Informal Tea.

A sample from Miss B! The target is, once again, to get back under 200, so I’m finishing up some samples and smaller quantities this week. I’ve been drinking tea for a while now, and I’ve yet to find a chai blend that really sums up chai for me. Some have come close, though.

This one is another that comes close. It’s a good blend of spices – LOTS of fennel seed (always a good start, in my book), some cardamon pods, orange peel, a little bit of ginger, the odd clove. The cinnamon here is what really makes it, though, and I’m glad I finally tried a blend that uses sweet cinnamon as opposed to the more typical stuff. It’s so much better, sweeter, more fragrant…and it doesn’t have that sort of dusty, drying quality that lots of cinnamon sometimes has for me.

The spice blend is a good one – it’s definitely the heart of the tea, but it’s not overpowering. I’d have liked there to be a little more actual black tea just to provide a touch of extra malt and a little more substance – it turns out a bit thin with milk, and since I drink chai with milk almost exclusively, that’s pretty important to me. Otherwise, it’s a good ‘un! Another chai I’d happily drink again, and that’ll probably make it to my list of potential repurchase contenders if I ever get to a point where I’m choosing long term prospects and not just buying all the tea.

I’m not going to lie. I’m in a terribly rotten mood so enjoying tea isn’t really a possible thing at this moment. Looking at the date, I’m reminded of how literally months have gone by and I have not been able to move on with my life and get my own apartment, a job, etc, because this family stuff keeps dragging on. And on. And on. It’s one of those moments when I wish I had someone to talk to.

This tea comes from the lovely MissB and is almost exactly what I was expecting… that is, from the beginning. It’s mostly hibiscus and rose hips all around: when examining the dry leaf, the scent of both the dry leaf and the steeped tea, and in flavour. The green tea gets lost in all of the extreme tartness. My tongue feels so dry with every sip.

But this is when the unexpected walks in. There’s something almost savoury about this too. Tomatoes? Grape tomatoes? Stewed tomatoes? Something along those lines. But it’s way in the background. But for that reason, between the rose hip and the mysterious tomato notes, I can see this being a good tea to sip on whilst sick. It’s like having rose hip soup with a smattering of tomato. Ok, and a ton of hibiscus.

Thanks for this interesting tea, MissB! I won’t rate it because I don’t even know what to think of it. Initially I was going to give it a 75 because the extreme hibiscus and rose hip doesn’t make it unique from many of the other tisanes with these two ingredients floating about. Plus it’s mega tart. But this phantom savoury note is a game changer. It’s slightly strange at the beginning but it’s slowly growing on me.

:( :( :( :( :(
This morning I grabbed a tea from my sample box and this was it.
It’s labeled as a black tea by the person who sent it to me… let’s just say that I did a safe 205f for 2 minutes and took it to work with me in my thermos.

One of the nastiest things I have ever tasted period.
:/

There is an interesting mix of malt and smoke in this tea. Unlike the Classic Black blend, I was able to drink this. The smoke is mild which allows for the malt notes to be noticeable. The mixture is a bit odd, but it is smooth. Chocolate and smoke may not be a mixture that works well… but I will test that :P

I brewed this one for breakfast on July 4th and it was absolutely awful so I threw it out with hopes that Informal Tea’s ‘Real Black’ would be something I could drink.

Got this as a sample when I bought a huge box full of these New Zealander teas, and I wish I’d tried it when I got it! Smelled like rich, unsweetened chocolate out of the bag. Tastes more like a piece of chocolate that fell into the BBQ charcoal, minus the smokiness. A bit malty, too? Super complex straight tea that I’m curious about resteeping.

missB sent this one my way and i am a fan! there’s something about this particular blend that makes me pretty happy. I figure it’s probably the cardamon and the lack of cloves… :) I steeped this for about 5 mins and it was a delicious blend of chai for me :) thanks missb!

MissB’s box of incredible tea is still a complete delight and supply of all things awesome (Thank you!!!)…. I picked this out of it this morning.
I’m feeling like I don’t have time to write in depth tasting notes, and that’s bugging me…but I told myself that I need to at least just jot down and log what I’m drinking, even if I can’t really get into it at that moment…
anyway…
This tea was exactly as it’s name proclaims… just a lovely classic black. It was bold and round, but not overpowering. I steeped this one 4 times and had a tasty cup each time…The 1st was dark and strong (but NOT in a bad way at all…perfectly fantastic!); by the fourth, the liquor was lighter (but still so pretty!) and had lost any bit of astringency, becoming sweet with a touch of roastiness.
really great tea!

thanks for sending this one my way MissB this is a good solid HELLO MORNING tea :) There’s a deep feeling to this one and it’s not a thin brew at all. It’s bold and hearty without being too much, if that makes sense. there’s a taste at the end of the sip that is different from many of the other teas i’ve had as well, which makes for a pleasant and interesting cup of tea :)

I like this one more today than I did last time – likely because I brewed it for longer. Smooth, light and refreshing, this is mostly spices with some black tea added in.

I have to wonder if I brewed this incorrectly. It’s thin and heavy on high-grade cinnamon (which is lovely, I must admit) however this is more of a cinnamon tea than a chai at this point. I only gave it two minutes though, so perhaps steeping it a bit longer and like a proper chai (in milk, I mean) might bring out more of the other flavors. Yay for tea from New Zealand!

Smells faintly of cocoa-heavy chocolate out of the bag, and tastes faintly of it too, although more so when it’s hot. It’s a hearty straight tea, with a hint of thickness to it that makes it satisfying. While not blow-my-mind amazing, this is still a pretty solid tea and one that I’m happy I grabbed from this New Zealand company.

I brought a pack of this “pure green” tea, and the “berries etc” blend. LOVED IT!!
you guys should get it out there in more shops… the people of new zealand need to be drinking good green tea. A+++

Just tried Pure Green Organic, very smooth & refreshing green tea and best if all, there is absolutely no bitter after taste. I could enjoy a good cuppa of this anytime.

Well well well finally a green tea that is truly beautiful, I have been on the hunt for a good green tea for awhile now in New Zealand and now I can say with out a doubt I have found it.

The Blokes at Informal Tea really know there stuff, they not about just getting any odd tea in and selling it on, they about getting the most quality of tea in and giving it to the customer at a fair price.

Once you try Informal’s Pure Green I can honestly say you wont need to try any others, pure green is so smooth and will make you feel like you are in china.

Thank you Informal Tea New Zealand now has a proper tea company, keep up the good work.