33 Tasting Notes
Pretty satisfied with this choice. I’ve been addicted to Golden Monkey; however, (unfortunately) I was addicted to the wrong company’s. I feel that compared to Teavana’s Golden Monkey, this one has a lot more going on…more complexity, if you will.
When I drank Teavana’s, I felt satisfied…like it was a rich, smooth black tea. Rather classic, nothing special. With this one, though, I was able to draw out some of the nuances mentioned in the description.
I don’t recall picking up any fruity notes, but when I held the liquid in my mouth I did catch faint notes of chocolate. I didn’t even know that was possible! You always hear these elaborate descriptions of tea tasting like chocolate and wood and whatnot, but most of the time I could never pick up on the subtleties mentioned. But this tea was almost a musky, chocolaty, caramel. I enjoyed the cup for about the first 2/3 but then I wasn’t as fond of it. It wasn’t astringent or bitter or anything, but I started feeling that the caramel-cocoa was becoming too prominent.
After brewing it for a second time today, I was very satisfied through the entire cup. Instead of drinking it straight up, I decided to add a little Sugar In The Raw to see if the sweetness would complement the rest of the cup, and boy did it! Every last drop was delicious, and I look forward to buying some from Teavivre in the future!
Hats off to Angel and the Teavivre crew!
This came as a part of the tea sample set I received from their company. At a glance, I was impressed by just the sheer appearance of the leaves. Clean, white, full needle-like leaves.
The scent was very potent—heavy jasmine wafts from the package. Smells like a fresh flowering garden in the spring! I was a bit nervous to try it, as I thought it would be overwhelmingly flowery (almost like an overpowering jasmine artificially soaked into the leaves) but I was mistaken!
I drink my tea straight up, no sugar or honey. This tea was incredible. The jasmine is strong, but not overpowering. For me, it’s the perfect level. The actual liquid washes over your mouth smooth and soft…like velvet.
All in all, I’d say this tea is a delicate, flowery masterpiece which is perfect for a refreshing spring day.
Preparation
Tried this yesterday in 70 degree weather and sun. Overall was an acceptable tea, but not one that I’d want on a hot day (mostly because of the aroma). It was a strong spicy cinnamon smell that would be so warming and full bodied on a cold, fall day but was rather strong and unappetizing in the heat.
The flavors were smooth and some spice, but not as strong as one would think from smelling it. Overall was a good experience, but not for the warmer months in my opinion
Preparation
Wow! The smell of this tea is amazing right off the bat. Strong almond scent. Citrusy and fruity tones as well, with scents reminiscent of cherries and oranges. Some spicy undertones lurk in there, too, but in a good way.
Brews up very nice! The smell is stronger than the flavor, but the flavor is definitely not lacking! This tea doesn’t taste like a plain green tea or a plain black tea at all—I’m not really sure how to describe it. But it tastes natural and fruity. Flavors coat your mouth and make it a perfect afternoon tea. No bitterness, just smooth tea that mellows in your mouth. Awesome!
Tried this “delicacy” the other night. Not quite what I expected. The aroma was fresh and pure; smelled like a natural fresh tea leaf.
Brewing was fine; resulted in a nice pale brew which smelled ok. But tasting it was just bland. Not very much flavor going on, which is to be expected from a tea that is supposed to be so pure. But it had more of a “black olive/vegetable water” flavor that was fairly repulsive…I’m not sure how else to describe it.
I guess to sum it up—I was not impressed with the “prestige” that this tea had to offer, especially for the price. Would probably be much better paired up with an herbal, but I wasn’t too satisfied with this.
The smell is rather…different…but I decided I’d give it a whirl anyways. Boy, the flavor is a lot better than the aroma! Deep rich red color, first time I made it was slightly tart and tangy—needed some rock sugar. But I’ve made it a few more times since and it hasn’t been that bad. Wouldn’t be my first choice, but it’s not terrible.
