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This is a pretty good chai rooibos but like a lot of David’s tea blends, it seems to have the issue of the artificial flavoring being a bit too strong. It is definitely very spicy, I get a lot of strong elements of ginger and peppercorn in here that are strong enough to knock you over, I kind of like that. I think maybe it’s the coconut flavoring in here that seems a bit “fakey” but this is pretty good with soymilk, etc. Someday I need to place an order with Rishi to get my favorite chai rooibos back in stock. I think I might stop buying flavored teas from David’s unless I can get them as samples.

This is my green tea of the morning. Normally I don’t go in so much for tart things, but it’s a pretty zesty flavor if you really like grapefruit. this one can be a little strong for me and sometimes I wish it could be toned down a bit, I guess i could always try underleafing it a bit.

I’m hoping the theanine in this green tea help me with my anxieties, I’m having a hard time to get my dr.‘s office to communicate with my office about my current diability. I’m still not sure if they will let me come back part time. It’s been an amazingly annoying process for me as I only have a set amount of time to get the paperwork filled out and the doctor’s office does not legally have to do anything I ask them to do in a timely fashion. I may have a lot of free time on my hands in the upcoming months… oh well!

I’m still fiddling with this one trying to find the perfect balance and how to brew it. Today I tried around 190 F for 3 minutes and it definitely seems less bitter but also less black tea flavor. Perhaps a longer steeping time would help? stay tuned…. lol

Tea of the morning here…

I am not quite sure about this one. This was another one I got at Maison d’Etre yesterday. I wanted to try another MF tea and this just smelled so good in the tin, like tangerine candy of some sort. I am not quite sure about the flavor though. I get a lot of orange but also some bitterness. It’s difficult to tell if there’s bergamot in here or if the bitterness is due to the green tea in this blend. Instructions say to brew at 205 F and that’s about the temperature I used. I think I’ll try using a sightly lower steeping time to see if that makes a difference. For now I think it’s ok but considering the price I paid for it, it’s a bit of a let down.

Herbal tisane of the evening here…

There is a store called Maison d’Etre near the Rockridge BART station that is really cute and full of housewares, jewelry and some specialized tea that is difficult for me to find elsewhere. I should never take my BF tea shopping with me because he can’t understand why I need to buy more tea, he he! Of course that did not stop me.

Anyway I was intrigued by this blend, it seemed like a very nice herbal from what I could tell from the package and it smells really good. It’s a blend of tulsi, flowers and some chai like spices. The flavor is a bit too floral for my personal taste but otherwise I think it’s pretty good. I don’t really know that is was worth the price I paid for it ($14 for 2 oz) but I’m glad I got the chance to try it. Kind of wishing I could get the Bellocq teas in a sample size, I would definitely be interested in trying them all.

A nice sunny day calls for a nice sunny tea…

I went for a long walk today and ended up doing some tea tastings at Aroma Tea Shop but it’s a little too late in the day to drink the black teas I bought so I thought I’d focus on a nice anti-inflammatory drink instead. I really like this turmeric tea, it’s got green rooibos in it to help cut the flavor of the turmeric but that’s all about I really taste here aside from the saffron and a bit of ginger. yum yum!

Speaking of yummy I went to Burma Superstar today too and had the fiery tofu which was super tasty as well as a pot of ginger tea with fresh lemon slices. :)

I believe this is the last sample I have yet to try from the Joseph Wesley samples I got.

This might be my favorite of the bunch as it smells very aromatic after steeping, sort of like freshly baked bread or a cake of some sorts. I lost track of time while I was steeping this and don’t know exactly how long it was. Anyway this is extremely smooooth, very elegant tea. Tastes lightly of malt and chocolate with that nice baked bread aroma. This is definitely an elegant tea. I wish I had more to say about it right now, but it is delicious.

Thanks to the Devotea for this sample…

I don’t really know what a bread pudding is supposed to taste like so I’m not the best judge as to what flavor that should be. I am experiencing a significant spike in my stress levels this morning trying to facilitate all of the paperwork that needs to be completed by my doctor’s office in order for me to get back to work. I needed something that was like a comfort tea this morning.

I do love a good chai and this is tasty. I get a LOT of nutmeg in his blend and I can safely say this definitely tastes like a dessert or pastry of some kind even though I’m not sure if it’s a bread pudding. I like the nutmeg, cinnamon and clove in this blend a lot and it’s definitely tasty with some sugar and soymilk. Definitely good as a dessert tea but also hitting the spot as a comforting tea this morning. I may need some more when this sample runs out.

verdict: yum