2291 Tasting Notes
I was Christmas shopping on Granville Island and decided to stop in and see what they had for strawberry black teas. This is the one that was recommended to me, and I trusted the salesperson as all I could tell is that the tea was a bit sweet and fruity. I’m really annoyed with this cold!
I’ve had it a couple times, and although the lemon addition means it’s not quite as strawberry-y as I wanted, it’s pretty good. I just made up a mug, and now that I’m not as sick I can taste and smell the lemon. I oversteeped at ~4 minutes and it’s turned a little bitter, so I’ll have to remember to do a 3 minute steep in the future. After adding a touch of honey and a splash of soy creamer, it’s tastier… but it’s still not exactly what I was looking for. I really wanted a black tea with a strong, natural strawberry flavour for strawberry tea lattes. One with no raspberry leaves in it!
Edit: As my smell comes back even more, this tea is more lemony than strawberry-y. There’s a scent of strawberries, but the taste is more a delicate fruity lemon tea. Nice, but totally not what I wanted. Rating stays, because it’s a nice flavour. I probably won’t repurchase it, though.
Preparation
I’m starting to feel better, and I can (mostly) smell again! This is exactly what I was looking for in a peach-ginger tea. Juicy peaches (yes, kind of like the jelly candy) that hint towards being spiked with some sort of alcohol. The ginger isn’t as strong as I was expecting, but it is there, and it imparts a warming feel. I oversteeped this time and it hasn’t become bitter, which means that the base is something I should investigate. I love me some strong black teas that don’t get bitter (it is somewhat astringent)!
I drink this in a soup bowl with 1/2-to-1 tsp of honey and a splash of soy creamer.
Preparation
Still sick, unfortunately, so again I’m waiting to rate the tea until I can actually smell.
Dry, the leaves smell strongly of fresh peach (dare I say Fuzzy Peach candies?) and black tea, with a little ginger. Brewed for 3 minutes, the tea is a lovely reddish colour, and still smells of peach.
I tasted it without sweetener, but it was a little bitter/astringent (honestly I can’t tell the difference right now) for me. I’ll have to try it cold brewed without sweetener in the summer, as that might be tastier than iced. After adding a little honey and soy creamer, this is exactly the tea I was after when I purchased it. A little warmth from the ginger, more of a smell of peach than a taste (possibly due to my cold), and a nice black tea that holds up well to my favoured additives. Yay!
Preparation
I feel your pain. I’m sick with a cold too, and as of today my sense of smell is nearly gone, which sucks because I mostly brought new-to-me teas home, which now of course I don’t want to drink since I can’t smell them! Should have packed some flavourful standbys as well, sigh.
I’m drinking new stuff, just for the sake of drinking new stuff! I just hope the cold goes away soon so I can actually start enjoying it all, especially since my tea order should be here this week.
Hahaha, fair enough! I kind of have been too, because I can’t resist! But I’m trying to choose strongly flavoured teas so maybe they taste like something!
This is the first oolong I’ve ever tried, so I had no idea what to expect. I brewed as suggested, with 1.5 tsp of tea in 250 ml of water. A 10 second rinse, followed by a 1 minute steep.
I… actually really like it. It’s not bitter at all, it smells kind of green, and it tastes really smooth. My sense of smell is impaired due to a cold, but once I’m better I’m going to try it again, and probably go buy 50g to share with my mom. This won’t be an every day tea for me, but I do like it.
I’m going to hold off rating it until I can smell.
PS. I’m down near the bottom of mug 1 now, and I’ve figured out what it smells and tastes like. Seaweed. No, really. In a good way. Fresh and green.
Preparation
As with all herbal teas, I left the tea bags in until I finished the drink. The sweet cranberry smell has been enhanced with some cranberry honey, as on its own the tea is rather tart.
It’s not a tea I’d go out of my way to purchase again, but it’s pleasant hot and sweetened. I’m pretty sure I bought it to ice during the summer, but I don’t remember how it was cold. Evidently not excellent as I have most of the package left!
Preparation
Meh. I will have to try this tea again when I don’t have a cold, but so far I don’t really like it. The dry leaves smell floral and berry-like, but brewed the tea is tart and astringent. I tasted it plain, then had to add a bunch of honey and soy creamer to make it palatable. I think I’m going to dump this out and make some Earl Grey instead – the ultimate comfort tea.
