Liber Teas

Happy New Year! Here’s to good things happening in 2011.

I’m starting off 2011 with my favorite breakfast blend. I’ve managed to get a fair amount of this in my stash (thanks to LiberTEAS and Meghann!), but I know that all too soon it will be gone. It’s easily a tea I could drink every day and never get tired of. Smooth, gentle, slightly astringent and just the right amount of vanilla. Perfect for gently waking me up and welcoming in the new year.

Ah, my favorite breakfast tea. Here’s to a happy Friday!!

Second steep with the leaves from yesterday. I think I might prefer this steep (I’ll have to do a first a second in the same day to be certain, though). It’s smooth, with more of the honeybush taste coming out. I can also taste just the faintest bit of vanilla, and that helps round out this morning cup. It’s just delicious.

LiberTEAS sent me this in a swap!! Thank you!

It’s delicious, strong with just the right boldness. I love the vanilla and honeybush additions. They transform this cup into one that gently wakes you up as you sip it. I like that a lot!! I could easily see this replacing my cinnamon apple breakfast tea as my go-to morning tea. It’s also good that I don’t live with another tea drinker…cause this is one I’d fight someone over.

Backlogging.

Again, the next day. Also replicated the results of the previous steeping.

2nd steep: 5 min.

Backlogging.

I steeped this for less time or at a lower water temperature and ended up with a first steep that was moar vanilla and less bite and more similar to the second steep.

2nd steep: 5 min.

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Two delicious steeps of this tea. The second one more wonderfully vanilla than the first.

2nd steep: 5 min.

Backlogging. Thursday morning.

Mmm. I like this tea. A strong black tea blend with a bit of bite and a bit of vanilla.

2nd steep: 5 min.

Backlogging. Last Monday morning.

Oops, I did it again. I drank this lovely vanilla and honeybush Breakfast Blend black tea (on purpose actually) for the second day in a row and enjoyed it just as much as I did the first.

2nd steep: 5 min.

Backlogging. Last Sunday morning.

I received this tasty black tea from a tea swap with LiberTeas. Upon opening the bag, I smelled a baked goods vanilla and strong but not overpowering black tea. This tea tasted strong but smooth with a good vanilla taste, which I couldn’t help wishing was a little stronger. It did come through more in the second steep though. (Ugh, I’m so tired that I keep zoning out glazing at my stretched out sleepy cats and have to keep reminding myself ‘Chrine, you’re writing a tealog’. I should prolly be drinking a mug of tea instead.)

I’m rating this tea a 68, which is on the upper end of my nice range (60-70). It’s a thoroughly good breakfast blend, easy drinking and wakeful with the bonus of a taste of vanilla.

2nd steep: 5 min. Moar vanilla!

Another sample sent to me by Anne (aka LiberTEAS) – Thank-you :D

I’m just finishing my second cup of this, a re-steep, and found it to be a nice gentle blend along the lines of an English Breakfast ..

The dry leaves look really pretty with a sprinkling of cornflower & rose petals, which I don’t think actually add anything to the flavour but I appreciate visually interesting teas and it’s always fun to bring them out when I have friends over – it gets the non-tea drinkers interested in sampling, so it gets points for that .. Gosh, am I the queen of run-on sentences or what ?!

Anyhoo, I personally wouldn’t describe this as bold or full flavoured .. It’s smooth, has very little astringency and no bitterness at all .. If it were a fashion design I’d call it a good take on a Classic, though maybe a little too safe ..

It’s not at all strong enough to kick-start my day so I’m off to make something with Oomf – talking CTC Assam Irish Breakfast .. This one I feel is better suited to drink with a light lunch or a quick snack ..

http://i56.tinypic.com/2nhhw01.jpg

NomNomNom this is Gooooood!

Everything I want from a Chai and more – I even accidentally over-steeped without it getting bitter or tanniny, and I’ve re-steeped it up to 3x, all leaving me with a seriously delicious cup of Spicy Chai ..

I’m so glad I was able to order this before Anne shut up shop, but now I have to make my tin last forever or find something else to compete *eek

Backlogging

Made this up – stovetop method – for a frustrating Friday morning working at home. This made what could have been one of the more annoying days at work livable. And it was really truly yummy. Bumping my rating.

Made a pan of this in the stovetop method for brekkie on Saturday, and it was lovely. An amazing way to start the day. Thank you LiberTeas for the sample. It’s awesome.

Backlogging.

I must have been having a bit of a dud night because I am already hoarding this tea and drinking it only occasionally as it is a bit of a different change from the usually ‘sleepytime’ blends. It was, as usual, very drinkable and I consumed two cups like snap.

2nd steep: 9 min 30 sec.

Backlogging. Last Monday night.

A surprise inclusion in a tea swap with LiberTeas. I"m not a chamomile fan, unless it’s a less noticeable flavor in a blend, so I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure if I’d like this one. But the colorful dry tisane and barely there chamomile smell got my hopes up about its drinkability.

Nocturne, as I like to call it, has a happy multi-colored dry tisane, containing small lavender colored seeds, larger purple hued pieces ranging from royal purple to magenta, chamomile flowers, very large sheer flower petals, and golden green honeybush chippies. It smells of the distinct floral scent of lavender foremost, with a bit of chamomile and the sweetness of the honeybush beneath it.

I steeped up a mugful using the steeping parameters in Liberteas tealog for it. Fragrant and inviting, darker than I expected. I taste lavender, only a bit of chamomile, sweetness from the honeybush, and just a hint of tart from the hibiscus. This tea is unique. I was expecting something similar to a sleepytime blend.

I gave it a second steep cause I usually try one for each new tea. Surprisingly for a tisane, it was moderate in strength, compared to the first steep, and flavorful. I enjoyed consuming it.

I’m rating this tisane a 70, right on the border between nice and good (nice = 60-70, good = 70-80).

2nd steep: 9 min 30 sec.

I was putting off making tea tonight because I couldn’t decide on a particular flavor. Enter this lovely green by LiberTEAS…just the perfect thing to sip while watching a movie.

Had this tea once again and it was great. I’m so sad that I won’t be able to get this blend again. I will enjoy it while it lasts though.

I had this tea earlier and it was perfect as always. It was a delicious tea to have before my nap. I am definitely rationing this one.

This tea is slightly addictive and I’m going through my 2 oz alarmingly quickly! I am nursing a cold and sinus issues, so Potpourri tea to the rescue! The nice floral aspect is very soothing and, of course, delicious.

Tonight, nothing else but this delicious, floral, and well balanced tea would do! You know a tea is good when you start to crave it.