The Skinny (organic)

Yet another advent calendar sip down! Such progress today!

I honestly don’t recall what my roommate and I initially thought of this tea, but if I recall correctly, we didn’t like it. We did write notes on the back of the advent calendar box (which I ran across tonight, as it happens), so I should definitely check to see what we noted down!

With both the dry and steeped tea, the aroma is coming off as vaguely citrusy, but that’s about all I can pick out.

Flavourwise, now that I know there’s pu’erh in this blend, I suspect we a) didn’t like it and b) the pu’erh was the reason! Now I know what pu’erh is, and what to expect, so I can definitely pick it out here. Luckily it’s not particularly fishy, just has a sort of earthy/mustiness that I associate with pu’erh. I can’t really pick out the oolong at all here, not even in the aftertaste; perhaps it will emerge in later infusions. As for flavouring, a creamy sort of ginger flavour comes out in the aftertaste, which is actually quite pleasant, although it’s rather mild.

I know pu’erh has a multitude of purported health benefits, but I wouldn’t be too likely to pick this tea up again, as there are many other vendors with better pu’erhs that I’d rather drink for the benefits! This one’s pretty so-so; not terrible, but nothing special.

ETA: Bleh, the second infusion (~90C, 5 min) is not to my liking. I think I’m really picky on citrusy-flavoured things, and citrus + pu’erh is not to my liking (nor citrus + green tea, for the most part). No real loss though!

Here’s another one I’ve had for quite a well but never tried. Since I first started shopping at Davids Tea, this one has been strongly recommended. I’ve noticed that the newer sales girls tend to reach for the newest teas first, but this one used to be a strong seller for them, and I assume it still is as it’s still on the menu. Of course, for the first year or two of my tea life, I didn’t like oolong OR puerh – now it’s just puerh I can’t handle. I figured that after having a sample of this for probably a year or more we should probably try it out.

We steeped it in 85 degree water for 3 or 4 minutes, I didn’t want to scald the oolong as I didn’t know how well it would stand up to heat. The flavour was at first a bit strong, ginger and orange peel rounding out each sip and keeping the flavours together, but it became very palatable as I got deeper in the cup. I haven’t looked at the leaves, but it must be a roasted oolong rather than a green. I didn’t get any wet dog smell or taste from the puerh, so I was pretty happy with that. Altogether, these flavours work remarkably well. Unexpectedly, the beau LOVED it and wants to take it to work – this is one he would actually like to get a tin of. Will marvels never cease? He used to hate ginger, oolong and puerh. It’s interesting how our tastes have changed.

The second steep we just enjoyed came out a bit thin after five minutes of steeping, but it was also tasty. It was shockingly sweet (I assume from the oolong) and the ginger/orange were there just as a light background note. I would have preferred a bit more strength in the second steep, but the beau may have been light on the leaf so I shan’t blame the tea.

Anyway, this is a very respectable tea. Not sure what it really does for fat absorption, but if it helps at all, I support it! : ) It went quite well as a complement to our takeout pad thai as well. Hey, a girl needs a treat sometimes, right? : )

So my lunch was a sorry excuse for Belgian fries/poutine that upset my stomach because it was SALT SALT SALT. And then prior to this we had went to get king cake from a cool bakery and if you found the baby you won a dozen cookies. Well right between our two pieces is the baby. I got stuck with 10 of the cookies. I of course ate a couple. And a champagne marshmallow.

I pulled this from one of the 93825239 teas around right now and it sonded like just what I needed.

And it was, although I’m not a fan of the flavor. It did the job though. But the mix of these teas was really woodsy and weird and I didn’t care for ginger overall. I just downed it then took another nap and woke up great.

Thanks, Cavocorax!

i am shocked that i’ve tried this one so many times and never got around to commenting on it.

it has Orange Peel in it for heavens sake! AND ginger!! and it’s a oolong puerh blend! things i love love!

in fact i’m also surprised i didn’t choose to buy 50g of this one. (i guess i figured that Detox and North African Mint were similar enough. ?) but either way, i’m glad to have the samples i do.
the orange is brisk. the ginger is peppy but not too strong. the oolong is smooth and peeks out from under the looming puerh cloud. the puerh-ness is faint and not overpowering. but i’m also very glad it’s there, since i like it’s earthy darkness.

First of all: to my swap friends! I have a few swaps ready to send out (I have everything prepared for everyone I am swapping with at the moment), but our car is in the shop! D: That’s my main way to get to the post, but I’m hoping to send them out on Saturday (which means they will ship out on Monday, bleh! Apologies for the lateness, but know that I care so much about my steepster family!\

However I don’t care much for this tea.
haha!
Too similar in flavour to Gail’s Gold Remedy, I feel like I should be sick. and I adoore ginger, but I think more in food than in tea.

The puerh does give the tea a great earthy base that is quite unique, but sadly, not my tea of choice – no matter how good it is for me.

On a better note, I’ve been taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator! woop.

Oh man, I had a moment today. First I went to the bakery and got two croissants…cheese croissants. Then a mini bag of beef jerky. And a little can of pringles. And 11 Smilies. And a can of peach soda. And a brownie My tummy, she is not happy with me :(. I felt an afternoon of “Oh God, why!!!!” coming on, so I quickly made a cup of this.

Aaaaah, much better. My tummy calmed, I don’t feel like I just ate an entire pig, and I am good. I love this tea for that reason alone. Definitely keeping this close as the holiday season approaches.

I received a sample of The Skinny with my last David’s Tea order. Wait! Is David calling me fat?! In my defense, I’m wearing my laundry day sweat pants and they’re not the most flattering pair I own. David’s opinion of me aside, I’m always grateful to receive complimentary samples with my tea orders.

I’ve recently fallen deeply in love with oolong teas, so I was very excited to try this one. The Skinny has a very strong herbal scent dry. At first sip… yeah, this tea isn’t for me. I don’t know if it’s the ginger, the pu’erh, or the extreamly woodsy flavor but I don’t think I can finish the cup. Hopefully, what I was able to drink will help to cancel out the English muffin with extra preserves I ate for breakfast.

This is a tough one for me. I tried it iced and hated it! So I opted for hot tea with this infusion and the verdict’s in… it’s still just OK. Nothing to write home about. This may be my intolerance of pu-erh. I’m trying, folks, but it’s not an easy path. Pu-erh just reminds me of dirt, and not in a cool, earthy way like the Demeter perfume/fragrance. Like a mud pie made from dirty dirt.

I’ve steeped it multiple times – meaning once letting it steep for five minutes, and this recent cup, for just under two minutes. There is flavor but it’s not a fave.

This will go into my Tea Swap rotations, or I might sell it in a lot to add more money to my tea budget – and necessary surgery fund.

This came as a sample with my latest Davids Tea order – I love that they always send so many extra samples because it lets me try teas I wouldn’t otherwise have drank.

The smell of this blend is quite lovely, a spicy mix of ginger and tangy orange. The pu’erh/oolong blend is a bit of an odd combo in my opinion, and I think it was the pu’erh that made the tea smell like meat (yeah, I know) when I added the hot water. The flavour was a bit of a let down, all told, as the base had a leathery, smokey flavour that was a little bit bitter and the ginger made the whole thing came across as medicinal. Mind you, it did soothe my mildly upset stomach quite nicely.

I received this as a sample in my order from David’s Tea – it smelled really nicely of orange zest when I opened it up. (I think I’m slowly becoming a “citrus” person. I never used to like it but it’s been some of my favorite notes in the tea I’ve been drinking lately). The tea also looked really nice – I’m really digging eccentric herbal blends right now.
I steeped this a little cooler than the package recommended – I didn’t want the oolong to get bitter.
There’s a real low sweet nutty earthy scent to the brewed tea. The citrus is still there but the darker scents have come to the forefront. I suppose that’s the pu erh? I had a great pu erh once and haven’t found one that has been interesting since, so I’m not the best judge here.
The flavor is okay. It kind of tastes like I let some orange zest sit in water. It’s decent to sip on and the scent balances some of the lack of flavor out.
Nothing I’d seek out again, but not awful, just average.

This takes a while to infuse before the true color appears. Dry…I thought this first smelled like Orange Cream and then I thought it was more of a Fruit loops/Orange aroma. Post infusion it smells more like a woodsy/orange. The taste is flatter than I thought it would be. I would say more Oolong than anything else and then a share of orange taste. I can’t really taste the Pu-erh, Ginseng, or Ginger much…which is ok with me but not good for those specifically looking for those ingredients, I suppose. Overall the taste of this one is pretty good!

This tasted like Tang with a background note of earthiness from the Pu’erh. Argh….

Bought this earlier this week for my morning teas. Figured I’d give it a go this morning. The next half dozen I’d so teas I review are ones I’ve had this week.

This tea is ok & that’s all. I’m not a fan of the flavours the ginseng & eleuthero root. Actually It’s kinda gross & it has nothing to do with the pu’erh.

Into the swap pile it goes.

This is a interesting tea. The scent of the brewed tea had me worried. It smells very much of an orange medication.. I’m thinking liquid Motrin with a bit of dirt in the background. The taste actually isn’t that bad. There is a real citrus component with a little bit of an earthy flavor. Even though it’s strange, it is awfully smooth. The smooth character is its redeeming quality! Many thanks to ladykittykat for a sample!

The husband tried this and went, “Oooh!” I tried it and gave the rest back to him! I think the pu-erh teas are going to remain strictly his domain from now on!

Whoops. This is one of teas I bought when I first started shopping at DavidsTea and I bought 100g or nothing.

I like this one. The ginger is quite strong but the orange helps mellow it out. This isn’t one I would drink every day though. It’s good if I’m in the mood, or I want to settle my stomach, but really: when will I ever finish this tea up?

(Maybe I can drink enough of it that I can stuff it in a little foil bag, then fill the tin with…. Cookies dough?)

Unlike some other Pu’erh blends (coughohchristmastreatcough), the earthy beast has yet to make an appearance for me in this tea. I’ve had it a few times as a sample, now I have a large tin that someone offloaded on me. The grapefruit and ginger combo is so strong and I love it that way. I know that’s not the point of having a pu’erh-oolong blend, but I gravitate towards strong ginger and citrus flavour so it’s not bad in my books. Multiple steepings kind of numbs my tongue from all the ginger power.

Day 7 of the DT 24 days of Christmas revealed The Skinny. I’ve read reviews of it before, and spent some time reading reviews just now. I don’t tend to buy into detox/weight loss claims of anything and so I always am vaguely annoyed when I come across them. This does have ginger in it, so I do get that it could have nice stomach settling properties. But that is all I think I can concede. So anyway, off my high horse and into the tea.

I like this tea. It has a lovely warm flavor, what with the citrus and the ginger (citrus always says warm to me. Maybe because I live in Florida, so citrus is a warm weather food here.). The citrus isn’t so overwhelming, which makes me reconsider my citrus-tea antipathy after the Countess of Seville—maybe it was too much bergamot. Anyway, back to The Skinny. It has the earthy taste that screams Pu-erh, but it isn’t overwhelming. More of a back note. I’m not sure how much I taste the oolong, since I’m not overly familiar with straight up oolongs. The ginger and ginseng definitely are the dominant flavor notes for me, followed by the citrus.

Despite the health claims it makes, and despite the name (really, The Skinny?) I think this one will go in my shopping cart. It would be a good after-lunch tea what with the ginger and caffeine. I still prefer Le Digestif for dinner, mainly because it is herbal, and I have enough problems sleeping without caffeine at night.

Backlog, i will have to do a full review of this at a later date. However, this is not my favorite tea, it’s drinkable, but not one I’d seek out when my bag is done.

I also purchased this in an attempt to try something new. I’ve never purchased oolong before. I have tried this before, and I really like it.
However I am certain I understeeped this one. The flavour was light and flat, not like the cup I had in store. The only real flavour that came through was ginger and even that was weak. I’m sure it was my fault though.