sTEAp Shoppe

This tastes a lot like chai (unsurprising as it’s vanilla, cardamom, and Indian tea, albeit an unusual one for flavoring) without the hot spices. As such it feels more easygoing/versatile (I only ever really want chai as a singular form of dessert, almost like meal replacement on cold days, you know?), with the “spikey” flavor and texture peppery spices would’ve generated replaced by a relatively “clean”, smoothed out version of chai that manages to retain a creamy richness.

The astringent woodiness of darjeeling only really comes out at the end of the swallow; it’s not a strong or all-pervasive presence (which can be a positive or negative depending on how much you like darjeeling!). The front of the tea—the aroma steeping and freshly hot—is mostly vanilla (at first I was disappointed I couldn’t really taste the darjeeling), and then recedes to let the cardamom enter, and finally the darjeeling steps in. The lingering elements at the end of the cup are cardamom and darjeeling. The unfolding, three-act-play nature of it works because the segue between each is smooth and subtle.

This is a tea that grows on you; I was underwhelmed with the first few sips (seemed one dimensionally vanilla, kind of boring) but by the time I reached the bottom of the cup and had walked through all three flavor transformations I liked it. Also appreciate how even at the end, the aroma of real vanilla lingers, strong without being too much (tricky to balance, I find). A decent midday tea, I think. Will have to try it with some milk and/or sugar at some point.

This is a really nice cup! I don’t know what Lingonberries taste like, but there’s a nice mix of real tea in here, along with some cacao, vanilla, etc. Bold, Rich & mellow at the same time, with a slightly sweet aftertaste. The orange is there, giving an overall sunny disposition, but not enough to make the cup overly acidic. Sipdown!

For the record, I’d like to say that I admire tea companies that make blends that don’t include a bunch of artificial crap. I’ve attempted making blends for myself in the past, & the sum of all of the parts is rarely as good as just drinking the plain cup of tea, as long as you have good leaf. Most companies start off with cheap leaf, layer in fake flavors, & people buy it, because the fake flavors are more potent than the real thing, they excite your tastebuds & make you want to say “WOW!”

Real flavors have a much more mellow presentation usually. So I admire Steap Shoppe, because they are using real tea leaf, with quality at that, real vanilla, real fruit, etc, & combining things creatively to get the flavors they are after.

Having said all that, I’m a person that would always rather drink a plain old awesome tea, rather than adding things to it, so don’t take my reviews too seriously regarding their blends. Please!

This one is ok. The flavors are very subtle, since the base is a white tea, & I personally don’t usually like orange in my tea much, but it was also fairly subtle as well.

soooo the best part about this sipdown, though it won’t count in our contest (i’m removing it but adding a different tea into my cupboard from the tea i’m picking up today) is that i’m sending it back to terri haha. I really didn’t care for this, and from her tasting note she was only sending it this way because i’d wanted a try. So back it goes to her and it’s a sipdown for me…but not lol

Another Sipdown, courtesy of my steep sister Sil!
This was the 2nd tea I took with me to teach at the University. It’s not my favorite smokey tea, but it was ok. Actually, it left me with a craving for BBQ, which I satisfied on the way home at a local joint called Sugar Fire. Now I’m sleepy & lazy! And I have a student coming any minute. No rest for the wicked, my Gramma used to always say.
Onward, through the fog…

A sample from my dear tea sister Sil. Not bad, & I admit, it was kind of nice with breakfast, kind of like having an apple pastry of some kind along side my eggs & stuff, but probably not something I’d keep on hand.
Thanks for the opportunity to try it though, Sil!

Welcome to Sil & Terri’s Sipdown Extravaganza & Sip-off Duel!!

Sil is, of course, an earlier riser than I am, so she has a bit of a head start, but it’s on until midnight Sunday night, and I plan on drinking me some Tea! We both started at 262, & Sil posted the rules earlier, so I’d better start sipping!

My first tea of the day? This Gold Bud Black is pretty good for a start, & it’s a sample from Sil, my sipdown sister! An appropriate start, I think!

This was pretty relaxing. Not the most delicious therapeutic tisane I’ve tried but not bad either.

Oof, this is not for me. Got that tart-fruity thing going on up the wazoo, unsurprisingly—I mean cranberry + orange + hibiscus = of course. I tried it anyway because the discussions on Steepster made it sound interesting. It does have some clove-y warmth attempting to counter the astringency, but I’m not crazy about how they mesh somehow. This would be fine cold steeped with lots of syrup added, or turned into tea syrup for soda (that recipe has been a super helpful starting point, I wish I could remember which Steepster mentioned it!) I’m guessing. That’s how I’m going to use up the rest of it. I’m sure this tea would be great for some folks, it just isn’t my thing at all. I much prefer Whispering Pines Gingerade, which is maybe the only hibiscus/tart-centered blend I’ve had that I really, really like (the warmth of the ginger totally saves the day). Ah well. Can’t win ’em all.

Finally got my Steap Shoppe order sorted, turns out my package was sent out over 2 weeks ago 2-day Priority and USPS really dropped the ball (it’d been sitting in a sorting facility right here in town all this time, forgotten somehow despite SS springing for tracking and insurance!). Within 15 hours of contacting USPS about it it was delivered to my door, indicating it really was just sort of forgotten and languishing. Glad it’s resolved and I must say Steap Shoppe’s customer service when I asked them about it was excellent and helped me resolve the matter immediately.

This is quite an indulgence, which I guess is to be expected given all the sweet treat stuff in it—chocolate nibs, agave, maple crystals, vanilla, cinnamon—but it goes beyond the sweetness. Along with a wonderful subtly earthy aroma dry, there is (as many Steepsters have already enthused!) an uncanny bread-y quality, perhaps from the pu erh, in everything from the dry scent to the end of the swallow. It really does take the place of one’s morning cinnamon swirl toast like that. Not hard at all to see why it’s such a favorite. In the colder months especially I could definitely see making this a regular breakfast tea.

Sipdown! Thanks, Cavocorax, for sharing with me. :)

I’ve had a few cups, and I don’t think it’s something I’d buy. It smells so good, and tastes pretty good, but something about it just doesn’t make me reach for it.

So now I have a tin for my S&V GINGERBREAD tea. :)

A tea from Cavocorax that I just found as I was tidying. Of course I had to try it.

It’s, uhh, chocolatey and vanilla-y? I don’t mind it, but I don’t think it’s a must-have. I like it a bit better with some sugar in it to bring out the flavours a bit more.

I’m not really sure what to say about this one. It’s not bad, but it’s not my favourite, and I probably won’t purchase any. shrug

Edit: Ahh, I know. It needs to be thicker to go with the flavours. The tea is really quite thin feeling to me. Hmm.

Thanks to Janet for this sample tea still in the testing stage!

Just because I Love Tea doesn’t mean that I ‘hate coffee’!
Coffee was my first love, and occasionally I’ll request a Vietnamese coffee (with sweetened condensed milk) at Happy Lucky’s Tea House. They make it with Chicory Coffee from New Orleans, Community Coffee. It’s so rich that it’s like having a thick, coffee flavored truffle!

I was surprised to see this blend coming from tea lover Janet, but then remembered her location in Northern California where coffee tradition runs deep. Bridging the tea/coffee world is smart.

Chicory as an ingredient is potent. A third the amount of chicory to coffee for brewing is the rule or the result would be too bitter for drinking. The amount used in this blend is perfect and forms a base for the puerh, black tea and espresso.

The use of cocoa nibs didn’t make the blend chocolate flavored but added maltiness and the maple syrup didn’t add maple flavor but added enough sweetness for those wanting to drink the blend with just added milk or straight up.

It’s the allspice that transforms the coffee-tea drink into something different.

Chicory and puerh can be a bit spicy or tangy on their own which would have gone unnoticed except for the addition of allspice.
The allspice whispered chai. I kept going back, refilling my cup and wanting more.

I’m not sure if the name should be changed to Spiced Cuppa Coffee or Exotic or something else…or if the spice isn’t intended is it necessary (even though I liked the allspice quite a bit).

Naturally flavored Puerh blends that Janet has been creating are fun and this is another one that I’ll give a thumbs up!

Just got an invite from Preston and Sam for free pot of tea and a cookie so I’m off…

New blog entry… www.teaandincense.com

Thank you Janet for this Sample Tea

My first puerh’s were flavored ones. I don’t really consider this ‘flavored’, not like the ones that were sprayed with who-knows-what alcohol artificial flavorings that would make me barf if I drank them now.
But then, I thought that tea was dessert and a subsitute for cake and cookies. Tea was a way for me to indulge my cravings and lose weight.
It worked for awhile. I lost 20 lbs. in the first few months that I landed here on Steepster.

Then I became a tea snob.

No, no, no! I hope I didn’t/am not. I just changed and learned some things about tea and how it effected my health.

Tea has been revolutionary.

Within the last several years of drinking tea, I decided to change. I lost more weight, made new tea friends, ate healthier, and now drink tea that is naturally flavored or not flavored at all(I wouldn’t be rude if offered artificially flavored tea).

I was pleased when Janet created her first naturally flavored Puerh Tea, Cinnamon Swirl (which was outstanding)! Talk about a good dessert!

This new pound cake tea was a direction I didn’t expect. Usually, companies create chocolate or strawberry puerh but Janet was playing with bready Puerh instead of more common cedar or woody tasting puerh. I think her choice was smart.

The first steep was ‘nice’ (as in ok or average).
The second steep was much better because the puerh was ‘awake’ and contributed more flavor and full-bodied breadiness to the pound cake tea making it truly dessert-like.

I suggest adding milk for sure, even coconut or almond milk would be delicious. Stir with a cinnamon stick or throw in a piece of ginger for flavored pound cake.

I re-steeped 3 pots of tea 20oz each.

A cocoa nib version of this same tea would taste just like chocolate chip cookies!

TTBA #5!!
Interesting. I don’t taste the cocoa note. Boo. But there is something distinctly spicy, and a background somethingorother that is kinda creamy.
Usually I don’t make any additions to a straight Chinese tea, but this was a little TOO spicy for me, so I got out the milk and that toned things right down, and enhanced that creamy note as well!
With a dash of milk, my cup was quite delightful. Malty and complex just the way I like it. The spicy note did really well like that, so I may investigate Yunnans further after this.
It also left me with a happy buzz which I am still riding. I think I’ll go downstairs for steep number two now!

Sipdown No. 87!
This tea has a small history. It started with Tasty Brew, who included it in the BBBBox as part of the ‘grab bag’. I sampled it, sent it on to Sil, who also sampled it, & then she sent it back to me.

I think I liked it better the first time I tried it, but it’s still ok. Now it’s gone!

This was included in the BBB Box by TastyBrew, who added a ‘grab bag’ feature! I’m not always a huge Darjeeling fan, but I have to admit, this is pretty tasty this morning! It has a bit of that earthy ‘gutsy’ kind of character that some darjeelings seem to have, maybe a little on the acidic side, kind of an oaky tannic taste. There’s also just a hint of a floral in the back of my throat & a pinch of salt on the center of my tongue. I’m not sure that I’ll keep it. It depends on whether Sil or BoxerMama want to sample it (let me know). As far as Darjeelings go, this one is ok. There are several others in the grab bag as well.

Now it’s time for me to play dress up, load up my harp, & go enjoy playing at a Catholic wedding (not full mass, & I’m grateful for that as I’m not really wanting to sit through a long service. No offense to the Catholics!)

I had this tea this morning…trying to remember which bag this came from, who the sample was from. Eeek. I didn’t put it away afterward…I left it out to remind me to write a note. So, I think this is from OMGsrlsy.

I love pu erhs, especially in combination with sweet things. Cinnamon is a nice enhancer for such a war and earthy tea. The fact that this tea has pu erh with golden yunnan buds for that bread/malty/grainy feel, I feel the blend really does justice to this tea.

It’s just a delicious combination, and I can see why this one is so popular. I intially thought it was a bit like Almond Indulgence, fro Butiki, but this is richer because of the pu erh in the base, and I think it is unfair to compare one to the other, even though they share some characteristics.

I’m very grateful for the sample. It’s really yummy, and is a great morning tea.

Earlier today I loaded up a couple of go mugs with tea. This was in one of them. It’s the final remnant of a sample Sil sent to me awhile back. It starts off kind of watery tasting, even though I let it steep long, but as it cools a little there’s an espresso & chocolate liquore taste to it. Not too exciting, just ok.

Hmmm….I’m not totally sure how I feel about this tea. Initially it seemed pretty blah, watery & weak in spite of a 6 minute steep, so I added more tea & let it go a few more mins. Still not particularly exciting, so I added sweetening, & the flavors began to bloom into one of those dark chocolate bars that you pay top dollar for, a chocolate bar with ground expresso beans in it. Yep, that’s pretty much it. Even as I was thinking, “this is meh, I should just dump it & make something else”, the flavors were building, getting richer, creating that satisfying sensation of having eaten that expresso chocolate bar. I drank the entire cup.

BTW, I spent the afternoon creating my 3rd blog post @ Terri’s Airy Fairie World, which includes a review of sorts of Butiki’s Khongea Tippy Golden Assam, & a few yummy gluten/dairy free recipes. Here’s the link: terrlangerak.wordpress.com

Sipdown! 199/365!

This was just so flavourless, it made me sad. I even brewed the last of it up double strength tonight, and sure, I got some flavour out of it, but barely. I wanted to like it, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Still a very light tea. Too light, since I’m not getting anything aside from weak, watery cranberry. I wanted to like it, but there just isn’t enough flavour.