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Second tea of the morning…. (SRP #19)

I picked up a few individual bags of this with my Market Spice order a while ago. I think I was anticipating a future order from there since their signature tea held quite a bit of promise for me, so this was a way to sample this tea without ordering the 4 oz minimum. I know I would shop at Market Spice if it was someplace close that I could visit, but the amount of the shipping with the fact that I was not truly taken with the teas I ordered means it was probably my last order with them. Their service is great, though. I did have an order mistake that was promptly corrected, and they do respond to email very quickly. It may be a great place for others to order, but I need a little more than great service to keep me coming back and, like I mentioned before, the tea I ordered just did not wow me.

This tea is a great one for the fruity and sweet tea lovers out there. I honestly get Welch’s Grape Soda from this. How fun this would be for kids! I still taste tea, but the grape-ish flavor is pretty strong. I am certain if I had encountered this tea in the beginning of my tea journey, it would have been a favorite. The tea base is smooth with not a hint of bitterness, and it is tasty. I do have to give them props for this. What a fun tea!

Bag in a mug method….yep, just 8 oz. boiling water for 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Tea of the morning….. (SRP #18)

This tea comes from Amanda. And of course, I had it as an inaugural cuppa in my daughter’s new Kati cup. (I know, kind of weird, but I asked her if I could use it to compare to my mug…)

This is lovely. This is my favorite Vanilla tea to date. The Harney Vanilla Black is a close second to this, but it oh so much more affordable, and much easier for me to obtain. I love Vanilla Comoro, but I can still taste the remnants of the decaffienation process, even though it is the best decaf vanilla tea out there, and I do score it a little higher than I normally would because I can drink it at night. I also have to say this is one of the first Mariage Freres teas I have really liked…well this one and The Au Tibet. I have tried a few other popular ones, but they just did not appeal. I am not sure it will make the shopping list due to there being only a few places in the US that carry this tea. I see a cup of Vanilla Black from Harney in my near future just to see if this would be worth the effort to get it.

All that nonsense aside, I am so grateful to Amanda for sharing this with me. It is really good! Thank you!

Usual mug method.

Like Azzrian, I got a few of these when Tea Forte had a FREE Kati cup with the purchase of a tin of tea. One will probably be a gift, this one is actually for my daughter (it is the one with the tree on it and a white background). I have a ForLife Curve Tall Tea Mug with a strainer, too. So really this is kind of a comparison of the two. I also ordered the orange Kati with the white flowers. The orange is a muted version of an orange crayola. I was hoping it would be a brighter orange, but it is still cute.

Volume on this is 12 oz. and it is supposed to be double walled. The ForLife is 15 oz. and is not double walled, but it has a handle. One thing that I don’t like about the Kati, it still gets pretty hot. I felt like I had to wait to drink my tea. I don’t think this will be much of an issue for my daughter because she will know when she can drink it if the cup is not too hot.

The strainers are completely different. It looks like the ForLife strainer will hold at least three times the volume of the Kati strainer. The ForLife mug uses the same strainer that goes in their 24 and 45 oz teapots. It is very handy when drinking large leaf teas. I also like that the ForLife strainer sits flat in the lid when you are done steeping, where the strainer in the Kati kind of wobbles when sitting in the lid. I do find the holes in the ForLife strainer to be much finer than the Kati, but if you need super-fine, I recommend the Finum basket strainers.

As far as looks, the ForLife one is pretty boring. It just comes in single colors. The Kati had some cute prints. For my daughter, having some kind of print on the cup is a bonus as she really enjoys decorated things.

For function, the ForLife wins hands down. But the Kati is so pretty!

I think I may also pick up a cup from David’s Tea so I can have a print, too! The ones at David’s look very similar to the ForLife, but not quite exact.

Tea of the morning….AKA Hard Core Black of the day…

I cannot get past needing a good cup of black tea in the morning. It is a good thing, because I have a serious backlog of black tea to drink. (I know someone around here called their tea stash a backlog, rather than an overabundance…)

I do really like this one. The leaves are long and twisted with golden tips. The liquor has a bit of red to it, but mostly amber colored. Definite notes of honey and malt. Maybe the slightest hint of smoke. It is on my chopping block…..I am not replacing it right away, if at all, but it is too good on its own to add it into my Franken-Breakfast Blend. I only have about an ounce left, but I will enjoy it!

Usual teapot method.

Tisane of the evening…..

Yes, JacquelineM is responsible for my now having this in my cupboard. Who can resist “Holy Dumbledore’s Lemon Drops” when you love lemon tea and are a Potterhead? I needed a few things from Mountain Rose Herbs anyway, and I am trying to incorporate more herbals in my life. So, when I hear about a good one, especially a good lemon one, I tend to cave. I should be good for a while, now. I did get a decent amount of this along with some Assam and Lapsang Souchong, as well as the ingredients for my Comfort Tea blend.

This is lemony for sure. There are herbal notes, too, but it is mostly lemon. I think my non-tea drinking daughter might have a go with this as she needs to drink lemon tea for her musical pursuits. Yes, even flutists have to manage throat goo. I am giving her a Kati cup with a tree on it in the hopes that she will eventually be taken with tea.

Teapot method, 8 minutes. Lightly sweetened with Splenda. I might try the local honey next time. I need to be doing better at consuming it for my allergies.

Second tea of the morning……….

I have not had this one in a while. It combines so many of my favorite scents into one lovely tea. There is rose, Early Grey, and jasmine, and I think the tea base is a black tea. I do try to remember to brew at a slightly lower temp due to the jasmine. I am guessing it is probably best for an afternoon tea, but this sounded good now.

I did have a sample of this come in my foodzie box from LiberTEAS. Surprisingly, it was the only sample from the box of a tea I have tried, and I feel like I have been around the block a few times when it comes to ordering tea. It really is a fabulous tea.

Usual teapot method with a 195 temp.

Backlog from the weekend…… (SRP #17, a sipdown)

It was a very busy weekend. I kind of felt like we were running in all directions. Saturday was Solo & Ensemble contest for both of my kids (a flutist and a violist), and Sunday we had a short program with the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW for a writing contest in which my son participated. I know I did not get my usual amount of tea in (and my headaches proved it!)

This, however, was memorable. It is the end of my tin. So sad. I will miss Mr. Dark & Mysterious (and currently irreplaceable) . Perhaps Harney & Sons will find some to offer again.

Usual teapot method.

Tea of the afternoon……. (SRP #16)

Tasting note #700. Wow. I can’t believe it. Which leads me to how this tea came to reside in my cupboard. If you hang around Steepster long enough, you start to get to know other members and their tea loves. I believe this is Angrboda’s all time favorite. It is a Fujian black, which are my favorite black teas. This tea has been on my list for ages, so I splurged on 50g. It arrived today in the mail, just in time for my 700th note. Perfect timing!

Oh. Yeah. (I keep hearing that song from ‘Ferris Beuller’s Day Off’ now…) This tea is fabulous. Notes of chocolate, not cocoa-chocolate!, a slightly heavier mouthfeel than others like it (my gong fu blacks), and really tea perfection. I think I want to keep this one around for a while. I stuck with the smaller amount for my first order with TeaSpring since I have a tea inventory problem at home. Once I get a handle on the inventory, I will order more.

Usual mug method. (Want more NOW!)

Tea of the morning….. (SRP #15)

And one from LiberTEAS. Wow. The way I brewed this tea this morning would put hair on your chest. Of course, me being female, that is not really a very attractive thought. Since I am not one to add milk, and the stronger teas take some adjustments on the brewing parameters for me, I must try again. But whoa, this was strong. Stay tuned for another attempt at a later date. So far, I got malty, earthy with a bit of astringency, and a whole lotta briskness. I need to go lighter on the leaf and shorter on the brew time for my next attempt.

Sample Sipdown! (SRP #14)

Special thanks to Scott for the tea, and the fact that he sent enough so that I could try it a few times. I really like this one, and will likely buy some once I get a handle on the inventory.

Complex and well rounded. Very satisfying. This is my hard core black tea of the day! And I made a whole pot this time!