teabird

Having the other sampler bag of this today. I’m getting a little more spice, less citrus, than before. It reminds me of Harney’s Holiday Tea now, though it’s been long enough since I had that one that I can’t say how similar they really are. Though, it looks like JaquelineM mixes them together (her Winter Holiday Cheer is showing up in the sidebar as a “similar tea”) so they must go somewhat well together!

I’m… not liking this one as much as I’d hoped. They recommend a lot of leaf – I’m using about half the suggestion, at 1 1/2 tsp for 8oz, and I think even this might be too strong? I really don’t know. My steeping time was right on :/ Maybe a second steep will go better?

This tastes dark, a little bitter, but mostly just kind of muddy. Like puerh, almost, without the barnyard flavor. I’m having a lot of trouble pulling individual flavors out of the earthiness. I’ll keep playing with it, but at this point I definitely wouldn’t buy more.

Oh! I remembered what this reminds me of: Strawberry Zabaglione from 52teas! The flavor here is a little more subtle, a little less cream and more fruit, but the profile is quite similar.

I probably won’t buy a tin of this immediately, but maybe the next time I’m in the mood for a sweet subtle fruity tea.

No notes yet.

I usually like floral, but this is a bit too much. Any black tea is pretty well buried in the flowers, and even the bergamot is a little subdued in comparison. Just too light and tart for me overall. Might be nice iced?

Blech. Tastes like liquorice. There’s some other spicy flavors too, and I think I can taste the guarana? But mostly liquorice, or which I am not a fan.

Hm. It’s been a little while since I had a non-Chinese breakfast tea, so I’m mostly noticing the Ceylon in this one by contrast. There is a slightly smoky note, but it’s not very strong. There’s something sweet also, maybe malt or honey, but mostly the Celyon. I think the aroma’s being thrown off by it’s having sat next to the Spearmint Green in the sampler box – it smells kind of minty-sweet.

Interesting, and pretty good, but this certainly isn’t making me desperate to buy more. Drinking plain, at the moment, but will add milk shortly and see if that brings out anything new.

ETA: I did like it better with milk, and better plain on the second steep. It might have just been too strong for me at first, somehow, though it wasn’t overly bitter. Peculiar.

Drinking some of this hot with honey, chilling some to drink later. The green/black mix is always a little frustrating to steep, but this one is pretty forgiving, and adding sweetener makes it even more so. Might get more of this with my next Teafrog order (which will be soon, since Love just ran out!)

No notes yet.

I can smell the lime and the orange blossom in the dry leaf and the tea – I’m impressed already. Upon tasting, I’m actually finding the tea to be overwhelmed by the citrus. Maybe that’ll get better as it cools. Ooh, there’s a nice floral aftertaste though.

… Still very fruity as it cools, also floral. Having this with just a bit of honey. Not sure I’d buy a tin of this, it’s pretty distinctive for everyday drinking. I’ll try it with milk next time (how I usually take my EGs)

I have a sore throat, so last night I had the brilliant idea of steeping a pitcher of this to have iced today. This worked wonderfully, especially since I remembered to add a couple spoonfuls of honey while it was still hot.

This is cheating, really, as far as assessing the tea is concerned – I oversteeped it by far, and added enough honey to compensate. That said – it’s really really good! Fruity and flowery and sweet, and I haven’t gotten tired of it after drinking all day (I made about 24 oz). I definitely prefer this iced to hot. I can taste the green and black tea both, I think, but it’s pretty heavy on the guava/strawberry flavor too.

1 heaping tsp for the first 8oz, added 1/4 tsp for each subsequent 8oz, freshly boiled water, irregular steeping times

After using a heaping teaspoon and steeping this a scant three minutes today, when I took my first sip I would’ve sworn I’d added honey to it. But no, that’s just how sweet and flavorful it came out. Not really malty, but very very honeyed. Drinking plain :)

I liked this more than I expected. I’m not fond of licorice in general (anise, fennel, any of those), but the taste here is a more general herb-y-ness.

There’s a strong menthol sensation, so it’s aptly named, but it doesn’t taste overpoweringly of mint either. I guess I’d have to say that it’s very well blended. I do find the effect more refreshing than calming, personally.

Not one I’d buy a tin of, but if you want a pleasant herbal tea you might like it.

This is certainly interesting – the closest comparison I can think of is a sencha. It’s vegetative and sweet, but also almost pickled(?) tasting. I’m glad I have another bag to experiment with, because I really haven’t made up my mind here after two steeps.

No notes yet.

I had low expectations for a bagged Darjeeling, even as nice a bag as Kusmi provides, so this was a very pleasant surprise. Maybe I just got lucky and steeped it properly, but this is a fine and delicious example of what a Darjeeling can taste like. Light but full-flavored, very aromatic with that fruity/winey/muscatel flavor. There’s just enough astringency to make it refreshing without being bitter.

If it’s consistently this good (and I didn’t just get lucky with the steeping parameters) I may even pick up a tin of this! Darjeelings aren’t my usual, but it is nice to have one or two black teas on hand that go well without milk.

Pretty tasty – fruit and caramel, yes – but I think I liked Prince Vladimir better. This reminds me of something I’ve had before, but I’m not being able to place it. Blue moon, maybe? Except that it really doesn’t have the apple notes, hmm.

It is very nice, and sweet enough to drink plain, but would probably benefit from a dash of sugar. I’ll try that next time, since Kusmi considerately puts 2 of each tea into the sampler!

No notes yet.

To my delight, there’s a specialty foods store in Harvard Square that carries Kusmi Tea. Not knowing what to try first, I picked up a box of their “essentials” that has two bags each of twelve of their (I assume) most popular teas. For some reason I was expecting normal-ish bags, so I was pleasantly surprised by the individually-sealed muslin sachets! Now, on to the tea :)

… delicious! Perfectly delicious, hot and plain. I always appreciate black teas smooth enough to easily drink plaint. Sweet and fruity and aromatic – citrus and vanilla, as described, but a very soft citrus. A like lemon coffee cake? I expect to get a second steep out of it, but haven’t yet. I’ll probably try with milk next time, but don’t want to mess with it at the moment – this is just tasty.

I’ll have to try the rest of the sampler first, but this could easily be one to buy a tin of!

Mmmm, very tasty. I never used to like coconut much, but the coconut oolongs are definitely converting me. This is a little stronger than I recall Golden Moon’s Coconut Pouchong being, but they are similarly real and well-blended flavors.

I got this with Rishi’s oolong sampler, so the other 3 will be up in the next week or two as I get to them.

The packaging suggests using 190˚F water, though the description here says 175˚. I’ve steeped it a couple of times now, and either seems to work fine. I found the higher temp gave a stronger flavor, lower was sweeter.

Delicious! I don’t usually like mint mixed with things, but this is really tasty. Good vanilla, and peppermint. I love that GM uses real things to flavor the tea – even in my sample I could see chopped vanilla beans. Not sure I’d drink regularly enough to buy, but I’d definitely recommend trying this one.

Finally bought a big bag of this :D It is hands-down the best decaffeinated vanilla black tea I’ve tasted (… hey, it’s a relevant category!) The tea flavor is a bit overwhelmed by the vanilla, but the vanilla is delicious – round and sweet and creamy. I like this with a bit of honey and/or milk, especially at bedtime.

No notes yet.

I got a bag of this at SpecialTeas going out of business sale a few months ago, so it’s a bit old now, but still enjoyable – I just up the leaf a little. Rich malt and honey flavors, but emphasis on the honey; it’s sweet for an Assam.

Taken with a dash of milk.