gmathis Send Message

A real sipdown. I dumped all of the remaining packet into the cup, which means about 20% more than recommended, and got the best steep of the whole sample. A nice juicy citrus vibe without being too tart; beautiful ruby red color in the cup.

I see that it’s no longer on the Teamaze website. Seems to me that teas that take tons of leaf to get noticed just don’t sell well, especially when they’re pricey to begin with.

Thoughtful gift from a work friend…I’ve been waiting until I had 10 full minutes to steep it. You’ve probably tasted an herbal mélange similar to this one—big hunks of apple and beetroot and other chunky, chewable goodies. There’s enough cinnamon in this rendition to accurately clone the scent of carnival candy apples, but the flavor lags behind just a little bit. It could still use a bit more apple, but it’s certainly not hindering the pleasure of having feet up after a busy day with my nose buried in the cup.

Well, the upside down part is right: I turned the whole tin upside down in search of fruit chunks (there aren’t enough to suit me). And the cake part is just right: lots of brown-sugary pastry goodness. But pineapple? Not so much. No worries—it functions nicely as a fall dessert tea, but if I want more pineapple, I’ll have to toss in some dried chunks on my own.

So…when fall weather finally arrives, what unflavored tea do you crave? I’ve got my gingerbread and carrot cake and chai all ready to go, but the one variety I associate with autumn is a good Keemun Congou. This one is especially fine. When I underleaf (my worst steeping habit), I can’t catch it, but I threw caution to the wind this morning and in addition to the burlap and leather vibe, there’s a lovely apple-peel note as well.

It’s catch-up time: the heat was so miserable for such a long stretch, I didn’t want to waste new tea or samples from friends on a cup that got two sips before my internal temperature started to boil. So with apologies for the delay, thank you, Martin, for my first Sonnentor tea!

This is a bagged green tea with lemongrass, simple and understated. The lemongrass whittles any vegetal edge off the green tea base and adds a little crispness to the cup. The Sonnentor website calls it “zingy.” I think I’d tweak that down just a little bit, maybe to “perky,” but it’s all relative, isn’t it? Tomato, to-mah-to…

An anniversary surprise from my Beloved Enabler. I love a good apple tea, and I wondered if the fruit might be overpowered by the rooibos. Happy surprise—it’s a nice pairing. Though I didn’t see any apple bits as large as the ones in the picture, it’s in there somewhere—very fresh and cidery. Not tart like a Granny Smith; more like a Fuji or fresh Red Delicious.

Family needs took us to Haysville, Kansas, which is not what we’d recommend for an anniversary getaway; however, on the way home, we grabbed a pizza from a favorite local establishment and ate it al fresco at a rest stop picnic table near Beaumont, on a blissfully silent little hillock in the Flint Hills. You could see 20 miles in every direction and we watched dragonflies do touch-and-go’s among the Black-eyed Susans. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be where you are. Sometimes it’s just who you’re with.

Most companies get the ginger part right but completely miss the pastry side of their gingerbread/cookie teas. (Yes, this means you, Bigelow Ginger Snappish. Sorry.)

Our H&S friends have nailed both elements accurately. Not so much ginger it burns; and just enough “cookie” to make it believable without being cloying. Nicely done. Thanks, ashmanra!

Derk tucked a couple of packets of this in her last care package, and while my addled brain can forget why I walked into a room, I actually remembered having a taste of the same tea in the past. I waited to enjoy the encore cup before reading my previous review so as not to skew the results this time around. And with both cups, oolong + salted caramel = banana. Good banana, but not an equation one would expect!

Labor Day weekend was still beastly hot in our part of the world (it’s September, weather pixies—get with it!) so anything I drank, I drank iced. This fruity little treat worked well, Martin! If I’ve got my information correct, it contains bilberries, which I’ve never sampled before. I described them to my husband as “blueberries once removed.” Even with rose hips in the mix, the blend was gentle and not a bit tart.

I’ve always been an “eh, chamomile always tastes like chamomile no matter what” drinker, but Harney’s variety tasted a little less musty than others I’ve encountered. Might’ve helped ease some kinks out of the back of my neck on a stress-uous (rhymes with “tempestuous”) afternoon.