Janet's Special Teas

Additional notes: This one is so delicious, yes I’m having it this soon after the last time. Now it’s gone! A delicious sample that has my eye on Janet’s Special Teas. I also finished Nature’s Tea Leaf’s Lavender Pu-erh. That is another one I will miss. But sipdowns are a good thing!

I received an awesome tea sale package from MissB. Thanks so much! So many goodies. :D I went with this little surprise first last night. PLUM?!?! There is definitely a nice floral plum flavor here, it’s actually pretty strong after only a minute steep. I can’t even really tell this is rooibos. It’s just plum… I’d name it “sugar plum”. So nice to get some plum flavor for once. The second steep was even more plum! I only have a teaspoon left of this one, but it sure fits a plum craving when there aren’t actual plums lying about. And it’s ORGANIC. Awesome.
Steep #1 // 1 tsp // few minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 2-3 minute steep

This tea is confusing me!!! Minty and nutty and coconut and… bah!
At first it was so flat that I couldn’t taste much of anything at all except the brazil nuts. Not impressed. So I added some sugar and apparently too much. Only half of a teaspoon! Sheesh. Now it’s all super strong mint and coconut and I don’t know what else… but something else too.
Now I do think I like it. I’m just not sure how much! somewhere in between a 75 and 85?

When I got this one right it was simply amazing. Two out of half a dozen steeps tasted of a potent raspberry infused honey. Nectar of the gods.

While this was also good the other four times, the couple of awesome experiences set the bar really high and made me envious every time it didn’t turn out like that. It was often just not enough raspberry, or not enough honey, or a little too much black tea astringency.

Amariel/Plunkybug recommended this one, and now I’m hooked.. although it sometimes feels a little like gambling as the flavours aren’t always consistent. Raspberries and honey make me weak.

A relaxing start to what will soon become a busy day of shopping, cleaning, and prepping for tomorrow’s belated Easter brunch. I absolutely love this tea, a gift from my dear tea friend Plunkybug, and will be checking the website soon to see if Janet’s Special Teas will ship to the US now that my prized stash is gone. This is perfect for breakfast, in my opinion; a solid black tea that hits the spot every single time.

This tea smells incredible! There is actually a fruitiness here that is so strong and mouthwatering. It smells like strawberries to me. Is that right? It’s at least like other berry black teas I’ve had.

The liquid was dark almost immediately after I poured the water over. The color is red, a deep mahogany. The tea is brisk and just has so much flavor. It’s exceptionally rich and layered.

Second Steep
8 ounces water + 200 degrees + 6 minutes

This cup is lighter and not as flavorful as the first. It’s not bad, but I’m not sure it’s worth the second steep.

Thank you so much to Plunkybug for sending me some of this to try! I hope there is a way to get this from Canada to the U.S. because I need more!

In one of our first meetups, OMGsrsly got me hooked on black currant flavoured things. Now every time I see them listed in teas I can’t resist picking up some.

This particular rooibos doesn’t quite live up to my expectations, but it’s still enjoyable. I just want more specific black currant and less dry and fruity-berry rooibos.

The only other ice wine tea I’ve had was a white base and I didn’t care for it much. I think the sweet fermented grapes benefit from the fuller body of the black tea base here. It’s crazy easy to drink, hot or cool.

I kind of like this one! It’s green, it contains tangy limes, and there is something dessert-like and almost creamy about it. Many happy meringue and key lime pie vibes, at least with this session. It reminds me a little of 52Teas’ Lime Jello Salad tea, and the Lime Gelato from David’s Tea.

This would potentially make a good iced batch, but if I tried that I’d only have one serving left instead of two..

Sooooo I got a sample of this when I was in Victoria, and it was the first tea I could steep with hot water that I pulled out of the BIN OF DOOM (seriously, so many samples).

It’s really good! Of course, I have a bunch of milk in it, so YMMV. But I really like the flavour!

I’m sending the rest off to Sil, but this is definitely something I need to revisit.

(2.5 tsp, 16 oz, 195F, 3 minutes.)

I have some of this and the rest is going into the box for Sil la la la…

I added milk, but IDK that I should have. I just LOVE milk in my tea. It smells nicely fruity, with low levels of rooibos woodiness.

It’s lovely, actually. Not sure I’d want a lot, but I am quite enjoying this large mug! Nice and fruity. Sweet-ish. Not too floral. I’m glad I picked up a sample!

I think I like this one better than Bumbleberry, but the berry flavour isn’t quite as rich as the “Grandma’s Fruit Garden” tea I hold in my memories. :)

I’ll have to get some and compare.

Still, this is a good juice tea. Definitely sweet-tart berries. More sweet than tart.

Cold brew overnight.

New tea! Cold brewed for a couple of days because I forgot about it in the back of the fridge.

It’s yummy. I get a lot of strawberry from it, which is nice.

Also, hi! I’m not around much at all due to busy, but hi!

The cherry flavouring in this rooibos crosses all cherry territories, including my favourite cherry blasters and actual cherries. Tart hibiscus and goji are extremely subtle. When I do pick up on those two ingredients, they add a layer of depth the otherwise syrupy sweet cherry profile.

Bear With Me recommended this in the store and I’m glad I was easily persuaded. This is my favourite go to tisane in the evening right now; it tastes so “red.”

I had this earlier today, and it was a nice, mild green tea, with a mellow mango taste. Neither taste dominated the cup, though maybe the mango was a little stronger, but not by much. It was a nice cup, and I will probably make one more before sending the rest of my sample to a friend of mine.

Backlog…not my favourite rooibos, and not as good as the plum, but definitely not bad either.

Backlog—-this is a nice light green, with a mellow berry taste. Nothing too tart or overpowering.

Taken with milk, although it doesn’t need it; the tea is creamy enough on its own and the rest of the flavouring is light.

I would’ve preferred a heavier dosage of bergamot, or a brighter, citrus-y base. It does deliver on the vanilla cream puff front, however. I just wish there was more action, which I probably don’t need for paper writing anyways!

Delicious. Would drink again.

Visit with a dear friend this weekend.

One of my best friends from college came to stay with us this weekend. It was non-stop from start to finish but I loved every minute. It’s amazing how easy it is to fall back into an old friendship, even after not having seen each other in a while.

This is the last of my stash for this tea and, while I enjoy it, there are others I like more. The spice is standing out to me today but no coconut or chocolate.

There isn’t much tea left in my pouch – it’s mostly coconut and spices – so I left this to steep a little longer today. I only have another teaspoon or so left of this blend. I can taste the spices but no chocolate or coconut really.

Second Steep
8 ounces water + 212 degrees + 12 minutes

The second cup is not that great actually. It’s watered down. I can still taste some of the spices though.