TeaFrog

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85
drank Coconut Vanilla White by TeaFrog
41 tasting notes

Delicious. Exactly as advertised.

This is a really enjoyable, easy to drink tea. It fits the bill for when you’re craving a creamy, soft, satisfying but yet light tea. My boyfriend, who hates coconut, even enjoyed this. It has the great qualities of coconut without coming across like a pina colada. Very enjoyable.

Accidentally oversteeped my cup though. :D

Flavors: Coconut, Vanilla

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 5 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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86
drank Bamboo Shoots by TeaFrog
41 tasting notes

Yum! This tea seals it for me, on my tea journey I’m still learning what I like and don’t like. And I absolutely like green tea. Hands down, best stuff out there to my lil ole’ taste buds.

So for me, the genmaicha wasn’t as nutty as the previous blend I’d recently tried from Dens tea. The red pepper was certainly pretty! But to me, this tea was AAAAALL about the pineapple! (maybe a touch of papaya).

Very fruity in a warm but crisp way. Usually when i try fruity teas, I think they’re better cold. Almost always. Not this tea. This tea is so aromatic and flavorpacked when warm. This is an excellent tea for someone trying to replace sugary drinks with something healthier but still enjoyable. Yum yum yum.

Flavors: Bamboo

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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85
drank Bamboo Shoots by TeaFrog
2036 tasting notes

Sipdown no. 16 for 2014. Another sample in the “to be drunk soon” box that I didn’t get to during my last tea tasting frenzy.

The dry leaf has so many interesting shapes and colors in it. ;-) The red peppercorns are really pretty. They look like miniature holly berries against the green of the tea. I can see little squares of what must be the papaya or the pineapple (probably papaya because of the color). And the little cardamom pods! The dry leaf has a mostly sweet scent to it with just a hint of spice.

The liquor is golden and smells very fruity. I get a lot of pineapple in the aroma.

I’ve had some bad experiences with flavored greens, but not so here! Very tasty and not at all bitter. Not as toasty-ricey as I expected, though there’s a hint around the edges, and I’m not getting the spice I thought I’d get with the pepper and cardamom (though there’s a peppery kick to the aftertaste that’s playing with the tip of my tongue). I get mostly pineapple, as a gentle fruity flavor. As I was sipping I wondered where the bamboo was, but I’m getting it, a long with the toasty rice, in the finish. I should perhaps have steeped this a bit longer. I also suspect that with teas like this with all the various ingredients a lot depends on the individual makeup of your sample. I’d drink it again, though I don’t love it enough to buy it.

And now I really must detach myself from the internet and go write something. Alas, I fear I will not be successful.

ETA: The fruity tea lover in the house, the BF, had one word for this.
“Aces.” I’m bumping the rating because he’s more of the target audience than I am. I’d give it a 75. He’d give it, I’m sure, at least a 90. So I’m putting it at 85. I also have to revise my prediction as to whether I would buy this, because he’s already asking if there’s more!

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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70

I had a sample of this that I’d planned to make over a couple of tastings, but it ended up as an unintentional sipdown. I was making 3 cups in the Breville and that left only enough for about one more cup so I figured what the heck. Adding it to the count of sipdowns for 2014. This is no. 14 for 2014.

It was in my “soon to be tasted” box of samples, which means it was not kept away from light as it should have been, particularly given the clear plastic bag it came in. I am not sure how that affected it. I didn’t get aroma from the dry leaf-I just smelled the sample bag’s plastic, so my guess is it had a negative effect.

The leaves, being FBOP, are small and brownish. Fairly uniform in size, shape and color and pretty to look at. The tea steeps to a pretty, orange-brown tea color. The leaves were a bit too fine for the Breville filter and some made their way into the tea and settled at the bottom of the cup.

There’s a subtle aroma that actually strikes me as a little fruity, rather more than flowery. In taste, it’s light and a little fruity. Not full bodied but pleasant, definitely a more appealing taste than what Americans have been raised to think of as “orange pekoe.” I’m glad I got the chance to try it though for plain blacks I find a richer flavor more to my liking.

I didn’t get to try it iced, but I think that could be its sweet spot.

ETA: Peanut number 2 asked to sniff this and then to taste it and proclaimed “I love it!” I added a bit of sweetener to mine and found it opened up the flavor quite a bit. I should also add that the mouthfeel on this one is nice. It has some thickness to it that I wouldn’t expect given the body of the tea.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec
TheTeaFairy

Soooo, How many ways is there to the makings of accidental sipdowns, morgana???

__Morgana__

Well, I’ve found two so far. Hehehe. ;-)

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I made this tonight after feeling overly full from a savory stuffed pumpkin. The look of the dry pieces is as pictured. It smells gingery and peppery and like chocolate before brewing. I brewed at 180 for 5 minutes. The tisane smells more like chicory and ginger. It tastes initially like chicory but the chocolate smooths it while the pepper and ginger give it a slightly spicy note but some of the chicory bitterness lingers on the tongue though not in a bad way. It isn’t sweet like other tisane a I’ve recently drank but is very nice if you don’t want sweet. I think it is a tisane for people who also enjoy coffee.

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So I have moved back to Texas and I am shocked about how much tea I need to drink before I can even consider buying another tea. Unless of course, I find some sort of ridiculous tea or ridiculous sale. ;)

To day I pulled this sample I bought from Tea Frog out of the pantry. I am a little stuffy today from all the recent rain kicking up my allergies. The dry leaves smelled slightly sweet and floral (maybe Jasmine?). I brewed for two and a half minutes at 170. The wet leaves smelled more vegetal with only a hint of the dry leaf smell. The tea is a pale amber in color and smells similar to the wet leaf. The taste is slightly astringent with the same vegetal base note, mildly nutty and slight sweet aftertaste. I don’t know if I would but this again, I’ll have to try again when I am less congested but it is a pleasant tea to drink this morning.

ashmanra

How did I miss this review? Anna and I have been enjoying Chun Mee. I love the one from Teavivre and I gave Anna one from Harney and Sons that is really good. It is really great with food and pairs nicely with sweets. Did you get any of their Chocolate Cream? It is soooo good.

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98

I just got this tea last week and did not know what to expect……but I am the world’s biggest chocolate lover. The aroma from this tea is wonderful…..warm, inviting, sweet, delicious. The taste is captivating and delightful. This tea is a winner.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 4 min, 45 sec

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It’s shortcutting, but P.F. Chang frozen-section dumplings are pleasantly close to the restaurant original. This was a perfect “dessert” afterward; the lemony-mint makes a perfect digestif when you over-dumple.

__Morgana__

Love the term “over dumple!”

Anna

Is it even possible to not over-dumple?

gmathis

Not at my house!

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Day was a little gray and grim; this provided a little internal perk-up after a long, cold run to nursing home to check on my poor little mom.
The peppermint in this one is at whisper-level; just enough to add a little bit of zing. Inexpensive and recommended if you like lemon teas that aren’t caustically tart.

Last visit, my mom’s meal-table buddy from a couple of rooms down noticed the crossword puzzle book I had brought to fidget with—I have the bedside patience of a 3-year-old. I took her two today that were just getting rumpled in the magazine rack and asked her to do me the honor of finishing them for me. Was a smiley moment to walk past her room and see her hard at them. Just a thought…do a kindness for an elder that isn’t your own. It’ll make your day.

Sil

awesome!

tigress_al

That was so nice of you! I bet it made their day as well

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I’m still unable to get my favorite Lemon and Green Tea (San Francisco Herb & Natural Food) that I normally picked up in bulk local indie grocery. Boo.

So as I was rummaging this afternoon, I wondered if this might be a plausible substitute. It isn’t; not straight up, anyway. If you like serious, tart, citrusy lemon, this is exactly what you need. I reached for sweetener almost immediately. One turbinado sugar packet wasn’t quite enough; two was a bit much. But now it more closely resembles the lemon pastry vibe I’m going for.

Second steep edit: Was good. TeaFrog’s flavored green teas hold their flavor the second time around better than any others I’ve tried.

Atacdad

Thought you were going to go for comparison to lemonade :-)

gmathis

That actually may be a little more accurate!

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My first cold of the season is coming to a end ( well i was thinking at least ) when i began to have sore throat again. That not gonna happen let kill that with hot tea ! I’d watch a couple gaiwan video during the morning so why not try it i ask myself innocently ( my answer should have been because your gonna make a mess since you don’t know what you are doing )

Ah why not maybe i’m gonna have the beginner luck well that was not the case ..

Watching a last video after installing all my stuff just to be sure

All the pre-heat did go well but first impression That thing become HOT! i nearly drop it let handle it a little higher i still need my finger don’t want to burn it

Putting the leaf in the gaiwan – 1/4 as suggested in many video that seem a lot but meh i’m no expert so i have to take my first info somewhere let’s go with what they say ( yah cold make me dumb i didn’t even think to come ask here ..)

Rince it – Done ( that kinda the easiest part lol)

First steep – Used the suggested temperature but steeping time found on the web was 20 seconds ( Gawhhh that was so so freaking bitter first time i get a bitter green tea it’s was worst than any black tea i ever taste even the new loose leaf tea from Tim Horton made by people who don’t know how to make tea i was desperate don’t judge me lol ) too many leaf ? dunno i think probably water to hot ( i could not finish the cup it’s was that bitter )

Second steep – i think it’s was the water being too hot that cause the bitterness so i let it cool down does it change something ? well no sure less bitter but the first was so bitter that i still have the taste in the mouth

i did stop at 2 steep for the sake of my bud taste ( i wish to be able to still taste my other tea) cleaning up the mess was fast since i did not really make some but will cleaning the gaiwan i drop it and it broke ( they are little fragile thing )

So it was my first and last ( for now ) gaiwan experience i finish all this by drinking my favorite genmaicha ( at least i know how to do that one )

Terri HarpLady

Thanks Zoltar!
I’ve burned my fingers every time I’ve used my Gaiwan so far, & I think it’s just part of the experience :D
Seriously, I have to really work hard not to fill it too full, because that’s when I burn myself.
Sorry to hear your Gaiwan broke (meant to be?) Are you sure you didn’t get mad & throw it across the room? ;)
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I vote that Zoltar puts the ‘Zoltar’ picture back on his profile! Anybody want to second the motion?

Zoltar

it was not on purpose lol im way to zen for that and its was a cheap one since i’ve read that it happen a lot to first time user :p ( it was in fact my second broken gaiwan i drop the first one the day i receive it >< without even using it i was opening the order box and drop it ) i may be curse when using gaiwan lol

my zoltar is still there at least i still see it on my phone will look at it when i got my computer just in case

Bonnie

I have a gaiwan for the elderly. It has a handle and a spout. It’s made of clay and is used for Pu-erh. I’m going to get another one (not clay) same style because I’m a clutz!

Zoltar

where do you get them ? that could be a idea for someone like me i do have big hand so holding something small like a gaiwan is already hard when they are cold its a nightmare when they are hot and i am clumsy too mine cost just 8$ ( cheapest i could find ) but still i would like not to have to bought a new one each time i touch it :P

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Toys R Us two Saturdays before Christmas…what were we thinking? Ever notice that there are far fewer dancing, grinning shoppers in the real stores than there are on the commercials?

Between battling crowds and bitter cold, I am glad to be back home in my hobbit hole cuddling this lovely cozy cup after a quick lunch-and-errand run. It’s perfectly sweet coconut-candy-pina-colad-y, sunny and cheerful on a raw, cloudy afternoon. For just a moment, it might make you forget the gloom.

JustJames

i have a few tattoos. you are making me think of the one on the back of my leg that has a spiky ball with a quote that has a personal motto ‘you can’t make me’. lol. nope, you can’t make me go to toy-r-us……

gmathis

It was for a good cause, but mercy! Sensory overload on so many levels!

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Been a while since I’ve had this one. My loss; this is wonderfully light and tasty. Heavy on the coconut, but the lemongrass is definitely detectible and harmonizes beautifully. Plenty sweet without additions. (Now if I were just in a lounge chair on a tropical resort smelling the wet sand and watching the sun slip over the horizon….)

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Excellent second steep. The coconut is less candy-sweet and the lemongrass becomes more pronounced. Still superbly balanced. Did I mention I love coconut in my tea? Goooooood stuff!

ashmanra

Hey, isn’t Teafrog the company that had that amazing chocolate and cream tea? I had forgotten it. Gee thanks, now I want to place an order…

gmathis

Yep. Sorry. (Wicked grin.)

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This is some serious coconutty jazz! Macaroon srength. Lemongrass gives it a little dimension. I’m on my first full strength cup, so I’m not catching much green tea at all, but I’m thinking it may creep out on the second steep.

In the meantime, this is gooooood!

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I have a work friend who (mostly to get my goat) tells me that all my favorite black breakfast teas “just taste like Lipton.” She doesn’t acknowledge all those lovely, subtle, blend and plantation differences that make tea tasting a joy.

But to be totally honest, I have a similar blind spot when it comes to green teas. Unless there is something remarkably different or unique about one or t’other, many of them taste, well…green. (With the exception of those that are cereally or hay-y. Love those.)

This nice little China Moon is one of those. A good green tea that’s balanced in the middle of the just-barely-there ……… overcooked green bean spectrum. Green. Nice. And that’s all I got to say about that.

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I don’t usually wake up craving anything but heavy black tea, but it’s a lovely sunny morning, i woke up to birds and sunlight instead of an alarm clock (a gift in itself!) and in a flight of fancy, started the day with this, which is in my itsallabouttheleaf.com review box.

More comments when I write a real review, but I think I actually steeped it properly (no small accomplishment for a morning tea slob!) so that I can accurately assess it.

Tina S.

Now I’m jealous of your morning!

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drank Tahiti Cream by TeaFrog
2891 tasting notes

Review’s up at http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/2658/tea-review-teafrog-tahiti-cream-rooibos-tea-2/. Not as good as a vacation to somewhere sunny, but it’ll improve the atmosphere wherever you are.

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drank Tahiti Cream by TeaFrog
2891 tasting notes

This one will also be up for later review at www.itsallabouttheleaf.com, but it’s too good not to at least give it a mention … well worth checking out if you like coconutty, creamy, vanilla-y goodness. Was almost a mini-vacation enjoying it in the rocking chair on the porch of Shabby House on an absolutely delicious warm-cool fall afternoon.

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A longer review will be up on www.itsallabouttheleaf.com eventually, but I’ll log it quickly and mention this is loads better than grocery-store brand orange pekoe varieties. Perfect for milk. Nice with a little sweet 1/2 and 1/2 this morning.

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drank Genmaicha Organic by TeaFrog
2891 tasting notes

Full review:

http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/2420/tea-review-teafrog-genmaicha-organic-green-tea-2/

I’ve only had a couple of genmaicha varieties; this is definitely the better one.

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