Teas Etc
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After reading LiberTEAS review I knew this had to be on my next Teas, Etc order. I’m so glad I did. The dry leaves, figs, etc smelled super sweet when I opened the package, so I was a little worried it would be too sweet. I was so wrong! The mix was just right! I am enjoying a dark, rich flavored oolong. The fig is there loud and clear, the cornflower and poppy add a nice sweetness so no additional sweetener was needed which was nice too. i usually prefer my oolongs straight, but this is a nice change from the usual.
Preparation
I ordered a sample of this along with my recent order, mainly out of curiosity, because I was looking for pear flavored teas as part of a swap gift that I had sent out, and I was contemplating ordering this tea for my swap partner. I am glad that I decided not to order this one for her, because while it is a very delicious tea, it possesses a strong anise flavor (I love it, but, it is not for everyone) and I don’t know if she would have enjoyed it as much as I am.
The description suggests that the pear is the main focus of this cup, but I would have to disagree… I’m getting mostly white tea and anise. I get pear flavor too, but, it is back there a bit, standing behind the strength of the anise. It takes a few sips for the pear to develop, but it is really quite a lovely set of flavors.
It is incredibly light and smooth… and I agree with AmazonV – don’t add anything to this tea, it’s quite lovely as it is, and such a soft, sweet flavor that could easily be overpowered.
Anise is very much not for everyone. I feel like it is one of those things you either love or hate… Sadly I can’t stand it… : (
I absolutely love it, but, I know that there are quite a few out there that do not. But as my grampa would say “it’s good that we don’t all like the same thing. Otherwise we’d all want to be married to the same person.”
I’ve had this tea forever (maybe for over a year) and I just now have gotten around to opening it. Seemed fitting for today. :)
The tea ball unfurls beautifully in my tea glass. Green tea “spokes” cradling two bright marigold blossoms. The flavor is mild, slightly toasty and chlorophyll-like. I think I taste the marigolds too—there’s this sense of dried petals and poutporri-ness in the flavor—almost like incense, in a way.
All in all, this bossoming tea is a lovely novelty and to look at it is uplifting. I can definitely admire the artistry and care in its creation.
But, as for the taste, it’s okay. I’m afraid that it’s not too memorable flavor-wise.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Don’t forget to drink some puerh after the feast! ;)
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 5.8g
Water: 750ml 185°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes 30 seconds
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal
Flavor: vegetal
Body: Light
Aftertaste: floral
Liquor: translucent green-brown
Too light to taste at 3:30, so I tossed the leaves back in for another 1:00.
Too vegetal without anything else for me, but a smooth cup of tea. Have it with some cookies or snacks.
Rating: 3/4 leaves
Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/11/teas-etc-loose-leaf-white-tea-bai-hao.html
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 185°F 500ml
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: sweet, fruity, floral
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, light, jasmine
Flavor: sweet, jasmine
Body: Light
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: translucent yellow-green
delicious, light, refreshing, lovely
Resteep:185°F 500ml 4 min
med body, still delicious!
Resteep:185°F 500ml 4 min
3rd steep is too bitter and astringent
Rating: 3/4 leaves
Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/11/teas-etc-loose-leaf-white-tea-jasmine.html
Preparation
I love this. The first steeping was really earthy, and really light. Second time around, it became very fruity and a bit floral, with a lot more depth. I hope to have a chance for a third steeping before I have to go out for the rest of the day!
It has not been bitter for me either time around…so far. First steeping was 4 minutes, second I kind of lost track but think it was around 5 1/2 minutes. More more more!
I love figs, I love Formosa Oolong, so I knew I had to try this flavor when I noticed it the last time I shopped with Teas Etc, and fortunately they were nice enough to send this as a sample along with my order. I held off on trying it for a bit, not because I didn’t think I would like it, but because I knew I would so I wanted to save it for a day when maybe I had a less than memorable tea (See my tasting note of the Jane Austen Mafia tea), so that I could have a really good tea and make up for it.
And this tea definitely makes up for it. I got only the sample package, but this is definitely one I will be reordering. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a truer fig flavor than with this tea. It is amazing.
This brews to a most unusual color. It is extraordinarily dark, almost black, with a plum-ish/purple/reddish hue to it, and it reminds me of the color of the exterior of the figs that I often find in the grocery store.
This tastes SO MUCH like the figs from my childhood (I lived for a short time on a farm that had a fig orchard). I love this tea. It is so good.
Fig Orchard? Wow… That must have been incredibly beautiful! In Ecuador one of the typical desserts here in Ecuador is candied figs with mozzarella cheese. : )
When I get around to ordering from Teas Etc this will be included!
Steep Information:
Amount: 6.6g
Water: 750ml 185°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: very floral, light
Steeped Tea Smell: floral, vegetal
Flavor: light, sweet, crisp, vegetal
Body: Light
Aftertaste: astringent
Liquor: translucent honey yellow brown
I enjoyed this tea, but it was a bit light for me. When I went to eat a snack with it, the tea was overpowered. This is a tea to drink alone. Alone it is a light, refreshing, drink. Somehow it comes off crisp, not exactly sure how to describe it other than that.
Resteep: 4 minutes – just as good as the first round
Rating: 3/4 leaves
Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/11/teas-etc-loose-leaf-white-tea-white.html
Preparation
Yum! This is so yummy. I think that the best way I can think of to describe this tea is my gramma’s apple pie filling … liquified … and blended with Formosa Oolong. Yep. That’s what I’m tasting.
It is smooth and rich, sweet and juicy, and very, very wonderful.
Steep Information:
Amount: 2.9g / ~3 tsp
Water: 500ml 185°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: floral, vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, floral
Flavor: vegetal, floral
Body: Light
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: translucent yellow-green
I think perhaps it needed 4 minutes.
Resteep: 500ml 185°F 4 minutes
Nope 4 was a bit bitter, maybe 3:30
A nice light cup of tea, but more perfume-y than I like.
Rating: 3/4 leaves
Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/10/teas-etc-loose-leaf-white-tea-bai-mu.html
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 4 tsp
Water: 500ml 185°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: sweet, fruity, hints of spice and flowers
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, fruity, hints of spice and flowers
Flavor: smooth, almost buttery, sweet, hints of fruit and flowers
Body: Light
Aftertaste: light spiced
Liquor: translucent yellow-green
Delicious! I enjoyed it with some nice pizzelle cookies. I would not dare add anything to this tea as it is light, but very aromatic and a very smooth drink.
Rating: 3/4 leaves
Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/10/teas-etc-loose-leaf-white-tea-pear.html
Preparation
This is pretty yummy. The smell of the steeped leaves reminds me more of a milk oolong. I’m also getting a pretty veggie vibe as I inhale the aroma from my cup. It tastes almost buttery if that’s even possible. It goes down very smooth too and I must say I like that. I’ll be sad when this sample is gone. Which at this rate will be in less than an hour. :)
Preparation
So I had this again tonight with one of my close friends after dinner while the men folk (her fiance and my husband) were still enjoying the wine. She loved the aroma of the tea and said it reminded her a little of the mate’s she’s purchased at Teavana, but she likes this because it’s caffeine free (no jitters).
We finished a large pot between us. This time I also noticed the coffee tones this tea leaves on the tongue. The caramel flavoring was a little more prominent in the cup too. Perfect compliment to our dinner and conversation!
Preparation
This is one of a few teas I recently ordered from Teas, Etc. I really wanted something in the house that served as a great dessert tea. In fact I’m bringing it to a friends to enjoy after dinner this evening so I thought I should try it before I brought it by. :)
The dry leaf smells of caramel and something else that I can’t put my finger on. After pouring the water over the leaves to begin the steeping process it smells like I’m in a coffee house waiting for a real deal highly caffeinated caramel macchiato. I love it! I’m also getting a lot and I do mean A LOT more caramel as the tea steeps too. The taste is mighty awesome too. A nice blend of the rooibos/honeybush and caramel. This would probably be amazing with some vanilla ice cream.
Preparation
I am absolutely crazy for Meyer Lemons. Ordinary lemons, I’m just kind of meh about (exception: freshly harvested lemons, preferably from my gramma’s backyard). But Meyer Lemons, I go crazy and buy boxes of them when they’re in season, and then I make Meyer lemon bars. So, when I see Meyer Lemon teas, I BUY! It happened when I was browsing on Stash’s website (even though they were teabags which was the only way their herbal Meyer Lemon blend was available), and now it happened when I was on the Teas Etc. website a couple of weeks ago.
This blend certainly did not disappoint. Teas Etc has managed to capture the delicious flavor of the Meyer Lemon. Sweet, lightly tart, and very yummy.
I’m so in!!!! I love the Meyer Lemons sooo much, and the only Meyer Lemon tea I’ve had is from The Republic of Tea and it tasted like poison and sadness.
Showing my ignorance here … difference between a Meyer Lemon and the sad little artificially-forced-to-ripen ones we get in the Midwest?
I’m with you, gmathis! I had never heard of them until about six months ago, and now I am seeing it everywhere. Still haven’t tried anything that says Meyer Lemon on it, though.
Meyer Lemons are a cross between a lemon and an orange (or maybe a tangerine). It is still “lemony” but it is sweeter and not so pucker-y tart. They are only in season a short time (like November through February or March, I think), and I usually can only find them in markets like Whole Foods… although I am sure that will change as they are becoming more and more popular.
My husband’s grandfather has a huge Meyer lemon tree in his orchard, and I go Meyer Lemon crazy every winter :) Meyer lemon marmalade, salt cured Meyer lemons, Moroccan spiced Meyer lemons, Meyer lemon coffee cake… I can’t wait!!!!
LOVE this! This is an outstanding Earl Grey. A very nice balance between tea and bergamot. And the bergamot itself is nicely balanced too. It has a pleasing fruit/citrus-y taste and not so much of the floral, sometimes perfume-y note. It is incredibly smooth, sweet and very, VERY good.
Another top-notch Earl Grey.
Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me a bit of this tea.
Yummmm! I didn’t see this tea on the Teas Etc. website, I don’t know if they’re still offering it? Anyways… it is delicious. The lime flavor is well-defined, the coconut is softer but the flavor develops as I continue to sip. The overall flavor is smooth and delicious. YUMMY!
I think I’m finally getting back into my tea tasting routine. I’ve missed having a cup multiple times a day. I think I’ll be able to drink more hot tea if I have a fan blowing in my direction! This was the tea I picked for this evening. In the sip, I’m getting vegetables (almost grass), with a bit of that characteristic white tea taste. Overall, it’s quite a light cup. I must admit that I am so disappointed that my cup lacks any of the rich sweet cream or butter it claims to have. The only thing resembling butter is a bit of a salty finish to the sip. It’s smooth, simple and a bit refreshing. I just don’t understand how the description could be so very off — or maybe I did something wrong? Either way, I was a bit disappointed as I was expecting something different.
Preparation
Goodmorning Steepsterites.
Still going on with the warm-ups for sample week, and this poor thing is the choice for today.
Poor? Oh yes, I seem to be thoroughly mistreating it. A little more leaf than I would normally use for a pot, but not enough to split in two. Fine, a stronger cup then. Then the discovery that the saucepan didn’t hold enough water to actually fill the pot, so I’m having to boil more. I hate this way of making tea! Tomorrow the boyfriend is coming home, thankfully, and I have received word that kettle is safely in his possession and that it will fit easily in the suitcase.
In other words, cross your fingers that this doesn’t come out horribly wrong and I haven’t just wasted a sample. And not just any sample, a smoky sample! It almost doesn’t bear thinking about.
However, we are dealing with a Chinese black here, and as we know Chinese blacks will often take an awful lot of abuse before becoming completely undrinkable. Strange that, but it’s part of why I prefer Chinese. They’ll spring back from almost anything.
This one is no exception, and I can’t even taste any traces of the mistreatment it has suffered at my hands. It’s smoky and smooth with no hints of astringency or even beginning bitterness. Nothing. It’s just patiently coping with everything that has been thrown at it and is still coming out on top. The only thing that makes it any sort of rough or prickly is the smoke, and that’s supposed to be there.
There is a sort of tangy flavour to it, though, and not really the fruity sweetness that I’m used to in the regular Lapsang Souchongs. It’s like that note has been replaced by this slightly spicy and tangy note. I think I prefer the fruity sweetness.
I quite like it, although not as much as my regular LSs, but it’s a very nice tea.
I had the misfortune of going to a friends and brought some wonderful oolongs from Naivetea and my Taiwanese Gawian only to discover that they made hot water in an old oxidized pan on the stove…fortunately the tea was fantastic and could overcome the abuse and poor water….makes me appreciate my krups kettle all the more
It’s amazing sometimes what you can really get away with with minimal negative impact on the result. Kinda puts snobbery in perspective, doesn’t it?
But on the other hand I think I’ll continue being a little more snobby than that. There are limits. (And it takes twice as long to make tea without a proper kettle)
I think its less of being snobby and more about caring about what you eat and drink…loving yourself starts by treating yourself to the best of what goes into you…water quality, good tea, quality food should be the standard…strange when to care about yourself that way and people insist your being a snob…or elitist…ah well…
So I am almost, almost done with my rosey teas, or at least the ones that acutally are rosey. I mean, I still have a few that sprinkle a few rose petals into the mix, but nary a rose flavor is to be found. Those don’t count.
Guys, I am almost out of this tea. Like, I think I have less than a cup of leaf left, which probably means it’s getting blended with other things in a cold steep. Sad! I have quite a list of “standard panel” teas that are no longer in my possession, and it will be a while before I can restock; this one will soon be joining their ranks. I love the flavor blend in this, and that it always seems to wake me up even though it’s a black/green blend.
Preparation
Can we have a real winter please? I like the snow, and I’m getting tired of the endless cold rain we’ve been having instead. Oh well, at least I have delicious tea to perk me up since this dreary morning didn’t help at all.
This is a sample I never want to end! It definitely goes on my list of standard panel, must have teas. I’ve written so much about this tea already that I don’t really have anything left to say except that I love this floral Earl Grey and it’s definitely my favorite of it’s type.
Preparation
There was something about that last tea that just made me feel ill… sometimes that can happen with a particular type of black tea (though I don’t know exactly which one). Hopefully it’s not a type that’s common to all DavidsTea black bases! I decided to go with this tea to fill my non-traditional Earl Grey craving and hopefully chase away lingering yuckiness. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had it, but I still totally love it. I have a bit left, but it’s definitely a reorder when I get through that.
Preparation
After my cup of Rosy Earl Grey yesterday, I took the spent leaves and dropped them into my cold steeping cup along with enough new leaf to make up the balance of the 2 tbsp I put in usually. The last time I had Rosy I “cool steeped” the already steeped leaves and got a pretty tasty tea in only an hour. With an overnight steep, the flavors really came out. The jasmine green tea in this really comes to the forefront, but the bergamot will not be left behind; what you end up with is really more of a Jasmine Earl Grey than a rose one, but that’s just fine with me. I was surprised that after a night steeping the liquor wasn’t oranger, like it usually is with black teas. This one looked more like a cold steeped green than anything else. There wasn’t a distinct black tea flavor, but the Earl Grey flavor was definitely there. I really enjoyed this cold steep, and using the spent leaves saved me an extra cup of tea!