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Had a sample of this Oollo tea from the Vancouver Tea Festival that I brewed up today. It has a really nice earthy aroma to it, and a very clean and crisp flavour. It’s aptly named as the liquor is a lovely reddish hue. Although I’m usually more partial to flavoured black teas, this was quite pleasant without any added ingredients. I didn’t detect the cinnamon, date or peppermint flourishes myself, but they are listed in the description for the tea. Quite a nice way to appreciate the elegant flavour profile of a black tea without the complicating added ingredients I’m used to. I think I have a new respect for it.

So it’s a big peach day for me. Just finished up my tin of peach paradise from Silk Road this morning and this afternoon it’s the last of my Just Peachy bag from DAVIDs. I’ve tried it several times in the last couple of months but didn’t have the opportunity to write a review for it. The tea has a pleasant fruity aroma to it. I don’t really taste or smell the apples in it, but the blackberry leaves are prominent and add just a hint of tartness to the mix. Overall, it’s quite a sweet tea though. There’s an almost artificial aftertaste that detracts a bit from the experience. I’m reminded of those fuzzy peach candies with each sip. I think it would make a good iced tea.

This tea is a nice pick me up on a loooong night shift tonight. Brewed up it has a lovely spicy aroma from the chai base – cinnamon, cloves, ginger and peppercorns are all listed in the ingredients. Flavour wise, it’s a nice balance of creamy coconut and cardamom mixed with the chai spices. Definitely a pleasant mixing of flavours. I got this as a sample pack from my last David’s order.

This tea has a really interesting aroma – I’ve never tried soursop in anything and I think it’s a new smell for me. I’m not sure that I really taste the soursop in there once brewed though. Maybe a bit, there’s a light tanginess. The pineapple and coconut come through most prominently creating an enjoyable tropical flavour.

This smells amazing! Reminds me of the fluffy green pistachio puddings I grew up with. Brewed up, there’s a decadent creamy flavour with nut flourishes from the almonds and pistachios. There’s also fruity hints from the apple and blackberry leaves. It definitely carries a nice dessert tea experience. Unfortunately, being a black tea, I’ll rarely be drinking it after dinner.

I’ve tried this tea both iced (last summer) and now brewed up hot tonight. It has a nice creaminess to it. Lots and lots of coconut pieces in the mix. I don’t really taste any cocoa flavour in it. There’s an interesting tropical and pineapple taste to it even though no fruit accents are listed in the ingredients. I preferred it iced more but it’s also quite pleasant hot.

The aroma dried is not unlike those fuzzy peach candies (love those things!!). Sure it’s a bit sweet and artificial smelling to the nose, but brewed up it’s a much more balanced aroma and flavour. The earthiness of the black Ceylon mixes quite nicely with the fruity peach and citrus flavours. Silk Road has great quality teas and this one is even organic. It’s the second time I’ve purchased it – had no trouble going through my last tin. It has a nice summer feel to it that is a great start to my Saturday here at work. I’ve found 4 minutes is about the right brew time – much longer and some bitterness starts to come through.

This is the first of many teas I’m rating that I brought back from the Tea Festival in Vancouver last weekend.

Slight tangent here from the tea review to say the festival was awesome! I went to a couple of tea workshops (Tea 101 and Tea for Health) which were quite interesting and sampled lots and lots of tea. I also managed to buy a lot of tea despite walking in the doors not really needing any. No regrets though! It was nice to see new vendors (new to me anyways) and fall in love with new teas. Speaking of which …

This tea was the very first I sampled when I walked into the hall. I tried several other Earl Grey Creams but this one was by far my favourite. After buying one packet of it, I came back later that afternoon to sample it a second time and purchase another packet. Michael at Tea Sparrow was so kind to give me an additional pack for free too when I mentioned how much I liked it and he shared how much the tea resonated for him too.

There’s a really nice purity of flavour that comes out in this tea. The bergamot and vanilla cream have a perfect synthesis. The flavour and aromas are exactly what I’d like an Earl Grey Cream tea to be. Perfectly satisfying without any need to add further cream or sugar. I love the description of it too: “Buttery cream & bourbon vanilla float under a satin sheet of citrus bergamot, while the rich estate black tea covers all like a fleece blanket.” It’s bang on too. There’s a cozy feeling that comes from just the right balancing of the flavours.

I should mention that the Tea Sparrow packaging directs you to order more from The Teaguy website which suggests this is the same tea packaged as Cream Earl Grey from The Teaguy. I’ll verify this when I run out and need to order more.

This is a really nice black tea that is not too sweet. The lychee aroma is wonderful brewed up, and takes me back to this past summer and exploring Chinatown in Victoria where I came upon the lovely Silk Road store. The Chinese black tea has a great earthiness to it that combines and is well balanced by the lychee fruit extract. It’s a well-crafted fruit and floral combination. Oh and it’s organic too.

This tea was from Murchie’s Fall Collection this year. The creamy caramel flavour is indeed cozy and quite comforting. The rooibos flavour pairs wonderfully well with the caramel and there’s just a hint of apple. The tea has a nice coppery colour that evokes the autumn season. I really like that it’s a rooibos because I can have it at night and not worry about disrupting my sleep. It’s just the right amount of sweetness – the caramel lets you know it’s there, but it isn’t too sweet. I bought a 100 grams and am happy to have it on hand for the winter months ahead when I’ll be craving a warm and comforting brew.