254 Tasting Notes

Tea #8 from Traveling Tea Box C

I have to admit, I’m a bit of a cilantro fiend. Love the stuff. In fact, I made a batch of pico de gallo only last weekend! When I saw the pineapple and cilantro combination, I have to admit I was more than a little intrigued.

Dry, this blend looks fantastic and fresh. I can’t pick up any pineapple from the smell, but the white tea and a little hint of the cilantro peeks through.

As soon as this steeped up, I could tell I made a mistake in the preparation. I usually add 2tsp of raw sugar to my teas (well, everything except the unflavored greens) but this… wowza. That’s a lot of in-your-face sweetness!

At this point, I’m only getting pineapple. Little to none of the white tea flavors are coming out, and definitely no cilantro. I tried a re-steep, to see if I could find a better balance, but I think this might be a single-steeper.

While it was very much pineapple, it was a sweet way to wind up the day’s tea drinking. I want to be able to pass on as much of this as possible, so I don’t think I’ll be making another cup. It was fun to try, though!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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70
drank Read My Lips by DAVIDsTEA
254 tasting notes

Tea #7 from Traveling Tea Box C

Oh my goodness – someone dipped Monty Python’s wafer-thin-mint into a cup of tea! Take cover!!!

Okay, since no one seems about to explode, this is a surprisingly enjoyable cup. It really does taste like a thin mint, complete with the minty-fresh aftertaste to finish it off. The little red lips didn’t seem to do anything (they’re still mixed in with the steeped leaves) but those little dollhouse-sized kisses are long gone. This is a really nice change after the last firey chocolate tea, and it really seems like I’ve just finished off dessert.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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80

Tea #6 from Traveling Tea Box C

Mmm… creamy pumpkin. Now this one I like! It’s very laid back, sort of how you feel when you get to the pumpkin pie stage of your evening, but has enough presence to suggest a pumpkiny dessert. One of the few teas I’ve tried that actually tastes a little like the inspiration!

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drank Mayan Chocolate Chai by 52teas
254 tasting notes

Tea #5 from Traveling Tea Box C

My husband warned me.

He know’s I’m a wuss when it comes to spicy stuff.

Did I listen?

No.

FIRE!!!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec
BrewTEAlly Sweet

Ha ha. This made me laugh. I added it:) I like the chocolate and spices but this was a little much and though maybe someone else would enjoy it.

wheezybee

While it wasn’t to my taste, my husband adored it! With each sip you could see him smile through the burn. So it wasn’t in vain!

BrewTEAlly Sweet

Ha ha well good! Glad he liked it! It needs a home.

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65

Tea #4 from Traveling Tea Box C

I wasn’t able to get my hands on any of this for the Battle of the Earl Greys, so I took the opportunity the box presented to give it a try. It is a tasty one, but the low bergamot makes it taste a little more like an English Breakfast to me than an Earl Grey. I’m still going to enjoy the rest of the cup, though!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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60
drank S'mores Chai by 52teas
254 tasting notes

Tea #3 from Traveling Tea Box C

I usually start off the day with tea in a travel mug, but since I don’t want to hog any teas I’m not totally into, I have this one in a pretty little teacup. It’s making me want to savor the experience instead of get up and go, so I do need to kick my tail into gear!

That said, this is an interesting blend. It was the first curious-looking black tea I came to this morning, so I decided to give it a try. I tried the low end of the steep times first, then added another minute when it tasted a little weak.

It has a little more staying power now, but both the main flavor profiles seem to be fighting each other instead of working together. Adding a dash of milk did bring a little harmony, but I think the rest of this (there’s about one serving left) will be moving on with the rest of the box when the time comes.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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60
drank Rooibos Tropica by Teavana
254 tasting notes

Tea #2 from the Traveling Tea Box C

As I mentioned in Tea #1, Jake and I made up two of the rooibos teas tonight and thought we were going to each pick our favorite. Since neither of us were into the Rooibos Chai, we ended up just splitting the cup I made of this one. I think from now on I am going to skip the 16oz infuser mugs and just steep in an 8oz teacup. I just made a lot of tea that we’re just not that excited about.

While it does have a little more presence than the Rooibos Chai, this one also pulls the same flavor disappearing act halfway through the sip. What does stick with me is a more than a little artificial, but not entirely unpleasant. I tend to enjoy Della Terra’s Lemon Chiffon, and I am getting slight hints of that here.

That said, this tea will be moving on to the box’s next destination as well. At least it gave me an excuse to use the Royal Albert cup and saucer my husband found at the second hand store!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 15 sec

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60
drank Rooibos Chai by Teavana
254 tasting notes

Tea #1 from the Traveling Tea Box C

The jam-packed tea box arrived today, and while we wait for trick-or-treaters my husband and I decided to make up two teas, sample them, and decide who was going to enjoy which one. Because we want to get some sleep tonight (and I don’t want to bounce off walls like rabid super-ball) we went for the first two caffeine-free teas I came across.

The dry aroma smells somewhat muted for a chai, but since I’ve never had a chai rooibos I didn’t know what to expect. The cardamon and cinnamon peek out more in the aroma, but the flavor does an odd vanishing act. At first the sip gives you a promising bite of flavor, but then, just as if you were watching invisible ink fade away, the flavor disappears mid-sip. It really is the strangest thing.

I think the rest of this tea will be traveling on to the tea box’s next destination, but it was fun to try!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 15 sec

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95

I enjoyed several cups of this over the weekend, when Jake and I were doing the three final face/offs of the Battle of the Earl Greys. It’s so smooth and well-blended that it’s no wonder the final battle ended the way it did. I’d like to send just one more thanks to Tea Sipper, because I had not heard of this tea or even the brand until you pointed it out!

You can read the final recap here:
http://www.wordsabouttea.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-battle-of-earl-greys-final-round.html

Preparation
Boiling
tea-sipper

Oh my gosh! I feel like I just won a beauty pageant… I mean the tea did. :D I’m so glad I suggested it to you! I think I’ll have a cup of this lovely tea later to celebrate!

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70
drank English Breakfast by DAVIDsTEA
254 tasting notes

This one came my way through a swap with Aimee Popovacki, and I finished up the last of it yesterday, at school. After a steady diet of Earl Grey it was nice to try something else, but it’s been so long since I’ve had English Breakfast that I didn’t have a close enough experience to compare it to.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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Profile

Bio

Feel free to browse my cupboard if you’re interested in swapping, but all the mate and pu-erh in our household is my husband’s.

For swapping purposes, please note the apple allergy. Thank you!

I tried to limit my cupboard to teas that were 1oz or larger, but that was a gorgeous failure in terms of swap communication. It’s all going back up.

Okay, I just feel wrong trying to grade things without a rubric – it’s too inconsistent! So, here is the grading breakdown:

0-50: Dump it!
50-60: I might finish the cup
60-70: Possibly finish the pot
70-80: I may keep this on hand
80-90: Cupboard space guaranteed
90-100: Poetry may be involved!

Location

Dallas, TX

Website

http://www.wordsabouttea.blog...

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