threewhales

Thanks to AmazonV I get to try out this tea blend!
Where do I start? Let me count the ways…oops, I am still in "ode to tea’ mode…LOL
This tea got me excited, I love cinnamon in tea. I boiled my water and waited as the tea brewed in my Chatsford. The color of the tea is red like red hots…you did know red hots are in this tea, right!?! Well, they are! I am bracing myself for this first sip, ready to be blown away by the cinnamon fire…The taste is smooth not bitter. I have not dedicted any astringency either..so far so good. The taste is only mildy cinnamon, not the cinnamon fire I was expecting, but it is good tea nevertheless. I added ice to my second cup and viola, there is the cinnamon, not mind jolting, but it is there:)all in all a very nice tea blend.

After my Chai last night, I thought I would try this one out this morning. The taste is very similar to 52 Teas Chocolate Chai…well minus the chocolate (which honestly I did not detect chocolate) one thing is missing though the spice factor. So, next time I am going to use one vanilla chai teabag(emptied) and 1 heaping tsp of CC and see if that helps the spice.
aha, the chai experiment…my inner scientist is jumping like an electron!

I followed Cofftea’s brewing directions: 1:1 ratio of milk to water, 2 X the leaf, simmered for 5 minutes on stovetop. Perfection! This is very good chai, nice and spicy, but not too much just the right amount. I can’t say I tasted chocolate, but the brew was reeeeaaallly smooth, so the chocolate may have played a role in the overall taste. Thanks Cofftea, I really enjoyed this chai for the first time:)

Had this tea this afternoon. I had to try out my new baby teapot and she works great!!!
This tea is one of my all time favs. Just the right amount of spice and vanilla, the black tea base is in the background allowing the other flavors to take center stage. I drank this plain today. Yum.

I am back in good graces with this tea and I am so glad. This is really good and smooth. Just be careful not to overbrew 1 1/2-2 minutes is enough. Found the perfect little 9 ounce teapot to make this tea each morning…yes I know the tea is already in a bag, but I miss making tea in a teapot each morning. Something about a teapot relaxes the mind and feeds the soul.
We had breakfast for supper tonight, so you know what I did! I made tea in my new baby teapot. Worked like a charm. One PG Tip in the pot, hot water…2 min. brew, took out bag and added milk and stevia right in the pot! Drank my tea leisurely, my new teapot kept the tea hot until the very last drop:)

Had this for dessert after lunch today. The smell is to die for, the taste is just good tea…but hey that is why I drank it!

After taking mrawlins2’s advice. I have given this tea a break. This morning THIS tasted good. Yummy in fact. A delicious way to start the day:)

Smooth. No astringency, which you all know is important for me. I added a wee splash of milk and stevia. Perfection in a cup. Now, I am ready to go back to school…new breakfast teas (notice the plural) in the cupboard.

Just got this one in and I must say it is growing on me. I do believe that this is a tea that benefits from adding stevia and milk. I purchased this with the hope that it would make a good breakfast tea and it does! Bold and brisk, this is a “wake up” tea.
So hoorah for me and kudos to Dan~tea drinker from Drink The Leaf for a Ceylon well done! Oh, and let me mention this, I ordered these teas on Monday and got them on Wednesday! I got 6 ounces of tea(3 different kinds) for $17 plus shipping $22 total!

I have been tasting a few other oolongs lately, but this one is still my favorite. Smooth to taste, no wierd aftertaste, just a really good oolong with a punch of plum flavor. Good hot or cold and of course with 4 infusions…a nice value for your money.

Third times a charm! This is the third tea of the day and the only one that has tasted good to me! I have purposely not been choosing this one because my sample is dangerously low..BUT OMG, WOW I am so glad I brewed this up today. Smooth Ceylon with blood orange pieces…yummy in my tummy:)

One thing I have learned is not to drink the same tea all the time!!! I am finding that these PG tips no longer appeal to me. Glad I only purchased one box. I don’t know why I do this, but I do…so I am off on the never ending task of finding a breakfast tea. Mrawlins2 made an interesting comment to me the other day about what she wants to have in her tea cupboard: 4-5 black teas for breakfast, 2 oolongs, white, green, dessert teas( I may have added this comment because I have really got into the power of tea for dessert!) and she wants to rotate them in and out…Now, I know that is not a new concept, just new for me. Now I have to pay more attention to what I like and want in a tea.

Thank you TTB1.2 for this nice selection!
The smell of the dry leaves is of sugar, a nice natural sweetness though, not a fake over the top sweet.
Today I brewed this up in my Dr. Tea glass teapot. I just love watching the leaves unfurl:)
The smell of the tea… I know that smell, can’t put my finger on it. Sugar cookie dough? No, but I do like this smell. Very soothing, calming.
First infusion yields a mild tea with a delicate taste. I LIKE IT! I am very surprised by this since my past attempts with green oolongs were down the kitchen drain before I could say YUCK…but this oolong is different. I will post again as my day goes with this tea. Stay tuned to this Bat channel for updates….

This is the second time I have drank this tea. The first time, I just steeped in my cup and added a splash of milk and drank. It was good. This time I made it stovetop with 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup milk, 1 1/2 spoons of chai. Brought it all to a rolling boil, reduced heat and simmered 3 minutes. The ratios are not quite right. Any suggestions would be appreciated:) OK, Dumb question: When you make chai on the stovetop like this can you resteep the leaves?

The smell is just like coconut cream pie. The taste is more like a coconut tea. Really good. I am so glad I purchased this tea for my dessert shelf in my tea cupboard!

I did a side by side comparison this morning of this tea with Samovar Breakfast Blend:
PG is bolder and benefits greatly from a milk & sugar addition. PG is good, economical and you gotta love that monkey:) http://www.pgtips.co.uk/
BB is sweeter smelling and tasting and slightly more astringent, no need for additives. Good plain. It does get bitter as it cools. Which is big draw back for me, at school my tea tends to cool before I can get it all drank.
All in all, I prefer the PG Tips. They just say “good morning” to me. Simple. Good. Affordable. No shipping charges. I think I am going to purchase a JoeMo thermos to keep this tea hot all day at school.

Started my day with this tea. Sweet, but not too much. Really delicate for a yunnan. Someone mentioned they thought it was more like a ceylon, that is probably why I like it. While reading the reviews for this tea, I noticed someone said it reminded them of PG Tips, so I did a side by side comparison this morning.:
BB is sweeter smelling and tasting and slightly more astringent, no need for additives. Good plain. It does get bitter as it cools. Which is big draw back for me, at school my tea tends to cool before I can get it all drank. BB is good. Pricey. But good.
PG is bolder and benefits greatly from a milk & sugar addition. PG is good, economical and you gotta love that monkey:)

Threewhales recipe for a GREAT cup of morning tea:
Place one pyramid in favorite tea cup, add hot water for a 1-2 minute brewing time. Add milk and rock crystals or brown sugar. Sip, Sit back and enjoy:) Ooh, Aww only with PG TIPS..
A second infusion is not only possible but highly recommended…why not get more bang for your buck!?!

The loooong search is over for my breakfast tea! This will do quite nicely, thank you. I do prefer to add milk and sugar to cut through the wee bit of bitter, but with a short brew time of 1-2 minutes, the bitter is barely noticeable. I was glad to read the other reviews about the second infusion on the pryamids. Good to know.

Smells promising in the dry teabag. Brewed at 3 minutes and all I taste is mint. Brewed at 5 minutes and I am tasting mint with a faint hint of chocolate. It is a crime to trap an Oolong in a tea bag. Having said that, this is tasty for a bagged oolong.

Again, this morning! I may have found my breakfast tea. This morning I prepared it stovetop in my Corningware sauce maker pan. Much easier cleanup than the teapot. Since discovering this stovetop method, I don’t find myself constantly wanting another cup of tea. It seems I was always on a search for a particular taste…which ironically was in my cupboard the whole time!

On my tea tasting afternoon with Mrawlins2, we sampled this oolong. Good smell in the tin. Just ok taste in my cup. I think I now understand why alot of oolongs are flavored.

Did not think I would want this again this morning, but woke up thinking about how to make it better than yesterday.
I got the recipe down perfect this morning. In my 6 cup corningware teapot: 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup milk, open 1 teabag. Bring to a rolling boil. Simmer 2-4 minutes. Strain and enjoy! Perfection in a cup. Smooth, spicey (but not too much). The texture reminds of the homemade hot chocolate my Mother used to make, but without all the calories:) Preparing this tea in this manner really helps take the edges off the black tea base.

Tried this tonight and it is good. Very decent bagged tea at a very modest price. All in all a good find on the shopping spree today:)