Daylon R Thomas Send Message

I am not a huge fan of chamomile, but I really like sleepy time teas from Celestial. Mom found this on discount at Big Lots, and got some for her and my brother. I’m drinking some it it was flavored just right. Grape, spearmint, blackberry, and herbaceous leafs are the taste, and the smell. The blackberry is blended as a background, and it certainly moves the grape along. It does not need any sweetener whatsoever.

Some people might be offended by the ingredients that include things like lecithen, especially with the inconsistent health risks of soy. But again, it tastes good, and it’s helping me sleep. It’s also satisfying my tea cravings, which are BAD and I’m resisting the urge to get some oolong or black tea right now…

Thank you Brenden for this sample! I liked this one WAAAAAY more than North Winds. North Winds is much lighter as a Gongfu, and though I am actually starting to prefer this method of black tea brewing, there were times where I had to do it western because I was off by a few grams and the particular leaf wasn’t as strong. I like my dark teas bold, but complex and full of flavor. That’s why I typically enjoy Irish Breakfast more than say English Breakfast because it’s got more umph. Along the same parallel, the Aliashan is bolder, and more complex to me. I’m getting all of the tasting notes that are on here.

Toasted, whole grain bread is the best, first comparison I get, coupled with a malt like red wine aftertaste. Caramelized plum, though, is what this tea fully tastes like, and what I get the most. Again, it’s a very complex black tea that is sturdy though done Gongfu. I actually did the first steep in ten seconds which is fairly impressive, and it certainly filled my cup. A part of me even prefers it to the Golden Bud Dian Cong. I wonder what it would taste like as the Jabberwocky or Cocoa Amore. I also drank this as soon as I finished Rivendell, and this is the Aragorn to Rivendell’s Arwen.

This may be a more medium black tea, but it is a man’s tea, dang it (so wish I could use the full profanity)! For black tea lovers and would be the best introduction to an Ailoashan black for a newbie. If you want something robust with three dimensions, this is the tea to try.

This tea is the reason why I went over budget. This is why I am going to be much more careful with my tea selection. And this tea is important to me. I was just starting to get into Tie Guan Yin’s and oolongs became my new obsession. I wondered if there were any that were Lord of the Rings themed, and low and behold, I find an entire community devoted to all things tea, and the very first review in my sight was Rivendell. This is the tea that introduced me to Steepster, and the oolong that I was determined to try. Like many have said before, it’s named Rivendell, and it has to deliver the promise of a cup from Middle Earth. I waited over a year. I missed some times it was back in stock. Now, I have it.

Does it deliver on the hype? Not quite, but almost. I’m sorry, but it just didn’t. The Tie Guan Yin from Mandala tasted very similar to this, and it is significantly cheaper-cheaper by seven dollars per ounce. It has the same notes, nuances, and aroma in the first steep. I may have gotten lucky with the Mandala sample, being a spring harvest one, and being from a good year. I understand that the majority of the cost is because of the quality of Tie Guan Yin, which can be one of the most expensive teas in the world, and the quality of the Tahitian vanilla bean and cedar leaves. On top of those huge expenses, this product is in very little supply, and there is a tremendous demand for it as clearly apparent on this very site and the frequent times that it is out of stock. Yet the woodsy cedar and vanilla notes are ones that can be found in a high quality Tie Guan Yin-the later steeps are the more complex ones that allow this tea to be different from others. Nevertheless, the price remains as my main point of criticism.

Otherwise, it certainly is a drink that Lord Elrond would offer. It is very Elvish, smelling and tasting like described. The Vanilla and Cedar are the dominant scents and flavors in the tea, with the Tie Guan Yin’s natural orchid, creamy sweetness blending both scent and flavor together. Brenden’s description if pretty accurate. Again, Cedar and Vanilla are immediate. Lilac, or orchid, takes the previous two together and grinds them both with minerals. Caramel is more in the smell. Cherry and chocolate are approximately there, but you really have to search for them. The last three or two steeps really brings out the cherry, and the final one is like pine nut and mint, or menthol. It is a very light tea, and like any Tie Guan Yin, the taste is delicate but distinct. The most impressive aspect of this tea is that it is able to yield the same floral relish of a Gongfu in five western style brewed cups, which partially staves off the price in reusability. I actually let the later steeps soak in for 20-45 seconds more than recommended and got more flavor though this is western.

I thoroughly enjoy this tea. If it weren’t for the incredible price, this tea would have probably been one of the best I’ve had, and one of my favorites. I am very glad that I have it and pretty satisfied that I do, because the quest to have it finally ended in full circle, and it’s a good cup. This is the tea I would have given a 100 to, and this is my tea 100, the hundredth cup I’ve reviewed, the first cup that I saw on this site.

Now, for the audience that this tea aims for. You have to be a fan of Tolkien to fully enjoy this tea, or a huge fan of Tie Guan Yin oolongs and lighter teas. This is the must try tea for you guys, and probably no one else. Because the taste is so delicate, and so specific to Rivendell, a person who prefers stronger teas, someone who has no idea who Tolkien is, or someone who is newer to the over active imagination that is tea tasting would be severely underwhelmed. And if you are in a rush, you cannot possibly savor this tea. You’ll be reminded of the stark reality that you are just drinking a flowery glass of water. You have to slow yourself down, and travel to Middle Earth. You must let go, and allow yourself to escape.

Still one of my favorites, hands down. I actually like this one slightly more than the Milk Oolong now because it is slightly more floral and complex. Lilac, orchid, and plumeria are still prominent, with butter and vegetal relish.

It’s a bagged Tie Guan Yin…but actually good and taste pretty close to some loose leaf versions of the tea. I was looking for bagged Oolongs that I could resort to for school (yay, I am poor college student!). And I might actually pick this one considering that it was only two bucks and organic. Now for the actual taste:

It is a lighter, greener Oolong that definitely has the floral taste of an oolong-it’s fairly close to Harney and Sons Pomegranate Ooloong, but more vegetal and again floral in taste. It’s even a little sweet and slightly creamy hints to it, though they are minimal and subtle. The leaf quality is slightly better than what you would expect from a bag, but it’s still full in taste, though not as good as a loose leaf. However, this would be a pretty good introduction to Tie Guan Yin because it indeed tastes like one, and is one. I might settle for this one for bagged tea, but a part of me wants to see if there are any better ones. I think I might stay put with this one.

So much better since I added more leaves. Last time, I poured two tea spoons, but they were far from being full. I thought that since the leaves are so stringy for this tea that they would open up bigger, but I was wrong on that front. I used a heaping half of a tablespoon, almost a full one really, and it tasted way better.

Like I said in the previous review, North Winds is the best suited name for this tea. It smells exactly like the wind in Northern Michigan, even the woods here in Port Huron closer to Canada and the Lake. Wood, maple, cocoa, and campfire is what I personally smell when I take a single whiff of this. Last time I drank it, I tasted a cocoa, roasted black tea that was not that different from a Keemum. This time, with more leaves, there is so much more flavor. The taste is the same as the rustic aroma, being a pure breakfast blend having a simpler, yet more genuine quality than a usual English Breakfast. It’s almost like a less astringent, smoother version of an Irish Breakfast. I am glad that I decided to try this one again, and getting more out of it. My only criticism is the expense, as there are better teas that are near the same price on Whispering Pines website. Also, my sights are honed in on Golden Orchid when it comes back in stock, so I am anticipating what this particular tea base will be like with a vanilla accent. North Winds still needs another note to really fill the cup to its impressive potential, and vanilla might be the finishing note to crescendo it to greater heights.

Pompous hyperbole aside, a lot of people would like it. Breakfast tea, southern sweet iced tea, and European black tea lovers would enjoy it. Though it’s slightly better Gonfu, a Chinese brewing method, it’s more reminiscent of a European drink to me. Newbies might require cream and sugar anyway, but it by no means tastes bad with the additives. I just prefer drinking my tea without sweetener.

I was actually surprised with how well this tea held up on its own without sugar or honey, and that it was able to have flavor with the pure organic ingredients only (I bought the organic version of this one). The coconut and lemon grass naturally go together and definitely reminds me of Thailand, and the green tea, which is probably a form of Dragonwell, is fairly buttery. I would maybe buy this again, but not for the price that I bought it in the first place.

If you know what Thai Iced Tea is, then you exactly what this tastes like. It’s naturally sweet and potent, with a little bit of spice from the anise, tamarind, and cardamom that’s blended with it( more crushed than anything else for flavoring). Like the label suggests, this is indeed authentic Thai tea, and is good on it’s own, but best with sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Tea snobs might either be offended, or occasionally indulgent in this cuisine staple. Someone new trying teas might like this and if they do, it’s more of a cultural experience than one purely for tea tasting.

Like I said before, this tea is VERY sweet, and the coloring is very deep, so clothes would be possible stained with a vibrant, orange. That’s the color of this tea, and becomes lighter and more beautiful with condensed milk. The first scent and taste that comes to mind is coconut, though the note is strong enough almost to be a flavor. The same can be said for the creamy, malty texture of this tea. Then there’s some leading vanilla, anise, tamarind, and cardamom in the background. A part of me is curious what this tastes like Gongfu because it’s so heavily flavored, but Western style might be better because it’s intended to be strong enough for sweetened condensed milk and sugar.

Sweet, and thank heavens my meal plans come with this tea on occasion. Almost like honeysuckle.