KeenTeaThyme

I love this one, although it’s not really oolong-y. But it’s the perfect treat (calorie-free) to get me through the rest of the afternoon.

Since I don’t care for the tea for Day 8 of the Christmas exchange, I decided to try another from Day 6. This time it’s one I’ve been wanting to try anyway! Love when that works out. :)

Hmm. Bacon. Love how this one smells – both dry and as it’s steeping. I’m a bit apprehensive about trying it, because I’m a total bacon lover and what if it’s no good? I’m going to want bacon…

But I tried it … and it’s delicious! I really feel like I’m eating bacon, sans crunch. I can taste a bit of the maple, which helps cut the smoky bacon flavor.

A coworker just asked me where I got a BLT! That’s how fragrant this is!

I do crave “real” bacon…but let’s be honest. I always do. ;)

This is awesome as only Frank @52Teas could do! :)

Love how this one smells, both dry and as it’s steeping. It’s like a bowl of juicy peaches and mangoes!

As for the taste, this is in-your-face tropical awesomeness. I bet this would be fabulous iced as well. Right now I’m contently in peach and mango heaven. Ahh. HAPPY.

Part of Day Six of the 12 Days of Christmas tea exchange

I mixed these two following the suggestion of the Day 6 teaist tattooed_tea. This was a great idea!

I’ve only ever tried Adagio’s genmaicha tea and didn’t really care too much for it. So pairing it with something else was right up my alley. I love anything strawberry so naturally these pairing would be perfect for me.

The Wild Strawberry tisane has a hint of hibiscus (hiss) but the genmaicha cuts it down considerably. Likewise, the tisane masks some of the burned popcorn taste I associate with genmaicha.

This tea smells and tastes like a bowl of Special K strawberry – YUM! :)

Day 5 of 12 Teas of Christmas exchange

I can’t get over how YUMMY this tea smells dry! I can tell this will be an instant fave… or I hope so.

While steeping the aroma is that same spicy and vanilla smell. It reminds me of Christmas in a cup. I love the gorgeous gold balls too.

The taste is a real treat for my tastebuds! Spicy vanilla with a hint of sweetness. Within one sip this has become a fave spicy tea.

YUMS!

Day Four of 12 Teas of Christmas exchange

Thanks to a three-day long migraine I am very behind on the Christmas teas exchange (plus I missed my office’s xmas luncheon, boo). I’m sampling this one before tackling Day 5 and Day 6.

I really enjoy the black tea base on this tea because it doesn’t eclipse the black currant taste. I bet this would be amazing iced. Other than that, I can’t say too much about it. It’s decent, but there isn’t much flavor…so I’m not sure if this would be a purchase of mine. I keep feeling like it needs more oomph, like adding mint or strawberry or something…

This was my first ever cuppa matcha. As a result I don’t feel comfortable rating it as I have no point of reference to compare it too.

I did really enjoy this – both the aroma and the taste. It actually tasted quite sexy to me!

Here’s the full review – I’m a bit behind thanks to a weekend migraine.
http://keenteathyme.blogspot.com/2012/12/2-turtle-doves.html

Azzrian – I really loved the seal and the explanation on your card! I laughed at the “whips and chains” part of romance. ;) We have a similar sense of humor – too funny! :) Thanks for creating such a unique tea to taste. I definitely want to order more! :)

This is a weird one for me. I taste strawberry (natural, and so much I swear I have seeds in my teeth), and I taste milk chocolate. There just isn’t a lot there. To be fair this tea had to follow the Day 1 Pear Tree Tea which was so fragrant and so unique, it’s possible everything else I drink today will pale in comparison.

Actually, I bet that’s it. I’ll hold off on a rating until I brew this again.

Right now it’s delish, but not something I would order again. Let’s see what time does for it…

I can’t get enough of this one! It’s so unique, unlike any tea I’ve ever had. I’m on my second cuppa.

This tea is amazing – it’s spicy and earthy at the same time, a rare feat. After brewed, it tastes very similar to how it smells – which I love. (That’s why I can’t stand most coffees. They never taste as nice as they smell!)

Autumn Hearth explains she wanted not a “pear tea” but a “pear tree tea” and kudos to her for thinking outside the box and not saddling us with a pear tea – not that that would be bad or anything. I just applaud her creativity.

This blend includes tropical touches – papaya and pineapple pieces, along with citrus slices – and an amazing assortment of herbal ingredients including holy basil, organic juniper, organic burdock root and elderberry, plus a touch of vanilla. The base tea is a blend of yabao and jasmine green teas. Additional flavors include passion fruit, lemon balm and natural flavoring.

This is such a fragrant cuppa! I’ve really taken my time with this one, as every sip seems like discovering a new flavor wrapped in this tea.

This is a great way to kick off our tea exchange. Thanks Autumn Hearth for a fab blend! :)

Full Review – http://keenteathyme.blogspot.com/2012/12/1-partridge-in-pear-tree-tea.html

Got a meeting tonight so I needed an extra caffeine fix. Yum. This was perfect!

I really enjoy the flavor on this one, but it’s not the best Della Terra Tea I’ve ever had. I love the mix of chocolate and chili, and it’s a dark chocolate flavor (my fave) to boot. But there is a slightly artificial flavor taste to it.

(I used to make my own bath salts and soaps for fun and I used an artificial chocolate scent. That’s what it reminds me of.)

Still this is decent and decadent. I’d buy it again.

The second tea I’ve tried from Della Terra Teas. Again I love marshmallow and sprinkles, so of course I would love this.

As it’s brewing, OMG – it makes my knees weak!

The taste is amazing too – marshmallow-y and total happy. The sugar sprinkles are a nice touch too (of course). Not sure if I like this more than the Cinnamon Crackle but it’s definitely HAPPY!

This is my first official Della Terra Teas tea – and what an awesome inaugural blend! I love anything cinnamon, so of course I would love something called Cinnamon Crackle – complete with every 80’s child’s fave candy, Pop Rocks. ;) This is in-your-face cinnamon, cinnamon to the max – and this is a cupboard staple.

I gulped down one cuppa and could reinfuse for a second time, so even better.

Now I see why all you Steepsterites love Della Terra Teas – great prices but quality tea!

Also, I should note, this is sweet enough on its own (probably because of the candy).

It’s love at first sip. Cinnamon Crackle, I cannot live without you. You complete me.

My stomach has been killing me lately as a side effect of some treatments, so I opted for this mint tea after a light snack today. Nice on the tummy, and it’s making me a bit more energized to get through the rest of the day, but it won’t keep me up – at least I hope not!

This is quickly becoming my go-to tea and I am a forever fan of guayusa. Love that it’s energizing without making me all jittery and tweaky. (I think of Tweak from South Park when I say that!) Butiki Teas has a guayusa pack I’ve got to try asap! :)

Backlogging:
Still had some left from a free sample, but this is one I’ve got on my order list for later in December. I love oolong and strawberry so it’s no surprise I love this one.
The strawberry flavor is very natural-tasting, no artificial stuff here. YUMS!

Courtesy of Sare – thank you! :) This is my first tea from Lupicia but won’t be my last. I love the blend of jasmine with a hint of grape, just enough so that it’s not artificial. It really is like wine in a cup, and it’s definitely making me feel more mellow. (Placebo effect?) My only hesitation is the smell, as it really does smell like hot wine. I’m not sure I care for that, but I can’t complain too much since it’s true to its name!

It’s also not sweet at all. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I feel like if it was wine, it should be sweet. But since it’s a tea, I appreciate the lack of sweetness. This is one I’ll have to try again in order to properly sort out my feelings.

I did enjoy it, just not sure if I’m in love yet.

EDIT/ADD: I dropped the rating considerably because I ended up dumping it out. I just couldn’t get past the smell. :(

I’ve been drinking this iced lately, but threw it in my work bag today and enjoyed a hot cuppa. This is a fave – I love gunpowder green tea, and the mint is the perfect compliment. It’s also fabulous iced. I usually add a little extra mint (spearmint) for a sweeter taste when doing the iced tea thing.

No rating as this is my own.

I’ve got a packed day today so I need an extra boost. This fits the bill! This is available for sale in my tea shop, but I’ve noticed lately that Tea Trade seems to be having trouble loading pages and processing orders. If you want anything, just email me or PM me and we’ll work together. :)

I have this available in cute snowflake ornaments for $5; and gift bags with my other holiday blend Let It Snow (freshly blended, but last year’s recipe), complete with filter bags for $8.

Happy Holidays! :)
http://keenteathyme.teatra.de/
http://keenteathyme.blogspot.com

Oh thank goodness. This is helping me recover from the trauma of the rot tea previously logged. This smells so nice, and tastes so heavenly.

Of course my standards are pretty low right now! :(

Another freebie, hard to complain. But reviewing is another story. This smells so nice as it’s brewing but after one sip, you’ll think, “where did you go so wrong?!” There is a definite dirt taste there – and not in a sexy way, like that Dirt perfume by Demeter. I’m talking old dirt in my tea cup. I am not a happy camper. I’m tempted to dump it out.

I gave into temptation and dumped it out. RoT – apropos. This does taste like rot.

Backlog – had a cuppa to clear the palate after my Mango and Friends disaster date. Much better – and it gave me great dreams. ;) I’ve upped the rating – this one just gets better and better.

Or I may be still suffering from the mango trauma.

I may need to drop the rating – and my love! – for this one. It’s been over a month since I’ve had this tea, and I opted for iced tea. WHOA. Mistake. I don’t know what happened, if the tea got old or maybe it’s not good iced (which is odd since it’s heavenly hot). The color was off – it looked like #1, if you know what I mean. (sorry) It smelled odd, and the taste was way off. It didn’t actually taste old or stale or anything, just not as fruity and flavorful. Now it was the bottom of the tin, and it was double the dosage for iced, but even so. I expected much more from this one. I still have a little bit left, but I’m not ready to go there yet.

Before I change the rating I want to try it again. Maybe it was a fluke. Maybe my husband put a spell on my tea so I stop consuming so much of it – and therefore, of course, needing to buy more. ;) I don’t know what happened but it was not good.

Has this ever happened to anyone else – not with this particular tea or flavor but just in general?

I love when a black tea base doesn’t shine through flavor (like AHEM Adagio). This is a perfect example of a flavored black tea done right! Each sip is warm and comforting – coconut and almond happiness. I normally have to be careful with almonds (allergic), but I’m OK with this version, perhaps because they are sliced? Who knows. Who cares. I’m enjoying this tea, bottom line!
The almond flavoring is a nice touch too. :)