Tea People

Having tried this from Boba Guy’s store, I couldn’t match their flavors even after using Strauss milk (which I believe is regional, just FYI). I couldn’t achieve the same sweetness and fullness the store’s iced tea provided. Obviously the boba tapioca pearls, which are made in brown sugar, help sweeten the tea, but I don’t like making boba. Maybe that was my mistake. Overall I thought this tea was a bit weak in flavor, but I also like strong black teas.

Steeped cold. Good balance between the floral notes and the green time. Not astringent.

I had this tea in a loose leaf bag, and it tastes very nice. I don’t know too much about earl grey, but it’s enjoyable on its own.

Brewed very strong for milk tea purposes…Found the tea to – at least appear – pre-sweetened, if one can believe that…excessively perfumed…

I’ve had this a few times now, and it’s got a really nice strawberry flavour – I’m not sure where the kiwi comes in, mind you, apart from the usual tartness that you get from anything that includes hibiscus.

It doesn’t bang you over the head with it, though, as evidenced by the fact that I didn’t feel compelled to overload it with sugar to compensate. That’s a good thing. I’m drinking it hot because I’m special like that, and I miss my usual morning pu erh or oolong or whatever. It’s really hard limiting oneself to, like, one or two caffeinated things a day. Life is unfair.

I am so inundated with deadlines at the moment, and kind of not really able to get started on anything. Was invited to send in a pitch for something, but am now waiting for a more detailed brief before getting on with it and possibly making more work for myself if I then need to rewrite, I’ve got an article to get done in the next couple days which involves commenting on a DVD I haven’t had the chance to watch yet, expecting another set of DVDs in the post for a series of reviews, and an article and a short story, respectively, for two other publications I ought to get on with as soon as I’ve done all that. And all I can do right now is sit and feel restless and AERGH because I know I’m going to be massively stressed when I can actually start properly working on everything. tries not to cry

Picked up a sample of this at a food festival recently, and I’m very pleased I did. I was intrigued because of the sheer number of different kinds of tea leaves going on in here (pai mu tan, darjeeling green tea, chinese fog tea, sencha, lung ching, gunpowder, jasmine jade pearls) but it’s really well-blended, as it all comes together into a nicely light-bodied brew. There are notes of that grassy-peachiness of the teas poking through beneath a slightly citrus-tart, floral fruitiness that’s just really doing it for me right now. Sweet, with a nice palate-cleansing sharpness on the end. It’s good.

Teeny tiny 2g sample from the Marco Polo Tea Box!

Ahh such a lovely tea! I love looking at the leaves unravel in my Steeper :))
It tastes like hot water with slight notes of earthiness. I was kinda hoping with it to have a bit of a bolder taste.
Maybe because it’s a wee sample. Hmm I’ll need more leaves for it to get a better flavour!

Backlog:

I have to admit that when I read the ingredient list for this tisane, I was a little dismayed. Hibiscus as well as stevia? Ugh. I would rather companies not put stevia in their blends, because I like to decide how much (if any) sweetener I add to a cup. I don’t like this decision made for me. And well, it’s no secret that hibiscus just isn’t my favorite tea/tisane ingredient.

That said, this tisane was still pretty darned good. I do think it would have been better without the stevia, but as it is, I found myself enjoying the apple-y notes and the spices, and the stevia does nicely accentuate the spice notes.

This tisane tastes a bit like apple cider that’s been mulled with masala chai spices.

Fortunately, the hibiscus is on the light side, and I would still recommend only steeping for 6 minutes to keep the hibiscus from becoming too syrupy.

A well-defined apple note with lots of well-balanced spices: ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Essentially, this is like an apple chai! Nice!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/05/18/spicy-apple-tisane-from-tea-people/

Smells like the potpourri aisle in the craft store around the holidays. The taste is much more balanced. Drinking it hot reminds me of a snow day and makes me think that it might do well with some whiskey in it!

Yeah, I’m drinking tea at 1am after a long week at work. I have a inexplicable soft spot for Darjeeling oolongs. This one was fairly mellow but very nice. It went nicely with the thunderstorm :)

Backlog:

I love Tea People. I love that they’re giving back to the community from where the tea is grown. I like it when I find tea companies like this one that do something a little extra.

And I love this Darjoolong. I love Oolong Tea (my favorite tea type second only to Yellow), and I’ve tried a few Oolong teas from the Darjeeling regions – as I say in my full-length review of this tea: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/05/02/makaibari-darjoolong-tea-tea-people/ that while I have tried a few Darjeeling Oolong teas, I’ve not tried enough! Ha!

Then again, there is no such thing as “enough” when it comes to tea. Am I right?

Flavorful, grape-y, wine-like. It tastes very “Darjeeling-esque” only it’s smoother with the texture of an Oolong. The top notes are fruity and wine-like, with earthier mid-notes. It’s sweet with a hint of savory that greets the palate at mid-sip.

Later infusions were smoother and tasting a bit more Oolong than Darjeeling, but the Darjeeling presence was still definitely there. I found that as the infusions progressed, the more I liked this tea. My third cup (infusions 5 and 6) was my favorite, because I got some intriguing peach-y notes, notes of honey and butter with just a hint of muscatel. Lovely!

This one might be one of my favorites from Tea People and I’d put this on the must try list from this company!

I am going to apologize in advance if there is no blog post tomorrow, because I am going in for an Endoscopy, and they tend to leave you a bit dopey and derpy afterwards. Man, my doctor group that I currently have is awesome, I was expecting to have to wait at the very least a week before I could get a biopsy, but only a day, that is so crazy. Color me impressed, though slightly cranky about not being able to eat or drink after midnight. No late night sipping for me tonight.

Today’s tea is Desi Masala Chai from Tea People, a blend of Assam tea, Cardamon, Ginger, Cinnamon, and Cloves. I am so enamored of Chai that is loaded with big chunks of spices and whole cardamon pods, I tend to giggle maniacally when I get my greedy little fingers on some like that. Not only does this chai have some awesome looking ingredients, Tea People is one of those companies that is really focuses doing good things for tea growers, I suggest giving their website a looking over, it is pretty nifty. The aroma of the tea is expectantly spicy, deliciously so, I would go as far as mouth-wateringly so, but it is no secret that I go gaga for spices. The Assam is rich and malty with notes of molasses as well, it is quite sweet, also the spices are strong but well balanced. None of this cinnamon elbowing its way to the front or the ginger tripping the cardamon so it can be the bell of the ball. We all know cardamon is polite and would never do anything to be a dominating aroma.

After giving the dry leaves and spices a nice steeping, the now wet leaves (and accouterments) still smell aaaamazing. Very rich and malty with sweet molasses and intense spices. As with the dry leaves the spices dance together perfectly and do not engage is spicy slap fighting for dominance. The liquid (pre-cream and sugar) is very rich, almost heady (or at the very least intoxicating) with strong notes of malt and molasses and intense and well balanced spice. I am practically bouncing with excitement to try this this.

Adding cream (actually half and half) and sugar for a traditional chai, my favorite way to sip this spicy, Indian tea. Oh man, this is one delicious chai, it is extremely rich and malty with sweet notes of molasses and an almost earthy finish to it. Of course the spices are having a party across my palate, the cardamon and ginger seem to be dominate and the cinnamon and cloves takes a backseat. Even though those two dominate they still seem really balanced, it is not a kick in the face of ginger or cardamon (cardamon can do no wrong!!) but more of a gentle strength. Personally I am a very big fan of Chai that are more dominated by cardamon (no surprise there) or ginger, but I think those who are also fans of the other spices will not feel neglected.

For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/07/tea-people-desi-masala-chai-tea-review.html

Backlog:

As I mentioned on today’s post: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/06/04/makaibari-first-flush-vintage-black-tea-from-tea-people/ I have recently suffered a loss. I broke the glass jar/carafe of my Breville One Touch, so at the moment, I’m using a stove top kettle. Gah!

Seriously, you don’t realize just how vital these tools are to you until you can’t use them. Don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone and all that stuff. I cried when it broke. Yes, I did. Seriously. I felt like I lost a dear friend. It was devastating. The following day, I did get good news about the broken kettle, and that’s news I’ll share with you as soon as what I have been promised comes to fruition, but, in the meantime, I’m using a stove top kettle. I went a few days without posting any reviews because … I didn’t have my tea maker! UGH!

Now that I’ve somehow come to terms with my loss, I’m able to brew tea and just deal.

So this was the tea that I had today to start things back in motion with the SororiTea Sisters blog. And what a lovely tea it was to start things off again.

A pleasantly crisp, light and refreshing Darjeeling. Uplifting! Sweet notes of fruit meld with notes of earth and bright floral tones. This tea has a light astringency to it, much less than what you might normally expect from a Darjeeling.

A very fine cuppa!

Backlog:

I’ve been very happy with the teas that I’ve tried from Tea People.

This one has a really nice balance of sweet and savory. The vegetal tones are a little bit grassy, a little bit like steamed veggies, and even a little kelpy. It has a very invigorating taste, this one is good to sip when you need a little pick-me-up.

Here’s my full-length review of this one: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/04/09/makaibari-silver-green-tea-from-tea-people/

Backlog:

I’m always excited to try a new-to-me tea … and when that new-to-me tea is an Earl Grey I’m doubly excited! I love Earl Grey!

A strong, distinct Bergamot scent. Not as strong as some bergamot teas that I’ve had, but it’s strong. You can check out my full-length review here for my “1-5” rating for the bergamot strength: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/04/02/assam-earl-grey-black-tea-tea-people/

What really stood out to me about this tea is that the black tea base is the star of the show. In this case, it’s an Assam. Rich and malty. The bergamot isn’t overwhelmed, but it isn’t overpowering either. I like that the tea comes first.

A really nice Earl Grey.

Backlog:

A really nice vanilla flavor complete with a creamy texture which took me by surprise, I don’t usually expect a lot of texture or mouthfeel from rooibos but this is soft and creamy.

The natural sweet, nutty notes of the rooibos meld well with the sweet, smooth vanilla notes. Yummy, cozy, comforting! Mmm!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/03/28/vanilla-rooibos-herbal-tisane-tea-people/

Backlog:

A really fine Chai! The dry leaf aroma is amazing. Even though the ingredients are the “usual suspects” when it comes to the average chai, with this blend, the ingredients have been blended masterfully. The spices aren’t competing with one another, they work to complement each other.

The assam is rich and malty and the spices are blended in just the right way. It’s warm, zesty and spicy, but not over-the-top. Just right!

Check out my full-length review of this one: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/03/20/desi-masala-chai-blend-tea-people/

Backlog:

I absolutely LOVED this tea. The more I taste from Tea People, the more I love them. They have selected some really phenomenal teas for their line up, and if you haven’t tried teas from them yet, you’re missing out!

Dewy and sweet, it’s a very fresh and lively flavor. A light nutty tone reminiscent of a freshly roasted chestnut. Sweet and relaxing to sip.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/03/10/makaibari-bai-mu-dan-white-tea-tea-people/

Backlog:

A WONDERFUL Assam. Rich and malty, as I expected it to be based on the name of the tea, but still, I’m glad that Tea People delivered on what was promised with the name of this tea. It has a wonderfully smooth and well-rounded taste with some lovely fruit notes that give this an almost wine-like flavor too. I like the balance between “malty” Assam taste and “wine-y” Assam taste.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/02/28/malty-assam-black-tea-tea-people/ If you’re a fan of Assam tea … try this.

Backlog:

Another new-to-me company! I love trying new teas and teas from new-to-me companies.

This was a perfect tea for the day that I chose to drink it, because it was rather gray and gloomy, and this really brought a little touch of warm sunshine into my otherwise cold day.

A bright, lemony and ginger-y tea, but I like that the Ceylon is the focus of this blend. I taste the tea front and center, and the lemon and ginger accent the tea.

I really enjoyed this tea, and I really like this company. Nice people and good teas!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/02/20/sunny-ceylon-flavored-black-tea-tea-people/

First Sip Thought: “Warm, cozy and spicy!”

Smell: The fragrant is beyond amazing. I did not expect anything less though coming from a Chai tea and after I read the ingredients. I was glad to not be disappointed. It’s a well balanced blend of each spice included.

Taste: I have not had a chai in a long time and the moment I took my first sip from this cup I was instantly hooked and started regretting not making an entire pot for myself! This Desi Masala Chai has a burst of so many spicy flavours! It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. It’s a great pick me up for an early morning day as it’s bold taste surely perked me up. It’s never an overpowering taste of a certain spice which I love a lot because in the past, some chai teas for me were way too cinnamon-y. I made this tea with sugar and warmed up milk which made it even more heavenly and definitely so creamy! I would recommend this tea to anyone, especially for a cold wintery morning when you just want to stay in bed all day and not go out there. This tea is like a motivator in a cup. Go for it!

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