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94
drank Holy Hot Cinnamon! by Custom
985 tasting notes

Tea of the evening, and most evenings, for that matter….

Lovely, spicy, relaxing. Somehow, this one just works. I have a few more things to do to get ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow. And then more visits to family over the weekend.

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! (And if you are not in the States, have a safe and happy weekend…it is coming up quick!)

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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94
drank Holy Hot Cinnamon! by Custom
985 tasting notes

My evening ritual…… and tea from last night.

I just had to write in that this is not nearly as good added to a fillable bag for travel. It is sooooo much better in an infuser. Looking forward to more tonight! And contemplating the ways to just use an infuser in my teapot the next time I go visiting……

8 minute steep with all other parameters as usual.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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94
drank Holy Hot Cinnamon! by Custom
985 tasting notes

This has become quite an evening ritual. I love this. It is relaxing and just plain yummy. There is mostly cinnamon with a hint of anise from the Holy Basil. The perfect ratio is a 1:3 Holy Basil Purple Leaf to Herbal Hot Cinnamon.

24 oz pot, 4 1/2 actual tsp Herbal Hot Cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp Holy Basil Purple Leaf, freshly boiled water, 8 minutes. No additions.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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94
drank Holy Hot Cinnamon! by Custom
985 tasting notes

Tisane of the evening……

So I seem to have this worked out to where I love it. It is a 3 parts Herbal Hot Cinnamon to 1 part Holy Basil Purple Leaf. The cinnamon is most prominent, but I do catch a hint of anise from the holy basil. I put 3 perfect tsp of the Herbal Hot Cinnamon, and 1 of the Holy Basil in my 24 oz teapot and steep for about 8 minutes. Tonight, I forgot it was steeping, and it was still very good.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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94
drank Holy Hot Cinnamon! by Custom
985 tasting notes

Tea of the evening…

Yep….2 parts Herbal Hot Cinnamon and 1 part Holy Basil Purple Leaf. Yum. We have a total winner with the best of both.

24 oz teapot, 3 actual tsp Herbal Hot Cinnamon Spice, 1 1/2 actual tsp Holy Basil Purple Leaf, freshly boiled water, 8 minutes. No additions.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more
Alex

I’m glad you’re feeling better. Your tea blend sounds interesting. Not something I’d try, as I’m not big on hot cinnamon, but I bet it helps clear your sinuses… :)

SimplyJenW

It does clear them! I did not think the Hot Cinnamons would be for me, either, and it took me a long time to try them. But it turns out they are really good!

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94
drank Holy Hot Cinnamon! by Custom
985 tasting notes

Tisane of last night…..

I was having a hard time deciding between the two main teas in this blend last night, so I decided to put them together in one pot. For the first time around, I did an even ratio. I think next time I will reduce the amount of Holy Basil for a ratio of 1 part Holy Basil to 2 parts Herbal Hot Cinnamon.

It was good. I do catch a little of the anise flavor from the Holy Basil, but not much of it. I am really going to like a mix of the two and do so often. I just ordered a pound of the cinnamon tea, and I am sure a restock of the Holy Basil will be in order soon.

24 oz teapot, 3 actual tsp Herbal Hot Cinnamon, 3 actual tsp Holy Basil Purple Leaf, freshly boiled water, 7 minutes. No additions.

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec
Alex

Sounds like an interesting combination!

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75

How fitting to start my tea swap journey with one blended by the swapper herself – SimplyJenW ! First of all, thank you for all the rooibos! It’s going to be an adventure.

I picked up some treats from a new European bakery in my neighbourhood, Kave Haz. We got some Gypsy cake and French Cream. Yum.

Of course, to make this an extra special treat, I made lattes with foamed milk and vanilla syrup! Mm I tried it on its own first and it’s the perfect blend and sweet caramel and apple. I’m totally into apple teas this fall, but rooibos is my favorite. I love rooibos lattes too, so I digress – thank you SJW, you expert tea blender you :)

I’m really enjoying this tea. Next time I will have it without the syrup because it’s quite decadent and sweet just on it’s own.

I feel so lucky to have so much of this in my cupboard to share with friends and keep by my side all fall.

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85

Tea of the morning….

As I sit here, I am planning my teas for the day. Whoa. I should be planning what I need to get accomplished today, but instead, I am thinking Hot Cinnamon Spice and a blend of Harney’s Black Currant and Vanilla Black to make my own version of ‘Jane Austen Mafia’. Kudos to whomever blended that one. It almost made me consider buying more even though the tea base for flavored tea from that company is not my favorite. And then I remembered my dear Vanilla Black and Black Currant teas in my cupboard who are just begging to be blended together. I will be missing some cream, but maybe I will just have to add some real cream…well, half and half.

Anyway, Good Morning, Steepsterites! It is gonna be a Happy Tea Day!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
ashmanra

I must find some Yerba mate. Where do you get yours? I have never had any. I may have to drive to Chapel Hill to “see my son” and stop in at the tea shop while I am there. Heehee!

SimplyJenW

I order mine from Upton (and I just ordered a big bag). But I would check vitamin stores and whole food stores. Just be sure to get roasted.

SimplyJenW

I could always send you about an ounce to try, too!

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85

Second tea of the day…..

I have gone a few days without any yerba mate. Man, I can feel it. I am sure some of my sluggishness could be the weather changing from Summer to Fall, and the wierd barometric things going on. I still miss the pep from my yerba mate. This is my favorite blend of all of them that I have tried, and I just stocked up on the Roasted Yerba Mate from Upton as well as purchasing a tin refill’s worth of the Vanilla Black on a recent trip that took us through Millerton to Harney’s. (I must say, I love the idea of being able to refill my tins rather then buying new ones. Remeber the days in the beginning where you had a hard time finding containers for your tea and samples?..now I am almost overrrun!)

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Daisy Chubb

You’ve def inspired me to get some yerba mate in my first Upton order! I love the idea of mixing it yourself, it’s cheaper and you can get just the right amount. It’s waking me up just thinking about it

SimplyJenW

You might be able to find some local… I looked at Whole Foods, and some vitamin stores have it, too. Just make sure you get the roasted….

Daisy Chubb

Oh good idea, we have a few stores that might carry it here – I’ll check them out first, thanks!

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85

My morning blend. Still good, and my favorite of the yerba mate blends I have tried with Elyse in close second.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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85

Notes on this blend……Ratio of 3 parts Vanilla Black from Harney & Son’s to 1 part Roasted Yerba Mate from Upton Tea Imports. So long JavaVana Mate, you have been replaced!

It lacks the cappucino flavor that JavaVana Mate has, but it will not be missed. I am so pleased! This tastes similar to coffee, but with vanilla added. Love the boost I get from the yerba mate.

Thank you Teavana for being you. Necessity is the mother of invention in this case…that your prices made me look for an inexpensive alternative and with teas/herbals from the companies I love. Now, I am not limited to one flavor of tea and yerba mate…I have as far as my imagination (and my serious stash of tea) can take me. Also, thank you for showing me that I do like yerba mate…just not on its own.

24 oz teapot, 4 1/2 actual tsp Vanilla Black from Harney & Son’s, 1 1/2 actual tsp Roasted Yerba Mate from Upton Tea Imports, freshly boiled water, 5 minute steep. Sweetened. Yum!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Daddyselephant

This sounds amazingly good.

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100
drank Parsley tea by Custom
158 tasting notes

Enjoying a nice cup of super beneficial parsley tea. Read my description for more info, and try it! :)

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 8 min or more
Anna Vu

Oh wow! Parsley tea? How innovating. I just had a mint tea that had been boiled down but never Parsley.

Ashley Bain

It’s surprisingly enjoyable, and I’m trying to drink at least a cup a day now for the health benefits.
I love mint tea. I bet parsley mint tea would be good. Or parsley mint tarragon tea. I love herbs!

MegWesley

When I think of parsley, I think of Peter Rabbit and how he nibbled on parsley for stomach aches. I bet this would be a good tea for when you eat too much. : )

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85

Tea of the morning…..

Yum. I have missed this. Because I get up so early, and having been sick, I have been drinking a lighter tea in the morning so that I could crash again. But today is Saturday!

I love Saturdays because I get to sleep in. I know I sound like a slug, but the school day starts way too early in this town (bus at 6:30am). I could leave my kids to fend for themselves in the morning, but I don’t think they would eat a good breakfast on their own. I don’t really care if they skimp on other meals….just not breakfast.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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85

Tea of the morning.

I may be having this one more often in the morning. It turns out that my youngest kind of likes it to get his day going. It is funny that he normally drinks a few sips of coffee in the morning and thinks it makes a difference. He thinks this one makes him peppy, which is a good thing since it takes him so long to wake up for his 6:30am bus.

In comparison to Chocolate Rocket…it works and is much more economical. But I am ordering the Rocket today for a treat. I will probably have to share it….. ;)

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
gmathis

Thanks for the reminder … I bought the last ounce of mate our little store had; considering my fatigue level this week, I need to drag it out for morning additives!

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85

My tea of the morning…. Man, I need this. We are in the midst of getting a new roof today. Wow, is it loud! The funny part, so far my 11 yo son is sleeping through it. I find it funny that he is unable to fall asleep until late at night (he is a voracious reader, and gets in trouble for reading too late into the night all the time. I realize it is a funny problem to have!) But, he can sleep through all this racket with no problem.

I am running low on the Florence, and have decided to repurchase it afterall. It is way too good in this blend. I am going to start rating my yerba mate blends, because I don’t really benefit monetarily in any way, and you are free to blend up your own!

Chocolatey with hazelnut overtones. Good solid tea base that complements the flavors, and the chocolatey notes in the yerba mate just add more chocolate to the mix.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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85

My morning tea….. I am just getting home from vacation and need a serious jumpstart. After drinking JavaVana Mate in the mornings for the last week (I bagged it for ease of use), I made a pot of this one my first morning home. Good, but I think I like the blend with Vanilla Black and rosted yerba mate much better, and the JavaVana Mate has a slight edge over this blend in taste but not price. The Rosted Yerba Mate was also good with English Breakfast (not sure I logged that one), and I still need to try it with The Queen, Valentine’s Blend, and Tower of London. Oh, so much tea, so little time. ;)

Time to brew something else!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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85

My tea of the morning…. This is definitely on my list of favorite morning teas. It seems this works best for flavor if I make my standard pot of tea with the additon of a slightly heaping perfect tsp (mine is actually 1 1/2 tsp). I measured it out to be 2.3 grams of Rosted Yerba Mate….I need to break out that scale more often. I think the first time I made this, I was a little light on the Florence.

24 oz. teapot, 4 1/2 actual tsp Florence, 1 1/2 actual tsp Roasted Yerba Mate, freshly boiled water, 5 minutes, lightly sweetened.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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85

Hmmmm. Tastes surprisingly like coffee. I get a little of the hazelnut, and more cocoa than Florence on its own. Good, but I think I like Elyse and Mate better. Not quite as good as JavaVana Mate, but oh so much more affordable! Florence is about $1.88 per ounce, Roasted Yerba Mate is just under $1 per ounce. JavaVana Mate is $3.60 per ounce….. This is one instance where I don’t think the extra money is worth it. Sometimes, it defintiely is worth it! I want to give this a try with Harney Vanilla black…..

24 oz. teapot, 4 actual tsp Florence, 1 1/2 tsp Roasted Yerba Mate, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Sweetened.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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100
drank Green Machine Matcha by Custom
865 tasting notes

Smoothie style. 1 serving Green Machine Matcha + 1 cup frozen peaches as the “ice” and an extra tsp matcha. Not really the thing to drink in a clear glass LOL. The Peach is the main flavor and I actually can’t taste the matcha at all. But that’s ok. It’s smooth, and fruity, and cold, and healthy!

Preparation
Iced

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100
drank Green Machine Matcha by Custom
865 tasting notes

Finished the last half of my 15.2oz bottle. I’m definitely gonna have to get a 64oz bottle!

Preparation
Iced

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100
drank Green Machine Matcha by Custom
865 tasting notes

Most of my friends (especially my friend Kristine that thinks even regular steeped and decanted tea is like drinking grass clippings) already think I’m crazy for drinking matcha, so might as well be flippin’ crazy. ;) I saw this in Starbucks again today and finally had the guts to try it. I figured if there was any weird taste to it, matcha would cover it up. Let me just warn you now that this looks nasty. I mean REALLY nasty. Shockingly enough most of the flavor comes from the juice- not the matcha. The juice is really sweet with apple being the predominant flavor. I also pick up on a hint of pineapple and banana. This is another way I like cold matcha! I wonder how it’d taste hot though…

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100
drank Apple Carrot Sweet Tea by Custom
865 tasting notes

I made this in efforts to cut the sweetness of the juice. It worked, not as well as I was expecting, but it worked. It’s definitely more sweet and more appley than any apple tea I’ve ever had, but it isn’t teeth rottingly sweet like juice and I can taste the black tea base. This is definitely a success. Gonna try a chai tea next time.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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92
drank Irish Lemon by Custom
735 tasting notes

I went for lemony iced tea tonight and mixed a bag of Stash’s Meyer Lemon Herbal Tea with a bag of Twinings Irish Breakfast. The result after sugar and ice was very refreshing. The lemon remained strong against the sharpness of the black tea. It was almost like lemonade.

Preparation
Iced 5 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

I’ve mixed Twinings IB w/ 52teas’ Lemon-AID. It really does blend with lemon wonderfully.

Tabby

@Cofftea Wow, I thought this was a sort of unique concoction. I agree, it takes to lemon beautifully.

Cofftea

Black tea + lemon is anything but unique.

Tabby

::facepalm:: I meant lemon + that specific Irish Breakfast.

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94
drank Raspberry Darjeeling by Custom
735 tasting notes

Decided to blend some tea when making a pitcher’s worth last night. I used five teaspoons of the darjeeling and three teaspoons of the raspberry ceylon. Needless to say, the raspberry is a bit subtle but definitely there, but the general tea’s flavor is darjeeling. Some of the ceylon’s bitterness is there, which I like a lot. I’ll remember this recipe next time I’m making iced tea…

Also, I cheated and used the raspberry’s picture. Didn’t think to snap a picture when I scooped it into the infuser.

Preparation
Iced 5 min, 0 sec
Jillian

It sounds like it would make a good iced tea blend. What companies were the Raspberry Ceylon and the Darjeeling from?

Tabby

@Jillian It’s on the tea’s page. Arbor Teas and the farmer’s market.

Jillian

Cool, thanks Tabby.

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