59 Tasting Notes
I actually mixed my youthberry/orange mix in with my raspberry riot lemon mate because I am anal and didn’t want three separate containers of almost the same tasting tea so I shoved them all together. Bad Madi :-x.
Anyway, this is fruity and pink and flavorful and tart. Since I have no idea the ratios, I’m not even going to try to rate this and skew things. Just wanted to put a tasting note since I hadn’t in a long while.
I was a bit worried at first as this tea smelled STRONGLY of seaweed while in the bag, but it is quite nice brewed! Nothing too special, but I am enjoying my cup. Vegetal, smooth- maybe just a hint of the seaweed in the background… maybe that’s why they call it island green ;)
First review again! Yes! Hahha :D
Backlog from last night!
I am always super afraid of turning my green teas bitter so I don’t let them steep for long, but NOW I’m starting to get afraid that I am not steeping them long enough to let the flavors really shine through!
But I digress because this tea did not have any problem developing good flavor!
When I starting taking sips of this tea it reminded me of something else apple cinnamon but I couldn’t figure out quite what. I tried to ask my boyfriend to name apple cinnamon things but he was ridiculous and completely unhelpful. But the point is it has a very nice, apple cinnamon flavor!
The base was lovely, too; not overpowering, but not lost under the flavors. I was able to simultaneously taste the apple cinnamon AND the tea :) I can see this becoming my nightly tea to unwind before bed…
Looking forward to trying my last flavor from this order- Berry Mint- tonight! :D
First to review! Wahoo!
I am not a HUGE chai fan, but I don’t necessarily DISLIKE chai… I am more in between because usually there is something in most chais that just sort of doesn’t strike my fancy…
This tea, however, seemed to know exactly what I didn’t like, removed it, and added some new flavors to make it even better!
This chai has the same basic components of chai, but then adds lavender and rose petals to smooth it out. In comparing to their Cha Cha Chai, this one does NOT have star anise, peppercorns, fennel and ginger- so, it’s much less spicy but still has that delicious cinnamony taste.
When I first got on the train and started drinking this it was Hot hot hot and the lavender was slapping me in the face (in a good way). As it cooled, I could pull out more chai flavors. When it got TOO cool, however (after about 2 hours or so), I lost a lot of the flavors that were once there. That COULD have been from the soy and the tea separating, though, which I have found can happen when I let some teas sit for too long. So I won’t hold that against the tea and will just rate it on what it tasted like when normal people who don’t buy houses 80 miles away from their work would drink it ;)
Looking forward to more teas from Steep City and also drinking this one more! I have a feeling the flavors will come out a lot more when simmered on the stove, so I’m going to try that. Also, it looked extra dark after 2 minutes so I pulled the bags out, but I think maybe 2.5-3.5 minutes might have allowed more chai flavors to pull though… Only time will tell!
Whoever’s idea it was to add lavender to chai knew what they were doing! :D
Preparation
You know how they say there is no wrong way to eat a peanut butter cup? Well, when I eat mine (or when I did), I liked to eat all the chocolate away from the outside, then carefully peeled it from the top and bottom. Then I would eat the peanut butter center that was left.
Now, if I was to Do this with a certain almond candy bar-peeling away the chocolate outside then making a tea with the coconut/almond center- that is What this tea tastes like.
It was missing a little something when I made a preliminary cup last night, so I added some rock sugar today, though I RARELY sweeten my teas. Today, it is crazy heavy on the coconut/almond flavor, but all I’m getting as far as chocolate goes is the little bits that I couldn’t get unstuck from the coconut when I deconstructed my hypothetical candy bar. I was really hoping for the reverse-heavy chocolate, light other flavors… but maybe that’s just my PMS craving sweets ;)
It is yummy, but it’s more nutty than chocolatey.
Today my tea making experience was the epitome of teamwork! I poured soy, boyfriend poured water, I added mate bags, he topped me off with mint bags. I was too delighted he was helping to comment on how you’re supposed to pour The water OVER the bags not dunk them IN it… But before you get all “aw” about him helping, it was 4:15am and I am 99% sure he just wanted me out the door so he could go back to bed Haha. Anyway, the tea:
Had a date with my mommy last weekend and we found ourselves at Whole Foods for lunch. I cruised down the tea aisle to see what caught my eye. Saw BULK yerba mate tea bags, 75 for $12! Last time it was $6 for 25! This was like buy 2 get one free!
Anyway, since my morning blend has been 4 mate bags and 2 mint bags, I had to refill on mint. Tazo was on sale, so Tazo it was! I had been using Trader Joes mint which tasted more like authentic mint. This one is a little sweeter, but also a more aggressive mint. It definitely makes my mouth feel more refreshed. I don’t like the almost sugar aftertaste, though.
No rating since I mixed it up!
Edit: I reviewed the ingredients… Pretty sure it’s the tarragon giving it the aftertaste. I thought that before, too, but I didn’t know if I was spelling tarragon wrong so I had to check Haha
