LeafSpa Organic Tea

Recent Tasting Notes

78

Backlogging. Early Monday evening.

I gave the first steep to my husband when he woke up to go on night shift. Then decided I needed a bit of a perk up so I steeped the second one up and drink it. Yum.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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78

I had a mug of Darjeeling Goomtee this evening around 6pm, which is rather late for me to be drinking a black tea. But it was storming, I had just gotten over a headache, and I was feeling tired. So I allowed myself one.

I’ve been increasing the amount of tea leaf I use lately with enjoyable results. In my supposedly 8oz mugs, except they aren’t 8oz mugs. Since realizing this, I’ve measured the amount of water I usually put in them and am finding more are 10-12oz, with some of the pottery ones being much bigger. I am measuring mugs as I go and adjusting the amount of leaf accordingly, also with enjoyable results. I do tend to prefer my teas on the lighter side and the lower end of steeping times, but this change just seems to bring out the flavor more rather that producing the result of a longer steep. So there will be some small text at the bottom of my posts to aid in the memorization of the approximate volumes of my small collection of about a dozen mugs by repeat writings and readings of the information. Ignorable by all ya’ll, as it is just for my usage.

I also remember reading that darjeelings may like a slightly lower temperature than is normally used for black teas. So I tried steeping tonight at 200° F instead of my usual 205° F that I use for black teas and tisanes.

This mug was smoother and fuller than I remember this darjeeling being with the typical darjeeling taste being more toward the end of the sip. As it cooled, a more darjeeling flavor came through. I really like how this mug came out and it will prolly make me want to reach for this tea more. I’m interested to try A&D’s Napal like this now. I may also try an even lower water temperature of 195° F.

2nd steep: 6 min.
Went to my husband when he woke up before going on night shift. He was running late so I forget to ask him how he liked it. I believe this is the first time he’s had this tea.

Like a lower water temperature for this one. Also, 4 min seems to be the preferred time for the 1st steep.

Dark blue pottery mug = nearly 12oz. One and a half even teaspoons.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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78

The breakfast mug of tea backlog. Three days ago.

Yum Yum! I’ve started using slightly more leaf than I used to for my standard sized mugs. It makes for a stronger and more flavorful mug of tea. I don’t think I’m going back to less. Again, no resteep.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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78

Yesterday morning, after nearly a week without any tea at all, I braved the heat and made a cup of Darjeeling Goomtee. Just a single cup. Every time I thought about resteeping, I couldn’t bring myself too. I only actually drank 3/4 of the cup warm. The rest I walked away from and came back to and drank cooled later on. This time I increased the steeping time by 30 seconds. I think it came out a bit too strong for me, muddied yet over emphasized flavors. It may have also been the heat. I’m sure I will retry it again at some point in the future but for now I think I like it steeped at four minutes.

I think I prefer this tea steeped at 4 min for the 1st steep.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 30 sec
Show 1 previous comments...
Adam Sherlip 15 years ago

Goomtee has good teas! :)

I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA 15 years ago

now has to google map Goomtee and see where it is.

Adam Sherlip 15 years ago

Darjeeling :)

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78

Backlogging. Last Wednesday morning.

Short note. Drank this in the morning before, with, or after breakfast. As yummy good as the first time.

PS I hate you heat! I am drinking practically no tea at all. I miss tea. But it’s too hot for tea. And I’m not fond of ice tea. Though I might be driven to try cold brewing something (but what?!) by shear desperation to have some tea and because the concept intrigues me. So a few more backlogged tealogs from last week coming, then a single cup of black tea this morning that I didn’t even resteep. Did I mention I hate the heat?

PPS My surly cat is sleeping on the husband’s desk chair with his head hanging off the edge and one paw stretched out into the air. SO cute. If I had a digital camera, I’d post a photo for ya’ll.

2nd steep: 6 min.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Rabs 15 years ago

1. I also hate the heat, but I hate snow more and I can somehow still do hot tea and not feel overheated.

2. Surly sleeping cat! I have a wonderfully adorable mental image going. =^.^=

I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA 15 years ago

1. I like snow. I did managed two cups of Caravan this morning and a Peach Tranquility/Tropical Green blend tonight (to use up the last of the Peach Tranquility – yay @ uncupboarding).

2. Surly cat is currently on the husband’s desk chair again. Paws tucked under, tail hanging off the back, head pointed down, ears alert. He’s not sleeping this time, he’s watching the crazy cat, who is in the box that our new printer came in. The printer came late last week and I haven’t been able to bring myself to recycle the box yet since they are enjoying it so.

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78

Since I liked it quite a bit, this morning I decided to have Darjeeling Goomtee again. I tried steeping it 30 seconds less. It was noticeably weaker. I drank it, but I don’t think I’ll be steeping it less than 4 minutes again. Oddly, the 2nd steep was almost too weak to be drinkable. I drank it anyways.

I noticed LeafSpa’s description of the taste earlier after posting my first note. "A light honey muscatel flavor and a balanced nutty briskness linger as a delightful aftertaste. " A balanced nutty briskness could definitely describe the lovely full taste that starts in the middle of each sip and carries on til the end. I like this component of the tea. It adds more to it rather than just being a good florally black.

I had planned to drink a green mid-day. Not one of the new LeafSpa ones, just something from my cupboard to get a bit more tea but be able to drink it mindlessly. I’ll want to pay attention for the new LeafSpa greens. But after two less than satisfying cups of this, I found myself over tea-ed oddly.

2nd steep: 6 min.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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78

Yesterday morning I excitedly steeped up the newest black tea in my cupboard. If asked, I wouldn’t be able to remember having ever had a darjeeling. Yet oddly, I seem to have the idea in my head that I don’t care much for darjeelings.

The Dry Leaves — Black, brown, reddish tan, and muted green. Small, some straight, some curled. The smell is black, paper, airy, slightly floral, and a bit of fresh raw olives. Good.

The Wet Leaves — Brown with a few being olive green-brown. Larger than I’d have expected. The smell is very faint, sweet, papery, black tea.

The Tea — Rich golden brown. The smell is light but floral, sweet, papery, musty, black tea. The dry leaves definitely had the strongest more complex smell. The taste is sweet deep floral in the front through the middle. The middle brings a round solidness which is stronger and full with just a hint of sharpness but not at all floral. This follows through to the end of each sip. I don’t really know what to compare this taste to but it’s good. Overall, this tea is just lovely.

This tea instantly reminded me of A&D’s Napal. I don’t know if Napal is a darjeeling or not. I might guess so after having this tea. The floral quality to them is very similar. I think I like this tea better than Napal, but time will tell for sure. This tea seems to have more to it.

I went with 4 minutes for the first steep and the tea was definitely strong enough. I might try 3 minutes 30 seconds and 4 minutes 30 sec to see if I’d prefer it weaker or stronger then head in that direction. But I think 4 minutes will be a perfectly acceptable steep.

2nd steep: 6 min.
On the first few sips, I thought it was too weak and I’d need to add a pinch of fresh leaves to get a second steep from it. As the tea cooled a bit, I realize this was not the case. Yes, it is weaker than the 1st steep, but it still has enough drinkable flavor to stand on its own.

I am rating Darjeeling Goomtee a 78, on the high end of good (60-80), the same as Napal. I suspect the rating on one of the teas will be moved a few points after I’ve had more of this tea or tasted them closer together. I also suspect this tea will end up the higher rated of the two.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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87

Wow this is a brilliant tea. It has a very pleasant undertone of honey and feels to be a medium on body based on the bold vs. light strength. Keeping in mind this is not a flavored tea the natural flavors almost make you think you are drinking something with additives. I can see this tea being a great tea to start the day. It makes me feel happy, corny but true. Now lets see if a biscotti will work with this tea.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 30 sec
Rabs 15 years ago

Hooray for happy tea! :D

RachanaC (Rachel)-iHeartTeas 15 years ago

Do love me some happy :-)

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67

Backlogging. 9 days ago. Wednesday late night.

A nice soothing cup of tea after I got home from my Labor Day weekend dog sitting.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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67

After finishing my mug of hojicha in the study last night, I really wanted another cup of tea right away. None of my non-caffeinated bagged teas were catching my interest so I chose this one. I steeped it a minute less than usual and still enjoyed a very nice cup. This tea isn’t a favorite but it’s always very pleasant to have. I resteeped the tisane earlier today when my throat was bothering me and added a bit of honey. I forgot to take the basket out so it steeped awhile but tasted just fine.

2nd steep: a long time.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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67

Continuing on with the backlog.

I made this with lots of leaf and a long steep time. It was strong and good.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec
Caitlin 14 years ago

Mmmm – I like this tea!

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67

Backlogging.

This Apple Honeybush is one that I always enjoy drinking more than I remember having liked it.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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67

Backlogging.

Drank as a late night mug of. Particularly good that night. Yum, yum!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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67

Backlogging.

Last night I steeped up a cup of Honeybush Apple and it came out strong, nice, and hot.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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67

I had a mug of Honeybush Apple while watching Project Runway last night. I am coming to the conclusion that I like this tea but don’t love this tea. I think it is due to my tastes though rather than any fault of the tea itself. I love caramel and I like spiced apple drinks pretty well but I do think I’m not a caramel apple fan. I enjoy the first half of the mug pretty well but the second half of the mug decidedly less so.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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67

I could swear I had this tisane a second time already. I remember picking the apple pieces out to eat off the top of the tea before I removed the filter the second time I had it. The first time I had it, I ate them out of the filter after I removed it from the tisane. This time I did not eat them at all.

I do think the rating’s going up several points, to a 70 at least (middle of my good range, 60-80). But I’m still not sure exactly where I want it so I’m going to drink it a few more times to decide before bumping it up.

A bit more chippies were used this time for a cup with a nice full taste. While I like it, I don’t think I’d drink it several evenings in a row. I should mention that I like apples quite a bit, but they prolly aren’t one of my favorite fruits and I only want to eat them by themselves sometimes. So I think that’s why. I also enjoy this tisane best before it hits the lukewarm temperature.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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67

Yesterday my LeafSpa teas from winning the Select comment contest arrived a scant two days after being shipped. Since I didn’t collect them from the mailbox until after 7pm, I couldn’t try one right off being it was too late to have too much caffeine. Luckily, LeafSpa included the caffeine-free Honeybush Apple, which I drank as my cup-before-bed tea last night.

The Dry Leaves — Dark brown to light tan chippies with lots of rather large apple pieces. The smell is sweet, appley, and vaguely of a good fruit liquor.

The Wet Leaves — Darker in color chippies. Damp and swollen apple pieces, which I ate. They tasted like dried apple with a hint of honeybush. Pretty good. The smell is faint, sweet, and lightly appley.

The Tea — A reddish brown cup. The smell is sweet with maybe a bit of apple. I can taste the apple. It’s dried or cooked apple rather than fresh. I can taste the caramel. It’s a light creamy whipped caramel that I’m not sure I can describe that well rather than candy squares of caramel or the hard caramel on an actual caramel apple. I can taste the honeybush lightly behind the apple and caramel as a base.

I definitely get caramel apple from this herbal. But think of a baked apple dessert with a homemade caramel sauce at a nice restaurant rather than an actual caramel apple at the fair. It’s homey and comforting. Some sips are a bit more apple, some are a bit more caramel. I like it. A nice tea to have before bed.

I’m rating it a 67 for now, right in the middle of good (60-80) for me. I suspect it will go up several points after I’ve had it a few times but stay within the good range.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 6 min, 30 sec
Show 4 previous comments...
RachanaC (Rachel)-iHeartTeas 15 years ago

Can’t wait to see what you thought. I have this one but I haven’t tried it yet.

I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA 15 years ago

It’s good! You should try some tonight before bed. It makes for a nice fruity dessert tea. The rest of the review is now up.

RachanaC (Rachel)-iHeartTeas 15 years ago

Ahh I will save it for tomorrow night. I already made Kyoto Lemon Green Tea. Didn’t even think of bedtime for Organic Honeybush Apple tea but will tomorrow. It sounds amazing!

I ♥ NewYorkCiTEA 15 years ago

I look forward to seeing what you think of it.

Jamie 15 years ago

Oh yum, that does sound really good. Want!

Cinoi 15 years ago

That sounds fantastic!

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100

Here is my review of this beauty cold brewed…
http://rachelsteacupboard.teatra.de/2011/07/20/honey-vanilla-white-cold-brewed-leafspa/

Plus, to read about my Cold Brewing methods check out this post…
http://iheartteas.teatra.de/2011/07/my-cold-brew-method/

Thanks and Enjoy!

Preparation
Iced

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100

Looks like a 100 for this tea. I made it iced using my Bodem pitcher I got through Golden Moon Tea and here is what I did…
15 mins at 175 degree water
5 heaping tablespoons of tea
Filled the pitcher halfway to steep then filled it the rest of the way with cold water.
Amazing…delicious..Wowza…Fantastic and I didn’t use any additives.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more
Show 6 previous comments...
TeaEqualsBliss 15 years ago

OooooooO

-Jessica- 15 years ago

Yummo!!!

RachanaC (Rachel)-iHeartTeas 15 years ago

It truly is good. Having some more before bed.

malomorgen 15 years ago

mmmmm

Cofftea 15 years ago

15 min??? Whoa I thought even the suggested 3 min was too heavy for me lol.

RachanaC (Rachel)-iHeartTeas 15 years ago

I only did it that way because I wanted a stronger more concentrated iced tea. I did 3 mins for a hot cup. :-)

LauraR 15 years ago

Wow, I am bummed I didn’t order this when they had that 50% off sale.

Cofftea 15 years ago

You should be LauraR- it’s good!

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100

As I am not a huge fan of white tea because the flavor is to light for me this on the other hand made me appreciate a light tea. I can best describe this tea as gold, smooth, mellow, with a touch of cream and a dash of sweet tea. The flavors appear to be dancing slowly in rhythm in my mouth. I can’t wait to try this as a second steep. For now this tea has made me decide not to give up so easily on white teas because you can be surprised if you find just the right one. Thanks LeafSpa Tea this is a delicious jem!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Show 1 previous comments...
Cofftea 15 years ago

I prefer this w/ an even lower temp and steep time and iced. SO yummy!:)

RachanaC (Rachel)-iHeartTeas 15 years ago

I will have to try it this way too. Thanks for the tip.

Cofftea 15 years ago

No problem. Would probably be just as good cold at the higher temp/longer steep time as well. I should also say I use the term iced just out of habit. I really just mean refrigerated. If you want to do it iced I suggest making tea iced cubes.

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80

I made this for my 4 year old daughter this morning since she is complaining that her tummy was bothering her and she absolutely is loving it. As I write I can hear her slurping down this tisane. Of course she loves honey so I added some to the cup and it was wonderful.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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80

I was so happy to see this tea on my doorstep and I really wanted it to taste like a Creamsicle. Unforunately, I didn’t it get that entirely. However, occasionally when sipping I could taste what could have been a faded memory of what I remembered a Creamsicle to taste like. So by no means is this a failure I only thought it would have been more pronounced in a creamsicle flavor. Nevertheless, if we put that a side and had this tea been called something else different. I would say it is a very calming tea. The fruit flavors and chamomile teas are balance very well. I can see myself drinking this tea before bed or shortly after my 3 year old stresses me out. It is almost therapeutic. A delicious tea even for someone not always into fruity teas or even herbal teas. Great job Leaf Spa Tea. Thank you.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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82

I wasn’t too convinced about this one to begin with, having tried other Chamomile teas in the past without much success but the reviews were glowing so.. why not ?

Beautiful tea – it actually looks good. Very sweet aroma and pleasant taste. Definitely a tea that would be great iced in the summer.

I find the orange flavor to be a bit overwhelming but besides that a very good tea to enjoy while reading a book in bed.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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91

First tea I’ve tried in my gargantuan order (thanks for the 50% off!) from LeafSpa.

As it’s been mentioned so far, this a very light Oolong both in appearance and taste. However, light isn’t a bad thing. Very complex, herbal, slightly peppery and refreshing with the sweetness lingering at the finish. A great, unusually (to my limited tasting experience at least) fresh and tasty Oolong that would please Green tea drinker.

Overall, very happy with the purchase, it complements my Oolong stash very well !

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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