22 Tasting Notes

81
drank Mulberry Tea by Satira
22 tasting notes

I don’t actually recall where I got this sample, I think it was at a vegetarian food festival. The bags are paper with cotton twine in a rectangular paper envelope and say “product of Thailand” on the back.

You have to kind of poke at the bag in the water to get the osmosis going, as the paper bag seems to be a little thick. Hence I start steeping it a little on the hot side. The leaves leak a pale mint green into the water that slowly turns to a gold-green, somewhere between citrine and peridot. On a positive note, the thicker paper means less dust or leaf “leakage” into the cup. There really isn’t much smell to it.

What seems so unassuming in the cup is really lovely on the tongue, however. It’s smooth and the mulberries add a slight sweet and woodsiness to it so that you don’t need any sweetener and it’s not astringent. It’s calming and refreshing all at the same time. I really like this for an evening relaxing tea and will need to find a reasonable source for it. Definitely more than meets the eye.

(yes, I’m trying to use up all my bagged samples to make room for good loose tea…)

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 5 min, 0 sec
TeaEqualsBliss

Vegetarian Food Festivals! YAY!

Meg

LOL yup, pretty big up here in hippie town.

Cofftea

Seattlemeg, you live in Capitol Hill?

Meg

LOL no, Ballard. I got the samples at VegFest down at the Seattle Center. Wasn’t much else there that was worth the price of admission, though. Except maybe those mighty-O doughnut samples. Not much good tea over here in Ballard, Miro sucks. I did like the place (Remedy?) over by Group Health, however.

Cofftea

Haha ok. My ex said the hippies are all in CH, that’s why I asked:)

Meg

ROFL! The hippies are allllllll over. Capitol Hill is actually mostly “alternative”, young and gay. Ballard is older and Scandinavian with a nasty encroachment of condos. Fremont still has a lot of hippies, but they’re not poor. More like hippies that make a lot of money off their art and shop at the organic supermarket. LOL

Cofftea

Just don’t get me started on Magnolia;)

Meg

hehehehe

Cofftea

But that isn’t fair. It’s not the entire neighborhood’s fault my ex’s parents live there lol. It’s actually gorgeous.

Meg

Magnolia’s okay. Very hilly. I like being down by the water more.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

70

This was another tea in my sampler tin from Nordstrom’s. The jasmine scent is strong when you open the foil, but it doesn’t overpower the taste. The scent while brewing becomes blended with a slight woodsy note, although it’s green tea with it. The liquor is a pale orange, almost gold, and the taste is okay. It definitely would benefit from some honey, as the jasmine adds no sweetness at all. Not too astringent. This is a good tea to relax with and I like the silk mesh bags the company uses.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

64
drank Chai Spice by Stash Tea
22 tasting notes

Not bad for bagged. The spice aroma is definitely there, although it takes 2-3 teabags per cup to get the real strength of a chai. I also end up using about 4-6 of those little creamer cups we have at work since I don’t keep milk in the work fridge. Some sugar, maybe put it over some ice… It’s not the best chai I’ve ever had, but it suffices as a nice change from the cheap black tea during the workday without sacrificing my caffeine.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

3

This was part of the variety pack in a tin I’d purchased at Nordstrom’s. It brewed up well, but didn’t seem to have much of a scent. I took three sips and had to pour this out. There was a strange taste that I can only say reminded me strongly of the sweetness with the bitter under-flavor you got from cough syrup as a child. I don’t know if it’s the “tropical” flavor or what, but it was horrible.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

71
drank Chamomile Citrus by Mighty Leaf Tea
22 tasting notes

I just bought a tin of various Mighty Leaf Teas from Nordstrom’s E-Bar coffee shop. This one has a nice aroma blend of apple and orange when dry. Once in the hot water, the hibiscus and rose hips start bleeding rose color into the water, but complete submersion gives it a nice reddish-gold color like mild honey.

I find the Egyptian chamomile they use to be a lot milder than German, and the citrus is really what comes out in this tea. The aroma really makes you notice the little pieces of orange rind and bits of lemongrass. I do really like this brad’s use of silk mesh bags because you don’t get the stray leafage in your tea. It strains it perfectly.

Upon sipping, the chamomile taste is much more apparent than it is in the scent. It balances the citrus to the point where I can’t really taste either one over the other, and the rose hips come out nicely with a tiny bit of tanginess. Lightly astringent, I enjoy this tea’s effect. I can also imagine it would settle an upset tummy quite well. Afternoon to evening for this one, it’s definitely going to mellow you out.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

63
drank Jasmine Blossom by Stash Tea
22 tasting notes

Not bad for a bagged tea. This another of the ones free in my work’s breakroom. The jasmine scent is a bit strong, but I like that. Very grassy, a little acidic, it really benefits from a spoonful of sugar. But, all in all, a nice alternative to the sweet milky black tea of every morning.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

68

Whole leaf in a silk bag. Probably the only bagged tea I’d willingly choose, LOL. Nice and grassy but not too astringent, lovely pale color, and gentle aroma. I got a couple of these as a free sample somewhere and I may have to get more. I bet they’d make a refreshing iced green.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

I don’t personally care for the fruity teas served warm, but this one does make a nice change to normal iced tea in the summer. Mix it half and half with regular tea bags for just a hint of the fruit and sweeten it for a Southern twist.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

90
drank Market Spice Tea by Market Spice
22 tasting notes

I love going to Pike Place Market and picking up more Market Spice tea. It’s heavily cinnamon, which I love, and not too heavy on the orange part. I have found you need to keep this in a tin or airtight bag, however, as the oils will end up soaking through paper or a ziploc baggie. But at least the whole drawer ends up smelling yummy!

Cofftea

Ditto to every word of this:)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

66
drank English Breakfast by Stash Tea
22 tasting notes

My company provides tea and coffee in the breakrooms, and Stash teas are the brand we use. While better than Lipton’s, it’s still a plain black bagged tea. It does suffice to wake one up in the morning if I use two bags to the cup.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Seattle dweller, photographer, writer, poet, and tea lover. Yes, it’s true. I can’t swim and hate coffee, so where do I live? Seattle! Share with me, people. Where’s the best places to go for tea in Seattle? Much more interesting than talking about my 2 big lazy cats or my love of the beach/boat locks. Or we could chat about tea while I enjoy my cooking…

Location

Lynnwood, Seattle, WA

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer