92 Tasting Notes

40

This is a strange one! It’s labeled a chai, but is missing all the spices that make up a normal chai. It really is more a cinnamon black tea. Cinnamon tea is, of course, my absolute favorite thing, so I had to sample this tea! The smell is strongly cinnamon before brewing. After steeping (5 minutes at boiling) the smell is diminished a bit. I added milk and sugar, because I was thinking chai, and I don’t think that helped – where the milk often amps up the spices in a chai, here it dampens them.

The tea was a touch bitter, especially as the liquid cooled. Overall I was not impressed with this tea. The spice was weak, and I don’t think the tea base was especially good. With so many great cinnamon teas, this one just doesn’t make the cut!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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76

This is the last of my Earl Grey samples. It’s been fun trying them all – I’ve learned that I prefer either a traditional Earl or a Lady Grey, but that I don’t want any green or white tea in the mix. I like the bergmot strong, and the black tea bracing!

This Earl Grey is made with darjeeling, which is not generally my tea of choice. I wasn’t expecting much, but I wanted to give it a shot, so I steeped it for 5 minutes, then added foamed milk to make an Earl Grey latte (my favorite way to drink this tea!) And you know what? This isn’t bad! It’s miles better than the Upton Sacher Blend, which I think is meant to be quite similar, being a Viennese earl. The bergmot is strong and cuts through the milk easily. There is a slight bitterness, but it’s possible I oversteeped slightly, so I’m not taking off points for that. I wouldn’t purchase this tea, and I actually prefer Mighty Leaf’s Earl Grey for afternoons, but I can certainly recommend it!

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

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70

Second tea from the Mighty Leaf sampler. I’ll own up to the fact that I was not looking forward to it – while I love bergmot, orange is not one of my favorite flavors. I was delighted with the smell of the leaves, which promised a sharp, almost perfumed orange.

I initially tasted the tea with no additions. It had a nice natural sweetness, and would be totally drinkable on its own. I wasn’t getting much orange though, so I added milk, hoping to get the creamsicle note. The milk amped up the vanilla, but the orange stayed in the background. To put it plainly, this is one that does not deliver in the cup what it promises in the aroma.

Ah well though – it’s a rather nice tea all the same. The vanilla is warm, and the orange does add a nice caramel note in the background. The tea has no bitterness whatsoever, which is actually pretty impressive. I can taste the jasmine, but only faintly.

To tell the truth, if I hadn’t enjoyed Mighty Leaf’s Earl earlier in the day I might have liked this more. As it was, I kept thinking of that tea, which shares many notes (orange (well, bergmot,) jasmine, black tea) but was more to my taste. But… it was rather nice as an after dinner tea, and I wouldn’t turn down a cup!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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87

You could say I’m a fan of Earl Grey – ever since I heard Jean Luc Picard order it on the Enterprise I longed to try a cup! I’m also rather a purist – I want the bergmot to be strong, and I must be able to taste the black tea in the background. I bought this tea at the supermarket in a sampler pack of Mighty Leaf teas. I wasn’t expecting much, truly, just a cup of the Earl for my afternoon.

I love the little sachets Mighty Leaf uses, though I do with the serged thread holding on the tag didn’t always drip down the side of my cup! I used one sachet for 12 oz of water. I worried it might be weak, but it was not.

There is a nice blast of bergmot, but it isn’t so overwhelming as to taste bitter. There is definitely an underlying sweetness, which I must attribute to the essence of Jasmine on the ingredients list. I am really liking that extra flavor, to my surprise – although I love jasmine I would never think to put it in an Earl Grey! I think this might have to go on my short list of good Earl Greys – it might even be better than my current favorite bagged version (Republic of Tea’s Earl Greyer.)

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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84

I had this twice today. The first steeping I had straight, no sweetener. It’s nicely perfumey and not (at least to me) bitter. Smells lovely in the packet, and that translates nicely to the cup. It has a little natural sweetness, as all jasmine teas do.

I took my second steeping and made it into a green tea smoothie, which was really great (I think jasmine greens really shine when drunk iced anyway!) Here is my recipe for green tea smoothies:

1 cup green tea, chilled
1 cup blackberries, frozen
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
sweetener to taste
.5 tsp xanthan gum (for thickening, optional)
ice

I strain the blackberries ahead of time to get rid of the seeds… or you can use all blueberries. To make smoothie: blend all ingredients except frozen blueberries, ice, and sweetener. Once they are mixed, add the blueberries,ice and sweetener to taste. Blend well. The taste of the jasmine really comes through in these. They are great in the summertime!

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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11

Dude, this is one weird tea. I didn’t go into it expecting coffee. which is good, since I don’t think it tastes anything like coffee (unless you only drink chicory coffee.) I think that I like barley tea, which is itself a bit of an acquired taste, and I remember my Mom drinking this once upon a time.

I got worried when I opened the box and took a sniff. It smells of barley and chicory, which I expected, but I also sensed my one spice nemesis in there – star anise! I don’t know why I dislike it so much, but I do. Still, it was much in the background, and I tolerate some anise heavy teas, so I brewed up a cup. The smell of the tea was, I’m not going to lie, a little off-putting. I can’t explain it, it’s just funky. I like carob, barley, and even chicory well enough on their own, but mixed together with spice it’s all a bit much.

I took a sip. Then I added milk and sugar and took another. It was better, but it was still strange. The problem, I think, is that while the taste isn’t awful, the smell is bad to me, and I can’t avoid it if I’m drinking tea! I think that if it were just the grains it would be fine, but the spices shouldn’t be lurking. The anise came out as it cooled, and the tea gave a coated feeling to my mouth and throat. I tried to finish the cup, but I ended up leaving the dregs. My cat was begging for a smell (he always wants to sniff at what I’m eating or drinking, and I let him after I’m done, as he doesn’t want to eat people food, he just loves smells.) He bristled his tail and ran away. Smart cat. The smell of the teabag was threatening to make me feel ill so I threw it away. And then ate chocolate to get the taste out of my mouth. You see what you are doing to me, Celestial Seasonings? It looked all innocent in the box, and led to chocolate (wait, that part’s not so bad!) But I think I’ll skip the funky tea and go straight to the dark chocolate next time.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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79

Trying a second cup from my sample. Hmm… I think I like it even better this time! I steeped 30 seconds longer with no ill effects. I let my husband try my cup, and he said “I would drink that. Buy some.” and that’s unusual for him – he usually has no opinions, and just drinks whatever I don’t care for! It isn’t super chocolate-y, but it is creamy and comforting. I had a rather bad day, and it’s making me feel better. Prepared with milk and sugar, and I don’t think it’s nearly as good without. I think I might have to buy a bag!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 30 sec

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89
drank Lady Grey by Twinings
92 tasting notes

I’ve been on a bit of a sample spree lately (as you can see!) I kept ordering teas that were described as “light earl greys,” because I had the idea that I would like one (I do love regular Earl Grey, but I remembered having a lovely light one in the cabinet years ago.) Without exception I hated them all – they too sharp and yet flavorless at the same time. Finally I sampled “Indian Nimbu” by Harney and Sons (review coming… I need another cup to decide what I think) which I was not expecting to have the Earl Grey flavor. There it was – it was the lemon that I was missing! And then the light went off – Lady Grey! That’s the tea I was remembering.

Back in college I remember picking up a Twinings sampler pack. I’d never had real teas – only herbals. I fell in love with all the teas (except the Irish Breakfast, but that’s just a Twinings dislike.) I had forgotten Lady Grey entirely! So I went on a search – it was not so easy to find – but I tracked it down to World Market.

This is what I was remembering – it’s light and lemony in the most comforting way. With milk and sugar it reminds me of the lemon pizzelle cookies that my Mom used to make for Christmas (I may or may not have bought some to go with my tea!) It does taste like the Earl, but it’s with all the sharp edges removed. This is the perfect afternoon tea for me, delicate but with enough caffeine to get me through.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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86

This morning I bought a milk frother, so that I might make tea lattes. The girl at the shop assured me that this tea was great in latte form – and I love Republic’s other chocolate teas, so I bought the tin. I am in danger of becoming a fan of dessert teas, and I never liked them before!

This tea smells amazing, and you can see the cocoa powder drifting out of the bags when you take them out. I was excited! I steeped 2 bags in 12 oz of water for 8 minutes (I think mate needs a long time.) I used my frother on 4 oz of milk, and I added sweetener to the milk. I was a little worried after seeing the mixed reviews, but I gave the plain tea a sip.

Well, I don’t like mate without milk (I think it’s a coffee sub, and as such it requires it.) But let me try here – it’s dark and rich, with a little bit of bitter dark chocolate taste (as if you ate the powder from a box of unsweetened cocoa powder.) It’s very dark and murky – you can’t see through this tea!

I added my milk and sugar. Ah – this is what I was hoping for! It’s very smooth with milk. There’s the taste of the mate (which is a taste I like, but it is a bit earthy) and then the finish is smooth chocolate. I don’t think it tastes like dark chocolate after adding milk – more a mild bittersweet chocolate. I actually think this is a great hot chocolate substitute – I may have to float some marshmallows in my next cup! The last sip contained the dregs of the cocoa powder, and had a nice bitter finish.

Recommended for fans of mate and chocolate, as both are present in the cup. It’s more expensive than some of republic’s teas, and I wish it were available in loose form. I recommend using 1 bag per 7 oz of water – a pain, I know, but I find that all of Republic’s teas are best that way. It would have certainly been too weak with just one.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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Profile

Bio

I’m pretty new to the world of tea! I took up tea drinking to help control my coffee consumption, but it seems that I have just created another sort of monster!

I like strong flavors and bold teas. My favorites types include Scottish Breakfast, Earl Grey, and roasted mate. I have recently discovered a love for dessert teas, and my obsession with mint is ongoing.

I am a professional singer, and I’ve had a habit of drinking peppermint and throat coat teas leading up to any performance. I have too many cats and too many hobbies. I blog about sewing and knitting my own clothes (and, most recently, about tea!)

Location

Louisville, Kentucky

Website

http://stitchywitch.wordpress...

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