Hina's Tea

This tea smells like intense oak campfire embers, as everyone clearly states. It tastes nearly exactly how it smells. I did not enjoy this tea. It was almost like drinking the remains of the embers of a forest fire. Slightly better with milk.

Revisited this the other night and it was ok but quite peppery…I think I was in a mood for something less pepper and more sweet at that specific moment…

My first challenge for 2010…will I succeed!?

This was too unique and crazy NOT to try!

It’s certainly ORANGE to the nose with a slight peppery aroma. The coloring is somewhere between a light brown, reddish, orange.

I ended up infusing for 7 minutes – they suggested 5…or between 5 and 7…I chose 7.

After infused it still smells like Orange, Pepper, but with a more Rooibos and Floral Scent added in.

I’m slightly afraid.

Hmmm…odd…Hmmm…interesting…hmmm…good…I think??

I can taste the Orange but not as much as I thought I would based on the scent. I can taste the pepper a little at first sip, not so much in the body of the sip, and a little again at the end of the sip. I guess I can ‘get’ the chili part…I can certainly pick out the Rooibos taste. and the cinnamon comes in as an afterthought.

It’s very interesting, indeed!

But…you know what??? I like it! WOW! Just goes to show you…try something different…you might like it!

The sweetness is overwhelming even without sugar. I like the sugar because it masks the bitter aftertaste and keeps that sweet taste until the next sip. When the pot was brought in the beautiful summer day came back again. This tea is calming for me and I will buy it again.

The boy liked this one. I spit it out it was so bad. There is something that reminded me of a hospital and I can’t put my finger on it.

This is a very very light and fragrant tea. A pale yellow liquor smells mostly of jasmine, while the flavor is balanced quite well. Both the quality of the green tea and the light addition of jasmine makes this a great cup. A slight vegetal hint broadens the floral nature of this tea. Disregard the brew time below, I just left the leaves in the cup.

The curled emerald green leaves of this tea have a lovely sweet smell to them before brewing. The bright golden liquor smells lightly of fresh greenery, with a taste to match. Just a small amount of sugar brings out grape and plum notes that dance on the tongue.

Normally Moroccan mint tea is made with green leaves, and although this blend is not the traditional mix, it still makes a great morning cup. The bright red liquor of this tea has a really nice smooth flavor to it. The medium to full-bodied malty black tea is accented nicely by just the right amount of peppermint, and only displays a tad bit of astringent bitterness. Sweetener is a must for this brew.

A cuppa comfort.

I asked my tea seller to surprise me today. She showed me some beautiful teas with wonderfu aroma and body. Then, I was informed to open the jar and take in the smell of the earth. Yes, no doubt, the sublime odour of decomposing, rich sweet soil filled my senses and I wished it was spring again…alas, it is only the beginning of winter…I digress, I love it! And the flavour took a bit of getting used to but I am hook’d.

I wouldn’t say this is an excellent tea but it is definitely one I can enjoy time and time again. I would like to see more green tea in it though. It mostly consists of brown rice, which isn’t a bad thing but a little less brown rice and a tad bit more green tea would make it awesome. The smell isn’t my favorite since I’m not fond of the smell of popcorn but I can get over that part. A great tea.

A pale amber liquor. This herbal blend is so balanced that none of the flavors dominate. The scent is mainly chamomile and apple. I especially appreciate the raspberry leaf taste, which is softly green and a tiny bit tangy. Overall very smooth, so I drank my cup happily, without a thought of adding sweetener.

sweet smell. A wonderful hint of strawberries. Balanced blend not typical green tea with not overpowering.

This is what I had hoped for with the strawberry oolong.

Rich blackberry scent. Tart and tangy fruit taste. Wonderful fruit pie feel. It is even beautiful to look at with it’s pinky red glow.

The boy says it’s like a rich tart fruit bowl.

Smells lemony and fresh. MMMM soothing, warming with a hint of bitter. All the things I love about earl grey with a hint of tang.

The smell is mild, not exactly peachy but not bad. Holding it in my mouth I can taste the peach but sipping it doesn’t bring any fruit thoughts to me. I like it enough but I won’t ask to buy it again.

It does have a lemon tang to it.

This is one of my favorite teas. Hina’s doesn’t quite smell like you would expect but the flavor is fantastic.

Mine wasn’t from Hina’s but I’m pretty sure it was the same one. It’s the most richly vanilla flavored tea I’ve found.

The taste is smooth but the smell is barn yard. I can’t get past that smell so I won’t be rebuying.

Enjoying tea and tea-blending here in Los Angeles, while visiting my family. Their lovely garden abounds with tisane materials. It is here I’m drinking Christmas Bakery, and it’s as delicious as described by Hina’s Tea. Milk and sweetnin’ of course!

Kind of smoky. Neither of us like this one.

I have it mixed with English Evening today. It steeped so quickly that I pulled it out as soon as I was done pouring. It steeped to a lovely dark amber with just a bite of bitterness. The jasmine and bergamot give it the nice smoothness I love so much. I am not noticing a major differance with the English Evening in it. The leaves were not as broken so I am guessing they needed a longer steep time to add to the taste.

finished my stash. I must rebuy this one.

made a pot of this lovely stuff. It’s not as good with pink sugar but what is.