24 Tasting Notes
REALLY SWEET! But I can’t deny that I enjoyed it. If I didn’t know it packed a lot of calories, I would have had an immediate second cup. It was fast, simple, and fragrant (as a chai should be!). Still, I think it will probably be too sweet for some people, but I have a sweet tooth from years of drinking those awful flavored coffees from fast food chains. I will definitely want to keep this in my cupboard and try other products from Oregon Chai!
Preparation
Strange… and strangely sexy! I have been obsessed with rose scents since I got hooked on Lush’s Rose Jam perfume a while back, so I have been looking for something sweet and rosy to sip as well. You get a distinct rose perfume from this but it is still VERY herbal (well… duh!). It’s a good balance and I did enjoy it, but I doubt I will find myself reaching for this often since I have other rose teas on hand I need to try. Still looking for the perfect sweet rose jam tea to sip while I take Rose Jam bubbleroon baths (LUSHies KNOW.) – let me know if it’s out there!
Preparation
Writing this as I sip my first brew and wait for the resteep… if you watch How I Met Your Mother then you know what I mean when I say this is how I imagined a Thankstini to taste! Dry, it smells lovely. It is a beautiful looking blend and produces a beautiful color! I used boiling water and steeped for 5 min, per the instructions. Upon tasting, I get overwhelmed by the scent of sage and then the tartness of (too much) hibiscus hits my tongue. I tried adding a little agave in an attempt to bring out the blueberry. Not a huge improvement but it isn’t necessarily bad. I am sensitive to sage so to me this smells like a box of Stove Top stuffing (mixed with tart “berry”, hence the Thankstini reference!). I really want to like this so I am giving it another chance; hopefully the resteep will give me what I want.
Preparation
Holy cherry cough syrup, Batman! Apricot Amaretto is the first of the Herbal Retreat single steeps sampler that I’ve tried – and since I’m talking firsts, it is my FIRST EVER LOOSE LEAF BREW and this, well, is my first Steepster review! I’ve been a fan of tea for about a decade and only recently got into truly expanding my tastes and my knowledge of the art of tea. Anyway, back to the tea: I normally love anything almondy, amaretto scented or flavored. That said, I was appalled at my first whiff of the dry tea. Total cherry cold medicine smell. I brewed it with boiled water for five minutes and while it retained its fragrance, I can’t really TASTE anything. I added some agave and still… MEH. Can’t imagine icing this will help much. Now I have two single steeps left I will probably never use!
