1186 Tasting Notes
Had a lovely cup of this in the morning. Excellent as usual :)
On a tea-related note, I went for a high-tea brunch type thing today with my great aunt and mom. I was quite excited for an authentic tea brunch experience :). Unfortunately, the tea was not spectacular. The special they had was a loose leaf orange pekoe, which I would have tried but my aunt and mom were getting it already, and I didn’t want us to all get the same thing! So I tried their decaffeinated black tea, which came in a bag. I was stuck between it and the jasmine green and the peppermint, but as we were having a English style tea, I thought I should get a black (and try to minimize caffeine). It was very watery and not flavorful at all :( my aunt and mom’s loose tea wasn’t much better though! After adding some honey and leaving it steep for a long time, it had some taste, but nothing like other teas I have had! The loose one was very much the same for both my aunt and mom. Luckily, the amazingly DELICIOUS food made up for it, and it was still a superb experience. I would go back because of the amazing food, not for the tea :P just thought I’d share that with the lovely steepsterites on here :)
Well, it’s about time I try this tea! I’ve been nervous and excited for it, especially after reading all the reviews. I love the look of this tea, little buds, they look so fresh and spring like to me! I feel like I am taking an adventuresome, yet calming walk in the forest with this tea!
The dry smell is definitely a faint cedar, with some spice. The wet leaves, from what I can decipher, are some kind of grassy scent, but with a forest in there as well, and I also detect something spicy again and something..hmm…a sweet fruit? Almost like a nectarine to me, I could be way off though! It’s a very interesting smell to say the least, I like it so far. I steeped for 4 mins in boiling water, after a rinse, as recommended by David on Verdant’s site.
Now for taste! Wowzers, this tea is really unique! It’s really quite light, but there’s a definite cedar, woodsy note, and I get some sugar sweetness at the end. It’s so strange that it tastes this way, so foresty, given that the tea itself is nearly clear! However, it does remind me of white tea, so the light color isn’t entirely off. It has a fresh taste, and a warming note to it as well. It’s times like this that I do wish I had a gaiwan though, to try lovely teas like this, I think even more flavors would become pronounced! I’m picturing myself walking through a serene forest, with spring buds poking out in the spring, brown leaves on the ground, and a nice little waterfall into a stream. Haha, I love how poetic tea makes me feel sometimes :)
Overall, I like this. I’m anxious to try steeping it a few times to see how the flavors change. Once again, a hit from Verdant!
Preparation
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! So as it’s Halloween, I have been waiting to have my first taste of this supposedly amazing tea. And now it is here!
I prepared this according to a recipe DAVIDsTEA posted a while back. It called for 1 cup of water, 1 cup of milk, 2 tsps of Pumpkin Chai, and 2 tsps of brown sugar. I also subbed white sugar as I don’t have brown. That was to serve 2 people, so I halved it for just me. Unfortunately, when I put this in my 12 oz cup, I have a little weeny cup of chai! Booooo :( will just have to make more later!
It smells HEAVENLY. Dry aroma: very chai, but with a nice pumpkiny scent in there too, and something sweet, probably those candies! As it was being made it made the apartment smell lovely, all spicy and chai and warm.
Taste: Exactly how it sounds! DELICIOUS!!! Pumpkin pie! Spicy and warm and amazing! Definitely will have to make some more of this so I actually have a giant, full cup of it! I want moree to have more taste!
Overall, awesome! Kind of sad I waited so long to try it, but it’s still available online mwahaha. Also, I added a little bit of extra sugar to bring out a bit more of the pie taste. I like this :)
ETA: As it cools, MORE PUMPKIN! Mmmm I want pie now, and this tea, together. :D
ETA again: Just made another FULL cup of this using Faith’s recipe. Turned out FANTASTIC. I love it. Oh, and hello caffeine, we meet again :P gonna be up all night! Woooo for Halloween!
So I made the Ginseng Oolong for the boy and this one for me. I stopped by my local Davids to restock and try some new flavors today! This one was beckoning to me from the reviews on here and my enjoyment of Jessie’s Tea.
The dry smell is wonderfully berry filled!! Soo many berries! Wet leaves are also very berry like, with a hint of rooibos. The dry smell is more potent smelling though.
As for taste, mm, I get a myriad of things going on here. I get a nice blueberry right at the start, melding into a woody taste that reminds me of curling up by a fireplace in the winter. I like it! I don’t really get much of the floralness in here, it seems muted by the berries. There may be a touch of the lavender and rose at the end, lingering nicely.
Overall, a nice cozy cup of tea. I like the name of it and the berry taste. However, I think I still prefer Jessie’s Tea for my rooibos of choice…for now. :D
Preparation
The boyfriend convinced me to get some of this oolong, not that I need more oolongs, I have so many I haven’t tried! Anyways, I brewed him up a cup of this, and I am going to taste and log on here.
The dry smell is very green smelling, I like it, there’s a bit of something strong, must be the ginseng in it. Wet leaves, oh, this cup smells quite good now! I am getting a hint of butter, and of course a lovely oolong. I’m really not sure what ginseng smells like, but I’m sure it’s in there!
This tea has a lovely taste. The foremost flavor is oolong, then the ginseng kicks in, then, afterwards, there’s an interesting sweetness. It feels almost as if your throat is coated in honey, and it tastes similar as well.
Overall, this is an interesting tea. As I haven’t tried many ginseng teas, I don’t have much to compare it too, but it’s decent. The sweetness at the end is a bit different. I will have to try a full cup of this at some point (PS – the bf likes it a lot too)
Preparation
This delicious tea is relaxing and perfect on this snowy post-Halloween-night day. Had a great evening in my costume with good friends!
The delicate leaves and sugary aftertaste are enveloping me in calm. Jasmine is just right as usual. Perfection in a cup. I don’t want to do anything but watch the snow fall and drink this lovely tea!
Also, thoughts and prayers to all on the east coast! Please be safe with the approach of sandy!
ETA: 2nd steep is also wonderful! I’m getting less jasmine, and more of a juicy, fruity taste! I can taste the apricot notes others have found. So good!
Preparation
Drinking this as it begins to snow here, and by snow I mean it’s actually accumulating outside. Just in time for Halloween :( ah but it wouldn’t be Halloween in Canada if it didn’t snow! Ooh speaking of which, got my costume today, super hero theme this year for me and the boy! Should be a good time.
Anyways, this tea is cozy and smelling like fresh honey as always. Still enjoyable :)
Preparation
This is becoming a staple for me…mmm the coconut is just so tasty! Upping the rating since I’ve been going through this tea like crazy, and only got it last week! See previous notes for full review, oh, and second steep is really good too!!
