1118 Tasting Notes
This. Oh, this I like. I picked up a sample when I placed my last Upton order, and I’m glad I did. The dry leaf smells strongly of roses, and there are rose petals mixed in with the tea leaves. I thought the brewed cup would be all rose, but it’s not. The tea is the first thing I taste – smooth, slightly sweet and bready. There is a hint of spice and something woody. The rose is at the end of the sip, and while it’s light it is clearly rose. It’s clean and floral. No soapy taste to be found. This is simply delightful, and a great afternoon tea.
I’m going to have to pick up some of this before January rolls around. I think my search for a good rose tea is over!
Preparation
This is such a great blend. I like the mix of blueberry and nutmeg with the oolong base. It works so well and is full of flavor. One of my favorites from Design-A-Tea.
Flavors: Blueberry, Nutmeg, Smooth
Preparation
I’ve never even heard of Design a Tea. I’ll have to check it out. Does blueberry and nutmeg work together?
Design a Tea is a great company! I’ve created my own blends with them a couple of times, and, while I like some more than others, I’ve never been disappointed in the quality. That said, I tend to buy their custom blends more just because I really enjoy them.
Blueberry and nutmeg work really well together! I wondered the same thing the first time I tried it, but it’s a great combo. :)
This came as a bonus sample with my Upton order. It is a very nice breakfast tea, full of malt and raisin notes. I was distracted while it was steeping and let it go a little too long, but even with the long steep I’m not picking up any bitterness or astringency. It is rather robust, but I like that in a morning tea. Since this was my first time having this I didn’t add additions, but this is a tea that could easily handle cream and sugar while still allowing the flavors of the tea to come through.
Preparation
I received this from Nicole as part of the Christmas Card Swap. I’ve been wanting to try this tea for a while now, so I was excited she sent it my way. Thank you!
This is good. Really good. It’s a sweet, bright Ceylon that’s incredibly smooth. There’s no doubt in my mind that this would make a knockout iced tea, and at some point I’ll have to try that. I’ll pick up more of this for sure. It’s one of the better Ceylons I’ve tried.
Preparation
Backlogging from yesterday.
A friend and I took the train up to New York City to do some Christmas shopping and meet up with another friend who was in town for work. I was excited to get away for the day and to hang out with such great friends. I decided to put this in my travel mug for the train ride. The weather was cold, rainy, and windy, and by the time we got on the train I was so happy I brought it along. In fact, I found myself wishing I’d brought along a whole thermos of it because the weather in NYC was awful. Walking anywhere meant getting soaked from head to toe – even with all of our rain gear. We still had a great time, but more of this tea would have been appreciated!
Preparation
My Della Terra order was waiting at the post office, and I was excited to see it! I really enjoyed this tea last winter. It’s a great blend and a fun tea. Perfect for the holiday!
I have to admit that I laughed when I saw the popcorn in the package. Last year the popcorn drove me crazy because it made me think of genmaicha even though it doesn’t flavor the tea at all. I guess it’s supposed to remind people of popcorn garland on Christmas trees. Anyway, I just pick it out and enjoy the vanilla, mint, and slight chocolate flavors here. It’s really good, and I’m happy to have this back in my cupboard.
Preparation
Sometimes my “Thou Shalt Not Hoard Tea” mantra is difficult to practice. I really, really like this tea, and now that it’s discontinued I’ve been holding it instead of drinking it. Silly, but true. This is much, much more enjoyable in my cup than sitting on the shelf, so I made myself a nice strong cup and enjoyed. It’s a great mix of clean, bright mint and the base tea which is full of chocolate notes. It’s a spot on mint chocolate chip flavor. Delicious.
Preparation
I’m semi-desperate for a cup of Earl Grey right now. The Earl Grey Cream I bought from Zen Tea is sitting in my closet calling my name, but it’s technically a Christmas gift, so I can’t open it. Super sad face! I also have some Twinning’s Lady Grey tea bags which I was about to use, and then I remember that I have this!
Paris!!! A wonderfully lovely tea with bergamot as well as vanilla and lots of stone fruit notes. It’s light, sweet, and downright tasty. The bergamot isn’t as strong as I normally like in my EGs, but today it is just what I’m craving.
