709 Tasting Notes
My 52Teas order arrived yesterday, and I made a pot of this to try out. The smell in the bag was wonderful strawberry sweetness, like candy or strawberries with a lot of sugar. Steeped, the smell diminished somewhat and I personally found the flavours surprisingly muted. i got a hint of something I would call cinnamon (is there any in there? I hope so…) and would have liked a but more strawberry flavour to go with the dry smell. I think next time I’ll steep for longer and see how it goes. I also totally missed out on the pie flavours. I’ll try harder next time : )
Dear Saigon Chai,
Just a quick note to thank you for your loyal service. After the bad brew last week I was worried we weren’t to be friends anymore, but that was a false judgment. Today, you are delicious as usual, and a refreshing cup of hearty cinnamon based chai. I don’t appreciate your crumbly nature before steeping, but you do turn into a lovely brew if I drink you in a reasonable time frame. That said, I would appreciate less powderiness, as it is tricky to keep you from over-steeping and getting bitter.
Keep on keeping on,
Love,
Uniquity
EDIT – I’m sorry to do this to you, Saigon Chai, but you keep going gross as you cool. I’ve had to lower your rating. Now you need a bit of sugar and there’s nothing around to help with that. Naughty!
Preparation
So, it’s administrative assistants appreciation week at work, and we get treats. Today was a coffee/tea break from Pete’s Frootique, and I snagged a bagged chai from Twinings, I’m always wary of bagged greens, and that was all that was left at the time. On the plus side, I got gruit and muffins!
I’ve already burned my tongue on this poor thing, but it’s definitely a decent bagged chai. I find it better than the (mediocre at best) PC brand bagged chai, but they just never capture the deliciousness of proper chai for me. This’ll do, but I’d rather my 52teas order arrived so I could have some of my Extra Bold Masala Chai instead.
That said, it’s nice to be treated at work! Thanks, work!
I steeped for nearly ten minutes today accidentally, and got a wonderful sweet baked apple flavour. As I near the bottom the tin, the compponents seem to be more and more apple…there is only one large orange piece left! I’m quite glad I’ve warmed up to this wonderful wintry tisane…
Preparation
Dear Lady Grey,
I’m so sorry for always thinking I don’t like you. I don’t know what it is, but when your beautiful scent and taste aren’t right in front of me, I forget your wonders. Instead, I associate you with dusty dry bergamot, and your terrible husband, Earl Grey. I don’t know why he and I don’t get along, but you, my Lady, are a pleasure. Thank you for your faux lemon/faux froot loop taste and your conveniently packaged teabags. Forgive me my forgetful nature, and try not to hold a grudge when I inevitably think (once again) that I don’t love you. I do. I swear.
Sincerely,
Uniquity
PS – You really are best enjoyed at a 2 to 3 minute steep time. Who doesn’t love a quick Lady? ; )
Preparation
Re-steep from yesterday. Mint has diminished and the chocolate has become textural. It’s weird. Must have melted more the second time around, I keep getting a ring of chcoolate around my mug. Still nice, but thinned out.
Hey, DT spokesperson – lol – which DT teas do you recommend? I’ll be placing an order this week or next and need some ideas of good teas. :)
Apparently I’ve tried way less DT than I thought! (I apparently have a bunch of kinds I bought but didn’t try yet. Naughty! Anyway, I’m trying to keep your reaction to red rooibos in mind (I think it’s you that can’t have it??), but you should double check just in case.
-Zing Me (Being discontinued, but still online. Ginger-y, apricot-y, I love it. have stocked up 3 or 4 times now)
-Goji Pop (If you’re up for a crazy herbal)
-Cloud Nine (For something very different, as long as St John’s Wort isn’t an issue)
-Through the Grapevine (If you’re into sweet grape juice…not much tea flavour that I recall, but most DT is all about flavourings anyway)
-Lime Bang (A good substitute for my beloved mojito)
Earl’s Garden (I know you’re not much for bergamot, but I’ve never got much Earl flavour from this, mostly berries)
-Senchamental (Apparently I haven’t reviewed it yet, but I remember it being a favourite. I’m not much for green tea, so that’s saying something).
If not for the red rooibos issue I would also say Detox and Oh Canada. If you don’t already have a solid mint and you want one, their peppermint and spearmint teas are both yummy too! I also really like their Long Life Oolong, but it’s pricey and maybe not worth it in terms of value. I still haven’t decided. : ) I’m sure LadyKittyKatt would have some great ideas as well!
Ohh…Maybe give Honeybee a shot as well. If only they let you order less than 50 g..
Cool, thanks! And yes, I’m the one with the red rooibos issue. (darnit, too, I wanted Frank’s blend over at 52teas this week.)
Enjoyed a cuppa with my breakfast this morning. I really do enjoy this tea…it’s pretty easy to deal with, nice flavours and not too assertive. The tea is definitely there, but muted by the berry flavours. It is not super sweet as some berry teas can be, so I think maybe the tartness of cranberry rounds it out. That said, if I didn’t know the ingredients, I wouldn’t say it was cranberry, necessarily. Just berry. I guess that’s what happens when you have three delicious fruity flavours! I really enjoy it, nonetheless! : )
I let this steep for at least 7 minutes, as well as the length of the cup. Maybe that will help?? :)
I think I definitely underdid it. i tend to let Rooibos go for 7 to 10 minutes, or the cup, but I treated this more as a black tea. I’m all over the place! : )
Yep, I like to steep the 52Teas honeybush teas as long as possible. They only get better!
I would also recommend about a tablespoon of tea per 12-16oz cup.