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I’m still trying to work my way through these Bana Tea samples I got in early January!

This is excellent – for a 2007 sheng it is very mellow. I steeped this in a small infuser mug this morning. It’s woodsy & slighty earthy, very mild with a sweeter aftertaste than a lot I have tried. I am guessing it is the wild arbor because I seem to be having good luck with those lately. I have no idea what this would taste like aged but I can only imagine it would be even sweeter and more delicious?

I let the second steep go for a bit longer than I would with a tea of this type. The color got to be quite a dark orange and I was a bit nervous. The flavor got a bit more intensified but is still very nice with a woody, almost plummy aftertaste. They say this is a good cake for beginners and I would agree with that assessment. I just checked the price and it is $45 for the cake which is more than I want to spend but it is seriously tempting….

I recommend checking this out… not astringent, bitter or sour, just seriously nice and relaxing.

Another sipdown… we finished off the last of it this morning. Au revoir, Paris!

This is a sipdown for me but like an annoying ex-boyfriend, I won’t miss it too much. Farewell, old stinky…

I am having a stressful afternoon so when this arrived in the mail I immediately wanted to try it (and oh yeah, I’m a tea junkie, but anyway…)

This tea has a very nice fruity smell in the bag and I love mangos and papayas so I was thinking I’d really like this blend and I do. The white tea gives it a light and subtle sweetness and the mango and papaya flavors are present, but a bit gentle. Most importantly, the flavor does not seem overly fake or cloying to me which is a definite plus. I’m really glad this isn’t too sweet (although you could add your own sweetener). This will make a great iced tea too, I am sure….

Quite relaxing and refreshing for my afternoon cuppa, really enjoyed this one.

Note: Also resteeps well but the second cup is a bit lighter in fruit flavor & more prominent in white tea flavor, both are good.

I am holding off on rating this for now because it caught me off guard – I thought I was getting a pu-erh but it’s actually a combination of a pu-erh and a yunnan black tea and I have no idea how to steep it. I did drink two cups of it this afternoon and it tastes more like a straight black tea that’s slightly bitter…

hmm. I really wasn’t sure what I was going to think about a green tea flavored with these spices (cardamom and clove) and citrus but I actually loved this one! You should know I am a cardamom fiend, however so be warned! That is probably the strongest element in this tea followed by the orange and a hint of clove. I’m not sure what the base of this tea is, but mingled in this blend it is very rich, earthy and mellow. I would definitely be wanting to purchase this, but it’s too bad you can only get it in 100g bags…

I guess this is a green chai of sorts… impressive and my favorite of the flavored teas so far from Le Palais de Thes.

note: also re-steeps well

This came as another tea in my Den’s tea sampler set… I’m not a total fan of sencha although I do like a lot of other Japanese green teas. This was steeped for about 90 seconds in 175 F water. It is pleasant but very vegetal and spinach like with some definite savory notes and a bit of astringency in the finish. I have no doubt that this is an excellent sencha but I think it’s a bit too astringent and sour for me, I probably wouldn’t buy this one although it is very flavorful, delicious and fresh tasting!

My morning cuppa – highly recommended (to darjeeling lovers especially) for the delicious and unusual flavors – see my previous notes.

I am far behind on trying all of the things I received in swaps plus some things I have recently purchased so I’ll try to get on it, I swear. :)

I was a bit worried about this one after reading the reviews but I actually don’t mind it. It really smells like apple gummy candy or jolly ranchers when you open the bag but the flavor is a lot more mellow. It certainly isn’t the most natural apple flavor I’ve ever had and I’m not sure I can even taste the bancha. I mean, yes it tastes like a green tea but personally I’m a bit overwhelmed by the flavoring. I think this really needs to be made into an iced tea where it would be much nicer, a cold brew experiment would seem to be in order soon.

Not too bad but probably not a repurchase for me.

Another one from the Den’s Tea sampler – this is the pyramid teabag which I wouldn’t buy myself (I’d get the loose leaf).

I thought this might be like my standard Ito En genmaicha with matcha, but it’s better. The matcha here definitely makes it a lot greener than some of the others I have tried. The nuttiness from the rice is light and the tea itself is hearty, sweet and broth like. If this base is Den’s bancha I will definitely need to get some to try on its’ own! Although the matcha could very likely be playing a part in the sweetness here. I’m not really a fan of sencha genmaichas because they can be a little too astringent/bitter for me, so I appreciated the mellowness of this. The only drawback is that I did notice a bit of matcha dust in the bottom of my cup, which apparently a teabag cannot even encapsulate…

Overall, this is very yummy, I think I might have preferred a little more toasted rice in this blend but I am quite enjoying this cup. Soon I might be a Den’s Tea convert!