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Hmmmm. Yes, it is a chai kind of day. So I am onto another pot of this. I guess in comparison to regular chai, it seems kind of bland. However, it is creamy and pumkiny and very good. It is more of a spiced pumpkin tea than a chai in my book, but if the chai spices were much stronger they would overpower the pumpkin flavor. This time I added a smaller amount of half & half and it works so much better.

<I have decided I don’t need more of this one.>

Yum. I made this today more like traditional tea as I was not really sure it was spicy enough to stand up to the normal chai in a pan method. I did add a splash of half and half. It was good, but I am thinking it does not need so much added. It works mostly just as a tea. Will give it another go later, but this is really good!

24 oz teapot, 4 tsp tea, freshly boiled water with enough space left for the half and half, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened and added half and half (definitely go less on the h/h!) Resteeped at 7 minutes and just sweetened..was still pretty good.

I have enough of this for a few more trials. This time around, it was a little peppery for my taste. I am thinking this is ‘not the chai you are looking for’.

1 1/4 c water, 3/4 c skim milk, 4 heaping tsp chai. Simmer 5 minutes and strain. Maybe less chai next time? At least the milk part was about right this time.

Tea of the afternoon…

Thank you to ashmanra for the chance to try this one! I see it is out of stock at the moment. It is a sweet smokey tea, and a wonderful afternoon treat.

The smoke is lighter than the first lapsangs I tried, and the base is sweeter.

16 oz, 3 tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes.

Tea of the early morn….. This is another QuiltGuppy tea. (Thanks again for sending me such a great variety!)

This one is mangoey. Very mangoey. The black tea base is rich and present, but it kind of takes a back seat to the tropical goodness of the mango. It kind of reminds me of the Lychee tea I had a few days ago, but this one is cranked up a few notches. The scent of the brewed tea is very fragrant. I do think it is the most intense fruit flavored tea I have encountered, but I do think the flavoring intensity is pretty close in Harney’s Black Currant (which is obviously a more berry flavored tea). Very Good! Definitely a great tea for the fruit flavored tea lover.

Steeped by usual parameters.

Mmmm. Tea of the late, late afternoon. The rose is so sweet in this blend. It has me contemplating switching to this from my beloved Rose Congou from Upton. I guess I have a while to contemplate……about 1 1/2 ounces of this and over 8 of the other…..

Tea of the afternoon…..

I think this one kind of reminds me of Lady Grey and Fortnum & Mason’s Countess Grey. It is a brighter citrus take on Earl Grey for sure. For some reason, I thought it would be smokey, but I was wrong. I might consider buying this one when my tin of Countess Grey is depleted, but it is just too similar.

Steeped by the usual parameters.

Tea tasting of the morning… Sample courtesy of CHAroma. Thank you! Lupicia and learning to like green tea are definitely on my list, and this sample is helping very much!

Let me prefece with the fact that I am relatively new to green tea. Also, let me say that this is a great one to start with. I do get the hints of peach and vanilla on the lightly grassy tea base. No additions. I am sure the flavors would come out with a little sweetener, but it really doesn’t need it.

6 oz cup, 1 tsp tea, freshly heated water to about 180, 3 minutes. No additions.

It turns out that my bamboo strainer from the first Steepster tea box fits my Fiestaware teacups perfectly. With a breadplate on top for steeping, it nearly makes a gaiwan, except that I just drink out of it….

My tea of the morning….

The adventure continues!~ It would be interesting to see how long I could go just trying new teas with the samples in my cupboard! Some I purchased, but the bulk of them are from generous Steepterites out there. I will probably need a staple tea here and there, but I think I will try to do at least one new tea a day for a while. It should be fun as I have many varieties of green and oolong that I don’t normally drink (and I finally have my kettle situation sorted!)

This one is like roasted caramel. Definite slight caramel/vanilla notes with a tinge of smoke. I really like this one and it is a Ceylon base rather than a China black. The liquor is a little lighter than I would have expected, but the taste is much richer than it looks. As for price, it is just over $4 for an 80 gram pouch. I think it is probably a more fluffy tea…don’t laugh at my classification! As a result of measuring by volume rather than weight, I think I probably use a little less tea, but this one works. On the shopping list it goes.

The odd sample I picked up months ago…….

I don’t know why this one suddenly appealed, but it is my tea of the evening. Wow. This is really unique. I get notes of anise, cinnamon, and even a very faint spearmint note. I was reading up on this one, and it sounds like something I should try often. If this infusion does even half of what a google search says it does, it will be well worth it. The unique and relaxing taste is just a bonus. I did have a sore throat coming on, but it now feels very soothed.

24 oz teapot, 4 1/2 actual tsp holy basil, freshly boiled water, 8 minutes. Lightly sweetened, but I probably could have done without it.