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I was browsing the refrigerated aisle at Rainbow Grocery today and spied this. Yummy kombucha! I’m a big fan all things raw and probiotic (yogurt, kephir, raw “live” dairy, etc.) and kombucha is probiotic tea! The only brand I’ve tried so far is the popular GT. That was good, I think this is better. It’s super fresh (their little “factory” is just a few blocks away) and delicious. Not too sour or vinegary at all. The consistency is like tea seltzer—fizzy and bubbly feeling, similar to champagne. I don’t taste much vanilla, chicory or even assam—just a slight sugary, fizzy, crisp sweetness.

It’s super exhilarating and super refreshing. I’m very happy to discover this local source!

Very light starchy flavor. Like boiled potatoes. Super delicate.

Green beans upon cooldown.

It’s okay just way too light for me.

All you’d expect from a Lapsang—super smoky, piney and bacony! I’m finding this really yummy right now.

Smoky and rich and flavorful. Yet strangely refreshing (from the pine?).

This experience is so different from my first note. Back then I was “meh” but now I’ve been “wow”-ed!! (Upping the rating!)

Strange how perceptions can differ from time to time with the same tea, huh?

I think this is a tasty Keemun (although none can surpass A&D’s Jackee Muntz, in my eyes!!).

It’s woodsy and slightly charcoal-y. A bit of bitter dark cocoa. Very energizing.

The scent is sweetish and earthy—like figs. But it doesn’t taste sweet.

A good, dependable Keemun—but, for some reason, there’s no “wow” factor for me with this right now.

I mistakenly deleted my original tasting note from a few days ago! So this is a repost of it:

This is most definitely a flavored tea.

From the freshly opened packet, the scent is like creme brulee.
Steeped, it’s more leafy clotted cream—with a tad of buttered popcorn.
The taste is very milky and fresh. And like most all the oolong I’ve tried, has a pronounced “steamed rice in banana leaves” essence to it.

This a very delicate, creamy, milky flavored tea. I love it!

By the way, I think I used a lot of leaf for my 12 oz. cylindrical tea mug—I used enough dry leaf to cover the bottom of the mug. I think that was a lot because they eventually blossomed to fill almost 3/4 of the mug! And I used boiling water. The flavor was very detectable this way.

P.S. My packet was purchased on March 2010. But, I’ve read on Teaspring’s website that since September 2010, this tea is no longer flavored but “fully natural”. I hope the new version is just as good!

Hmmm, not much peach or flowers or sweetness or anything much. I’m just getting very astringent, bitter tea. Must be my brewing. Kind of sad about this tasting. The leaves are huge and pretty, though. Like autumn.

I actually finished the whole packet in the course of a week! I really enjoyed it! I loved the cayenne-kick and the earthy, chocolately puerh. It was just a yummy combination. One caveat, though—there was a bit of a “stale” undertone to the flavor. Just a bit. Maybe I waited too long to try it. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. Cayenne works great with puerh. I want to try more spicy blends now.

Seems a bit “richer” than the Tai Xing. Steeps darker. Tastes more savory and floral. Not detecting much butter or milkiness. Very smooth, to me. Cooldown seems a little “starchy” like a white tea. And there’s this almost jasmine-like scent—just a hint.

For me, this is good but somehow “meh” overall? It’s just very very mild.

Very light, fresh and slightly buttery. Has a nice chlorophyll-laced buttery scent, too.

Maybe a little but too light for me, but otherwise very refreshing to drink.

I was very excited to try this flavored milk oolong. I love milky flavors.

This has a very milky, green, sugary aroma. Like condensed milk over steamed plantain leaves—tropical and humid. Slighty roasty.

The taste is like green and toasty leaves ladeled with diluted cream. There is a definite buttery component—but it doesn’t overpower or seem too unnatural to me. It just seems like a slight enhancement. The creamy, buttery scent is delicious and adds to the experience.

All in all, I really like this tea. From the few oolongs I’ve tried, this seems like a quality oolong too—just a bit butterier. :)