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Backlog:

Had this at Selah Tea Cafe iced. Just ok. I did not pick up on the berries, although it was a little sweet. Very generic black base. It mentions there is green tea in the blend as well, but I didn’t taste it.

Backlog from vacation:

My cousins took me to Selah tea Cafe in Waterville, Maine. Went through two french presses of this as we sat and chatted for a few hours. Pretty good! Strong earthy pu’erh base and a nice, creamy caramel flavor- not overly sweet or fake.

Backlog from Saturday: I had this tea after dinner at my Great Aunt Victoria’s house. This is the second bagged tea I’ve had by Zhena’s Gypsy tea and so far I’m really impressed! The coconut was really natural tasting and the spices were strong, but well-balanced. The base added a nice maltiness to the mix.

I haven’t been updating lately while I was on vacation in Maine. I was staying at my grandfather’s and he only has an ancient pc with dial-up connection that doesn’t always load pages. I couldn’t get any signal for my phone either. It was kind of nice to get away from a computer altogether actually for a few days. I am kind of sorry though I missed out on Butiki’s sale. Try as I might, I couldn’t get a signal that day.

I was surprised to find a place that served loose leaf tea at La Guardia airport, so of coursee I had to try the place out. Worldbean carries a small but nice variety of Rishi teas. I really liked the sceent of the liquor of this tea, which was a nice, creamy coconut. The oolong base was not the best I’ve had, but still a fairly smooth and creamy oolong with lots of fresh, light green undertones. Not bad for an airport!

If this is included in tomorrow’s Butiki sale- there is no way I’m resisting an order. I need to stock up! So goooooood! :-)

I didn’t sleep well last night, so I went for one of my favorites this afternoon during my 3 o’clock “it-should-be-naptime” tea break.

Still one of the sweetest, maltiest, lightest teas I’ve had. I love it!

What kind of an Indian restaurant has only Lipton and German-brand Peppermint? So weird! They looked at me like I was crazy when I ordered hot tea.

As for the tea itself, it was pretty typical bagged peppermint. Not as great a fresh-picked mint, but I’ve had much staler, dull tasting mints.

This from the Momo box! And Yay Steepster is back!

My sister put this in my pitcher steeper this morning when she finished off the Jasmine tea that was in there yesterday- I have trained her well! ;-)

It starts out with the taste of the base, which is pleasantly buttery and light. The raspberry is next and although it is bright and tangy like a real berry, there is a slight artificiality. It doesn’t take too much away from the flavor. At least it doesn’t taste like bubble gum! Also there is a warm, flowery element, which I’m starting to identify with safflower.

After a while the tea leaves me with a dry mouth. The tang of the berries grows and grows until it eventually leaves a bitter build up in the mouth, so I started to not like the taste toward the end of the bottle of it I had. If I had had just a small cup, I would have liked it the entire time, but the build-up was just too much in a 12oz size.

Thanks, Ashmanra, for a generous sample of this!

When I opened the packet I was surprised to smell apple cider vinegar! There is a floral element, but the vinegar smell really packs a punch!

I steeped at boiling for 4 minutes. It tasted just like it smelled- apple cider vinegar with slight rose undertones. I was expecting a mellower apple taste to compliment rose.

The base seems pleasant, dark and mellow, so I would try other Nina’s blends. Especially because the rose from what I can taste is really pleasant. It’s not over the top and perfume-like.

About halfway through the cup, I added some brown sugar to see if it would cut down some of the acidity in the taste. It didn’t help all that much. Maybe I’ll use the rest up in a cold-brew and see if the apple is not so sharp then.

The dry-leaf of this is promising- cacoa tones, subtle clove and cinnamon, and something almost like freshly baked bread

1st Steep: 172F for 1.5 minutes. I’m going to describe this tea as Thanksgiving dinner minus the turkey. Butternut squash with that caramelized glaze it gets from roasting it just right! Green beans covered in butter. Aromatic and comforting spices wafting through the air. This tea puts me in a very happy place! :-)

2nd Steep: 176F for 1.5 minutes. Very similar to the first, a little darker and deeper. If possible even more buttery. Enjoying this far too much to pick it apart. Sweet potatoe pie anyone?

3rd Steep: 168 for 1.5 minutes. Less squash, more bread. Honey sweet. Strong clove undertone. This tea makes me think in soundbytes. Fresh warm brown bread straight from the oven and slathered in fresh butter.

I might have some more of this after I shower. And I think I may just need a turkey sandwich for lunch to complete the Thanksgiving dinner theme of this tea!