788 Tasting Notes
Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Additives: none
Water: 22 ounces filtered boiling
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell:
AmazonV: Fruity nutty coconut
MilitiaJim: There is coconut, and other things. I don’t know what though.
Steeped Tea Smell: Coconut rooibos
Flavor: Sweet coconut rooibos
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: slightly nutty
Liquor: translucent reddish-orange
MilitiaJim-If this was sold as a coconut tea it would be pretty good, three stars maybe. Sold as a mango flavor, the complete lack of mango earns it zero stars and a snarl of irritation.
AmazonV-What he said, It was a good coconut tea, but the disappointment at the lack of mango (the reason I bought the tea, he loves mango) runs high.
Luckily I am sharing this tea with some other people and did not get the larger size. They can be forewarned this is a yummy coconut tea and be happy with it instead of being surprised and unhappy.
Post-Steep Additives: German rock sugar, I always love sweeter things for dessert.
Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/teas-etc-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea-mango.html
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none
Water: hot water spigot, 1 mug full
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: I forgot to check
Steeped Tea Smell: floral, fruity, vegetal
Flavor: bitter, vegetal
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: translucent green-yellow
Perhaps should have let the water cool longer? Maybe steeped less time?
I got it as part of a sampler so I can’t tweak it for better results but I am confident it could have been a 2/4
Post-Steep Additives: none
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/mighty-leaf-teabag-green-tea-green-tea.html
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 2 teabags
Additives: none
Water: filtered boiling 10 ounce mug
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes, but then I kept the bags in
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: sweet, floral, berry
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, berry
Flavor: hibiscus! sweet, tart
MilitiaJim: natural sweet tarts candy
Body: Full
Aftertaste: sweet and tart
Liquor: deep dark red
We stopped in Wegman’s grocery store on our quest for just born jellybeans (couldn’t find them, ended up buying a case online). While there we went to the tea isle and these were on sale! 6.99 a piece. MilitiaJim (reasonably) limited me to only one. Since I had already tried one of them, and had a sample of one other I went for this one.
And apparently I missed my mouth and am wearing some, on my white shirt, I do not think these spots are going to come out.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Today we have made; 1 travel mug w/2 bags, 2 mugs w/2 bags each, 1 large pitcher w/16 bags+8 cups hot water+some ice
I think this is excellent, Although I enjoy the added flavor (pineapple lychee) more, this might be an excellent additive/mixer tea.
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/republic-of-tea-company-teabag-herbal.html
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 tsp (recommended 1.5 tsp per 8 ounces)
Additives: none
Water: 8 oz / 1 zarafina cup
Tool: Zarafina black-loose-medium
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: sweet, fruity, floral, vanilla, delicious
Steeped Tea Smell: earl grey
Flavor: earl grey
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: none
Liquor: translucent medium brown
I should have added a bit more leaf, but I was too excited and didn’t read the directions before I began.
It came out as a very decent earl grey, nothing too different from the normal (creamy or otherwise) I could detect. It was a bit on the mild side and I wonder if using strong instead of medium would have served the tea better?
It was only a sample, and I split my samples with my mom, so no fiddling with this one for me. There are plenty more earl greys that are more unique and I would prefer for me to worry about revising the preparation of this one.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Resteep: Zarafina black-loose-medium
Weak but serviceable cup of tea
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/thenecessiteas-loose-leaf-black-tea.html
Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Additives: none
Water: 22 oz filtered boiling
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Very sweet and vaguely nutty
Steeped Tea Smell: black tea, nutty
Flavor: bitter, astringent, black tea, some sweet nutty at the end of each sip
Body: Medium/Full can’t decide
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: barely translucent dark brown
This was a huge and generous gift from Lori via the take it away thread.
I love hazelnut, so sniffing this tea makes me happy.
WOW that is some strong tea, next time I am brewing it much shorter!
It has yummy morning wake up black tea potential (shorter steep, some milk and sugar)
Post-Steep Additives: sugar, a bit better, could have used some milk
I am fully confident I will like this tea at least as a 50% once I fiddle with it
Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/adagio-teas-loose-leaf-black-tea.html
Reminder, 0-25=BLEH 25-50=ok, will drink but not ordering 50-75=would order if already buying from somewhere and can add to order, or if it’s there in the store nearby 75-100=LOVE
Preparation
Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Additives: none
Water: 2 zarafina cups filtered water
Tool: Zarafina white-loose-medium
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: like honeydew milk boba tea
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal, like honeydew milk boba tea, flowery
Flavor: slightly bitter, astringent but melon
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: translucent light orange
I should try a mild steep and / or less leaf next time.
The tea came in a black plastic sealed bag inside the tin. When I dumped it into the tin I noticed a pollen like fluffy residue in the bag. I wonder if this is a white tea attribute?
Post-Steep Additives: none, but was thinking about some sugar
Resteep: just as strong as the first steep
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/teas-etc-loose-leaf-white-tea-honeydew.html
co-workers love this tea
My Teas Etc. golden monkey had a lot of pollen yellow residue too (like yellow dust).
it’s weird to have fluffy dusty tea – i wonder if the fluff has flavor?
Maybe the fluff is leaf-hairs. White tea (or tea with lots of young, hairy buds) has more of them than almost any other kind. You can see them in the liquid, too, because they escape the infuser.
@Dax I think you are right, it’s sooooo fluffy
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 tsp
Additives: none
Water: 1 zarafina cup
Tool: Zarafina Black-Loose-Medium
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Sweet, Fruit
Steeped Tea Smell: Fruity, apricot
Flavor: Slight astringency, Apricot black tea
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: Translucent light brown
Steepster Traveling Teabox Tea
Reminds me of Eastern Shore Tea Company Teabag Black Tea ‘Spiced Apricot’
It is a good tea, but not something I want again, I had a very large stash of apricot tea and am quite over it.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Resteep: Just as strong
Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/disney-wonderland-tea-loose-leaf-black.html
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none
Water: 6 ounces, filtered, boiling
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: pineapple, sweet, hint of lychee, didn’t’ notice the hibiscus
Steeped Tea Smell: pineapple, hibiscus, perhaps a hint of lychee
Flavor: sweet, pineapple, hibiscus
Body: Full
Aftertaste: lychee, but the canned kind not fresh
Liquor: deep dark red
Today was a day to come home to a happy surprise, some hibiscus tea from Meghann M. The package smelled fabulous as soon as I opened it.
I had to have some, and I had to have it NOW!
This was a good choice.
Post-Steep Additives: none, it was sweet enough!
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/republic-of-tea-teabag-herbal-tea.html
Preparation
Between you and MeghannM’s reviews I might have to cave and buy this!
If you’d like to try some I can send you a few bags. I also have the Lime if you’re interested in that too. Really good flavor and I’d be happy to share.
EWWWW. I would love to try them both!! Thanks MeghannM :) I looked for this today at World Market that have quite a few ROT teas but not this one;(
I will send some out to you Friday or Saturday!
Thanks MeghannM!!
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 tsp
Additives: none
Water: 1 zarafina cup
Tool: Zarafina green-loose-mild
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vegetation from a garden with fresh cherries, not the fake ones
Steeped Tea Smell: lightly grassy lightly cherry
Flavor: weak weak vegetal and cherry
Body: Light
Aftertaste: none
Liquor: nearly clear watery green
I was so sad, I had been so excited.
You see a long time ago I fell in love with the “Memoirs of a Geisha” spring cherry green from ROT. Then of course they stopped having it. I was not the tea addict I was now, and so I just sullenly sought out other cherry greens (teavana etc).
Then I decided to ask ROT, and they promptly let me know Spring Cherry was the same tea!
SoccerMom had found some after my fruitless searches (I didn’t want enough tea to make a full order with free shipping).
When it arrived I was ecstatic. The next morning I woke up and made some (this is a backlog, sorry I have been busy). I am not a morning person and I woke up extra early just for this.
A song ran through my mind:
My blood runs cold, my memory has just been sold
My angel is a centerfold
Angel is a centerfold
Oh misery oh sadness, was it ever delicious, was I deluding myself?
Well it wasn’t bitter so perhaps I should resteep stronger.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Resteep: Zarafina 1 c green-loose-medium
SUCCESS
Next time I need to start with medium on this tea.
Light vegetal taste and a low presence of cherry, real cherries not fake cherries. I would like them stronger, but every green cherry tea I have tried that was stronger the cherries were sickly sweet fake.
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/republic-of-tea-loose-leaf-green-tea.html
Steep Information:
Amount: 4 tsp if I had followed directions it would have been 3
Additives: none
Water:22 ounces filtered boiling, but then sat for a little as we sniffed quizzically
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: It smells, just like a pbj sandwich
Steeped Tea Smell: Strawberry rooibos
Flavor: Rooibos, hint of strawberry, Militiajim found the hint of PB but it’s hiding from me still
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: Sweet
Liquor: Dark reddish-brown translucent
Perhaps I need to steep it longer?
Last night I drank a coconut custard pie, and tonight I drank a PBJ. I think I have a drinking problem (j/k) ;-)
Post-Steep Additives: none
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/52teas-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea-pbj.html
Preparation
A hint of strawberry?!?! Did Frank purchase way too many strawberries so he decided to drop a bit in this as well?
well they did come out in quick succession so i am betting he decided to place a larger order and do both at the same time?
I forgot that this had strawberry (the way I like my pbj) and not grape (the way my husband likes pbj). I may have to order this one!
I am currently downing in tea, want me to send some PBJ your way tomorrow morning – there still seems to be enough left, you might be able to try some before buying a whole thing?
I should clarify-there seems to be enough left at 52teas (unlike the run on strawberry matcha)
Thanks for sending some my way even though I seem to have missed this post!
And the pretty china teacup is back! : )
:) I am seriously trying to get it clean, and dry, and swap for one of the other pretty ones…but i keep forgetting (i have one in my fiance’s clan plaid!)
Hmmm a 50 that’s disappointing. You know I do love coconut though so this might not be a bad thing.
I think the 50 is more because we were disappointed in the lack of mango…but not as good as coconut custard for sure-stick to that one (yumyum)
So I am to keep pushing coconut custard right? LOL
YES Step 1 get everyone addicted, then step 2..?…, step 3 PROFIT! gotta figure out that middle step first
Step 2 could be keeping drinking coconut custard ourselves!! I know that in Scarface we learned your not suppose to “get high on your own supply” but since I’m pretty positive AL Pacino wasn’t referring to tea this rule does not apply.
I’m revisiting this post and thought ’what’s a mango nut’???? They have these huge seed pods, don’t they? I think I am losing it…. What really is a mango nut?
yea about 1/3 of the fruit is the big seed thing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango
you have to peel the skin, then slice off the fruit, or get messy, one or the other