tease

Pleasant! Didn’t let it steep long because of the hibiscus and rosehips, but there is a full bodied quality I feel in my mouth when I sip this that I don’t normally taste from flavored, fruity teas. And that makes me pleased. Maybe not what I expected, but still enjoyable.

A bit too sweet for my tastes, and if I had added sugar, it would be like liquid candy. I can taste a bit of the raspberry when I put my mind to it, but it strikes me as a bit tart, and more like a substitute, generic berry than anything specific. What darjeeling there is seems overwhelmed by the hibiscus and rosehips (which frankly, I think we should ban altogether from tea), but it works better for this tea than I have tasted in other berry blends. No bitter aftertaste, but leaves my mouth feeling dry the way I do when I drink pink lemonade..?! It is biting cold outside, so I’m just happy to have a warm mug and tummy.

As you may have noticed, I haven’t updated a lot lately, and I will tell you my reasoning: unless I find something particularly interesting the following times I drink something, I most likely will not log it. May give the impression I don’t drink much tea. More like I require VARIETEA. (Har har, look at my pun.) cough Anyways.

Waking up with a cup of bagged Lady Grey, because I needed something light and citrus-y to fill my nostrils and taste buds! It’s very forgiving on steep times and temperatures, and I drink it straight because it never strikes me as bitter or too bold. Personal preference would normally lead me to Irish Breakfast, but this is a lazy morning that requires the power of tea and fruit in one cup, rather than soothing milk that will paralyze my senses until I am prepared to realize that I am, in fact, quite conscious. Today, I am off to Sotheby’s with my college twin, so I have to look lively!

Egads, I am starting to think I will remain ill forever! So, here I am, prepared. Ginger snaps, tea, and Alan Moore’s Black Dossier by my side. Scoured my parents’ tea for something to drink whilst ill, and this was it. If I had more energy, maybe I’d even call this my “excited” mode.

By this point, I have probably killed the tea. I dunked two fairly large chunks of young Australian ginger into this steep, just to make it all the better for my sickness, and two large spoonfuls of honey. Needless to say, it is pretty delicious now. But when I tasted the tea beforehand, I was not so impressed, nor did I taste the pear. Considering I can barely smell at the moment, this may not be saying much. Primarily, I think of this as a green tea before all else. Perhaps it needs a shorter steep and lower temperature, but I won’t go into all that now. For now, I will soak it all up and sleep!

This tea smells like Florida at dusk, if you’re sitting by the ocean, and just able to taste a bit of the salt off of your lips. In taste, though, it is very light and floral, and the contrast is really pleasant in combination. Has the coloring of a light oolong, smells like green tea, and tastes like jasmine. Definitely more steeps to come!

Drank some with a halibut-shaped sugar cookie (adorable!) at the Acapelicans concert the other night. Couldn’t bring myself to drink any of the other offerings on the table, so I went for my good old classic!

The scent is so refreshing. Reminds me of Typhoo in its strength, but is obviously an Irish Breakfast blend instead. Super quick steep, and didn’t become bitter although I left the tea bag in and never added milk or sugar. Probably downed the mug-ful in no more than 10 minutes, which is plain crazy. I put this on par with the Twining’s blend I’ve been raised on, as it has so many sentimental connotations for me…

My darling Becky bought me a glass teapot for Christmas (early) along with a sampler of Primula teas! This was the first one we tried.

Very light coloring, and I was worried about that. The first steep was too weak, the second was too strong, and hopefully I’m getting it right this time. The jasmine seems to soften the green tea, which I appreciate, but it leaves my mouth dry, which I did not get on the first steep (then it seemed a little more buttery). I can taste the flower(s), but they don’t seem very particular, something like chrysanthemum. Light and yummy enough, but I feel like there’s some quality that reminds me of how dirty fog is tainting this. My guess is the tea may have been sitting too long on a shelf. Also, unpleasant fuzzy residue in my mug from this tea. Whut.

I wish I had a photo to go with this tea, because it is unbelievable. My friend Rebecca went to Vancouver, and abashedly admitted to paying $57 for 100 g of this tea. But, in my opinion, it was so worth it. We celebrated last night with tea, ginger snaps, and Apples to Apples!

The bag said 90º C for something like 3 min., but we decided to go a bit lower as to not hurt the leaves, and steep longer. Cleaning them, the leaves smelled smoky, and several steeps later, had enlarged such that they probably took up 1/4 of my teacup. The leaves were so delicate that the water never turned past a light cyan color. It is so light that you really can just leave the leaves in the cup and not over-steep.

I’m no oolong master by any means, but I could absolutely taste how smooth and slightly buttery this was, with absolutely no bitter aftertaste as you have with so many teas. The floral notes, presumably from the Kauai orchid (which I know next to nothing about, I’m afraid), were absurdly delicious and light. I could drink this by the gallon if Rebecca would let me, and am definitely going to try (and probably fail) to get one last steep out of the leaves this morning…!

Makes me yearn for summers in Maine. Steeped it a little too long, I think. The scent is delicious and hearty, yet given that, the flavor doesn’t quite live up to expectations without significant amounts of sugar bring it out. Wish they used real blueberries, but I have a feeling it is just flavoring and black tea. Still, quite scrumptious, and definitely worth picking up for a steep or several!

Found this in my parents’ fridge; who knew Rishi sold bottles of pre-steeped chai?! Not I. Really enjoyed this even though it is cold outside, and surely having it iced doesn’t help. But it is so sweet, almost like chocolate (the ginger is strong with this one), and very fully flavored! That being said, it is not in any way a spicy chai, and I didn’t particularly taste peppercorn or cinnamon. May buy the loose leaf, now…

This tea instantly transports me to my days at Oxford, senior summer of high school. I am by no means an old fogey, but I am a sentimental human who misses England terribly!

It is basic, strong, black tea, ground finer than most loose leaf. I like it strong, with whole milk, no sugar. Not much to say flavor-wise, but I have a soft spot for it. What can I say?

CHAI SPICED CIDER IS CONTAGIOUS. I can’t even really say it’s tea, but if you like chai as much as I do, this will be your new guilty pleasure. 4 and a half apples, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and more. Really, I don’t get this excited about tea-based products, and I’d love to taste a little more of the chai… But this is delicious. So seasonal.

Waking up today was so hard! Snuck this for free at breakfast. Not a super rich coloring. I’m not adverse to the sweetness of this blend, but I do tend to like really spicy chai, and this was not spicy enough for my tastes, even when I left the tea bag in (thus my long steep). Probably doesn’t require sugar given the sweetness of the rooibos, but milk is always a given for me with chai.

Nice enough for me to take for free when I need some caffeine in the morning, but not good enough to sway me away from buying other blends I like better. And the cranberry chocolate scone that accompanied my cup definitely didn’t hurt!

I love love love this tea, and I’m never entirely sure why. It’s very simple and smooth, not flavored any particular way, but is the most delicious tea with honey ever. Should turn a lovely, warm, deep, crystalized caramel honey color, too. Fabulous for cleaning out your palate after late night girly gossip, as a friend and I did at 2 AM yesterday.

Pretty delicate for a black blend, so be careful not to over-steep; I usually let my water cool down a bit from boiling and then brew it to prevent this. Be sure to have with with honey. Seriously. Don’t have this without honey. Have I mentioned honey?

I have been looking for a bagged tea like this. For whatever reason, green tea and pomegranate is delightful, though I can’t say it tastes strongly of either, so the blend is pretty decent. Unlike a lot of flavored teas, there’s very little indication of some cheap, chemical flavoring. Keep some sugar handy.

Not too bitter, not too sweet; don’t steep it too long, or I fear the green tea will hiss at you from your teacup (am I the only one that uses teacups anymore?!). If you must use just-boiled water (as I do), steep it for a shorter period than you’d expect. The tea should turn a lovely russet-purple (pomegranate!) color. Perfect for fall, and I bet it’s delicious iced!

This tea is very easy to over-brew into bitterness, but if you’re careful, it’s pretty lovely, with some nice, smoky notes that I don’t think they mention at Alice’s. Usually, I use just-boiled water, so it is strong, as I tend to like my black teas. The strawberry and chocolate is subtle enough that I don’t feel as though I’m drinking something tawdry. Even if you do over brew, sugar can fix some of it! For any New Yorkers, Alice’s Tea Cup is one of many lifesavers, and certainly mine while at college and feeling homesick for their loose tea!

I’m not sure if Xanadu actually makes this as a loose leaf as well, but the boxed and bagged version isn’t bad. On par with a lot of other common chai blends, but a little stronger on the spice end (probably pepper?) than I am necessarily used to. Neither good nor bad, just nothing particular. Meh.

Brewed it strong, no sugar crystals in the bag as the description implies there is, and added milk and stevia. No bitterness.

My mum got this recently, so I snuck a bag. I’m not really sure where they think the tea is, but this is a pleasant enough group of spices. A bit weak for my taste, and easily drowned by sugar, but still decent. I just don’t particularly love or hate it, so I haven’t got an opinion either way (which may be saying something in and of itself). Maybe I’ll try it with milk later; it was yummy with my cinnamon granola + yogurt parfait!

Say what you will about crappy bagged teas, I can’t hear you! This is something I was raised on, and it is a tremendous comfort to me, just as all the Twining’s teas are. Sometimes I’m a tea snob, but in this case I just can’t be. Guess it’s like tea junk food? And believe me, that comforting quality comes in handy during midterms. Steep it strong with just-boiled water, and then add some milk, and sugar / stevia.

Drinking this one non-stop recently! As soon as I opened the tin, the strong smell hit me, and in the best way possible. This tea is so delightfully light and sweet that you really don’t need sugar. I can only really taste the pear and green tea, but I’ll be keeping a tongue out for that dang kiwi they promised. Steeping times may vary, but I usually let it sit for a while just so it strengthens the flavor. Though I have been drinking it hot, I can imagine this would be absolutely delicious iced as well, particularly on a hot summer day.

Twining’s loose leaf teas are beautiful basics, particularly the black teas they are so renowned for, and definitely deliver a difference in quality and freshness from their bagged counterparts. Because my tea last night was, well, piss, I have remedied my mood with a strong swig of this. Makes my morning merry, and the smell is still happily tingling my nose.

Just-boiled water, ~ 4 min., w/ a dash of Sweet Leaf & milk

When I saw this in the store, I got so excited! As I brewed it, the cup smelled wonderful! …And then I tasted it, and I got disappointed.

May be my personal dislike of chamomile and hibiscus throwing off the taste, because all of the other ingredients strike me as agreeable. It was too tart and bitter, even when weakly steeped and with stevia sweetener. Stash normally doesn’t let me down, but this just left me thirsty for something (anything) else.

…I think this is becoming my staple, basic, bagged chai. Nyum. Guess I’m going to have to compare it to the Tazo before giving up Numi’s Golden Chai completely. Yikes.

Still undecided. I think the next cup I drink needs to be much cooler than the one I had tonight to actually taste it properly. That being said, I don’t know how I feel about lemongrass, either. Whoops.

Usually I let this steep far longer than it actually is intended to, just because it is very faint to start with. For whatever reason, I really like this blend, even though it doesn’t seem to make any logical sense with chai spices in my head. Super soft and creamy with milk and a bit of stevia / sugar.