Octavia Tea

Sipdown (168)…or I should say pour down as the last of this got dumped.

Turns out that vegetal base I praised this for not having was just hiding in the cold brew. All the fruity deliciousness of the hot cup was buried under mounds of grass. I think this may be a result of the leaf used for the cold brew was all the crushed bits left in the pack as opposed to the long leaf used for my hot cup. Whatever it may be, the end result was rather unpleasant. Life’s too short for bad tea so this got poured down the drain.

I got this in an Amoda box and I’m not a lover of greens so I wasn’t quick to jump on this but the base is completely undetectable. Seriously. I am only getting a cup of tropical fruits. Fresh and delicious. It’s like drinking juice. Papaya is the strongest element but pineapple is also lurking in the mix, as is mango.

another from variaTEA and one i was looking forward too, as i do enjoy a good apricot. I’ve fallen out of love with peach but apricot is still a good time for me. Sadly, this one really didn’t have much in the way of flavour for me. it was largely just a toasty oolong with hints of a fruit like taste. No apricot here for me :( drinkable, but not what i wanted or hoped for.

I had a few sips of this with breakfast this morning. What little I tasted, I didn’t really like. It was watered down and the flavor itself was not good to me. The flavor is tart but I could not pick up on any specific fruit flavors.

I wasn’t sure I would like this tea since I haven’t been a huge fan of oolong in the past, but I was really excited to open the pouch and smell the sweetest fragrance of juicy apricot. The leaves are thick and long and dark. After steeping, the leaves smell a little roasted but mostly fruity. The liquid is sweet on its own, but I did add just the smallest amount of honey to it to add to the natural sweetness. I love this!

I just got back to work after a week-long vacation without any good tea and this is just what I wanted. We were in south Florida for a few days and it was so HOT. It was nice to come home to unseasonably cool temperatures. I’m sure it won’t last, but I hope we have just a few more days of it. It really makes me excited for the fall and everything that comes with it.

Sipdown! And backlog from two Wednesdays ago.

Thanks to Roswell Strange for giving me the last of her samples of a couple of these Octavia tea! They really are quite cute little sample packs, and a perfect size, it looks like. I didn’t take a ton of notes while drinking it, but I did note that it seemed to be a pretty good lychee black; a malty base with no astringency, and an authentic juicy lychee flavour (somewhat floral, but not overly so). Good for a lychee black, but lychees generally are a bit too floral for me, so not a personal favourite.

I bought this tea with hopes of golden amber in cup. The taste of this tea is very dark and the ‘chocolate’ notes overthrow the apricot and amber taste. It may be a very rich tea, but it’s not as smooth as I would desire.

My tea twin Roswell Strange is really trying to get me into pu’erh I noticed. She is trying sneaky ways to entice me, like sending me this adorable heart (which my mom thought was hash so…). I couldn’t resist this so I brewed it up and it’s actually not that bad. It’s not going to be my new love or anything but it’s not as dirty as pu’erh usually is for me. It is more mushroomy but that’s balanced slightly by the florals. It’s nicely balanced and a fun tea but I’m glad it’s just the one cup. Thanks Roswell Strange!!

Apparently I never added this to my cupboard which means I don’t get the satisfaction of taking it out of my cupboard but this is a Sipdown of my sample, courtesy of Roswell Strange. I am getting pineapple for sure but it’s candied pineapple which is not as satisfying as the actual fruit. It’s actually not bad but I doubt I will miss this now that it’s gone.

Thank you Roswell Strange for the share as this is one I would not have picked out for myself and I think I would have missed out. This is really a nice tea. The acai is really pronounced though more than a juicy drink, it is coming off sweeter and more jam-like. The base also adds some sweet honey notes which adds to the jam effect. It really is quite nice. I would consider picking up more of this if placing an order.

We found this tea at a local international market. It smelled so good. Even better brewed, I get a nice floral scent, with some nice notes of sweet vanilla. Having my third cup while watching Star Trek. The base tea is nice, and pairs well with the floral/ vanilla flavour.

Sipdown (118)!

Cold Brewed this sample from the January Amoda box!

It’s funny that I ended up with an Octavia Tea blend in the box because I did a big(ish) Octavia Tea sample order on Black Friday – I ended up with 10+ teas from them that, for the most part, I was the first to review here on Steepster. I easily could have wound up with this one, though in the end I decided against it because of the green base.

To my surprise, I got to try it anyway!

Smell wise, this one reminded me a lot of Tea Desire’s Asia Cocktail blend – both smelled heavily of mango and a jumble of other tropical fruits, passion fruit for this one and lychee for the former.

Taste wise, this came off fairly close to having a single flavour note for me; it was solidly a mango flavoured tea. The mango flavouring was good though – it reminded me a lot of the mango flavour in the Mango Sorbet white offering from this company, and that tea was one that I was pretty impressed with. As someone who isn’t typically a mango fan, I like how this company conveys that flavour! It just works for me; would is work for someone who actually likes the fruit? I don’t know…

It wasn’t totally a flat mango taste though; while I couldn’t taste the grapefruit at all I did pick up on the passion fruit a little bit. It’s not a flavour combination I would have really thought about prior but it works well. The green base was pretty grassy, but smooth and silky. I’m sticking with my initial impression based on the smell; despite a slight difference in flavourings this really reminds me of Tea Desire’s Asia Cocktail blend, though with a better quality base?

I wouldn’t purchase this one again; while I initially also really liked Asia Cocktail I soon grew very tired of it and I fear the same would happen with this blend, and since it’s a green I know I wouldn’t turn to it that often – but it was a good offering from Octavia Tea and Amoda and I’m glad I didn’t miss out on trying it!

Amoda Tea Monthly Box – January 2015

Dry leaf: colorful rose pink and gold flowers. IDK what they do for this blend, but ah, well. It’s smells sweet and tangy. The Chinese sencha-esque leaf lends a light vegetal flavor.

Liquor color: Happy and healthy looking green

Leaves: Dry – thin and flat green leaves. The colors are not quite as vibrant as the photo
Wet – dark green leaves with those little pink and yellow flowers. Had an unpleasant sour smell.

Notes: I love the combination of drinking tropical or summery things whenever it snows! Funny enough, Amoda tea had the same idea. They even mentioned it in my monthly box. The pineapple was fresh and juicy, the body was light and bright. It was quite refreshing. I am sure it would taste great iced! The green base was quite complimentary, the palm tree-like leafy greens quality gave the brew a spinach like freshness. Once I got away from the oddly sour-smelling leaves, I really enjoyed sipping on this while I watched snow fall outside.

I brewed this in my French press and decanted it into my favorite travel tumbler.

Sipdown! Thanks to Roswell Strange for the last of her precious sample of this tea! Also, super pleased that Octavia’s samples are in small resealable pouches.

Anyhow, I found this tea kind of interesting. The initial aroma smelled quite appealing, and reminded me of a 52teas blend I enjoy – Apricot Cheesecake Shou Mei. I think that’s the one… So clearly my brain wasn’t wanting to process a difference between apricot and mango, which was a little odd. Either way, once brewed up, it tastes rather similar too, so I think the base tea must be the same and contributing something in each case, and the flavourings, both being fruity, aren’t different enough for me to distinguish. Regardless, it’s tasty, and in the aftertaste, I get a sort of tanginess that makes me think of sorbet. To be honest, though, it’s probably not mango-y enough for me, but I haven’t really ever had a mango tea that was.

This sample was in my package from Roswell Strange. I was curious as to what the “Grand” part of the title was referring to, as the ingredients list only black tea and bergamot oil. Turns out, they think their Yunnan base tea is “exceptional”. Hmm, not sure I would agree there, the leaves are small and dark. So basically it’s a plain Earl Grey, got it. The bergamot smells pretty strong in the dry leaf, which isn’t a good sign for me as I like my Earl Grey teas milder.

The steeped tea smells like bergamot, but it’s not terribly strong. Ugh, yeah this one is not for me. For some reason it came out a little bit bitter, even though I only steeped for 3 minutes. And the bergamot is very perfumey and floral, and it’s quite strong. I find that I generally don’t enjoy plain Earl Grey teas, it needs something like vanilla, cream, or other citrus/fruit flavors. So I won’t rate this since it’s not my jam. :)

Sipdown (122)!

After getting home yesterday afternoon from my file maintenance shift I made myself lunch and then fell asleep, finally. I had gotten maybe two hours of sleep the night before because I just couldn’t make my body fall asleep so early in the day – and then I had to get up at 3AM to get to work on time for 5AM. Yuck.

Consequently, I ended up sleeping last night for a SOLID 13 hours. So; definitely rested now, that’s for sure. Sadly sleeping so much yesterday means I never got to tell you guys the word of the day! So I can do that now, I suppose. Yesterday’s word was Symbiosis; the living together in close association of two different organisms especially when mutually beneficial. I suppose you could say Tre and I have a symbiotic relationship of sorts.

Today’s word is another new one for me (though yesterday’s wasn’t new): Dross; the waste slag or scum that forms on the surface of molten metal ; waste or foreign matter : impurity ; something that is base, trivial or inferior. This one might be harder to use in a sentence; but the challenge to do so still stands!

But lets get back to the tea itself…

This is my last Octavia Tea blend to try (but not my last to sipdown); and I think I really only saved this one for last because it was so adorable and I liked looking at it when I opened up my sample drawer. Seriously, the little teeny tiny formed mini cakes are flippin’ precious!

I used one of the cakes for my mug of this; if I’m remembering correctly the recommended amount was one cake for 8 oz. but I used one for 12 oz. and after having doing so I can say that two would definitely have been too much tea for the water amount. And sadly, once my cutie pie little tea cake hit the water, it quickly started to come apart. Boo. I mean, I expected it to but it still would have been hella adorable if it hadn’t.

Taste wise this was surprisingly smooth with some very nice, well rounded sweet earth or, rather, loam notes to it. I drank it early in the morning on my way to work, and it just felt very appropriate to be having it as a “breakfast blend” of sorts; the way it was very bold and robust flavour wise to kind of slap me awake, but with a softness to it that kind of apologized for doing so. As for the rose, it wasn’t as present as I expected it to be but it was faintly there contributing a caress of floral flavour that likely added to the overall softness of the blend.

Surprisingly to me, I think this is a blend I would buy for myself. Partly for the taste, which was definitely better than I had anticipated and partly for how aesthetically pleasing it is to look at tiny little heart shaped Pu’Erh cakes – but a lot because of the convenience that the formed cakes provides. I can definitely imagine travelling with one or two of these cakes with me – the convenience of taking loose leaf tea on a trip, but without sacrificing the flavor or quality.

Sipdown (128)!

- Timolino with milk
- Bonus sample in my Octavia Tea order
- Very strong bergamot flavouring; ALMOST a bit too strong for my tastes
- Also got a lot of lavender in the dry smell of it
- But not quite so much in the taste (still present though)
- Milk made for a thick mouthfeel and extra richness
- Hardly masked the bergamot at all though
- good overall, maybe better for bergamot lovers but not exceptional

So, I had this one on Christmas and, like they did last year, my Aunt and Uncle (the ONLY family I have in the city) had me over for Christmas supper again this year. I’m honestly getting the impression that my family thinks I’m depressed or something. Every Christmas card I’ve got from them this year has said something along the lines of “We know it’s lonely up there but stay positive” or “Remember to be happy”. What makes them think I’m not?

Seriously; I’m FAR from depressed right now. Tired and overworked, yes – but not even close to depressed. I have a very full life right now between both jobs, and have made an awesome best friend (Bobbi) and still hang out with my best friend from before I moved (Robyn), a pretty good roommate (despite what I sometimes write), and am now working with some awesome coworkers who really brighten my day too. Plus you Steepster people. So seriously, just because I’m “not in school” and work at a grocery store and don’t see you constantly does not mean I’m “not ok”.

Ugh.

Don’t interpret that to mean I’m not grateful to be asked to go to my Aunt’s for Christmas though. Just because we aren’t close doesn’t mean I don’t like her or recognize the hospitality there and free food is always welcome.

Sipdown (116)!

My last Octavia Tea blend! I had a really fun time exploring their company’s blends, and I think a found a couple winners so maybe an order’ll be in my future. I know I was talking this morning about getting more of the Dark Rose Hearts in Steepster chat, and I find myself craving the Mango Sorbet; so who knows!

- Slightly more leaf this time to prevent winding up with an under leafed third cup
- Also paid much more attention taste wise
- There’s totally a yeasty/malty quality still, but also a sweet fruitiness
- Can’t quite put my finger on what fruit but I suppose in that regard it IS brandy like
- I actually really like this one, and find it to be quite smooth
- Would totally drink it again, maybe would purchase another sample size amount

First reviewer for this one and my review is gonna SUCK because I totally didn’t pay attention when I had this one.

Holding off on rating, for obvious reasons.

Sipdown (130)!

I’m pretty sure this was my last white blend from Octavia Tea; and I cold brewed it because it seemed like the kind of sweet but “lighter” fruit blend that works well as a cold brew or iced tea. Ideally, I was kind of looking for something that’d work during summer or spring to sip on the walk to work, or in the backyard.

- Base was more present in this one than any other white from Octavia Tea
- Hay and grass notes with some honeysuckle
- Something about the flavourings was a bit muddled
- More pear than melon, but I guess both were present
- Good overall, but not shockingly impressive?
- The fruit just wasn’t as strong as I expected

So this wasn’t a huge “miss” but not what I was looking for/expecting, either. So overall out of just the white blends I tried, I think I’d most likely to order the Mango Sorbet or Acai Berry (I REALLY liked the Acai Berry) and, surprisingly, I kind of find myself thinking back fondly to the Ginger Peach as well so maybe a small portion of that as well.

Sipdown (111)!

Almost done with my Octavia Tea samples! This one I did up as a cold brew. I think I’d have been fine with a hot cup too, but cold brew was just a more convenient route.

Taste wise, I didn’t get ANY of the base for this one: the orange flavouring in it was just too strong to let any base show through. Taste wise, it was certainly a robust/powerful orange flavour but I’m entirely sure if I could name is “Blood Orange” specifically with any confidence. It certainly didn’t read as chemical/disinfectant-y to me, and I didn’t solely taste peel or rind, which is a big “no” for me, but I think it could have used a little sweetner because that aspect of the orange flavour was lacking for me. There was no juice or “sparkle” for me. It was just kind of… flat.

So overall: not a bad tasting tea, but very very monotone as far as the flavour goes. If I had more, I’d definitely be down for experimenting with it to try and get more out of this one (hot cups, tea soda…) but alas I do not, and it’s not really worth the effort to get more on a hunch I could make this one better.