New Tasting Notes

This tea was my introduction to oolong. At first smell, it’s fruity, but with the “earthy” oolong smell (kinda smells like dirt). When I got it home and brewed it, I wasn’t immediately impressed, it’s ok, but not amazing. I infused the same batch again and much more of the fruit flavor was brought out. I’m not too big on the fruity teas, but this is one of my favorites.

I got this tea in a loose-leaf sampler as a gift. I’m not sure what exactly it was I didn’t like, but it had a chemical burnt flavor to it that I didn’t like at all. Luckily, my sister in law likes it, so I gave it to her

This tea is very good. It’s light in flavor and fruity. I enjoy it in the evenings when I don’t want to be up late from caffeine

Reading over the reviews of this tea, I felt I need to speak up. This tea $3 a box. If you handed me a random tea and said “I only payed $3 for the whole box”… I’d probably dump it out in your house plant and pretend to drink from the empty cup whenever you looked.

Now, with that said, I don’t feel that this tea is that bad at all. It has the very classic and stereotypical flavor of darjeeling. It can be quite bitter very quickly if you don’t watch it, but the aroma and full bodied flavor is definitely way above par for the price if the brew is good. I’m very sensitive to bitter tastes, and like to add too much sugar and some milk to this tea- this makes it VERY malty (obviously, but more than expected), and has lingering aftertaste of green grapes(?).

My mom got me a groupon for this company’s tea sampler for Christmas. The address on the groupon was in a town very close to where my parents live, and so on the 27th or so we all popped on over there and tried to find it. To… no avail. Apparently the address on the groupon was the location of a farmer’s market where they occasionally sell their wares. Alas for us, it was 40 degrees and raining as we puttered around.

Fortunately, I was able to cash this groupon online, and if we’d read the groupon more carefully we’d all have probably realized that was the intent.

I ordered the chai sampler, the specifics of which are subject to change- and I imagine due to the volume of groupon holders, I ended up with Redbush chai instead of the “rooibos cacao chai” I’d been psyched about. Plus, my tins were maybe half full of tea.

But when I smelled this, all was forgiven. It’s really an exceptional chai. I haven’t had one that tastes this good with just a 5 minute water brew in a long time. I thought the Tea Gschwendner version was awesome, but this makes the top of my list. There are whole aniseeds in it for peet’s sake.

A seriously brilliant, warming, and spicy winter drink.

I think this is the first tea I have had with blueberries! It is wonderfully fruity blueberry with a nice pomegranate complement.
The peony adds a nice sweetness.
I think this would be great iced or cold brewed as well.

One of my staple teas, I try to always have it in my cupboard. I’ve noticed that some other peppermint teas from different brands can leave a rather bitter after-taste – not this one I find. Even when let to brew for some time (aka, forgetting about it!) it still retains it’s relatively light flavour.

Also my favourite tea for when I’m feeling under the weather; I was always given mints or told to brush my teeth when I was younger to help calm my stomach, peppermint really seems to help.

I also steeped this with a cardamom pod this afternoon and it’s good! I really need to stick to flavoring my own tea instead of buying flavored tea. Unfortunately I am almost out of this and my tea budget has been totally blown for the month of Jan. already (I got excited… )

Another sample courtesy of Aisling of Tea. It turns out I like this more than my first time around with it, brewed with more leaf. The vanilla scent was apparent as I was pouring the tea into my little teacup, and the brew itself is a lovely light yellow. The vanilla (or maybe it is the oolong itself) gives the tea a creaminess that feels lovely in the mouth. I don’t get so much of the vanilla flavor on the sip, it is more like the suggestion of vanilla. Certainly not as strong tasting as the smell indicates it should be.

I don’t think it is my perfect vanilla tea. I think I want one that wallops you between the eyes with vanilla. I think that is how strong the vanilla would have to be to be readily apparent to me at this point in time. Or maybe it is hitting me between the eyes and I just don’t get it. The smell is certainly potent enough to suggest a powerful vanilla. Maybe it is because I have hiccups, and that is all I can really focus on. Hmmm.

Brewed at 195F for four minutes, 3 generous teaspoons of leaf/750 ml water.

Having a cup of chai before I need to head out the door to take my youngest to dance class. As I was measuring this tea out, I found a huge cacao nib (Or is it a cacao shell?) which made me happy!

I made this latte, but instead of using the normal amount of milk that I would use, I added just a tiny bit of milk and then I added marshmallow cream to up the marshmallow factor. All I can say is YUM! YUM YUM YUM! So very good. This one is definitely my favorite chai of 52Teas 2011 chai teas. (Still love Gingerbread best, but that one was 2010.)

Another generous sample provided, another good quality green tea. It calmed me down from my “back-to-work-after-vacation” mood. Crisp finish, a buttery start, but not vegetal or hay-like in the cup (just faintly in the dry-leaf aroma). I steeped it the usual way and it met expectations, though on my list of personal preferences, it’s third on the list behind different Japanese greens, and Silver Needle. It has a relative sweetness to it, but it didn’t seem to fully commit to a particular profile. Very smooth, drinkable, go-to green tea, and I would have no problem recommending it to those who are looking for a smoother, less-grassy green tea experience. I just happen to be one of those mavericks who likes stronger flavors when I’m craving a green.

Not much to say. It’s a nice, sweet chamomile, for those who like that sort of thing.

Great added to a bath with some essential oils. Very relaxing soak.

Last night I had the worst stomachache. I was curled up in a ball and grumbling. Asking for a mint-filled suggestion (my stomach turned at the idea of ginger, which I typically like), my friend Maria suggested this blend she has.

It smells delicious, just like peppermint and vanilla, nothing else. It’s a fairly sweet tea on its own, but more importantly it’s a smooth drink. The combo of muted vanilla and peppermint settled my stomach and made for a relaxing couple of hours.

Backlogging (so, based almost entirely on my notes)

Experience buying from American Tea Room: < More later, but positive overall >

Age of leaf: This is what I believe is called a fruit tea, and seems to have been blended at the end of 2011.

Packaging: I got this sample for free by ‘liking’ their post of this tea on Facebook (thank you American Tea Room!). The one ounce sample came in a very professional-looking package: colorfully labeled with lots of useful information about the tea displayed on it.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: A beautiful potpourri of different colors and shapes; unbelievably aromatic: reminds me of a flavor of bubble-gum when I was a child.

Brewing guidelines: In ceramic 16 oz cup, covered with a ceramic lid while steeping. Tea in metal steeping basket. Stevia added.
……….1st: Just off the boil (cup mildly warmed); 2’
……….2nd: Boiling (cup warmed); 5’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: Light peach color; smells fruity and like licorice.

Flavor of tea liquor: fun fruit flavors, and sweet, but it has an odd finish (even at room temp): possibly too much orange for my tastes (it reminds me somewhat of the taste of children’s aspirin. Anyone remember that stuff? blech).

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: lots of great looking bits of fruits and spices.

Value: Currently on sale: $10 for 3.5 OZ.

Overall: This seems to be a classic case of the tea wow-ING me in appearance and aroma, then disappointing me with flavor. Lots of potential here, but I suggest going back to the drawing board with this one.

Delicious blend. Plain and simple. A good way to introduce new people to a familiar taste in tea that isn’t bagged.

I can both smell and taste the Assam, which I love. :)

I’ve determined from this tea two things: one, that I like red rooibos leaves better, and two, that I’m not a huge fan of mango.

It is a bit like a mango green tea when steeped. There’s a tart, lingering aftertaste to it that I don’t enjoy. It’s not bad blended in with something like Teavana’s Citron Sonata, but it isn’t really for me.

This tea was a gift from a friend. At the name, I was a bit concerned, as I rarely find myself enjoying teas with rose (the rose always seems too sweet and makes me think only of perfumes). The smell of the dry leaves was somewhat stronger than I was hoping. When brewed, the scent of (what I assume to be) almond extract was overly sweet and put me a bit out of my senses.

The flavor was somewhat more mild than the aroma, but still not to my taste. I haven’t a large amount of experience with Teavana teas quite yet, but so far it seems that many of them are flavored too strongly and too sweetly. It seems to frequently overwhelm the flavor of the tea itself and taste of other things entirely. I presume it is to bring the tea into the modern market that is so overwhelmed with strong, sweet drinks. I have a standard Darjeeling from Teavana to look forward to, so I hope to find that more natural and tasting of the tea itself.

Raiding another friend’s tea stash is the greatest. Courtesy of my close friend Maria, I’ve been going through quite a few Teavana teas. My stomach was giving me some issues, so I’ve been sticking to simple teas with mint and ginger in – no sugar or milk.

I love the smell of this tea. It’s a nice, cool rich scent. Brews to a fairly neutral brown. The peppermint does its thing and rises up with the steam while it’s steeping.

I don’t get a ton of chocolate notes in the taste, although it still smells chocolate/minty in the cup. Still a great tea. I could easily work this into my rotation.

I had this tea at a local cafe and the first thing I noticed with the powerful vanilla aroma of the tea. I first tasted the liquor plain fresh from the pot and found the vanilla flavor a bit overwhelming. I finished it with a very small portion of raw sugar and some non-fat milk to fill out the cup.

As for the tea itself, it was quite tasty in general. It is a nicely flavored tea, which is a bit of a compliment from myself (who is not disposed to care for flavored teas). The vanilla did quite overpower the flavor of the tea itself, so I cannot speak for the quality of the leaves. I should, however, have this tea again when in the mood for a sweet, full tea on a chill morning.

We have some of these Bigelow herbal teas at work and they’re free. I don’t like most of them but this one isn’t too bad. Yeah there’s hibiscus in it but it seems kinda faint. Someone mentioned the apple tastes a little artificial, again that’s true but I really like the cinnamon and citrus in this blend, it also smells like an apple pie baking. Not too bad for a cheap bag o’ tea but I doubt I’d buy any for myself…

It’s delicious, fruity, and healthy all packed in one drink. I’m quite fond of this rooibos. It’s a very sweet infusion, so you really don’t need to add anything to it to have the flavors come through. The pear taste is at the front, the raisin and mild carrot tastes come through afterwards with a hint of green rooibos. All in all, it’s a great blend for those hot and cold days. I had a pot with someone who likes fruity tea, and we both sipped on it after new years. I find that the tea is also great if you find you need something light, and packed full of good stuff.

It’s a grand Rooibos.

I had this with breakfast yesterday. While this tea is perhaps not the most lofty of blacks, it certainly is full-bodied and delicious. Unlike Irish or English Breakfast, this tea, rather than complementing the cream/milk/half n half, seems to merge with it completely. The smell, both of the dry leaf and the brew, is so comforting and enjoyable, I keep going back to it again and again. As I’m searching my tea shelf for what I’m “in the mood for,” this one continues to catch my eye. I wouldn’t change a thing. :)