The Tea Grotto

Sipdown

This and Fig & Lavender were my favorite teas from Tea Grotto, received in the big box o’ tea from Youngest – many thanks!

I was so sure I had reviewed this, even remembered what I had said about it (I thought), but here we are with no tasting note yet.

This would be a great starter puerh for people who are afraid to try it. It could almost pass for a black tea. The aroma is divine and reminds me of a Terry’s Chocolate Orange, even though the flavor is supposed to be mostly raspberry.

This does have the puerh duskiness, and without fishy smell. I think it makes a perfect breakfast tea and is also very good with snacks and even chocolates.

Would definitely repurchase this tea.

Sipdown

After zero sipdowns in August, other than a lot of sample sipdowns that are not listed in my cupboard, I finally have two this month. This is a very sad sipdown.

This is one of the best fruity iced teas ever. I would definitely purchase this in the future when the cupboard is more where I want it.

So fruity and delicious, the aroma had me hooked. Powerful pomegranate scent and flavor made this a winner and the black tea base was great.

This tea came from the box sent by Youngest – many thanks!

I needed a carafe of caffeinated sweet iced tea to send to work with Ashman for his lunches. This seemed like a great candidate and since it is new, of course I had to try it first!

This is a fabulous iced tea. I do plan to try it hot and unsweetened eventually, but I can say right now that this packs a pomegranate punch. It isn’t too strong or too tart, but in my mind just right. The black tea base and the pomegranate are tasted equally and the fruit flavor really grabs your attention. This is going to go down quickly.

It reminds me of Harney’s Pomegranate Oolong, but with a black base that lends itself to sweetening better for me, whereas Harney’s is best without sugar to me.

Yum!

This is from the big box o’ tea sent by Youngest – many thanks!

I am happy to report that I DID sleep last night even though I couldn’t resist a cup of Violette from Dammann Freres shortly before bedtime. Perhaps keeping it to just five ounces or so is the key.

This morning I was in the mood to have a fruity tea again and this one had intrigued me since I first saw it. Opening the pouch, the aroma is first strong fig, a hint of molasses (from the base probably), and then there was a minty aroma which I realized was the lavender. Lavender and rosemary both can smell minty to me.

Steeped, this is a lighter black tea base than Violette. The aroma is strongly fig, and I feel like I am biting into a piece of toast spread with Bonne Maman fig jam. It even conveys the sweetness of the jam to me, and that’s without adding sugar! It is just that evocative of the scent, I suppose.

I find the lavender to be pretty light and the fig to be the dominant flavor. It is delicious, and I bet it would make a wonderful fruity sweet iced tea as well.

Thank you, again, Youngest!

It tasted a bit like Honey but was bitter afterwards, it reminded of fall!

Backlog:

I don’t see this tea on the Tea Grotto website so I don’t know if that’s because it’s been discontinued.

It has a really nice strawberry flavor. I don’t taste as much “cream” notes as I would expect from a tea called Strawberry Cream but the strawberry is definitely there and it’s a really good strawberry flavor. It tastes like real strawberries, not chemical-ish or fake.

The cream notes I’m picking up on are more of like the natural creamy taste I’d get from a green tea. It’s still quite a nice tea though.

Since this doesn’t appear to be a tea that is available any longer, I’m not going to rate it.

Sipping on this one right now, I think that Tea Grotto may have discontinued it. It’s another sampling that I uncovered in my stash.

OK … this is pretty good. The black tea is full-bodied. There’s some astringency to it, but not overly so.

This is a moderately flavored tea. I don’t find the pomegranate to be overly strong, but it’s strong enough to be tasted. My only complaint is that the pomegranate tastes a little bit artificial. It’s not a bad flavor or anything, it just doesn’t taste bright or juicy or like the true fruit, it tastes like pomegranate flavoring.

Again, since this is a discontinued tea and I don’t know how old my sampling is, I am not going to bother rating it.

Backlog:

This tea smells amazing. I love lavender, and while lavender and fig are two flavor profiles I would have never thought to blend together, this works. This just may be the best fig tea I’ve tasted yet. I like the way the lavender and fig taste together.

This one made my repurchase list, and it’s not often that I come across a tea that belongs on that list.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/01/10/fig-lavender-black-tea-blend-from-tea-grotto/

Divine Fruit – The Tea Grotto – 2/6/14
4 minutes, 185 degrees

I forgot I was steeping this and it steeped for 4 minutes instead of the 2 I wanted but it seems to have come out okay. Without sugar, it tastes fruity already, a bit tropical, I think I see bits of pineapple and papaya in the blend. Sweetened, it is much more fruity but the base is still there in the background but faintly since white tea tends to be delicate and this one is a bit more robust than some but not like a green or black would be. I went looking for the strawberry and it’s right there at the front of the sip and getting stronger as the tea cools off. This is an enjoyable drink.

Coordination Sheet Critical when through the first round of review, I finished corrections and now it’s back again. I hope that this is the final round with the lead engineer because it’s due pretty soon, the end of next week and it still needs to get through the manager signature process. I’m about to start putting together the c/s for the slightly less critical job, since it’s due out in about 3 weeks so there’s more wiggle room. Except for the stupid enormous table I had to build by hand, it went quickly. So I should be looking for more tasks tomorrow and that’s always a nice feeling, to be done with everything due. I should line up some work for after that though, companies don’t like idle employees. Is that vague enough? I’m just happy for an end to the frustration and that things are starting out well in my transition back to work from a medical leave of absence.

Anyway this is TTBB #10

Walnut Green – The Tea Grotto – 2/5/14
2.5 minutes, 175 degrees

Nutty and buttery are the first few sips without the sugar stirred up. It’s actually quite pleasant and drinkable this way. The base tea must be very nice. Sugar brings out both of the flavours a whole lot more and subdues the base a little except at the end of the sip and the aftertaste (which is in my cheeks again, keychange). There was one enormous half of a walnut in my leaf as well as some sort of fruit that I think was candied pineapple from the look of it. I can taste that faintly to the sides of the flavour of the nut. If I drink more quickly as it cools, the taste of the base green tea comes to the fore and is quite bright and buttery all on it’s own. Nut and fruit are fading with the temperature.

Verdict? I’d drink this again. Not sure I’d buy it because walnut isn’t my fave and I have way too much tea already but if it were served to me I would drink it with a smile.

TTBB #7 (almost time to go home from work)

I was a little wary of this one given that i’m not a fan of lavender. There was just something about the smell that i wasn’t a fan of. Thanks go to KallieBoo! for sharing this one with me, though after tasting it, was not something that i can drink :) On the upside, it has peaked my interest in this tea company since the tea base and the fig taste hiding behind the lavender was quite nice. So still a win in my books! :)

sipdown! another lovely sample from kallieboo! While greens aren’t my favourite, this is pretty nice. There is a feeling of a buttery walnutty taste here. Given my preferences for non greens, i wouldn’t keep this as a staple, but i’d be open to having the occasional cup here and there :) thanks for Sharing Kallie!

I made this one then threw a couple ice cubes into it. AHH so good. All of the fruit flavors shine a little brighter and it was very refreshing :)

This is a nice white tea. The aroma is soft and fruity. All sorts of berry flavor in here. Strawberry and currant… There is a nice mango\pineapple going on too. Even a little jasmine :] This is such a lovely blend! Mmm :]

Welp.. I finally have enough time to get back into my favorite hobby. Life has been so busy the past few years but now that I have my own tea/reading room I can make more time :D

Anyways.. I’ve been craving an oolong lately and decided to jump back into it with this one. This is an excellent oolong. It’s buttery, smooth, has a slight buttered vegetable taste to it. It almost reminds me of a stronger green tea.

Anyways.. I’ve been craving an oolong lately and decided to jump back into it with this one. This is an excellent oolong. It’s buttery, smooth, has a slight buttered vegetable taste to it. It almost reminds me of a stronger green tea.I think I might go up on the temperature the next time I have a cup. Otherwise it satisfied my craving for a good oolong :]

I could have sworn I did at least one note for this… Oops. Well it’s gone now and I’m sad. This is the most buttery oolong I have ever had. Mmm… I think one of my favorite smells is the aroma of a buttery oolong. Mmm this is very buttery with a thick mouth feel. It has a sweet buttered vegetable thing going on but the dominate taste is butter. Almost like really buttery peas. I love this oolong.

KallieBoo! Thank you for this one too!

There’s definitely a nice earthy puerh base here, with an indescribable sweetness. If I didn’t know it was supposed to be ‘fruity’ I’m not sure I would have necessarily picked up on it. There’s a subtle blossom flavor, and definitely a sweet flavor. I couldn’t tell you what fruits are here, but they do compliment the base instead of overpowering or dectracting from it.

I enjoyed this cup as well!

yesterday i had a puerh-splosion in my house and tasted 6 different puerhs. all multiple steeps. and got mega tea drunk. and i feel like i learned a lot about tasting puerhs! not in a solid way but i definitely gathered info in my little monkey brain.
i have a couple puerh stuffed mandarin tea bombs in my collection, but KallieBoo! crushed her’s up and sent the sample to me that way. and i must say i like it better like this. cuz i’ve just been steeping the whole thing at once in a large pot. which is kinda too bitter. and mine is a white puerh anyways which i think is too mellow for that much rind.
okay okay okay, what i’m saying is, i like this one way better :)
it has a slightly more fishy puerh smell than all of the teas i had yesterday, but it’s still not strong. it’s also somewhat less earthy and slightly more on the leafy tasting side than some other puerhs i’ve had of late.
great as a pre-gym sipper!

Holy yumminess! This has been sitting in my swap drawer for ages and I didn’t know it was there. Luckily Since I’ve been going through all my swaps I found it hidden under some other teas. I brewed it with a few extra pearls in it and my first sip was surprisingly weak. I put the leaves back in for another minute and the result was crazy. So dark chocolaty, seriously, I don’t know how this is an unflavored tea. Then there is also a hint of sweetness like raisins, but not syrupy. Just good. I’m really enjoying this and I’m on steep 3! Thanks KallieBoo!!

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea.

It’s not bad at all. I just visited the Tea Grotto website and didn’t see this one on there … sold out? Discontinued? I don’t know.

This has a very bold, aggressive flavor – nice hazelnut notes with a strong black tea base. And … I’m hoping this one won’t be keeping me up because it IS a little late to be drinking a black tea. But, I’m feeling a little bit of caffeine withdrawal this evening (I don’t know why because I’ve been drinking tea all day … but, still, there is that withdrawal headache coming on)

Anyway … this is a good tea. Enjoying it … thanks to my SororiTea Sis!

gadaamn KallieBoo! your high opinion of this tea is well deserved. it’s not flashy or bombastic, but it’s certainly a beauty. malty and warm and hits you right where it counts. sweet and dry all at once. very nice! thank you so much for the generous sample! and it’s so VERY gosh darn pretty too!

the strawberry is light and mellow. and playful and perfect for the summer season.
after i take a sip and the tea is gone, a strawberry taste keeps lingering in my mouth.

thanks for this wonderful smelling tea KallieBoo!