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I love having a local tea blender at my farmer’s market!
I made this fruity tisane as iced tea using the hot brewing method then let it cool.
It’s really tasty and the color is a nice red that looks good over ice, nice and summery.
I can taste sweet and tart berries, cranberry, cherry mostly. The mint was very subtle. I am wondering if this tastes anything similar to Mary Poppin’s spoon full of sugar!
I still would reach for their Smashberry Tisane over this one because I enjoyed the stronger strawberry and mint flavor.

I used my new test tube steeper for this one. Works really well!
The dry leaf is beautiful with the pressed small leaves.
I did 8 short steepings using 175 degree water. Definitely deep vegetal taste throughout my steepings. They went from a tender baby spinach to lightly blanched asparagus and then peppery arugula. Middle steepings became astringent, but not strikingly so.
I really enjoyed this tea! Tomorrow I am going to try the regular He family 1st Laoshan green.

This is such a lovely cup! Malty, bold yet a subtle fruitiness.
This goes well with an afternoon of watching crime TV series on Netfix.

Thank you CK for this sample!!!!!!

It’s pretty yummy. I didn’t get a French toast aroma or taste at first, smelled like cinnamon spice, tasted like a cinnamon tea with a subtle creaminess. As it cools the butter and bread starts to peek through. Then I added some maple syrup….. There it is! Now it tastes like a plate of French toast!

I had a lovely tea party yesterday with my parents. I made finger sandwiches, jam thumbprint cookies, poppyseed shortbread cookies and a couple types of tea, one being Mi Xian Black.
I adore this tea and felt that it would be a great choice to let my parents try. They both loved it too. My dad was very interested in the history of the honey notes of the tea and happy the process was not like kopi luwak coffee…. He loved the natural honey flavor and could taste fresh citrus. My dad is a chef so I was not too surprised at him noticing this tea’s subtlety. My mother really enjoyed this tea as well, she said it had such a clean flavor and that most straight black teas she has tried have a “mustiness.” She really has only tried grocery store teas.
I replied, “Welcome to the world of fine teas!”
They both now want to come over regularly and pick things out of my cupboard to try.
But what really shocked me is that my mom brought me a small gift. A yixing teapot!
I couldn’t believe it. She picked it up in a thrift store. It still has a little sand in the bottom which makes me think it has never been used or loved…
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/d2uKAnHvHzO4fh_MgliAEhZgvqRNEkNLo6PVlNcRmOc?feat=directlink
This is my first yixing teapot. I think I have the perfect tea to love this teapot…Mi Xian!

This is a local company here in Alabama that sells at the area farmer’s markets. They dry all their own herbs and fruits that they put in the teas, except for the real tea leaves of course.
What’s really nice is that they have several kinds of cold infusions available and you can bring back your logo giant mason jar for discounted refills.

So, now for Smashberry tisane…
This blend is amazing!!!!! It really is. I first bought a mason jar full of the cold infusion and sipped while wandering the farmer’s market. Fresh strawberry taste with a nice refreshing mint and lemon balm herbal-ness with a nice kick of rose hip. I had to go back for a refill it was soooooooo good. I also bought some of the loose leaf to take home with a couple other blends they were selling.
A couple days later I had some people over for dinner and I made a pitcher of this iced by making the whole thing hot brewed and letting it cool in the fridge after I strained out the leaves. The dry blend is full of dried strawberries, pieces of dried apple, rose hips and bright green dried herbs, the description on the bag didn’t say specifically the herbs. It said an herbal blend with lemon balm but I definitely smell and taste mint. So did all my friends.
My friends loved it too. They continued to refill their glasses and I had to make another pitcher full this time I did a concentrate and added ice and cold water so it could be ready faster.
All three brewing methods tasted fantastic and I ran out of my scrumptious Smashberry tisane :(
I am hoping they have the Smashberry available again on thursday when the closest market is open again.

Wow! Harney and Sons does it again. I really like their flavored black teas a lot!

This one is creamy coconut and rich chocolate with a nice bold black tea base that is so good with H&S. Like melting a mini Mounds in your tea. A mini one because the flavors are not overpowering at all.
The small pink flowers add a really pretty touch. I want to have a tea party with this tea so we can all ooooooh and aaahhhhh over how cute the little flowers are.

Perfect for summer sweetness!

I made a pitcher of iced tea with this one, added some sugar and Oh my goodness does it hit the mark for cotton candy. Smells and tastes like a pink fluffy cloud of cotton candy to me. The black tea base is good too, not too strong which is nice because cotton candy is a very delicate flavor to me.
Had I never found Steepster I would have never imagined cotton candy tea was out in this world. Woot! I have cotton candy matcha too!

Second try of this tea….

I was not pleased with my first try due extreme lemon peel bitterness.
Was I pleasantly surprised what less leaf and less steeping time did to this chai. This is sooooo good. The bitterness is gone. Now this is lemon chai!
Lovely lemon lusciousness with subtle scrumptious spiciness and the assam base is just the right strength.
This one is now not in time out anymore :)

Yes, please!

I am so glad I decided to go home a make some tea due to having a couple free hours from work.
This one is so yummy!
The soft vanilla and caramel go so amazing well with the malty assam. The vanilla and caramel are very delicate and natural tasting.
I am definately becoming a Butiki addict with all these wonderful selections.