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This review is for the caffeinated version normally sold only to restaurants

Experience buying from The Tea Butler: Positive. I had several contacts with the owner, both via e-mail and over the phone, and he was very accommodating with an unusual request I had. Unfortunately, he is out of loose-leaf tea, and my understanding is that he does not plan to get any more to sell.

Age of leaf: unknown.

Packaging: the large box contained a large plastic bag with 50 one ounce iced tea bags.

Dry Leaf: this is one of the best smelling teas I have ever had. The room that the open box (after all the of the tea was removed) sat in had a wonderful tropical fragrance in it for months! The leaf within the large paper teabag is chopped, but seems to be decent quality (much better than the fannings size leaf in a standard teabag).

Brewing guidelines: glass ring Crate and Barrel pitcher capped with a tea saucer to keep the heat in, lots of Stevia.
………..1st: boiling (unwarmed pitcher), 4’
………..2nd: boiling (warmed pitcher), 8’
………..3rd: boiling (warmed pitcher), 15’

Aroma: Unbelievable! When brewed this tea produces a tropical-coconut smell that fills the entire kitchen. I love it!

Color of liquor: Standard black tea color: dark brown-red.

Flavor: It has a wonderful tropical flavor.

Value: I got this for a bargain price, but The Tea Butler doesn’t have any more of it, and H&S doesn’t list it on their website (although they list a caffeinated version). : (

Overall: This is probably my favorite iced tea. It is normally only sold to restaurants, but The Tea Butler was selling them to the public to liquidate his inventory. He no longer sells them, and I don’t know if you can get these anywhere else (I bought two big boxes of it—-yes, lots of it—-and would be happy to share some of it in a tea swap).

I make about a pitcher and a half on the first steeping, a pitcher on the second, and 2/3 a pitcher on the third. The first steeping clearly has the strongest flavor, but the second and third are also tasty! I drink the 1st steeping knowing it is fully caffeinated, and then treat the 2nd and 3rd steepings as basically decaffeinated (neither me nor my wife has had trouble sleeping after drinking the second of third steepings, so I imagine most of the caffeine is removed in the 1st four minute steeping). We also have the decaffeinated version (bought directly from H&S), and it basically tastes the same as this decaffeinated one. I have been drinking this daily since the summer, and plan to drink it daily all year round until it’s gone. I love this iced tea!

This is my 5th and final review in a series of six Skin Smart Beauty Tea Samples

Experience buying from Tea Forté: Good. Website is very colorful and easy to navigate. Sent free samples after responding to an invitation on Steepster. Package came in reasonable amount of time. Other than sending my address, no e-mail or phone contact.

Age of leaf: Unknown. Steeped within weeks of receiving.

Packaging: Colorful: each tea came attached to a colorful paper backing labeled as a "Skin Smart” sampler. Each tea bag comes in standard tea bag packaging, with a picture of the flavors that the tea replicates prominently displayed on it. The tea bags themselves look like standard paper teabags with a small Tea Forté label and string attached to the bag by a staple.

Dry leaf in the bag: coconut, tropical, fun!

Brewing guidelines: in a ceramic cup with a touch of Stevia.
……………1st (and only): 170, 4’

Aroma: not anything strong or discernable.

Color of liquor: light honey color.

Flavor: It was hard to nail down the flavors, but I definitely tasted coconut in there. I have had a lychee scented/flavored tea once (and I have eaten the canned version of this fruit), and I think I tasted the lychee in it.

Value: I am grateful for the free sample (thank you Cindy at Tea Forté!), but their price on their website is more than I would be willing to pay if I purchased it.

Overall: This one was probably the most interesting flavor of the series. I am not certain that it had the best flavor, though. I liked the tropical flavor to it, and I liked that it was different than anything I have tasted before. On thing both my wife and I noticed (I also noticed this about the Honey Yuzu): it has a strange aftertaste, which felt like a dry sensation in my mouth, almost like a very gentle pull inward; it wasn’t strong, or unpleasant, it was simply unexpected; I don’t know if it’s due to it being a white tea, and so needing a little cooler temperature, or less steeping time, or what. Still, I did enjoy this tea.

A final note on the teabags in this series: to get the proper flavor they probably need to be steeped only once for at least 4 minutes (with the possible exception of the Lychee coconut, which may need shorter time).

This is my 4th review in a series of six Skin Smart Beauty Tea Samples

Experience buying from Tea Forté: Good. Website is very colorful and easy to navigate. Sent free samples after responding to an invitation on Steepster. Package came in reasonable amount of time. Other than sending my address, no e-mail or phone contact.

Age of leaf: Unknown. Steeped within weeks of receiving.

Packaging: Colorful: each tea came attached to a colorful paper backing labeled as a "Skin Smart” sampler. Each tea bag comes in standard tea bag packaging, with a picture of the flavors that the tea replicates prominently displayed on it. The tea bags themselves look like standard paper teabags with a small Tea Forté label and string attached to the bag by a staple.

Dry leaf in the bag: Good, strong cinnamon smell.

Brewing guidelines: in a ceramic cup with a touch of Stevia.
……………1st (and only): Boiling, 4’

Aroma: cinnamon!

Color of liquor: honey color, tending toward red.

Flavor: Apple flavors come though, but the cinnamon flavor is stronger (yet, not overpowering).

Value: I am grateful for the free sample (thank you Cindy at Tea Forté!), but their price on their website is more than I would be willing to pay if I purchased it.

Overall: I really liked the cinnamon smell. And I did like the taste of both cinnamon and apple in the tea liquor. This was a little better tasting than the Honey Yuzu for me. This is a tea I could enjoy drinking.

This is the 3rd review in a series of six Skin Smart Beauty Tea Samples

Experience buying from Tea Forté: Good. Website is very colorful and easy to navigate. Sent free samples after responding to an invitation on Steepster. Package came in reasonable amount of time. Other than sending my address, no e-mail or phone contact.

Age of leaf: Unknown. Steeped within weeks of receiving.

Packaging: Colorful: each tea came attached to a colorful paper backing labeled as a "Skin Smart” sampler. Each tea bag comes in standard tea bag packaging, with a picture of the flavors that the tea replicates prominently displayed on it. The tea bags themselves look like standard paper teabags with a small Tea Forté label and string attached to the bag by a staple.

Dry leaf: odd, but pleasant smell, like the smell of new clothes (cotton, perhaps from the bag itself?)

Brewing guidelines:
……………1st (and only): 182, 4’

Aroma: pleasant, but I can’t place it.

Color of liquor: honey colored!

Flavor: It has a very interesting and unusual flavor, with honey running around in there somewhere. I liked it.

Value: I am grateful for the free sample (thank you Cindy at Tea Forté!), but their price on their website is more than I would be willing to pay if I purchased it.

Overall: Although it was difficult for me to pin down the flavors, it was the best tasting teabag in this series so far. It may be that brewing it hotter and longer—than the first two teabags—-is in part what made the difference. This is a tea I would be open to drinking on occasion.

This is the 1st review in a series of six Skin Smart Beauty Tea Samples

Experience buying from Tea Forté: Good. Website is very colorful and easy to navigate. Sent free samples after responding to an invitation on Steepster. Package came in reasonable amount of time. Other than sending my address, no e-mail or phone contact.

Age of leaf: Unknown. Steeped within weeks of receiving.

Packaging: Colorful: each tea came attached to a colorful paper backing labeled as a Skin Smart” sampler. Each tea bag comes in standard tea bag packaging—with a picture of the flavors that the tea replicates prominently displayed on it. The tea bags themselves look like standard paper bags with a small Tea Forté label and string attached to the bag by a staple.

Dry leaf: teabag smells minty, and when I first took it out of the packaging I got a faint whiff of some kind of chemical smell, like glue.

Brewing guidelines: in a ceramic cup with a touch of Stevia.
……..1st: 170, 2’
……..2nd: 185, 5’

Aroma: same minty smell as with the dry teabag, still with a little off aroma.

Color of liquor: Light copper color.

Flavor: minty, but overall bland tasting.

Value: Free sample (thank you Cindy at Tea Forté!), but their price on their website is more than I would be willing to pay if I purchased it.

Overall: Although I occasionally use teabags, I much prefer loose leaf; I invite you to keep this in mind for each of these reviews. I was not at all impressed with this teabag. I have had many a teabag that was tasty (using similar parameters as I have above), but this was not one of them. Surprisingly, the second steeping had a little more flavor. It may be that these teabags need a higher temperature and a longer steep time than standard loose leaf green tea to get any appreciable flavor out of them.

This is the 2nd review in a series of six Skin Smart Beauty Tea Samples

Experience buying from Tea Forté: Good. Website is very colorful and easy to navigate. Sent free samples after responding to an invitation on Steepster. Package came in reasonable amount of time. Other than sending my address, no e-mail or phone contact.

Age of leaf: Unknown. Steeped within weeks of receiving.

Packaging: Colorful: each tea came attached to a colorful paper backing labeled as a Skin Smart” sampler. Each tea bag comes in standard tea bag packaging—with a picture of the flavors that the tea replicates prominently displayed on it. The tea bags themselves look like standard paper bags with a small Tea Forté label and string attached to the bag by a staple.

Dry leaf: teabag smells like amaretto, and as with the Cucumber Mint teabag, when I first took it out of the packaging I got a faint whiff of some kind of chemical smell, like glue.

Brewing guidelines: in a ceramic cup with a touch of Stevia.
……..1st: 180, 3’
……..2nd: 190, 6’

Aroma: Mild cherry amaretto smell.

Color of liquor: Light copper color.

Flavor: very mild taste, like amaretto.

Value: Free sample (thank you Cindy at Tea Forté!), but their price on their website is more than I would be willing to pay if I purchased it.

Overall: Although I occasionally use teabags, I much prefer loose leaf; I invite you to keep this in mind for each of these reviews. I was not at all impressed with this teabag. I have had many a teabag that was tasty (using similar parameters as I have above), but this was not one of them. The second steeping had even less flavor than the first. Although I didn’t, my wife liked this one better than the Cucumber Mint. Again, it may be that these teabags need a higher temperature and a longer steep time to get any appreciable flavor out of them. I plan to do just that with the next teabag in this series.

This is my 4th review in a series of six samples of Wuyi Oolongs from China Cha Dao

Experience buying from China Cha Dao: I responded to an offer on Steepster for free samples. Received exactly what was stated in the offer: fresh tea and very generous sample sizes. On their website on eBay they have a good variety of tea for reasonable prices.

Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in 2011. Received mid-summer, brewed early fall 2011.

Packaging: small, clear bags with small label printed with the full name of the tea.

Dry leaf: looks and smells the same as the other Wuyi Oolongs teas in this series: long slender dark brown leaves with a roasted aroma that reminds me of the smell of burnt gunpowder from my cap gun when I was a child.

Brewing guidelines: four 8-oz cups of water used, leaves loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added. (I tried to keep the following guidelines as consistent as I could throughout the series)
…………….1st: 185, … 2’ Good.
…………….2nd: 190, … 3’
…………….3rd: near boiling (un-warmed teapot), … 5’
…………….4th: boiling (un-warmed teapot), … 7’

Aroma: smells mildly roasted and a tad burnt.

Color of liquor: pretty much the same as the other Wuyi oolongs: medium brown—like a lightly roasted coffee.

Wet leaf: aroma is mild and pleasant. Most of the leaves were on top, the rest on the bottom of the pot during the first steeping; all were on the bottom for the remaining steepings. Most of the leaves and buds are whole, many are large, and there are a few broken pieces (probably due to transport and handling); they range in color from dark green, through brown, to very dark brown (almost black).

Flavor: roasted and a little sweet.

Value: Free 10-gram sample (Thank you Jerry Ma @ China Cha Dao tea on Ebay!). His regular tea is very reasonably priced, I judge ($7/125grams).

Overall: Like the other Wuyi Oolongs, I liked the second and third steepings the best. The flavor comes out more when it cools. This tea is touted as Special Grade, and yet I can’t tell the difference between this grade and the standard version of Da Hong Pao. Like the other version, it tastes rich, robust, fresh. It’s good, but to me it doesn’t set itself apart from the others in this series.

Experience buying from DeRen Tea http://steepster.com/places/2836-deren-tea-online-portola-california?visit=1354

Age of leaf: Advertised as early autumn 2011. Received samples late September. Brewed up a little over a week after I received it in mail.

Packaging: Samples: silver translucent bags with simple label.

Dry leaf: Smelled like a standard oolong, but with a powerful floral fragrance. Very long, thin, wiry looking leaves; dark, uneven coloring, with some green showing through.

Brewing guidelines: I decided to break with my traditional brewing techniques prompted by the brewing instructions for Dancongs on DeRen’s website. I also decided not to ‘wash’ it
………1st : 190, 30”
………2nd: 185, 45”
………3rd: 190, 60”
………4th : 195, 75”
………5th : 185, 90”
………6th : Boiling, 2’

Aroma: very floral.

Color of liquor: light copper.

Wet leaf: very floral aroma; light green color, tinged with brown on many of the edges. Whole, big, beautiful leaves!

Flavor: Ranged from very floral to a well-balanced and nuanced oolong flavor.

Value: Sample was provided by DeRen Tea (Thank you Aaron!). This particular tea on their website is more than I am willing to pay for any oolong, but I am guessing it is still competitively priced for a Semi-Wild Yulan Dancong, as the rest of their tea is.

Overall: This tea has changed the way I view oolongs. I consider myself fairly new to this class of semi-oxidized teas. After having had a number of flower-scented teas (green, black, and oolong), I am discovering that I don’t particularly like them; to me, the scent—-and especially the flavor—-does not ‘belong’ in tea. And so on the first steeping of this tea, I was a little put off by the overpowering floral taste and aroma. But I liked the second steeping more, as it was less floral. Then the third, ah, the third. This is what changed my relationship with oolongs. The floral flavor was there, but I guess more as a supporting cast member, because it was also sweeter, and the overall flavor was like something I have never tasted before. That third cup was probably the best cup of oolong tea I have ever had. I think some underlying perception about oolongs has lain dormant inside my consciousness for awhile, and has finally surfaced. Don’t judge a tea by it’s first, or even its second infusion: wait at least until your tried the third! But wait, my guess is there are other oolongs, and Pu-erhs, that get better even later! Wow! I really enjoyed watching the leaves slowly change after each steeping, such that they were finally fully unfurled on the forth. The later steepings were not as flavorful, but surprisingly, the sixth had more flavor than the fifth! What an adventure in steeping and tasting. In summary, this tea is amazing.

Experience buying from DeRen Tea http://steepster.com/places/2836-deren-tea-online-portola-california?visit=1354

Age of leaf: Advertised as spring 2011. Received samples late September. Brewed up a couple of days after I received it in the mail.

Packaging: Samples: silver translucent bags with simple label.

Dry leaf: Looks as shown on website and like one other Bi Lo Chun I have tried. Smelled fresh, woodsy, and somewhat sweet.

Brewing guidelines: Loose in glass Bodum, Stevia added. Two and a half teaspoons of dry tea = two and a half eight-ounce cups of water (I brewed this up a little longer than I would for a standard green tea):
………1st: 165 (I was shooting for 170), 2’
………2nd: 170, 2’
………3rd: 175, 2’
………4th: 180, 2.5’

Aroma: Pleasant: standard fresh green tea smell.

Color of liquor: Very light yellow-green.

Wet leaf: Not uniform in color—-ranging from pale yellow to dark green—-but looked fresh and smelled sweet and slightly roasted.

Flavor: light, sweet, and very pleasant, with a slightly roasted note.

Value: Sample was provided by DeRen Tea (Thank you Aaron!). Tea on their website is competitively priced for fresh, standard Bi Lo Chun.

Overall: I was pleased with the flavor of this tea (it reminded me of a H&S version I had weeks before). To me Bi Lo Chun seems to exemplify freshness (somewhat similar to the taste of Anji Bancha, but not as strong). It held flavor through to the forth steeping, with a slight astringency coming through (most of the leaves were on the bottom beginning with the first steeping). With the right price, this is a tea I would seriously consider buying and having around.

Experience buying from DeRen Tea http://steepster.com/places/2836-deren-tea-online-portola-california?visit=1354

Age of leaf: Advertised as spring 2011. Received samples late September. Brewed it up not long after I received it in the mail.

Packaging: Samples: silver translucent bags with simple label.

Dry leaf: Mildly roasted scent, fresh, woodsy? Caramel color, with a few light brown colored leaves (reminded me somewhat of a Yunnan Gold—but not as fluffy and light).

Brewing guidelines: Loose in glass Bodum, Stevia added. Three teaspoons of dry tea = three eight-ounce cups of water. Used my standard red tea guidelines.
………1st : Temp -Two minutes off the boil, Steeping time – 2’
………2nd: One minute off the boil, 3’
………3rd: Boiling, 4’
………4th : Boiling, 6’

Aroma: Reminded me of the smell from a brewery: malty.

Color of liquor: light caramel color.

Wet leaf: Similar to liquor aroma; not smoky at all. Brown medium-size chopped leaves, with a few whole leaves and buds.

Flavor: I brew beer on occasion, and the taste of this tea reminds me of the taste in the unfermented beer product (called ‘wort’), a barley or grain-like taste, which I believe is called, ‘malty’. There was no smokiness what so ever in the taste. It held flavor up through the third and had little flavor on the forth steeping.

Value: Sample was provided by DeRen Tea (Thank you Aaron!). Tea on their website is competitively priced for fresh, red tea.

Overall: I was surprised by this tea. I was expecting lots of smokiness (I have had one other of this type of tea, called Strong Smoke Lapsang Souchong) and yet found none in the aroma, nor in the taste (I have it on authority just recently that not every Lapsang Souchong is smoky). This wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t what I was expecting. The tea itself was clearly fresh and tasty—it tasted like a quality red tea. I wouldn’t buy it if you’re looking for a smoky tea, but it is definitely a quality Chinese red tea.