190 Tasting Notes

85

I’m sharing my review for the decaf version here, as the regular blend is very close in flavor.

The scent in the bag is zippy and sweet with lush orange peel and snappy cinnamon. Both flavors a suited to pair with the tanin-y black tea base. Brewed, the spiciness mellows out, letting the tea flavor itself come to the forefront. The orange peels add to the natural citrus flavors in the tea, while the cinnamon brings a specific warmth and sweetness.

The ginger and cloves are thankfully a bit to the background, as those ingredients have a tendency to take over a blend if not used sparingly. I like ginger and cloves, but if I wanted to taste a tea with them, I would go for a chai. I prefer this tea when I want something warming but with flavor beyond the traditional chai flavors.

The orange is the crown jewel in this blend, separating it from chai teas, and adding an uplifting brightness to my mug.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Citrus, Clove, Cloves, Ginger, Orange, Orange Zest

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88

One thing I appreciate about Plum Deluxe teas is that they offer decaf versions of some of their blends. I’m a fan of spiced teas, and really enjoyed their Comfort Blend tea. But I enjoyed the decaf version more, since I could drink it in the evening or on days when I didn’t need the caffeine boost.

The scent in the bag is zippy and sweet with lush orange peel and snappy cinnamon. Both flavors a suited to pair with the tanin-y black tea base. Brewed, the spiciness mellows out, letting the tea flavor itself come to the forefront. The orange peels add to the natural citrus flavors in the tea, while the cinnamon brings a specific warmth and sweetness.

The ginger and cloves are thankfully a bit to the background, as those ingredients have a tendency to take over a blend if not used sparingly. I like ginger and cloves, but if I wanted to taste a tea with them, I would go for a chai. I prefer this tea when I want something warming but with flavor beyond the traditional chai flavors.

The orange is the crown jewel in this blend, separating it from chai teas, and adding an uplifting brightness to my mug.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Citrus, Clove, Cloves, Fruity, Ginger, Orange, Orange Zest, Spices

Preparation
Boiling

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88

I tried this tea as part of the 2018 advent calendar. I’m so glad I did! I first thought this blend was going to be too flowery for me, it seems like they have a whole garden in there, but trying the sample size convinced me that there is a nice time and place for this kind of tea.

The creamy vanilla black tea base keeps this sweet and like a baked good, tempering all the floral flavors. The trio of lavender, rose, and chamomile provide a calming aromatherapy, and add just a touch of flavor to the brew without competing with the creamy black tea in taste.

The blend is also very photogenic, with three colors and shapes of flower blossoms set against the dark black tea background. With the herbal relaxing properties of lavender and chamomile, this is the perfect tea to brew on an afternoon in, reading a book or having some quiet time.

Flavors: Cream, Floral, Flowers, Frosting, Lavender, Rose, Vanilla

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85

I tried this blend in the 2018 advent calendar and was surprised by how much I liked it. When I brewed up a cup, I found myself coming back to my mug again and again to take in the scent and taste. There is still very much the earl grey base with vanilla, citrus, and bergamot. But a drizzle of strawberries makes this feel youthful and joyous, nicely balancing the more traditional earl grey. Brewed black, the tea is delicious, smooth and comforting, and still sweet without being cloying or artificial. As we leave the winter and enter spring and summer, this tea only feels more and more appropriate, perfect for flowery spring tea parties or refreshing iced tea days.

Flavors: Bergamot, Citrus, Cream, Earl Grey, Fruity, Raspberry, Strawberry, Vanilla

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Frolic

I just subscribed the the Plum Deluxe monthly box, having never tried their teas myself how would you characterize their “style”?

Kittenna

Strawberry EG sounds pretty tasty.

A2ShedsJackson / MrsPremise

@Frolic: Full disclosure, I contributed to the Plum Deluxe blog for a little while, so I might be a little biased. Their teas use quality, natural ingredients to get their desired taste, so they won’t be as in-your-face as some flavored teas that are out there. That is not to say they aren’t flavorful, they are just more natural in taste. For example, I love the fragrant lavender blossoms in their Reading Nook Blend. I’m curious what you’ll think of your first box!

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90

I am always a fan of teas with banana flavors, so I had to try this tea as soon as it came out. This tea smells amazing in the dry leaf, both tropical with the coconut and banana, and dessert-like with creamy vanilla flavors. I’m not always drawn to white teas, but white tea suits this blend. The white tea has a gentle earthiness and nuttiness that feels like the crust of the Coconut Banana Cream Pie, allowing the sweet, custardy banana flavors to shine. This has been the perfect tea to kick off the spring season, and I find myself coming back to it day-after-day. Despite the tropical nature of the tea, I enjoy it brewed warm, though it is a tea that would be tasty iced, and/or with a splash of milk.

Alongside all the dried banana chips and coconut shavings, the white tea leaves are large and photogenic, with silvery fuzz and a curvy shape. The only downside is that the leaves take up a lot of room, so it feels like I’m going through my sample size very quickly. Do yourself a favor and kick off the warm weather with this playful, sunny, dessert tea.

Flavors: Coconut, Cream, Custard, Tropical, Vanilla

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C
tea-sipper

Glad you like it… I resisted buying this one. :D

Evol Ving Ness

And somehow I managed to resist as well and now it sounds divine. GAh!

A2ShedsJackson / MrsPremise

I can’t pass up a banana tea flavor, but that’s just me!

Evol Ving Ness

Well, neither can I, but I was deterred by the base blend, not because it is necessarily a bad base blend, but more because it was a bit of a risk in the face of too many teas.

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85

I love the Marshmallow Treat genmaicha flavors from 52Teas, they always have a variety of special blends with this as the base and I love to try them all. This blend adds a new spin of using chunmee green tea alongside the puffed rice and other ingredients.

This tea is fragrant and sweet and flavorful and I really enjoy it. But I think it would be more aptly named as something like Key Lime Pie ChunMee. I just don’t detect as much of the toasted rice cereal-like flavor I usually taste in other 52Teas genmaicha blends. The tea smells just like the sweet vanilla lime dessert yogurt flavor and goes well with the bright green tea base. It is the perfect balance of tart and sweet and feels deliciously spring and summery. This tea is for fans of lime more than fans of genmaicha, but luckily I am a fan of both and can’t wait to brew another mug.

Flavors: Citrus, Cream, Lime, Marshmallow, Sweet, Vanilla, Yogurt

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C
Evol Ving Ness

Yeah, I think it would be best for me not to read your reviews. Your writing makes everything far too tempting.

A2ShedsJackson / MrsPremise

Haha, well I wanted to capture my enjoyment of drinking them. So much good tea, so little time.

Evol Ving Ness

Yeah, there’s that.

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88

I tried this blend in the shop and have been thinking about it since. The saffron is what really makes this tea in my mind. The sweet scent of the saffron and cardamom reminds me of Scandinavian sweet breads my grandmother used to make. This is a great tea that isn’t a traditional chai but still has lots of fragrant spices. I also like the name, Silk Road Spice, making me think of this tea going on some fantastical cross-country travel in ancient times. I only tried a cup of this blend, but clearly I need to go back to the shop and pick up a tin of loose leaf to take home with me.

Flavors: Bergamot, Bread, Cake, Cardamom, Clove, Ginger, Saffron, Spices, Spicy

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90

My cabinet was so chock full of holiday teas this year I did not even get a chance to taste this one until February.

I am very much enjoying this blend. What makes it shine is the hint of evergeen/pine flavor, that either comes from the Juniper Berries or the citrus and green tea combination. There are plenty of spicy green teas or christmas teas out there, but this little taste sets this apart from other blends I’ve tried.

This tea has chai spices without being too hot or pungent, just a warm twist of ginger and cinnamon.

My second favorite part of this tea is the dried orange. There are beautiful big slices of dried citrus in the brew, and they add a lovely candied mandarin orange flavor. This candied orange taste reminds me of another favorite tea of mine from 52Teas, their Chinese 5 Spice blend.

Really enjoyed this brew and part of me is glad I saved it until after the rush of the holidays, so I could spend more time to savor it.

Flavors: Candy, Cinnamon, Citrus, Ginger, Orange, Pine

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88

I was utterly unfamiliar with the existence of Grays Teacakes prior to this tea. If I’ve understood correctly, they are kind of like coconut toffee/brittle? I haven’t tasted them so I can only comment on how tasty this tea was on its own.

I am a fan of coconut, loving both coconut macaroon cookies and those coconut hostess Sno-Ball cakes. This tea smelled deliciously creamy and nutty in the dry leaf. It reminded me of a hostess Sno-Ball without the chocolate.

I have not had toasted kukicha before, only the greener variety. I remember it being bright and tart and a strangely fruity compared to other green teas. Toasted, the kukicha tea tastes much more like toasted hojicha, mostly with warm, roasted notes and a gentle mouthfeel. The leaves were also strange and fascinating, the long kukicha style leaves, rolled tightly in on themselves (long-wise) from the toasting.

Brewed, everything about this tea is warm and roasty. The coconut adds a lovely vanilla cream nuttiness and the toasted kukicha brings a bit of a puffed rice and golden toast flavor alongside it.

It is surprisingly cake-like without being to cloying or starchy. I see this being a favorite afternoon tea when I’m not in the mood for too sweet of a tea blend but still want to feel cozy and pampered.

Flavors: Cake, Coconut, Cream, Rice, Roasted, Toast, Vanilla

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C
Evol Ving Ness

Tempting. So tempting.

52Teas

Greys Teacakes: They aren’t really a brittle – they’re more like a toffee/caramel. They aren’t quite as hard as a brittle – but they aren’t buttery soft the way most caramels tend to be, they’re more like the really chewy, toothsome caramels. The strongest flavor of the candies that I sampled is coconut, and a toasty flavor that goes with the coconut, and then a background note of burnt sugar caramel.

Evol Ving Ness

Well, Anne, you are not making it LESS tempting.

52Teas

:) Oh – good!

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70

This tea sounded so odd and fad-inspired I had to try it. Ginger, turmeric, and genmaicha. I love ginger and genmaicha respectively, and don’t have a problem with the turmeric craze right now. Put all these things together and how do they taste?

In the dry leaf, the smell of ginger and turmeric is so strong I didn’t have any confidence that the green genmaicha would stand up to them. Brewed, the tea is much more calming than expected. The apple pieces sweeten the hot ginger and earthy tumeric. Believe it or not, the toasty puffed rice of the genmaicha is present in both the scent and taste. Any green tea notes are a bit lost under the turmeric and not sweet or brothy enough to be pleasant enough to note.

This is an okay tea. It is not my favorite genmaicha and not my favorite ginger tea, and I don’t think these two flavors are a prefect match, but considering how wild the ingredient combination was, this was a pleasant surprise.

Flavors: Apple, Bread, Earth, Ginger, Rice, Spices, Toast

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C

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Bio

Reviews as MrsPremise on Soroitea Sisters.

Artist, writer, reader, nerd in fandoms such as: Beatles, wrestling, Sherlock, Monty Python, Simpsons, Game of Thrones, Mega64, and Adagio teas.

I have fun designing themed blends and trying the blends made by others on Adagio. I’ve made themed teas for: X-Files, Mega64, Fallout, the Knick, Hell on Wheels and many more.

I don’t tend to take any sugar or milk in my tea and have a habit of over-steeping. I love trying out themed tea blends, but I would also like to get more adventurous in trying more high quality or unflavored teas.

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Boston, MA

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