teabird

I’m not a huge fan. I’ve been enjoying white teas a little more lately, so I went looking for my Adagio white sampler today, and.. well, maybe I didn’t make this the way it should be. I’ll try steeping it longer next time.

I can taste the peach just fine, though it’s not overpowering, but I almost wish it were because I’m not impressed with the white tea base. I used 2 grams of tea for a 4oz pot, but it just doesn’t have the rich mouthfeel I’ve been getting from (say) LeafSpa’s Silver Needle or Rishi’s Snowbud. It has lasted for two steeps so far.

Mixed this 50-50 with Celestial Seasonings’ Madarin Orange Spice tonight, and I like it a lot better this way. The anise taste is still there, especially on the back end, but it’s not the only thing going on anymore. The orange comes through very well in the aroma and beginning of a sip. I’m not going to adjust the rating, but I’d give this particular blend at least a 50.

Got my free samples from Life In Teacup today – very exciting! Yunnan Gold Bud is indeed composed of lovely golden buds (the picture is quite accurate). I used 2.1g in my little 4oz pot (the whole sample was about 5g, so there’s enough for another strong serving) and I’ve steeped it twice so far for 1 minute each. Both steeps are a lovely honey-brown color. It smells sweet, and very tea-ish (unhelpful, I know, but it’s that true “black tea” scent) and a little earthy, like the hay flavor I get from pu-erh and white tea sometimes.

Oh, that just coats my mouth in a kind of savory honey flavor. Very full and smooth mouthfeel; zero bitterness with these steeping parameters. This is really reminding me of a milder sweeter pu-erh, which is funny because I haven’t liked pu-erh that much and I love this. I’ll add a rating after a couple more steeps :) I’m impressed. I’ve steeped this six times now, adding 30 seconds on each pair, and it’s still good (though it finally started to lose a little color on the 6th). This is like a cross between a sweet black and a lightly roasted oolong.

ETA: I ended up steeping this twice more this morning, for a total of eight steeps or four 8oz cups. From 2 grams of tea leaves. Seriously folks, this totally evens out the $8/oz price point. (If you’re interested, it comes out to 15¢ per 8oz cup if you include the multiple steeps, 60¢ if you don’t).

Clearly I just need to stop pushing this tea to be stronger than it is, because I am having a single delicious steep right now. There won’t be a second, alas, because my second steeps of this have never turned out well, but this one is very good. The sweetness of raisins and dried fruit, a nice full mouthfeel – it’s a little like bread pudding without the cinnamon. Only a little (the tea isn’t that buttery or sweet), but that’s the best comparison I can think of.

I was going to do a QPR but it appears to be out of stock currently and I can’t remember the price. I’ll update this if/when it comes back. My google-fu has come through. It was $11.95/4.05oz, or about $3/oz. A single cup at 30¢ with no resteepability is a little high for my taste (unless I love the tea), but it is fairly cheap for organic.

In any case, I vow to try to enjoy this for what it is rather than constantly trying to get more out of it.

3g, 8oz boiling water, 4:30 steep

Finishing up TM’s Cold Season sampler – this and Gypsy Cold Care were my favorites (over Throat Coat and Breathe Easy), in terms of flavor. This one is mild, minty, and slightly citrusy, as they say. Or at least it was, until I spilled it all over myself and the couch. Argh!

To finish the comparison: this is most similar to Breathe Easy, but easier to get down (for me, not overly fond of herbals). BE is more strongly minty, but also more herb-y and bitter; if you want to taste your medicine, try that. I liked Gypsy slightly better for its cinnamon flavor (and Throat Coat less for its licorice flavor), but really any of them are solid all-purpose medicinal herbal teas.

I made this iced to take on the road today – using several steeps, 16oz of tea from 1.5 grams (about a teaspoon and a half) of leaves is a pretty great deal. Sweet, fresh, but also slightly toasty; not like roasted oolong toasty, but sunny-day dry grass toasty. Nice, and refreshing, and good at many temperatures. I think I slightly prefer it warm, but it was good chilled too.

No notes yet.

Definitely rich and malty, there’s a honey-sweetness that makes it just smooth enough to drink plain (if you’re braced for the tannin kick). It’s nicer with milk though, smooth and fruity.

This reminds me a lot of Mighty Leaf’s Bleu Peacock. Like, a lot. Caramel flavored green oolong. This is probably a little smoother, a little sweeter on the aftertaste. They’re similarly priced (Bleu Peacock is $3.25/oz. This is $4.21/oz), so I’d probably buy this instead for variety when my bag of BP runs out, but I don’t drink it that often so… that could be awhile.

Nice, but nowhere near as awesome as the Coconut Pouchong – it doesn’t have the synergy between the oolong and the flavor.

Still not one of my favorites, but with a shorter steep and a little milk to soften it I’m beginning to see why people like Darjeelings.

Giving up on herbal throat teas for the time being and spoiling myself with this – it is deliciously desserty with a bit of honey and milk. Does this mean I’ll actually have to patronize Teavana someday? :( Thanks nonetheless to Meghann M!

Ugh. I’m drinking this because I have a sore throat tonight, and it’s the only throat tea in my cupboard, apparently. I don’t think I realized, when I bought a full box, that it tastes much more licorice-y than Traditional Medicinals :( almost undrinkably so, for me. Almost, but not quite, when my throat hurts.

It’s effective, and sweet, so if you don’t mind fennel or anise it’s a great choice. I, on the other hand, might need to give the rest of the box away so I have an excuse to buy TM’s instead…

Add me to the list of those who don’t like coconut-flavored things, but liked this tea anyway. It’s a buttery, sweet, fresh coconut that melds with the green/oolong flavor without overpowering. I am definitely tempted to buy some of this this, though $7.25/oz is more than I’d usually pay… we’ll see.

ETA: I’m having the 4th steep of this with a bowl of popcorn, with butter and coconut oil, and that’s bringing out the green/flowery bits in the tea. Don’t let the fact that it’s flavored make you think this is a cheap base – there’s a nice pouchong under there.

I used about half of my 2.7g sample, to make 4oz; I’ve steeped twice so far with good results. ETA: After six steeps, I think this is done. Still, a really good value; that was 21oz of tea from 1.4g of tea leaves!

Finally finishing up my sample of this – it’s surprisingly good for having spent several months in a clear plastic bag. Smooth, sweet, lightly grape-y. I can definitely taste the white tea base, which is impressive considering how little white tea I drink. I… might just have to buy more of this. Ooh, and apparently it’s on sale? $4/.8oz or $5.60/1.6oz This gets more and more tempting…

1.4g, 4oz water, 2 steeps so far

I brewed this a little on the strong side today, using up the last of my sampler tin – about 2.5g for 8oz, and I found it a bit harsh to drink plain. (I guess that could be about hte dust in the botton of the tin too). It’s fine with milk though. It actually tastes mild and well-rounded now, more sweet than smoky. This is good, because I find the smokiness of Keemun Encore somewhat overpowering.

I think this’ll go on the shopping list for a full tin. It’s very drinkable, and has a nice sequence of flavors rolling over the tongue, but it’s relatively inexpensive so I don’t have to worry about savoring every cup (I’m looking at you Jackee).

2.5g leaf, 8oz water, 3 minutes near boiling
$12/4oz

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

I prepared this as Den’s Tea’s oh-so-detailed chart instructs: 2g tea, 4oz boiling water, 30/15 second steeps. First impression: reminds me of (roasted) yerba maté or kukicha. It’s a very mild flavor, not at all bitter, but also not very tea-like to my palate. Slightly sweet, but also somewhat… dusty, in flavor? Oddly dry. The second steep is very similar.

This is interesting, but not likely to become a staple of mine any time soon. Maybe it would be a good low-caffeine option if you’re a purist who doesn’t drink flavored teas or tisanes, but I can’t really imagine the mood where I’d pick this over everything else in my cupboard.

Finishing the last of my Teafrog samples now that my new order is here. This is good, but I’m finding that I don’t really crave an extra lemony Earl Grey very often. The lemongrass in particular is… interesting, but not quite to my taste; it reminds me too much of herbal blends, which is not what I want out of an EG. :/ So, interesting to try, but not likely to be a staple for me.

$6/100g, ~15¢ per cup

The description here seems quite accurate to me: green and floral. Also a little buttery, at least in the aroma. The color is a very pale green, almost like a white tea. This reminds me of Samovar’s Four Seasons, but maybe just because that’s the most recent green oolong I’ve had; this is lighter in flavor, and sweeter. It doesn’t quite have the rich buttery mouthfeel of FS though. (Note: they are both Tie Guan Yin/Iron Goddess varieties)

This was a very generously sized sample – at least 4 grams of tightly rolled leaves, total. I’ve steeped it twice so far, and may adjust the rating depending on how many it yields. I don’t quite have a system for how much QPR affects my ratings, but it is a factor i.e. if this yields a comparable number of steeps as Four Seasons, it will get a slightly higher rating because I like them similar amounts and this costs half as much. I find it relevant, because if a tea feels like a ripoff, I genuinely enjoy it less.

ETA: I’ve had six steeps of this now, and it’s getting milder, but no faster than the Four Seasons did.

2.3g leaf, 3.5 oz water, 45 second steeps near boiling
$21/4oz

Wanted something warm and spicy, but mild and not needing milk, today. This was perfect – sweet green tea with almond and clove. The clove is really standing out today. Looks like it’s back in stock over at Dragonwater, so yay! They’re one of the companies that got me into tea.

1tsp, 3.5 oz water, short steeps

No notes yet.

Swiftly becoming my go-to evening tea – creamy, citrusy sweet with no additives.

yum yum yum… so happy my full Teafrog order arrived! This is so delicious, orange, and sweet. Tasty plain or delicious with milk and sugar.