moraiwe Send Message

This smells just like a bright juicy grapefruit. Huh. Weird.

Steeped, it smells more like berries, citrus with the slightest undercurrent of mint. This would be amazing iced, but I drank it hot (what with the current weather and all), and it surprisingly works really well that way too (I find not a lot of citrus herbals do). It’s primarily an orangey citrus and tart berry/apple flavor, backed by slight floral elements and a very slight minty taste. The mint only adds a but of a cooling mouthfeel, really. I really like how this doesn’t cross the line into too tart or sour, but isn’t fake or sweet either.

This is easily the best herbal tea I’ve had from David’s. Thanks Shmiracles!

Eggnog: My biggest weakness in December. I can seriously stock my fridge full of the stuff and survive on nothing but for the following months. Luckily I’m engaged in someone who feels the same way, but refuses to indulge me for the sake of my health. I had my first go around with homemade eggnog this year too (which is absolutely better than the store bought stuff, though I didn’t think it possible. I did a version where the eggs are cooked up to 170F, though, because I couldn’t bring myself to drink raw eggs.) In any case, I was really excited to try this, but not as excited as Fiance. I am not much of a morning person, and Fiance gets up about 90 minutes before I do most days, but he’s been so excited and very patiently waiting, that I promised him last night that I’d get up with him this morning to make iced matcha with milk for us this morning.

So, I whipped us up a pair of drinks (matcha + 1% milk + ice + sugar in a cocktail shaker) His first sip was “This is good!” and the last sip of the cup was “That was good.” and then I got a text when he got to work “That matcha was awesome”. I’d say the excitement was well deserved for him (and me, because I’ll probably have a matcha budget now. Woo!)

This is very good, though. It definitely smelled like eggnog in the package, and tasted like eggnog (though this is one that really needs add ins to reach its full flavor potential). It’s creamy vanilla custard, with nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon with an undercurrent of tasty matcha. The spices are balanced and seriously nail it. The mouthfeel is creamy and evocative of eggnog as well, but it just can’t match the thickness.

Overall, I’m really pleasantly surprised with how good this was. Nom!

Added some rock sugar and a splash of milk tonight, and that only made this better. This is, like, the rooibos for people who don’t care for rooibos. Lemony, creamy, naturally slightly sweet, and no dominating rooibos flavor. As I think I said on my first review of this, if more rooibos blends tasted like this, I might actually like rooibos.

I always find it so amazing how my tea tastes change over time. I never used to like Bergamot, but now (so long as it’s not soapy, perfumey, or super duper overwhelming) I find myself really kind of enjoying it. This opens up a whole new world of EGs I never thought I’d enjoy. I need to put away my twitchy purchase finger on it though.

The base blend Kusmi uses is bold, but not bitter, and just a little malty. There’s a mild but of astringency, but not in an offputting way (Unless you let the cup cool all the way down. Then it’s quite intense). This one triggers my EG radar because of the use of the Bergamot. It’s the first flavor (other than the tea) that hits the tongue. It’s not as potent as a lot of EG blends, but it’s present enough that it makes the illusion of. There’s a subtle sweet orange flavor that follows closely behind. I think the mandarin and ornage merge together to create that one flavor.

Overall, the cup is bright, but subtle and enjoyable.

Thank you very much Nicole!

This is just a good cup of black tea. There’s no frills or assertiveness, it’s just something that is comfortable and tasty. No astringency either, which is a pleasant Ceylon surprise.

Thanks Kelci :)

These leaves are so much fun to me. Dry, they look like little fuzzy caterpillars that just want hugs. Then once they’re steeped, the leaves smell and look like fresh cooked green beans.

This is such a buttery, tasty green tea! There’s no grassiness in flavor, or bitterness, or astringency. It’s all sweet steamed peas and some mild kelp notes. There’s also a delicious butteriness in flavor and feel. None of the flavors present are intensely strong, leaving this to be a slightly delicate cup with no overwhelming flavors. I like this a lot though.

I definitely get what other people are saying about cooling sensations as well, as I’m finding that feeling present in the back of my mouth. Definitely a late spring/summer order.

We have a windchill of -50F today. I can’t even imagine going outside right now. That’s ridiculous.

So, I’ll sipdown some Halloween teas and wish it was autumn again.

Even though I’m warming up to rooibos, I still found it too prominent in this blend. The first flavor is an oomph of the woody shredded cedar flavor of the rooibos, and then joined by a nice, natural vanilla bean flavor somewhere midsip. The cream doesn’t add any flavor notes, but makes the mouthfeel thicker and smoother.

I think this had potential to be a good blend, but the rooibos is just so, so rooibos-y.

Just drinking a favorite while I wait for my homemade eggnog to finish cooling. I’ve been wanting to make it all winter, so I’m really excited :D

This tea smells just like champagne, and is brisk, dry, and fruity. So I can see where it gets the name.

But unfortunately that’s where the similarity ends. It tastes like peaches and candied pineapple without any grape at all. There are also lingering floral notes that are slightly dissonant to the overall cup.

I wouldn’t seek this tea out again, but I’m still intrigued by it. I really want to make syrup and mix it with something fizzy to see what that does. Thank you Shmiracles for sending enough to make that happen!

I can’t say I’m surprised Chamomile is kinda divisive. It has a very distinctly sweet floral apple and honey. But it’s grown on me over time, and it’s pretty much comfort in a cup. Like, there is hardly anything that could faze me when I have a cup of chamomile and honey in my hand.

It’s not something I’d like to drink everyday, mind you. But this is a fair enough chamomile and without a doubt better than the stuff in bags.