New Tasting Notes

Holy sweet Margie Mother of Buddha, you can tell what you’re getting into by smell alone. It smells like lemon pie. I LOVE lemon pie. I also love honeybush and rooibos blended together. Add lemon and you have a happy me. I could go into the subtleties of this blend, but there are none, by golly. It’s loud and it’s proud. Sweet without needing sugar, citrusy without overdoing it. It’s herbal infused perfection.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/01/02/review-joys-teaspoon-lemon-zest/

This is a lot better than I thought it would be. I was worried with hibiscus as the first ingredient listed that I was in for a very strong, hibiscus-y tisane, but, the hibiscus is not so bad here. It provides a bit of body to the cup, and a hint of tartness… but it isn’t a defining ingredient here. The real stars are the citrus-y notes and the cinnamon!

Very nice!

Lovely! This is deliciously light and citrus-y.

The Oolong has a nut and butter note to it, the green tea is light and fresh tasting, as is the green rooibos. Together these three ingredients create a very full flavor that is quite satisfying. The lemony tones and the bergamot are bright but do not overwhelm the cup.

Absolutely delicious!

Thanks to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me this tea!

Backlog: I finished off the last of what I had in my stash. A very good Dragonwell. Here is a link to the full review I wrote of this tea:

http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=11524

The Final Sipdown: Day 22
Decupboarding Total: 43

So I’m having some issues with The Final Sipdown. It feels like I have nothing left to finish off with just one more cup. I’ve been trying to do some pre-gaming, but to pre-game and decupboard two a day is getting difficult. Because of this, today I decided to heck with it, I’m going to take a short break and just have a good tea. So out came Royal Garland.

And one big cup later, yep, decupboarded. Oops.

Oddly enough, this has the Darjeeling notes I’ve been complaining about in a couple of other teas lately, but I like it in this. Perhaps because the Darjeeling taste is more on the front end here – a bit fibery, nicely bright but not astringent or tart – and then is followed by a buttered roll type taste. The kind of buttered roll where there is more butter than roll and the roll is warm so the butter is all melty and oozy.

Then the tea starts cooling a bit and that Darjeeling taste turns more tropical fruits but the warm buttered roll taste is still there, making me think of toasted buttery fruits. Grilled papaya or guava, perhaps. Then there is a lovely littler floral nectar poof at the end. Ah, that’s so nice. And the whole flavor and sweetness coats my mouth and clings a bit after each sip, making me feel like I just swallowed a bit of honey.

So yeah, kind of has the same Darjeeling note that I seem to keep picking out (and picking on) in teas lately. But yet, so totally not the same at all.

Dear Organic Black with Coconut,

I am writing to offer my apologies. The last time I drank you, I said that I thought I might be getting over you, and that I was moving on. Oh my dear coconut, I was so very wrong. When I am in the mood for a dessert tea, you do for me what no other sweetie can do! You are toasty, verging on savory, with a wonderfully perfect body: not too heavy, not too light! I am so, so, so, very sorry and I hope I did not hurt your feelings. You will always have a permanent place in my cupboard (and heart!).

Love, JacquelineM

Working on a nice gongfu session with this tea. I do have to be a bit careful, as Greg suggests, to avoid bitterness, but most infusions are delicious, sweet, a little smoky, earthy, a little fruity, very nice. It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything but bulk brewing with this one, and it’s rewarding to discover it again.

2 TB in a gourd, 125 mL water, no sweetener or milk, drunk through a bombilla.

Okay, I think I’ve found the balance. Not so much banana-ness this way. And it kicks with caffeine, or mateine, or whatever’s in yerba mate. Not my go-to mate, but an intense and lovely treat. Quite sweet on its own. Delicious scents of malt, chocolate and pipe smoke. Weird, but I like it.

Dear Tie Guan Yin from Life in Teacup,

You are a fine grade of tea,
Grade II in fact,
O fare Tea,
Green thumb in picking,
Green tongue in tasting,
Unfurl and steep,
Unfurl and steep,
I got like, 5 infusions
Whhoooooooooooo

Sincerely,
I want to sip you

vanilla_bookworm sent me a couple of bags of this…thanks!! I haven’t been able to find it around here yet, so I’m really excited.

When I opened the bags, my first thought was that there was a problem. It didn’t smell like gingerbread, it smelled like lemons! Sure enough, there it is: gingerbread with lemon. Lemon. Who would have thought to put lemon with gingerbread?

5 minutes later, and my kitchen smells like…lemons. Hmm…close-up sniff test yields a lemon bar/custard scent. Perhaps a bit of ginger, but it’s coming off more as a baked scent.

The primary taste for me is lemon, but there’s this background taste that’s very cookie-like. I’m getting just a hint of ginger…in fact, I’m not sure I’d have noticed the ginger if someone had just handed me a cup and said “here, drink this” (yes, I’ve had that happen; yes, I drank). It tastes very much like a baked lemon bar or cookie. And I quite like it.

Does it taste like gingersnaps? Nope. Is it tasty? Yes. Would I purchase it? Hells yeah, the instant I see it in the tea aisle.

My stomach is currently a raging torrent of fire, and this is basically the only thing in my cupboard I’m reasonably sure won’t make it worse.

Thanks, London Fruit & Herb Co. I love this stuff.

1.5 TB for 500mL water, no milk or sweetener.

So I followed guidelines this time. A mere six-minute steep. Much less apple-peel flavour and scent, a but more nuttiness. Mostly almond, though … not marzipanish sweet, but definitely sweet.

I really don’t like the colour, though I’m happy it comes from beetroot and not from the dreaded hibiscus.

Much better steeped cautiously. Not sure if I’ll order this one again, but it’s a tasty alternative to my must-be-rationed Super Chocolate.

This is not bitter or harsh like some mints. And the oolong provides a creamy background. Like Laura said in her note, like the creamy center of a peppermint patty. And this is naturally sweet. No sugar for this one.

Second steep at 10 minutes is not nearly as delightful as the first steep at 5. It’s merely a shadow of that lovely, tart brew, taunting me with hints of its former glory.

Sad.

Saturday Dec. 4, 2010
1st Steep of the Day is an Old Standby.
What can be said about Bigelows Constant Comment.
Great as usual.
Keep on Steepin.

I am getting the pumpkin essence that was described by TeaEqualsBliss (thank you, by the way, for sending me some of this!) … not only in the unbrewed tea, but also in the brewed liquor and just a hint of it in the taste. Not a bad thing – just a bit of a surprise. It’s not a strong essence, just a whisper of pumpkin.

I love the balance of spices in this blend. Right up front, I’m tasting the Star Anise which is a favorite spice of mine, and I’m glad to see it in this blend. I am not getting a lot of chili pepper taste, there is a vague, low note of chili and black peppers in the background but this is not a strong SPICY tea, rather, it is a pleasant level of spice.

Very nice!

This has to be the most drinkable young sheng puerh that I have yet to have encountered. It brews up a pale brew with a slightly sweet taste with any traces of bitterness or smoke commonly associated with young sheng puerh. Future infusions grow slightly stronger and “puerh notes” begin to emerge yet the enjoyable light and sweet nature remains in this tea.

Very interesting tea: buttery and kind of bitter at the same time.

Quite a delicious tea! I could easily brew a pot and drink on it for hours at a time!

Having one more cup of this tea before I send it off to TeaEqualsBliss.

This is one of the best teas that I’ve tried with Goji Berry. I am generally hesistant with Goji Berry because I’m afraid it’s going to be too tart, but, this isn’t. It’s delicious, sweet with just a hint of agreeable tartness.

The green tea base is smooth and refreshing. There is a light buttery taste to it that does not go overboard and impart that buttery feel on the tongue. The berry flavor is delicious and in nice balance with the green tea.