Secret Garden Tea Company

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Recent Tasting Notes

82

Eek, I don’t think I’ve ever been the first to review! I guess because this is a local tea, not many have tried.

I bought this last year from Secret Garden tea shoppe, which is a small, cute shop in central Vancouver, popular for high-tea. They sell a lot of tea, many of which have tasty sounding names….but few reviews, so hard to know if their stuff is tasty. They also have 100 gram minimum, quite a lot of tea, if you end up not liking it.

Anyway, I bought “Christmas spice” black tea last year, and only had one, totally forgettable cup. Tonight I brewed 2 tsps in my Davids steeper ( quite full ) for about 5 minutes ( no instructions on the bag). I prepped hot frothed milk in my Breville milk frother. I keep the frother in the freezer, so it has to spin for quite a while to heat the milk, and really makes a ton of lovely foam, which I used to make a big frothy latte.

This tea is better than I remember. Not too strong ( I would have liked a bit more spicy kick) but it tastes like a nice Christmas spice. Kind of like eggnog spice, I get some nutmeg. Next time I will sprinkle some cinnamon on top, or maybe get some cinnamon stir sticks which might nicely kick up the flavour. I am burning a new candle, pumpkin gingerbread, and the scent is really complementary to this tea.

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I made a mistake with this one. I read the ingredient list before tasting it – vanilla, bergamot, jasmine – kind of a wow in my head. So I had already made up my mind what this would taste like. The cup itself is a ruby orange brew. It has a light vanilla scent. The taste is light vanilla with a pleasant black base. It is probably Ceylon but has no bitterness. It is kind of drying so have it with a snack. I had no desire to add sweetener. The bergamot is a very light touch and only serves to round out the cup. Sounds great, but I found myself disappointed searching for the jasmine. I just cannot pull it out of the blend. Had I not read the ingredients I would have accepted this as a nice vanilla black tea with just a hint of citrus. Maybe if I had this without the jasmine to compare, it would become obvious what it adds. I hat when your brain over-analyzes instead of just enjoys.

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85

This smells like a rose bouquet in the bag, but steeped, the rose mellows out significantly and there’s an intense vanilla-caramel creaminess, and bergamot. This is a flavour combination that works really well and that I quite love.

This is a sister tea to Tea Emporium’s Cream of Avalon in more than just name. They match on the combination of caramel-vanilla-bergamot, and then the additional flavours makes each of these unique.

I am finding this one has an incredible dry mouth feel this morning, which isn’t my favourite. It doesn’t taste astringent at all, but my mouth feels pasty sipping it. Maybe I still have traces of lingering toothpastes mucking things up.

Flavors: Bergamot, Caramel, Cream, Rose, Vanilla

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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97

Runs around in complete excitement with this tea in hand!! Right now, I’m so happy. This tea is delicious. It’s sweet and lemony and crisp. This tea is everything that I wanted Teavana’s Strawberry Lemonade and Davidstea’s Mango Punch to be when it wasn’t.

The hibiscus in this blend is perfectly executed, it melds with the lemony flavors completely removing any “blech” from the hibiscus and melding into the perfect lemony tartness. And the tartness is perfectly complemented with the sweetness of the mango. I’m not sure that the mango tastes like mango, more like a sweet strawberry mango, but it is so delicious. The cup didn’t even need sugar..which for a fruity tisane like this is incredible!

Also, I just want to stick my nose in the bag of leaves and walk around like a tea bag elephant because the scent is glorious. I found myself craving this tea even after finishing my cup. (and then again the next day and the next day…) If I never run out of this tea I will be completely content..but peering down at my bag of tea, it is almost gone…:( I need to plan a trip to Vancouver ASAP to get some more. Thank you so much, Secret Garden Tea Company!!

Flavors: Grapefruit, Lemon, Strawberry

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I opened the package of this last night and I had this really strong scent memory of eating cheerios as a kid. This tea has that kind of dry, grainy smell of cheerios. Interesting and kind of weird.

Steeped, that carries over along with a lot of almond flavour, and some woody notes from the rooiboos (which might actually be part of the cheerios impression.)

I was wanting to add some milk and sugar to this, but I didn’t feel like interrupting the show I was watching, so I didn’t. But next cup I will definitely try it with stuff in it.

I’m going to hold off on rating it for now. I think I need another cup to put a number to this.

Flavors: Almond, Grain, Wheat, Wood

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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85

I love love love lemon but I’m not a fan of hibiscus at all, so it was a gamble on whether this would appeal to me.

The dry leaf smells amazing, sweet and lemony, almost like candy. Always a good sign.

I made a pot of this to share with a friend, 3tsp in my 26oz Bee House pot, 96C water steeped for a long time.

The liquor is a really intense red, from the hibiscus, and there’s a lot of hibiscus tartness, but fortunately, the lemon notes are strong, which shifts the tart from hibiscus bleh to lemony deliciousness. There’s also a hint of grapefruit and orange. The grapefruit, particularly that tangy bitterness of grapefruit, makes a subtle appearance on the finish. I’m not sure that I’m detecting any mango here, but I’m not too disappointed, because this is very tasty. I had my first couple of cups hot, and now the pot is mostly cold and it holds up very well at any temperature.

So yay for reconnecting with old friends and fruit tisanes that don’t get overwhelmed by hibiscus.

Flavors: Candy, Grapefruit, Lemon, Orange, Sweet, Tart

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 3 tsp 22 OZ / 650 ML

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Thanks to GGMathis and her amazing Cheapster Steepster tea bags, I learned I really like strawberry tea. This one is pretty tasty. The aroma seems very natural to me. The taste equally so, minus the tartness. The green tea has a grassy aroma in the wet leaf but is harder to pick out in the cup. I’m OK with that in this case because, well, strawberry. This may well be my favorite from Secret Garden so far.

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Looks like I originally posted this in the wrong place.

The Secret Garden Tea Company is a new webstore with its home in Vancouver BC. At the time of this note, they have a contest going that is mentioned on the discussion board, although Steepster’s bad behavior seems to have buried it somewhere in cyberspace.

Any who, opening the bag this has a very strong aroma of rose. Under the rose is a light touch of bergamot and vanilla. The scent is almost too much. The sip however is much less potent. The vanilla adds a sense of creaminess that seems felt more than tasted. The rose is the primary note. I have only recently begun to appreciate rose as a tea ingredient. This is strong but not overwhelming. What surprises me is bergamot used as a support ingredient. If you did not know it was in the mix it would be easily overlooked, yet it adds a fullness to the profile.

The proceeds of this tea go to the BC Children’s Hospital.

Cheri

Sounds good to me, and the proceeds go to a great cause.

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60

Wow, what a hectic day. This was my first cup of the morning, at 7:30, and here it is, after 1pm and I’m just finishing it.

The dry leaf is dark and twisted and smells very tart, with berry notes.

I steeped this at 96c for 2:30, 1tsp in 8oz of water. I think with these Secret Garden black teas, I need to try steeping in cooler water, because this is on the border of tasting over steeped. It’s not particularly bitter or astringent, just starting to develop those characteristics a bit, and I feel like I could do with a lighter cup.

So, I’m not really feeling this one. The description really got the flavours and lightness of strawberry shortcake and whipped cream in my head, and I’m not really getting those qualities. There’s raspberry and strawberry flavours, and just a hint of tartness, along with some rosy floral notes, but the vanilla isn’t really making itself known, and it’s just lacking the creaminess that I was hoping for.

It’s not bad, but it doesn’t really stand out among berry teas for me. The flavour didn’t really change or develop much from hot to cold.

Thank you, Tiffany at Secret Garden for the sample.

Flavors: Astringent, Floral, Raspberry, Rose, Strawberry, Tart

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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81

I’m getting back to my morning routine of getting up with my partner instead of sleeping till 11am. This is good. As much as I’ve never been a morning person, I like sharing a schedule with my partners and being able to go to bed (and actually fall asleep!) when they do.

First tea of the morning is Buckingham Palace. I couldn’t remember what was in this one at all, but it was at the top of my untried pile, and I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a black, because morning.

All I really got from the dry leaf was a malty fragrance, so I’d kind of decided that this was probably just a blend of black teas. Not so! Steeped the liquor is quite dark brown and has a hint of floral fragrance, but then on the palate is loads of jasmine. What an awesome surprise! There’s also hints of bergamot, but quite subtle, a bit of vegetal from the green, and bold, malt and astringency, with a touch of bitterness. This has a thick, almost creamy mouth feel with a bit of a drying sensation.

Jasmine is definitely the dominant flavour here, which is different and interesting paired with the boldness of the black base. I’m very used to jasmine with greens or other more delicate teas with a lighter body.

As the cup cools, a really lovely sweetness develops along side the jasmine, reminding me of bamboo leaves.

I steeped this for 3 min at 96C, but I think with my next cup I might go for slightly cooler water and a bit shorter time. The Secret Garden black base seems to steep very quickly and be quite sensitive.

Flavors: Astringent, Bamboo, Bergamot, Bitter, Jasmine, Malt, Sweet, Thick, Vegetal

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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79

Hmm, secret flavours.

My first impression from the dry leaf was subtle notes of chocolate and strawberry.

I steeped 1tsp in 8oz of 96C water for three minutes. I typically steep blacks for at least four, but Secret Garden’s Plum & Cottage Pear seemed a bit oversteeped at four minutes. I think three minutes was the right choice for this, and I’ll be starting with three minutes for my other Secret Garden blacks, too.

Steeped, the cup smells very creamy on top of the strawberry chocolate notes.

The taste… it’s good, but I can’t really put my finger on what I’m tasting. Creamy, chocolate, strawberries, malt?? A hint of berry tart that’s there on the finish but not the rest of the sip? Maybe even just a touch of citrus and hops? There’s definitely more to this than just strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.

I’ll have to try this again on a different day and maybe my palate will be able to better pick out the different flavours, as I’m having a hard time accurately describing this. It’s desserty and different from other chocolate berry teas I’ve had. I like it, and I think it would probably be tasty with milk and sugar, too.

Thank you to Tiffany at Secret Garden for the sample!

Flavors: Berry, Chocolate, Citrus, Creamy, Hops, Malt, Strawberry, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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I am not sure what to make of this tea. I mean, to me, French Earl Grey suggests a black tea strong of bergamot, with French vanilla. That is not even close to what is in my cup. The main taste and scent are rose. Well, not exactly rose, and not rose perfume. It is like a rose powder or something for the bath. The smell I don’t like. Fortunately the taste is much milder. In the cup, this is not unpleasant. Behind the rose is a note, that at first I am thinking reminds me of mango. Later I considered maybe it is peach and apricot. Definitely the highlight for me. I am not sure where it comes from. Maybe the bergamot and hibiscus blending together? Neither are detectable on their own. This is kind of thick like cream, yet strangely drying. The base has some bite. From the woodsy note, I think it is Ceylon. This is not something I would crave but it is interesting.

And yes ladies, I grabbed a rose tea on purpose today, so I could feel pretty. I’ll probably need another cup or two. Just saying.

Cheri

Oh so pretty!

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91

I think of all the Secret Garden teas, I was most pumped to try this one. I’ve been craving pear flavoured things lately (possibly because I had a really amazing stewed pear tart with a fancy dinner the other day), and it seems like pear is just not a very common flavour to find in stuff. I’m also just sad about the end of summer and with it, the end of fresh, summer fruit.

I used 1tsp in 8oz of water, at 96C for 3 minutes. I figured I’d go for a shorter steep than my usual four minutes for blacks, and I’m really glad I did, because I think even at 3 minutes, this got a bit over steeped.

The dry leaf has an intense, almost sharp smell of plums and pears, with tart fruit skin notes. I catch a hint of the black tea base, but the fruit fragrances are really strong.

Steeped, the liquor is a deep reddish brown, and has the same tart, plum, pear notes as the dry leaf, but mellower.

The body is quite heavy, and this cup started to develop a bit of astringency that I wish wasn’t there, but otherwise, I’m super impressed. The black tea base is a bit generic but supports the strong pear and plum flavours very well. There’s some tartness at the beginning of the sip, which fades out to sweet, juicy pear on the finish. This is very evocative of a real, fresh pear, with the complexity of both the skin and flesh flavours. I’m even reminded of that soft and slightly gritty texture that pears have.

I love this, even oversteeped. It’s unique in my cupboard and exactly the flavours I was craving and promised by the name. Next time I’ll try for a 2 minute steep.

Thanks to Tiffany from Secret Garden for this sample.

Edit: I tried resteeping these leaves, and the results were okay but not great. 5 minutes yielded a cup that was drinkable, but the complexity and intensity of the fruit just didn’t survive.

Flavors: Astringent, Pear, Plum, Sweet, Tart

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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97

I am both leery about grapefruit tisanes, and enthusiastic to try them all. I love grapefruit but it’s easy to do it wrong, and just have it end up tasting like a cup of sour water. So I tried this with both a bit of excitement and trepidation.

The dry leaf is chunky and smells of grapefruit and oranges. It has that really intense, distinctive grapefruit smell that’s a bit bitter, a bit sweet and a lot tart. So far so good.

I used a heaping teaspoon for 8oz of boiling water and let it steep for 5 minutes. It came out a little weak, so back it went to steep for a few more. I didn’t time it the second time around, but it probably got about 8 min of steeping total.

With a nice long steep, this doesn’t disappoint. I think it’s got a bit more sweetness and a wee bit less back of the mouth kick than Tea Story’s Pink Grapefruit (which is one of my all time favourite tisanes), and this one has orange notes on the nose which are different, but they are very similar and this measures up very well.

I suspect this would be awesome iced. It’s very fresh and juicy, and as it cools the grapefruit gets a bit more intense, with that slight tongue numbing/tingling that comes from fresh grapefruit.

Thank you to Tiffany at Secret Garden for the sample!

Flavors: Bitter, Citrus, Grapefruit, Orange, Sweet, Tangy, Tart

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more 1 tsp 7 OZ / 207 ML
Sil

mmm thanks for the reviews on these! I really want to get an order in with them soon-ish

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I don’t know if my preconceived notions are off on this one or if the sample was faulty. What I taste is a sturdy blend that I believe to be Ceylon, Assam, and Kenyan black tea leaf. There is also green leaf in this that I can’t separate out. Underneath the tea is a hint of bergamot. The bag aroma suggested strongly this would taste more like an Earl Grey but it doesn’t. I am OK with that if it is supposed to taste this light. There is also jasmine in the blend but it is only the lightest hint in the aftertaste. The more the cup cools, the more pronounced the hints become. I read reviews of similar blends that led me to expect this to be highly floral. Because that is what I expected, I was left craving more. As a black breakfast tea it is solid enough.

K S

I had a half mug that I let sit until it was stone cold. This was pretty tasty when cold.

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The Secret Garden Tea Company is a new webstore with its home in Vancouver BC. At the time of this note, they have a contest going that is mentioned on the discussion board, although Steepster’s bad behavior seems to have buried it somewhere in cyberspace.

Any who, opening the bag this has a very strong aroma of rose. Under the rose is a light touch of bergamot and vanilla. The scent is almost too much. The sip however is much less potent. The vanilla adds a sense of creaminess that seems felt more than tasted. The rose is the primary note. I have only recently begun to appreciate rose as a tea ingredient. This is strong but not overwhelming. What surprises me is bergamot used as a support ingredient. If you did not know it was in the mix it would be easily overlooked, yet it adds a fullness to the profile.

The proceeds of this tea go to the BC Children’s Hospital.

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Creamy and flavourful black tea with a vanilla flavour. I think this would be delicious as a London Fog! Doesn’t taste very much like bergamot though.

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69

I’ve been meaning to indulge in this cup of tea for a while now, but whenever I open up my tea chest, my usual Earl Grey is always calling my name. This tea is surprisingly floral for a black tea – I usually enjoy my black teas with some milk (these days, Almond milk is my beverage of choice), but I think this tea would do well even without any milk. I don’t think this is the best breakfast tea, but I think I’m going to mix this tea into my afternoon rotation.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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