Just Organic Tea

Last night I was feeling really muzzy-headed and blah – like my brain was both tired/bored and overstimulated at the same time. I ended up having a huge mug of this while sitting in bed and reading things on my phone, and having that alone time helped me feel better.

I really wish I had asked for more than 1 oz of this. I’m nearly done, and I like the orange spice a lot better than JO’s charming chai. Both of them are sweet and candy-like and very cinnamon-heavy, but the addition of the orange really helps meld the sweetness into something more rounded.

Backlog from whenever.

Like JO’s Just Charming Chai, I’ve found that this tea works best with a shorter steep – 3-3.5 minutes is a good range. It also helps if you add a smidgen of sugar or agave nectar.

This is a decent tea, though I do wish the orange came out more.

I’ve had this tea a few times now. I love the idea of it in theory – all those nice warm spices combining with the coldness of autumn and the falling leaves. However, this isn’t very orangey, and the spices are quite strong. The orange only makes itself known at the end of the sip on the back of the tongue. The flavour is subtle, but round.

Yesterday I made this using a 4-minute steep. Perhaps it would be better at 3 minutes?

This was one of the teas I asked for a small sample of with my Kickstarter passage, and it’s surprisingly nice. Just a nice, solid, medium black tea, without too much going on. However, the flavour becomes a bit harsher when it’s cold – it’s best to drink this one up quick.

The nice thing is that I only have another cup left – perfect for a sipdown.

Backlog:

I enjoyed this one from Just.Organic.Tea. As I said in the full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/07/02/just-tulsi-with-a-twist-from-just-organic-tea/ It’s sweet, lemony, and has just enough spicy kick to keep the taste buds happy.

The peppermint is not an assertive flavor and I was kind of surprised by this because normally peppermint is quite an aggressive herb. Everything is nicely balanced here.

A nice, calming tea, especially nice after meals.

Mmmmm. I loooovveeee minty teas. I normally get herbal but this one is perfect! Now I can drink mint tea EVERYDAY. It is not one of those teas that leave a taste in your mouth, it’s really interesting. You have the taste while it’s in your mouth but then nothing.

[[ I do two steeps with all my teas. ]]

I’m starting to think they meant peachy as in that’s just peachy and not as in a peach white tea. This is pure cinnamon to me. It actually makes the roof of my mouth itch. Definitely don’t taste peach at all. I will be passing the last cup of this on to someone who might enjoy it because I did not.

Backlog from a few days ago.

I’m almost done this bag, but I’m noticing how that the tea is more fruity/lemony than it used to be, while before it was more subtly floral. I think all the lemon myrtle settled at the bottom of the bag.

Not a bad thing, of course….

Backlog from this morning.

I don’t get a lot of peach or apricot from this blend, and I do get some of the lemon from the lemon myrtle, but I there’s an extra flavour here that I can’t put my finger on.

It’s heavy and somewhat floral, but not musty or rosy. Is it the calendula? I have no idea what calendula smells or tastes like.

Anyways, this is a decent black tea, but I think it doesn’t lend itself well to winter sipping. This is definitely a summery black tea instead. I wonder what it would be like iced?

Hoo boy. I have not posted notes here for a week or so at least, and I have quite the backlog to catch up on. Here we go: Note 1 of 13!

I’ve had this at least twice in the past few weeks, and it’s surprisingly good! I can taste the black base, but the base doesn’t have that odd molasses-like flavour of JO’s other black teas. It’s a bit malty, but not that astringent, and the flavours are subtle but there. I’m surprised by how little I taste the lemon myrtle, because in my experience it’s quite a heavy-hitting herb.

I’m really happy I have this one in my cupboard. I don’t taste much in the way of peach or apricot, but that’s ok.

Ooh, I like this one! Lots of lemon flavor with the holy basil and spices making an appearance towards the end of the sip. I added a little sugar and am really enjoying the sweet/savory combination.

Thank you, Just Organic Teas for sending me this sample. It’s great!

September Sipdowns: 20

Backlog:

This is a really good Assam. I love it. It’s not only a very flavorful, rich Assam, but I love that it’s organic and that it’s fair trade. Bonus points!

Bold, malty, full-flavored. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/06/17/just-awesome-assam-black-tea-from-just-organic-tea/

Backlog:

A really good green tea. Fresh tasting and exhilarating, I find this to be an energizing type green. Sweet, vegetal, and clean. Brothy.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/06/10/just-pure-green-tea-from-just-organic-tea/

This might be my favorite I’ve tried from JOTea so far… just my thing! I love tulsi since it is holy basil and I love basil.. especially the purple type. I also love that this type of tulsi tastes slightly like green beans since I love those too. I eat them raw.. I’d actually prefer them to potato chips (in the case of green beans they look like French fries!) This one is a very unique blend in that it also has lemon myrtle and spices. After waiting around ten minutes to steep the spices don’t overpower the lemon or tulsi. The lemon is definitely noticeable so there is a lovely balance between the tulsi, spices and lemon. Very nice! I’m so sorry for the late reviews, JustOrganicTea.com!
Steep #1 // 10 min after boiling // 4-5min

Backlog:

The bergamot is a bit softer than I would like it to be for an Earl Grey. I do like this Earl Grey, though, but for me, an “Epic” Earl Grey would be one with a stronger bergamot note. This would be the ideal Earl Grey for those who like their bergamot to come on soft and smooth.

The bergamot does develop as I continue to sip, though and I enjoyed that. The black tea is robust and pleasant and doesn’t attempt to hide behind the citrus notes. Tangy, a little sweet, and enjoyable to sip.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/05/30/just-epic-earl-grey-from-just-organic-tea/

I remember looking at the ingredients and feeling doubtful. But I had recently tried another peachy white from another company that I enjoyed greatly, so I took a leap of faith…. and was disappointed.

This tea is not at all reminiscent of the peach fruit, even of it’s close cousins the apricots. I wonder if the company was trying to convey an peachy as in the adjective, and not the ingredient. I would not have chosen this tea based on how it is.

The dry tea is very fluffy, as white teas tend to be, and at least they packaged the 2oz in a larger packet to account for that. Dry I get the smell of alot of cinnamon and cloves. Brewed, I just get cinnamon. White tea and cinnamon. Overall the effect is ‘this is what I would put in a peach cobbler, but it’s not peach. Not even close.’

This might appeal to someone, but it isn’t “my cup of tea”. You might find it wandering around in a TTB after I’m through with it. I would also suggest a name change please.

Sipping on this this morning. Not bad, but I’m looking forward to finishing this off. It might take a few weeks, though.

Happy holidays, everyone!

It’s the time for festive/spiced teas, so this seemed like a natural choice. However, I really need to remember to baby this when I brew it – the tea is so heavily flavoured that it can get cloying right quick. 3 minutes is all it needs.

This is decent, but I think I prefer their Orange Spice blend over this. I still prefer Golden Moon’s Kashmiri Chai blend, but that stuff is ridiculously expensive to ship to Canada. Ah well.

Oh, and for those of you who’ve been keeping track of my hubby and I’s movie habits: this morning we watched “The China Syndrome.” Not Christmas material, I know, but I wanted to watch it before it was due back at the library.

And my god, it’s a super good film. They really don’t make them like that anymore.

Backlog from whenever.

I’ve figured this tea out, I think. This one is best with the shortest steeping time possible: 3-3.5 minutes, with 4 being the max. Otherwise the spices just overwhelm everything.

This is decent, but doesn’t hold a candle to the Kashmiri Chai I have from Golden Moon. (However, since Golden Moon is revamping its stock to be organic, I wonder if its chai will still be around. One can hope.)

Backlog from a few days ago.

Now that I’ve had two black teas from Just Organic, I can see what other people are saying about the distinctive nature of the black base tea. When I had the Naughty ’Nilla tea, the tea had this molasses-like, burnt-sugar taste that I attributed to the carob in the blend.

However, this tea has an undertaste that is quite similar. This is a decent chai, but I think that it’s best to save it for the winter. The cinnamon is strong, the orange is there, but the other flavours don’t stand out as much. I get the feeling that something is missing here. Ginger, perhaps? Not sure.

This was a middle of the road Earl Grey for me. The bergamot is there, but it’s not as strong as some other people have mentioned. The base tea is also fairly weak which isn’t something I look for in an Earl Grey. It was definitely decent and easy enough to drink, but unfortunately it’s also rather forgettable.

September Sipdowns: 4

I got this as one of my Kickstarter rewards.

It’s just a green tea. It’s not anything super green or super sweet or anything. It’s just a nice, decent loose leaf green.

My Just Organic Teas Kickstarter arrived in the mail!
Well, it arrived in the mail about a week ago, but I got it sent to my aunt’s house because I’m moving this weekend.

This smells like a lovely spiced apple cider! Just all the warmth and ALL THE FALL. THE BEST SEASON OF THE YEAR. I was definitely expecting a brighter, rooibos/blueberry tea, rather than the cinnamonny tea that I got, but hey, it’s tea and tea is lovely :)
Definitely a dark red cuppa with the hibiscus. I could have done with a bit less hibiscus, but I’m sure a bit of sweetner would do the trick!