Cheryl Send Message

Ok, so still in testing mode (and probably will be for a while). Tonight’s question is, do I like jasmine teas? I like green teas, in a general sense, so will see. I keep seeing these cute little jasmine dragon balls everywhere, so it’s time to answer the question. I have 3 jasmines in my samples: this one, Mighty Leaf’s Organic Jasmine, and Teavana’s cute little balls : )

Ok, so I steeped it on the low end of their instructions: only 2 minutes. Pleasant enough, but a little weak (watery). Maybe it needs a longer steep, hmmm. With fragrance being another obsession, I’m very familiar with what jasmine smells like. I’m not getting a strong jasmine scent (no idea what it’s supposed to taste like).

I like this well enough to finish the sample, but there’s nothing here that’s crying my name or anything. Pleasant. Not bitter. I’m going to finish it, which says a lot …

Reading the prior reviews on this one, perhaps they’ve changed the formula this year? I just got a tin of this in December and I’m thinking it’s “ok” to good. A lot of the negative reviews seem to be a year ago, so hmmmm.

This has some of the spices I tend to like. The dominant flavors seem to be cinnamon, apple and licorice. The licorice is stepped up here, so maybe that turns people off, but it can be a sentimental taste for me (my Mom loved black licorice, and everyone knew it).

Oh, and I used 2 bags for about 10 oz. or so, because last time I tried it, it did seem a wee bit weak. They instruct to use 6 oz. per bag, so just upped it a little.

For technicalities, mine is labeled as Organic Spearmint BH45 (from Egypt).

I bought a 50g packet of this while ordering samples, because I love Adagio’s and thought they’d be (basically) the same. I made it according to instructions and do remember steeping Adagio’s closer to 10 minutes, so that could be the difference here … but this one is weak compared to Adagio’s. Added a tbs. of honey for sweetness and this is “ok” but not as yummy.

Have some of Stash’s on it’s way (if they’d ever ship my order from Monday…must be swamped from sale), so will compare all 3 when it gets here.

Testing 3 “spice” Upton teas tonight, and left this one for last (smelled the best!). Comparing it with Upton’s New England Harvest and Cinnamon Chai (so far, NE is in the lead).

Ok, so this is indeed more complex. The first two were dominated much more by the cinnamon. The black tea is not bitter, and is overshadowed by the spices (for me, this is not a bad thing, lol). I do not taste the coconut, but it shows itself in the aftertaste (yum). Loving how all the spices meld together so well. This isn’t strong spice to me, more “medium” on the spicy scale (preferred).

Oh gosh, this is really really good. And I’ve been so compulsive with ordering lately, that I almost hoped it wasn’t … maybe putting it on my shopping list will suffice for now. Right now I’m thinking “this may be love” :)

Testing 3 Upton “spice” samples tonight and this is 2nd up (also tested NE Harvest and going to test Tropical Chai Spice).

Well, compairing it to NE Harvest, the tea is more prominent in this one and the black tea is not bitter either (not sure if same one?). I was expecting this to be the strongest “chai” spiced one of the three, but it’s not much stronger than NE Harvest. The only difference is that NE Harvest is basically a cinnamon tea, and this one has more going on… I can detect the clove, for example (love clove, but it’s weak in here). Overall I’m not enjoying this one as much as NE Harvest. It’s “ok”, will probably finish sample, but not reorder.

Since I found Upton by following Steepster, it’s perhaps fitting that my first remarks on the site is for theirs. I just received 8 samples today, and decided to test 3 “spiced” ones tonight. First up is this one, but will be comparing with Cinnamon Chai and Tropical Spice.

One of the problems I’ve had with flavored black teas, is the black tea itself can be very bitter (looking at you Adagio). This one isn’t (phew). Overall, the spices are blending well, with cinnamon definately the star. I’d classify this a “medium” spice, leaning towards mild. For those who don’t like chai spices that are too heavy-handed, this one might please. For me, they’re a little too light, but tasty/good (will finish sample).