102 Tasting Notes

94

I have loved this herbal tea for many years now. I’m an insomniac, but nothing helps me drift off to dreamland better than a hot cup of Easy Now right before bedtime. As a bonus, this tea tastes delicious, with flavors of mint, chamomile and lavender. It really does the trick when nothing else will. I suppose at this point it might be more of a placebo effect than anything else, but that’s OK. It works.

I always use two teabags, about 10-12 oz of water, and I steep it for 15 minutes, covered, as per the directions. I don’t know if this maximizes the effect, or if it would have the same effect if I steeped it for only six minutes.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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45

In general, I like herbal tisanes, but this one is not something I’d go out of my way to drink again. It’s not terrible, but there’s something about it I find disagreeable. The scent of the tea is like the smell of the inside of a plastic bottle of Vitamin C tablets — fruity and orangey, but kind of artificial. While drinking it, the orange overpowers the chamomile flavor, and I get a weird chalky sensation at the back of my throat.

I do feel relaxed after drinking this, but I don’t like the way it tastes, and I don’t like drinking it. I’ll stick with my tried and true Traditional Medicinals Easy Now, which is a “relaxing” chamomile blend that tastes far better than this, even if it is a regular bagged tea!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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92

This is a very good flavored black tea. It’s smooth, forgiving (if it gets steeped a bit too long, it won’t turn bitter), flavorful and uplifting. The scent is as delightful as the taste — brewing a cup of this is a sensory experience. It’s not a rich or malty tea, and I’m not getting much “spice” from it; my impression is that of a well-mannered black tea providing a base for the apricot and saffron flavors to “pop.” As I sip this it brings to mind images of biting into a flaky, buttery, apricot tart…yum!

Anyone who likes flavored black teas ought to try this.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
American Tea Room

this makes an awesome iced tea too

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97

I’d been wanting to try this tea for some time, but couldn’t justify paying $39 for two ounces of tea that I might or might not like. Then ATR posted a discount code, which allowed me to justify placing an order.

Secretly, I was kind of hoping I wouldn’t like it. Well, my hopes have been shattered, because this tea is amazing. It doesn’t smell all that promising in the bag — but once brewed, it becomes a creamy, milky, sweet delight. I added just a small amount of stevia and it became so sweet and delicious it was like dessert in a cup (although sweet, it is not cloying or heavy, or at all artificial tasting). The green oolong flavor is there as well, but this tea is lacking the floral notes I would expect from an Iron Goddess tea. That’s fine with me, because I don’t like those floral notes. I would not refer to this tea as buttery, but it is mildly vegetal. And it tastes great at any temperature. Even when the tea has cooled to room temp, it still tastes delightful. So pleasing, so creamy, so smooth.

Sigh. I’ve fallen in love with another expensive tea. I guess I’ll have to wait for the next discount code from American Tea Room.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 45 sec
American Tea Room

that would be on April Fools Day :) Thanks for the nice review — we’re happy you’re happy!

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86
drank Milk Oolong by thepuriTea
102 tasting notes

This is the first Milk Oolong I’ve tried. It came recommended by a fellow tea lover.

The scent in the bag is delightful, and redolent of milk tea candy that I purchase at the Japanese supermarket. The taste, however, is different. It tastes like a green oolong with creamy and floral notes. I definitely detect the milky flavor, but it’s not overpowering or buttery — it just adds another dimension. It’s smooth and somewhat sweet, not astringent or bitter at all. The warm, milky aroma makes this a soothing and relaxing tea to sip before bedtime.

I like this very much, and when it runs out I will purchase more.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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83

This is a sample I received in my order from this company. I brewed it this morning and made it into a tea latte with half tea, half steamed milk (18 oz total). It was wonderful! On its own, it’s a strong, robust black tea with a bit of a roasted flavor and notes of chocolate. With milk it becomes a treat, something in between a cup of strong black tea and a cup of dark hot chocolate. I did have to sweeten this tea, because it was a teeny bit bitter (to my taste) when plain. I added one packet of Stevia and one packet of Splenda, and then it was perfect. But that’s what I do to almost every black tea I drink, so what I consider “bitter” may not be so to others.

This, to me, seems almost identical, if not the same exact tea, as Teavana’s Black Pearl tea. There seems to be a reasonable amount of caffeine present, and I feel more alert after drinking this. I enjoyed it quite a bit and will purchase again, either from Teavana or thepuriTea, whichever place has a better deal.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 15 sec

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99

I wasn’t sure this would live up to the hype. Well, I was wrong. This tea is absolutely delicious, and as the name implies, it has a “pure,” fresh quality I don’t think I’ve ever experienced in any type of tea. There are many flavors here — honey, floral, a bit vegetal — no roasted or chestnut type flavors, though, which I attribute to the tea’s minimal processing. It’s naturally sweet, and just as good on the second and third steepings. I steeped the leaves four times before the flavor began to fade.

Delicious hot, at room temperature or iced. One of the best teas I’ve ever had. I’m going to order more very soon, because I think I am going to go through this quickly.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 2 min, 0 sec
I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA

Great use of the location blank. =D

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68

This is the most floral oolong I’ve ever drunk. With each sip, I get a very distinct jasmine flavor for the first 10 seconds or so. The jasmine flavor then dissipates and leaves behind a non-specific floral oolong taste. It’s a very green oolong and does not have that roasted/chestnut type of note so many oolongs seem to have. However, I don’t find it particularly vegetal.

It’s unique, and it’s a good tea, smooth and flavorful, but unfortunately I am not terribly fond of jasmine flavors in tea. So I probably will not purchase it. I’ve had other Tie Guan Yins which did not have this jasmine note, so I’ll stick with those.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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87

Toasty. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I open the sample baggie, when I smell the brewed result, and when I taste it. It’s a bit astringent, so I add a little stevia. There, that’s better. Now it’s a smooth, rich flavor. The liquor is a medium reddish brown.

This is a strong, slightly malty, black tea. Seems to have a reasonable amount of caffeine, so I’d say this would be a good breakfast tea. The flavor is more subtle than some other Yunnan teas I’ve tried. It has a smooth, creamy aftertaste.

Toasty and biscuity…a good tea to have with something to nibble on the side…cookies, toast, etc. I’m having it with cinnamon toast and it’s perfect.

This would be a great tea for someone who is primarily a coffee drinker — it has a roasted/rich flavor without being too overpowering and bitter. I may have to get some of this when I finish the other Yunnans in my cupboard.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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Profile

Bio

I like strong, robust flavors. My current favorites include strong black teas (Keemuns, Yunnan teas and Assams, for example), flavored blacks such as Harney’s Paris, oolongs of any kind, and gyokuros. I like Rooibos and honeybush teas as well, and other herbal blends to help me relax in the evening.

I am willing to try just about anything, but I am not particularly fond of jasmine tea, very fruity or heavily flavored blends, anything with pineapple; and I know this is practically heresy, but I don’t like Darjeelings.

Location

In my kitchen, heating water

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