69 Tasting Notes

I cannot say enough good things about this matcha. It is a perfect afternoon pick-me-up. I like that it’s made with wheatgrass, since it is something that I don’t like to drink on it’s own I feel better that I’m able to consume it in a more palatable manner.

First off, I will admit that I am a huge fan of matcha in general. That being said, this tea truly is the best of all possible worlds. You get the inherent health benefits that come with matcha (ingesting the entire, powdered leaf, instead of just steeping) and the additional benefit of the wheatgrass. All this, and an all-natural, sustained energy-boost?

Like all RedLeaf Matcha the color is very verdantly green, but due to the wheatgrass it tends to be a little lighter than some of their others. After whisking up a cup, the flavor is very vegetal. It has the smell and flavor of fresh-cut grass, and I mean that in the best possible way. It tastes fresh, crisp and warmly -if ever so subtly – sweet.

It’s perfect for re-energizing during the post-lunch 2-3pm drag, and a good replacement of the post-coffee-guzzling-guilt.

Be sure to pick some up here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/wheatgrass-matcha.html

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87

I got sucked into David’s amazing, yet sneaky trap once again. While on a quick trip to the store to pick up some gifts for friends and fellow tea-enthusiasts I knew instantly that I must have this. After one whiff of this heavenly concoction, I jumped right in with 4oz for myself. It’s just sweet enough. The perfect compromise for hot chocolate fans and tea fans alike. The little marshmallows are the cherry on top (And yes, I admit to eating one or two out of the tin) They add the perfect extra sweetness to this delicious treat.

Perfect for this brisk fall days.

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86
drank Salted Caramel by DAVIDsTEA
69 tasting notes

How could anyone not like this??

It is a combination of some of the very best things in life. I knew instantly I had met my match. Creamy salted caramel with chocolate tones and a just-strong-enough black tea base. Once again, a delightful blend from David’s.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 7 min, 0 sec
Ellyn

I love THESE two flavors together…but I tried the coco salted caramel tea from Teavana and it was a no go…I will look into this tea from David’s….

teaNsympathy

Yes! I would highly recommend it! I’d choose David’s over Teavana any day. I tend to dislike their chocolate flavoring also.

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80
drank SoHo Blend by Harney & Sons
69 tasting notes

Hi Steepsterians! I apologize for being MIA lately. So many different things going on. But don’t think I haven’t been drinking more than my fair share of delicious teas and miss you all! My apologies, I will be more diligent in the future, I promise!

So now that the time for Iced tea has come and gone – it’s great to welcome the fall. It’s amazing to me that I can have so many different teas with this flavor palette and still appreciate them distinctly. David’s Checkmate being one of my weekly go-to’s for a morning cuppan, I was hesitant to try this one as well. However, being that I work and spend most of my time in NYC (as well as being a frequent visitor to the Harney Broome St. Store) I felt somewhat obligated to try.

To my delight, it is decidedly different and unique. I get mostly the chocolate, balanced out by the coconut and light-yet-present florals. It is delicious! I have since incorporated it into my weekly routine. Although I enjoy it plenty now I can see it being a perfect winter tea.

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75

I believe this is the tea I’ve recently enjoyed as a part of this month’s installment of steepster select, however I don’t see any mention of it being Organic.

As I don’t see a non-organic version of this on here, I’ll assume this is the correct one.

This is a beautiful tea. I have previously only utilized honey bush to add a sweetness to my brisker black teas. I tend to blend them in with my morning tea, or add them into whatever I’m bringing in my travel mug to get me through the workday. They’re always the perfect accomplice, but I never before allowed it to be the star of the show. I was skeptical because I tend to go for full-bodied, complex teas. And while I have nothing against caffeine-free blends, I usually prefer rooibos, and don’t often go for herbals.

This changed all my ill-begotten misconceptions. This was exactly the full-bodied, multilayered tea I enjoy and appreciate. It was like a black tea, not syrupy or overly sweet, or watered-down and weak with a hint of honey on the finish, as I was expecting. An overall treat that was enjoyed for multiple infusions ranging from after dinner to later tonight. Hats off, once again, to steepster select for broadening my perception of tea.

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79
drank Bangkok by Harney & Sons
69 tasting notes

Back to Backlogging:

A million more thank-you’s to ScottTeaMan for this wonderfully delightful Bangkok Blend, and plenty of it to enjoy! I had this on one previous occasion and had been dying for another taste of it.

The subtle coconut melds so nicely with the verdant grassy green tea. (I fear I need to expand my diction and descriptors when talking about green tea, they’re all the same..)

This was the perfect accompaniment to the first day of spring yesterday, and the pleasing weather that it brought with it.

ScottTeaMan

I’m glad you enjoy it. :)) I really like this one, and I had planned to have it for Spring/Summer, but it is almost gone. :p I’ll have to order more soon.

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84

So after all the backlogging, I’m happy to be writing about one tea that is currently still warm in the cup next to me.

First off, a HUGE thank-you to ScottTeaMan for this wonderfully generous portion, among others. I had been intrigued by this blend for a while, and it seemed to elude my shopping list time after time. I originally fell in love with it’s backstory, and have been meaning to try for some time.

To get to the point, I’m adding this to the ranks of my other favorite Harney straight black teas, Malachi McCormick’s Blend and Royal Palm Court. It’s a wonderful breakfast tea, and perfect way to start the day. It’s brisk and bold, but has a pleasant maltiness, and full-body appeal to it. The presence of 8 different teas does not create chaos and incongruence as I sometimes fear has the same effect as wearing more than one perfume at once. These eight separate teas, however, complement each other nicely, adding depth and complexity and bringing out each other’s full potential. This would fit well among the ranks of the best solid black tea blends.

ScottTeaMan

You’re welcome! I like the smoothness of this one. I don’t know why but I don’t always see certain updates and comments from people I am following, so response is a little late.

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68
drank Gold Rush by DAVIDsTEA
69 tasting notes

Backlogging again:

So I must say that this tea was initially a big disappointment. After spending a while stalking my local Davids in an attempt to get it (They had sold out of their initial shipment in a matter of hours, apparently), I gave in and placed an online order, which I try to refrain from, being as it proves always to be a slippery slope for me. I continue to add things left and right, and before I know it, I’m at the point where I may as well just make a run for the free shipping. This inevitably happened. So sure I would like it, and not wanting to have to bother re-ordering if it proved to be something I couldn’t live without and went through quickly I jumped in for a larger quantity.

My first impression was how little, quantity-wise, there seemed to be of it. David’s divides the order up into 50g bags, and I couldn’t believe how empty they all seemed. In placing one in the provided tin, it barely covered the bottom. The second disappointment seemed to be the lack of tea in the blend. Huge, imposing mulberries, sure, but not much tea to be found. I had even more trouble trying to balance my measurements, digging around the dismal offering for more leaves.

It has the smell and taste of some sort of liqueur to me. I think a mix between Bailey’s and Kahlua. I wouldn’t call it off-putting, just…different.

I was very disappointed, overall, at first. I think my high expectations, coupled with the long wait may have had something to do with that. However, on subsequent cups, I liked it well enough, but definitely wouldn’t be something I’d be clamoring for. It is always nice to have a low-caffeine blend for late evenings, but I think I would have been just as happy with one cup of it, especially for the price.

All in all, I wouldn’t reorder.

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88

Backlogging a bit here:

First off thanks to aisling of tea whose review piqued my interest enough to pursue this tea! :)

The idea of a flavored matcha did boggle me at first. Accustomed to the lively, fresh vegetation taste of traditional matchas I was worried what flavoring might do to something already so close to perfection!

My concerns were unnecessary, it would appear because this stuff is delicious!! It’s still quality matcha at it’s base, so there’s no attempts at adding flavoring to mask an inferior tea here. It’s delicious!! And as I was unfamiliar with Madagascar Vanilla as well I’m going to have to borrow from aisling of tea here and agree that it does have a full, decadent richness about it similar to french vanilla. It’s easy to see such a succulent treat coming from the wild and windy, rainy island.

Even better still is Red Leaf’s system. Rarely in tea pursuits does the tea drinker have so much control over the cup they’re about to enjoy. Variation in blends and batches are bound to deeply affect the range of flavors from steep to steep. But fret no more! Red leaf puts the power back in your hands! You get to choose not only the flavor of the matcha itself, but from a selection of the base matcha’s quality, the flavor potency, and storage options. It’s your perfect matcha in your ideal world.

Try this delicious tea here:
http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/madagascar-vanilla-matcha.html

Or choose from pretty much any other flavor + matcha combination under the sun at their website.

All in all, a wonderful treat to start the day or to pick you up halfway through!!

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C
Daddyselephant

I’m so glad you like it! I realize this is the point of this website, but I never write a review thinking that someone might order a tea because of it, so it blows my mind that I led you to this tea XD.

I freaking love this tea. I can’t wait to try more matchas from them!

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Bio

“The heaven of modern humanity is indeed shattered in the Cyclopean struggle for wealth and power. The world is groping in the shadow of egotism and vulgarity. Knowledge is bought through a bad conscience, benevolence practised for the sake of utility. The East and West, like two dragons tossed in a sea of ferment, in vain strive to regain the jewel of life…Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.” – Kakuzo Okakura, “The Book of Tea”

I am happiest at a tea room, or snuggled up at home with a freshly brewed cup.

Location

West Village, NYC

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