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I am pushing myself to drink more green and white teas: teas that are usually not the first ones I reach for.

Honestly, I haven’t made up my mind about fruit-flavoured green teas. It seems hard to get the balance of tea and flavour right.

That said, this one, a blend of organic Chun Mee and Gunpowder, is good. The blackberry overlay is mellow. The butter crust is gently there. Nice.

The flavouring disappears by the second steeping and the lovely green remains.

If this indeed is the right tea that I am reviewing…

What an interesting tea! I steeped it briefly at boiling and am drinking it straight up unsweetened. When it was hottest, my first few sips were vanilla custard. Enchanting. And then, as it cooled, it got all malty frisky. And then, a few astringent notes started rising up. As I continue to warm my cup by topping up from my travel mug, the buttery notes resurface. Yummy and very much enjoyable, but a tad finicky.

Thank you, Sil, for sending me this one to try.
I am very much behind on trying samples and tea swaps in general: ok, ok, behind with the whole tea world really, but making slow gentle progress nevertheless. Aaargh.

Mmm, I just remembered that Tealux is now called Tealyra, so I am reposting under Tealyra even though it is essentially the same thing. Also, strangely I’ve noticed that Guangzhou on Steepster is predominantly spelled with a Q as the first letter. When I was working there, it most definitely was transliterated into English with G as the first letter, so I am going with that spelling.

I had been feeling a bit better and stronger, but things are dipping again. Yesterday, I attended a qi gong class, which should fill me with vibrancy and something positive, but no. Instead, I woke up feeling exhausted and weak. Chronic illness sucks.

I did have a fantastic breakfast though. Leftover Horiatiki salad from Greek Town and some grilled squid I picked up in Korean town. Bizarre but good. I love living in a city where it’s all available in a day’s outing.

Followed breakfast up with this lovely lovely tea.

Perhaps this is a new batch of limited edition Milk Oolong compared to that of previous reviews. The label doesn’t indicate limited edition, but there don’t seem to be other options.

My first steeping was milky cream with the barest hint of vegetal. The second steep, which I left a wee bit too long, is coming through with a very pleasant oolong green, but not too green, flavour with a bit of creamy backup. No sense of mineral or imitation flavours. I look forward what the next steeps bring.

Third steeping, still buttery with a strong enough light oolong backup. Most likely will pleasantly survive a fourth and maybe fifth steeping.

Yep, the fourth and fifth steepings were quite lovely and flavourful, so I could have kept going if I hadn’t gotten bored.

I had been feeling a bit better and stronger, but things are dipping again. Yesterday, I attended a qi gong class, which should fill me with vibrancy and something positive, but no. Instead, I woke up feeling exhausted and weak. Chronic illness sucks.

I did have a fantastic breakfast though. Leftover Horiatiki salad from Greek Town and some grilled squid I picked up in Korean town. Bizarre but good. I love living in a city where it’s all available in a day’s outing.

Followed breakfast up with this lovely lovely tea.

Perhaps this is a new batch of limited edition Milk Oolong compared to that of previous reviews. The label doesn’t indicate limited edition, but there don’t seem to be other options.

My first steeping was milky cream with the barest hint of vegetal. The second steep, which I left a wee bit too long, is coming through with a very pleasant oolong green, but not too green, flavour with a bit of creamy backup. No sense of mineral or imitation flavours. I look forward what the next steeps bring.

Such loveliness in a cup.

Somehow I had misplaced this tea for a few months, but it has resurfaced. Still just as glorious as I remember. I had some milk handy, so I added a bit. Also a bit of honey. It tastes like milky coffee candies of my imagination and memory; I am certain that I’ve had such coffee candies before, but where, when, what, who knows.

A sunny warm beautiful day out there, but I am lounging here in the dark in flannel jammies with my warm cup of tea. Slowly emerging into the day. Getting psychologically prepared to get into motion, none too quickly.

I adore this tea. I like the powerful cardamon and black pepper zing of it. I like that cinnamon is way in the background in this combination. I like that the black tea base here beats its chest with enthusiasm amidst the spice medley. I reach for this blend when I need a strong-kick-in-the-pants kind of tea, even with milk and honey.

It seems I was bombarded by every conceivable kind of chai tea in autumn, so I got a bit tired of chai until the tea festival came around with their fantastic samples. It reminded me how much I do enjoy chai, the traditional way with milk and sweetener.

This one for me is a whole-hearted yes.

Seriously— what are these people at DT thinking?

I picked up a very small bit to try and thought that with milk, there might be hope for it. Still very artificial and killer sweet. Boo! It’s kind of the tea version of cream soda. Fine, if you like that sort of thing.

It’s just not been a good tea day so far.

My dry leaf included a fat raisin, so yay!

Steep, steep, steep, pause. No cinnamon. Buttery, yes. Cinnamon, no. Raisin, no. Smoky, as in Lapsang Souchong light smoky, yes. Bread, not so much.

Good, because the base is nice, but I am not sure that I signed up for this if I am being guided by the name of the tea.

This cup truly makes me question whether my tastebuds are working today. I am finding little to distinguish this one from 52teas Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.

Let’s see what flavours the second steep brings along.

Determined to find the right way around this tea, I gave this another try today. I leafed less and drank it hot and warm to avoid the soap action I experienced before. It was good.

But it is tricky to enjoy a cup with that avoid the soap, avoid the soap soundtrack playing in your mind throughout.

A bit of upheaval here. Both good and bad chaos all at once.

I know, I know—vague-book much?

When things get crazy in my world, I am not in the mood for experimentation with new teas. I want delicious, and I want reliable. I want to have a good idea of what my cup is going to taste like and do for me.

Hence, this tea. The flavours are pure and straightforward: a beautiful vanilla and ceylon.

When life is complicated, this is my cure. I will save cups of surprises for sane quiet afternoons.