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Steep Information:
Amount: 1 tsp
Additives: none
Water: 8 ounces hot spigot water
Tool: make your own paper teabag
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes (tried 1 and 2, too weak)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: cherry, floral, sweet
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal, cherry, fruity
Flavor: bitter, vegetal, floral
Body: Light
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: translucent yellowish-green

I bought this tea because I am in love with The Republic of Tea Memoirs of a Geisha cherry green tea. That was a limited edition tea.

Since I have been trying so many teas, this tea is not on my “loved” list anymore…it’s too finicky to make properly, and not enough cherry for me.

I think 1 or 2 minutes would have done the tea better, less bitter, I’ll try that next time.

I am dropping my rating because it is finicky and I have found so many better teas as I have branched out

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/teavana-loose-leaf-green-tea-japanese.html

Steep Information:
Amount: entire sample, 3 heaping tsp
Additives: none
Water: 6 ounces filtered boiling
Tool: Mesh basket strainer in cup
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: andes chocolate mints
Steeped Tea Smell: andes chocolate mints
Flavor: mint, woody
Body: Full
Aftertaste: mint with a hint of chocolate
Liquor: deep opaque black-red

This smelled similar to 52Teas Loose Leaf Black Tea ‘Chocolate Mint Flavored Black Tea’

Both were strongly mint.

This tea has two advantages (for me) – no bitter black tea flavor, and it’s rooibos (I need more caffeine free teas I love in my cupboard).

Post-Steep Additives: none

Resteep: 7 minutes, medium bodied, still the same profile, lighter coloring

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/jade-teapot-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea_2874.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp at first, then entire sample (approx 4 tsp)
Additives: none
Water: 6 ounces filtered boiling
Tool: Mesh basket strainer in cup
Steep Time: a little over 12 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: barely a scent of caramel, and perhaps a re-heated burned caramel
Steeped Tea Smell: none
Flavor: woody rooibos
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: the burned caramel is there, like an after thought, not heavy but lightly
Liquor: dark red

After the first 7 minutes and 2 tsp of tea I found it to be a weak woody rooibos flavor, so I added the rest of the sample and steeped another 5 minutes.

I was not tasting the apple or smelling it. The cinnamon and almond surprised me as I would never have guessed they were there had they not been in the ingredient listing.

You need to like rooibos to like this tea as it is a very prominent flavor. The apple and caramel are too subtle for me.

Post-Steep Additives: 1/2 tsp German rock sugar, more caramel flavor brought out

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/jade-teapot-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea_17.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Additives: none
Water: 3 cups filtered boiling water (1 cast iron teapot full)
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Raisin bran cereal, sweet raisins
Steeped Tea Smell: cinnamon and tea
Flavor: black tea, smoky, astringent
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: tea
Liquor: translucent light reddish-brown

I started with 3 minutes, it was too weak, went and kept sipping, the tea was not yet bitter at 7 and I think it could have steeped longer.

The tea smells very much like cinnamon and tea. I was not getting toast (or was the smoky flavor supposed to represent crispy toast?) or butter.

The raisins was only present in the dry leaf smell.

To test the quality of a steeped golden raisin I took some of my golden raisins from the cupboard and steeped them a few minutes, very grape. So apparently the tea doesn’t have enough raisins for my liking.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this tea, it’s smooth and not bitter and really just fine. But I have done something wrong or it’s too subtle for me.

Next steep I will try adding sugar, cream separately and together while tossing in extra raisins. It may end up getting a higher rating once I fiddle with the preparation, it has potential.

I am interested to get MilitaJim’s thoughts on it – he’s out celebrating St. Patty’s Day. Bobbie agrees with my tea that smells like cinnamon assessment.

Post-Steep Additives: none

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/52teas-loose-leaf-black-tea-buttered.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp (entire sample)
Additives: none
Water: 26 ounces filtered boiling
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 10 minutes (7 was too weak)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Pears, Woody, and something else I can’t quite place
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, pears, and that odd something else
Flavor: funky (marigold?)
Body: Light
Aftertaste: sweet
Liquor: translucent reddish-orange

I realize I should have done less water, but that was the pot that was out and it needs at least that much to cover the tea.

This was a free sample from The Jade Teapot, which I really appreciate in my quest to find good caffeine free tea.

Sadly this tea is just too weird, there is that flavor I can not place, and the pear is a very light flavor, although the sweetness was wonderful, no additives needed!

Post-Steep Additives: none

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/jade-teapot-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 5 tsp – the entire sample bag
Additives: none
Water: 1 cast iron teapot full of filtered boiling water
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 8 minutes (did 5, it was too weak)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: strawberry, kiwi
Steeped Tea Smell: strawberry rhubarb pie
Flavor: Strawberry, sweet berry
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: slightly tangy (hibiscus)
Liquor: store bought cherry pie colored

Purchased this sample to help find a tea to fill my nightly no caffeine niche.

Where are you hiding my kiwi? I can’t find it. And I am not sure why there are rosehips in there, and not sure I could find them, but I wonder if there would be less weird ‘other’ in this tea without them.

I was happy to drink the whole pot, but it was straightforward strawberry so not interesting enough for me to purchase more of.

Post-Steep Additives: none

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/thenecessiteas-loose-leaf-herbal-tea.html

28 ounces tap water
Sunbeam TeaDrop Hot tea Maker
4 tsp tea
medium setting
2 sugars
still a good black tea…but not any kind of wow

Steep Information:
Flavia machine

Tasting Notes:
Steeped Tea Smell: fruity, floral, citrus, hibiscus
Flavor: lemongrass, hibiscus, sour tang
Body: Full
Aftertaste: sour tang
Liquor: dark red

Apparently discontinued, I am not surprised. The tang was unpleasant and not fully describable. The tea was almost likable….almost and then at the end of the sip that odd flavor invaded and lingered.

Drinkable, but barely.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none
Water: 6 ounces filtered boiling water
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: citrus
Steeped Tea Smell: citrus, floral, woody
Flavor: lemon, hibiscus, floral, roobois
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: lemon, sweet
Liquor: red-brown translucent

I am not sure where I was getting the citrus from. The hibiscus flavor gets stronger as it cools. I was not getting the peppermint or blueberry.

It was a nice flavorful tea, I think I need to have a few more glasses to decide of I like it or really like it.

Post-Steep Additives: none

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/republic-of-tea-teabag-rooibos-tea-get.html

see previous notes; summary: delicious and buttery cookie flavor! no additives needed and no fuss (1 bag, 8 ounces hot spigot water at work in paper cup)