New Tasting Notes

I don’t usually drink my black teas in the evening, but today I made an exception. I hadn’t had any caffeine since breakfast and was really looking forward to a satisfying cup when I got home from work. I chose this reliable tea, and it didn’t disappoint.

I really enjoyed this cup tonight. The silver needle is of a nice quality. It is sweet and velvety and seemed to have a few honeydew melon notes. The jasmine was more delicate and did in fact have touches of citrus and vanilla. This is not one that I would reach for everyday, but when you want something soothing or a cup to contemplate, this one is an excellent choice.

Smells of earth and cinnamon. By scent I can’t yet tell if that is a good thing.

As hinted by it’s name, it’s not a traditional chai, so I taste the pu-erh predominantly, and the cinnamon is less a flavor than a sensation. A warmth in the throat, following the earth. It does not have the complex spicing of most chai’s, using pu-erh, cinnamon chips, cardamom and “spice oil”. It says it has a smooth citrus bouquet – which I can detect in the unbrewed leaf, but not in the infusion itself. It’s… Ok… If I think if it from a chai perspective it’s not very complex. If I think of it from a pu-erh with cinnamon, it’s fairly decent.

Drunk plain.

Second cup – with a pinch of sugar. It brings out the cinnamon more, yet subdues the pu-erh.

Interesting, but don’t know if I’d buy this. I’ve had better pu-erh’s and better chai’s, and don’t feel the two combined necessarily make up for the other’s weaknesses.

I have been neglecting my tea log lately, mostly due to a crazy schedule. Don’t worry, the schedule isn’t too crazy for tea, just too crazy to write about tea.

This afternoon I had 2tsp of this one with 1tsp of Citron Sonata. The Citron takes the that little vegetable edge that some green tea’s can have and softens it up a bit.

Can’t get enough the green teas in the afternoon. Noticed however that the gunpowder supply is getting low….

This tea is very smooth and light tasting. When I open the bag the peach scent smacks me in my nose, but it’s nowhere near that strong once steeped. The white tea is delicate and the peach is more of an accent, very nice and comforting tea, but be careful about the water temp. and how long you steep it or it will become very bitter!

Sweet, complex flavor. Tastes like raw sugar.

This is a very nice robust , brisk assam tea. It has no bitterness and only slight astringency. It has all the nuances of a good assam tea. The best thing about this fine tea is that it only cost me a buck sixty an ounce at the local health food store. That being said, It is no Mountain Malt, the tea that I will judge all assam teas by until I find a better one.

My bowl of Matcha disappeared fast!

I haven’t had any Oolong tea lately, and I’ve missed it. And this is an excellent Oolong!

Very nice, natural honey-like essence to it that presents itself in the aroma as well as the flavor. Happily, I can taste the floral notes of this tea – One of the things that had kept me from drinking too many of my favorite teas now while I’m sick is the fact that I was worried that in their impaired state my taste buds would not pick up on the more delicate features of those teas. Not so with this particular cup. A lovely floral flavor that melds so well with the natural sweetness. Slightly woodsy. Even a hint of buttery flavor.

YUM!

It is so comforting and delicious. Just what I needed this afternoon.

My review of this tea for the Tea Review Blog recently published, wanna check it out? Here it is:

http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=12497

This is really good. Nice toasty flavor profile. I can see this becoming my everyday afternoon tea:)

This tastes so good this afternoon. My stomach was a little upset earlier (I guess it sorta comes with the territory when I’m taking all these antibiotics)… and this is so pleasantly coating my tongue and esophagus… and I really needed that! Beautifully sweet. A nice, vibrant vegetative quality. Very, very little bitterness. Smooth, thick and creamy.

My review of this tea recently published on the Tea Review Blog. Here’s the link if you’re interested:

http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=12328

From the looks of it, I have just a few more servings left of this Matcha… I sure did enjoy it!

The first time I tried this tea I wasn’t a fan. Too astringent and bitter. I got brave today and tried it ,again, but with a much shorter brewing time. I tried 3 minutes instead of 5 and I can’t believe the improvement. This tea like Golden Monkey smells so much like honey but you don’t really taste it so much. I found it much more palatable as it cooled and it also has a mildly sweet afternote that I missed the first time. I was able to drink it black and really enjoyed it. Bravo assam! I am looking forard to another cup.

I had this tea at a crepe cafe and loved it. It tasted like fresh tropical fruits and light blend of green tea. I went home and bought a box of the tea bags (should have purchased teh loose tea) and it was rather dull. Not at all like the tea I remembered having at the cafe. I do not usually add anything to my teas, however, this tea is much better with a small hint of sugar to enhance the tropical notes. Good in the early morning or in the afternoon while knitting or reading.

Wow! This tea is great.

First, the aroma while brewing is sweet, fruity, and floral. Really wonderful, but strong enough that I was worried that the tea might be overdone and there would not be enough of an oolong taste.

I was very happy with my first sip tasting a really well balanced oolong. It had nice peach and butter overtones and a weaker floral note as well. What’s more is that the peach flavor isn’t artificial. It’s simply a hint of fruityness that sweetens up the brew.

Yes, the tea does weaken on the 2nd and 3rd steeps, but it is still very good (just not excellent like the 1st steep). But, the wonderful taste from the first steep more than makes up for the weakening.

This is a wonderful green oolong tea… its smell is fruity with some floral undertones and the taste is very robust for a green oolong. If you like green teas but are still new to oolongs, I would recommend this tea.

To check out a more detailed review…see my blog! http://wp.me/pQxcK-2l

Pleasant bergamot aroma and flavor, but pretty generic Earl Grey.

This rooibos is fantastic. It has this great maple syrup aroma and a sweet backtaste without being sugary. The smell of this tea could fill up a house with a magnificant smell that catches the attention of everyone. I reccomend this tea to be served not too hot, but not too cold.

This is my ALL TIME favorite tea! I have tried other jasmine pearls but none ever compared the ones I get at Teavana. They are loud with the jasmine flavor which is ok by me (the more the better) and the green tea is very smooth, as if silk is gliding over my tongue. The other thing I love about this tea is that it blends well with other fruit teas…can it get any bettet than this?!

This is a very pleasent bagged tea for me and it is not like most “Earl Grey” teas. This tea is much more lighter in taste and has a nice floral note to accompany the bergamot and other citrusy notes. I add a bit of sugar to mine and it really makes the flavors pop! Also, you can steep this tea and forget about it and still come back to a great cup of tea. It is my go to at work tea!

I got in a beautiful package of teas from Lena today. She even typed me notes on her thoughts of each tea it was a really nice surprise (Thanks Lena you ROCK). In the samples was this one and I’ve been dying to try it and she mentioned she was curious of what my thoughts would be on this one.

First off I have to say I am majorly over steeping it as per all of yall’s reviews I decided to follow suit. The first taste that hits me is angel food while I don’t really taste any strawberry at all! Hmmm I wonder what’s up with that? I like it and it leaves me with a sweet cakey taste I miss the strawberries though I want my strawberries with my angel food cake you know what I mean?? It still tastes good though! Thanks again Lena!! :)

This is another reliable, forgiving “great to drink at work” tea! I’ve been drinking this a lot. I brought a big bag as my “stash” to keep at work and it’s become very popular with my co-workers too. It smells so wonderful, brews up beautifully in the water from our water cooler’s hot water spigot and it can handle oversteeping!

It’s also a good “palate-cleanser” after a heavy lunch. Very refreshing and sweet—like a rainshower in the summer surrounded by hothouse blooms.