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Backlog 8/10

This is another from Michelle! Thanks!

This one is super quick but it’s really gross and chemically and I dumped it after two sips. Ewie.

On a side note it’s way easier to make quick tasting notes for teas you absolutely hated!

Backlog 7/10

ALMOST THERE! I have homework and such so I’m trying to hurry these up! This is another tea from my swap with darby, thank you very much!

This is another I made iced, and another that was just okay. Nothing remarkable. I would like to try it again so I can see if I can perfect it. I think the ice kind of watered it down so I’m gonna try again, maybe cold steeping.

Backlog 6/10

I got this one in my swap with darby, thank you! Last weekend I went on a craaazy spree realizing that I could ice any tea I had…. I know that seems stupid but I just don’t know why I never made that connection.

So, I made some of this up double strength and then poured it over ice. This one is…. Okay. I found that I mostly tasted black tea so I added some sugar and it tasted the same so I added a little more and then all I could taste was fake raspberry :( Sigh. I have another raspberry black from brandy and I’m gonna try that one soon to see how it compares.

ADAGIO RASPBERRY I EXPECTED MORE FROM YOU!!!!

Backlog 5/10

All previous notes still apply to this one! I love this so much, it’s really creamy and sweet and yummy! I’ve noticed that it smells a LOT like cake batter and I love that smell (and that taste, shhh don’t tell anyone I eat raw cake!) so that adds even further to my delight! Yummy!

Backlog 4/10

Alright well, this one isn’t TECHNICALLY a backlog because I cold steeped a huuuuge gallon pitcher and I still have a little left, but I made it a few days ago so that’s why I’m including it. As I just said, I made a gallon and in the process used up almost all of my 2 oz, so that’s a little upsetting. I’m glad I did it iced though, because no way jose would I drink this one hot.

The verdict: this one is soooo yummy! Definitely one of my favorites from Teavana! I didn’t leave the leaves in for long enough (about 16 hours, it should have been more like 18-20 or even a full day but whatever), so it’s a little weak, but not enough to make it bad. This is so yummy anyways! It’s lovely and fruity, not quite true blackberry but definitely berry esque, and has a nice refreshing mint tone that stays in your mouth. Yum yum yum yum yum! I’m actually considering buying this one online to make more because it’s so yummy!

Thank you Bonnie for recommending this one, I would have otherwise overlooked it and I’m glad I bought some!

Backlog 3/10

This is another I believe was sent by Michelle, thank you so much! I tried this one about two weeks ago when I was really sick and wanted to clear my icky-ness. I haven’t had any of Tea Forte’s single infusion pack things but they’re made for 12 oz’s which is the size I have so it was perfect measuring and steeping parameters!

Unfortunately, I had to dump this one. Tooooooo much ginger. Like, way too much and way too spicy and I couldn’t taste anything at all. I had a scratch in my throat and this elevated it 10 times over and it was not pleasant. Ew. I’m not a huge fan of ginger anyways, but I like it in small amounts but this was way to much. I know I shouldn’t judge Tea Forte based on this, but I’m sorry this was atrocious.

Backlog 2/10

This one was sent to me in the big box from LiberTEAS I got a while ago and I haven’t gotten around to trying it until recently. I had this one right before I went into my HUGE Vermont Youth Orchestra audition (I auditioned to get into the top group which I REALLLLY want because I’m not challenged enough anywhere else, I bombed the audition but they know me from previous years plus I have good credentials, so fingers crossed!) to help calm me down. I can’t really say if it worked or not because I was still nervous, but I don’t actually really know the effects of tulsi that well because I haven’t had too much of it.

When I went to put this one in a mug, the bag was stuck to the wrapper, so I had to tug to get it out and in the process, the bag ripped open so I was forced to put a whole bunch of little leaves in my strainer travel mug (which almost all coincidentally escaped, but it was okay because it’s an herbal) and brew it that way. So I guess this is half bagged/half loose leaf tea :P I don’t remember a whole lot about this because I didn’t write anything down but it was pretty good, though the floaties made it REALLLY strong. It had a definite spice note to it with a little bit of a lemony hint floating around. All in all pretty good but I would like to try it in a smaller mug without a lot of floaties! :P

Backlog 1/10 (including this countdown so you are all prepared for how much you will want to tear your hair out).

This one was sent to me by Michelle (I’m pretty sure…. If it’s not then I am sorry for forgetting you!). I had a couple of bagged teas over my hiatus because I didn’t have the energy to brew loose leaf. Stash is just an okay company IMO, and this was just an okay tea. It wasn’t very starfruity (for those unaware, a starfruit tastes kind of like an apple but a little sweeter with a unique tartness to it….. it’s hard to describe) and I mostly got really faint citrus-chamomile flavors, which is alright because I happen to like that pairing. This isn’t something I would ever buy but thank you Michelle for letting me try it!

I’M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

Sorry for my 148972238497 year long hiatus, I’ve been busy and tired lately but I am back and needless to say I have quite a few backlogs to do. I don’t know about you guys but I’m going through a phase where I just don’t drink as much tea….. I’m sure you all read that and are now going to unfolllow me because this is of course a tea website, but I find that I often go through phases where tea takes more of a backseat. I frankly hate it, but I hope to get out of this “slump” soon and start enjoying myself again!

Anywho, this one was a sample K-Cup I got from my grandma who doesn’t use her machine for anything other than flavored desert coffees. I’m assuming this one came in the initial starter sampler box thingy ma bob they give you when you buy your Keurig. I need something fast and so I popped this in and brewed it up. I hate brewing tea in a K-Cup because you can’t steep it physically, the water just pours through the leaves like coffee. Regardless, this didn’t taste very weak to me, so something happened right!

The verdict: I definitely don’t hate it, but it isn’t strong and spicy chai like I usually enjoy. I wouldn’t buy a whole box of it because I wouldn’t want tea that I can’t control, but if offered I wouldn’t turn down a cup. This is just a mediocre tea but hey, that’s part of the tea world!

THIS IS A MONUMENTAL POST! DO YOU HEAR ME?! MONUMENTAL!!!!

This is a landmark for many reasons:
1.) THIS IS MY 100th tasting note! I can’t believe I’ve made so many!
2.) I have exactly 70 followers now! Thank you to everyone that puts up with my incoherent ramblin’s!
3.) This is my first 100 on a tea! Ironically on my 100th tasting note! Whuddathunkit?

So, thank you to everyone that’s stuck with me this whole time, I’ve already grown exponentially in my tea experience and I look forward to growing even more! Sorry that I haven’t been on for a few days, I’ve had a lot to do this week AND I wanted to make this note special because, it is afterall a landmark post. Also, I am sad to say that I most likely won’t be on for the rest of the week/weekend because I have the Vermont AllState Music Festival tomorrow through Saturday and then we are having a family dinner for Mother’s Day because my family from out of town are here visiting! Super exciting! You best believe that I will be drinking tea though!

So, onto this tea! Thank you very kindly to Angel and the rest of the Teavivre team, this tea is without a doubt one of the best blacks I’ve ever tried. I know that this will be a repeat of what I have said in the past and what other’s have said, but I love it so much. Last time I reviewed this I was going through a “moody I’m questioning what I like and how I like it” phase, but now I’m back and I can say fully that I love this one to death.

It has all the perfect characteristics that a Fujian should-it’s got a very nice, fresh baked bread taste (rye perhaps?). Alongside that is an extremely dark dark chocolate note that adds…… Not necessarily sweetness but rather a nice accent to the bread. Like a Pain au Chocolat, but a little bit of a grainier bread and a really dark chocolate.

In the second steep (unfortunately all I got to with this session today, although I know for a fact that it could have been steeped AT LEAST one or two more times) a realllllly yummy caramel taste came out. The grain started to back off a little in this one, though it was still definitely there. There was absolutely no astringency in either of these steeps!

This one is definitely going on the repurchase list! Thanks again to Angel and Teavivire for this sample as well as to all of my lovely followers for supporting me and reading my rambli-I mean reviews! Happy Drinking!