Market Spice

A novelty tea from Pike Place Market in Seattle. Hints of peach that exude a light fragrance upon sipping. Big downside is that the tea leaves are too minuscule. They slip through the filter and float to the top, impeding the drinking experience. Consumption created a sensation similar to chamomile, albeit fruitier. Also seems a bit blacker than the herbal teas.

Cooking TTB #17

I’ve tried a few caramel apple teas this fall and haven’t been impressed with any of them until now. This actually left me feeling pretty satisfied! The sweetness was finally identifiable as caramel instead of just sweet apple and the apple wasn’t the tart green type I’ve found in others. It tasted like gala apple slices dipped in caramel sauce, while all the others have tasted much more like those fluorescently green lollipops you get around Halloween.

Cooking TTB #3

This is exactly what the name promises…a cupful sweet, fruity, caramel goodness! The base is nice and smooth and doesn’t compete with the other flavors. I’m going to be keeping this one!

From the Cooking TTB.

Hmm, not bad. The dry leaf smells like caramel apple, and the flavour reflects these notes as well. I wanted this a little sweeter than it was naturally, so I added half a teaspoon of sugar and it became quite sweet.

This tea delivers on what it promises but I’m not wowed.

This is the first tea I’m trying from the Tea & Cards TTB! (Which I will call T&C TTB in future tasting notes). I went through all the teas yesterday and created a little “to try” pile. This one just happened to be on top of the pile when I was reaching for tea today. As it was steeping up, it did seem a bit perfume-y from the rose petals, which made me a bit nervous. Thankfully, the tea itself was not too perfume-y for my enjoyment. I think when the tea was hot, the rose flavor was more prominent with bits of fruitiness from the lychee. As the cup cooled down, I actually think that the juicy lychee flavor started taking over with rose taking a backseat. It’s been a very interesting cup to taste. I think I prefer it with the lychee flavor up front. I may have to set some aside to cold brew with later. Off to a good start with this TTB!

HHTTB

I didn’t know if I’d like this one, but I think I do. I can pick out the vanilla and spearmint which has a slight cooling effect. I also get a slight lemongrass flavor. It’s been a long time since I have been in Seattle and I don’t know that I paid attention to the sunsets, most likely because I was trying to track down the things that had been stolen out of my van and find my way through the city, but I’ll have to pay more attention next time I visit and think of this tea!

Back after a long hiatus! I’m currently drinking my favorite earl grey blend which includes lavender and rose hip. The bergamot is fragrant but not overwhelming in taste. It is balanced well with the lavender and rose which makes you feel like the princess/prince that you are!

Backlog:

I like this twist on the classic Earl Grey – the black bergamot flavored tea has been enhanced with the additions of lavender and rose. It’s nice. The bergamot is a bit softer than most traditional Earl Grey teas I’ve encountered, kind of like the softer bergamot notes you might experience from an Earl Grey creme but without the vanilla notes.

Normally I do prefer a stronger bergamot presence but I like that it’s softer here because it’s allowing me to experience the lavender and rose. Sweet, delicate, feminine – I like the balance between citrus fruit and florals.

A really pleasant blend.

My dad first introduced me to this tea awhile ago. I didn’t like it at the time because I knew nothing about tea (besides jasmine green tea which I loved). He over steeped it. Or rather I should say, he likes his tea very very strong. He is a coffee drinker. I had it again recently and my goodness! It’s awesome. It kinda reminds me of red hots! Or whatever those tiny red candies were called. If you like this tea you should also try Red hot Cinnamon by Indigo Tea.

…Well I wasn’t quite expecting liquid cinnamon hearts mixed with orange flavouring when I tried the sample of this tea that I had kicking around. It’s so sweet I’m half-wondering if it’s sent my blood sugar levels soaring. Indeed looking at the dry leaves they’re glossy with oil – probably a ton of cinnamon oil I’m guessing. Now I don’t mind cinnamon but this is too much for my tastes.

I’m kinda surprised no one else commented on the fact that this is very similar to Evening in Missoula. It is slightly different though. The spearmint perhaps is stronger? I do agree that the vanilla powder is kinda freaky. I kept thinking it was mold but as soon as I opened the bag and the vanilla wafted into my nose and made me sneeze, I knew it was not. IT is good hot but I think it would also be good brewed cold.

I’m actually impressed that they got the taste of huckleberries in this tea. Not only that but they used huckleberries in the ingredients. I always find it strange when a tea company calls a tea something and then doesn’t bother to even use the name in the tea. At least in these cases with fruits and berries. That being said it’s not my cup o tea. It’s good but just not one I would run to every day.

I was intrigued when I got the tea from the Tea and Card TTB because it was wrapped in four layers of bags and wraps. :) I was saddened when I read the reviews.:( I sniffed… good raspberry scent. Brewed nice aroma. Added my favorite vanilla stevia and I have a lovely cup of tea. The raspberry is good if perhaps a bit artificial. But not too artificial tasting. Refreshing. No aftertaste. It sat for a while while I went for a walk and the taste is still acceptable for me.

It’s good but not great. Not the best caramel flavor, I think. Much better cold. I’ll have to drink this one a few more times to be sure.

Wow this is so tropical. Cold brewed.
Juicy orange, pineapple and mango meld together and create a bright tropical juice like tea. The orange and pineapple give just a bit of tang to keep it from being too sweet. The base tea in this takes the back seat, letting the fruits do there thang.

I’m more of a berry type of fruit person when it comes to flavors (but I love all actual fruits), but this reminds me of a beach resort in Cozumel that I went to last month. It had an open bar, and I used it as an opportunity to sample a bunch of mixed drinks, a bunch of which featured pineapple mango and/or orange flavors.

The aroma when you go to take a sip is very much orange peel, and when you take a sip, the first thing I taste it orange, quickly followed by diluted pineapple juice which carries on through the end of the sip where there’s a hit of mango melding in with the pineapple, and finally the orange comes back in a lingering aftertaste. Not bad!

Smelling the leaves, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be a fan. I realized that the idea of combining orange (which can be bitter) with fiery cinnamon doesn’t appeal to me. This smells like red hots, which smell like Fireball Whiskey, which I really don’t like (my bfs liquor of choice, and after some bad experiences last year, my least favorite). The smell kind of turns my stomach (like I said bad experiences. Let’s just say that I must be really special if I could up chuck all over my boyfriends bed before we were dating, and still have him ask me out).

I absolutely sweetened this, expecting a fiery bitter mess, and I’m glad I did. Sweetened up, there’s still a red hots vibe going on, but it’s in the back and it’s subdued by the sweetener enough to keep me forming dumping the cup. The orange isn’t bad actually.

The aroma when you lift the cup to your mouth to take a sip is all cinnamon, but when it hits your tongue, the first thing you notice is the orange. I wouldn’t say it’s quite juicy, but it’s not bitter either. It’s not till the end of the sip that the cinnamon hits you, and then it sticks around in a lingering after taste.

This tea was doomed for me from the start. I love chais, but not straight cinnamon teas. Due to the bad associate I have with the red hot type flavor, it’s not for me. But that being said, if you like fiery cinnamon, and you like orange, then you’ll like this tea.

This is a pretty strong and hearty genmaicha. The roasty notes in this are darker deeper and more roasted peanuts like than other genmaichas I’ve had. I’m assuming that’s because I’ve that addition of the puffed barley. I’ve never had puffed barley before so I can’t be sure if that’s the difference I’m tasting.

The end of the sip also has a more green punch than some others I’ve tried. There is a bit of astringency. The stronger, darker green combined with the dark roast, creates a deep complex cuppa.

Ok, so I’m digging through some of my samples and decide to give this one a try… It’s smells fruity sweet like something I would go for but I’ve put off trying it because cranberry to me means tart.. something I haven’t tried much in tea up to this point for fear of not liking it.

Steeped this is much like it smells, sweet & creamy with a bit of fruity berry flavor… I don’t know that I get so much cranberry but I guess not all cranberry is tart now that I think about the dried ones I get for spinach salads. I did add my normal bit of sugar to this ;) This is a nice treat I wouldn’t likely have ventured to pick up myself… If I ever put together an order for Market Spice I would be really tempted to grab a bit of this one. Thanks EvaGrimm for sharing this nice blend in our swap.. !

Small Big Traveling Tea Box

Just going off of the name… I really didn’t think that I would like it.. but this tea is actually quite delicious! . At first I get a surge of spices that steadily cool into a creamy sweetness. I don’t know if I would call it licorice tasting, more of a smooth cream than anything. Hmm…perhaps the strong licorice flavor has faded a bit? shug Either way, I am really enjoying this cozy cup:]

Edit: The warmer the liquor is, the more I enjoy this cup. As it cools, it appears to have less flavor.. still delicious but hot is the way to go with this one:]

Small Big Traveling Tea Box

I don’t know why, but caffeine makes me sleepy. I can drink boat loads of herbal and rooibos teas and be peppy all day… but as soon as I drink any caffeinated teas, I get so sleepy… I think I’m broken, but that’s alright:P

The cinnamon and cloves in this tea are very light. The pumpkin in this tea is really quite smooth with a warming sensation. The ginger in here is mild to slightly bland. The tea smells much better than it actually tastes (it smells like someone is baking a pumpkin pie downstairs^.^) but it is still a pleasant tea.

Small Big Traveling Tea Box

This tea smells simply divine and after seeing all the ripe huckleberries on the trail on Sunday, I had to try this one. The smell of this tea is much stronger than the flavor, but the flavor is still gorgeously huckleberry! Yum. Market Spice did a great job capturing the wildlife essence of Seattle in this tea. mmm.
To me, this tea tasted way better sans sweetener (I usually add sweetener about halfway through so I know what it tastes like with and without sweetener). And if I were to have another cup of this tea, I would leave out that sweetener:]

Yea, not my cup of tea. It tastes like raspberry soap, more so as it cools.

Small Big Traveling Tea Box

Mm. There are so many flavors in this tea. There is a freshness from the lemon, sweetness from the vanilla, tranquility from the chamomile, and cooling from the mint. Wow. Way more flavors than I was originally expecting. Yep, I could definitely picture myself drinking this while watching the sun set tonight:]

I got this box of teabags on my vacation to the Seattle, Washington area. MarketSpice store originated in Seattle’s Pike Place Market and since 1911, Huckleberry Tea has been a part of the collection.
It contains no sugar; but has black tea, natural and artificial flavors.
When you open this package of tea bags,,,,,it is very berrylicious scented!!! It smells like a purple grape juice, blackberry, and blueberry combo. Must be what a huckleberry smells and tastes like. Would love to have had a huckleberry to know for sure.
I brewed 8 ounces in a Pyrex measuring cup with just boiling water and 1 tea bag. Steeped for 3 minutes.
The liquor is dark purple-brown and has the scent of grapes and berries.
The flavor is mostly in the nose. It has lots of scent of purple grape juice and berries but the flavor on the tongue is a bit less sweet and has a touch of wild bitter grass flavor to it.
I will have to play with this one, it might need less of a steep time to bring out some sweetness. It definitely has a sweet scent.
Nonetheless, very fun and unique tea bag that I will always remember from my visits to Seattle’s Pike Place Market!!!!