4843 Tasting Notes
Backlog:
This is definitely a favorite tea of mine. For a long time, my favorite Chinese green tea has been Tai Ping Hou Kui, but, this one might be edging out that tea for me! This is just so good!
The leaves look so beautiful … like they’ve been meticulously rolled up like scrolls. Lovely.
The flavor is sweet … Juicy even! Soft, sweet, vegetative, with notes of spice. A really lovely tea!
Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/05/07/liu-an-gua-pian-green-tea-from-teavivre/
Backlog:
This is a really nice Tisane … I like that it’s not overloaded with hibiscus! That’s always a plus in my book.
There is some hibiscus in it, but, it isn’t overpowering the blend. It doesn’t turn the brewed tisane into a thick, syrupy mess. That’s a good thing. I’d rather drink tea … not a thick, syrupy mess, thank you.
The vanilla in this adds a delightful sweet, creamy note, and together with the sweet, blood orange notes, it comes across a little like a melted creamsicle in a teacup. Nice. Delicious, and sweet enough to be a late night treat without consuming additional sugar.
Here’s my full-length review of it: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/05/07/blood-orange-tisane-from-chai-diaries/
Backlog:
Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending this one my way.
The leaves were beautiful … long and wiry. This is a pleasantly bold Ceylon … not quite as bold as an Assam, of course (as well it shouldn’t be, since this isn’t an Assam) but, a bit more out there than a typical Ceylon. It’s flavorful.
Pleasant fruit notes, as well as notes of earth and flower. A really good Ceylon!
Backlog:
Didn’t hate it, but, didn’t really love it either. I had my hopes up, because I really did enjoy the other bacon teas that I’ve tried (Maple Bacon and Chocolate Bacon from 52Teas … duh, right?)
But this didn’t really live up to the other bacon offerings. This misses some of that smoky note of bacon. Bacon should taste slightly smoky, you know? This … doesn’t. I do like the pineapple in this though, sweet and juicy. It needs more bacon flavor, it needs a hint of smokiness … and when preparing this, I do recommend adding a pinch of salt to it when you pour it into your teacup … this does help bring out the bacon-y taste a little bit.
Not horrible, but not my favorite bacon tea. Yes, I realize that sentence seems a very odd one to be saying. Or typing. Or whatever. It just doesn’t seem like it should be a sentence of this earth. But … there it is.
Backlog:
I’m going to start with the direct link to my full-length review of this one, because … well, just because: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/05/03/laoshan-genmaicha-green-tea-from-verdant-tea/
While purists might have a problem with a non-Japanese genmaicha blend, I found this to be really nice. Sweet flavor with a nice, toasted rice note. This is one that should be infused at least twice because I found the two infusions to be remarkably different from one another. It’s really worth it to go at these leaves a second time!
I liked the Laoshan green tea with this … the creaminess of the green tea melded so beautifully with the nutty, roasty-toasty rice. Delicious!
Backlog:
The first couple of sips of this was kind of lackluster … all I was really tasting was the rooibos and honeybush base … where’s the chocolate? Where’s the berry. And where was the chocolate? (Yeah, I asked about the chocolate twice. That’s because I’d like there to be twice as much chocolate.)
After a couple of sips, the berry notes began to present themselves. A sweet and tart berry note. Not enough chocolate for my liking. Like I said, twice as much chocolate would be good. That is, it would be a good start. But if you really want to make this chocoholic happy, double up on the doubling up of the chocolate. Remember, more chocolate = better.
Always. There is no exception to this rule.
Backlog:
This is a well-crafted pumpkin tea, and they are not always easy to find. I do wish that there was more of a buttery, pastry note to this to represent the pie crust of the pumpkin pie (My gramma made the best pie crust I’ve ever tasted. Not that THAT little factoid has anything whatsoever to do with this tasting note, but, I just thought I’d say it.)
I do like this tea though … a good representation of the pumpkin and spices. The black tea is rather mild, and almost lost in the flavors … almost, but not entirely.
A tasty pumpkin pie blend. I liked it.
Backlog:
I really liked this, although it still surprises me to admit it! I’m not a big fan of the earthy notes of pu-erh or of yerba mate … and this blend has both of those leaves in it! I was thinking this was gonna be way too earthy for me to like it! But, I liked it anyway!
This not exactly what I’d refer to as a “chai” since it really only has pepper and cardamom in it, but, it is still deliciously spiced and I love the vanilla and chocolate notes of this, and the coconut gives it even more creaminess and I think that the creamy tones help to offset some of the earthy notes.
Here’s my full-length review of this tea: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/05/02/organic-energizing-chai-blend-from-zen-tea/
Backlog:
YUM! I loved the green base for the caramel flavoring for Red Leaf Tea’s matcha … but I think I might just like the black tea base even better. The rich, robust flavor of the black tea complements the decadent, creamy, burnt sugar sweetness of the caramel flavoring.
Here’s my full-length review of this one: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/05/01/caramel-flavored-black-tea-matcha-from-red-leaf-tea/
