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To finish off Day 1 of my 52teas/mysweethoneybush/manteas week-end I chose an obvious dessert tea that I’ve enjoyed a number of times before ..

This is an incredibly strong perfumed tea, so much so that it can actually turn a lot of people I’ve offered it to off .. And I’m not talking just your regular Earl Grey Bergamot either, this is full on floral, plus Bergamot, plus Lemon, plus …. ?? I’m really struggling to put my finger on what else I can smell, but I’d say it’s easily the strongest scented tea I have in my cupboard .. And I love it!

The flavour is smoooooooth, rich, complex, creamy, and very much enhanced by the addition of just a little milk & sugar .. The second brew is even more delightful as it has less of the over-powering fragrance that detracts from the flavour, so I tend to quickly drink the first cup and linger on the second .. As I am right now :D

This might sound strange but I think I can detect some Rose just as I swallow ?! Or at least I’m getting a hint of some flavour profile that’s also in my favourite Rose Tea, and it’s most obvious when the cup is lukewarm to coolish – also just like it is in my fav China Rose blend!

So that’s how I like this best; 2nd brew, a little bit milky, a little bit sweet, and a fraction past the lukewarm stage (cool but not chilled) .. This is the perfect tea to finish off my lazy rainy Saturday, and I will indeed be sad when I finish my pouch of it :(

I’ve decided I’m going to make it a 52teas/mysweethoneybush/man teas week-end .. So after a breakfast of Monkey Fart, I moved on to Malted ChocoMate for my after-lunch/noon-time beverage ..

I’m writing this after my third cup .. The first was drunk with a dash of milk; the second a teaspoon of sugar (no milk); and the third had both, which is definitely how I prefer it .. Oh and the third was made with all fresh leaves as someone had cleaned out my teapot .. Unfortunately I just couldn’t appreciate it without something extra to boost the flavour ..

I think I’m in the minority on this one, but I find there’s no-where near as much chocolate as I would like .. And the malt, while more obvious as it cooled off, was actually more of an after-taste ..

It smells fantastic both dry and in the cup, but I’m afraid it just isn’t delivering what I expected, or more importantly what I was wanting from it ..

I’ve actually drunk this a number of times before, just haven’t been posting notes on Steepster as my spring/summer was too busy – but it’s Autumn now so I’m back, and I’m all about the Tea again!

Anyhoo, when I first got out of bed this lovely rainy Saturday morning I knew straight away that this was what I was going to start my day with .. I’ve just finished my 2nd cup now and it really was what I was after: mellow, slightly sweet, relaxing (I’m prepping for a long lazy day at home without the kids) :P

I’d added a little milk to my first cup without really thinking and it tasted a little too weak .. So for the second I added some more fresh leaves/dried banana to the pot (with first brew leaves still in) and brewed for longer, probably a good 10-15min or so .. It still wasn’t as quite as strong as I was wanting, so I then added a tea spoon of sugar, and by slurping I got that Mmm Banana hit I was craving ..

I probably won’t be ordering another pouch of this when I run out as shipping from the states eats up a lot of money, and I’d like to try other companies tea too .. But I’m certainly glad I did at least once ..

Would I recommend it for ‘something different’ – Absolutely!

The last of the samples LiberTEA’s sent me and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to try things I otherwise never would have so again, Thanks Heaps!

And what a tea to end with .. This one really surprised me as it’s a twiggy looking mix, almost half was twigs actually and the other large pieces of torn leaf .. I also couldn’t pick up much aroma from either the dried leaves or the brewed liquid so really wasn’t expecting much when I took that first sip but Wow! For an unflavoured black this tastes extraordinarily like chocolate malt, has a medium bodied mouth-feel and is oh so smooooth .. Mmm, I think I’m going to have to look into getting some more of this and check out the rest of their range ..

Mother told me not to play with my food, but never mentioned tea: http://i52.tinypic.com/245mwee.jpg

Another sample sent to me by Anne (aka LiberTEAS) – Thank-you :D

I’m just finishing my second cup of this, a re-steep, and found it to be a nice gentle blend along the lines of an English Breakfast ..

The dry leaves look really pretty with a sprinkling of cornflower & rose petals, which I don’t think actually add anything to the flavour but I appreciate visually interesting teas and it’s always fun to bring them out when I have friends over – it gets the non-tea drinkers interested in sampling, so it gets points for that .. Gosh, am I the queen of run-on sentences or what ?!

Anyhoo, I personally wouldn’t describe this as bold or full flavoured .. It’s smooth, has very little astringency and no bitterness at all .. If it were a fashion design I’d call it a good take on a Classic, though maybe a little too safe ..

It’s not at all strong enough to kick-start my day so I’m off to make something with Oomf – talking CTC Assam Irish Breakfast .. This one I feel is better suited to drink with a light lunch or a quick snack ..

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I needed a change from the Russian Caravan I’d been drinking this afternoon, and I happened to find another sachet of this in the bottom of a box – oh my it’s yummier than I remember!

I’m getting orange, caramel, and that tell-tale H&S rich fruity/chocolate/black-forrest cake notes .. Such a delicious sweet treat, and the perfect finish to my day .. MmHm I’m upping my rating and adding this to my shopping list :D

This was another sample sent to me by the lovely LiberTEAS – Thanks Heaps!

And it made for a great afternoon pick-me-up that I really needed today .. I didn’t let it steep for the full 5minutes as I was using a cup infuser and a sip from a spoon at 4min tasted a little bitter, so I removed the leaves and added a generous amount of milk & sugar as that’s how I most enjoy Earl Grey ..

Like the others have said this isn’t a strongly perfumed tea, and the flavour isn’t as full-on as I’ve come to expect from an Earl, but it does have an obvious orange/citrus finish ..

The re-steep was definitely my favourite too, and I found it had much more of those *Early notes than the first despite using the same temp & time ..

It’s not a patch on my **favourite Earl, but I’m sadly currently out of that and this does make a nice standby – in fact I think I’m going to use the other half of my sample right now!

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A big Thanks to LiberTEAS for sending me a sample of this when I ordered some of her Masterpiece Chai (which incidentally Rocks my world!)

I have to start by saying I don’t normally ‘eat’ breakfast but my day starts with two large mugs of tea, either a rich Malty Breakfast or a hearty Masala Chai that wakes up the mind, body, and soul .. So you have to keep that ‘Chai’ reference in mind when I share my experience of this delicately Spiced Green Tea ..

I’m really digging the look of this tea as I’ve never had slithers of Almonds, or any other type of nut in my tea before! And the aroma is truly yummy – first note I got was Nutmeg which was a nice surprise, followed by Cinnamon & Ginger, and a real Mixed Spice/Bakery scent .. All of these are obvious without reading the description (which I hadn’t until just now) ..

Anyhoo, I followed the time & temp recommendations (80°C – 3min) for the first mug, but it seemed very weak to me .. In fact if someone had served it to me with no information on what it was, I’d have guessed an Apple & Cinnamon Tisane that was lacking in apple flavouring .. So for the second one I steeped (fresh leaves) for 5 minutes, and still found it to be lacking in flavour – or better put lacking the lively dance of tea & spices I was expecting, and hoping for ..

Final thoughts: it’s an interesting twist, light & comforting, sweet and Autumny, like gingerbread biscuits and taking a walk through fallen leaves to spot the abandoned birds nests .. Yes it would be perfect to take on such a wander, or to enjoy once home from such an adventure .. But alas it’s spring here and I’m finishing off my last re-steep (nice but quite woody) ..

I won’t be ordering a tin as it’s just too subtle for my tastes, however I’d certainly drink it again if offered :P

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NomNomNom this is Gooooood!

Everything I want from a Chai and more – I even accidentally over-steeped without it getting bitter or tanniny, and I’ve re-steeped it up to 3x, all leaving me with a seriously delicious cup of Spicy Chai ..

I’m so glad I was able to order this before Anne shut up shop, but now I have to make my tin last forever or find something else to compete *eek