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I started steeping these leaves a few days ago, got through the rinse and one steep and then realized I was too distracted. I let these leaves dry and I’m trying again with them now.

Second steep, 10 seconds. The leaves are very roasty and umami smelling, but the liquor is all lilac on the nose. Lilac on the palette too, though this steep tastes a bit weak.

Third steep, 10 seconds. Again, intensely lilac, but with roasty, almost burnt notes on the tongue now. Fades out to a more rose like floral on the finish, with a bit of toasted rice and umami.

4th, 6 sec. Lilac, sandalwood, a bit astringent, roasty.

5th, 5 seconds. Sweet & perfumey.

I’m not going to rate this yet. I know I like it but it deserves more focus.

So much love for this tea. Light, floral, citrusy but not at all tart or sour. A bit vegetal. So, so much love.

I underleafed this, but it was still magnificent. I need to drink it again and really pay attention, since I put this in a travel mug and drank it while driving and being in a meeting. But oh my, awesome.

Mm, I’m glad this one has returned. It’s a very nice, autumny cuppa. It smells very sweet but is actually pretty dry. I added some milk and sugar, which really brings out the flavours. Lots of cinnamon, caramel, clove. A bit malty, hints of pumpkin, though it doesn’t stand out on its own, but makes this taste different from other chais.

Next cup I think I will brew longer with more tea. This cup is tasting fairly light and I do like my chai strong and thick.

This is a nice green. Sencha base with a bit of vegetal and juicy fruit notes, mango, strawberry, pineapple. Touch of astringency, a bit perfumey.

You know, for some reason when I started brewing this, I was kind of expecting not to like it, so it’s taken me a bit by surprise. I was expecting a lot of toasty, roasted, woody notes, and they’re there, along with some malt and earth, but the dominant note in this is floral.

It has a nice thick, creamy mouth feel to it.

I like this. I’m not sure why I thought I wouldn’t.

Edit: Annnd, it turns out I’d tried this already and forgotten. Well then.

Oh this smells so, so good. Sweet, juicy, ripe peaches. The smell conjures up the image of biting into a cool peach on a hot summer day, the sweet, nectary mouth feel of the juice and the velvet of the skin; the flesh sweet and ripe and the skin just a touch tart.

Sadly, the deliciousness stops at the smell. I brewed this hot. 4min and it was just weak. 6 minutes it has a lot more flavour, but it’s not a good flavour. It’s both too sweet and too tart, and the sweetness isn’t one of fresh fruit, but artificial sweetener. There’s some peach flavour there, but it’s also kind of artificial tasting. The peach gets a bit more authentic tasting on a very long finish, but it’s no where near enough to save this.

I let it sit and cool for a couple of hours and tried to drink it cold and still, blech. Tastes like disappointment.

MmmMmmMmmMmmelon! This is sweet but not artificial, and very, very melony. Cantaloupe and honeydew. The white tea part is very mild, really only noticeable mid-sip. There’s a hint of breadyness on the nose.

I’ve had a couple of hints of odd notes of olive that were only there for a split second, but they seem to be gone.

Quite nice, fresh and easy to drink. Thank you to Dexter for the sample!

I think that this is a tea that I would actually quite like, but for this morning, I’m finding it a bit too sweet and candy-like. The flavours and fragrances are all dead on for lime gelato.

Creamy, lime, sweet, vanilla with a touch of tang.

I’m going to finish this cup and then try it again some other time, when I’m in the mood for something really desserty.

Side note, I’ve been wanting to get a variable temp kettle for a while, but I haven’t picked one up yet. My sweetie reminded me that I can use the candy thermometer, so now I can get a much better idea of my water temperature. And I think that my water has been cooling a lot faster than I realized. So I may need to try this, and a lot of other teas steeped a bit hotter than I have been.