teawing

Been slammed at work lately, no time to log but I have taken plenty of time for tea. I am thankful to my many friends I have met here for introducing me to new and exciting teas.
This is becoming a favorite, I really think it should be marketed! Thanks to KiTT and her Blog, I won a wad of this (southern measurement term) and some other samples.
I will log them later, but I love the slightly smoky, creamy, vanilla flavors and this is the honest truth, you can close your eyes with a cup of this and you are at a campfire…well, as long as you don’t spill any of it!

Thanks to the generosity of KITT, I am enjoying this today…
Minty green with a touch of chocolate, I do mean a touch, very understated.
I like it. Like many I have seen post, I am not too sure what I think about chocolate tea, but this is just right. The green and mint are center stage.

No notes yet.

From yesterday, still another gift from QuiltGuppy!
I liked this but honestly, Honeybush is not a favorite of mine. Spiced like this with Sweet Potato as well, it was very good and had me thinking of late November days and Thanksgiving feasts.

Another gift from QuiltGuppy, thanks soooooo much!
I had a cup of this last night before bed, then tried a second steep this morning.
Solid Strawberry both times, the black tea was richer on the first steep as you would expect. I really like this. It is well balanced, not too much of either flavor.

Thanks to QuiltGuppy for sharing this, it is delicate, the cherry flavor is perfect. I would have liked a little more of the sencha, but I may go for a longer steep next time. The flavor is almost fragile, like a cherry blossom. Over all, this is very good and from the description, I see somewhat rare, available only in spring. It is also fitting, as my thoughts are with the people of Japan and the tragic circumstances they have to bear…

Thanks KiTT for sharing your stash! The flavors are exactly as you describe, slightly smokey, a hint of vanilla and cream…just like a toasted marshmallow. Now I don’t have to wait for bonfires and hot dog roasts in the Fall to enjoy. If you like Lapsang Souchong, you will like this one.

No notes yet.

Another gift sample from my friend KiTT!

Ok, first of all, I am not much of a TA fan, so no connection there, but the flavors in this blend are all the things I enjoy, gunpowder green, orange, a hint of spice. This day has been ramping upward since it started, feeling like a scene from Inception with the rioters getting closer and closer…so, by building a wall of green, a covering of gunpowder and the clear-eyed focus of orange, this tea is providing the protection I need.

Thanks to KiTT and her generosity, I now have some interesting options to try. This was the first on my list. I actually had the first steep last night, added a little more tea this morning and resteeped, the flavor was still full and fruity. I don’t think I can add anything to the volumes already written on this tea. I like it, I enjoy the fruitiness and like others, find it to be a good blend (like punch) with no one flavor taking center stage. I also like that fact that in all that fruitiness, the sencha is still present. To me, this plast point, is what makes the tea successful.

First of all, I agree with some comments posted here on Steepster that overall, Tazo is a disappointment, and seems to be concerned with marketing more than quality tea. However, this is what I think of, when I think of Chai. The spices are all in place, but not too much of any. Just the right amount of pepper, and the black tea comes through as well. I have tried this without milk and honey but it just isn’t the same. With those, it is almost perfect.
The concentrate is very good as well, but adds more carbs than I want or need.
I don’t have many loose leaf chai teas under my belt, and I am sure I will find some I like, but for now, I know I can always get at least one tea I love at the grocery.

Yet another new experience from the Asian market!
I had seen some reviews of this blend, the price was right and I tried it. Honestly, the aroma when it is steeping is not what I would call wonderful, this does not drive you wild like vanilla, or chai. But, the taste is something else. And like my first experiences with Per-uh and Lapsang Souchong, unlike anything I have ever tried. Toasty, grainy, savory and then the subtleness of the green tea. The color is a nice shade of green, not cloudy at all. The more I sip, the more I like this… I have the leaf version, not bagged.

Ok friends of the 80’s, like, I had this bummer of a day…totally.
But I had a few minutes between meetings and drove by yet another
Asian Market I have yet to try and Bam! For 99 cents I get 4 ounces of solid
gunpowder green. A dash in my press, steeped a cup or so and man,
the day just got a lot better. As others have noted, this is a bit smokey, a little cloudy, and not the most beautiful color of green you will find, but the taste is rich and full. This is an in your face green that could handle any type of food or seasoning. I am thinking enchiladas…oops sorry, back to the tea. At this price, I will never have to drink bagged green again!

Not sure how I have failed to rate this, I honestly thought that I did…
Oh well, I enjoy this tea. I keep a tin at the office and at home.
It more or less a go-to tea when I am not sure what I want. The peach flavor is wonderful, makes me think of the peach preserves my grandmother made…the ginger is subtle, just right and there is something else in the aftertaste that is brief, can’t quite define it..maybe a minty note, maybe hibiscus…something is there though. This is a keeper.

Additional Info: I agree with Hazel, the color of the liquor is gorgeous!

Keeping that black trend going today…every sip induces a pause and moment of reflection…the color of this tea is perfect, a deep dark amber. Through the sip there is a swiriling of lightness, to slight astringency, then a smooth aftertaste.

“to complement the traditional, hearty English Breakfast”

Tried to cut some carbs this morning so I left out some of the “traditional” items, but this sure complimented my eggs and sausage quite well. I think my personal taste is towards the black teas, I enjoy the oolongs, whites, and greens I have tried, but I always want to get back to that ingrained “tea” taste. Only the blacks do that for me.

No notes yet.

Been reading about blends, both the successful and disaster varieties. So…..drum roll please, I blended this Jasmine with the Ti Kuan Yin I had on hand going about 1/2 each with a favorable result. The Jasmine was toned down and the Ti Kuan Yin brought a full and rich tea taste to the cup. I will be doing this again, and may just mix the whole lot.

I will forever be indebted to Ginko from Life in a Tea Cup for giving me my first sample and introduction to Lapsang Souchong.
Being new to tea, I am sure the veterans will appreciate my awe and wonder inspired by the multitude of new tea flavors with their complexities and character.
I knew a little of what to expect with this, from reading reviews and learning how the tea was made. But nothing prepared me for the experience.
The aroma was smoky of course, but immediately made my mind race to memories of campfires, fireplaces, bonfires, and other burnings. The first sip was full of smoke at first but like a whiff was gone and the flavor of black tea appeared. The aftertaste followed with a whisp of smoke that lingered…and was gone.
Sip after sip followed the same path…guiltily, I felt almost as if I was smoking…savoring each pull, holding in and releasing after each taste, hoping it would never end.
I learned something, you don’t “drink” this tea, you experience it. After the first cup, I realized the smokiness was calling me back to an earlier time, the Fall of 1999 and fighting forest fires in Northern California. Hardwoods had been the fuel of choice growing up, in the hearth at home, on campouts. Hardwood smoke has it’s own character. The Pine forest we worked on in ’99 had a scent I will never forget…and thought was lost in memory…until I tasted this tea for the first time.

2nd of day of Snowpocalypse. 8 inches of snow yesterday and -5 last night. Not the sunny south at all…

I got this at an Asian market before the storm hit. This tea has a smooth nutty flavor. The aftertaste is pleasing and somewhat different than the taste at the beginning of the sip.
A little earthy, but nothing like the Pu-erh I have tried. More than a hint of it though. It is in a decorative tin with scenes painted on each side.
The woman who sold it to me said in accented English “this very good!” I have to agree.
Just wish I knew more about it…

Just needed some good black tea late morning…

2nd steep of the day, this is very good. I wonder if I would like it more with the Jasmine toned down a little.

I like it though, very much.

Started my day with this. It is a different experience. I am going to have to try some others and compare.

Sample #2 from Chi of Tea (out of Little Rock, just down the road) thanks guys!
Glad to see some folks down south doing tea right! Ok, as much as I enjoyed the Orange
Chysanthemum Pu-erh, I LOVE this one! The orange is refreshing and just enough ginger (which can be overdone for my taste) to compliment the Oolong base. Strong on the orange side, not understated at all. The woody Oolong flavor appears with the aftertaste.
This is a delicious blend and I WILL be ordering some! I think this
would be very good iced as well. I will give it a try and review that sometime.