sTEAp Shoppe

Pure comfort food…I mean tea! ;)

Drinking this tea this morning after having a bunch of less-than-stellar teas as of late. This one never disappoints. You can make it at home in your proper steeping equipment or at work in the microwave. Still tastes like delicious buttered cinnamon swirl bread. It’s so thick, it really feels like liquid breakfast. Yum. :)

First two cups of the day! I can’t seem to get to 5 steeps, even though you are supposed to be able to with this tea. I just like variety too much! This tea is AMAZING, as always. :)

OMG! This tea is AMAZING! Thank you to Azzrian and TastyBrew for writing such good reviews and tempting me to buy this tea!

First of all, let me say, it was awesome that shipping only took 1 day! Probably due to the fact that their address is about an hour away from me, but awesome nonetheless. Makes me wish they had a store, and I could just stop by when I’m up there!

This tea is the most bake-y, bread-y tea I’ve ever tasted. It’s like breakfast in a cup! When I first smelled the dry leaves in the tin, it actually reminded me of an oatmeal raisin cookie, WAY more so than teas named that. Steeped, it is liquid cinnamon swirl bread with butter spread on top! Yes, I tasted the butter!! I have to admit I added some sugar and a splash of soy milk, which made it MORE buttery!

I was surprised that you only need to steep it for 2 minutes. It was definitely strong enough to stand up to milk and sugar. Also, it says you can get 5 steeps out of each TBSP. I steeped it 3 times and there was absolutely no loss of flavor, so they’re probably right!

I am so glad I bought the tin! Yum yum yummy!!!

I couldn’t wait any longer to try this. The try my sizes are big enough to make at least 2 16oz mugs so I have some left for when I finally kick this cold and can truly taste it.

I’ve always totally disregarded any tea with any mention of chocolate associated with the flavor. I think I had a couple low quality, artificially flavored chocolate teas that made think chocolate and tea were just not a good combo. Seriously, like the left over milk from cocoa krispies mixed with tea. Gross. But then I tried the infamous Laoshan Black and Laoshan black chocolate Genmaicha and whole new world of flavors opened up.

So I decided to give Dark Chocolate Tea a try. The kukicha twig tea is what really sold it to me in the description. The roasty flavor sounded like an obvious compliment to dark chocolate. It’s also got Yunnan and a little nilgiri to add some complexity. And of course cocoa nibs. (I also just read the description again and there is espresso powder, that would normally turn me off, but I didn’t notice it at all)

Yum. I’m so thankful to have gotten over my fear of chocolate tea. This tea is so crazy tasty. Especially once it cools a bit. The chocolate flavor really emerges and the nilgiri and kukicha balance it so well. I’m so glad I have more to try when I can really taste all the flavors.

I wonder if it resteaps as well as cinnamon swirl bread. I doubt it, but I’m off to give it a try.

I got this in a sample size on a whim when I placed order at sTeap. I have never liked smoky teas, but wanted it give it another try. I was excited for the s’mores aspect of this tea but a little apprehensive of the smoky. Well my distaste of smokey flavor won out. I can’t say I dislike this. I added some honey and frothed milk and I’m still drinking it. But the smoke flavor just isn’t for me. It always seems meaty to me, which confuses my tongue. It’s a simple tongue. But, I think if you don’t mind smokey this is probably a super good tea. I love the chocolate and gooey marshmallow flavor. I think if it didnt have the LS I’d be raving about it.

I believe I got this from Lazey, thank you!

I prefer the Lingonberry tea from last night, the addition of spice to the mix is alright, but I prefer just straight berry. Not sure also how I feel about black tea as the base for the flavor. It could make for an interesting iced tea though, I may have to try it that way.

That’s really all I want to say right now…just found out a guy who had been playing for the Canadiens’ AHL team and suffered a fractured skull back in Nov is retiring from hockey…he’s 24…I saw his first game as a Canadien, and I really liked him because he was from the south too. Also he was the FOURTH generation of the same family to play for the Habs. So sad.

Thank you Janet for this sample tea!

I had this for my morning tea, propped my feet up next to my tea tray with my Kindle Fire so that I could check Steepster, make notes and sip. Ahhhhh!

Can I get an AMEN to lazy Winter mornings!!!

My tray was fitted with everything that I could think of to taste this tea with. Half & Half, sweetener, Almond Vanilla Milk and Clover Honey.

First, as I ALWAYS DO, I drink my tea without anything in it…NAKED (the tea)!
This was a good naked tea! It’s mild enough with a light raisin or current flavor.

I added Sweetener and it brought out a grape-raisin taste. Next, I added Half & Half which still was kind of grapy.

I was looking for a raisin bread flavor…HUM? How could I make that happen?

The next cup was Honey and Almond Vanilla Milk.
YIKES! No…no…no…not ok! (This did not taste good. Yucky. Not for me…no!) The honey with the grape tasted sour. Blech!

Backing away from that cup of tea slowly…

I tried Sugar, Almond Vanilla Milk in the tea…AND IT WAS…GOOD! (Hooray!)
There was the bakey raisen bread flavor that I had wanted.

Sometimes, I don’t taste the grape in Darjeelings but here, in this tea, I did.

A good rule is to never be afraid to play around with black tea’s especially. Try different milks and sweeten them or not as you wish. Prepare the tea in a pot and try using a gaiwan now and then. It’s surprising how different methods will change your experience.

The one thing that I never do is use strong honey (like wildflower) unless the tea is chai or ginger with lots of spice. Strong honey overpowers the taste of tea. (This isn’t just my opinion)

Set your clocks tonight!

Thank you Janet for this sample tea!

I reviewed an Oolong from Thailand the other day that JC had sent, one that was picked up by him on a trip there some time ago.
Right after that, I received a sample of this Thai Reistee that Janet told me was going to be added to her new straight tea selections and I told Eric at the tea house about it. His interest was keen to try tea from this region of the World.
What good timing that I could now take both tea’s down to the tea shop.

I’ve already written about my weekend trips to the tea-bar and how I have a green bag of samples that I bring to ply my friends with (especially newbie Preston who get’s a little tea drunk and funny by the time I’m done with him).

Eric had been on the West Coast for the Holidays, so we had some tea drinking to catch up on.

The tea house emptied out around 6PM, and we set up several gaiwans to taste tea.
This was our first tea. Rolled…dried spinach and herb looking leaves!

5 of us took sips in our little cups at about the same time and said…
“WOW, this tea is really good!”
Nutty rice tea that was very much like sticky rice in flavor,a little bit buttery and sweet. Savory, fragrant but not toasty like a Genmiacha. Preston held up a few of the leaves which were fat and long (at least 4 inches).

The many times the leaves were steeped, they remained savory and full of nutty rice goodness. (Eric was impressed.)

The Thai Oolong was brewed next (from JC), and Eric commented that there was a minty/camphor taste that he had only tasted in Oolongs from Taiwan. (Same thing I discovered)

After our tastings, Schey and I ordered LOVE MATCHA’S (Matcha Latte’s with Rodelles Chocolate (from Denver)). Preston was already a little tea drunk and changed the music in the tea-bar to fit the drinks he had prepared for us.

Yes, my friends…we were drinking Love Matcha’s and listening to Barry White on a Saturday Night…singing and doing a little dance while sitting on our bar stools, which was followed by some classic Al Green. It was a good evening!

This is North American ‘TEA’ Culture at it’s finest! Experience, experimentation, good friends, the mixing of generations!

If you haven’t been by the offerings at the Steapshoppe in awhile, Janet has been making changes and adding teas. This one is very good! There’s more to come!

WINNER, A GOOD DEAL AND UNIQUE!

I tried a sample of this the other day (thanks Bonnie!). I was skeptical at first because it was called genmaicha but looked like it was made with gunpowder green tea. I read the label though, and started to get excited when I saw that it was tea grown in Thailand. I’d never had a Thai-grown tea before! It looked to be about half tea and about half toasted purple sticky rice. I LOVE purple sticky rice. The fragrance is amazing.

Flavor-wise, this is NOT genmaicha, or at least not recognizably so. It’s a fairly full-bodied tea with a wonderful jasmine rice fragrance. I steeped it twice and it held up to re-steeping well. A win for creativity for sure! I don’t think I’d drink this on a daily basis, but it was fun for my tastebuds!

Once upon a time Celestial Seasonings made a chai tea called Chocolate Caramel Enchantment. I loved it as an occasionally super sweet dessert-y drink in high school. Somehow it captured the teeth sticking together quality of caramel, which is really cool to me. This tea has been discontinued for a few years now…I haven’t really found anything quite like it.

So I had high hopes for this Milk Chocolate Caramel tea. Would it capture that same mouth feel that Chocolate Caramel Enchantment had for me?

…not really. I wanted to like this one so much. I made a cup last week and didn’t really notice…anything at all while drinking it, but I thought maybe I brewed it wrong. I tried again today with really boiling water. The tea brewed up was dark and almost thick, and hardly smelled like caramel at all. It was more like a strong breakfast tea. Maybe tasted vaguely of burnt sugar, but nothing more. I added a splash of milk and it still looked more like coffee than tea. As it cooled a bit, I noticed a smell that was a lot like sweet potatoes, which was strange, but not unpleasant.

There’s nothing wrong with this tea. But I don’t think I’d order it in the future.

I was very excited to try this Green Apple Tea from sTEAp Shoppe. As past of their Virtual Tea Tasting that was held yesterday(9/23). I received four samples and this was my last one. I personally love green apples yet I wasn’t sure how a tea with apples would taste which made me all the more intrigued to experience this.

I steeped this Green Apple Tea at approximately 175 degrees approximately. I steeped it for approximately three to four minutes. The tea liquor was a light to medium yellow color. My first sip was a vegetal taste very much associate with green teas,which I enjoy. It also tasted grassy. I had a challenging time finding the taste of green apples,if anything it was a very subtle presence then I expected. If you are expecting an “in your face taste of green apples tea blend” this isn’t it. As the tea cooled down, the taste became more astringent.
I enjoyed having another tea experience, as each one is very special and unique. I try to learn from each and every one. I continue to learn and surprise myself to find out which flavors I love and enjoy. It’s like life…It’s always full of moments of unexpectedness, and everything in between.

I would like to once again thank sTEAp Shoppe for giving the opportunity to participate in their Virtual Tea Tasting. I hope that I will have another opportunity to participate in the future.

sTEAp Shoppe has been generous and sent me this sample for their Virtual Tea Tasting for today (9/23). Thank you so much!

First and foremost, I would like to say that I am not an individual that is fond of or love mint in anything besides a peppermint candy. However, recently my mind has been slightly changed so I was actually curious about how I would like this one.

The name of the tea intrigued me and I decided that I would especially save this for this morning. I brewed it to approximately 175 degrees fahrenheit. I steeped it for approximately three to four minutes. The fragrance was of a wonderful and irresistible scent of mint, which I must say that I became excited to taste it.

The taste was lovely; a fresh mint taste without being overwhelming. There is a sweetness,which I enjoyed. Drinking this tea made me feel more calm,which is good because this weekend has been a rollercoaster of emotions and late nights. Today is a cool but bright sunny autumn day, which is definitely cheering me up after experiencing cloudy and rainy days; days of inconsistent weather here in New York.
The tea liquor is a light/golden caramel color. It was a smooth cup of tea that I drank. I very much enjoyed this experience and I must say that I find myself officially converted to enjoying a mint tea. Who would of thought that I would ever say that?! I guess it’s true when people say “Never say never.”

Once again, thank you sTEAp Shoppe for being so kind and sharing this sample with me. I am forever grateful at your wonderful customer service as well as impressed with how quickly I received my samples. I would also like to say that I love the packaging of your samples, that contain clear instructions/information on your tea label.

I was sent a few samples from sTEAp Shoppe for their Virtual Tea Tasting tomorrow (9/23). This one is called Smokey Mountain and it definitely lives up to it’s name. This tea blend contains Organic Lapsang(which it was my first experience tasting this), Organic Assam and Organic Se Chung Special Oolong. It also contained organic cocoa nibs and organic vanilla bean.

I brewed Smokey Mountain to approximately 195 degrees fahrenheit. I steeped it for approximately three to four minutes. The tea liquor was a medium brown color to a dark brown color, it resembled the color of coffee.
It tasted very smoky as well as rich and astringent that also reminds me of a characteristic of coffee. It also possessed a bit of sweetness. I believed that this tea blend has complex flavors that make this very unique. The scent was a scent of smokiness. My friends commented that the tea smelled like bacon or beef jerky.

I had a wonderful experience drinking Smokey Mountain. This is my first experience drinking a tea with more of a smokiness to it. I love having the opportunity to expand my tea drinking experiences by trying a range of flavors.

I would like to once again thank sTEAp Shoppe for giving me the opportunity to try their wonderful samples! Thank you!

I think it’s officially fall/autumn. This is one of my favorite seasons. I think of the beautiful views of the array of colors of vibrant leaves of the shades of reds, oranges and yellows. I think of apple picking,pumpkin patches, chai teas and wonderfully blended new teas.

sTEAp Shoppe gave me this wonderful opportunity to sample four of their teas and I must say that my experience with the first one has been a success! I tried their Antioxidant Berry Burst. I brewed it to approximately 175 degrees fahrenheit. I steeped it for approximately three to four minutes. The tea liquor was a light yellow color. The taste was a bit of cinnamon(which I love), a wonderful taste of a blend of berries and a bit of a vegetal taste from the green tea. I very much enjoyed drinking this tea.

I would like to thank sTEAp Shoppe for being very generous and sending me some samples. I am very excited about participating in the virtual tea tasting tomorrow. Thank you! :)

Not really a tasting note, per se, but I just notice that all the info on this tea has been deleted. It used to be “Green Apple Tea”.

Even though it’s no longer available on their website, I wish they wouldn’t have completely deleted all the information. It’s good to have it as a reference :(

Eh… I’m not sure how I feel about this tea. Not getting a lot of flavor and the base green tea just doesn’t taste good. I think I was expecting something “apple”-y and got something a little too grassy.

I’m going to leave a rating off for now. Maybe I’ll give it another brew and see how it goes…

Thanks, STEAp Shop for the sample! This is for the Virtual Tea Tasting 9/23/12

third down is a side dish using this tea(: http://www.steapshoppe.com/blog/poultry-dishes.html

Steap shop has a recipe using this tea, check it out!
http://www.steapshoppe.com/blog/tea-recipes/green-tea-turkey-breast-yukon-mashed-potatoes-with-chamomile-tea-recipe.html

A very unique tea, such a sweet fruity aroma to it, that pulls you right in. A great afternoon tea, to just curl up and relax with .

I must say that the dry leaf of this tea would definitely not win in a beauty contest. It reminds me a bit of pine needles and dirt that have been stuck together by tree sap… but it seems so promising that I don’t really care. The tea smells like sweet cinnamon bread, but with a fishy background. Ugh, I wish puerh wouldn’t smell like this!

Sipping… I’m happy to not be tasting a whole lot of puerh, but a lovely & sweet cinnamon bread instead! The cinnamon is not overwhelming, thankfully, but adds such a nice layer of sweetness. There is definitely a bread character to the tea that I really enjoy. There is almost a yeasty/sourdough-like quality to the bread and it seems like it comes out at the end of the sip. I’m very impressed that such flavors can come from a tea blend! Really the only thing that I’m not too crazy about is the fishy scent that lasts throughout the whole cup.

I haven’t yet decided if I’d like to buy more of this tea, but this is the best blend I’ve tried from sTEAp Shoppe yet!

I had this one last night – it’s a fairly mid range black for me. There’s a little astringency to it, but nothing that would really ruin drinking it. However it does mean there are other teas i’d prefer to drink first :)