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TTB Tea #15:

The problem I have w/ blends containing more than one type of tea isn’t the flavor… it’s the steeping parameters! I decided to steep this more like I would a green oolong since I figure the black tea probably only makes up 1/3 of the tea.

1 bag (2.23g)/6oz

After 3 min the liquor is VERY red. The aroma is heavy like a black tea, yet green… I can’t explain it.

The flavor is heavy like a black tea, yet smooth and sweet. I definitely wouldn’t steep this like a black tea. It’s ok, but I think a person that likes black teas would enjoy it a lot more.

TTB Tea #14:

1st order of business. This is labeled as a “Pu Erh Oolong” again… and was listed as an oolong here, so I changed it.

The raw leaf is earthy like soil (NOT fecal), but still sweet.

1 bag (3.2g)/6oz nearly boiling water

The liquor is a dark reddish brown and it almost looks thick like mud. The smell is much like the raw leaf, only more soil is coming out.

YAY! NO “pu” flavor! It’s still very earthy, but that’s it- just soil. The sweetness that was in the aroma is also there so it’s not like I’m drinking dirt. The mouth feel is also thicker as the liquor predicts. A good bagged shu.

TTB Tea #13:

Another tea that isn’t on the website. I’m glad it’s here though because the tiny and tightly scrunched oolong leaves could almost be mistaken for green unless inspected carefully.

1 bag (3.4g)/6oz water.

In addition to the leaves, I can see yellow strands of something I assume to be flower petals, pink pepper corns, and silver balls… odd. The aroma is very fruity with a hint of floral.

After 3 min. the liquor is a medium peachy golden color… the kind that is lovely in a tea cup, but ugly in 1970’s flooring lol.

The aroma is that of pineapple and peach… I’m assuming the “peach” is guava- I have no clue what guava smells or tastes like.

The flavor is exactly what you’d expect from the aroma. Fruity, but not overly sweet… kind of the difference between fresh pineapple and canned. This is fresh. You can almost taste the firm texture of the fresh pineapple. The fruityness is grounded by a smooth, light oolong base. Quite lovely!- and I don’t even especially like fruity teas… or fresh pineapple for that matter lol.

TTB Tea #12:

I do believe this may be my 1st bagged white tea.

1 bag (1.91g)/6oz water. I really toned down the water temp for this. Boiling? I don’t think so.

The liquor is… well… apricot color. A muted, dull orange w/ tints of amber, brown, and tan. It’s very rare that a tea’s liquor so closely resembles the flavor.

The aroma is mainly apricot which makes it have jello-like qualities, but the white tea base comes thru to tone that down.

Interesting. It tastes virtually nothing like hot jello which is good. I’m quite picky about fruit flavored teas, especially those w/ a white base, for that very reason… but this is nice. The white tea base is light, but still solid enough that the apricot only sneaks thru instead of yelling “HI! I’M AN APRICOT TEA!” Exceeded my expectations of both a flavored white and a bagged tea of low weight- the weight concerned me since 2.25g of white tea can be over 1TB worth.

TTB Tea #11:

Another tea I didn’t know what I was getting into when I grabbed it. Couldn’t find it on the website either. Luckily there’s a discription here. I’m not a black tea fan, but I love all the flavors listed so I think I’m good to go.

The bag smells sooo good! The fruit is sweet, there are floral notes, and the ginger bites my nose. Speaking of that ginger- there’s only 1 piece but it’s huge. When I think of “petals”, I think rose… but I just see a couple tiny blue petals.

1 bag (3.71g!)/6oz just below boiling water. The liquor is a medium reddish brown- much lighter than I expected from the leaf/water ratio. The aroma is a bit muted from the raw leaf, but all 3 components are still there.

The flavor is lighter than I expected, but smooth. The passion fruit gives it a sweetness and the ginger isn’t over bearing. Very good.

Another misto. I’m feeling guilty about dumping my MC Pu Erh leaves after only 1 steep even though it was a 10 min one, so I dumped 5 1/3g of this on top of my Pu Erh leaves. This misto is almost as dark as the last, but more full and rounded flavors. Yum!

Misto style! 5 1/3g leaf steeped in 4oz just below boiling water for 10 min then added 4oz Fat Free Smart Balance Milk.

The misto is by far the darkest I’ve made. Ok… I wonder how milky dirt is gonna taste… I’m a little nervous. Yum! It’s actually very good. There is virtually no dirt flavor and the milk brings out the chocolate vs. having it neat. The heat is there, but doesn’t burn. All flavors are a bit muted compared to Mayan Chocolate Chai, probably due to the lack of spices. Definitely worth reblending… but w/ the addition of spices. I definitely wouldn’t steep this for less than 10 min, maybe even 11 if you’re making a misto.

TTB Tea #10

Exactly 6 months ago I had my 1st matcha experience. This matcha. The only difference is now I’m making it myself.

I should say I think this is Rishi matcha… the TTB log book says Lena was the only one that put matcha in so far ( that I could find) and she didn’t list a # so I assumed she only put 1 packet in, which has already been claimed, but then I found this. So for all intents and purposes I’m calling this Rishi matcha.

Gosh this is a devil to get out… half is stuck in the packet- I’m sure from being smashed at the bottom of the box for ages. Poor bruised, broken matcha.

1 packet/6oz water as my favorite cafe makes it.

The matcha incorporates with the water very well, even before I whisk it. I’m disappointed that it does not foam nearly as much as at the cafe, but it still is one of the most foamy matchas I’ve had. I’m sure the lack of foam is completely my fault and not that of the matcha.

It’s been so long, I’m having a hard time comparing my 2 experiences- and the foam affects it as well… but it’s a smooth, thick, vegetal, bitter, sweet, GREEN taste and mouth feel that immediately makes me smile… until… Remember the “sludge” I lovingly speak of? Well, this isn’t it. The last few sips contain hard, chalky clumps of matcha that literally almost made me puke. But again- I am not blaming this on the matcha. I can only imagine what damage is done to poor, sensitive matcha particles in that box. I will try this again. Although I can’t see me buying this (in powder, not by the bowla at a cafe) more than once purely due to the stupid packaging.

This came today! Can someone please explain how an order placed on 4/26 and one placed on 5/6 can come on the same day?

The raw leaf smells much like Mayan Chocolate Chai only with a faint fecality to it from the pu erh (which I’m assuming is shu) base.

I’m quite surprised by the steeping parameters on this… up to 10 min?! Ok, well I have tea I wanna get thru today so I think I’ll get as much as I can out of this cuppa before moving on.

1tsp/6oz just below boiling water for 10 min.

Whoa… this is BLACK like this text color black. By far the darkest tea I’ve ever seen. The aroma has the earthiness of pu erh, but the smoothness of chocolate and the spicyness of the cayenne. It even has complex qualities that are coffeeish.

When I take a sip the 1st thing that hits me is the cayenne followed, surprisingly, by the pu erh base. I expected more chocolate. There is an occassional chocolate sip, but most of the time the chocolate just comes in as smoothness. It tastes kinda flat and I think could benefit from chai spices.

TTB Tea #9:

Ok… the bag of the wrapper says “Pu Erh Oolong”… It really irritates me when a tea company mislabels a tea like this. They should know better. I’m glad this isn’t my 1st YMY experience or I probably would have been turned off from the company.

Steeped as suggested, no rinse. 1 bag (1.81g)/6oz just below boiling water.

Now this is not how I normally prepare pu erhs so bare w/ me…

The liquor is a dark, flat brown w/ just the slightest red tint almost as dark as some coffees.

The aroma is of the entire Chrysanthemum plant… dirt and all. I think I’m detecting a faint black pepper note as well.

The flavor is what you’d expect from the aroma. Based on the steeping parameters I was expecting to get lots of fecality, but instead I was surprised to get just earthy dirt with a slight floral;y sweet aspect. Unfortunately I’m not getting the “grass clippings” that others have gotten… but that could just be due to the color of the liquor. Not bad for a shu (I’m assuming this is shu) considering I’m not a shu kinda person.