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Backlogging tea of the late afternoon….

It is true. I have fallen for Paris all over again. I know I will need more when my 2 oz from the Millerton Shop is gone. (However, I am really waiting for a bit to order more tea! It is so funny that I have reached a point where I am not compelled to buy more…..but once this small pouch is gone, all bets are off!)

Loving the rich tea base, the notes of black currant/berry, slight vanilla, and the touch of bergamot. This flavor is so well done….and I am drinking the decaf version this evening. So glad to have my love for Paris back.

Usual teapot method.

Backlogging tea of the afternoon…. (SRP #37)

This one is from my Foodzie Box from LiberTEAS.

I requested this sample, because it sounds like a great blend for yerba mate. The yerba mate is roasted, so it comes across as an herbally light coffee taste. Then add just the light kiss of mint plus vanilla, and you have a really good flavor profile. What I love about this is the level of mint. It is actually just an addition to the flavoring….spearmint with restraint….rather than an overpowering force. It is wonderful with just a slight amount of sweetness added.

Mug method with a 5 minute steep.

Second tea of the morning…. (SRP #36)

I received this one in a swap with the wonderful Tina S.. I was just reading her note, and I kind of have to agree with her that this is a tough read. It really wants to be a very good cinnamony and chocolately black tea, but for some reason, the cinnamon hearts kind of come out as this weird cinnamon taste…maybe kind of artificial? I probably am just spoiled by my favorite cinnamon-in-overdrive tea, though. I do get the notes of chocolate, and the tea base is warm and roasty tasting. I think the chocolate tea on its own would be pretty good. Maybe I will just pick out the cinnamon hearts if there is a next time….. Anyway, thank you for a fun taste of tea from across the boarder! I love to try things I can’t get here!

Usual mug method with a 3 minute steep.

Backlogging the Iced tea of the day…. (SRP #35)

And at the end of a generous sample from QuiltGuppy.

I have to admit, I like this one iced more than I do hot. However, since I do sweeten hot tea, the mango is a little more prevalent when hot. When iced, you just get a fruitiness and a bit of briskness. The briskness really does work in an iced tea, though. Not sure it is super remarkable as an iced tea, but it is good enough that it might make a pretty good addition to a cart to get to the level of free shipping.

Usual iced tea method.

(I am spent for the day. If you had only seen the typos that I fixed….I kept typing ‘toe’ in place of ‘tea’.)

Iced tea of the day…. (SRP #34)

I have been waiting for a warmish day…. The first time I tried this tea, I steeped it up according to my usual mug method. It was bright and limey and reminded me of a margarita. Then the wheels started turning in that this would make the most awesome, refreshing iced tea. Today is the perfect day. We are working outside and it is going to get up to the 80s. I brewed this up using my iced tea method (double strong, pour over copious amounts of ice…) and what I have now is the best iced tea EVER! I love how the lime flavor is incredibly refreshing, and the pineapple and stevia leaf make it ever so lightly sweet. The Ceylon adds a light briskness. Perfect on its own. I need some!

Thank you to Thomas at Fusion Tea Room for the sample.

Usual iced tea method. No additions but ice!

Tisane of the evening….. (SRP #33)

I love a good desserty honeybush blend. This one has notes of chocolate (although, like LiberTEAS, I do wish it was a little more prevalent), caramel, and rose. It does pay off to look at the steeping recommendations on this one…they recommend using 1 1/2 tsp per 8 oz of water and I might even use a little more than that. When it is done steeping and very hot, the flavors are not as noticeable as when the brew cools a little. And it does remind me of chocolate cake… I might add a little raw cacao powder next time. Who says it can’t be somewhere between a tisane and cocoa? A very enjoyable evening treat, especially for those who want to have their cake without too many calories.

Mug method with 3 tsp Chocolate Cake Honeybush, 8 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Sample provided by Fusion Tea Room.

Second tea of the morning….. (SRP #32)

This sample was provided by Fusion Tea Room. (Thank you, Thomas!)

I have had many an Earl Grey as it is one of my favorite flavor profiles, so I was more than willing to give this one a try before it goes up for sale. This one has a mellow bergamot. I would not call it light, just mellow in that it is not super citrusy. I guess that means it leans more to the floral side. Yes. Mellow and floral, but not perfumy. The tea base is interesting. I did notice it was a little more smokey than the usual Earl Greys I drink, and then I read the description here…..it has a Ceylon and Yunnan base. The floral bergamot and the slight smoke from the Yunnan is a very good flavor match. There is also a hint of a bite/briskness from the Ceylon, but again it works with the floral and slight smoke. All in all a very well done Earl Grey. I like that it is a bit different from the usual ones I have been drinking. I think Thomas mentioned that this would be available around June 1, 2012.

Usual mug method with about 200 water and a 3 minute steep. Lightly sweetened.

Tea of the morning….. (SRP #31)

I have been in a blur for the last several days. It is nearing the end of school and it has been a whirlwind of band and orchestra concerts, play performances, tryouts for another play and a youth wind symphony, and prep for a class trip to Washington DC. Plus, we are in the midst of repairs on our house from some storm damage last year. We are trying to do the painting ourselves in between the days that the contractors are here, and more things that need fixing always seem to come up. I guess it is probably a normal pace for some, but it is usually pretty quiet around here. As a result of my crazy schedule, I have mostly been drinking favorites. I have a few new teas to review that I have tried over that time, but I need to sample them again when I am less distracted to do them justice.

Onto this particular tea…. I was kind of surprised at how short the leaves were. They are similar to BOP with a few golden tips. After my first several sips, I think I might be replacing my beloved Organic Keemun Heng Ru with this. It is somewhere between Heng Ru and Keemun Mao Feng. It is much smoother and fuller tasting than the Heng Ru. Very light hints of smoke. Cocoa notes. I just feel the Heng Ru lacks body, and this one has it. Love it!

Usual mug method.

Tea of the evening……

I might as well admit it. I have a new favorite decaf flavored black. Yes, this is the one. Vanilla Comoro is lovely, and Midsummer Peach makes the best iced tea, but Decaf Paris is edging them both out. I had two mugs tonight with our viewing of the season finale of “Once Upon A Time.” The perfect end to Mother’s Day for me!

Mug method with 190 water and 3 minute steep. For the second steep, I added another scant tsp of tea and brewed for 3 minutes at the same temp. Lightly sweetened.

Tea of the afternoon……

Definitely the notes of smoke. In comparison to the many versions of Panyang I have consumed today, this Keemun Mao Feng has a note of smoke. I am not sure I have tasted it this prevalently before, and part of the reason I wanted to taste them in progression. Notes of smoke, chocolate and malt that translates into a darker chocolate note plus a slight smokiness. Yum.

This brings another question to mind, though. Is it possible that our response to tasting a tea is dependent on what we previously sampled? I am starting to think so.

Now I am off to do some resteeping until I float away!~

Usual mug method…..