerh that Bonnie sent me to try, but it’s been a rough day & I seem to have misplaced them. We found out that someone my husband and I used to be close friends with was brutally murdered last night in our hometown.

That’s why I chose this tea- it smelled of fresh jasmine blooms & the smell alone proved to be calming.

The jasmine aroma is strong in this tea, as is the flavor of jasmine. I’ve read reviews on Adagio that said the jasmine was too strong, but I find I can still taste the green base & don’t find the floral quality of this tea to be overwhelming at all. I detect a honeysuckle like note to the aroma & flavor as well.

With a little simple syrup to sweeten it the flavors become softer and I find myself sinking into the couch and relaxing. Just what I needed.

Another sample from Stacy (thank you!)

I loved how large the leaves were for this tea- I felt like I was steeping something wild and exotic as I poured the water into my teapot.

Once the tea was finished steeping, I poured it into my cup & was greeted by a delicate floral scent with what seemed like hints of hay as well? Very light and inviting.

The flavor of this tea was very smooth, floral (kind of rosy, maybe? I’ve never had any rose teas so I’m just guessing here) with slight hints of what I’d describe as lime zest. Absolutely lovely.

First off I’d like to thank Stacy for sending me this sample!

The first thing I noticed about this tea was how beautiful the leaves/blossoms are, followed by a floral sweetness in the aroma. After steeping, the aroma was green with a lingering creamy sweetness to it.

Tasting this tea, it was so light and delicate. Floral and juicy. Perfect for a hot summer’s afternoon. I added just the tiniest touch of sweetener to my cup and the flavors danced in my mouth. I can definitely see why this tea is a popular one at Butiki!

I have had this tea before, but never posted my review of it…
Here’s my first impression:

In the bag it smelled slightly medicinal, as raspberry sometimes can. Once brewed however the smell sweetened up and was quite enticing. The raspberry flavor is more subtle than I would have liked, and the medicinal quality was a bit off-putting. It was pretty disappointing considering I love raspberries so much.

I just revisited this tea, as my husband bought me a big jar of raspberry jam. I’ve been looking at my tea box longingly, just waiting to try this tea out with a big scoop of raspberry jam in the cup. Since my nose was a bit stuffed up & I didn’t want to try out any of the delicate white tea samples that Stacy so generously sent me with my sense of smell compromised. So raspberry tea it is.

Adding the jam in this tea really made a HUGE difference. It actually tastes like raspberries this time around. It’s just as tasty as it cools down, too. Now I can actually drink this tea and not just stare at it taking up space in my tea box. I wish the tea tasted this good without the need for jam, but I’ll take it :)

This one’s been sitting in my cupboard for a while but I totally forgot about it. So I figured, it’s breakfast time- why not!

This is a very standard breakfast tea. It doesn’t really stand out in any spectacular kind of way. Nothing that makes me want to jump over the moon, but still a good traditional cup to start my day. Not really sure what else to say about it, other than that.

I can finally drink tea again after having my wisdom teeth removed! Well, actually I could have a few days ago, but with one of my ‘teeth’ hurting pretty badly I didn’t want to risk it and waited until the surgeon gave me the go ahead today :)

I wanted to have something warm and soothing to end my night, so when I saw this sample pack in my tea box it jumped out at me.

The aroma as I opened the bag was rich and hazelnutty. It smelled delicious. The aroma stayed just as nutty as it steeped & filled my kitchen with a comforting warmth.

The tea itself required very little sweetening. I added just a touch of milk- it seemed fitting for this tea- and I fell in love. Nutty, rich, silky, warm and soothing. A very relaxing cup of tea. It would be a great way to end the day or to wake up with in the morning.

This tea was quite good- sweet & chocolatey with a hint of strawberry and the earthy undertone of pu-erh. I enjoyed it, but I think I’d have liked if the pu-erh and strawberry flavors had stood out more. Maybe it’s just because I have a love hate relationship with chocolate sometimes, but to me the chocolate was a little bit of a show stealer. I tend to gravitate towards darker, more bitter chocolates though so maybe that was part of it!

For die-hard chocolate lovers however, I think this tea would be a huge hit! I definitely enjoyed it though and it was a nice rich cup to stir me awake this morning :)

After the cloyingly artificial taste to my previous cuppa, I found I felt very weighed down. After a while I decided to go for something lighter which brought me to this tea.

1st steep- light in color, delicate in flavor. The aroma is ever so gently grassy. There is an airy floral quality to this tea that I find very refreshing.

2nd steep- slightly darker in color, more fragrant. The natural sweetness comes out in this tea as well of a more noticeable floral note. I am enjoying this second steep even more than the first!

Clearly it’s not winter considering it’s almost 80°F outside and it’s only 9:00am, but this tea sounded like a good start to my early morning (the baby woke up at 5:30am, ouch).

Opening the sample packet (sent to me by the lovely Bonnie) it smelled of walnuts with a slightly yeasty aroma lingering in the background. Like a good slice of nutty bread. Considering this tea has been likened to banana nut bread, I saw this as a good sign.

The tea once brewed made my kitchen smell like a bakery- nutty, warm, sweet. The tea tasted the same! If banana nut bread were a liquid, it would be this tea.

The tea isn’t bad by any means, but with the strength of the nuts and other flavorings, you lose the tea flavor. And that to me was rather disappointing.

I was rifling around in my teas this morning, unsure of which to choose when this tea just jumped out at me. It was a Creamsicle kind of morning.

Upon opening the sample that the lovely Bonnie sent me, I was faced with the bright inviting smell of orange zest which continued through the steeping and into my cup. This was definitely the tea for me!

The tea on it’s own is alive with citrus flavor! I added just a touch of honey and the smallest bit of milk and this tea just exploded with flavor. The creaminess came out and really brought out the creamsicle in this light and airy tea. A very happy tea to brighten up my morning :)

I drank this lovely tea yesterday, but found I didn’t have time to sit and log it, so I’m doing so now :)

I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this tea since I’ve read that it can have a peppery quality to it and I wasn’t sure how that would translate into a tea. But I was more than pleased when I took my first sip. The honeyed flavor of the tea on it’s own had a subtle spiciness and maltiness that was lyrical on my tongue and with the addition of that little bit of honey into the cup, it just came alive.

Thank you to Bonnie for sending this sample my way! :)