Market Spice

Made this with the intent of three warm sips, then ice it down at work…and suddenly I find there is very little left to ice. (Ever do that? Just look down and your cup is mysteriously empty?) Unsweetened, it has a little bit of a bitter edge to the sip—not sure if that’s sloppy steeping or if it’s a natural trait of huckleberries. You sweet people might like a bit of sugar or syrup in this, but otherwise, it’s a natural for summer sipping. Chilled, if you can let it alone that long.

As SUMMER has hit with a vengeance—110% humidity and absolutely soupy outside—I couldn’t resist this at the new little gourmet store. Huckleberry. Doesn’t it just sound like a picnic? Made a trial mini-batch of sun tea in a pint jar. I don’t know what makes a berry taste like “huckle,” so I can’t assess the accuracy of the flavor, but it is fruity without being cloying. Maybe like a cousin of a ripe blueberry.

A wonderfully flavorful tea without being too sweet. Great hot or iced. One of my favorites!

Grabbed this when I was at Pike Place Market maybe sometime last summer (?) when I ran into Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes in the elevator of my hotel room. Fun!

This seems like a straight black blend from the description, although I’ve yet to hear of a varietal called Lychee (like Ceylon or Assam). The staffer told me this was her favorite tea (I always buy a small sample that the person serving me suggests when traveling), so $0.81 and about, um, 12 cups worth and a year later, Í’m trying it.

Actually had it yesterday.. going on memory.. was surprisingly sweet on it’s own, full bodied like an English Breakfast, and quite lovely. Very different than most straight blacks I’ve had, with zero maltiness, just a sweetness that I can’t quite place.

Grabbed this while at Pike Place Market in Seattle (Market Spice, I love you). Thought I’d tried this already… perhaps not. It’s a smooth chai, not as “bold” or strong as the description stated, but still a lovely chai. Some orange in there, a good kick of what I think is nutmeg, maybe cloves?

Grabbed two ounces when I found this at a local gourmet store (reasonably priced!) because it reminded me of a peach rooibos a friend brought me from a Gatlinburg, TN tea shop. It leads with peach all the way, which is fine with me; sweet with no sugar needed. Makes an excellent sun tea/cold steep.

Grabbed this in Seattle, gosh, a year ago? Still love that it’s one of the few places I’ve visited the world over where I van buy tea in as small or as large quantities as I’d like. So in this cae, it wwas $0.59 worth, which ended up being about, uh, 4 tablespoons.

I’ve had this a few times, and it depends on the day how much I like it. Yesterday, I got peach without question but no ginger. Today I’m getting a ginger aftertaste, with a slight peachy flavor, mostly (decent quality) black tea.

New little gourmet store in town has a fair selection of bulk teas from Market Spice, priced comfortably enough to allow for a little experimentation. One sniff of the bulk jar ensnared me.

Steeped up lightweight and creamy, but heavier on the almond than on the cherry; the cherry is sweet/syrupy rather than fresh off the tree. The search for the most perfectly accurate cherry tea continues.

On the flipside, this is pleasant, will likely chill well, and would be a good choice for you to offer at your next feather boa-and-red-hat-tea-party.

This tea is very good and I’m sad to see the last of it go. It smells strongly of vanilla nd tich fruit. The sip leads with astringency, then rich rum-like taste and heavy and sweet fruits. As it cools it becomes more mild.

How… strange that there’s no review of mine for this tea. I grabbed a sample package of it, hm, last summer? Dunno, while in Seattle at Market Spice – a true haven for tea and spice lovers. Have had probably three large cups out of this $1 USD sample, and it was so incredibly worth it. Creamy, orange-y (although Canadian stevia is totally ruining it for me – in Europe, stevia doesn’t seem to have that weird after taste it does here. Anyway…) I could see this being absolutely fabulous iced, if I ever get around to sipping down some of my obscene amount of tea.

1.5 tsp in 12 oz water, steeped 2.5 minutes in 185 degree water

It can be a bit ambiguous with the dominant lychee scent, but you can definitely taste rose more prominently than the other. Lychee is there, faint, but still there.

’Here’s Hoping’ Teabox Round #4 – Tea #19

An interesting decaf choice – it’s supposedly caramel though I don’t see any of those caramel cubes. There are rose petals and apparently a little mint. The mint seems to only be noticeable at the top of the cup with mild rose flavors. There is an odd sweetness, not sure how that happens… apparently the “flavoring”. Both steeps were sweet but on the second steep, the rose and mint somehow disappeared completely.
Steep #1 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min

This is my wife’s favorite tea, and I find it very tasty as well. I like tea sweet – even though others think it’s a little too sweet, I still add a touch of honey when I make it. The tea is robust, but not overpowering, and is good for several steeps with a lot of flavor. If you like cinnamon and orange, you owe it to yourself to try this.

Smell, Dry: Sweet, reminds me of brown sugar and maple nut candies, with a hint of rum.
Smell, Wet: Much stronger maple and molasses smell that finishes with brown sugar and then black tea astringency

Tastes: very sweet, almost like a slice of fruitcake or gingerbread with a sugar glaze. As it cools, I get rich fruit notes such as plums and dates. The sip finishes with lightness and even slight cooling taste that keeps it from getting too heavy.

This is a very resilient tea that can stand up to long steep times. I wish it wasn’t pre-sweetened as it can get a little heavy and rich if not drinking as a dessert tea.

HGTTB caramel? Yes. Apple? not really. I did brew this at the lower temp suggested on the bag and i’m glad I did as i’m fearful that at boiling this would be overly bitter and undrinkable. At 180 it’s pleasant enough but just not really very caramelly or appley. It’s a decent cup though and as always i love trying new teas :)

SIPDOWN! Still one of my favorite teas, sad to see this one leave my collection…

I just love the name of this blend; it paints a beautiful picture in my mind. The actual tea itself is none too beautiful, ahahah. It reminds me of when my vacuum becomes full, and I need to dump out the dust bunnies. I share that not to discourage anyone, but its the truth. The aroma is a strong and sharp mint. I can hint a slight floral undertone. The flavor is consistent with its scent. It begins with a sharp mint freshness and then simmers down with a vanilla and floral flavor. The flavor then continues with a sweet essence. I can hint at various herbs and spices. This a very unique blend and I love how it sticks out rather then fits in with the rest. I am not one for minty teas though.

A novelty tea from Pike Place Market in Seattle. Hints of peach that exude a light fragrance upon sipping. Big downside is that the tea leaves are too minuscule. They slip through the filter and float to the top, impeding the drinking experience. Consumption created a sensation similar to chamomile, albeit fruitier. Also seems a bit blacker than the herbal teas.