Inkling Send Message

This sample has been kicking around my desk drawer at work for months now; I think it came from a swap with Sophia. I finally brewed it up today as a little afternoon pick-me-up and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it! Despite the age of the sample, the flavor remains strong. And it’s a true banana flavor: sweet and ripe and not at all artificial. I’m also picking up on some strawberry. No chocolate, but that’s okay…the banana/strawberry combination is delicious and combined with a nice smooth rooibos base, it’s a great little treat! This one may be finding its way back into my cupboard at some point.

Mostly coconut with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. Nothing too special, but I enjoyed it!

Trying another new-to-me blend from Fava. This one’s a miss for me. I love a strong chai with well-balanced spices and a flavorful base, but this doesn’t tick any of those boxes. The cinnamon is overwhelming whatever other spices are present and the base tea seems surprisingly thin and lackluster for a puerh. It was okay hot, but I really didn’t care for it as it cooled down; the lack of depth became even more pronounced and I started to notice an unpleasant sour aftertaste. I’ll give it another shot with milk and/or sweetener to finish off my sample, but I doubt this is something I’ll be purchasing in the future.

Fava is my local independent tea shop and I’m on a quest to try all of their tea…which is going to take a while, because they have a lot! So far, it’s been hit and miss: they have several blends that I adore (Cloud 9 and Roasted Almond Chai), others that I really don’t care for (such as Raspberry Rose and Two to Mango) and quite a few that I’m just ambivalent about. This one falls in the ambivalent category. I’m getting bread and nuts, but none of the sweet maple flavor I was hoping for. It’s okay, but not something I’m likely to purchase.

I was browsing the aisles of the one tiny grocery store in the small Wisconsin town where I was staying. Imagine my surprise to stumble upon a selection of loose-leaf tea mixed in with the Lipton and Celestial Seasonings. And from a local brand I’d never heard of to boot! I decided to give this one a try and now I’m wishing I’d purchased more. This is a lovely sweet/spicy chai with a distinctive apricot taste, sweet and flavorful on its own and also delicious with milk. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more tea from this company!

Haveteawilltravel kindly included this one as a bonus in my recent tea purchase. It’s not something I would have chosen on my own, but I’m actually quite enjoying it! The strawberry flavor is most prominent with the sassafras showing up mainly in the aftertaste. A nice light, fruity tea for summer!

Tasting note #500!

I can’t believe I’ve never reviewed this one, as it’s been a staple in my cupboard for several years now. TeaSource offers both a flavored and unflavored milk oolong. I have the unflavored and absolutely recommend it! The flavor is sweet and creamy, the texture buttery-smooth, and the beautiful unbroken leaves hold up to many re-steepings. (I usually wear out before the tea does!)

I tried this on a whim and ended up loving it! The flavor is complex hard to describe: a bit like honey, but also slightly fruity with a hint of something that reminds me of walnut. Pretty strong for an oolong, but no bitterness or astringency even after multiple re-steeps. I will probably re-order when I’ve finished my 2 oz bag!

This is quite possible the best Earl Grey tea I have ever tasted! A beautiful, richly flavored base tea blended with just the right amount of bergamot. Smooth enough to drink straight, but even better with milk. If I could afford to, this is one of those teas that I would happily drink every day!

Perhaps it was the age/storage of the sample I tried, but I didn’t get much coconut or flan from this one. I tasted the toasted, nutty flavor of the rice and that was about it. Not leaving a rating, since I’m not sure I got to taste this blend at its best.