Michelle select Send Message

From the Samurai TTB
I had low expectations from this black/shu blend, and I was pleasantly surprised. The dry leaf didn’t have much of an aroma, and the brewing instructions were 2 tsp for 8 oz for 4 minutes which brewed up nice and strong.
The first steep is chocolatey, dark, and a bit earthy. I like it, and it would be a good candidate to share with coffee drinkers who want to try a bit of tea. It’s very smooth, with a bit of dark chocolate caramel aftertaste lingering. This is not a bland or bitter cup of tea, and I might want to experiment with leaf and steep time, but overall I’m enjoying this cup the second steep is a bit lighter and less complex, but still chocolatey and slightly caramel.
Thanks for adding to the box!

From the Samurai TTB
I debated on wether to brew half of this little pouch, but since there wasn’t a way to reseal it, and I do like a strong cup, I dumped the 2 tsp into a 10 oz mug for a first steep. The wet leaf smells like tobacco, and there is a smokiness to this cup. It reminds me a bit of the Colombian tea I got from Upton, only smoother. There is a pleasant astringency to the tobacco/smoky notes and it certainly is different from any Assam I’ve tasted. As the first steep cools, I am getting a slight malty, sweet note.
The second steep is a bit disappointing as it’s just a weaker version of the first steep and the malty note has vanished.
On the whole a nice cup of tea and thanks to whomever added it to the box.

The tea box is here and I randomly grabbed a tea to try. The pearls are pretty big, and I do like a strong morning cup, so I put three in and tried a quick 3 minute brew. This first steep smelled like soap to me, something about the flowery component just didn’t seem that appetizing. The tea actually tasted better than it smelled, the soapy, flowery note was up front, but a cocoa note lingered as an aftertaste. The second steep for 5 minutes it still soapy, and some of the cocoa notes have faded.
Glad I got to try, but this one’s not for me.

This was from the TTB earlier this year and I saved it until I was traveling and could enjoy an caffeine boost to get me through the day. I’m not really sure why one would need more tea extract in tea, but its and interesting concept. I actually switched from coffee to tea because even half calf coffee was too much caffeine for me.
I was careful to not over steep this as I thought it might be bitter, and I wasn’t tasting much of the orange pekoe base of the tea. This starts out hibiscus (maybe a good thing to hide bitterness?) and ends with a weird soapy aftertaste. Most teas benefit from a steep in a go cup, I have an oolong that I only like to do in the go cup as it turns a bit nutty that doesn’t happen in a regular steeper, but this one just had more aftertaste the longer I drank.
Not for me, glad I got to try it.

While I’m not disappointed in this tea I will say that both the dry leaf and the brewed cup smell better than the actual taste of the tea. The first steep was stronger than the second, and I was quite generous with the leaf. I should probably try and gongfu or grandpa this next time and pay more attention to the flavors. It’s just a yummy chocolate caramel cup, without a whole lot of sweetness. A very good example of a golden monkey, but I think I prefer Happy Lucky’s for repurchase.

This seems a bit overly tart hibiscus at first taste. A very tart fruit punch. But as the tea lingers in my mouth, I’m getting a slight beet aftertaste as if someone spiked the punchbowl with freshly squeezed beet juice. Also lingering is a metallic aftertaste, but its not that bad. I meant to try this iced, though its a bit late in the season for iced tea here, I’m sure it would be pretty good.
It’s not something I’d reach for again, but certainly is worth a sipdown.

Well I drank this yesterday, but I’ll try to remember and post today.
Ancient Tree seems like it should have a more complex taste structure, but I’m not sure I prefer this to the Premium Golden Monkey or the regular Dian Hong Yunnan. It was quite smooth, with dark chocolate and malty notes that one would expect, but I only got a sample of this and I don’t think I’d be tempted to get a whole bag. I did get two good western style steeps out of the 10g sample, but the third was rather weak.

I have tried to like this tea as I got a whole bag of it when I ordered my Tuffy tea steeper. Alas, while I do taste the black tea and maybe a bit of creamy puerh, I get a weird chocolate aftertaste. I don’t mind the cocoa addition to this breakfast blend, just don’t appreciate the artificial taste it leaves in my mouth. In my mind I compare it to the Vanilla SF herb tea that is so very simple vanilla flavor that it doesn’t try to be something else. Bolder breakfast is a chemical aftertaste in a puerh disguise.

I got a sample size of this tea when ordering the Tuffy travel steeper (which is quite nice I think, though I haven’t actually used it for travel yet. It does tend to leak tiny leaves in to the remaining brew, but is compact and easily washed so I won’t be too fussy bout floaties in my cup)
As a morning breakfast tea, its just ok. I guess I brew my normal Assams and Yunnans pretty strong, so this doesn’t stand up to my brisk morning cuppa. As an afternoon pick me up, its still just ok. I’m not sure how to describe it as generic black tea with a metalic aftertaste? I guess with a name like Shagadelic I’m expecting a bit more nutty or malty or astringent taste, and its just a bit of a muddled blend.

Should I do something special for my 100th tasting note, or is it just another cup of tea?

How my tea tastes have changed since my first few reviews when I thought Teavana and Mighty leaf were the best teas, through the Steepster Select experiment, to now when I look for tasty bagged tea or a chocolatey yunnan black or a creamy shu puerh.

I thank the Steepster community for introducing me to Butiki, traveling tea boxes, and secret pumpkin swaps. So many yummy teas I have discovered since logging onto this site!

I do love a bargin, and this Vanilla Tea is just that. To me a bargin is quality at a lower price, and I like the challenge of paying less for a similar good product that others may pay more for. I have tried many steeps looking for a flaw in this tea, could it be an aftertaste, a bitterness, too much astringency? I haven’t found much negative here, its a single note tea, but it does it quite well. It reminds me of a Bryers Ice cream natural vanilla, but not so sweet. This is comfort food at its best, the reason why vanilla is a favorite dessert flavor, and why do other vanilla teas end up with a weird after taste? I am still impressed by every sip and have been unable to oversteep. Is it the vanilla bean or the vanilla flavor that is spot on? Maybe my only complaint is the black tea base isn’t really there, its just a conveyance for the vanilla.
I will order this again, and I will savor the sips of this comforting tea that only needs one flavor note to be delicious.