Drink The Leaf

So, thank you so much Drink The Leaf, for such a generous sample. When I dove into this orange swirly pool of deliciousness, I rejoiced knowing that I could enjoy about 6 more cups of this stuff before I ran out and had to buy some of my own. Let’s just say I’d buy this by the pound. Its wonderful! I love the orange oil Christmastide of it along with the strength of black tea that I love. No wimpyness here! Deck the halls and trick or treat in the same damn cup. Hell yeah.

There is a nice natural honey sweetness to this tea but it isn’t at all complex. It is very smooth but I tend to prefer my breakfast teas a bit bolder, edgier, and more complex.

I am drinking the last that I have of this tea in my stash… I really love this. You can read my full-length review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2011/02/13/hong-tao-mao-feng-from-drink-the-leaf-2/

I am enjoying this tea a lot! It is really very good.

Such an interesting complexity to it, it reminds me of a fine wine. Delicious.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea. It is so good!

The flavor is very rich and delicious. There is a very nice sweetness to it. It has a nice wine-like quality to it. Deep and complex. I like it very much!

Watch for the full-length review which will publish on the 13th of February at http://sororiteasisters.com

It’s been a good couple of years since I’ve had a kukicha. I remember liking it a lot (much more so than genmaicha), but the opportunity to have one never surfaced. I’m glad I selected this for review because it made for a wonderful creamy/nutty, rainy afternoon cuppa more reminiscent of an unrefined Chinese green. It has more nuance than your average Shizuoka sencha – a bit more going on than just “grass”. I would gladly turn to it again if hard-pressed to decide on a good, smooth green.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/02/review-drink-the-leaf-kuki-cha/

It’s not often when I’m surprised by an Earl Grey, but this is one of those times. I’m not sure what black tea source they used. I’d guess Darjeeling…-ish. It’s very “orange pekoe” in appearance. The liquor that results is also very balanced. They didn’t over-flavor this with the bergamot to mask an inferior black tea base. It’s floral, malty, mildly citrus-sour – an Earl Grey by any other name wouldn’t taste as sweet.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/01/17/review-drink-the-leaf-earl-grey/

Drink the Leaf says that this is the perfect tea on the go. I would beg to differ on that because its a touchy sencha. Sure, it only takes a minute, but you have to be very precise with that minute…and even more-so with the temperature. (None of which are mentioned on the Drink the Leaf site, mind you.)

When adhered to correctly, the drinker is treated to a balanced, un-spinached cup of grass-nut, seaweed-sweet excellence. I’d say this is the third best type of sencha I’ve imbibed.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2010/12/04/review-drink-the-leaf-sen-cha-fukamushi/

Full review’s been posted: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1748/tea-review-drink-the-leaf-hong-tao-mao-feng-3/

…and now I am regretting the fact that I have no more to enjoy.

As I was slurping this out of my Tervis Tumbler (best travel mug in the world; you can taste what’s in it instead of just the lid) I was thinking this is far too fine a tea to waste on a gloomy, cloudy Thursday morning.

It smells great, both dry and in the cup. I could just stick my nose in the pouch and leave it there. It steeps up golden and malty and honey-ish…no flavoring or additives, just great tea.

Then again, maybe this is just what I needed on a gloomy, cloudy Thursday morning.

This is on my to-review list for itsallabouttheleaf.com, but absolutely had to stick in a good quick word - even with a goof on my part, chintzy on the leaf as usual; this is GREAT. Golden and caramel and I can’t wait to see what it’s like when I do it right.

I just received a huge, generous batch of samples from LiberTEAS (thanks again!!) and this one jumped right out as being special. I’ve never seen a tea so green and uniform. I imagined the harvester using tiny nail clippers to individually collect just the smallest tip of each leaf.

The fragrance is clean, slightly grassy and briny. I even picked up subtle notes of sesame. Once prepared, the sesame rises to the top and this acquires a toasted oat background.

The tea brews to be relatively pale but has a substantial heartiness. It’s slightly vegetative with a bit of kelp and finishes with a mildly sweet toasted sesame. The cooling cup works towards a honey finish.

What was really unexpected was the overall body of the tea. For a green tea, it has a very rich, almost buttery mouth feel. In just a few cups, this has moved into the top tier of my green tea list.

Well, this isn’t what I think of when I think of chai….BUT, this tea is very nice. The vanilla is strong but not artificial and there is a natural sweetness present. I’ve finished my sample and while I don’t think I would order this, it was nice while it lasted.

I finished up the last of my Ceylon Black this afternoon. I think this is one of the better ceylons I have had as I feel they are usually a bit weaker than I prefer my black tea. There is a definite chocolate note that really complements the additions of milk and sugar. I’ve enjoyed this tea while I’ve had it, but it isn’t one I would necessarily seek out in the future.

I’m not usually a big fan of ceylons because they are just not bold enough for my tastes. However, I really enjoy this one. There are lovely cocoa notes and when taken plain I get a bittersweet chocolate flavor. This isn’t as bold as I would like but it is nice enough. I will certainly enjoy the remainder of this tea.

Finishing up my sample of this tea! I’m still not sure I would purchase it as Ceylon is typically weaker than I prefer my black tea, but it is entirely possible I would buy it because it has such a great cocoa note.

Another tea that sounds oddly good to me tonight! I have really been missing Dawn as of late, but this tea truly reminds me of Dawn when served with milk and sugar. I think my taste is a bit off due to my stuffy nose, but this tea still tastes good!

Usually, I can take or leave Ceylon as I tend to find it uninteresting and weaker than I prefer my black tea. However, this Ceylon is an exception. There is a definite cocoa note that truly reminds me of a less earthy Dawn. This may become one of my favorites.

Today is my family’s thanksgiving, so I’m going crazy in the kitchen. The teas that I’ll be reaching for today are some tried and true favorites like this one – ones that I’ve already tasted, enjoyed, and about which I’ve already shared my thoughts.

I did want to make one note on this one, though… I read mrawlins2’s tasting note on this one where she indicated a similarity to Dawn… and I want to say that I can taste that as well. There are some definite cocoa notes… this one isn’t as bold or chewy as Dawn, but there are definitely some similarities.

Delicious!

I was happy to find that I had a little of this left in my stash! Yum. It’s rich and delicious!

Here’s my full-length review of this tea:

http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=13452

A very mild-mannered Ceylon. I can taste the notes of cocoa which is not something I often taste with an average, everyday Ceylon. Very smooth and I’m even getting a pleasant malty note (another something I don’t usually get from an average Ceylon)

Not as fruity as some Ceylons, but I do get a slightly fruity quality at the finish. Sweet and mellow. Nice.

Delightful. Smooth, vegetative and sweet. Delicious.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this fabulous tea to try.

I love Gyokuro! I love the beautiful, vivid green leaves. I love the fresh, vegetative aroma, I love the flavor that is slightly nutty and sweet and vegetative. I love that it only takes 45 seconds to infuse the leaves. I love Gyokuro!

This is an excellent Gyokuro. The flavor is smooth and delicious. Delightful. YUM.

Breakfast tea this morning. Added milk and stevia. This tea is good, but very one note. I think the Ceylon Black from DTL may be better than this one…but the jury is still out…