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I am assuming that this is what I have tried today… My steeping parameters sucked, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have changed it for the better…

It smells nasty, fishy and like dirt. And tastes the same. Ladies & gents, we have a winner for the grossest tea I have ever tried!

Thanks for the sample, Azzrian, and please don’t be offended :P This is just WAY too earthy for me, and I don’t think I like chrysanthemum either. I’m guessing lovers of earthy pu’erhs might like it more? Keeping my hopes up for the oolong you sent though!

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Azzrian

Oh girl I am NOT offended at all. I actually have not tried this yet myself but a lot of people feel this way about Puerh and honestly Puerh in a bag – I don’t know I would assume that it probably isn’t anywhere like the cakes!

Kittenna

Hmmmm, you do have a tasting note on it?

Azzrian

I do? LOL oh let me go look – geesh Blonde moment!

Azzrian

Oh crap I do and I liked it a LOT! Hummmmm very strange – after I have this teavivre tea I will try it again and see if I get the same reaction. :) I will post here to let you know!

Kittenna

Yeah, this was definitely a dumped-out cup for me (actually, I traipsed to the sink with TWO full cups, as I wasn’t at all keen on my second steep of Strawberry Orange Scone either. Sad day.)

Azzrian

Okay trying again here … yes it does smell very earthy, like dirt. LOL
It smells to me the way beets taste – I think beets taste like dirt. I never liked beets – at least not the pickled kind and those are the only kind I have ever tried. OKay that was random – anyway … I get only a TINY tiny little of a fishy flavor though and I have had FAR fisher puerhs. I still like it lol. I mean its not one of my all time favorite teas by any means and clearly I didn’t even recall having it before but I do enjoy it. Im sorry it was not your thing lol your review does still make me smile though – grossest tea ever for you. Hey at least you will remember me for something lol.
<3

Azzrian

Oh noooooo you didn’t like the scone either :( Wait did my teas cross contaminate on their way to you ? I know you said they were fine but maybe some did?

Kittenna

Yuckers, I definitely got fishiness and mega dirt flavour. I’m sure you could get more fishiness in another tea, but that is not a flavour I want in tea. I don’t mind having tried it though!!

The scone tea I tried was a different one, from LiberTEAS. You sent me Buttered Cranberry Orange Scone, which I have yet to try! I don’t think there were any problems. (And with the scone tea I tried, I think I just wasn’t a fan of the intense orange peel flavour, which may or may not be present in the scone tea you sent!)

Azzrian

Ahhh okay :)

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Azzrian

Oh girl I am NOT offended at all. I actually have not tried this yet myself but a lot of people feel this way about Puerh and honestly Puerh in a bag – I don’t know I would assume that it probably isn’t anywhere like the cakes!

Kittenna

Hmmmm, you do have a tasting note on it?

Azzrian

I do? LOL oh let me go look – geesh Blonde moment!

Azzrian

Oh crap I do and I liked it a LOT! Hummmmm very strange – after I have this teavivre tea I will try it again and see if I get the same reaction. :) I will post here to let you know!

Kittenna

Yeah, this was definitely a dumped-out cup for me (actually, I traipsed to the sink with TWO full cups, as I wasn’t at all keen on my second steep of Strawberry Orange Scone either. Sad day.)

Azzrian

Okay trying again here … yes it does smell very earthy, like dirt. LOL
It smells to me the way beets taste – I think beets taste like dirt. I never liked beets – at least not the pickled kind and those are the only kind I have ever tried. OKay that was random – anyway … I get only a TINY tiny little of a fishy flavor though and I have had FAR fisher puerhs. I still like it lol. I mean its not one of my all time favorite teas by any means and clearly I didn’t even recall having it before but I do enjoy it. Im sorry it was not your thing lol your review does still make me smile though – grossest tea ever for you. Hey at least you will remember me for something lol.
<3

Azzrian

Oh noooooo you didn’t like the scone either :( Wait did my teas cross contaminate on their way to you ? I know you said they were fine but maybe some did?

Kittenna

Yuckers, I definitely got fishiness and mega dirt flavour. I’m sure you could get more fishiness in another tea, but that is not a flavour I want in tea. I don’t mind having tried it though!!

The scone tea I tried was a different one, from LiberTEAS. You sent me Buttered Cranberry Orange Scone, which I have yet to try! I don’t think there were any problems. (And with the scone tea I tried, I think I just wasn’t a fan of the intense orange peel flavour, which may or may not be present in the scone tea you sent!)

Azzrian

Ahhh okay :)

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I have always been a tea fan (primarily herbals and Japanese greens/oolongs) but in the last year or so, tea has become increasingly more appealing as not only a delicious, calming drink, but as a relatively cheap, healthy reward or treat to give myself when I deserve something. I should clarify that, however; the reward is expanding my tea cupboard, not drinking tea – I place no restrictions on myself in terms of drinking anything from my cupboard as that would defeat my many goals!

My DavidsTea addiction was born in late 2011, despite having spent nearly a year intentionally avoiding their local mall location (but apparently it was just avoiding the inevitable!). I seem to have some desire to try every tea they’ve ever had, so much of my stash is from there, although I’ve recently branched out and ordered from numerous other companies.

I like to try and drink all my teas unaltered, as one of the main reasons I’m drinking tea other than for the flavour is to be healthy and increase my water intake without adding too many calories! I’ve found that the trick in this regard is to be very careful about steeping time, as most teas are quite pleasant to drink straight as long as they haven’t been oversteeped. However, I tend to be forgetful (particularly at work) when I don’t set a timer, resulting in a few horrors (The Earl’s Garden is not so pleasant after, say, 7+ minutes of steeping).

I’m currently trying to figure out which types of teas are my favourites. Herbals are no longer at the top; oolongs have thoroughly taken over that spot, with greens a reasonably close second. My preference is for straight versions of both, but I do love a good flavoured oolong (flavoured greens are really hit or miss for me). Herbals I do love iced/cold-brewed, but I drink few routinely (Mulberry Magic from DavidsTea being a notable exception). I’m learning to like straight black teas thanks to the chocolatey, malty, delicious Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea, and malty, caramelly flavoured blacks work for me, but I’m pretty picky about anything with astringency. Lately I’ve found red rooibos to be rather medicinal, which I dislike, but green rooibos and honeybush blends are tolerable. I haven’t explored pu’erh, mate, or guayasa a great deal (although I have a few options in my cupboard).

I’ve decided to institute a rating system so my ratings will be more consistent. Following the smiley/frowny faces Steepster gives us:

100: This tea is amazing and I will go out of my way to keep it in stock.

85-99: My core collection (or a tea that would be, if I was allowing myself to restock everything!) Teas I get cravings for, and drink often.

75-84: Good but not amazing; I might keep these in stock sparingly depending on current preferences.

67-74: Not bad, I’ll happily finish what I have but probably won’t ever buy it again as there’s likely something rated more highly that I prefer.

51-66: Drinkable and maybe has some aspect that I like, but not really worth picking up again.

34-50: Not for me, but I can see why others might like it. I’ll make it through the cup and maybe experiment with the rest to get rid of it.

0-33: It’s a struggle to get through the cup, if I do at all. I will not willingly consume this one again, and will attempt to get rid of the rest of the tea if I have any left.

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