600 Tasting Notes

86

A review of Organic Roasted Dandelion Root by Traditional Medicinals

Company: Traditional Medicinals
Tea Name: Organic Roasted Dandelion Root
Tea Type/Varietal: herbal
Region: Poland and Bosnia / California USA
Steeping Vessel/Amt Leaf: cup/ tea bag
Liquor Color: darkly golden brown
Leaf Characteristic: strong roasted cup of brewed tea

Steeping:

I used freshly boiled water and placing one tea bag in my cup, while adding the hot water over the tea bag, leaving it to steep for several minutes. After the allotted time, the tea’s aroma is strongly of roast, making for a strong cup of tea. I sip the tea slowly while taking in the aroma which makes me think of the burning of woods in the out of doors.

This tea reminds me a little of Hojicha tea which I have enjoyed immensely for its smoked aroma. The tea is both sweet and slightly bitter as the lasting note.

Overall tasting notes: This tea is wonderfully roasted in my cup. I like the headiness that if offers; as it gets the juices flowing to awaken me. I like the smokiness of it that is all.

Cup’s characteristic: roasted cup of tea

Liquor color: dark golden brown

Taste: roasted with a mildly sweet and bitter taste as the lasting impression.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 6 min, 0 sec
Terri HarpLady

I’ve always liked roasted dandelion root. I also like to eat the greens & flowers in the spring. A wonderful plant! :)

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67

A review of Organic Fennel by Traditional Medicinals

Company: Traditional Medicinals
Tea Name: Organic Fennel
Tea Type/Varietal: herbal
Region: Bulgaria / California, USA
Steeping Vessel/Amt Leaf: cup/ tea bag
Liquor Color: golden brown
Leaf Characteristic:

Steeping:

I used freshly boiled water and putting one tea bag in my cup, adding the boiled water and left it to steep for 15 minutes.

The teas’ aroma is strongly of licorice and when I sip of the tea, this is what I am met with. I don’t take at all to licorice, so I have several small sips of the tea before I can become accustom to its strong and pungent taste.
To compensate, I remind myself that this tea is good for me. As it will soothe and supports my digestion in relieving of excess gas, bloating and that fullness that comes when one consumes a little too much.

Overall tasting notes: I would not mind the tea so much, if the licorice could be removed and yet I feel that it would not be the same tea in my cup. So leave it as is.

Cup’s characteristic: This cup of tea is strongly of licorice, through and through.

Liquor color: golden brown

Taste: slightly bitter with the licorice chiding away at the sting of it.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 8 min or more

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80

A Review of Açai Pomegranate & Blueberry Green Tea by Good & Delish

I took my one bag of this green tea and put it in my cup and adding the boiled water and leaving it to steep for a full 5 minutes. The tea’s aroma is very fruity, reminding me of the Black Currant tea I so enjoyed last year from Mark T. Wendell Tea Company.

This tea is wonderfully blended with the berries and pomegranate as the top layers of notes/flavor that one notices at once. Tea is naturally sweet with the fruits of the orange peels, hibiscus and of course the berries (pomegranate, blueberry and açai). I did not feel a need to add anything else to this tea; it is perfect as is.

Tea’s liquor is brightly red
Aroma is liken to this Black Currant Tea that I enjoyed last year
Body of tea is light to medium but not robust like black teas.

This tea smells sweetly of the hibiscus, orange peels, of the dried pomegranate with dried blueberries and the dried açai berries.

The tea is very pungent and smells strongly of fruit. It might be best enjoyed as iced tea or if preference is for a cup of hot tea, then a shorter steep in recommended.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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77

A Review of Paris Flavored Black Tea by Harney & Sons

I took my one bag of this tea and put it in my cup and adding the boiled water with a temperature of 200°F, I leave it to steep for a full 5 minutes.

This complex tea is the blend of three leaves and the leaves are black.
Tea’s liquor is a medium to a dark brown with longer steeps.
Aroma is liken to an Earl Grey with the black currant and vanilla aromas cloying at each other with hints of caramel.
Body of tea is medium and is caffeinated

This tea smells sweetly of the caramel with a fruity flavor of the black currants and the vanilla.

Overall tasting notes: This is a medium body tea that does not disappoint the palette. It is that Earl grey with citrons from the Mediterranean and black currant mixture with vanilla and hints of caramel all cloying nicely in one’s cup and upon swallow the lasting note is the caramel…dry/sweet/grainy texture at times and sweetest again.

Cup’s characteristic: robust and roasted full bodied cup of tea

Liquor color: medium to dark brown

Taste: sweeten cup of full bodied tea with hints of currants, vanilla and caramel.

This is a very good tea that is both invigorating and refreshing and giving joy to one’s day for the many possibilities that’s to be had.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 15 sec

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78

A Review of Afternoon Tea by Lupicia

I took the only tea bag that I have of this tea and put this in my mug and adding the boiled water to it, I cover it to let it steep for several minutes.

I am fixing this tea first thing in the morning; it is one of those grey morning with light showers out of doors. I remove the cover from tea cup to be met with a darkly reddish cup of robust tea. It smells very dry and somewhat smoky.

I am reminded as I take sip after sip of this tea that this tea is a combination of Darjeeling and full bodied Assam tea. So this tea is both floral, brightly colored tea with a wonderful freshness to it.

Tea’s color is like that Port wine with slight drying effect when swallowing; it is crisp as well liken to an apple with no tart since tea has that dry malt taste. It is an acquired taste.

I must say that it has been a while since having a tea of this proportion and I am reminded how at times I can enjoy a darkly roasted cup of tea. This tea would be nicely met with cream and sugar or milk and sugar and served very hot.
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Overall tasting notes: malt like tea with a robust tasting to it; a fine liquor that is light in body with a strong character in the cup.

Tea’s color is portly; mild rose/red liquor

Taste: smooth with a drying effect when swallowed

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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77

A review of Organic Fairtrade Lemon Valerian by Hampstead Tea London

Company: Hampstead Tea London
Tea Name: Organic Fairtrade Lemon Valerian
Tea Type/Varietal: herbal
Region:
Steeping Vessel/Amt Leaf: cup/ tea bag
Liquor Color: lightest honey brown
Leaf Characteristic:

Steeping:

1st Steeping:
Water Temp: 200
Time: 2-3 minutes

Using freshly boiled water I put my tea bag in my cup and left it to steep for a few minutes. The tea’s aroma is sweetly of the chamomile and liken to the color of honey or a very light brown. It is soothing as I sip of this tea; it makes me feel calm as the infusion is meant to calm one at the end of the day.

I even added a few drops of my Sleep Support tincture (for those nights when you can’t get to sleep. You can take this tincture straight or in water to help to help you relax and get some shut-eye). I obtained this tincture as part of my summer CSA share from Sweetgrass Herbals (www.sweetgrassherbal.com) and this did seem to liven the cup that much more. The dropper also contains valerian; so it is my double dosage with the hope for a good night sleep.

Overall tasting notes: A calming infusion of lemon and chamomile which goes to making this valerian tea a wonderful relaxant.

Cup’s characteristic: calm and soothing cup of tea

Liquor color: lightest brown/ honey like

Taste: mildly citrusy with hints of chamomile

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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77

A review of Organic Fairtrade Green Tea by Hampstead of London

Company: Hampstead of London
Tea Name: Organic Fairtrade Green Tea
Tea Type/Varietal: green
Region: Sri Lanka/ China/England
Steeping Vessel/Amt Leaf: cup/ tea bag
Liquor Color: lightest brown to golden honey
Leaf Characteristic: tea is dark and red under direct light it is like a pomegranate red.

Steeping:

1st Steeping:
Water Temp: 190 Fahrenheit
Time: 3minutes

Using freshly boiled water I put one tea bag in my cup and left it to steep for several minutes. The tea’s aroma is freshly clean and light brown in coloring. It is more like honey. When I sip of the tea there is a slight astringent in the cup and the more I sip of tea it seems to lessen. I am guessing because I use to it by now.

Tea, also has slight tingling effect on the palette.

Overall tasting notes: This is a delicious tea; it is invigorating and freshly clean as green teas tend to be.

Cup’s characteristic: fresh and mildly astringent

Liquor color: light brown to darken honey.

Taste: refreshing taste with slight astringency that improves with more sips. Tea leaves a tingling effect on the palette, and this dissipates with each sip as well.

This is a very good tea that is both refreshing and clean with mild astringent.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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71

A review of Wild Forest Black Tea by Choice Organic Tea

Company: Choice Organic
Tea Name: Wild Forest Black
Tea Type/Varietal: black
Region: South East Asia
Steeping Vessel/Amt Leaf: cup/ tea bag
Liquor Color: dark red
Leaf Characteristic:

Steeping:

1st Steeping:
Water Temp: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 5 minutes

Using freshly boiled water I put one tea bag in my cup and left it to steep for five minutes. The tea’s color is a dark red, velvety when placed directly under the light. The tea’s aroma is mildly roasted scent and when I sip of the tea it is wonderfully hot and heady roasted cup of tea. The tea taste strong and is not at all astringent; in fact it is dry and wet. Because my cup of teas is always hot, the wetness is not discern straight away as well as the dryness that is felt upon swallowing since the hot tea burns first and cannot be enjoyed until slightly cooler than this drinker prefers of it.
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Overall tasting notes: smooth, hearty cup of tea that is dry when swallowed …tea leaves a drying effect on the palette.

Cup’s characteristic: roasted cup of tea

Liquor color: dark red

Taste: dry and freshly cup of tea

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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67

A review of Cleansing Tea by Sweetgrass Herbals

Company: Sweetgrass Herbals
Tea Name: Cleansing Tea
Tea Type/Varietal: Herbals
Region: USA
Steeping Vessel/Amt Leaf: cup/ loose leaf
Liquor Color: light brown
Leaf Characteristic: ferns look like tiny little pods, worms like and small flower like bunches.

Steeping:

1st Steeping:
Water Temp: 160 Fahrenheit
Time: 15 minutes

I used freshly boiled water that sat around until cool/mildly warm. I put one heaping tea spoon in my cup and adding the water. I leave it steeping in my bottle for 15 minutes. Tea’s color is very mild brown coloring. Tea’s aroma is that of the clover herbs and sweetfern. There is a mild sweetness to the tea when I taste of it.

I think seeing the tea in my bottle with the buds and small pod like worms open up was more scary than anything else and once I remove the top from my tea bottle and scoop out the pods and floral, I found that I could enjoy sipping of the tea which was not bitter at all.

Overall tasting notes: tea is very mildly sweet and not at all bitter as depicted in write up. This may be due to the fact that I used boiling water left to cool slightly then just using room temperature water. I did steep it for 15 minutes, then longer for 20 minutes and each time the coloring was slightly brown…

Cup’s characteristic: a floral tea with the buds blossoming as the tea steeps

Liquor color: light brown

Taste: pleasant taste, not at all bitter as mentioned on detail sheet

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C 8 min or more

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87

**A review of English Breakfast Tea (Decaffeinated) by Twinnings of London

Company: Twinnings of London
Tea Name: English Breakfast Tea
Tea Type/Varietal: Black
Region:
Steeping Vessel/Amt Leaf: cup/ tea bag
Liquor Color: dark red
Leaf Characteristic: tea is dark and red under direct light it is like a pomegranate red.

Steeping:

1st Steeping:
Water Temp: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 5 minutes

I am having a cup of Twinnings of London, English Breakfast (Decaffeinated) Tea. I selected this from the many tea samples that I received from another tea reviewer who sent to me a tea care pack some time ago. I mean I sample them from time to time; at times recording of them like now, other time not. I have also given many of the tea samples away when saying thank you to someone for service rendered or a kind gesture; in this life there is not many for me. Folks hate me. I mean I am blame for many things. In the year that I have been homeless, many things I find are my fault.

Anyhow, this is a tea review. Having steeped the tea for five minutes, tea is a lovely dark red cup of strong aromatic brew. It smells darkly roasted and when I taste the tea it is refreshing and invigorating with each sip. Nothing is added to this tea, I am enjoying it plainly made and very hot.
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Overall tasting notes: This is a delicious tea; it is invigorating and lively with a roasted and nutty flavoring. I think malt is more apt to use as descriptor.

Cup’s characteristic: hearty breakfast tea for anytime of the day.

Liquor color: darkly red when steeped longer for five minutes or longer.

Taste: refreshing taste of for a breakfast tea. It is most dry at the back of the palette and slight malt effect. It is crisp and invigorating with each sip and swallowing.

This is a wonderful tea with no edginess.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec
gmathis

Thanks for the nice review. I will look for this locally—I’m always in search of a decaf that tastes better than dishwater. This could be one, I think.

ms.aineecbeland

This is very good tea. I could not tell that it was decaffeinated; not at all. It is a robust and clean cup of tea. I imagine that you would not like Choice Organic brands of decafs. But I may be wrong. Since mine view is not correct on all things.

gmathis

If my memory is accurate, you are correct…I don’t think the Choice Organic stuff I’ve tried was strong enough to suit me.

ms.aineecbeland

Sometime I like Choice brand teas and other times they simply are not in the cup that I am trying. Weird…remember that old commercial about ‘feeling like a nut and sometime not’ well this could be said of Choice. It is out there regardless. Thank you.

K S

I really liked Wild Forest black tea by Choice. It is not decaf but had a good flavor I thought.

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I like to drink tea less so than when I was aptly reviewing teas. I find that I like less and less of things as I age. I am a somber spirit who prays daily to not be at all. Thank you Steepster for all that you do to enrich tea drinkers.

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