421 Tasting Notes
I missed this one the first time around. So I was thrilled to find it in my 12 Teas of Christmas box today! It smelled just like marshmallow treats….so much so that my husband thought I made some. :) I don’t know how Frank does it, but I’m glad he does. This one was spot on marshmallow treat for me. All the flavors were there and it was a total win! I need more…I mean I would like more please! :)
Tea from yesterday morning. I didn’t have time to brew up a proper cup of tea as I would have liked (due to moving). So we stopped off at our local Dunkin’ Donuts and I got a cup thinking something was better than nothing. Well, as usual I should have done with nothing. This just keeps on getting more tasteless to me every time I try to choke down a cup of it. Lesson learned, next time I will do with nothing!
I drink this strong, iced, and with nothing else added, often and really like it (family tradition) but I have never liked it hot.
I can’t do this tea. Just can’t. I am still reminded that this was the only box of tea in the house when I was growing up… nobody ever drank tea… I think that the same box was probably there from the time I was eight until I moved out at 18. The thought of that old, stale tea… that is what I think of when I see that box.
This was what we always used to make iced tea when I was growing up. I used to add a ton of sugar and lemon so it ended up tasting like lemonade instead of Lipton tea. Which was a good thing. It was a real surprise when I recently found myself enjoying one of Lipton’s flavored teas recently — green tea with citrus and jasmine in some combination — with nothing added.
Lipton Orange Pekoe tea bags were also what one used to get in restaurants when ordering hot tea (except Chinese restaurants) when I was a kid, too. I never liked it.
Thanks to Teavivre for the sample (sorry it took so long for me to get to a review).
This is my second cup of tea today. I steeped this for two minutes and the wet leaves did smell a little like dirt. But it didn’t put me off from trying this out. In the cup is smells – well I don’t know what the smell is, but it isn’t dirt, what it is is yummy. This brewed up a nice strong cup. Which I will need today in order to start unpacking from yesterday’s move. I’m getting a little of the chocolate notes someone else mentioned. But mostly there is a bold flavor I can’t put my finger on. I’m looking forward to my next cup already (with a longer steep) and I’m not even half way done with this one! We have another winner!
Preparation
So I had to meet the cable guy in the new house this morning at 8am. My husband dropped me off and I figured I’d make my first cup of tea in the new house one of Frank’s! This smelled amazing when I tore open the pouch. My first thought was I had to have this iced. I’m sure it is awesome hot too. But the smell of the strawberries screamed our over ice! (So it was really my first cup of iced tea, but at least it was tea!) I got no tart at all with this one, all sweet which I really like in an iced tea. Thankfully I have enough for another cup this afternoon!
Preparation
Thank you LiberTEAS for this*. I’m not usually a Jalapeno fan (or anything too spicy really), but this was different and pretty darn tasty! There is a nice bit of kick and spice to it, but not overpowering, just really nice with a smooth finish.
*Purchased from her Tea Trade store. :)
I saw this online about a year ago and thought…who would want to drink jalepenos? But it sounds like it might be something to try!
I was thinking the same thing at the time. Lucky for me I got my hands on some LiberTEAS had for sale on Tea Trade.
Bit of a backlog here… I tried this out for the first time on Saturday. My husband was good enough to drop it off to me at work. :) Again I was impressed with the way Teavivre packages their tea. Sure it isn’t eco friendly, but as LiberTEAS pointed out is sure is tea friendly! I’m sure I’ve had a Keemun before, but I don’t recall what I thought of them. But I’ll tell you I loved this. The smokey flavor that seemed to turn sweet as I finished my cup, was just awesome. Also I really liked that as my cup cooled the tea didn’t get bitter at all.
Yesterday I mixed in a little of Teavivre’s Yun Nan Dian Hong and wow! This was one of my better ideas when mixing teas. I think I might try it again today. :) I can see Teavivre is going to be very bad for my wallet!
It might not be as bad for your wallet as you think. They have some of the most reasonably priced teas I’ve seen. It’s a fantastic value!
Okay. Everyone on Steepster (except me!) seems to be enjoying the bounty of samples from Teavivre – Did I miss a big offer somewhere a month or two ago? If so, I’m very sad.
It was sort of random for me. Teavivre started following me so I followed her back. Then she sent me a PM asking if I’d like some free tea samples. Apparently, she did the same with a bunch of people as everyone started mentioning it in their tasting notes. I have A LOT of tea if you’d like some!
My morning cup as I open the shop and get ready for tomorrows big day. I just love this tea. It has everything I like in a morning tea. A nice malty flavor, natural sweetness, no bitter taste. Not to mention being able to get at least three steeps out of it. I’m still not picking up the sweet potatoes, but maybe that’s the sweet I’m getting, further tasting is required. :) Nothing but love for this tea! (Upping the rating too)
This is probably the fourth sample from Teavivre and I again find myself in love with this tea (ok there was that moment where it went down the wrong pipe – but that was all my fault). It is very delicate and the leaves are light and fuzzy. I used my clear tumbler/infuser to watch the magic happen. It was a good show. ;) The first steep was more vegetal, while the second steep brought out more of the flowery taste. But I enjoyed both. I’m going to try for one last steep. I sense another order to Teavivre coming after the holidays! Many thanks to them for this sample!
Preparation
I thought I’d give this one a go when I ordered my sampler set from thepuriTea. I’ll say this I can certainly smell the honey as this steeps. It also has a hint of that malty smell I love. The taste is interesting as I am noting a peppery kick on the end that others have mentioned. It is very different, but I like it! I love the deep russet color of the liquid too. Very pretty and fall/winterish. :) Perfect afternoon pick me up.
I love drinking Yunnan blacks in winter…try also Imperial Yunnan from Tao of Tea and you might even note the slight blueberry note on Staufs Golden Yunnan
Malty! I love a malty tea and this is no different. It does remind me of a similar tea from Teavana, but I like this one better. I’m getting the cocoa hints as promised with this one. I’m really picking up the malty flavor and a hint of spice too. I used two too many balls in this cup. But thankfully I was looking for a strong wake-up call with my first cup of tea. I must say we have a winner here! This is a really great full bodied tea. It will be on my next order with thepuriTea!
The first steep was unsweetened and it was awesome. Second steep got a little bitter, so I figured I’d try the agave and it was not too shabby! I’m loving thepuriTea – thank you for suggesting I check them out!