New Tasting Notes

I can’t believe it’s not butter!

Rich, like a snickerdoodle cookie (no lie) and the plant life comes out with subsequent steeps. Really good!

When Frank sent out an email announcing a new blend this morning I was shocked. Tuna Melt? I mean come on. I like Tuna Melt paninis, but Tuna Melt tea? And it’s not even black tea. It’s green! What was Frank thinking? Clearly, he wasn’t. American cheese, buttery, greasy fries and tea. Somehow that combination doesn’t strike me as being particularly good, in terms of taste and for your health.

I pulled out my trusty cellphone that’s been dropped quite a number of times (poor thing) and speed dialed to 52teas. Frank picked up, but only after what must have been the hundredth ring. He was probably getting overwhelmed from the Strawberry Matcha orders a few days back or was it numerous phone calls asking him about this crazy blend of his… tuna melt. I still don’t know what Frank was thinking. I told him, I though he was crazy. He told me it was amazing and I should try it. He was like, you know what? I’ll even send you a pouch for free, rush delivery, free of charge, cause your my number one favorite customer. Wait, or was it Chelsea that said that? Ahhh, I forget, I’m getting old. Must be all that ginko tea I’ve been drinking. Was it ginko? Darn it, I forgot what I was talking about.

Oh yes, back to topic. Tuna melt! Argh, the idea still disgusts me. So yeah, an hour later the guy in the brown suit arrived with a brown package. I signed for it and unwrapped the package, sorta. Well, you see. I think the UPS guy got a bit hungry, the package was already torn open. At least he saved me half of the contents. I got out my Sorapot for this special occasion and patiently waited for my Zojirushi to drop to 175F. Pondering why this is a green tea base. Ring ding, plays a melody. Whatever, I meant to say the zojirushi made some noise and the water was finally ready. Wohooo, three minute infusion and I was ready to dive in!

Woah. Takes another sip. Woahhh. No seriously… WOAHHH. I thought Orange Ginger was good…. but this? You’ve out done yourself Frank. What does it taste like? Well, if you think of your favorite tea, for some people that might be matcha, for others it may be Japanese greens or pu-erhs. Whatever it is, close your eyes and just imagine it, imagine drinking it and sharing a cup with your favorite person, OR hording the cup. I mean if it’s your favorite tea you’d probably want to drink it all for yourself. Okay, now imagine all that plus your happiness moments in life. Yeah, it’s that good.

Yeah, that’s actually all a pile of BS. It tastes like nothing at all. It’s like drinking air or waking up from a bad dream. Darn you Frank!!! You would have totally gotten me if you had created a Peach Matcha blend. At least I didn’t get rick rolled ;)

This note is dedicated to Frank for making great, interesting, (insert adjective here) tea all year around. Sure there are some hits and misses, but in the end it’s the good ones that matter.

And our fellow Steepsterite member, Cofftea. Cheer up, it’s April Fools. Sure these jokes can definitely be annoying at times, but hey, we’re all adults and we only get to be pranksters children once again every year. If it can brighten up someone’s day, why not. Let em have their fun and games.

This, too, is not a bad decaf choice for those nights when you’re too tired to spend much time on preparation and just want something to warm you up as quickly as possible.

I can’t say I know what lotus is supposed to taste like. I haven’t eaten lotus that I know of. Of course, if I was a lotophage, I probably wouldn’t care what it tasted like. Or indeed about much of anything. This tea doesn’t exactly have a narcotic effect, though it is relaxing enough.

Regardless of what it is supposed to taste like, the lotus in this tea is a very subtly flowery, slightly sweet, slightly green-tasting flavor. It isn’t as strong as jasmine or rose. It smells a tiny bit like the polleny smell you get when you stick your nose into a flower.

It’s interesting the first few times you have it, and though I can’t imaging ever craving it, I can see having it from time to time when I’m looking for a decaf. One thing it has going for it in that department is that it doesn’t scream “I’m decaffeinated! I’m less than!” like some others I’ve tried recently.

About the same as the last time, even with a significantly longer steep. I didn’t have a lot of the sample left though. Scale showed it was slightly under 1 cup’s worth.

I will say, though, that I just went to take a sip to find my cup empty. The cup smelled so divine, I wanted to lick it!

One of my girlfriends at work gave me a bag of this to try once. I’ll admit that I was at a bit of a loss when it came time to add things. Sugar is one thing, but I’d never drank Green tea with milk, and I’d never had Chai without it.. In the end, I did go for the milk, and it was a good thing. I’ll have to grab a box of this when I see it.

I really like this Oolong. Believe it or not, I actually found it in the Eastern Arts store at the local mall. All I add to it is a little bit of sugar and it’s perfect. And it smells delightful. Almost every time I walk by the box I have to take a whiff. Is that wierd? Any-hoo, I hope the claim about dissolving fat is true, ‘cause I’m hoping to lose at least 15 pounds before bathing suit weather hits.

Running late to a hair appointment, I had to take a travel mug of Vanilla Bean since I had no time for breakfast. I added a splash of milk and perhaps I splashed too much. It tasted milky and faintly vanilla with little tea taste. But it was very hot and I didn’t get to drink it all.

I’ve been on the fence about this hair stylist. The hair cut was not bad but it was not what I asked for and I told her as soon as I saw what she was doing that I didn’t want. I think I will be trying a new one next time.

I didn’t think I’d like this because of its sweet smell, so I didn’t add any sweetener (normally I add a teaspoonful of raw honey or rock cane sugar to almost everything). It doesn’t taste as sweet as it smells; I mostly tasted the hibiscus. Tolerable, but Celestial Seasonings makes better.

Time for my daily Oolong! No… I don’t have Oolong every SINGLE day, but I do try to. It is my favorite tea, after all!

This is the first time I’m tasting this Oolong from The Simple Leaf, but I was so incredibly impressed with “Dawn” that I have high expectations. Also, it is an Oolong from Nepal, and I have had a couple of Oolongs from Nepal and have loved them. So… yeah… I expect big taste from this cup of Oolong.

And it delivers! Not my favorite Oolong, but it is really good. Distinct notes of honey in the aroma and the taste. Pleasant mouthfeel – not as thick and buttery as a greener Oolong would be, but, very smooth and silky. It also possesses a woodsy character and a fruit-like quality to it. It is quite a bit lighter in flavor than other Oolongs, so I think the next time I brew this tea I’ll steep a little longer.

it is quite a full-bodied green tea. great for those long afternoons that seem to drag on.

Back late from a photography lecture and to see work at a gallery – not work that I found interesting. Ugh. I had just enough energy left to pop teabags in mugs with some honey before bed. This is the one I chose because I am hoping that the chamomile will knock me out! It’s not super flavorful, but you can leave the bag in your cup with no fear of bitterness. I mainly taste mint and the honey I put in. But the main attraction to this tea is not flavor but warmth and ease. I’m glad I have it and some other bagged herbals around for lazy late nights when I don’t want to measure, fuss, wait, or clean a teapot!

These are my roommate’s and they’re not in their original container so I’m not sure where they’re from. Typical jasmine tea taste though (and jasmine tea is one of my very much favorites)

Guys I know I recently decided not to rate my own teas, but I am going to make this one exception for this truly amazing blend. Everybody keeps telling me how weird or gross it sounds, but this is truly an amazing blend. Worthy of a 100 rating from me and everyone else!

Upton Tea Sample Buying Spree Tea #15 (Last One! sob)
So this is the first time I’ve tried a Green Tea Earl Grey. At some point, I read a review on here where the writer (think it was Jim) mentioned that they didn’t really get the point of green Earl Grey, and I think I’m going to have to agree. At least in this incarnation of the tea, the flavoring completely overpowers the green tea and makes it taste over-perfumed. As I get towards the end of the cup, the green tea starts to assert itself a bit more, though that might be because I’ve gotten used to the taste.
Oh, I feel so bad pushing the rating bar towards the “meh” face! But that is exactly the feeling this tea inspires in me!

Yet again, I am drinking this tea. And I’m not really sure why.

Today was ridiculously hot, and still is, and since I’m still a little clueless at making iced tea, and the tiny fridge I have doesn’t really get cold enough to freeze ice, I have to stick with hot teas for now.

Just as good as last time I steeped it, except it’s making me SO much hotter. The taste is worth it though :)

Wow, I was hesitant to try this tea but i’m glad I did! It isn’t too smoky, as there is a sweetness that rounds the smoky flavor out. I’m really diggin’ this one, a lot. As usual, i’m not surprised by the quality of Damn Fine Tea, they are awesome!

Perfect morning tea. This is the tea blend that got me started both blending teas and moving away from coffee. Very comforting and spicy. In my opinion, best when served hot.

Why am I drinking this at 8pm? Wow, probably not a great idea. Oh well….

Words cannot describe the amazing taste of this tea. The sweet taste of premium Tuna and aged Cheddar is a perfect match for this Green. I drank this tea while eating a Tuna Melt Sandwich and had a hard time telling which was which. Masterful blend. Hats off!

Delightful! This may very well be the best Genmaicha tea I’ve ever tasted – certainly the best Genmaicha with Matcha! The Genmaicha base is smooth with a sweet, nutty contribution from the toasted rice. Pleasantly sweet – it seems to happily glide across the palate! The flavor is much less vegetative than bancha based genmaicha teas. The matcha adds a pleasantly sweet note. There is very little bitterness to this cup.

I adore this tea!

A really great tea! Very flavorful without feeling heavy.

This is one of my all time favorite teas. Rich, sweet and spicy. I take mine with a splash of vaniella creamer.