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So I have been away from Steepster for a bit, got kind of caught up with school. However, my Della Terra Teas order came in today so I thought what better time to get back into it?

Of course I smelled all the teas that I ordered and went with the most compelling smell, which was this one. My first impression is that it reminded me of another tea I really liked, and I couldn’t quite decide which it was. I’m thinking it’s sort of a combination of David’s Tea’s Red Velvet Cake and Pumpkin Chai, without the pumpkin. But there is a unique element in there, and that is the creamy note coming from what’s supposed to be the frosting bit, which becomes more apparent as it cools. As a lover of cinnamon and sweets, I love this tea!

Steeped the last of this earlier this morning, and put it in my stainless steel tumbler from Teavana leaving the lid open while I got ready for school. I added a tiny bit of vanilla agave. It was perfect temperature when I got to school. The agave really brought out that level of creaminess that I love in this tea. It’s so refreshing, even when hot. This might be my favourite green tea ever (saying something considering I don’t favour greens). I’m sad to see it go and will definitely be repurchasing for the summertime!

I remember having this tea back about three years ago, my best friend at the time had some. I really got to loving it, so when I was in Paris the following year I picked some up for myself. It’s so smooth, that’s probably the best way I can describe it. Th citrus is subtle but adds a really nice touch. I don’t get a lot of the vanilla or spices it claims to have in it, but there’s still that extra something that makes it more than just a citrus tea.

I’m not giving up on my herbal teas just yet. After the catastrophe that was Cococaramel Sea Salt, I wanted something nice.

So I dug through my second tea cupboard, this one containing teas I rarely drink, and most of my (unopened) bagged tea. Side note, I realized I have a slew of teas to add to my cupboard that I forgot I had. Haha. Anyway, I found this one, which I got in a set of 12 herbals last Christmas from Teavana. I don’t even think I’ve tried them all yet, though I remember having this one once and really liking it. The smell of it is absolutely amazing, it smells sweet and nutty, and the colour is a beautiful light pink when brewed. Taste wise it’s really subtle, but nonetheless tasty. Fruity with a touch of cinnamon, really nice!

Alright, so I forced myself to make another cup of this. I kept the dry leaf as far from myself as possible while making it to avoid smelling it accidentally and being put off.

As part of my healthy eating regime, no additives this time. And ugh, I wish I could put something in this because all I taste is liquorice.. and I despise anything with liquorice. As much as I was underwhelmed by the first time I had this with milk and sweetener, this time I just plain don’t like it. I might have to dump this one, otherwise try a little agave and hope for the best.

EDIT: I added some agave and it’s not gotten any better. If it was any stronger it would be reminiscent of David’s Choconut Oolong which I absolutely hated. Ugh, I really don’t know what to do with this tea.

So I’ve made a big, yet sad realization. When I was first taught to make tea my dad would always put milk and sugar in it, and it’s something I’ve gotten used to doing over the years (only with black and some herbal tea, however). But, I guess I’ve realized that in the quest for healthiness I really need to cut back on that. Especially the amount that I normally put in, which can be a lot sometimes!

This tea I started out drinking just straight with no additives, then once I thought to add honey and had it that way for a while, then after reading someone’s tasting note which suggested milk and sugar I tried it that way, and of course I liked it better that way. :/ I think I’ll have to cut back gradually. So I added one teaspoon of vanilla agave tonight. Still nice, with that subtle sweetness. I don’t usually find myself craving the sweet at night anyway, mostly it’s in my morning cup of black tea. Well, regardless, I’ll try my best!

Also this tea seems kind of lacking in flavour, like I understeeped or something. Six minutes should have been long enough. Hmm..

I’ve done a terrible job at being productive today. I had so many plans to do things and looks like I haven’t gotten around to any of it. x) Oh well, I guess everyone deserves a weekend off sometimes!

On to the tea, I wanted to force myself to drink the Coco Caramel Sea Salt from Teavana since I have so much of it and I’ve only had it once, just to give it a fair shot. The smell of that makes me nauseous so I couldn’t get past just opening the tin. So I opted for this tea instead. I still love it. Super sweet, my favourite. The only downfall of this tea for me is the lack of saltiness, being someone who loves salted caramel anything. Still a really nice cup though!

EDIT: As this cools, I’m getting so much coconut, it’s really adding a nice, complex level to this tea.

I’ll admit, green teas are not my favourite. Whenever I’m shopping for tea I’m much more drawn to blacks or even herbals. But, I know they’re really good for you, and I’ve been trying to be more healthy lately, so I’ve been trying to drink at least one a day. My collection is sparse in the green department though!

So I chose this one. Honestly I have searched and searched and cannot for the life of me find the company of tea that they sell in a little shop in the St. Lawrence market. I guess I’ll have to pay more attention next time I go. This is similar to Teavana’s Snow Geisha, but I find it much more mild and less offensive. The first thing I get is the cherry, which isn’t an artificial tasting one, surprisingly. Overall this is pleasant, but I really have to be in the mood for lighter teas like this.

I almost dumped my spoonful of leaves into my yogurt this morning, apparently I really have just been unable to function the past few days!

I really haven’t been drinking this tea as much as I’d like to. It’s funny, I went through two 50g bags quickly and when I finally decided to get a tin of it, I hardly touch it. I still love it though. This morning I’m getting a lot more of the strawberry flavour than the chocolate. I love having this tea with milk because I find the creaminess really balances everything out.

So apparently I’m so out of it today, that I was unable to distinguish between my bowl of cereal and tea leaves in steeper in mug, waiting for the water to boil. They were sitting right next to each other on the counter, I grabbed the milk, and poured it right over the tea leaves. ____ I managed to just dump it out and then pour the boiling water over the slightly milky tea. Oh well, I normally put milk in it later on anyway!

I’m actually super excited this morning because I put in a small order with Della Terra! I’ve never tried tea from there before and I’m looking forward to branching out a bit, so stay tuned for that. ;p

Anyway, on to the tea. It does seem to be a little weak, perhaps because of the prior milk catastrophe. Even still, I love this tea. I’m really hoping they bring it back next fall so I can be smart and buy at least 100g. I will drink this tea all year round!