Leah Naomi select Send Message

This one was kind of strange. It was very dry. I usually take astringency to mean both a dryness and a bitterness…but this was just dry without the bitter. Drinkable for me, better than if it were bitter, but still not my favorite.

I just skipped past making this hot – some things are just better left being iced. I have so much “hot only” tea to drink, I had no problem brewing this up and then letting it cool down. I am glad I did. It is fruity, and fresh from the rose, and overall very refreshing. It isn’t as bitter as I was worried it might be. Definitely a very solid option.

Holy moly this packs quite a big punch. I think there has only ever been one other time I have felt the “buzz” from a tea before. I have never done illicit drugs, but I felt high. A milder version of what I when I was on a codeine based med. The first steep was the strongest, and the feeling lasted about 30-45 minutes and made me feel floaty and a bit sleepy. Each steep was a little weaker (a good thing). I did 4 steeps until I was full, and ready to move on to something new.

The flavor started off very sweet and fruity, and moved to more mineral-y and smoky. It tasted very light – it was also very light in color. I have only had very dark puerhs before this, so this ended up being a bit of an adventure for me. The taste rating would be an 80, as this tastes lovely but isn’t as flavorful as some. With that awesome buzz though, it rates higher.

This was another unremarkable but good tea. I like the Golden Tips subscription, but part of what it is teaching me is that I am not as fond of most blacks as I am of oolongs. But trying them en masse like this does mean there are many that are solid, tasty enough, but I am unable to describe any further. This one is a bit grapey (as the muscatel title would imply), but not particularly sweet on its own and the fruity flavor isn’t intense enough for me to love it.

I have a backstock of about 30 Golden Tips sample bags. It’s ok though – I put them in a give-away box that I pull from whenever I have a friend who wants to try loose tea, and I often bulk up Christmas/Birthday presents with these. My friends all understand my addiction, and are happy to take tea off my hands because the tea I am giving away is never bad…just not as amazing as other teas in my stash. :)

This tea is described rather perfectly in the description. It is very citrussy, and I think the word crisp is a great way to describe it, as it isn’t sour. It isn’t sweet, but is very fresh due to the green tea base.

That said, it isn’t mindblowing. Makes a decent iced tea too.

This is pretty tasty. Not bitter, at least not for me, and was very sweet and fruity. I’d even go so far as to claim it tastes a bit melon-y. I am not good at tasting many individual “notes” for tea (or anything else), which is why many of my tasting notes are super short. But this one, I am venturing out a bit.

I have to say, I am moderately surprised this is a black tea. I honestly wouldn’t have realized to taste it. It definitely tastes like cinnamon, with the apple fruitiness, but doesn’t remind me strongly of chai. It isn’t spicy enough. I like it, though I probably wouldn’t bend over backwards to buy more.

This is definitely both fruity and flowery, but neither are particularly overpowering. I am glad to say I really enjoy this one – I was getting worried because I was on a “meh” streak with my Golden Tips samples. I could see this one being amazingly refreshing as an iced tea, not just as a hot.

This was alright – unremarkable to me, actually. It was a bit astringent, and when there is astringency, I have a difficult time tasting anything else. Other people would probably enjoy this though. I just can’t taste past a little bitterness.

This was tasty. It was malty and warm and nutty, and wasn’t really sweet at all. It has a small bite to it, but not enough to put off a wimp like me (I don’t like bitterness pretty much at all). So far though, this is my least favorite of the teas I have from Global Tea Hut. Not that it isn’t good, it is. But the flavor on it’s own just didn’t feel that special to me. But, that is so generalized of a feeling, and personal, that I set it as recommended anyhow. I am sure others are/would be a big fan.