CHAroma select Send Message

I’m really enjoying this one today. Creamy cheesecake in matcha form. Tangy and delicious! This one is a keeper and almost better than the real thing. :)

First, I made this with only hot water. Then I tried my first ever cold matcha latte with skim milk! It wasn’t bad! But I do think I prefer matcha with just hot water. It’s less calories that way too. ;)

The dry leaf aroma is bergamot and hazelnut, which is kind of a weird combination to my nose. It’s definitely very unique and unlike any other tea I’ve smelled. This is a tea that requires milk. I added sweetener too, which may have been premature.

The dominant flavor is definitely hazelnut, followed by bergamot and something floral, and then finally a little caramel. I don’t particularly like this Adagio base. It’s fairly bitter even with milk, and normally I don’t find it so. Hmm, I want to like this. I really do. But it’s just…

I think it’s the hazelnut that I’m really not a fan of here. It’s very heavy and artificial. No, this is just not my cup of tea. Oh well. Thanks to Shmiracles for the sample!

My first Kusmi tea thanks to Shmiracles!! The dry leaf aroma is caramel but not in an overly sweet, sugary manner. The brewed tea aroma is much more tea heavy than I would have thought. The taste is more tea and less caramel as well. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But if you’re in the mood for a dessert tea, this may not hit the spot.

The caramel flavor is light and tastes almost syrup-y. Yes, that’s it. It tastes like caramel syrup. The base tea flavor dominates the sip. The aftertaste is where the caramel shines. With sweetener added, there’s much more caramel flavor noticeable in the sip rather than exclusively in the aftertaste. Now this is more to my liking!

I can understand the caramel chew similarity now. This does have an interesting mouthfeel. The base is really a lovely complement to the added flavoring. There’s just the tiniest hint of malt, which I’m really digging. This is a wonderful tea and one that grows on you the more you sip it. Thanks Shmiracles for sending a sample my way!

This smells and tastes amazing! I’m not sure what else there is to say about it.

Artichoke and green bean are the primary vegetables present. There’s lots of butter and a touch of creaminess. This is luscious and silky and just plain delicious. It reminds me a lot of one of Teavivre’s green teas. I can’t remember which one because I’ve tried so many. But it tastes almost identical. If I figure out which one it is, I’ll update this note to let y’all know.

This was brewed Western style. As the cup cooled, it seemed to lose its complexity and grew slightly heavy on the tongue. Of course, part of this sensation could be because I’m very very full right now. I ate French toast for breakfast and had probably twice as much as I should have. I’m stuffed!

Second infusion for two minutes was less vegetal and more creamy. Third infusion for three minutes was still flavorful but had even less buttery veggie notes. The first infusion is definitely the best. It’s not my favorite unflavored green since it seems to get less tasty with each subsequent steep. To me, this tea is good but not rave worthy. Still, I’m glad I got a chance to try it!

I really feel like lime right now. Not sure why, but lime just sounds so good. I also want to do something that is minimal effort so I don’t have to keep washing out my tea paraphernalia to brew another cup of something. Plus, it’s finally summer weather!! Iced tea sounds like just the thing!

This tea bag was purchased last year, but I don’t think that’s affected its quality or strength since it’s been sealed in the original, airtight packaging. The dry leaves smell really lime-y! Ooooh, I can’t wait!

I certainly have gotten better at making iced tea since my first time with SBT’s Cotton Candy. This was super easy! Why don’t I make iced tea more often? For whatever reason, I bought 7 of the 8 flavors released last year and then didn’t make half of them! Silly me. But the time has finally come for Lime Jello!!

Mmmmm, this tea is pure lime goodness! I added sweetener and that’s when it really came alive. Lime and black tea were just made for each other! Waaaay better than lemon and black tea. ;)

Looks like Frank hasn’t re-released this one yet. I hope he does! This is a GREAT tea, especially for only $3!!! This tea really doesn’t get enough credit. It’s super lime-y (and not in an artificial way), amazingly tastes just like jello in liquid tea form, and is simply super delicious! Thanks for making this Frank, now bring it back!!!

After the wonderful experience with Mariage Frères’ Wedding Impérial yesterday, I decided to try their competitor’s caramel tea: Dammann Frères’ Caramel-Toffee! I don’t know if they’re really competitors per say, or if these teas will be at all alike, but this is my tasting note and I’ll do what I want! LOL! Man, I’ve been feeling wonky lately. I hope you’ll excuse my weirdness.

The dry leaf aroma is pure caramel toffee sugary sweetness! It has little toffee cubes and smells much more sugary than Wedding Impérial. Mmm, I can’t wait to try this one! I much prefer Chinese and Ceylon blacks to Assam. So, maybe I’ll like this more? It hardly seems possible, but one way to find out!

Hmm, the brewed tea aroma is good, but the flavor is much less intense than I was expecting. With Truvia added, it’s more enjoyable. But I don’t think there’s any chance this will steal the limelight away from Wedding Impérial. It’s sweet and has a nice caramel toffee flavor. The base seems weak and quiet, which surprises me. I steeped it for 4 minutes! Maybe Assam is just a better base for these flavors.

I definitely like it, and it’s a very enjoyable cuppa. But if I’m craving a caramel tea, I have other teas I prefer to this one. I do have to add that the caramel seems to become more buttery the longer I sip it. This is a tea that grows on you with its flavor instead of whopping you upside the head with it upon the first sip. Thanks to Shmiracles for making this tasting possible!

WOW! The dry leaf aroma is pure salted caramel! OMG, it smells INCREDIBLE!!! I’m brewing this up immediately!

I requested this tea from Shmiracles because I’ve heard so many great things about Mariage Frères teas. The downside is they’re so expensive and you can only buy large quantities of them. BUT, I’m going to France in October!!!! So, I figured I can save shipping costs and pick up some tea while strolling the streets of Paris! Still, it’d be best to try a few things first and figure out what I want to buy exactly.

And this brings us to today and my first Mariage Frères tea!!! Thanks Shmiracles!!!!

Wow! Have I already said wow? Well, let me say it again! WOW! The brewed tea aroma is even better than the dry leaf! It smells of black tea and salted caramel. Holy cow, this is going to be good! First sip sans additions…mmmm, malt and caramel show up first. Then a hint of bittersweet cocoa appears in the middle. Then more caramel, salted this time, appears at the end of the sip. THIS IS GLORIOUS!!!!!!!

I feel like cackling like a mad witch right now. This is a magical tea! First of all, it’s assam. And I don’t even like assam. Second, everyone finds it really strong and leaning towards bitter. I hate bitter and hardly ever drink black tea straight. But this is great straight! (Rhyme unintended). :P I’m sure with milk and sugar it would be a delicious dessert treat too. But even as is, it’s a really really delicious cup of tea!

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. I love this soooo much! I can’t wait to go to France to stock up on it. Wow! :D Thank you sooooo much to Shmiracles for sharing this amazing French creation! I am in love!!!!

YAY!!!! First sample from the swap box Shmiracles sent me!!!! I’m so excited! There are sooooo many teas in this box! You really outdid me. I thought we were shooting for 10. I think I gave you 13. And then I open this deceivingly small box to find 20 samples!!!! Wow!! You are amazing, girl!

So, on to the first one! :D I do have to ask though…What does this tea have to do with North Africa? When I think of houjicha, I think of Japan. When I think of chai spices, I think of India. And when I think of peppermint, I think of Christmas and the North Pole. LOL! No Africa in any of that! But let’s just get brewing already. :P

The dry leaves looks like chai and are chock full of spices and big cardamom pods. Mmm, I LOVE chai! This smells heavenly! And I don’t even remember the last time I had houjicha. It’s been too long. I loved houjicha long before I loved sencha, matcha, white tea, and even oolong! Okay okay, it’s done steeping and now I can finally get to the taste!

First sip…hmm, all I can really taste is chai spices. It probably didn’t help that I just ate three slices of pepperoni and sausage pan pizza. LOL! But I was starving!! I couldn’t wait any longer! Man, I am talkative tonight. I apologize for my ramblings. Just very excited! Second sip…now I’m getting a hint of mint amongst all the spicy goodness. But the houjicha seems very quiet still.

Well, even just as a cup of chai mint tea, it’s yummy! I’m surprised I like the introduction of mint in chai. I think it works because it’s a very small amount of mint compared to the other flavors. Now if only I could get the houjicha to shine! Houjicha has such a nice roasted toasted taste. The base here feels more like a backdrop to the mint and chai spices so that you’re not drinking a purely herbal tea. No roasty toasty elements to be found, sadly.

Oh well, if I didn’t know what houjicha was supposed to taste like, I wouldn’t know what I was missing. So overall, I’m enjoying this cup for what it does taste like. ;) Wow, my brain is just kooky tonight. Is any of this making sense? LOL! Thanks Shmiracles!!!!

The dry leaf aroma of this tea is AWESOME! It smells like creamy, lemon-y goodness. Like lemon meringue pie! There were huge chunks of dried lemon in the blend and lots of yellow calendula petals too (which look exactly like marigold petals by the way).

The brewed tea aroma is mostly woodsy green rooibos with a hint of lemon zest. That’s sad. I hope the lemon creaminess returns in the flavor! I really dislike red rooibos, but flavored green rooibos is usually okay. This brewed aroma is making me second guess myself. Time to try it and find out!

Mmm, lucky for me, that lovely lemon creaminess has returned! The green rooibos base is still pretty strong though. But the added flavorings are nice. It’s worth noting that the lemon in this is very natural and zest-like. It doesn’t taste incredibly tart or citrus-y like lemon pulp or juice. It’s definitely more akin to zest.

I’m going to add a tiny bit of Truvia to see if I can make the flavors really pop. Well, it kind of worked. There’s just no way past that rooibos base. :P This is just okay in my book. But I can see how this would be the perfect late night treat for rooibos lovers. At least it won’t keep me up past bedtime. :)

I really wanted to make this Gingerbread Cookie recipe by DaisyChubb: http://www.daisychubb.com/recipe-zombie-gingerbread-men-matcha-ginger/

But I didn’t have any ginger matcha. :( I did have cotton candy, maple syrup, caramel, and cheesecake matcha in my stash…so I opted to make Gingersnap Cotton Candy Matcha Cookies!

To see photos of my creations, go here (although they are nowhere near as cute as what DaisyChubb created. I am simply not as talented a baker): http://www.flickr.com/photos/96132028@N08/sets/72157633585326552/

My improvisation kind of worked out. It made for really sweet, really sugary cookies with a ginger zing. In all honesty, I could have done without the ginger I think. But my mom and husband (fiancé at the time) loved them!

This is a recipe probably best left unaltered. But hey, it was worth a shot because I was really craving matcha cookies! Thanks to DaisyChubb for posting the recipe! And by the way, those zombie gingerbread men are soooooo freaking cute!!