52 Tasting Notes

75

I feel like I’ve really been slacking on leaving reviews for the various samples I’ve recieved, but that’s going to change today. Yup. I’m inspried today. I’ve got all day to myself to spend with the new Coheed and Cambria album and tickets to the show on tuesday and so this is possibly the greatest thing that’s happened to me all year. dkalfjioeahfenl =).

Okay so onto the tea. This is a pretty nice black tea. Not bitter at all really, but it does have a little edge at the end of the sip which I do appreciate. There’s a great rich flavor here, I’m actually getting maple. This is a great breakfast tea and it would go awesome with pancakes. This experience is exactly the reason I switched from coffee to tea. Every tea I taste has a completely different mood to it and I can always attribute it to something I’d like to be doing while drinking it. It’s inspiring in a way. Very happy with this sample.

With this being a good morning tea I just had to try it with a bit of cream and sugar (sometimes my coffee addiction does come out). I really did enjoy it much more without any additives. All they do is dull down the feeling I was getting from the tea. I’ll be sure not to add anything to it in the future.

“Your selfishness has robbed you of the man you could have been. I wouldn’t change a thing about you. I love you dearly, my friend”

Because I just had to.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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82

So happy my 52 Teas order came in. Pumpkin cheesecake, Marshmallow Treat, Graveyard Mist….ahh!

I decided on Pumpkin Cheesecake this morning while getting ready for a long work day. It’s October and fall is really here even if I wasn’t quite ready to let go of summer…

This tea is really good with a spalsh of milk and sugar. It’s absolutely pumpkin – spicy, creamy, delicious pumpkin. One of my all time favorite flavors. The cheesecake is sort of difficult to pick out because the pumpkin is so prominent in this blend. I love the black tea base here. Every time I take another sip of this I like it more and more. It’s really nicely done.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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67

Thanks LiberTEAS for this sample!

This tea just jumped out at me tonight and after watching my boyfriend play Madden 13 online for the past few hours, it’s a very welcome distraction. Well good thing I love football anyway, but Madden doesn’t make much sense to me. It’s so complicated…I just like to watch him yell at the tv like a little kid. Boyfriends – strange creatures they are. Anyhow, it gives me some time to browse steepster and other things while he plays so I can’t complain too much.

Mmm this is a lovely cup indeed. I’m getting a very clean crisp taste (I attribute that to the white tea) and I’m really enjoying the nutmeg here. It gives this cup a whole different angle that I didn’t expect. I’m not really getting much fruit, though there is a lingering sweetness. The vanilla adds a little creamy fullness which I appreciate. A slice of warm bananna bread would really compliment this tea.

I do like it, but I just can’t find the fruit. It must be hiding in there somewhere. I did realize today that I’m getting a sore throat and there’s a cold going around work, so maybe my senses are preparing for war or something. Here’s to shutting off my alarm and hoping my body recharges enough overnight to fight this bug off!

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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100
drank Read My Lips by DAVIDsTEA
52 tasting notes

Finally! It feels like it’s been weeks, months, even years since I ordered 100g of Read My Lips and at last it’s here! Okay, so in reality it’s only been about 10 days but those 10 days have been an eternity, especially since I finished off the last of the amount I had. I’ve been needing this tea so bad.

Yes! Yes! Yes! The smell is driving me insane! Usually I enjoy smelling and watching the tea cool a bit but this is pure torture…but so worth it.

At last, we are reunited. Minty chocolatey milky smooth deliciousness. This tea really is better than sex, but don’t tell my boyfriend I said that =)

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Ninavampi

Hahaha… No problem, your boyfriend will never know! ;)

Mrnixonpants

Yeah…he’s not really the steepster type he thinks I’m a total dork so I guess I don’t have to worry much about him seeing this.

Ninavampi

I do believe your boyfriend and my boyfriend think alike! :)

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96

I’ve been waiting for the right time to try this tea and this evening seems just right. I had a long day at work and I’m still breaking in my new work shoes so my feet are killing me. On the way home I noticed how the leaves on all the trees are starting to change colors. Every year I try to notice the exact day that the leaves start changing, but fall always creeps up on me. It seems like one day it’s summer then the next day all the leaves have already started changing. Does it happen overnight? It feels like it…

The one thing that always gets me about fall is the dampness in the air – even if it hasn’t rained it’s got a damp quality about it. It sort of smells like green tea outside – damp and grassy, leaves everywhere. Refreshing. I don’t know if that makes sense or not, but refreshing is what I need tonight.

This cup of tea smells perfectly refreshing. It smells like buttery string beans. Mmmm the vegetal notes are so amazing here – not at all bitter or overpowering. I’m really enjoying the buttery smoothness and the sweet aftertaste. It’s sweet in a way that is so right. Totally unwinding right now. I’m so happy that I was able to snatch some of this because it’s sold out now. I only wish I’d gotten more…

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

I love your review. I was driving today and loving the Rocky Mountain Fall too. The sun seems brilliant in a different way that makes everything look better.

Mrnixonpants

Fall is a magical time of year – I love it but the impending doom of winter sort of makes it a sad time of year as well. So it’s magical in a tragic sort of way.

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92

Every time I have this it just gets better and better. This is one of my absolute favorite evening blends. It’s such a guilt free- I’ve had a long day and I need something sweet as a pick me up- tea. I’m upping the score on this one because I really do love it that much and I’m going to be heartbroken when it’s gone…

Do I love honeybush? I’m thinking I might because every honeybush tea I’ve tried so far has been a real hit. Hmmm…something I’ll need to continue investigating…

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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61

Thanks to darby for sharing this tea! It smells like fall – pumpkin, spice, warm blankets, fuzzy boots, and hay rides. Sadly this tea doesn’t taste much like it smells. I’m not getting pumpkin much at all. It tastes like black tea with a little spice at the very end of the sip. Not nearly as much flavor as I was hoping for. The cream however is a very nice touch here.

A little sugar doesn’t really help bring out the flavors either. This isn’t bad really, I’m just one of those people that really likes an in-your-face pumpkin spice flavor.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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84

Thanks darby for this tea! Oh wow! This tea is so tarty and I love it! Raspberry tart – almost like sour candy. I really don’t find the tart to be a negative aspect at all, but then again I love sour candy! With a little pinch of sugar, it’s still super tart but the other fruit flavors comes through and the whole cup blends together very nicely. This is not at all what I was expecting from this tea – I love the surprising characteristics here. And it’s a beautiful dark pink color too which I adore.

I’m wishing I had some of those shockers candies I used to love when I was younger to go with this tea. It’s been so long since I thought about them…I think I’ll go and get some tomorrow =)

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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56

Smells like earl grey to me. In the past I haven’t had much luck with earl grey teas. I’m not sure what it is about them that strikes me as odd, but I think it’s bergamont. Since I haven’t cared for the strong flavor of earl grey in the past, I decided to lower the suggested temperature and steep time. There is something very bitter to me about earl grey tea. It reminds me of when I was younger and my sister and I would play in the neighbors backyard which had tons of rhubarb growing everywhere. We would play pioneers and we would “hunt” and “gather”. We’d take logs from the woodpile and pretend they were hunks of meat from a recent kill and the rhubarb was our crop of choice. We’d even put the rhubarb and logs on my dad’s grill and pretend we were cooking them. He would get so mad when he’d go to use the grill and it was filled with logs and rhubarb! Anyhow, I remember after picking and playing with the rhubarb it would leave the most awful taste on your hands and if you accidently put your fingers in your mouth (as little kids often do) you would regret it! The taste I find in earl grey tea is similar to that taste.

I very rarely add milk or sugar to my tea, but this seems like the perfect candidate for a little something extra and to my surprise it actually helps a lot! I’m able to taste something other than the bitter “rhubarb” flavor. I can detect the citrus aspect which is very enjoyable.

All in all I just don’t think earl grey is my thing really. I’ll finish this tea, but I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to order more. Someone who really enjoys earl grey might love this.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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86

My Red Leaf Tea order came in the mail yesterday! I did a happy dance through the hallways back to my apartment (and got a few strange looks on the way). First order of business : try my matcha!

I went with the destinctive flavor on this one because I am a HUGE cheesecake fan and I’m also a matcha newbie, so I thought destinctive would be a good choice. I also included a bamboo whisk and scoop in my order and boy am I glad I did! The whisk I recieved is so neat! It even comes with a little case that I can store it in without worrying about the bamboo getting all messed up and I know it will keep it’s shape better. I have to say, if you are preparing your matcha without a bamboo whisk you are really missing out! Using the whisk really did change my results. Instead of my matcha being grainey, it’s now all blended very well and thick. When I prepared matcha with my metal kitchen whisk it was never thick like this and the matcha always ended up settling a bit at the bottom of my cup.

If you don’t have a whisk you should include one in your order next time! It is well worth the investment and very affordable through Red Leaf.

For my first cup I made my matcha the traditional way. Sift matcha, add water, whisk until frothy, add a bit more water and enjoy. Mmm I’m getting such a different result with this matcha than with the tiramisu I’d had previously. I think that’s due to the flavoring difference (destinctive instead of delicate) and the fact that I have the proper tools now. It’s thick and the green tea base is much less sharp than I previously remember. It’s there, but it’s more enjoyable this time. The cheesecake flavor is very smooth.

Immediately I knew I had to make another cup as a latte. This really allowed the creamy cheesecake flavor to come through. Toward the end of the cup I was really able to taste the buttery crust. I made a latte for my boyfriend and he really enjoyed his too! Success.

Get your cheesecake matcha here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/cheesecake-matcha.html

And don’t forget to pick up a bamboo whisk while you’re at it! You won’t regret it.

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Profile

Bio

Hello, my name is Vicky. I’m 23 years young and enjoying life.

When I’m not drinking tea, I enjoy spending time with my boyfriend and our five adorable rats – Derby, Brinkley, Fintan, Fievel, and our newest edition Hadley.

I’m a dog groomer and have been for five years. My job is a lot of things, but it most certainly isn’t boring!

My other interests include : the universe and science in general (especially physics), music of all different genres, Detroit Lions football, buddhism, documentaries, travelling, and learning about myself.

“We rarely pause to acknowledge the impermanent quality of the body. We remember being children and we know our bodies have changed, but it rarely occurs to us that there is not one cell remaining in our body from childhood. The physical matter of the child’s body is gone; only a memory remains. Every cell has been replaced by new cells. But the mind creates the delusion that this is the same body.”

Location

Cleveland, OH

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