Herbal Infusions

I also received this as a sample from Herbal Infusions. The dry leaf smells very sweet and a lot like cheesecake. Once again, the amount contained in the sample was so close to being my normal amount of tea that I was able to use the normal amount of water. Once brewed, the smell is not as sweet and morphs into a cheesecake crust scent. It is very bakey and it tastes mainly of cheesecake crust with a hint of cherry cheesecake filling following. I think this is a very good dessert tea, I added a splash of milk and all the flavors held up nicely. I could see myself drinking this again, but I’m not sure if it falls into the “I have to get this” category. I will have to see if the second steep is good and that may change my mind.

Another free sample; 1.1g in 4oz seemed to work fine. Well flavored black tea- fruity, sweet, smooth enough to drink plain. Would probably be tasty iced. 2nd steep at 5 minutes is equally good. If I wanted a grapey/winey black tea on hand, I would happily buy this, but it’s not quite spectacular enough to have me putting in an order right now.

I was thinking that the leaves looked a lot different from most oolongs I’ve had and then I read on the description here that this is a mix of oolong, black and green tea. Holy infusion temperature/steeping time confusion, Batman! Out of an abundance of caution I’m going to start with an infusion on the short side.

There’s a shortcakey smell to the dry leaves which must be the “hints of berry jam.” The other scent I’m getting is more spice than floral. Let’s see how it steeps up.

Tawny color, with hues of orange from the black tea and green from the green tea and yellow from the oolong. It smells like berries!

The taste is interesting. It’s got a thicker mouthfeel than I expected, with a moderate amount of astringency. The black tea is pretty prominent in the taste, but I can parse out the oolong as well. It adds a dab of butter, and is no doubt responsible for the softness. The green. Hmm. Yeah, I do think I can detect that too. It’s a fresh, higher note. The berry hops around a bit. It’s not a strong, uniform flavor, but it does pop up in the aftertaste like a little starburst of sweet fruit. The tea didn’t change much through three infusions and the berry flavor was present throughout.

It’s unusual and I appreciate its ambition. I enjoyed drinking it. It isn’t immediately grabbing me by the collar and shouting that I must order it, but it isn’t outside of the realm of possibility. I just want to shop around a bit first, maybe try that raspberry oolong Angrboda likes so much and some others before I commit.

I think that this second steep is better than the first because there is less of the burnt popcorn quality and more of a toasty note. The sencha is still quite buttery and delicious. I can’t wait to try other versions of genmaicha including the ones with added matcha…

When I received my generous free samples from Herbal Infusions in the mail yesterday, all I’ve been able to think about is this genmaicha. I requested this sample just because I’ve never had genmaicha and since I am a cautious tea buyer (I want to know that I at least enjoy that particular type of tea before purchasing it) I figured this would be a good way to try it for the first time. I have high hopes for this because I tend to like the toasty notes I have experienced in tea and have liked all the Japanese greens I have tried thus far. In my experience, however limited, Chinese greens are way too vegetal for me and Japanese greens tend to be sweeter, grassy, and sometimes buttery smooth. Although after reading through tasting notes on Steepster, it seems that the general consensus opposite of what my tastings have been in relation to taste of Chinese vs. Japanese greens.

Anyway, enough rambling, on to this actual tea. I have to say that the dry leaf is very cute with the little popcorn like pieces. The dry scent was mostly toasty..which is to be expected I suppose. The sample was slightly under the 2 teaspoons that I usually use when making tea, but it was close enough that I used my normal amount of water. After steeping, I’m a bit concerned about this burnt popcorn scent I am getting. I don’t mind the scent and it isn’t a total deal breaker or anything, but I am afraid that the burnt aspect is going to carry over to the taste. This is actually pretty good. The taste begins as a great, not grassy, slightly sweet and almost buttery green. It then morphs between a toasted quality and slightly burnt popcorn (in a good, tasty way). It is almost a meal by itself but I am having it with lunch. I will make my final decision after I see how this tastes at 2nd and possibly 3rd steeps, but I think that I DO like genmaicha and would be interested to see how other companies’ versions stack up against this initial experience.

On a side note: When creating this tea entry here on Steepster, for some reason it made 2 separate entries…sorry.

Second of my samples.

What makes this Long Island? (No idea).

I made my wee sample with about half the amount of water I’ve been using for the GM samples.

First surprise, the dry leaves smell nicely fruity. No cough syrup or any such oddness. I had a tiny dried strawberry and two tiny bits of papaya in my sample. Second surprise, the aroma of the steeped tea is vague but sweet and nice. The color is just barely yellow.

Third and last surprise, this is a pretty good flavored green tea. This from someone who has only met 1.5 flavored green teas she’s actually liked well enough to reorder. It is pretty delicate, and not quite as robust a flavor as I’d like, but it’s not what I call thin. I think this is 100% attributable to the strawberry which adds a fruity sweetness to the taste that gives it (shut my mouth) the beginnings of character, something mostly absent in flavored green teas I’ve tasted.

It isn’t quite enough to get me over the hump to ordering it, but I think those who like fruity green teas should give it a whirl.

Got my Samples from Herbal Infusions today! They’re just big enough for one small cup each (and in cute tiny bags), but hey – free! I used ~1g with 3oz water. The package smelled divine, mostly from this one and the Scottish Caramel Pu-Erh, I think. The leaves are kinda small and dusty on this one, but I think part of that is from the long shipping/tiny quantity. This tasted a bit harsh for my taste plain, but was pretty sweet and creamy with milk. The maple flavor is strong, but I can still taste the black tea underneath. Might buy!

My samples arrived! This is the first I’m trying since I have water at 175 right now, which frankly may even be a little too hot for this.

I’m making half a cup of tea as the samples are small. Not knocking them, they were free, just ‘splainin’.

Very green leaves, very peachy smell. Very light yellowish liquor. Peach aroma, and some buttery vegetal notes. Having just come off a very intense jasmine experience with the Numi Monkey King Jasmine Green, I’m not getting any floral notes here.

I taste the sencha, and a tiny bit of peach which is most obvious in the finish. The jasmine is MIA. The flavor is pleasant but too thin for my taste. At least it isn’t bitter.

I am really trying to find flavored greens that speak to me and I will keep trying, though I have a feeling it will be an uphill battle. I enjoy greens, but I’ve yet to enjoy a flavored one other than the Samovar Moorish Mint as much as I enjoy them in their unadulterated state.

My first thought upon opening the envelope with the samples was, “Darn, there’s only enough in here for a small cup, better make this count.” So I pulled out the 8oz cup I usually use for oolongs, slipped the leaves into a unbleached filter bag, and poured the boiling water over the bag (in the cup of course).

The liquor was a lovely deep cognac-amber and smelled like fresh bread spread with blueberry or black currant jam. I didn’t have the description in front of me so I had no idea what was in it other than black tea and bergamot. I definitely tasted the bergamot and something floral and a bit of fruit. I think I might have over-steeped because there was definitely an astringent finish to this. Unfortunately with only enough leaf in the sample for one cup there’s no way for me to tell short of ordering the tea.

I must say it was much better than my experience with regular Earl Grey.

I have to admit that I have been on a bit of a coffee kick as of late…usually having a cup every other day or so in the morning. In an effort to eat healthier I have cut out the coffee but surprisingly this chai has filled that gap quite nicely!

I tend to brew my chai a little differently though (hey, I think it tastes great). Usually I throw it on the stove top the night before, bring it to a simmer and let it do its thing for 10-15 minutes. I then chill and repeat in the morning to get a really strong brew and add some almond milk and a splash of agave nectar. Yum!

BTW, the subtle jasmine is refreshing and really rounds out this chai tea.

A very short list of ingredients but this tea has an incredible depth to its flavor profile. Fresh 2nd cut peppermint and lavender are blended for a soothing cup. I have been drinking this blend religiously since we started blending it and it never gets boring. When I can’t make up my mind on what to brew its one of those simple pleasures that never fail to satisfy me – especially at night!