New Tasting Notes
Okay, so this stuff was making me nuts! There was something about it that I just couldn’t put my finger on! So tonight I did a little experiment. I have seen this tea described as a dessert tea, as sugar cookies, etc. but I was picking up something familiar – and beloved – and I think I have it. This tea reminds me of pure maple syrup. In the best way possible, too. I actually heated a tiny amount of maple syrup, stuck my finger in it and tasted, and alternated tasting the syrup with deeply inhaling the aroma of the tea. As I combined those two experiences, I not only detected some maple scents in the leaves, it also seemed to make me zero in on a bourbon-type aroma in the dry leaves like a fine bourbon vanilla. Just heavenly. Not sickly sweet, at least not to me. This stuff is great. Oh when will my big bag arrive? Sigh.
Another one from the quiet life!!!
This tea contains everything but the kitchen sink, yet it doesn’t taste like much more than cinnamon and rooibos! How is that possible!? It was quite enjoyable with a touch of honey, but I just don’t understand where the flavor of the apple pieces, peach pieces, pear pieces, rose buds, mallow flower blossoms, rhubarb bits, red currants, almond slices, and vanilla went to! I used an extra teaspoon and a half of tisane – I was forewarned – but it just made it extra cinnamony. I will certainly enjoy the rest of my sample, but it’s not different enough from plain rooibos where I would seek it out.
Preparation
I guess that’s the problem if they use a lot of an aromatic ingredient like cinnamon or mint – it drowns out everything else.
I’m sorry it was disappointing. :\ I found that the fruity taste came in the end as more of an aftertaste than with the actual sip. It’s kind of a weird tea. Smells good and looks pretty, though. :P
the quiet life – I very much enjoyed it as a cinnamon rooibos :) I was amazed to see such a great variety of ingredients including beautiful rose buds but so surprised not to be able to taste any of them. Loooove the Zingiber tho!!!
I really disliked the decaf version of this, but I like this one – it has the right amount of vanilla for me (maybe too much for those who like their chai’s spicy).
It’s a decent prebagged tea (my 1st)- just curious as to what’s different about the decaf version.
I don’t know – I just recall not liking it… maybe it tasted “flat” the say decafs sometimes do? Or maybe it was jut an old bag. Or maybe I’m misremembering. I’ve had this (full caf) twice recently and liked it better than I expected to each time, so some how my previous experience with the decaf biased me.
I tried the bagged version of this at the Daily Grind with half and half and a packet of Splenda. Such a rich flavor! I love all the spices they used, though the bag didn’t identify all of them. I loved it so much, I decided to take the bag back with me.
While stirring a sugar/Splenda mix into the resteep, I knocked over the whole cup, and half of the tea ended up on the floor, the other half seeping under my laptop. Within seconds, it froze. I wiped everything up, turned the laptop off, unplugged it, took out the battery, tilted it in a few directions, and let it sit on the side that got the worst of the spill.
Five hours later, it froze booting, so I went to Wal-Mart and looked for some canned air. It wasn’t in the cleaning section, so I went to the computer section and had a hard time finding it. It was on the bottom shelf hiding next to other stuff. So I sprayed it and waited about an hour, then it took 10+ minutes to do a self-diagnostic that didn’t even fix anything, but it was fine after a restart. I went crazy being laptop-less for 7 hours.
Oh, and when I tried resteeping it, I’d heated about 2 cups of water, so I used the other cup once I’d cleaned everything up. It was so weak, it tasted more like tea-flavored water. All that for nothing! But the first steep was heaven.
Today was the day. I got my Samovar package in the mail. I’d already had my caffeine dose for the day, but it was a rough one, and I couldn’t resist breaking out the adorably tiny teapot (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauren_pressley/4438902539/ ). When I opened it, I said “this is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” My husband questioned if that was really true. It’s probably not, but it’s definitely the cutest thing I’ve seen in the past few days.
Four Seasons has been fantastic, too. I’m on steep five, and it has been getting better with each one. The first was quite vegetal, and the second was as well. Things started getting really interesting around the third: more floral and at one point I almost got a mint like quality.
I’m certain I’m not steeping this as well as I could, but it’s working for me at this point. I put 1.5 teaspoons of tea in the tiny teapot, rinsed with boiling water for about 20-30 seconds, then took the set up to the living room so we could watch the pilot episode of The Pacific. So, the first steep wasn’t quite boiling, but it was really close to it, for 3 minutes. I let that cup cool enough to drink, then steeped from the same pot of water for 4. This last steep was 7 minutes, but the water wasn’t really all that hot either.
I am looking forward to lots of experimentation with this one…. but I’m also looking forward to the rest of the Samovar teas… and I still have the Golden Moon sampler to go through… so many teas, so little time!
That’s a cute teapot!
BTW what did you think of The Pacific?
that teapot is ridiculously cute!
Wow, wow, wow!!!! It IS adorable!!!!!! I’m supposed to take delivery on thurs – can’t wait!!!!!
@Erin: I know, right?!?
@JacquelineM: It really is… even more than I expected. I’m excited you’re getting yours tomorrow!
@Jillian: it’s good! Have you seen it? I’m not sure how it will hold up to Band of Brothers, but I’m willing to give it a try when it all comes out on DVD.
No I haven’t seen it though the previews looked pretty cool.
To be honest I’m a bit wary of Amercian-made WW2 stuff because it tends to be all “We saved the day and destroyed the Nazi’s single-handedly and the Brits, Canadians, Russians, and everyone else was just chopped liver.”
laurenpressley – what a surprise! My Samovar order came today! The tea pot is SO SMALL and SO CUTE!
Did you feel 1.5 tsp of leaves was good for 4 oz of water a shot or do you think a little more or a little less next time. I’m having trouble deciding how much leaf to use for that little pot because the samovar video says 1 teaspoon of leaves for 10 -14 oz of water (after the initial rinse which you throw out). I’m so confused!
Jillian – did you ever watch Foyle’s War? It’s my favorite WWII era show :)
My cable package doesn’t include the BBC unfortunately, which is a shame since there are so many good programs being aired in the UK (Top Gear, whoot!) :(
Jillian – I see them on DVD. Def worth a viewing if you are interested in WWII. I haven’t seen the latest season since it isn’t available on DVD in the US yet.
I’ll have to have a look the next time I’m in Future Shop, thanks for the rec. :)
JacquelineM: I know! It’s hard to know how many leaves are good for it without specific instructions. I forget (already!) where I came up with the amount, but it might have been that I read somewhere to use a tablespoon per cup of water?
Jillian, I totally know what you mean about the US centric views in most of those movies/shows. It’s interesting, but you do get a sense you’re not getting the whole story. The Band of Brothers was nice because it was so character driven. I have the same hope for The Pacific.
