A Quarter to Tea

This one is more subtle than the other teas I’ve tried. I didn’t get much chocolate, just a hint of caramel with a little nutty in the back. The caramel came though stronger as it cooled.
Nothing wrong or offensive, just not quite as bold as I normally prefer flavored teas.

You really need to let this one cool down in order to pick up on any background flavours. I don’t get any classic eggnog spices from this (was hoping for some nutmeg), but I do pick up on a super light, creamy vanilla eggy note. It’s more like vanilla soufflé than cake. Or, I once tried making one of those mug cakes in the microwave and it ended up tasting really eggy. This sort of captures that type of dessert.

Onwards with the sample binge. I could always use more banana teas in my life. This didn’t have as much banana flavour as I would have liked. Quite subtle. It’s interesting to see it paired with White Peony. Great idea! I didn’t get any strawberry, maybe because my sample had one little piece of freeze-dried strawberry, and maybe a hint of caramel. This could be a great tea if the flavours were elevated.

Not going out today means tending to my tea samples all day. West Edmonton Mall yesterday, on the last Saturday before Christmas, was utter madness as expected so now it’s time to balance that off with a day of hermitry.

The aroma of the steeped tea reminds me of almond cookies, specifically Voortman Almonette and Almond Krunch cookies. Soft almond that isn’t as strong as almond biscotti. I detect a hint of cranberry as well. This so seems like it’ll be up my alley.

And it basically is, however, the cranberry ends up tasting more like artificial raspberry. I know there are real dried cranberries in the blend, but I wonder if the natural flavouring in this includes something berry-ish. The artificial berry tone is fighting with the lovely almond note. The base is light and lovely, excellent pairing with berries and almonds. I don’t taste any obvious bready or baked confection notes in here but in my opinion, the almond takes care of that since it’s such a fluffy, sugary almond note.

Ultimately, I’d love this tea if it had a more genuine cranberry flavour.

This is super good. Light but still sweet with creamy vanilla and some tart cidery appleness. Odd, but adding cream does not bring out the vanilla, but rather the floral notes in the oolong and that doesn’t mix well. I normally wouldn’t add cream to oolong but… I had some and it smelled like it might go well.

And breaking in the Calamityware Things Could Be Worse mug that just arrived today! Woot, woot!
http://tinyurl.com/q692j25

Sipdown. I polished off the last two cups this morning because, quite frankly, I just wanted to get it out of the way. I like the spices in it but it still doesn’t capture the essence of carrot cake.

Love genmaicha, flavoured or not. And carrot cake is my favourite cake, so naturally, I just had to pounce on this.

The roasted notes from the rice goes so well with the cake spices here, which I find are the dominant notes altogether. In particular, although I don’t see it listed as an ingredient (perhaps it’s part of the natural flavouring), I get ginger above everything else, then the cinnamon trails behind. There’s a touch of sweetness, perhaps from the dried fruits in here, but I can’t discern what they are, and I can’t taste the icing note either. I think what would have worked here is slightly more fruit to balance out the strong spice notes, like more raisin. Hell, I don’t even like raisins in desserts, but this make me think of Della Terra’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookie—I think it was called—and how the raisin note in that would be right at home here.

The heavier ginger note here also reminds me of Butiki’s take on carrot cake.

Such a cute name for this tea, but I didn’t get as much caramel or nuttiness as I would have liked. No chocolate. I brewed it in two different ways too. The first time was a bit of an accident. I used half of my sample but subconsciously filled up my Nordic mug with water since I’m so used to doing that, consequently underleafing. Of course, that cup didn’t have as much flavour but it was still pleasant to drink, as the base is nice and smooth.

Second cup got the other half of the sample + half a Nordic mug full of water, and I followed the instructions regarding temperature and time for both. This cup yielded a stronger base flavour but I’m still missing a lot of the notes that are supposed to make this similar to a Turtle chocolate. There a touch of caramel but nothing too obvious.

Another sipdown today. Had the last cup with eggnog and the two went very well together. Good chai but I wouldn’t get it again just because there is nothing overly unique about it.

Maple Pumpkin chai, yes please. There is a delightful aroma of spices wafting from the opened bag, and it’s always exciting to see whole star anise in there. And pumpkin seeds too!

This makes a pretty good chai. I like that the anise and fennel are in the foreground, followed by the ginger. I don’t get any pumpkin or maple, however. I’m guessing that the spices are overpowering these more delicate notes.

Spumoni ice cream is hard to find in my neck of the woods, let alone good spumoni. I am delighted to finally get to experience a tea that is supposed to taste like the dessert!

It was smart to pair it with a green base. The dry leaf is creamy pistachio to the max. The flavour, however, is playing tricks on me. Initially, I thought I tasted banana, and then I thought that was a possibility because all of the little baggies from my sample pack were placed in a larger paper bag, and thought perhaps that this was sitting a little too close to the Banana Split sample. But as this cools, this is definitely pistachio, followed by chocolate. Perhaps the cocoa nibs are playing a role in screwing with my mind on the whole banana thing because the cocoa flavour reminds me of DAVIDsTEA’s Banana Split rooibos, which has cocoa nibs in it, I believe. Even the tea smells a little like banana ice cream, but luckily, yep, as I take a sip, there it is. Pistachio ice cream, folks.

Enjoying the last of this before heading out. I quite enjoyed this one. Smooth base and palpable banana nut flavour. With the pound of tea that I’ve acquired in the last day, I need to work on these little odds and ends, despite these odds and ends being quite fresh anyway.

I’m almost finished all of the QTT teas I picked up from the BF order, which I received around ten days ago. $50 in under two weeks. Kind of too overly self-indulgent for my blood.

Banana nut deliciousness in every sip. Earlier reviews commented on the weak banana flavour, so I’m wondering if this has been reformulated to contain more flavour? It’s definitely there. There is a slight touch of vanilla behind the nuttiness too.

This without a doubt fills the hole that has been left behind by Butiki’s Foxy Roxy’s. I think I may enjoy the base here even more too.

Damn, spicy! The combo is freakin’ awesome. The strawberry, lime, sencha, and chinese green tea are great together. The jalapeno is an unexpected compliment, then a boast. This is for people who like spicy things. I am one of those people who likes spicy and sweet. Like teasipper said in his review, I think a little bit less jalapeno would let the other flavors play more. A lot of people would probably be turned off by the spiciness and savory nature of this tea, but I also think that a lot of people would appreciate and enjoy it. Most of the Quarter to Tea’s blends are guiltless deserts: this is a guiltless snack.

Sipdown…..eheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

I used less leaves and that made a huge difference. A small, bare teaspoon was used this time and I was able to come up with a light but flavorful cup. It’s almost floral: reminds my mom especially of tuberose and plumeria…our favorite flowers. No artificiality to be found this time. I’m definitely able to resteep this using hotter water, too. And now, to sulk over this tea being a limited edition…it’s so good. I should have gotten more. Maybe combo request?

Wow. This reminded me of the few Butiki’s teas I had. It literally tastes like a vanilla apple cider panna cotta. The vanilla is incredibly strong and the crisp apple after taste comes from oolong itself. Coconut and pineapple linger around too in the notes. Overall, immensely sweet and MEGA creamy. I got to steep it four times, and the vanilla flavor remained until and in that last one.

The pastry flavor itself was what was a little bit more iffy for me. There were times were the flavoring did taste like a yankee candle or something artificial. However, that taste was not there at the first thirty seconds, and definitely not there in the rest of the main steeps. It was natural every other time allowing the jade oolong and vanilla to dominate. A more experienced drinker would appreciate the oolong itself and the careful flavor blend. Newer drinkers would definitely like this tea and so would oolong lovers, but a lot of people might be detracted by the creaminess and sweetness. If you like panna cotta, cheesecake, and not feeling guilty about it, this is your tea. But if you don’t like those desserts or sweets in general, I would not recommend it.

I got to say, though, this is one of my favorites from A Quarter to Tea so far.

Hasty sipdown. I used my last 8g of leaf in my last Nordic mug because I just wanted to finish it. At least this way you get more chili heat, but the chocolate in here is just… not for me.

Ugh, the holidays is horrible on the diet. I worked far too hard to gain back even a pound or two. I way overate today. Panettone, Christmas chocolates, a slice of lemon meringue pie, dolmas, steak… for shame. I’ll be at 15k steps soon so let’s hope I still did enough activity to burn most of it off. At least drinking this tea = no shame.

This tea is an excellent example of how steeping parameters can wildly affect the final outcome of the taste.

This cup is definitely better. The oolong base is even roastier, which pairs great with the other flavours in here. I can feel the slight chill heat this time around, and the marshmallow is there, but as an afterthought. Very subtle but if I concentrate, I notice it. Additionally, the chocolate isn’t as waxy. In a way, it has actually taken a backseat.

Much better this way. I would like a little more heat, and maybe a little more chocolate, but otherwise it’s a great flavour combination.

Thanks for the free sample, A Quarter to Tea! I actually contemplated ordering this one but backed off since I had a dollar limit, so it’s awesome that I wound up with this one anyway!

Love the scent of the dry leaf. So refreshingly bergamotty with a hint of creaminess. This brewed up a nice, bold cup which prompted me to add a little fat-free creamer to mellow out the base a bit.

Against the cream, I’m still getting the bergamot but it’s actually a lot more muted than I had expected, especially considering how rich and full the scent of the dry leaf is. I am also left out in experiencing the black currant in here. Sadly, I don’t get any. But if I had an opportunity to try it again, I most certainly would.

Sipdown with eggnog. Honestly, not my cup of tea. The last couple cups without any additives made me further analyze the flavours, focusing on a particular note which my tastebuds weren’t quite understanding the first couple times I had this. I finally realized that it’s supposed to be the pumpkin, I think. It’s kind of squash-like but in a weird way. It’s very indescribable. Either way, still glad I got to try this.

This is the second time having this since I couldn’t help myself and try this the minute the parcel landed yesterday, seeing how it’s one of the most coveted QTT blends at the moment.

The second time around, my impression of this is not changing in any shape or form. The dry leaf smells a little bit like cinnamon cider. Taste-wise, it’s not what I was imagining at all. I thought I’d get a pancakey note, or at least something cake-like, but instead, I get just maple, and the cinnamon isn’t there in the flavour. Maybe it’s just me? To be fair, this is like real maple, which is sweet but doesn’t have as much flavour as artificial maple-flavoured things, such as maple sandwich cookies. As a side note, I’ll confess that I actually really like the strong, artificial maple flavour! But this tea rather reminds me of the maple candies—made with real maple syrup—I picked up at the Bay many years ago.

Next time I make this, I’ll brew up a stronger cup and add some light cream.

Sipdown already. I’m really staying on top of these. Funny because I have so many in my cupboard which I haven’t tried, or at least written about, on here yet. My QTT teas are sprawled out on the counter so it’s been very convenient!

I wouldn’t buy more of this but it was an experience, nonetheless. I mentioned in the previous note that this reminds me of Butiki’s cheesecake notes. I just realized now, with fat-free cream, that it also reminds me of the cake note in DAVIDsTEA’s Red Velvet Cake. It’s nail-on-the-head like that tea.

Right on, the last of my Black Friday parcels arrived today. Tea and cosmetics. Score! I already tried two other QTT teas before leaving to run some errands today but I’ll have to try them again before writing about them.

So, this one. Not my thing, unfortunately. It’s the flavourings that I’m having an issue with, particularly the cheesecake. It doesn’t taste like cheesecake at all, but I recognize it from Butiki’s cheesecake blends, which I didn’t like that much either. It tastes almost… dusty? I can’t describe it. But it’s the same nondescript weird undertone I got from Butiki’s cheesecake teas, without a doubt. Then the chocolate note tastes a bit waxy; it tastes like the smell of chocolate-scented candles, if you know what I mean. I think another one I tried earlier today (Mexican Hot Chocolate) had that same vibe but I’ll have to revisit both of these tomorrow to verify that.

I don’t get any pumpkin from this either. I actually forgot this was supposed to have pumpkin in it. So brutal for a first QTT review, sorry, but I have hope for many others!