KeenTeaThyme

Thanks to Wifey_Woman for sending my way… This is the first David’s Tea product I’ve tried and I’m very impressed! Tastes as tropical as it smells when brewing. The coconut is a nice touch, making it sweet without needing to add more sweetener. I gulped this right down (once it cooled, so I didn’t choke on burning water!). I’d love to try this iced… guess I’ll have to try more teas from David’s Tea!

I know it’s probably too late in the day for caffeine, and I’ll kick myself for it later when I’m trying to go to sleep, but darnit, I wanted this one! It’s such a treat!

I’ll have to try it first thing tomorrow morning too…finish up the bag so I can buy more…

I really do have a soft spot in my heart, always, for this tea. It tastes like sun tea and really lead me into the world of green rooibos, which is a newfound love! (Thanks again, ColumbiaKate for getting me hooked!)

This is bold, citrus-y and bright – like I’ve brewed sunbaked tea leaves. Love it! I will have to purchase more to experiment with – add other flavors. I’d love to brew this with a tropical flavor and make it iced, just in time for summer.

Stay tuned…

There is a little bit of rocker & punk in me, and more so that I’ve tried this. I grabbed this today, wanting to try a new Snapple. It’s Diet, so I was immediately drawn to it. Then I saw it was Bret Michaels’ blend, so I was in!

This is a hearty iced tea with a vibrant and mouth-satisfying blend of tropical fruits. I wouldn’t compare this to other iced teas, however, as I didn’t brew it myself. But this was a great treat today, and with only 10 calories in the entire bottle, my body thanked me for not opting for a 220 cal bottle of Coke.

My staple. It’s my first day back at work after being out for surgery and there is too much BS going on… thank goodness for this spicy wonder… and my painkillers. (Please see other tasting notes.)

Found this one in the back of my tea cupboard and couldn’t remember when I purchased it. Whoops! So I tried brewing it to see how it turned out. I remembered that I liked it OK, but wouldn’t purchase it again.

Now, on to this cuppa: it’s funny that it’s considered oolong to me, because it tastes more like green tea if anything. It’s much more grassy and light. (Maybe it’s a poor quality, I don’t know.) The tartness is extreme – anti-hibiscusers beware! I added two Splenda packets to make this more drinkable. It’s decent, but again, I wouldn’t repurchase. That tartness is tough to beat. Perhaps if the raspberries were mixed with a sweeter fruit (kiwi? banana?) or just a big ol’ sugar crystal this would have more appeal.

This is smoky and minty – bliss, really. It’s cooling to the palate and senses, but with a hint of smoky tea, enough to keep you interested. I drink this all the time, especially in the afternoons. It’s stress-relieving as well! :) A pantry must-have!

This is so comforting to me, on a rainy and gray day like today. No rating as this is my blend. Please see other notes. And lemme know if you wanna try it!

One of my tea friends recently had a birthday. She’s an Earl Grey fiend, so I purchased a bunch of EG samplers for her, from Adagio and other places.

I decided to try EG Lavender by Adagio for myself. I’ve tried other EG Lavender varieties – such as Metro Teas – and enjoyed the cuppas. I call EG Lavender the EG Gateway. I’ll get there some day, folks.

But not with this variety. This doesn’t taste anything like lavender! It brews up syrupy sweet – meaning it smells like syrup. And not in the way that the awesome Pancake Breakfast from 52teas does (which is my latest obsession). It’s bizarre. I’m going to try to brew it w/less time, maybe that will help.

Honestly, I’m a little embarrassed that I trusted Adagio’s EGs for a b-day present.

See more on my quest for EG on my blog: keenteathyme.blogspot.com

This is the perfect tea for the afternoon, hot or cold. I love that you can just leave green rooibos in the tea as long as you want, no restrictions. So when I forget that I have brewed tea for the afternoon, it’s not all bitter when I realize it 30 mins later. :) And I’m glad it doesn’t give me migraines like that pesky red rooibos!

I was so excited to try this – and it’s pure genius! Toasty, marshmallowy and sweet, this tea does remind me of a rice krispie treat! I did add Splenda which enhances the sweetness, of course. My first cup doesn’t have any marshmallows in it – they are further down the bag – but I can still taste a hint of it. Absolutely delicious, as per usual, Frank! :)

Just blended up a huge batch of this. I love it! It’s fruity and sweet but also floral and elegant. I am lovin’ the green rooibos.

I love this strawberry pick-me-up. I created this blend for a friend and love every cup of it. No rating as it is one of my custom blends from Adagio.

This was a weird cup. Even though I’ve used pomegranate green in some of my signature blends on Adagio, this was completely bland. There’s no fruit flavor in the sip, although it was lightly scented. Even the green tea base was, eh. Glad I got this as a sample first. Ick!

Starting my day off with this sample from Craig Buntin@ Teabean. This chai flavor is really unique and really interesting.

First off, this is the first coffee-chai I’ve ever tasted. Second, it’s the first tea infused with coffee beans – black or white, regardless – that I’ve ever tasted. I had no expectations, although I was hoping for a spicy chai.

For a bagged tea, this chai brews up strong and bold. My first sip was full of coffee-flavor – the “good” parts of coffee, no bitterness and no heartburn for me. ;) In my second sip I tasted more spice and more nutty-flavor. I can’t tell which kind of nut (peanut or hazelnut), but it doesn’t matter – it’s a good flavor and utterly unique.

It’s not as spicy as other chais, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing in this case. Normally I frown on mild chais, but this one is different. Too much spice would take away from the coffee and nutty flavors. As it happens, all three flavors blend together happily.

Brewing time doesn’t seem to be an issue. I left the tea bag in for the remainder of my cup and from the first sip to the last drop, the taste was the same.

However, I’m not sure how to rate it. I really enjoyed my cup and plan on purchasing more in the future, but I can’t compare this to any other chai or even tea for that matter.

All I can say is that this is a terrific new spin on chai. Fans of chai, you’ll love this take, even if you don’t normally like coffee. Fans of hazelnut will enjoy this infusion as well.

Can’t wait to try other infusions by Teabean! This is a great new concept. Oh, and stay tuned to my blog, keenteathyme.blogspot.com; I will be featuring the company soon. :)

This is a quiet tea. It’s delightful and nice but not something I would go out of my way to purchase again (I got a sample in my last order). It’s polite and calm, with a taste of lemon chiffon or lemon cookies. But it’s not as bright as I had hoped for a lemon tea.

Got this as a free sample, but I’ll be placing an order very soon! I believe it is green tea (possibly gunpowder green, a personal fave) with rose petals and a light floral flavor. Those of you who dislike floral teas should back away slowly. Those of you who – like me! – love floral notes in teas should embrace this version with gusto!

The only problem is that I was unable to order from www.totallytealiciousteas.com. There was a whole breach of system security and my browser wouldn’t let me go any further. Maybe I can find it elsewhere, although I would rather support the company who sent me the sample…

I need a heavily caffeinated tea this morning, which is gray and wet here in MD. So I opted for this sample I purchased from my last Adagio order. First, I love how fluffy the leaves are – light, airy and super fluffy.

Now, for the taste: bold, hearty and strong. This is a BLACK TEA, versus a black tea; it shouts its intentions of being bold and brazen, with no apologies and no looking back. Normally I can drink my “plain” tea actually plain, but I had to add some Splenda to round out the edges. Even with the sweetener, it’s still strong. But I taste a mossy, earthy flavor, which is quite nice. I don’t mean it tastes like dirt; it tastes fresh from the Earth, as though borne in the height of summer, with sunlight baking the earthly tones into the leaves. It’s poetic, it’s nice. I couldn’t drink this all the time, but for an AM pick-me-up, I’m glad I went with this.

I love this tea! It’s so sweet and refreshing and fun. It really does taste like a cup of summer. :) I needed a little lift this afternoon and this fit the bill. Now I’m smiling, despite still being at work. :)

Perfect for this afternoon. :)

Enjoying a nice minty cup. I agree with other reviewers who said they couldn’t taste the darjeeling tea – all I can taste in mint, mint, mint. Which is fine with me, it’s one of my fave flaves. Please see other tasting notes.

Backlogging from this AM: Got this as a free sample. I really enjoyed this new take on a chai! It’s not as bold as others, but the flavors are definitely enjoyable. Plus the white tea base doesn’t compete for attention as much as a black tea base would. Overall this is a decent chai. Plus I was able to resteep twice and the flavor was just as bold as the first cup. (A fourth steeping did not go as well, but honestly, I only ask for one add’l steeping.)

Nobody does tea like Frank from 52teas. Right now I’m attempting to order this week’s Marshmallow Treat tea. I thought having a cup of the Pancake Breakfast while ordering would be lucky, kinda like Sam Axe using the name Chuck Finley for luck. (If you watch Burn Notice and saw last night’s movie you’ll know what I mean.)

Thanks to Naomi for this sample. :) I actually lost it in my bag, just found it tonight. So I’m enjoying a cup right now. Delish!

This tastes like a liquid almond cookie. Normally I’m allergic to almonds (which is a shame since they are so yummy), but I don’t have (too) much of an issue with this tisane. OK, it makes my mouth swell up slightly but a benadryl later, I’m cool.

Still, this is delicious treat – cinnamon, allspice, almond. YUM! I would buy it, but the allergic reaction is stopping me…however, that means the almonds are real. ;) It’s not the tisane’s fault that my body hates almonds (and other tree nuts).

It brews up yummy too – just like a cookie. I’m in love!