Yokotea

Another from StarFevre! Thanks very much! The pieces of the blend are chopped up extremely small. And the scent from the leaf smells like rose potpourri. Usually rose in a blend does not usually have that distinct potpourri note, but this one sure does, which definitely translates to the flavor. Potpourri! The second steep tastes more like tamarind or lychee… maybe more of the jasmine. The green tea is astringent though. I wish there was more of a balance of jasmine. Not a bad blend, if you can tolerate the… potpourri!
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 33 minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // 29 minutes after boiling // 2 min

Another from StarFevre!  Thanks again!  Sadly no tasting notes on Steepster for this one.  It’s pleasant enough for being so old.  The black tea is on the tiny side – probably Ceylon, but it has the flavor and dryness of something like Darjeeling mixed with Ceylon, and Darjeeling sounds dreamy enough paired with raspberry.  There is still some remaining flavor here, raspberry but on the side of tasting slightly like hibiscus.  The second steep is a bit too brisk, but the flavor isn’t faded from the first steep which is what I expected.  I bet it was really great when it was fresh.  As it is now, I really just want to drink it right down.  If I had to compare it to a tea, I’d say Bird & Blend’s Mrs. Claus’ Raspberry Prosecco.  I don’t think this tea shop is around anymore.  I don’t think I’d ever heard of  this shop before StarFevre generously sent over a couple of their blends. I don’t think much of Steepster heard of them either.  A shame.    I hope everyone is staying safe!  Just because it’s summer, doesn’t mean Covid went away (which I’m sure none of you lovely Steepster people need to hear it from me…but I must throw it out there anyway. Trump is going to make so many people sick for the simple fact he has never worn a freakin face mask… why why why ((vanity)) )
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoons for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 3 minutes after boiling //  3 minute steep

When a currently-Category-4 hurricane is aimed almost directly at you, when you’re hunkering down and riding it out, and when you have two days to kill before the storm proper arrives? Drink tea. (Hopefully, of course, it won’t be a Category 4 when it gets here; if I thought that was likely I doubt I’d be sitting here writing Steepster reviews…)

Pre-hurricane time is a good time for something soothing and unfussy, so I thought I’d crack open my pouch of Yokotea Bliss. The dry blend looks interesting, like the cast-off outer husks of something a squirrel would eat, not that I mean that in a negative way. The blend is just … browner than I expected; I was thinking mint chocolate, with an emphasis on mint, not cacao shells with a scattering of chopped up mint leaves.

Dry, the tisane smells like a Peppermint Patty, a cool sear of mint on a backdrop of chocolate. About a teaspoon of tisane went into 8 ounces of water just off the boil, at a steep time of somewhere between 2-3 minutes (making tea during hurricane prep doesn’t always encourage precision). The fragrance is dairy-reminiscent, like hot chocolate with a hint of translucent mint on top.

The taste? Certainly not bad, but not mind-blowing. The taste gives an impression of sweetness without actually being sweet, like cool water on a hot day, and the cacao comes off like somewhat dusty milk chocolate, without much depth or staying power, the taste dissipating almost instantly after a swallow into a vague, if not unpleasant, mint that also fades quickly.

The brew seems a little weak, so maybe next time I’ll try a longer steep time, never mind the instructions on the package, or maybe it’s that this tea has been sitting in the package too long for its liking; hard to tell. Still, not a bad pre-hurricane brew. It tastes decent, and won’t put me to sleep, but it also won’t keep me awake, and right now, that’s all I wanted.

I think I"m the only person on Steepster who has even tried this company and I’m terribly sorry to say, that it is probably for a good reason. I babied this tea and it still turned out very very not good. Astringent and bitter and not fruity at all.

So I’m a tea novice and I’ve been trying to cultivate/acquire a taste for black tea. I mean, why not? Then I’d have some more stuff to enjoy in my life. Lots of other things are acquired tastes: coffee, beer, red wine, Indian food. Brushing your teeth.

It’s taken a while, but I think I’m getting there. First there was an Oolong. And now this. (Much thanks to Starfevre for the sample.)

I didn’t expect much from this tea. (After all, it’s a black tea, eh?) When I opened the package, it smelled just like black tea, maybe a titch more interesting. As I prepared it, I was thinking, “Well, if it’s just a black tea and I don’t like it maybe I can cheat and add some chocolate syrup”. ;-)

The taste is really… great! And interesting!
I was so surprised. I’m not sure I have the language to describe the flavour. I looked at notes on other Assam Banasplaty teas — and saw words like “malty” and “smooth” and “slight metallic aftertaste” — and those fit for me. But it has more complexity and interest than that.

I made a big 16 oz mug (using 2 measured tsps of tea leaves), and it was gone in no time. I was careful to steep it for exactly 3 minutes. And I did add sugar and milk — I couldn’t appreciate a black tea without those, as I don’t like the bitter taste.

I wonder, is this one of those teas that could improve with multiple steepings?

And how does one do that? Do you have to do the 2nd steeping soon, while the leaves are still wet? Or do you spread out the leaves to dry, and re-steep later?

Not very lemony, contrary to its name, and the herbal flavors didn’t appeal to me. Kind of a ‘woolly’ taste, predominantly chamomile.
For me, this tea was blah.

Edit: I just added the listing for this tea, and so far, there’s only one rating — mine — and I gave it 41, and yet the “Steepster score” is 71. I wonder why? Shouldn’t the overall score be an average of the ratings given by people (like me) using this site? A puzzlement.

This tastes like a pleasant, but not especially special, Earl Grey. The tea base seems fairly weak, though I can taste the bergamot oil clearly. Perhaps more flavour will turn out as it cools.

Tasting the black tea more clearly as it cools, it’s lightly astringent and a tiny bit bitter. It tastes slightly wooden to me, but then I have a weird tongue. The bergamot oil is still the primary flavour, as it probably should be for an earl grey.

Found more of this. I’m not sure I can properly make an unbiased tea note toward this tea because I’m resentful that I found more of it. I didn’t really measure properly when making it, just made the whole thing into one pot so this one had BETTER be a sip down. The hibiscus is a bit strong. Coconut is okay and not soapy, pineapple is present, otherwise I am very much not impressed. Yokotea has been a continual disappointment for me in terms of blends.

Hopefully the last of this. It wasn’t really enough left for my normal mug so I mis-judged the amount of water slightly. Not awful, but glad to be rid of it and I hope I don’t have more of it hiding at home.

This tea steeps to a very light red colour. It smells delightfully of pineapple and hibiscus primarily.

The sourness of the hibiscus comes through strongly on the taste, but also there is a feeling of the tropics in the aftertaste when the flavours of pineapple and coconut come through.