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I got this in a swap with wheezybee so thanks!

It’s also a backlog.

The hibiscus flavor comes through, but it’s surprisingly not terribly tart. The chamomile and mint are by far the most prominent flavors (Fiance went as far as saying it tasted like the mint tea his Grandma used to make him). I thought this was going to be more rose-y, because of the sheer amount of petals chilling in there, but the rose flavor is quite faint.

I can take or leave both hibiscus and chamomile, so I was surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. It would also probably be pretty awesome iced (but really, most mint stuff is tasty iced).

Cold steeped this overnight. It probably spent about 15-16 hours in the fridge. I think it was about four too many.

It smells sweet and a little like lawn clippings. The taste is very vegetal, very spinachy and I lost almost all the milky flavor that the regular steep had. There is a really nice juiciness here, though. Cold-steeped, this is the greenest tasting oolong I think I’ve had in probably ever. Luckily, that aggressive greenness fades quickly into a fruity sweetness, with apricot and floral notes. The aftertaste is apricots and a residual spinach. It leaves a really clean feeling in your mouth.

I think a little honey would complement this well and probably tie the fruit, floral, and green notes together. I might favor this hot, but I can’t deny that’s it’s really unique and refreshing cold.

1 tsp Cinnamon Fig (Art of Tea)
1 tsp Vanilla Cream (Culinary Teas)
8 oz water

These are both teas that I’m kind of meh about in hopes of making something I was less meh about.

The result? Still meh.

The initial sip comes with the vanilla flavor, but that’s brutally quashed by the fig and cinnamon flavors, which are overpowering. The cinnamon just seems so out of place, in both the original blend and this. Also, there’s some semi-serious astringency going on here.

The aftertaste is actually pretty tasty. It’s vanilla and fig, which pair well together. If I could get more of those two flavors in the tea, this would actually be a pretty good mash-up. I’ll probably try again with a 1:2 of Cinnamon Fig to Vanilla Cream.

Also, the overall flavor improves the cooler it gets.

Rating: 52/100

We’ve had this really awful ongoing saga of our washer and dryer with our property manager. Initially the dryer band was degrading, so they replaced both pieces. But since that process started, the story has included flooding, shorted fire alarms, random appliances, and other things. And today the new dryer broke. Bleeeeerg

So, of course, I turned to tea.

Sipdown

Pretty sure that puts my tea tally at 386.

I definitely wish I had more of this. The natural sweetness is really nice, and the coconut is really fresh and refreshing. I also really like the creamy mouthfeel. I think I enjoyed it more this time than last, even.

All-around feel better tea.

Should pick up more eventually.

After my episode with the Lemon Sorbetti, I was still craving a lemon-y citrus green, so I went for this one, which came to me from momo (thanks!)

This is so much better! The lemon comes through strong on the sip, but it’s a sweeter lemon taste and far less jarring. The beaniness from the green tea is also there and not completely overwhelmed. Then on the end of the sip it fades into a sweet melony flavor that lingers on the tongue.

I can’t wait to try this iced!

I got the looseleaf of this in a trade with Kaylee, so thanks!

The leaves smell nice, like under sweetened lemonade and you can definitely pick out the lemongrass as well.

They taste is…okay. It’s certainly lemon-y, but it’s more lemon juice than lovely lemon zest. The flavor isn’t artificial and the tea isn’t astringent, but I actually lose the Sencha to the lemon flavor.

I don’t really see this as a dessert tea, and it tasted a little generic. I didn’t really like it enough to finish my 16 ounce mug, and 5 or so were lost to the drain.

Anyone else remember those hard strawberry flavored candies that are wrapped in the shiny foil that looks like a strawberry?

(These: http://bit.ly/13nFsnW )

If you melted that down and added water, that is this tea. Even without sugar added.

It’s not a bad tasting tea. I really like the base blend. It’s buttery, but remains light. The mouthfeel also imparts a nice creaminess. The strawberry is just really artificial and doing nothing for me.

The whole thing would probably be better with a slightly tarter, less candy-ish strawberry. I’ll probably finish what’s left iced with lemon.

Anyway, thanks whatshesaid for the sample!

Holy crap! Look at me all reappearing over here and stuff.

I know it was almost a month ago, but I did get better in time to head up north with Fiance for the 4th. We had a blast tubing, four-wheeling, bonfires, and being nature-y

Fiance also never showed symptoms of strep. Jerk.

Anyway. It was probably a good thing I stepped back from here for a little bit. I’ve been able to curb my buying habits at least a little better. It’s not quite as cringe inducing when I check my bank account now. Unfortunately it seems I can’t stay away too long because loving tea and sharing that love kinda doesn’t go away. So I’m back.

After a long (for me) hiatus, I’m back with a review of a sample I got from KallieBoo! Thank you!

I’ve also only had a couple Keemum’s before this, so this is fun!

This cup brews up into something that’s the color of antique cherry wood and has a nice plummy earthy aroma. I didn’t really get smokey, but I’ve found that if the smoke is really subtle it comes across as earthy to me.

The taste is honey and sweet potato at the open, then morphs into an earthy rich maltiness with a slightly sweet and sour plum note. The aftertaste is that honey flavor with a more lingering taste of rich plum. It has a really smooth mouthfeel.

There’s some mild (very mild) astringency that lessens as the tea nears room temperature.

I really enjoyed this, and could see this being a great straight up iced tea.

I got this in a swap with TastyBrew (thank you!) and I think in my brain I was expecting a lighter oolong as the base. So to see a roasted oolong kind of threw me initially. I had my doubts.

The tea smells a little like dirt and Jolly Ranchers, with more emphasis on the Jolly Rancher part.

The woodsy-earthy-caramel flavors of the oolong lend a base that surprisingly works well with caramel apple.

The apple taste here is fresh and light and just there enough, I wanted more caramel though. It runs through as an undercurrent that isn’t quite enough to satisfy and just leaves you wanting more.

A touch of brown sugar definitely made it more, well, sweet. But the caramel I was looking for became more like caramellized sugar than actual caramel.

Close enough.

I’m jumping on the bandwagon of minimizing the font size on personal stuff so it’s easier to skip. So here goes.

Fiance came back from his business trip on Friday! He even brought me back something. Strep throat! Thanks, honey!

So, I went to the doctor yesterday so I don’t give it to everyone ever when we go to his parent’s cottage for the 4th; and she prescribed some Augmentin 875. Now why you would prescribe a pill that large to someone who has a sore throat is really beyond me. It seems a little sadistic.

I want Fiance’s iron clad immune system.

This is really lovely with the safflowers and the cornflowers. The orange-y red and blues play off the leaves really well. The dry and steeped aroma reminds me of coconut water.

The taste was 80% fresh coconut taste to 20% white tea with a nice smooth/milky mouthfeel. The coconut flavor is natural and naturally sweet, and I would guess a touch of rock sugar would only amplify that further.

I drank mine warm because cold things hurt right now, but Fiance drank his cup chilled and decided that if coconut water tasted like this we’d always have some on hand.