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Whoa, I steeped this for three minutes this time around (as opposed to the usual four with this tea) and I can actually taste the phyllo now! Before, I was only getting blueberry jam, which was awesome on its own, but now, the flavours are more 3D. I would seriously rather have a cup of this than an actual blueberry Danish.

Another sip. Yeah, it’s without a doubt a golden crisp phyllo. Frank, that’s amazing.

Just downed the last glass of this. Feels good to get it out of the way! Sorry, but it wasn’t worth the money. It tasted better cold-steeped but even then, I always got an artificial sweetener aftertaste from it.

That was some pretty expensive iced tea.

Cool beans, my parcel finally arrived. Despite staying up until 3am last night, I made sure I got up this morning and retrieved the chocolate madness.

The scent of the dry is pleasantly chocolatey. Not prominent, but not weak either. The best description I can really give it is sweetened cocoa nibs. I was hoping for Fry’s cocoa intense but it’s not quite there.

The first steep was for four minutes. The aroma was a light cocoa. Not rich nor creamy. When it comes to the taste, I’m really enjoying the tea base. It adds a depth to the chocolate. It’s stronger than the chocolate itself, but it’s not bitter at all. Very smooth and soulful.

The second steep was for five minutes. It’s weaker than expected. I added a splash of milk and the dairy totally took over.

I didn’t precisely measure, but basically filled one half of a standard-sized tea ball and brewed a pot. I think I’ll just steep one individual cup next time to see if I could extract more intense flavour out of this. Not the most chocolatey tea I’ve tried, but it’s still very good, though. The tea base alone makes this worthwhile.

Sip down over here. I’m enjoying the last of it iced. Didn’t think it would work that well as an iced tea but it has proved me wrong. It’s like a creamy sweet, mildly chocolatey iced black without any actual cream. Totally get why I’ve gone through 150g of this.

I’ve been drinking this one so much over the past few days that I dreamt about it last night. In my dream, I was in a swanky tea shop where this tea was encased in a beautiful jewelry-style box. The box had elegant golden legs on it and the tea itself was in a bottom drawer, while information on the tea, and maybe even a tea ball, was found underneath the lid. Definitely meant as a gift, and I checked on the bottom of the box and it was $23.95.

The best part was next to it there was another tea: white chocolate, macadamia, and coconut (a black tea, most likely). Frank, could you pretty please make this?

Back to the French Vanilla Assam. Love the maltiness combined with the warm, velvety vanilla. It’s a rich vanilla bean explosion of awesomeness. I’m upping my rating.

So, I thought I would do a side-by-side comparison of this tea and the Ujinotsuyu Genmaicha I reviewed the other day. As a side note, Ujinotsuyu’s Genmaicha is a cheaper Genmaicha you can find in Asian supermarkets. I get it at around $5.50 for a 400g bag. I know it’s not exactly a viable comparison since this contains matcha, but whatever, a Den’s vs grocery store tea death match shall happen.

I steeped both for thirty seconds and in the same type of glass. Right away I noticed the difference in the colours of the liquors. I normally drink my tea in a solid-coloured mug. Through the clear glasses, Ujinotsuyu’s is a clear, muted brownish-yellow colour, while Den’s is more translucent and greener. It kind of reminds me of Gatorade but not as electric.

As expected, Den’s smells grassier. Still toasted, but that matcha boosts the scent of the tea above the roasted rice. Ujinotsuyu’s, on the other hand, is basically mostly toasty with a hint of green tea.

Den’s even tastes grassier upon the first sip or two. The rice is in the background, however, the taste of the matcha and Bancha are not as vegetal as the scent. Yet, the more I sip this, and the more this cools off, the more the roasted rice pops. It slowly catches up to the tea flavours and that slightly vegetal bite fades. This definitely has more flavour than Ujinotsuyu’s, but because the matcha makes the green tea flavours more vivid, whereas Ujinotsuyu’s is more delicate on the overall, but in a way, more well-rounded if you’re specifically looking for that toastiness.

Both teas have their merits. Den’s has a fresher taste due to the pop of matcha and reminds me of spring, while the other tea reminds me of a warm, crackling fire in the winter.

Now this is my ultimate staple in my household. I’m on my second 400g bag and will keep on going. I originally fell in love with Genmaicha when I’d go out for sushi with friends and family. The wonderfully roasted aroma and taste of the tea was always an added bonus to the meal. Just had to get some for home and found this for dirt cheap.

And hey, despite it being so cheap, it’s freaking good. There is a perfect balance between the rice and tea. I’ve steeped this for several different lengths of time, in different temperatures, etc. Hot, iced, it’s fantabulous. I’m always up for trying samples of Genmaicha from other companies, but ultimately, I will always be satisfied with this one. I’d also say that out of all the Genmaichas that I have tried, this one has delivered the toastiest flavour.

I just restarted the 30 Day Shred, completed day two yesterday, and today, I am so sore that I can barely walk, so I’m taking the day off and enjoying some tea.

The second I snipped open the sample packet of this, the sweet aroma of cherry danced around me. It was definitely the fruit (more like a cherry candy, though) and not sakura. But sniffing the tea up close, it was straight up Sencha. In all its vegetal glory.

Venturing into the area of taste, this is very fresh, and well, Sencha-y. Slightly vegetal, but not as much as I’d expected. But then there’s the cherry gently woven into the tea base. It’s so subtle. Slightly tart, but just barely so. The more I sip this though, the less cherry I get. I think as this starts to cool, the remnants of the cherry slowly fade into nothing.

It’s a pleasant, buttery cup.

Sipdown to the extreme. This is awesome iced, but how could I be shocked. Pineapple, lemongrass, and coconut in a swirl of Sencha and Bai Mu Dan is a recipe for sheer iced tea awesomeness. It smells tropical and gentle, and for me, taste-wise, this is a perfect balance of all of the above flavours. I shall purchase more someday.

Received a sample of this in my last order, and it’s been steeping in the fridge for a couple days now (hey, life got in the way!). From memory, the dry leaf smelled refreshingly gingery and fruity. Time to strain the leaves and see what this is all about.

The smell is sure gingery. But the taste is… weird. It’s fresh ginger root mixed with strawberries, but the strawberries still taste like they’re hanging out in the garden; leaves, dirt, and all. Yeah, the combination of flavours even reminds me of a cellar. The only thing I like about this is I am experiencing a little heat from the ginger, otherwise, I’m not appreciating the taste of the dirty strawberries.

Half a glass in and I just need to stop right now. So disappointed that I can’t detect any rose hips. Not my cup of tea, for serious.