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Tea of the afternoon…..

This one is pretty good. It is nice to have a variation on Earl Grey every now and then. The blueberry is in balance with the bergamot, and both are present but not overpowering. The presentation is very pretty with the orange peels and flower petals. I think it will take a few more tries before I have a good read on it, but will go with a tentative rating for now.

24 oz teapot, 6 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

“Tea” of the evening…..

I got a small order from Ovation today to try out a few more things. I am interested in some honeybush blends as well as a few of the black ones. This one is light on the chocolate flavoring. It is slightly detectable with the sweetness of the honeybush in the background. I do get some pecan notes, and the strongest note, albeit still a subtle one, is the caramel. I do find the tea pleasant and great for an evening blend, but I won’t likely try any more blends with chocolate flavoring. A little more tea might have helped, but it is still good as is.

24 oz teapot, 5 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 7 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Tea of the afternoon…..

I bought this one as an afterthought on my stop at the Millerton shop. I knew it was going to be a hit or miss, because there are some spicy teas that don’t agree with me as far as taste. (Come to think of it, I had probably better re-test those ones I did not like again at some point as the palate does change a little over time…) My first reaction was WOW, which I even said out loud twice. And then I read the description (look at just a little below half way on the decription here on Steepster..)LOL! This tastes like liquid red hots or cinnamon hearts. Also, a little bit like the Brach’s cinnamon disks. It is definitely going on the shopping list for an amount of more than 2 oz! It is very uniqe in comparison to what I have in my cupboard, and I can see drinking this often when the NE Ohio blizzards hit this Winter.

24 oz teapot, 4 tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened, but I am thinking even lighter on the sweet next time.

Tea of the afternoon….

Happy Birthday, Mr. Harney! I am drinking this one…your first flavored tea…in honor of your big day. (It is also one of my favorite flavored teas!) Cheers!

Second tea of the day…..

I have gone a few days without any yerba mate. Man, I can feel it. I am sure some of my sluggishness could be the weather changing from Summer to Fall, and the wierd barometric things going on. I still miss the pep from my yerba mate. This is my favorite blend of all of them that I have tried, and I just stocked up on the Roasted Yerba Mate from Upton as well as purchasing a tin refill’s worth of the Vanilla Black on a recent trip that took us through Millerton to Harney’s. (I must say, I love the idea of being able to refill my tins rather then buying new ones. Remeber the days in the beginning where you had a hard time finding containers for your tea and samples?..now I am almost overrrun!)

A free sample from a recent Upton order. Is it funny that I ordered one, too?

The base is light and smooth, and the rose is light, too. I can see how this would be perfect for iced tea, which is what it is intended for according to Upton. Since it is a Season’s Pick, the price is in the bargain basement…$4 for 250grams (about 8.8 oz). It is a perfect candidate for cold brewing. I will try that next.

For comparing to Rose Congou, the base in Rose Congou is richer and has those coveted cocoa notes, where this one does not. I prefer the Rose Congou over this one hot, and since they are both a pretty good value, I would probably just stick with the richer and more complex of the two-Rose Congou.

Afternoon pick me up. Check my other notes on this one if you are interested. I was glad I did a price comparison…because I now see this one has gone up in price just a little.

YUM! 5 minute steep. So rich tasting!

Tea of the morning….. I finally ordered some! This is really good. A Lapsang Souchong for discerning beginners, if you will…. The smoke is light, the base is smooth and comforting. The silver tips just make it…well…..fancy. It is the only Lapsang Souchong in my cupboard for now. I really would like to credit the great reviews on this one as being the nudge to get me to try it. Thank you!

24 oz teapot, 4 1/2 actual tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Second tea of the morning….

I am realizing that I have a ton of samples to get through, and I am in the mood for adventure. This one is long overdue, but I wanted to give it a fair trial. A big thank you to Uniquity for sending this in our Pre-Canada Postal Strike Swap (seems like forever ago!)

This is good! I do get the perfect hint of cranberry. Somehow the raspberry and pomegranate are more subtle. Not too tart, and not too sweet. It just adds a nice dimension to the tea base which complements the flavor well. I love it when the flavor and the base are so seemlessly paired.

24 oz teapot, 4 teaspoons tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

I had a few ounces of Panyang Congou sitting in my cupboard. After trying Rose Scented with Queen Catherine (which has PC in its blend), I decided a little punch of Rose Scented was the perfect addition to move this tea along. It is good on its own, but great with a little rose. Ratio is somewhere between 2:1 and 3:1.

Tea of the morning….. This is really good! The rose notes are subtle, but it perks up the Panyang Congou just enough to make it a tea I will drink often, rather than once in a while. (Yes, I have a thing for tea scented with roses, and I never would have thought that would be the case as rose scented things almost always turn me off…) I will be sad when my blend is all gone…I premixed this one…, but then I will just go back to the Queen with Roses. I need more room in my cupboard for new tea! I find it funny that I don’t like Harney’s Rose Scented as much on its own, but find it invaluable as a mixer.