QueenOfTarts select Send Message

Many thanks to Teascent for sending me a sample of their tea! I’m always so excited to try new companies and as this tea is an oolong tea, it seems like this could be a real winner!

I have to admit that the idea of a bagged oolong tea sounds a little… well, I just wonder how the cup will turn out. Will the leaves have room to expand? The leaves appear a little crushed, but that could be from the long journey they took! Once water has been poured over the bag, it seems to immediately give up its color & has me wondering if this will be too strong or astringent with a three-minute steep time. Giving the tea a sniff, it smells floral and sweet – really quite nice! I’m also getting a buttery scent in the background. Yum!

Sipping… this is a very floral oolong! It’s not too complex, but really just tastes like flowers to me. There is some astringency, but I think that could be due to the leaves being crushed and steeped at three minutes. Next time, I think I’ll try a shorter steep time.

Overall, I like the floral flavor from a teabag! As I’ve said before, I tend to like my floral oolongs to be paired with other elements as well. This is still very tasty and I’m very happy to have tried it! It might be nice to have some bagged oolong teas for those times when you can’t be bothered to deal with loose leaf.

I must say that the dry leaf of this tea would definitely not win in a beauty contest. It reminds me a bit of pine needles and dirt that have been stuck together by tree sap… but it seems so promising that I don’t really care. The tea smells like sweet cinnamon bread, but with a fishy background. Ugh, I wish puerh wouldn’t smell like this!

Sipping… I’m happy to not be tasting a whole lot of puerh, but a lovely & sweet cinnamon bread instead! The cinnamon is not overwhelming, thankfully, but adds such a nice layer of sweetness. There is definitely a bread character to the tea that I really enjoy. There is almost a yeasty/sourdough-like quality to the bread and it seems like it comes out at the end of the sip. I’m very impressed that such flavors can come from a tea blend! Really the only thing that I’m not too crazy about is the fishy scent that lasts throughout the whole cup.

I haven’t yet decided if I’d like to buy more of this tea, but this is the best blend I’ve tried from sTEAp Shoppe yet!

I’d like to start drinking more matcha in the morning, but when I wake, I’m usually craving coffee. I had a nice cup of this today with some almond milk. It made a very sweet and comforting drink. I’d still like to try other matchas out there and I think I like the sweetened ones a bit more than the plain. I also wish that this would be a nice powder to have with water, but I get the feeling that it might only be good with milk. Still on the hunt for a sweetened matcha that is creamy and yummy with water!

I’m really enjoying the soft strawberry scent of this tea. I can’t really smell anything else, but I’m quite happy with the strawberry! Sipping… this tea bursts with flavor.. wow! I can taste the strawberry, vanilla and something like a pastry or shortbread. It all comes together nicely & the name “ruby pie” seems very appropriate!

I’m not enjoying the aftertaste, though. It’s a bit like there is an artificial film that remains. I usually enjoy Butiki’s flavoring and it’s never tasted artificial to me which is why I like so many of these blends. I’m happy to have sampled this tea, but I can’t really get beyond the aftertaste.

The scent of this tea reminds me of very green leaves and flowers. To me, it smells like a very floral oolong I’ve had before. I do like floral oolongs, but I tend to like them if they have creamy, buttery or sweet notes as well. I can handle flowers if they are accompanied by something else — otherwise it’s a bit too much like perfume.

Sipping… yep… definitely floral notes coming through at first. They’re surprisingly not too strong or sharp. There is also a bit of grass in the background. The finish is sweet, but subtle. I’m not getting much cream, but the mouthfeel is a little bit heavy. This isn’t a bad oolong, but I wish I had tasted something a bit more creamy/buttery.

I’ve got to drink more pearl teas. I just love how pretty they are and they seem more fun than other loose leaf teas. I can’t remember who sent this to me (I’m sorry for forgetting!) but thank you! The scent of this tea is very sharp and a bit brisk. I wasn’t expecting this kind of strength, but thought that I would smell something a bit more soft and sweet.

Sipping… this one is sweet and smooth. There is a prominent hay flavor which gives each sip an earthy note. I’m not tasting a whole lot of chocolate/cocoa, but that could very well be due to age — this tea has been in my collection for a while! Very pleased to have tried this tea, but there are some other black teas that I like a bit more.

So excited to be trying this tea today! I recently placed an order with Verdant and now have quite a bit of Laoshan black after being out of it for almost a year! I have a soft spot for oolongs and was thrilled to see a new laoshan version. The leaves are thin, slightly curled and a bit of a stormy grey color.

First Infusion: the smell of this tea is quite toasty and reminds me a bit of a sweet bread. The scent has a kind of complexity that I can’t wait to experience! Sipping… very smooth, toasty & sweet. It has a rather thick mouthfeel that I’m enjoying. Mmm.. so far, tasty!

Second Infusion: this cup is a little bit more toasty. It’s changing from being thick and bread-like, to something a little bit thinner and bitter. When I say bitter, I mean the kind of bitter flavor one gets with dark chocolate. It actually reminds me of a watery dark drinking chocolate with a touch of cinnamon.

Third Infusion: It smells a bit more like chocolate + a hint of nuts… perhaps almonds? Sipping… ah, such a strong chocolate note! A creamy chocolate flavor hits my tongue and slowly fades into a bitter cocoa powder. This is absolutely my favorite cup so far!

Fourth Infusion: The scent is not as strong this time, but the wheat bread and sweetness are still present, if a little faint. The chocolate seems to have balanced out with the bread flavor. This cup is a bit more earthy, almost savory and isn’t as sweet. It’s a tiny bit astringent, but still tasty.

Fifth Infusion: A significant loss of flavor — most of the notes are very muted, but the other cups make up for this one!

This is an interesting oolong because it almost seems like a very light black tea to me… that might just be that so many of these flavors are present in the laoshan black tea as well. I think that I would purchase more of the laoshan black over this roasted oolong, but I did indeed enjoy these infusions and wouldn’t mind having more in the future!

I’ve had two terrible experiences with making iced tea lately — they just haven’t been what I’ve wanted and so I thought that a “classic” might change things around. Peach iced tea is the gold standard of iced tea for me, for some strange reason. I feel like it’s a perfect & solid summery choice! I hadn’t ever tried these iced tea sachets from Harney & Sons before so I was excited to give them a try. The tea certainly smelled peachy, but when I sipped, I was surprised that the flavor was so light. The black tea is not overwhelming or bitter, but the peach is really hidden. I wish that I had been able to bring out more of that peachy flavor. To be honest, I wouldn’t know that this was a peach tea if I hadn’t seen the tin. It’s certainly drinkable and refreshing, I just don’t think this is fruity enough for me.

I’m so excited to try a new earl grey creme. I still haven’t found my ultimate creamy earl grey, but it isn’t really a pressing matter… just one of those things that I would like to accomplish one day. The scent reminds me a little bit of fruity pebbles, which isn’t a bad thing because it’s been YEARS since I’ve had the stuff and actually wish that I had a bowl right now.

Sipping… this is very smooth and light and so very tasty! I think that this is the closest I’ve come to finding my perfect earl grey creme. The bergamot in this tea is definitely toned down and is actually just a wisp of a thing. This is just fine with me because it’s present, but isn’t that sharp, bitter note that typically screams in earl grey. There is a lovely vanilla flavor that is wrapped so tightly around the tea base itself, I can’t tell where one begins! The finish is slightly astringent and it leaves your throat feeling a little bit dry, but it’s not enough to be a bother.

I’m looking forward to placing an order with Bluebird Tea Co. (probably next on my list as soon as I drink down some of my collection) and this blend will definitely find its way into my basket.

I’m finishing up the last bit of this tea and I haven’t yet reached a decision on what I think about it. I know that when I tried this tea last, I wasn’t very impressed.. or perhaps it didn’t fit my mood. I’m sure that these next infusions will confirm what I think! I’m excited to see what they bring.

First infusion: I’m getting a very strong wood scent – not like rooibos, but something a bit darker… it sort of reminds me of a damp log with mushrooms. There is also a hint of something toasted. Sipping… hmm… It’s so complex that I actually have to sip again to realize what I’m drinking. The dry wood flavor comes first and is the strongest for me. It changes into a nice sweetness in the same way a rooibos tea has that sweet element. It’s also very smooth, finishing with an almost bitter note.

Second Infusion: The cup still has that very woody scent, but it seems to be a little bit toned down. This one has a tad bit more astringency and seems “darker” to me. The wood and sweetness are still very present.

Third Infusion: I’m tasting some nice floral notes in the background.. they sort of explode when you least expect it! The sweetness has taken over and actually finds itself in balance with a playful bitterness.

Fourth Infusion: I like the mouthfeel of this cup. It’s rather full and think. I’m tasting a little bit of something minty at the tail end of the sip. There is still that drying, bitter wood mixed with a soft sweetness.

I will update further if there are any more cups to be had. It’s time for dinner, though & now wouldn’t be the best time to taste important details of this tea. I’m happy that I had the opportunity to try this tea when it was still around. I wish that I had tasted vanilla and waffle cones, but this one reminded me mostly of sweet wood.