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Another one gotten in a swap with Meghann – thanks a bunch! – and also my first taste of a 52teas blend. The dry leaf smells wonderful: nutty, chocolatey goodness. And it’s easy to notice the big chunks of cashew and white chocolate among the large dark leaves.

I gave it five minutes of steeping time and ended up with a medium-dark brown liquor, somewhat cloudy (assuming this is from the white chocolate chip I saw in there melting away into the liquid). The aroma of the tea was milder than I expected, as was the first steep. I got a sweet, nutty smell and taste but little from the black tea. This seems like the kind of tea that really needs cream and sugar, so I put some in and tasted again. Now that’s what I’m talking about! Much more delicious and the flavors are really coming to the fore now. This is a wonderful dessert tea and would be great with cookies for a double dose of decadence.

Another sample from the swap with Meghann – thank you! I’m intrigued by the plum flavor billed on this one, as it’s a fruit that can taste so different depending on the variety and ripeness.

The dry leaves are very pretty, with bright red chunks sprinkled among the light green tea. The smell is fresh and fruity/berry-like, so a good start so far. Recommended parameters call for a long steeping time, so I’m giving it six minutes at 185. The resulting liquor is gorgeous – a clear and light pink that looks very much like plum wine. Aroma still following the fruity and sweet trail…

The taste is tart, but stops before becoming unpleasantly sour. There is a dim background flavor of white tea, but I’m getting fruity (berry and yes, plum) flavors for the most part. Overall it’s a pretty tea but not one I’d need on a regular basis. Glad I had a chance to try it though!

I received a sample of this in a swap with Meghann – thanks Meghann! It’s one I’ve been wanting to try for a long time, so it’s very exciting to be able to get my hands on some.

The dry leaves are big and luxurious, and remind me of Samovar’s Hawaii-grown black. The smell is heavy on the malt/bread/yeast side, and immediately brings to mind cookies, rolls, and other fresh baked goods.

It looks like it can take a long steep well – I gave it six minutes and ended up with a medium-dark brown liquor full of roasty aroma. The taste is heavenly; it’s like liquid Grandma’s house, full of warm ovens holding sweet surprises. It follows through on the yeasty/bready promise of the scent and is crying out for me to drink this with something sweet and starchy. I’ll have to try that next time, and see how it works with cream and sugar too. Yum to the nth degree!

This is the second Arbor Teas sample in a row I’ve tried which has a noticeable natural sweetness to it. There aren’t many teas I’ve found this quality in (most notably CTG’s competition grade Tie Guan Yin), but when I do I find it really enjoyable.

This oolong does a great job of walking the line between green and black characteristics, showing vegetal notes along with some roastiness and tannins. It’s got a very rich mouth feel, with a great juicy quality to it. In addition to the typical tea flavors, I’m getting hints of fruit and spice, making it an interesting tea for sipping and trying to figure out. Really nice cup of tea. Didn’t have time to do multiple infusions this time, but will next time.

Another evaluation sample from Arbor Teas. The dry leaf has the typical loose pu-erh look and feel: smallish curls of leaf, a somewhat dusky brownish/orange color, and earthy smell without being overpowering.

I gave it about six minutes to see how it would take a fairly long first steep, and it came out like a champ. Dark, opaque brownish red liquor and a smooth, almost malty aroma. The taste is wonderful – there’s a natural sweetness to it that I haven’t found in any other pu-erhs. It really tastes like I’d put some sugar in it. It has a very full flavor but it is not bitter – the earthiness is deep and very satisfying. One of the best pu-erhs I’ve tasted!

“Boxy” isn’t normally an adjective that would spring to mind in describing a tea, but in this case it may be apt. Yes, there is vanilla in it, but it is extremely plain tasting nevertheless. And the overall impression is that of chewing on a wet piece of cardboard. Sorry Numi, not impressed with this one.

I was in transit via Frankfurt, Germany recently and saw that this company’s teas were featured in the airport lounge, so I picked up a few different bags to take with me. The name threw me at first – Samova, not Samovar? Huh? When I got home I looked them up and sure enough, there’s a German tea company named Samova that gives all its varieties cute names – how could I resist Scuba Garden? And then I saw that this particular one included spirulina algae, which I’ve never seen included in a tea or tisane before. The plot thickens!

So, this is a blend of green rooibos, spirulina, cranberry and orange, caffeine free. After four minutes of steeping time I’ve got a clear orange liquor with a hint of brown, and an aroma of orange. The flavor is strongly of orange, but the rooibos gives it a nice natural sweetness. I don’t detect any trace of cranberry or spirulina, but maybe that’s a good thing? It’s a pleasant enough tisane that was definitely worth trying for the name alone.

It’s a good afternoon for the gentle enjoyment of jasmine pearls, and these are the real deal. Fragrant, juicy, naturally sweet, and lingering aftertaste without any astringency or bitterness. For me, these are the tea equivalent of a relaxing soak in a hot spring. Ahhh….

I just received several Arbor tea samples for evaluation and happen to be in the mood for Darjeeling today, so this one is up to bat. Before I get into the tea though, I want to mention their packaging – the samples are in biodegradable, opaque cellulose bags. I like that there is one less piece of plastic to worry about resulting from my tea habit.

The dry leaf really runs the range of colors, from green to medium brown to dark brown, in nice size chunks. The smell of the leaf is really rich, with fruit, grass, and the characteristic muscatel all present.

The steeping parameters recommend a slightly lower temperature and shorter steeping time than regular black tea, so I’m giving it 3 minutes at 200 degrees. The resulting liquor is a very pretty clear medium-light orange/brown, and smells nice. Not whack you in the face strong, but an interesting mix of malt and fruit.

Taste – really good! There is a pronounced fruit juice element to it along with toasted bread, with the aftertaste moving towards dried apricot/peach. I’m getting a pleasing amount of astringency but no significant bitterness. I often put milk and sugar into Darjeeling and find that brings out the muscatel notes, but with this one I’m afraid that would cover up too much of the flavor I’m getting from it straight, so I’m going to leave well enough alone.

I’m finding myself really drawn to this tea, with its light but very nuanced set of aromas and flavors. If I had to sum it up in one word, that word would be “fresh”, but unrolling that I’d come up with grassy, sunny, clear, healthy, and light. And although it’s light, it’s quite addictive. Liking it a lot today, so I’ll bump it up another couple points.

Went to three infusions on this one; the third cup was light to the point that the flavors were quite ephemeral, as if glimpsed through gauze…