Anna Karenina

Sipdown!

This is a great blend. I made it extra strong because I was feeling it. This is smooth, smoky and the rose is a nice touch.

Regarding Anna Karenina, the smoke and rose suggest passion and femininity, but they also push the boundaries a little. Is it too much? What will others say? I suppose it could be a cup of sorrow or regret, but if you live in the moment nothing going can stop you from surrendering to each sip…

Thanks again to Josie Jade for the sample. The Steepster book club will discuss AK on the 25th and I’m looking forward to it. I hope we continue with this!

I didn’t log many teas for a while, but now that I’ve started I apparently can’t stop! This one comes to me from Josie Jade and was the tea for the first book club, which I missed due to, well, not having room for a 600 page monster book in my schedule!

I love smokey teas, thought I know they are really love it or hate it. This is actually quite mild, even after an overly long sleep because I didn’t put a timer on. Smells like a campfire! I took this without milk or sugar because I honestly find milk weird in smokey blends, though I know that’s really the norm.

The idea of smoke and rose is so nice. However, this tea doesn’t entirely live up to the idea in my head—it’s smokey but not as strong as I expected, and the rose is on the light side. But it’s still nice, in fact I think it would be a good evening cuppa! I have quite a few bags of this left so I think I might split open one and mix it with RoT’s rose black for an extra floral kick.

on my 2nd steep of my 2nd bag, i thank you Josie Jade :)

aroma: slightly smoky mingled with a rosy fragrance
flavor: i like a strong lapsang souchong but this blend’s flavors fit!

this is the one i liked the best of all the 3 teas i had on my bday. it is good enough that i finished it even without adding anything :)

thank You Lord for tea <3

Today is the day – Anna Karenina book and tea club discussion day! I’ve been eagerly awaiting this day since I finished the book about a week ago. This tea is so perfectly paired to the book, and the scene from the movie on the tea tin is just so pretty. I was a bit hesitant about this tea since I’m not a big fan of smokey Lapsang Souchong teas, but I LOVE rose teas so I hoped these contrasting flavors would balance out. The teabag smells only a little smokey, not overwhelmingly so, and there is a nice, strong, floral rose scent also. The tea aroma is completely of woodsmoke. I was a little sad to see that this tea takes on more of the smokey flavor than the rose flavor. The rose seems to be more noticeable in the aroma rather than in the taste, as there’s only the smallest hint of a rose flavor. All in all not a bad tea, just a very heavily smokey flavor, which is exactly as the tea is described. I hope my fellow book/tea club members found this tea to their liking!

-Round natural unbleached teabag.
-Teabag smells smokey with a rose essence. Tea liquor aroma is of woodsmoke.
-Tea liquor is a dark brown color.
-Malty woodsy flavor with a lingering smokey finish. Smallest hint of rose noticeable in the flavor.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Good tea. Very little rose flavor.

At first glance of the tea description…rose petals ugh…smoke ugh! But I am pleasantly surprised at the layers of flavor. First, you smell the smokiness, but it is not the over the top smokey, just a slight smoke. Second, you taste a delicate backdrop of black teas and then on the back of your tongue the cream of a rose. I have not added milk or sugar this time.

This is Josie Jade’s pick to read with the book, Anna Karenina.
It’s also really nice! It’s smokey, with a rose aftertaste. I thought I would want to sweeten it, but actually I like it straight.

Again, I’d like to commend & thank both Josie & Serenity for this wonderful idea, & for sending out the tea samples to everyone!

And now, I’m taking my cups of tea to the bubble bath, as I’m still only at 75% on the book. Time to soak, sip, and read!

This is a limited edition special tea from The Republic of Tea. It was inspired by the movie by the same name. Just received it tonight. It is best served with milk and sugar to taste. It is a litely smoked Russian Caravan tea with a touch of rose. Unique.

We loved this tea, but it doesn’t seem to be available any more. I
have tried to make something similar by mixing 2 teaspoons of Republic
of Tea Rose petal tea with one teaspoon of lapsang souchong. We were
satisfied with this.