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delicious chocolaty banana treat after dinner
1000ml, 7 tsp, 212, 7 minutes, 1 tsp german rock sugar

Has the last of this tea today at work; I won’t be re-ordering (it was fine to drink, but not memorable enough or crave-worthy)

Steep Information:
Amount: 25g
Water: 750ml filtered water at 195°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (Oolong, custom)
Steep Time: 1 minute
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: tropical, fruity, sweet, milk oolong
Steeped Tea Smell: fruity, sweet, milk oolong
Flavor: sweet, smooth, milky, vegetal
Body: Light
Aftertaste: sweet
Liquor: translucent pale yellow green

Wow! look at how much those leaves expanded! I kept the leaves in the refrigerator when I ran off to work in order to try a resteep or two when I get home tonight. I was tempted to try a cold brew but needed to run for my train.

I think I need to tweak with the steeping parameters, it’s a bit weak, I may try a little longer or a little hotter.

Overall even weak it was fruity and smooth and enjoyable. With current steeping parameters I would not buy more of this flavor, but would enjoy what I have and gladly select it when out. I am hoping it improves with tweaking.

I think sweetener would overpower the tea.

The packaging was beautiful and very well done. There was a pamphlet, a booklet, and a box. The box was textured black with slashes of green on the inner box that you could see through the cut outs on the side. Inside the box was a miniature brochure and a tin that was also textured. Inside the tin was a resealable vacuumed packaged bag that was also textured! I’m grateful for all the information included as well by the Chicago Tea Garden.

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/07/chicago-tea-garden-loose-leaf-oolong.html

Steep Information:
Amount: ~ 8 tsp
Water: 1000ml 205°F filtered water
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (custom, custom)
Steep Time: 6 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Limes, very strongly of limes
Steeped Tea Smell: limeade, sweet and sour and citrus
Flavor:
MilitiaJim: pine, lime
AmazonV: sour lime citrus, floral
Body: Full
Aftertaste: fuzzy apple orange lime
Liquor: translucent orange-red

This was a gift from SoccerMom.

Post-Steep Additives: German rock sugar, didn’t help much

Having it hot tasted like a potentially god drink, but a little off. It was floral, I don’t want flowers in my limeade.

Having it hot steeped then iced in the fridge was odd, it tasted warm, the liquid was cold but it tasted warm…

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/07/teavana-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea-tahitian.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 7.6g, one entire sample bag
Water: 1000ml filtered boiling water 212°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: strong strawberry, natural but not quite
Steeped Tea Smell: strawberry, tea
Flavor: a fake strawberry and tea
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: sweetness
Liquor: translucent dark brown

I placed a large order of mostly samples so I could experiment with more flavors from thepuriTea, it’s sort of like pokemon, I want to try them all (mostly).

Post-Steep Additives: German rock sugar, surprisingly made no difference

It’s a good black tea, but it’s a fake strawberry flavor so not a favorite.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/06/thepuritea-loose-leaf-black-tea.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 8.6g sample
Water: 500ml filtered water, 212°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (herbal, medium)
Steep Time: 4 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chamomile
Steeped Tea Smell: chamomile, something else sweet
Flavor: chamomile, lemon, mint
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: mint, lemon
Liquor: translucent dark yellow-green

I won this in the weekly (Monday) twitter contest @ShantiTea – they also have contests on their ShantiTea facebook page. I was able to pick out any tea I wanted when I won.

I don’t like that I am unable to find the ingredients list.

I choose this one for the name, and also because I have enough caffeinated teas and needed more caffeine free choices.

This is a ho-hum kind of tea, it’s not bad but it doesn’t stand out in any way.

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/06/shantitea-loose-leaf-herbal-tea.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Water: 500ml + filtered water at 175&defF
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (green, medium)
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: fake cherry and vegetation, MilitiaJim was getting chocolate and cherry coke
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal, hints of something else
Flavor: vegetal, slightly astringent
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: slightly bitter
Liquor: translucent pale green-yellow

I won these teas in a contest that was run by Dan on Steepster that was great fun, and got me tea prizes!

Post-Steep Additives: honey, gave it a honey after taste and didn’t really affect the taste

A notch below spring cherry from the republic of tea but better than soem of the other cherry greens I have tried.

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/06/georgia-tea-company-loose-leaf-green.html

had hot with breakfast, german rock sugar, in a breville, nommy juicy mango and black tea but also enough caffeine kick to be a breakfast drink

Steep Information:
Amount: 6.3 g (one of the two sample packs included in the pillow box)
Water: 500ml filtered water 180°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (custom, mild)
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: strong sweet jasmine flowers
Steeped Tea Smell: lightly sweet and jasmine flower
Flavor: floral, slightly vegetal, sweet, refreshing
Body: Light
Aftertaste: sweet
Liquor: translucent yellow-green

Resteep: 4min, a bolder flavor but slightly astringent.

Not as strong a flavor as I would have preferred, perhaps a longer steep, the smell was amazing though.

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/06/thepuritea-loose-leaf-oolong-tea.html