twiggles

I think I over-steeped this tea, but it is still smooth. Just a bit too bitter now. It has caramel and malty notes. I will have to make another cup and try not to brew it too long!

Thanks Ricky for this tea! It smells very smokey right out of the package. Must have quite a bit of Keemun! This tea is perfect for today- I have been alone with my small kids for a few days, and I’m exhausted and also feel a cold coming on! This tea is perfect to wake me up, and also comfort. While trying to watch the kids and steep tea, I over-steeped and it was a little bitter, so I added some milk and a tiny bit of sugar (things I don’t usually do). It actually worked well! It is not astringent at all. I definitely taste the Keemun, also some Assam. I’m not a huge fan of milk in tea, but it’s working for me today. I can’t wait to try it when I don’t over-steep!

what a great tea! gorgeous leaves!! the dry leaf smell reminds me of very strong dried fruits, such as dates and raisins. maybe a little goji berry, too? I also get a whiff of sweet tobacco, like what my father used to smoke in his pipe when I was a girl. The taste is very interesting, slightly caramel-y, and i’m also getting goji berry, and date! this taste is really robust and complex, yet also smooth and a little earthy. I love it!

This is a very pleasant oolong. It is very smooth, slightly floral, and very woodsy. When I smell it, I feel like I’m sitting in a cozy log cabin, drinking my oolong tea! It is also slightly sweet, and light. I don’t get any spicy notes, I’m wondering if my water temp was not hot enough. i used the hot water from the office machine since I’m at work. I will need to try this again at home, when I can get the water a bit hotter. I’m curious to see how the taste will change! This is a nice tasty basic oolong.

No notes yet.

Thanks to Ricky, I now possess a tea by A&D! I’ve been meaning to try their teas for quite some time. I really enjoy this one- it’s a full, rich and dark black blend. Lots of Yunnan flavor, maybe a hint of smokiness. Maybe a touch of Keemun? It also has a subtle sweetness lurking in there. This tea is so rich and smooth, very comforting!! Especially on this frigid day. I don’t usually like to add milk to my teas, but I bet this one would do well with it. I think I’ll try doing that with the next cup! I wish I could cozy up under a blanket with this one!

The taste of this instant tea reminds me of the base for bubble tea. it’s creamy and very sweet (i did not add any milk or sugar), but leaves an oily taste on the tongue. the ‘tea’ doesn’t really come through for me, it’s more of a bitter aftertaste. there are a lot of artificial ingredients in here also, which I’m not a fan of. But I do love bubble tea, and this is a quick and easy substitue if you can’t get out to a bubble tea shop.

This is an autumnal flush darjeeling. It has a beautiful floral aroma with that sweet darjeeling muscatel scent. In taste, it is not as delicate as a first flush. It is bold, but without much of the floral notes that 2nd flushes usually have. The tea is a lovely golden, coppery color. It is lovely to look at, and a pleasant tea to sip! The muscatel lingers on the tongue a long time after the tea is gone!

This is one of the most unique tea experiences i’ve had so far! an old friend of mine that lives in Japan gave this to me on her recent visit to the states. it is only cherry blossoms, no added green or black tea. the cherry blossoms smell strongly of umeboshi plum, which is a pickled Japanese plum (actually more similar to an apricot). The smell hits you as soon as you open the package. I tasted the leaves before steeping and it tastes almost exactly like an umeboshi plum! very, very salty and tart, and sweet. a very strong flavor. The resulting tea itself smells exactly as it does before steeping. it has a very faint taste of pickled apricot, or perhaps pickled raisin. a very strange taste!! Not sure that this is something I’d want to drink all the time, but it is a fun adventure. the blossoms look beautiful while floating in the water!
for a few pictures, go here http://teahappiness.blogspot.com/2011/01/unexpected-tea-gift.html

I usually don’t do herbal teas, especially floral ones, but I was at Radiance with a friend in the evening, and didn’t want any caffiene. I have to say, it was quite tasty. Mostly fruity, I didn’t taste any flower notes. It was juicy and tangy, with the strong taste of juniper berry, and refreshing. I had a second infusion, and it was just as juicy and bright. It tastes like it looks- a lovely bright red/pinkish color.

This tea is pleasing. It has a sweet aroma with a smooth, toasty and nutty flavor. similar to Hojicha but without any green vegetal taste. It is very soothing. It also is reminding me of something from my childhood, but I can’t put my finger on what it is. I think it’s a tea we used to have at a Chinese restaurant that we frequented. Seems strange, but that is what I’m remembering! this isn’t the most flavorful tea, but it is definitely a nice change of pace on a cold winter day.

What a great tea!! Out of the package the tea has a lovely light floral scent. Not very strong, but immensely pleasing. I steeped the tea according to the directions, using the correct amount of tea, and freshly boiled (but not boiling) water. This resulted in a beautiful bright yellow/green liquid that had a light sweet smell. The taste is best described as light, yet full of flavor at the same time. The tea has a rich green vegetal body, that felt buttery on the tongue. Floral and sweet notes come through as well. Even though the leaves are unroasted, there was a slight oolong toasty/tanginess at the end. It is a delicious cup of tea that helped relax me on a hectic day. I did a second steep of the leaves, and the flavor was less delicate, the gentle floral notes were gone. It was stronger this time, with a toastier flavor, definitely more ‘oolong-like’. Can’t wait to try the other Zealong varieties!

This tea is serviceable. it has a distinct darjeeling taste: a little bit floral, slightly bitter, with a slight muscatel flavor. it’s not very flavorful though, and mostly just the bitter component comes through. I’ll drink it since I have a box of it in my office, but I don’t think I will be buying it again.

I don’t taste the honey accent mentioned on the package, but i do taste the chestnut. nice and nutty with a delicate floral note. also a light vegetal taste. I’m new to white teas, but am really enjoying this one! The leaves have a lovely sweet aroma before steeping, but has a nutty smell after steeping.

I’m new to the world of Kombucha, but this one seems a bit weaker than the others that I’ve tried. It has a distinct berry flavor and slight fizziness, but only a gentle tang from the fermentation process. This is a locally made Kombucha (I live in the NYC area), so perhaps it is fresher than the others I’ve tasted, and not allowed to age as much. from what I’ve learned, the longer it ferments, the more acidity you taste. It Definitely has the beery smell that I’ve come to recognize with Kombucha. It is a pleasant bottle of fermented tea.

This is a blend of Indian, Kenyan and Ceylon teas. It was brought back for us by a friend that went to England. It’s a very basic breakfast tea. Not very flavorful, but very dark. I may have used too many leaves, as it is a bit bitter and acidic, and not much else comes through. It’s good for breakfast as it gives a nice little jolt of caffeine.

I’ve been drinking this tea for a couple of weeks, and it hasn’t been doing much for me. It’s not as robust with the delicate muscatel notes of a 2nd flush, and not as subtle and gentle as a 1st flush. I guess it makes sense since it is an atumnal flush.

I enjoyed this Ceylon one morning at a local cafe when i was really sleepy. it was brisk, and strong, and woke me up. probably not the best ceylon out there, especially for the price, but it worked for me on that sleepy day.

This tea has a pleasant aroma and a smooth taste, along with a nice malty undertone. However, I wouldn’t consider it a great breakfast tea. Honey is the predominant flavor that unfortunately masks everything else. It is a nice afternoon tea, but it’s not quite bold enough to wake me up in the morning. It is actually too smooth and soft, if that makes any sense.

Brewing for about 4 minutes yields a nice rich golden color and a malty scent. Nothing fancy about the taste, but it’s just what I look for in a quick breakfast (or early afternoon) tea- slightly bitter, malty, with a faint hint of fruit on top. This is of course a tea that would do well with a drop of milk and some sugar. I will sometimes fix it up this way when I’m in the mood, especially when I’m craving a coffee substitute. But I usually prefer it strong and dark. This tea does not have any of the delicate nuances of an Assam, but it definitely delivers the goods when you are sleepy, and just need a reviving cup. It is what I imagine the folks on the old-school British comedies are drinking when they are trying to get through all sorts of silly drama. When Hyacinth Bucket shrieks ‘tea Richard!’, this is what I imagine she’s reaching for. She drinks it in her Royal Doulton with the hand-painted periwinkles, of course.

Not bad for a bagged tea, but not nearly as strong as it should be.