New Tasting Notes

As far as decaf goes, this one is very good. Because of the bulk the peppermint adds, I recommend adding a little more tea to your brew for a more satisfying cup. It is lightly mint and a hint of chocolate. I started with a sample, and then requested it as part of my Valentine tea. I can see it being a staple, as it tastes like a creamy chocolate mint candy with sweetener and milk added. I do prefer Tea Table’s regular version of this as the coconut in the Chocolate Mint blend adds another interesting layer of taste.

Twice I opened my tea cabinet and twice this tea fell out and hit me on the head. A sign that it was time to try? Perhaps. I took it on.

First, I’m not at all a fan of orange in tea. (Usually not lemon or other citrus fruits either, but not always.) I received this as a sample from Chi of Tea. Frankly, if left to me, I never would have possessed this tea. The scent upon opening is almost an orange-mint scent.

195/2 min – I didn’t want this one too strong as I was concerned about the orange. I need not have been. Once brewed, the scent continued. Upon sipping, I realized that this tea reminds me of orange Tic Tac infused oolong! It was really good! I did end up enjoying this tea much more than I thought I would.

Ok there is little new I can add to the reviews of Lady Grey. I hadn’t sipped this in a long time. I forgot how good this is. The base is tasty. The bergamot just right. What really sets this apart is the orange and lemon zest. I needs me some more Lady Grey.

From the journal:
You can definitely smell and taste the rum flavor in this one. I remember quite liking it. And for a pseudo dessert flavor, this one was really good. It has been a while since I had some……I will queue it up for tomorrow!

From the tea journal:
I am just going to the source on this one. It is readily available at many vendors. I tried mine from Culinary Teas, and then purchased a larger amount from The English Tea Store. I do like the maple and blackberry flavors in this one. I don’t think I would rate it as among my favorites, but it is a pleasant cuppa. I probably won’t get more for some time once I am out. Too many more teas to try to keep purchasing one that is just pretty good.

From the journal:
Another dessert type tea that did not really impress. Something about it seemed weak….like you needed twice the amount of leaves to brew as you should. Sent it to a better home.

From the journal:
I got this one as part of an herbal sample pack. This one is good! Lots of berry flavors going on with a little hibiscus tartness. It brews up deep red. I did order more from another source. (I am pretty sure it is available lots of places.)

From the journal:
After the first cup, I was not sure it was necessary to order more. It seemed like a watered down cup of hot cocoa. I probably did not know what to expect as it was one of the first things I tried from The Tea Table very early on in my tea adventure. After the second cup, I decided it was not too bad. Tastes like tea and hot cocoa together. Third time is a charm? We shall see….

From the journal:
With a name like Chocolate Caramel turtle, you would think this tea would be wonderful. Unfortunately, I think the flavors are trying too hard. The tea itself seems weaker than others. I can taste all of the flavors, but it is just too much going on. This one was sent to a better home.

I was thrilled to find Zealong available in Canada through Tula Teas at the recent Victoria Tea Festival after hearing great things this New Zealand grown oolong.
I have always been hesitant to try oolongs grown outside of their original growing locations, but the Zealong folks have done a brilliant job.

I easily steeped this one 6 times, about a minute each time, just under the boil. As the name suggests, a very clean, sweet and pure aroma coming from the cup, and the beautiful clear yellow liquor was quite striking.
Beautiful silky mouthfeel, sweet and soft floral buttery flavours.
Looking forward to trying the roasted version soon!

I’m not as crazy about this as I was the first time, but better than the last cup. It all depends on how much licorice I get in my cup. Too much and it’s overpoweringly sweet. Still, excellent headache remedy.

Have you ever had a “wall” that you just can’t get past?
I heard about writerblocks etc. but I never heard about a tea"wall". You know, like suddenly losing the strength to drink tea. Yup I had the tea “wall” or “block”. For like a month … or two. Maybe three, I lost count.

But today I took some tea with me to school. Among them ANASTASIA. I took my first sip of tea today and the only sentence that went through my head was:“Welcome back color”.
(It’s a name on a album by Tina Dickow). I don’t like the song or the lyrics, but the title is fitting for that little moment of tea for the first time in months.

I don’t remember writing a note for this tea so let me tell you about it:
It’s a black tea, smell’s of bergamot and other spices… But it taste exactly like Earl Grey. Just a bit sweeter and bitter. If you had to pick one of the two – then pick this one just for the can. It’s prettier.

This tea smells really nice when dry. It’s kind of a roasted scent, but clean.

195/3 min. – I’m trying to up my oolong brewing time as I prefer a stronger cup.

After brewing, it smells as if I overdid it. It’s pretty strong, but when I taste it, it’s perfect! I can taste the roasted leaves. It’s very good. There is no fruitiness or floral taste to it, just a nice roasted oolong flavor. I liked this version much more than the Zealong Pure.

I tried this tea this morning as my wake up brew. The dry tea smells like berries (raspberries, blackberries, etc.) It’s very pleasant.

boiling 1.5 min – I went short on this one due to the frequent oversteeping I seem to manage on a fairly regular basis these days.

The aroma is deeper. I can smell the tea, which is vegetal and fruity at the same time. The taste is pretty good. I can still make out the black currant without trouble. It’s not overly sweet. The tea did become a bit too vegetal for me, but it’s not taking over the tea. It’s not an overly complex tea, which is nice.

I LOVE black currant in teas. It’s my favorite in black. So this being paired with white tea intrigued me. I got it with the V-Day sampler.

At first, I didn’t know what to think. I had to kind of just sit back, and enjoy the tea. I would of loved more black currant! But with every review I write with black currant flavored teas, that’s my complaint, so nothing new. It is very delicately flavored. Stood up for 4 rebrews.

This reminds me of another tea called Brazilian Delight, which I prefer to this one. It just has more fruit, and the black currant was more pronounced. It’s sold by Todd and Holland, but I googled the ingredients and saw other places selling the exact tea.

I like this tea, but I would of enjoyed more fruit. Though more black currant would probably hide the actual tea flavor, which it nice and light. Very nice iced.

Thursday Feb. 24, 2011
3rd Steep of the Day.
My Wife Suprised me with a Pot Of Tevana’s YouthBerry
Great After Dinner Drink Bold Citrus Flavor.
This Pot Had some Strong GrapeFruit Presence in it.
Although its not an ingredent in this Blend.
Great Sippin Pot.
Keep on Steepin

This is my very first experience with silver needle. Well, I am a fan now! This ranks up there with having REAL sencha. And that changed everything for me.

I received this sample from Doulton. This tea is quite amazing. I got 4 rebrews from it, adding 1-2 minutes to each brew. And it’s great both iced and hot. It’s just so perfect, it has such an elegance to it. For being such a light brew, it produces such a loud flavor.

Thank you Doulton for this tea. It is quite amazing, and I am now addicted. I want to marry this tea.

This tea is awesome! It has a great balance of flavors of the chocolate/strawberry and puer. I love how this tea doesnt have that distinct puer flavor and that additional flavors can come through. I like the deep chocolate flavor and the sweet strawberry finish to it. This is a great tea :)

This has a very strong mint flavor. Very crisp and refreshing, but I do wish that the chocolate came through a little more. I’ve only taken a couple of sips so far though, maybe the flavor will develop as I continue to drink this.

And it does develop as I continue to sip and the tisane cools slightly. The chocolate is still not as strong as the mint flavor, but it is now recognizable. The yerba mate’s earthy/vegetative tastes are subtle but I can already begin to feel the effects of the caffeine which is a good thing.

Overall a very nice flavored yerba mate.

At first sniff it smelled like spinach. A very vegetal smell and taste. Lovely delicate green color. Not bitter at all. Very wet and quenching. I am not horribly fond of green teas, but this one seems to be pretty high quality. If you like light, vegetal flavors you’ll love this tea. My rating is based on the quality of the tea, not whether or not I liked it or will buy it again. Greens just aren’t my cuppa. :)