98 Tasting Notes
One of my absolute favorites iced. I cold-brew this overnight: 3 T of tea, 2 quarts of water, and about 3 T demerara sugar. I like to think of it as Kool-Aid’s older sibling. Peachy, fruity, sweet, and delicious. The taste of summer.
Preparation
Got this when I was first getting into chai. It makes a good cup—I don’t use much soymilk. The spice isn’t as evident as I’d like it to be (except for one—maybe it’s clove—that sticks out oddly), but it’s not objectionable. I normally love the smell of the steeped leaves, but the smell of this bag when I take it out of my cup is kind of funky. Not sure why (I have had this box for a while, though). Pretty tasty, but I don’t think I’ll get it again—I’ll get something with a more even kick.
Preparation
What got me started drinking tea. Before this, I thought all teas smelled pretty and tasted like hot water (but nice-scented water!). I always went for fruity teas and came away disappointed because I unconsciously expected them to taste like fruit juice. I love this tea—straight mint teas I don’t like the taste of, but the licorice root (as well as the warm spicy notes of basil and fennel) rounds out the light minty taste in an amazing way. I originally bought a jar of this for $24 (Aveda is expensive!), then, when I finished it, I found the ratios of the four ingredients online and mixed it myself with herbs from the co-op. It tasted even better and fresher and only cost $3 to refill the whole jar. Woo! This is a perennial favorite.
Preparation
Fan-freaking-tastic. I went out on a limb a little when I bought this the first time, but man, was it worth it. The sweet, rounded note at the end has so much sustain (now I’m talking in guitar terms, oh dear) that even in the minutes between sips I still have that marvelous taste. When I first got this, I opened the bag and it smelled like frosting—no lie. I’ve since learned that the fragrance of Teavana’s teas can be super strong at first. This tastes nothing at all like frosting, and is malty, smoooooooth, and satisfying. I’ve recently been experimenting with multiple steeps for this, and it’ll go at least 3 times while still tasting yummy (and, as sophistre said, it does lose all of the very-slight astringency that I feel honeybush has after the first steeping.) I drink this all day. You should too. Also great when blended with Teasource’s Lazy Susan.
Preparation
This is one of my absolute favorite black teas. The heavenly scent of it takes me back to memories of winter…when I make this, I hold the cup under my nose and smell it until it cools down. Full-bodied, smooth, and very pleasant. It’s great plain, but a splash of soymilk takes it to the next level…