DeKalb County Farmer's Market

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Recent Tasting Notes

92

I cut through the woods to the farmer’s market today (to see if I could — never again, though, it was briars the entire way) and couldn’t resist. Anyway, I had just finished their darjeeling and felt I needed something new.

This is a good, strong Ceylon with most of the raspberry flavor in the finish. Then again, I’m having it iced. So experiences may vary. The scent of the leaves reminds me of raspberry flavored Tootsie Pops. (But in a good way.) The Ceylon’s flavor and bitterness keeps it from being too candy-like.

This is one of my first raspberry teas and I am liking it very, very much. It’s going to be a staple this summer, I think. I’ll have a picture up tomorrow, once I have some sunlight.

Preparation
Iced 5 min, 0 sec
Winter Salo

wow…. I know you said it wasn’t the best way there but that’s like my dream – strolling through the woods to a cute little market where they sell my favourite tea. Darn suburbs and their lack of woods and markets. Now I’m hankering to go on holiday.

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74

This a pleasant Assam. The packages I have bought are marked organic. I have bought it several times, and the flavor and quality have been consistent.

This is not a complex tea. It is smooth, hint of maltiness, a lovely dark, rich taste. Takes milk very well. Would be pleasant mixed with another smooth, more complex tea.

I really enjoy this one. Has a bit of a splurge taste, a thickness that I find very nice.

If I remember correctly it was $9.50 per pound, plus taxes.

I use two rounded teaspoons of tea for just under four cups of filtered, purified water. Water is boiled in stainless steel over gas flame. Steeping time: 4:30. It might hold up to a tad longer steeping time.

To me, this one is good enough to give as a present, if the other person knows it is a daily, or almost daily tea, not an extraordinary tea. It is very nice to have an inexpensive Assam available at a place where one buys the weekly groceries. (I wouldn’t drive across town merely for the tea.)

ETA on August 26, 2011: This tea leaves a residue, not only in the teapot and tea cups, but on my teeth. As nice as it is to drink, I have stopped drinking it, because it is so hard to clean the tea stains off my teeth.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec
Tabby

I’m working my way through their tea selection, too! I’ve been meaning to try their plain Assam. I enjoyed the vanilla, so I’m sure it’s good on its own…

Silver

Hi, Tabby. :) If someone enjoys flavored teas, I think the plain Assam might have enough richness and body that it wouldn’t taste too plain. I don’t drink flavored teas, so can’t say much more.

I bought more of the Assam recently, and it is just as nice as the first few “batches” I bought.

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69

This is a clean-tasting tea, bit of almost citrus-like layer on top of the taste. It is nice with a tiny bit of lemon juice in it. To me, it doesn’t have enough body or strong undertones for milk. It isn’t good enough to savor plain.

The flavor is not multi-faceted. It is enjoyable, for what it is.

The bulk teas at DeKalb Farmer’s Market are packed in plastic containers, exposed to light. Plastic is permeable, so the flavor of the tea is continually lost through the plastic, and other smells get in. I put their teas into glass jars stored in a cupboard, immediately.

The price is comparable to loose Lipton at a grocery store. The quality of the tea is only a tiny bit higher.

It is a pleasant, useful, ordinary tea.

I use filtered, purified water. Boiled in stainless steel over gas flame. Two, rounded teaspoons of tea leaves for just under four cups of water. Steeping time: 4:30. I preheat two pots. One for the steeping, and then strain it into the pot I use for serving.

I like that I am not paying for a brand name or expensive packaging. The quality and taste have been consistent over the last six months.

It is an enjoyable tea, if one knows that it is basically a grocery-store tea. Much nicer than the store-brand, tea bags on the lower shelves at grocery stores, but nothing really special.

Editing to add, on August 26, 2011: Have been drinking this tea black as a substitute for the Assam. I use circa 1.5 tsps. for 3.5 cups water. It is pleasant and smooth, and it doesn’t stain my teeth like the Assam does.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec

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10

I had such high hopes for this tea. But now I feel like I shouldn’t have even wasted the sugar on it. It’s awful. There’s no way around it. It reminds me of some kind of terrible floral and orange scented floor wax. Also, my tea does not match the tea in the picture. There are no petals or bits of dried fruit to be found. I’m glad I only paid $1.75 for this.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 15 sec

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84

Made a pot tonight to share. It’s not the French vanilla taste I’m looking for, but it’s still good. I like it, and I like blending it with my other teas. It’s not a creamy vanilla… more like the coconutty vanilla. Or like a sugar cookie. Either way, this is my breakfast every now and then and I’ll probably buy it again out of convenience.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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84

Second review. I went with my chai idea this morning and was pleased with the result. Nothing about it clashed, and the vanilla managed to stay strong against the chai spices. I added sugar and a splash of milk. Will do it again, I’m sure.

I also want to mention that while I was at a convention with Kaliska, who will be joining us shortly on Steepster, we brewed this double-strong in the hotel room. I poured it over ice with just a little sugar and Stoli Vanil vodka. The result toned down the vodka’s bite and added black tea’s pleasant bitterness, all the while being almost overwhelmingly vanilla. While I liked it more than I should have, haha, I think I would adjust the tea/vodka ratio just a little.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
SimplyJenW

Mmmm. Tea and booze. Sign me up!

LefTea

Yea, I think you’re going to have to share with the rest of the class!

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84

I couldn’t help picking this up on my last trip to the Farmer’s Market. I had my eye on it the last time I visited and my curiosity hadn’t left me alone.

The first thing I noticed about this tea is how black the leaves are. I believe this is an Assam, as it is very bold and strong. (And I think I read that on its shelf label, but I was distracted.) The vanilla scent hits me as soon as I open the container. It’s like a slightly fruity cupcake. The flavor does not go lightly with the vanilla, either. It reminds me a lot of Adagio’s vanilla black, but I also taste notes of cocoa, coconut, and figs.

I recommend against brewing this any longer than five minutes, as I said before, it’s very strong and could become exceedingly bitter. Also, I can tell this is going to be a fun tea to experiment with. A scoop mixed into my chai would probably be decadent.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 15 sec

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91

Made a tall glass of this over ice tonight. It gains a sort of apricot flavor when it’s cold. I’m not really sure how that works, but that’s what I taste. And it’s not a bad thing. Like I’ve said before, this tea works beautifully iced.

Preparation
Iced 4 min, 30 sec

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91

Came on to note that this tea is great iced, and that I will probably be drinking a lot of it this summer. It took forever just to get to this point, however. Does anybody know where this crippling lag is coming from? ::nudges Steepster::

Preparation
Iced 4 min, 30 sec

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91

Having another big cup after sleeping in. Smooth and lightly floral, but still rich. This is going to be my staple tea once I run out of Plum, I think. It’s so unbelievably inexpensive, but so good at the same time. I seriously paid like $3 for six ounces. It’s like a dream.

I love the random bright green leaves I find in this blend.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec

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91

Backlogging from last night — made another two cups of this tea as I went along with my evening. I’m not the least bit tired of it, even after chain-drinking it. The second pot was made with less leaf, since the first cup was very sharp. (3 and a half teaspoons per batch was too much. 2 and a third was perfect.) This improved it greatly.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec

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91

Hello, new love! I’ve really enjoyed darjeelings in the past, but I feel like I’ve stumbled upon a very good one.

The flavor is unique from other black teas I’ve tried in both scent and taste. The muscatel is not entirely up front, but it’s definitely there and interesting. Like muscadine grapes almost. It remains on my tongue when I exhale after taking a sip. There’s something floral in it as well, something that makes me think of spring. I imagine delicate leaves on a newly sprouted plant when I taste it. Very woodsy.

This is by no means a mellow tea, though. It is a little on the sharp side, but I like that. I look forward to many mornings started with a tall mug of this.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec

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88

Alright, so I had my biggest tea fail ever with this tea yesterday morning.

But I learned a valuable lesson. Milk cannot go in the utiliTea. Nor can half-milk, half-water mixtures. But, as things usually go with me, I learned the hard way. Not two minutes after I put it on to boil, I heard a strange hissing and bubbling. Suddenly foam began pouring out of my kettle and onto everything on the counters like a frothy volcano. Keep in mind that the white fluff was BOILING HOT, thus difficult to clean up.

I panicked and unplugged the kettle, holding it over the sink as it cooled enough to stop erupting. I actually used the remaining liquid and made the chai anyway, and luckily the cleanup didn’t make me late for work.

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 0 sec
Caitlin

I always considered trying that out. I’m glad I never did. I hope your utiliTea is okay!

Jillian

Yikes! Milk tends to boil much more easily than water so it needs to be stirred a lot and watched carefully, I’ve found (the hard way).

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88

Four teaspoons in like 8 ounces of water with a splash of 2% milk. A little more than a teaspoon of sugar as well, to combat the black tea’s sharp bitterness. This is pale in comparison to the cup of Masala chai I had the other night. But it would make a good standby in lean times.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 15 sec

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88

Made a strong cup today with about four teaspoons of leaf. I added sugar and 2% milk after a long steep and enjoyed it in my new glass mug.

I’m mostly trying to get through it now because I have an unopened bag of Arbor Teas’ Masala Chai sitting in my cupboard begging me to open it, thanks to Kaliska. Although I like this chai blend, the Arbor Teas one is superior.

I think the black tea/spices ratio is just a little off. When I measure it out into my infuser, sometimes I get a scoop that is almost entirely spices and only a little actual black tea leaf, even when I give the container a good shake.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 15 sec
Smoochety

Drank some black tea with chai spice mixed in today as well! Sounds like we have the same tastes ;)

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88

Gave this a good long steep this morning while I was getting ready for work. Let me tell you, I did it up RIGHT.

I used about six teaspoons in my 16 oz. ingenuiTea, which made it a little scary to look at, but after milk and sugar, it was delicious. I was so happy to have it in a to-go cup on my way to work, zooming down Ponce De Leon with A Place To Bury Strangers blasting. Screw spending $4 on a cup from Starbucks, especially when I can make it better than they do. <3

Preparation
Boiling 7 min, 15 sec
Alannah

Tea at Starbucks is pretty much pointless in my opinion! I always make it better than they do too. ;)

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88

You guys have no idea how thrilled I am to discover this place’s tea section! All the loose leaf teas are like 3 dollars apiece and you get about six ounces! I am probably not going to order any teas online for a while since I have this right around the corner… it’s almost too good to be true. There are so many to try!!

This is wonderful chai. I knew I was going to love it when I opened the container and was hit by the strong spices. They translate just as well into the tea, but without it being so much that it burns. I’m tasting clove and ginger the most, followed by cinnamon and cardamom. Mmm. I can’t wait to try this with half and half. It will be decadent.

I also can’t wait to experiment with steeping times. The Ceylon remained mellow after almost six minutes, so that’s a good sign.

EDIT: I took a picture and added it, since the official website didn’t have anything.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 45 sec

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80

A great iced tea in a 1:2 part mix with Khumbu Green from The Tea Table:
http://steepster.com/Cait/posts/43343

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80

One of my new purchases from the trip — Your DeKalb Farmer’s Market (which is neither a farmer’s market nor mine but which is in DeKalb, so I guess it’s okay) carries bulk Ceylon Black tea in a variety of flavorings. I picked up Orange and Peach.

During the trip I mug-brewed this one, and this was (unsurprisingly) deeply bitter but (surprisingly) deeply flavorful as well: I would have expected the long steep to cause the tea to override the orange, but it didn’t. In fact, on a more “proper” two minute steep this morning, the orange didn’t really come out enough until I steeped it a second time and added some honey. This is leading me to believe that it may be an excellent iced tea, so I shall have to experiment!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec

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75

still loving this tea. I’ve had a container of this for quite a while- no loss of flavor or color. yum.

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75

Strong Currant flavor. Good mid-morning energy booster.

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25

Not my favorite. The mango lingers a bit. A little astringent for my taste. Perhaps I brewed it too hot…

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