Epi Tea

I’d like to write a lengthy review on this, but really, there’s only one thing to be said: this tastes like cough syrup. The kind of cough syrup that surprises you in that it doesn’t make you want to barf, but cough syrup nonetheless.

I just received my free samples from EpiTea, and I had to go straight for this one — it seems to be one of their more well-liked teas on Steepster, and I’m a nut for anything floral even though I’m not much of a bergamot person.

In the sachet, this seems like a pretty typical tea. There’s not a huge number of lavender buds, but they’re visible and I can smell the lavender as well. The dominating scent, however, is something I can’t place… it doesn’t smell like tea or bergamot, so the only other thing I can think of is it being the sachet itself. In any case, the liquor itself has exactly the scent I would expect (it smells like, well, the ingredients, although it’s not very strong) so I can’t complain.

Tasting it… this is nice! The initial flavor is lavender, which I appreciate and am mildly impressed by considering the lavender-to-black tea ratio. The second half of the sip tastes more of the base, a black that’s very strong and spicy — the aftertaste actually leaves the same burning feeling in the back of my throat that I usually only get from spicy food. (Disclaimer: I am very sensitive to spicy food) That’s not to say that I dislike it, but I would have preferred a more delicate base.

Oh, right… this is an earl grey! I never would have guessed or noticed if I hadn’t been told; I can’t taste even a bit of bergamot. That’s fine by me, although now I’m curious as to what it would be like if EpiTea had gone for a less flavorful base and a greater amount of bergamot.

Overall, I’m digging the lavender content of this tea even though the black tea that was selected could have been better for me! It’s a solid offering from this new company.

First, THANK YOU to Epi Tea for this sample. This is my second pyramid, but I didn’t rate the first (BAD MADI) so let’s give it a try this go round.

Now, I am very glad this tea was on the TOP of my sample box because I couldn’t stand being in my tea pantry any longer smelling teas. I may or may not have consumed one too many margaritas at dinner last night so I may or may not be feeling like I’m going to collapse and die any second. I should stick to tea in the future.

Anyway, because of my lack of being a proper human being this morning, I made this tea in a fashion that will make you all gasp and cringe. I put one cup in the microwave for 2 minutes, and when the water was boiling, I dumped it over the tea bag waiting in another cup. Hey, I could have just stuck the whole cup, teabag and all in the microwave, so don’t judge me, ok?

When I poured the water onto the tea bag, however, I SWEAR it screamed. No, I’m still not drunk. I heard this hiiiigggghhhh pitch wailing coming from my cup. I looked to my dogs to make sure it wasn’t them whining, but they were looking at me so I knew it wasn’t them. Then they started barking, though, so I couldn’t hear the wailing… I put a lid on the cup, just in case.

Ohh, 4 minutes has passed now, time to remove my teabag! I mean sachet! And add a little soymilk… (Again, I know you’re going to cringe at my tea drinking habits)

First sip, the lavender hits you right away. It’s a perfectly soothing, calming lavender… Just what I need right now… The more I drink it’s as if I’m getting used to the lavender and the earl grey is peeking through more. It’s not a 100% in your face bergamont flavor, but that’s nice because I don’t want the flavors competing; I like the lavender taking charge and the earl grey just supporting it. I would definitely recommend this tea, even if you’re not a huge earl grey fan but are a lavender fan. Definitely want to enjoy lavender for this tea.

Mmmm off to enjoy the rest of this cup. It’s just what I needed this morning! :)

Let me preface by saying I’m not a fan of English breakfast teas. I find them fairly “boring” and there’s usually something else I’d rather drink, though I don’t hate English breakfast.

This English breakfast is, as my other half put it, a better English breakfast tea. :) I enjoyed the smoothness of the tea and the subtle favors that came out as I drank it. In essence, if I had to drink an English breakfast tea, this one would be first on my list.

I got my samples from Epi Tea today, and of course I dove right in! There’s a long list of teas I should try first, but I was dying to taste this one. Lavender Earl Greys are some of my favorite EG blends, and while my current favorite blend is ETS’ Versailles Lavender I’m looking for one in teabag form. I know some loose-leaf fans have kind of a stigma against teabags, but I enjoy having an easy way to brew up a cup when I’m feeling sick or, well, lazy. ^^; Plus these are pyramid bags, so the tea does get to expand quite a bit.

This is a very soft EG. The bergamot, lavender and black base aren’t very assertive, but not in a negative way. It’s very much a tea for slow evenings where you can relax and unwind. In fact, I might have said this was an ear grey cream if I didn’t know better, it has that soft creamy vanilla background taste going on. The lavender is very nice, not overpowering, only slightly perfumey. I let it steep for 6 minutes+ on the second steep (kind of lost track of time!) and it was more agressively floral, which personally I like. This is the best bagged lavender EG I’ve tried!

Loooooove the smell coming off of this! It reminds me of cider or some childhood memory from winter. This is for sure one going on my list of winter teas As the second sample I’m trying from Epi Tea – I have to say this is my favorite so far. I don’t add milk/sugar to my tea and the flavor isn’t too intense.

I got some samples from the kind people at Epi Tea and this was one of them. It was the first Irish Breakfast I’ve tried and I have to say I like it! It’s a smooth black tea blend. Very nice if you just need a moment to yourself!

Not-Tea Review

Can we talk for a moment about how much I love Daylight Savings Time?

After our second night show (it was not a slump, but I’m not sure I should repeat our term for it on here ;) ), we all went out to Eddie O’s, a bar/restaurant downtown. By the time we got there it was late enough that no one was really sitting down and eating; most of us just got appetizers and split them. As the night wore on and everybody got drunker, we lost most of the people that had come with us. Finally it was almost 2, and we got up to leave – before realizing that we had to turn back the clocks, and it was actually only 1!

So we migrated outside, where it was cold, and those of us who were of age were very drunk. We ended up home around 1:30 ultimately, and I’m using this time to NaNo.

So I made a cup of tea to help me with that. I’ve already written about 1k tonight, and I’m aiming for another 800 before I go to bed. And then I’ll finish the other 800 sometime later today, and hopefully get ahead.

Tea Review

I haven’t had this tea in awhile, and I have to say, it’s still really just okay for me. It’s a delicate chai, which is good, as I’m not huge on strong ones (and we don’t have any milk right now), but it’s just not my thing.

Thanks to Epi Tea for the pre-release sample of this!

Starting off, this was the tea I was least excited to try. I don’t really like adding milk to teas – it’s a bit too heavy for me – but I’m also a wimp when it comes to spice.

I’m surprised at how much I like this. The immediate fragrance from this is apple cinnamon – it’s Christamsy, somehow. Cinnamon, ginger – like cookies.

I taste the black base primarily. The spice is almost an aftertaste. I like the whole peppercorns – adds a bit of kick. It’s smooth in a way I wouldn’t have expected.

Thanks Epi Tea for sending out these samples, I always love to try out new stuff!

Tried this tea early this morning before work, didn’t get a chance to write about it! I’m going to try my best and remember what I thought…

Lovely lavender smell, it’s also the flavor that comes across most in the tea. I don’t think I’ve had any lavender tea before and I really enjoyed it. I’m also pleased there’s another Earl Grey that I like (had a not so good experience with DT’s Cream of Earl Grey). Woohoo! The bergamot was there but was not overpowering which is great. Overall very nice. :) I re-steeped and got another light, but still decent cup.

I would definitely grab pick up some more of these, good easy morning “single serving” teas (I’ve been making a lot of pots of tea for my future mother-in-law while we stay here).

got a sample of this- so quick impressions

the cinnamon in this is pretty present like a spicyness to the whole tea… while i didnt really like the taste i felt it did live up to the name as it was rather relaxing

couldn’t really say if it was good or bad as i dont drink chai teas, but the cinnamon is what really stands out.. so if thats your thing you might like this.

(i rated this low because i didnt like the taste, moved it up a bit cuz it was relaxing)

Pre-release sample! My samples arrived today so I dived right in…which to choose? I ultimately went with the one that had the fewest reviews here :)

I’m with Michelle on the convenience of the pyramid bags. The scent from the tea through me off a little bit – it brings back memories of being sick and having to down that weird red triminic cough syrup.

On the plus side, the taste of the tea is nothing like that! It’s a bit mild for me as I prefer my teas stronger (at least so far) and the flavors don’t fight for attention. While the tea didn’t knock my socks off, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to friends who enjoyed a milder tea.
I’m not sure if a bit of honey/sugar would have enhanced the flavors – something I’ll have to try another time :) overall not a bad little tea.

got this in a sample – so brief impression

first time trying rooibos tea so i dont have anything to compare this to

the smell of this tea is pretty mild although distinctive ….the taste however is pretty orangy? i guess not so much like a real orange, but maybe some sort of orange candy taste, was very present almost like an orange lollipop…. but one that you drink it also fades away very pleasantly after each sip

im not so much for sweet(will effect my rating), i tend to like black teas that are bland/dark in flavor…. so this isnt a tea i would drink but i find it very interesting

i could see children really liking this tea or anyone who likes that candy/orangy taste in their tea

overall im very impressed with this tea but its not for me

got a sample of this- quick impression

i dont much like earl grey teas… i dont like this one either, i just dislike the flavor.

that being said this one was far better than the last one i tried. epi teas earl gray didnt overpower me with the flavor… the first time i tried earl grey it was so artificial i could barely drink it, this one is far more subtle/comfortable level of flavor. i think if you like earl grey you would like this tea, but take what i say with a grain of salt.

the smell of the tea is far more subtle(than the first i tried) and it gives a fairly relaxing feeling overall. i rated it on the low end because of personal preference even though i am pleasantly surprised by this tea.

Thanks so much to Epi Tea for the pre-release sample of this!

Uh… this is kind of long. Sorry! Skip to the second half for the actual tea :)

Whew. Busy morning. I dropped my sister off at camp, came home, brewed and photographed this. I had computer issues. Panicked. I only have one tea bag, and I need the photo for my blog, and if I can’t get the pictures of the memory card, I can’t drink this tea yet! And of course it was time for work too. I changed into my uniform and drove all the way out there, punched in, rang out a customer, checked the schedule and realized that my 11-5 is next Tuesday, not this Tuesday. Sigh.

I punched out, changed back into street clothes, figured I might as well pick up some envelopes and school supplies while I was there. I was looking at notebooks, and a girl was complaining to her mum that the only notebooks we had were black or grey. I work there… even on my day off, I feel obligated to do what I can. Especially during Back to School season (our busiest). So I ran up the ladder and pulled a couple of boxes down for her. My boss walked by, just sort of shook his head in exasperation at me. Customer was happy, though, so that’s all good.

On to the tea. I didn’t put any milk or sugar in this, but I don’t need to. There’s usually too much bergamot in Earl Greys, but I didn’t get that impression with this one at all. The first flavor I get is lavender. Not overdone lavender, just lavender. Good. I haven’t had lavender in awhile, and I forgot how much I liked it! That’s intermingled with the black tea base (Ceylon? Assam?). And then, finally, at the very very end of the sip, almost in the aftertaste, comes a bit of the dry, soapy bergamot.

That sounds bad. It’s very, very good. It compliments the cool dryness of the lavender really really well, and it almost lends a texture more than a flavor.

I’ve found my Earl Grey. This is fantastic. I want to buy some as soon as it’s available!

just brief impression

only tried this once – got in a sample pack so keep that in mind

although its an irish breakfast it seemed pretty chinese to me. couldn’t specify a specific region for sure, but tasted far less assamy than most irish breakfast teas.

while i dont prefer the taste of chinese teas (will effect my rating) i thought it was pretty good… had more of a weighty mouthfeel than english breakfast teas(not same flavor just reference point) less thin which i like although not quiet as round/heavy a mouthfeel as some other irish breakfasts…. if memory serves correctly i would put it around a fujian tea

other thoughts : this tea came in a bag, with leaves about the size you’d expect from an irish breakfast. the smell pretty closely matched the taste, the tea bag itself kept the tea inside let water through and didnt effect the taste… although might have been a little small(normal sized) and didnt have a string.

took on the long side steep time wise but didnt seem bitter at all and had a pleasant aftertaste

This smells spicy and fruity but I’m not seeing any fruity ingredients in the contents list…ummmmm…well…and it smells a little like a holiday/adult beverage but I cannot put my finger on WHICH one! It does smell nice, however.

The taste is pretty intense for a bagged tea…a good amount of spices, and more notably the ginger and vanilla are pairing ‘just right’ in my opinion!

This is a goodie! The Red Peppercorns are pretty slammin’, too! Nice touch!

Yeah! The more I sip on this – the more I’m liking it! Good job Epi!

Thanks very much to Epi Tea for the pre-release sample.

A nice balance of Lavender and bergamot. For the first sachet I brewed this to the suggested time of 4 minutes. It was a little to long for me so the second sachet I did at 3 minutes. It was a little better for me. The first time I thought that the lavender over powered the bergamot a little too much for my taste. I drank this straight the first time and with a touch of cream the second time. Very nice the second time around. The first time I think I ruined it by leaving the bag in too long, the second time was the charm.

Thanks
so much for this.

Thanks very much to Epi Tea for the pre-release sample of this.

I will start off by saying that I am a chai lover, and I have had many. Traditional and non-tradional ones. I knew looking at the ingredients that this was going to be a non-tradional one since it has vanilla flavoring in it. Which I love, because I like to see what kind of twist they put on it.
When I opened the bag that was the first thing I smelled. Well that and the cardamon. I brewed it according to what was suggested which was 4 minutes. I could smell the vanilla again before anything which did not put me off. Instead It made me think it would a great with a touch of cream. But I wanted to try it straight first.
It has a nice balance of flavors. Although I could make out the vanilla right away I could still make out the other spices. The after taste of it has a slight flatness to it. Not as full-bodied that I would hope for. After drinking it straight had way I decided to add some milk and sugar to it. It really did not need the sugar, but I wanted to drink it as a traditional chai. The cream helped the body, but there was still something lacking that I can not put my finger on.
Either way I am happy that I got to try this before it came out. It is a nice chai, just not not my favorite.

Thanks very much to Epi Tea for the pre-release sample of this!

I have to admit I’m a bit underwhelmed by this tea, especially after the Berry Rooibos yesterday. I don’t know if it’s me, but I just can’t taste the blood orange in this at all. I can smell it a bit, the taste is all rooibos.

Still, it’s a good cup, and I look forward to trying the rest of the samples!

Pre-release sample graciously provided to me by Epi Tea!

I really love the convenience of pyramid bags, and it makes me happy that the bags are biodegradable and the teas are organic. One less thing to feel bad about!

The rooibos here is well-balanced with the berry. It’s tart, but without the overpowering hibiscus that a lot of berry teas have. I like hibiscus, admittedly, but it can get tiresome. I don’t particularly like red rooibos (or rooibos in general, but give me green any day) but this is surprisingly tasty. I’ve added a bit of local honey and left the bag in while it steeps.

The only thing I wish about this tea was that there was more rooibos in the sachet, or that I had a second sachet to double the strength. I feel like this tea would make a fantastic summer iced tea. All in all though, it’s a solid offering, and a promising beginning!

I just got this sample in the mail today, thanks Epi Tea!!! I wish I could say that I liked it, but I want to give you my honest opinion. I thought it tasted like children’s orange cough syrup. The orange was just too overwhelming for me. However, the aroma was wonderful: just the right mix of orange with an earthy undertone. I’m so sorry Epi Tea… but I really appreciate the sample.