Octavia Tea

I had to try this iced before sending the rest of it away in a swap. It really does well as an iced tea. The blueberry is very present and sweet in this. Very good!

This tea brews up a deep lilac/blueberry color. The taste is amazingly blueberry without being quite tart. Their are notes of honey and soft flavorings of white tea. Mmmm…great afternoon/evening tea. Quite calming tonight.

I was quite surprised by the apricot scent of the tea. Other reviews of this tea call it floral, but the apricot description is more accurate. However, this does not come through in the flavor. It has a very smooth, mellow, darkly sweet taste. This is were the allusion to chocolate comes from. Very nice!

Wow … this is really REALLY good.

I’m on my second infusion of this now. The first infusion was very strongly flavored, but, not in a bad way… it was a beautiful fusion of flavors and texture. The buttery smoothness of the oolong and the orange flavor work so well together. The jasmine offers very little in the way of flavor but I can taste a hint of that distictive jasmine taste.

The second infusion is a bit lighter in orange flavor, which allows more of the Oolong as well as the jasmine tastes to come through. The texture is a little lighter too – it’s not quite as buttery.

I enjoyed both infusions very much.

My first cup of the day …

And this is a very nice cup with which to start! The flavor is bold and the lemon adds just enough bright flavor to really wake up the cup. The lemon doesn’t overpower, and it isn’t a sour lemon, it is a smooth, sweet kind of lemon taste that really works well with the full-bodied tea.

This is tremendously scented is beautiful orange, blossoms, and sweeter oolong and it’s a delight! The taste reminds me of Orange Fruit Loops Cereal. I had a cup HOT and a cup COLD and determined that I LOVE both!

DRY these “little balls” smell like jasmine AND Citrus for some reason…I am picking up citrus…hum…

Once wet or even after infusion it’s all about the Jasmine, folks, scent-wise. The taste is very crisp and clean and sweet…not bitter-jasmine but sweet-jasmine! This is VERY good! Of course…I tried something a little different! I used to try between 6 and 10 “balls” but this time I used about 15 or 16 and it’s wonderful! YUM!

Another SIPDOWN for today! BUT…I will miss this one!!! Sigh…
Upping the rating! This has a lot to it but it all works and I can pick out each ingredient but they all work really well together. Nothing is over powering the others. This time around I can identify the apple which I couldn’t do during my first cuppa. The chocolate is very nice and I swear I can taste orange in there…maybe it’s just ‘leftover’ from my holiday Orange Chocolate phase…LOVE Orange Chocolate! YUM! Anyhow…the Vanilla is really smooth and yummy in this and the rooibos is a little lighter than most but still stands its ground. The mint is wonderful! Gentle but terrific! LOVE THIS!

Smells like Mint Chocolate Chip – dry. Post infusion smells like Vanilla-Chocolate-Mint-Rooibos.

Taste: Mint then Chocolate then Vanilla then Rooibos then spice then back to chocolate then Vanilla-Rooibos!

This has a lot happening here but everything follows suit with what you would expect based on the idea of this tisane and the ingredients! This is very good!

OH! This is GOOD!

A Ginger Peach WHITE Tea! YUM! Usually I don’t get excited about ginger teas but this is nice! The White Tea mellows out the flavors but the flavors are just right!!! The peach and ginger couldn’t be more perfect in this! It’s very satisfying and has a smooth aftertaste with honey-like tones! I really like this!

Good both hot and cold!

This is a very delicious blend of tea, fruit and spice. The tea is brisk and alive with flavor. Surprisingly strong tea flavor when considering the other flavors that are represented in this blend.

The spices are pleasant – not too heavy – and provide a really nice accent to the juicy sweet orange flavor. Very autumnal, this blend, and it makes me long for the cool, crisp air and the colors of fall!

Sipping a small cup before sending the rest to Ashley…

Dry Leaf Smell reminds me of “clean car” smell or the freshest of fresh! This has a light golden brown color to it that is surprising for a white. Once infused the aroma is that of wood, spice, honey…but just subtle hints of all 3. You really have to search for it. The taste is a little chewy almost…I know I have never tasted a white like this! It’s almost a spiced wood meets drier-honey wine of sorts. It’s really neat! This is a YUMMY Cup!

This has a nice balance of flavors. The hibiscus is tart, but, the sweetness of the peach, mango and passion fruit offset that tartness very well. Yes, the cup is still tart, but there is a very pleasant sweetness – almost like nectar!

The strong flavors of this cup have also offset the sometimes unpleasant woodsy and weird sweetness of the rooibos. I can taste subtle hints of a woodsy quality, but it’s not strong, and rather than being off-putting, it’s nice and adds some depth and interest to the flavor. I can also taste a honey-esque note from the honeybush.

This is one of the most flavorful honeybush/rooibos blends I’ve had in a long time. Very fruity and delicious.

SIPDOWN…this one will be missed! This is WONDERFUL! See previous notes :)

I just received this gem with a note on it that says:
APRICOT OOLONG – New Tea – Coming Soon!!!
YAY! I love new tea offerings, I have loved what I have tried so far from Octavia, I LOVE Oolong, and I LOVE APRICOT!!!! I’m so excited to be of the first to try this!!!

This is delightfully scented and flavored oolong – the Apricot is perfect! The pairing is lovely! The taste is super yummy! Very Good!

SIPDOWN #2 for the day! This one will be missed! I’m not much for New Years Resolutions but I think I might add Octavia AND Bird Pick as TWO Tea Companies I hope to place orders with in the new year!

Aroma:
Honey, Berries, White Tea…very nice!

The taste is a bit on the lighter-side. If you are looking for a more intense flavor I suggest doubling the amount and shortening the time by a little! The Raspberry really came out when I attempted this!

Oh! This is nice! Smells like Raspberry and Flowers! The taste is Raspberry and floral but very champagne-like and juicy. The aftertaste is a sweet floral taste. The berry notes are wonderful!

SIPDOWN

VERY Strong today…Great!

Had two cups of this so far today! Lovely Black tea and floral, vanilla, caramel combo! Ahhhh!

This smells lovely! Vanilla/Rose with a hint of Caramel on top on a nicely scented black tea. When infused the caramel aroma comes thru more. While sipping I notice the Vanilla and Caramel pairing makes for a wonderful velvety smoothness! The rose with the black tea seem to make the black tea taste more sturdy! This is a great breakfast surprise!

A not so random selection of my Octavia samples… I wanted a black tea since it’s still my “morning” – yeah, yeah, I know it’s 1:42 pm, but, it’s still MY morning. :)

This is very nice. A very pleasant change up from the typical breakfast blend. I like the creamy vanilla and caramel notes… especially the caramel which is quite lovely… and is making me wonder how a pinch of salt might be in this cup. (I have a particular weakness for salted caramels).

Lovely and sweet… the black tea is very smooth and has very little astringency… it is just a very smooth, luxurious experience with this tea… kind of like you would want for breakfast in Paris.

Delicious!

The peach is sweet and juicy and the ginger has a pleasant peppery kick to it. The white tea is a little on the soft side – although I expected that with a white tea. There is a delicious honey-like sweetness to it that contrasts with the warmth of the ginger very nicely.

Smooth, sweet and delicious!