teawing

Ahh, thanks to a mutually beneficial swap with SimplyJen, I am back with the Mafia today!
I love this tea. LOVE IT.

Sorry, I had to get control of myself, I have written on the virtures of this blend, thanked everyone responsible and really have nothing to add except…I LOVE IT.

What a surprise!
Not that it should be, I just was not expecting such a bold flavor from pear and spice. All the teas I have tried from Joy’s Teaspoon have been great. This is no exception. Black tea, with pear and cinnamon. A perfect combination in proper proportions. The pear and cinnamon are out front, and the pear holds it’s own. This could easily be too much of either but, like the porridge in baby bear’s bowl, it is just right. Dry the smell of pear slices (I had to look closely, I thought I was going to find some fresh, diced up) dominates. Steeped, the cinnamon takes over with the warmth of the water. A sip however yields a winning trifecta. Thanks QuiltGuppy, for hooking me up with yet ANOTHER fine tea!!!

This is my first Dan Cong, Quiltguppy to be praised for adding so many new tasting opportunities. This has a natural peachy/apricot taste and smell. The silky Oolong texture is there, but it is lighter than other Oolongs I have tried. Golden in color, it has a slightly intense flavor at first sip then fades to a mirage of it’s earlier presentation. I love that effect. A hint of nuttiness (flavor not goofy) comes through as well. The description by the company says cocoa but I have not found it yet. Maybe on a second steep. I would like to pair it with something to eat, it seems to have a complimentary profile.

First tea of the day. I really enjoy the hint of smoke in this one. It is just barely there, but no mistaking it. The color is vibrant green and gold. The flavor has a depth to it. Levels perhaps. At the beginning of the sip there is a silky richness of tea flavor, green and vegetal yet oxidized. Middle sip, this one really fits the Oolong description of lightly fermented, between a green and black. Some Oolongs are something else on their own, but this one seems to be right there in between with notes of both. The end of the sip gives up that hint of smokiness that I love. However, it is a small trace, so if you are not a Lapsang lover, give this one a chance. I purchased this with some other teas from White August during their Spring 25% off and free shipping sale for Steepsterites. I am SO GLAD I did. All their teas have been to my liking and when they have a sale, they really have a good one.

I needed something to clear my palate from my soil sample/divot experience earlier.
This is perfect. Rich, ripe plum and black tea. Simple, satisfying, and a pleasure to behold.
Reminds me of my younger days and liberating a few ripe red plums from the neighbor’s tree across the street. Steeped, the smell takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen, waiting patiently to enjoy a spoon full of warm plum preserves she has just canned. Ahh, the good old days.

On a challenge from my benefactor, QuiltGuppy, I steeped a cup of this today.
The dry aroma is dusty, like the dirty actors in a Sergio Leone Western. While steeping, visons of gardening danced in my head. Freshly plowed soil with hints of fertilizer mixed in. The first sip was a perfect blend of the dusty odor, heavy earth notes and a touch of peat bogginess. A 1999 vintage, it is not as old as dirt. It does however, taste like it.
Thank you QG, for helping me reach a conclusion today. With so many fine Oolongs, Blacks, and Greens out there, I am giving up on Puerh. If I get the urge for some, I will simply move some furniture, collect a little dust, add a dash from a vaccum cleaner bag, and use a potting soil base. I think I could come pretty close.
No offense to you Puerh lovers, but to reuse an old and tiresome expression, this is not my cup of tea.

No notes yet.

Ok, I will just say it. I love this tea. There. Done.
Berry, slightly floral, no perfume, rich golden color, and solid black tea.

Yesterday was too busy to log with Mothers Day and a few work hours mixed in. Major deadline Tuesday, so extra duty as needed… So, this morning I reached for a sample of this, my first experience with Dragonwell. I really like it. It is solid green in flavor, somewhere between sencha and Ti Quan Yin to me. The leaves are distinctly different in shape than other teas. They look like little propellers. It is very drinkable, each sip drawing you back to the cup as the aftertaste lingers on the palate. I think an oversteep would be bitter and astringent, it seems to have hints of those qualities at a short steep. The color is more yellow than green, but shades of green are there. I am going to max the score on this one to help the average. I don’t understand rating a tea low, if you don’t care for that type in the first place. I think this deserves higher than it has been given. If I don’t care for a particular type of tea, I don’t rate it.
Just saying. :)
And…happy Monday everyone!

Working my Saturday away so I needed the combination punch of green and black to stay on track. This is my third Harney and Sons tea. I am impressed with the refined, sculpted and artful feel all their teas convey. Every flavor and characteristic is there for a reason.
This tea has tropical island written all over it, (da plane boss, da plane!) but the aftertaste turns to strawberry for me. I sweetened it a little and drank it hot. I think I will try it iced later, just for kicks.

Thanks again to Quilt Guppy for another tea adventure!

(Update)

This is a corrected review from yesterday, I mistakenly listed this with another company, then created a new review for it. QG had to help me again to find “thepuritea” no spaces and shazam! there it is. The tea gods seem to be against me on this one…

I got a sample of this from QG, (TQ or TG) :) I selected this as my morning tea. the sample was large enough for a pot, some in the tumbler and the rest in the thermos. This is a dark oolong and very rich in flavor. No smoke, a hint of citris maybe, but overall just a deep full oolong tea flavor. I could drink this everyday. Looks to be resteepable as well.
I was not able to find it on the website.

Additional comment: This was still in my french press last night when I got home, I resteeped and drank it with dinner. Still rich, deep, and full on the second steep. I see Red Robes in my future…

I purchased a tin of this in a health food store. I wondered why it was not simply listed as Matcha. Can someone elighten me?
I made a latte with it last night, whisked some of the powder in a cup of warmed milk. A little sweetner was needed for my taste. I found it very green, not grassy. The taste was rich in sencha flavor, but not overpowering. This morning I added it to hot water with some sweetener and it dissolved much easier. Both the latte last night and the tea this morning were more like brewed coffee as far as texture goes. I got a little grit or undissolved leaf but not a problem with me as I used to drink my coffee like espresso…thick. This is my first Matcha or gound edible tea or whatever. I like it.
It is too costly for every day though. Now I am going back to the Clouds and Mist. :)

I wanted some unflavored straight green tea this morning and a generous sample from my benefactor QuiltGuppy filled the bill. The aroma before steeping was rich and almost tobacco like, not an ultra dried cigarette tobacco smell, more like a fine pipe grade. The color is a deep golden green that glows in my glass cup. Each sip is dynamic. At first there is a subtle, light, feel then the flavor accelerates to vegital and a little on the grassy side. This slowly diminishes as the tea goes down. A hint of butter and a very slight slipperyness are also present. I enjoyed this very much.

No notes yet.

Last cup of the work day (a long one at that.) I find this an interesting and different tea. In the dry it is almost gorgeous with colored ribbons weaving in and out of the black leaves. The fragrance is quite fruity to my surprise, as I was expecting floral scent. I agree with other reviewers, apple does seem to be a major flavor but the black tea is there and other more subtle flavors. Some berry, maybe a touch of vanilla. It is very enjoyable and has held the full flavors through a cooling down (I got distracted during the first steep.)
The second cup won’t have time to cool as I am going to give it my full attention after this long day. A hearty thanks to QuiltGuppy for another new tea experience.

Rain for the last three days, and with a short break almost the whole week before that. Storms too but nothing as bad as our friends and family in Alabama. This morning, I needed to think sunny thoughts. I neede to imagine the warmth of the sun so a sample of this from QG did the trick. It was my first pot of the day.
As for the review, the pineapple is on first, the coconut playing second, and the green tea coming in as a closer in the later innings. (Go Cubs!) I would have liked a bit more coconut and even some cherry, but alas, I am just being picky. This is yet another creative and tasty blend from 52 Teas.

This is a darn fine Darjeeling, I can taste the berry notes very clearly and it has a silky texture that makes you want to return to the cup. At the end of the sip, that welcome black tea flavor pulls it all together.
I like everything I have tried from White August. Their service is very good, prices fair, and the teas excellent.

Another backlog:
This was a gift but from what I can tell, it is no longer available. I think I know why… I like Jasmine tea when the mood strikes me and more often, I like vanilla teas. So, I have nothing against these flavors. However combined, they formed an unholy alliance that seems to explain why the blend is no longer available. I have given high marks to so many teas I really wondered if I would find any I just did not care for. Now I have…
If anyone wants to try it, send me a message, you are welcome to the remainder of the sample.

Backlogging…
Last night I was in a black tea mood, so this was my early evening choice.
I continue to be impressed with Harney and Sons, their teas are well blended and seem to me
perfectly proportioned. Orange always has the flavor power to dominate but not in this case.
Cranberry and Black Tea are featured with Orange is a supporting role. I really like this and
look forward to crisp fall days

tea friend   /tee/frend/
–noun
a person who gives assistance, support, advice, samples, camaraderie and anything else needed, all for the betterment and sharing of tea experiences.

I have been fortunate to make some good friends on Steepster, in he last two weeks, friends have allowed me to try some amazing rare teas, and some more common teas that get high marks from the membership here. I was so glad to get to try “The Jane Austen Maffia” a while back and now, I am in the “Vanilla Comoro” Club a last! Thanks to QuiltGuppy, last night, late, after a cup of Vanilla Bean Nilgiri, I ended my day with VC.

Simple, sensible, and elegant are the words that come to mind. For me, the tea was a perfect balance of two complimentary factors. The vanilla was not creamy, not carmelly, not overdone or perfumy in any way. It was just right. To top it off, the black tea (although decaffinated :( came through as well. Nothing else. Simply elegant. I felt the urge to repour the tea from a trusty home cabinet mug to a nice china cup and saucer.
If the loose caffeinated version is this good, I am about to become a Harney customer.

A sample of this came in some tea QuiltGuppy sent to me. Nothing really to add to the reviews here. I will say this, I like it. I think the vanilla is just right, the cream effect is perfect
and the tea flavor itself is present in the proper context. Like another reviewer, I had visions of pralines and cream, but then, that should be expected. I am from the South y’all.

Please excuse my exuberance, but I cannot contain my deep feelings of joy this tea brings. Since my last encounter with this elixir, I have resolved to secure more by purchase. But alas, at present, I find myself in less than profitable circumstances. So, I must ration the generous portion my trusted friend and accomplice (KiTT) provided. Simply put, I love this tea and would like to be considered for the title “Hitman” of the Jane Austen Mafia if any of you could kindly direct me to the proper authority.

This is a delayed note, I sampled this about a week ago. The memory of it is still in my mind, the taste and aroma haunt me many days later. This was a special gift from my Second Steep Book Club cohort QuiltGuppy, and I have been saving it for weeks until I had a proper gaiwan to steep it in. I love caramel, and this tea gave me much pleasure with it’s creamy feel, and milky, smooth taste. I can understand now, as this is my first Milk Oolong, why it is so highly prized. I burned my fingers slightly using the gaiwan the first time, but after 6 steeps, I had the hang of it. 6 steeps, each a little different, but still so incredibly good. I loved every drop and when it was gone, the experience recalled a rare aged port I had the honor to try at the Ritz Carlton years ago…incredible. THANK YOU QG!

I dare say, I believe I am the first of the male persuasion to comment on this tea…
While suppressing a smile, it is a distinct honor to share the company of so many esteemed ladies, while partaking in the mutual joy of this wonderful blend. Blackberry, the royal berry in my humble opinion with vanilla and cream. Delightful, delectable, and delicious.
Every sip takes me back to my mother’s Blackberry cobbler with creamy, vanilla ice cream on top. I am not sure I qualify for this club in terms of sense, but I am guilty of prideful prejudice when it comes to the three party marriage so perfectly joined together.
I am grateful to KiTT for the opportunity to try this, I have been wishing for so long…