Simple Loose Leaf

I oversteeped this so it’s my fault it’s so bitter. Otherwise, a very nice tea. Smooth vanilla flavor and a thick base. Pretty tasty!

You know how cats keep on licking their chops long after eating? I had a mental image of myself doing that after every sip of this tea. This is how I expected David’s Tea Coconut Grove would taste but just….didn’t.

Don’t ask me if this is an everyday tea…I am not an everyday tea drinker, as I prefer to mostly have my tea as a treat. And even if I were to drink tea everyday….ugh not the same tea, there would have to be variety.

But anyways, I do think I like this enough to want to have it as a staple in my cupboard, though cautioning myself to wait till I’ve tried the rest of it and to possibly get the hf ounce on the website before I go overboard and buy a whole 3 ounces. (Odd size options on the site though.) Somewhat tempted to add some lime juice to this just to see how it would taste. Maybe near the end of the cup, eh? LOL. Oh and alittle bit of salt ;)

Updated: just added some lime juice and salt to this tea…I like! lol. But just a pinch of both mind you.

Sadly, a sipdown. I like this more with each sip so it’s going on my favorites list. It’s sweet, floral, and also somehow has some richer, darker flavors too. The bergamot in this is just about perfect for my tastes, too, and there’s no bitterness or astringency to the cup at all. I’m sad to see it go! Next time I do a tea order it’ll be on my list.

ETA: Note to self—this does get astringent as it cools. I like it much better hot.

I’ve built up a sort of fear of Assams, because I’m not a big fan of malt flavors in my tea and they go bitter easily. In fact, I’ve never had an Assam/mix including Assam that didn’t go bitter on me, which tends to completely put me off the tea in question. This, surprisingly, smells good to me. The bergamot mixes well with the scent of the tea itself.

The taste of this is completely different from what I expected. It’s full-bodied but doesn’t taste like it’s too much. The bergamot is equally fruity and flowery, and that somehow manages to taste good against the malty background of the base. I think this is the first Assam I would go out of my way to drink again. Yum!

I’m having a rough day. Yesterday was also a rough day. I have a kink that runs from the base of my skull on the left, through various points in my neck, shoulder blade, rotator, elbow, wrist, & down into the hand. Over the years I’ve sustained several injuries to my left side, & I’m here to tell the young people in the room, be good to your body, because as you grow older (I’m 55), every injury you’ve ever had will come back to haunt you…again & again. So…whether it’s the junk food I ate over the weekend (chronic inflammation flareup = the cause of most autoimmune diseases, including arthritis, tendonitis, diabetes, heart disease, etc), the weather changes, the fact that I just started Taichi again after a fairly long hiatus (you get that energy moving along those meridians & it hits blockages, which results in pain, at least at first), or a combo of all of the above, I’m kind of bitchy right now, & my only friends today have been an ice pack alternating with a hot rice sock, & another sock with 2 tennis balls in it. I hate pain. I suffered a week ago from accidentally eating something with nitrates in it, & I used to be in pain all the time. So after months of living pain free, due to changes in my diet, I’m not very happy today.

As my dear Tea Fairie said, “We can still enjoy tea” (or something like that).
So I’m doing some flavored teas now…this one is from Awkward Soul, sent for Sil & I to share. It has coffee in it, I saw the granules in the mix. It also has chocolate. I don’t drink coffee, but I also don’t hate coffee, so I’m actually enjoying this cup a little. I added stevia & vanilla almond milk, because I was feeling whiny & nostalgic, & without the sweetening, the tea sucked. The rest goes to Sil, so I get to claim a sipdown. I was at 327, but I just added 6 teas that came in the mail today, so now I’m at 331.
I’ll quit bitching now.

Backlog:

This is one of the “free samples” that Simple Loose Leaf sent me to compensate for the fact that I didn’t flip for the cocoa cream tea. I was really happy with their efforts to make that situation right, even though the fault was all mine. I like it when a company treats their customers right!

This is a really good blend. It would make a really good, hefty sort of breakfast blend – it’s got some gusto to it. Rich and full-flavored, with notes of smoke, malt and spice.

A really good tea.

Backlog:

I love Simple Loose Leaf. Here’s why:

Quite simply, their customer service rocks.

My December subscription shipment was of their Cocoa Cream tea. As I mentioned in my tasting note of that tea, it’s very coffee-ish. http://steepster.com/teas/simple-loose-leaf/42294-cocoa-creme-black

Anyway … it was my fault that I didn’t read the description thoroughly before I added it to my subscription. I should have done that. But I didn’t. I saw “cocoa cream” and I thought CHOCOLATE! And as I am a chocoholic, when I think CHOCOLATE … I usually put whatever it was that made me think of this magical substance into my cart. This happens in the grocery store. I’ve learned to avoid the cereal aisle because of this, because there are some rather unhealthy, overly sugared cereals there that make me scream “chocolate” and as I said before, when I do this, the chocolate thing goes into the cart. I also avoid the candy aisle and do my best to avoid the bakery.

So, I added the cocoa cream to my cart, and it ended up being more coffee than chocolate or cream. This was rather disappointing for me, so when I wrote of my disappointment on the SororiTea Sisters blog (if you haven’t checked out our blog yet, please do: http://sororiteasisters.com ) Simple Loose Leaf contacted me immediately and went above and beyond to correct the problem.

They sent me several additional samples with my January tea – which was this tea. And this tea … was not a disappointment. It delivered exactly what I expected: White tea, coconut and vanilla. And it was yummmmmm!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/01/03/madagascar-coconut-white-tea-blend-from-simple-loose-leaf/

My last sample from the Caffeine-Free/Decaf Traveling Tea Box. Had this one with breakfast this morning, and I’ve decided I just really don’t care for black tea at all! Tried it plain, then added a splash of Half & Half, but it’s just not for me.

Backlog.
Another sample from the Caffeine-Free/Decaf Traveling Tea Box. This was my very first Earl Grey, and probably my last! The bergamot just reminds me too much of the smell of natural cleaning products… I couldn’t get past it. Also I’m realizing I just don’t care for black tea at all.

I have enjoyed all the teas I have had from Simple Loose Leaf. They even made me respect chai – not an easy feat. I love the bags they use with the vent to help remove air from the bag. That said, I am not sure what I think of this tea. I picked it because I have never had a cherry tea before. I used to think strawberry and tea sounded awful together until I had one, now I think it is a great idea. Cherry though, I mean what is cherry supposed to taste like? Cherry pie? I wish, but no. Maraschino cherries? Thankfully no. I hate them. Cherry Kool-aid or cherry pop tarts? It is quite sweet. Hmmm. Yes, I think that flavor neighborhood describes this. Is that good or bad? I have no idea. As the cup cools I can taste the hyson. It is nice enough. Reserving judgment for now.

Yum, this white blend is very tasty – a blend that is a must try if you like floral fruity teas!

Plum Blossom White is refreshing, full flavored with purple plum and delicate floral notes. The plum here is very nice, one of the better plum blends I’ve had. It is a little artificial, but not as artificial as other plum blends. The floral here isn’t outright jasmine as the plum blends perfectly, making it a flowery plum. The aftertaste of this tea lingers for awhile too after each sip!

Plum Blossom White also makes for an excellent cold steep. I did a 24 hour steeping (longer than intended) and the floral came out more, with a nice stone fruit sweet edge to it.

Full review of this tea on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/plum-blossom-white-tea-simple-loose-leaf-oolong-owl-tea-review/

Backlog:

I ordered this tea because it says “cocoa cream” … what does that communicate to you? To me, it means CHOCOLATE and cream. It doesn’t speak of coffee to me. But when I opened the pouch, I smelled coffee. Ack!

I was pretty disappointed with this tea.

BUT … I am very happy with how Simple Loose Leaf handled the situation! They got in touch with me immediately and offered me my choice: a replacement tea, or several samples to replace it. As I am more of a tea taster than I am a dedicated drinker to one type of tea, I chose the samples. They sent me three different samples to try in place of this tea. And I’m very happy with that.

They really didn’t need to do that, because my disappointment with this tea was not Simple Loose Leaf’s fault. It was mine for not reading the description thoroughly. Had I read the description, I would have seen that it is a tea that has coffee in it. I wouldn’t have ordered it if I had read the description … but i didn’t, and that’s my fault.

So, I am extraordinarily pleased with this company’s customer service! Therefore, I’m not going to rate this tea.

Sipdown # 77. This one comes from Awkward Soul, & the rest of it will be headed towards Sil, probably in the next week. It’s tasty, kind of like a gingerbread cookie, dipped in chocolate, & then enjoyed with a stout cup of Assam. I can get behind that! Though it tends towards bitterness as it cools.

This is one of the teas the Sil & I got in a box from Awkward Soul, thank you! It’s been hours since I drank it, & all I can really say is that I enjoyed it. I underleafed a bit, but that’s ok, cuz there’s enough for me to try again, & then I’ll forward the rest of the sample on to my Steep Sister.

Backlog:

A really good version of Earl Grey utilizing an Assam base rather than the standard go-to Ceylon base. I like it when I find an Earl Grey where something other than Ceylon has been used. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Ceylon … but, I like to see how the bergamot mingles with other types of tea’s characteristics.

For example, I like how the malty notes of the Assam interact with the bergamot, and because I found this to be more of a wine-y Assam than a malty one … the black currant notes made for an interesting combination with the citrus notes.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/11/05/earl-grey-assam-black-tea-simple-loose-leaf/

Although there were some aspects of Infusion No. 9 that I enjoyed and plan to seek out in other blends, I didn’t fall in love with it. The roasted Yerba Maté had a dark, almost bitter note that reminded me of a good quality coffee and I thought it paired very well with the subtle sweetness from the cacao nibs. I believe I would have loved this tea if were only a Yerba Maté and cacao nib blend. Unfortunately the flavor from the lavender ended up being somewhat unpredictable, despite having shaken my bag of tea in order to evenly distribute the contents. In some cups it provided little flavor at all, leaving me with the deep flavors of Yerba Maté and chocolate that I found enjoyable. Other cups had a strong soap-like flavor that was rather unappealing. As the tea cooled these soap-like notes only grew stronger, obscuring the subtle flavors of the rose. Despite my earlier concerns about the strength of the rose flavor, this blend doesn’t contain a rose flavoring agent like African Rose Herbal did and instead relies on dried rose buds and petals to produce a much more subtle and natural flavor that is well suited to the Yerba Maté base.

Visit my blog for the rest of this review:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/2/4/tuesday-tea-infusion-no-9-herbal-simple-loose-leaf.html

If you’re considering an order with Simple Loose Leaf use coupon code NSYSELECTION25 to receive 25% off.

I would like to Thank Andrew at Simple Loose Leaf who provided me with a $50 credit to use towards their subscription service. This was the fifth tea that I was sent in my six month plan.

I found the combination of Darjeeling, Assam, Keemun, and Yunnan Black teas to be nearly perfect. Each tea contributed some of it’s best parts for a delicately balanced breakfast blend. The 2nd Flush Darjeeling lent a bit of astringency and hints of fruit (perhaps the illusive muscatel notes people often refer to when describing Darjeeling?) The Assam contributed a rich, almost chocolatey flavor, giving the tea a nice smooth taste. There were hints of sharp, crisp smoke from the Keemun and from the Yunnan a bold, malty flavor. This tea ended up being one that was complex and full of contrasts, bold yet smooth, rich up front with a mellow aftertaste. It has everything I was looking for in a breakfast blend.

I had fully intended to try this out as an iced tea because I think it would be wonderful, but I think you’ll understand why I didn’t do that this week. Who wants to drink iced tea when it is -15°F outside? Not me, that’s for sure.

You can read the rest of the review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/1/7/tuesday-tea-four-horsemen-black-simple-loose-leaf.html

If you’re considering an order with Simple Loose Leaf use coupon code NSYSELECTION25 to receive 25% off.

I had plans to drink all kinds of tea today. I have only had two cups today. I also had plans to eat lunch but here it is 4:00 and all I have had today is a bagel. Funny thing about plans. Strangely – because it never happens – I woke up craving chai. This one has a white tea base. The spices are pleasant and not all Grrr in your face. It is a little peppery, cinnamon and cardamom. Very nice on the extremely rare occasion when I crave chai. I have enjoyed all the Simple Loose Leaf teas I have tried.

My first experience with Shou Mei. The leaf looks like the picture and is interesting to look at and festive in aroma. I am not a particular fan of chai – which strangely is exactly why I chose this one. This is not any of the things I dislike in chai. It is not overwhelmingly spiced. The pepper is held down to a very mild level. Though the list of ingredients is long, they all make sense. (Are you listening Yogi and Stash?) In the taste it is clove and cardamom. Originally I thought ginger and cinnamon, which are also present. I don’t taste lemongrass or vanilla but assume they are filling in the flavors of the cup.

This reminds me of Mystic Chai, which is a powdered chai mix I used to buy at Sam’s Club. I liked it but it was pre-sweetened, which meant three times too sweet for human consumption. This is not sweetened so I get to control how sweet I want it. What a novel idea!

For chai, I like this one.