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This tea is a disappointment. It smells like it should be very minty. I’ve tried brewing this several ways. Decreased heat, increased heat, decreased time, increased time – nothing works. It’s taste is oily, and muddy. There is a minty flavor to it, but its not the good taste of fresh mint leaves. It’s more like the old colgate that’s dried out on your toothbrush.

If you want an easy bagged “mint and tea” tea, just get a bag of a real mint infusion (you know, the box will say mint herbal tea – but won’t have any tea in it) and brew it with a bag of your favorite bagged black in a double sized mug.

This tea was prepared for me in the following way. Leaves were put into a metal basket inside a large sized clay teapot, and a clear glass mug was given me. I had time for only two steepings of this tea, as I was enjoying it while meeting an old friend. The first steeping was very brief, less than thirty seconds. A sweet almost caramel flavor, with the tiniest hint of something floral like jasmine (but not jasmine). The second steeping was much richer and woodier than the first, with some of that maltiness. I wish I had the time to really enjoy a few more steepings. The buzz, very interesting. I felt at ease, very sharp, and deeply calm. Very enjoyable.

Low on sugar so I used maple syrup, perfect.

This morning the tea seems a bit heartier than I remember it. Perhaps I used a little more leaf tan usual. I detect a flavor that is not unlike the scent of freshly sawed wood, and I mean that in the most pleasant of ways. Perhaps that goes in the “tannin” category?

Had this tea while out with the wife after Wednesday Healing Mass. Great yummy chewy bubbles and a lovely tea (with unknown adornments) Just what the doctor ordered.

I continue to find that this tea must be made using very quick steeps, and it enjoys several steeps. Drink while hot to warm, don’t let it cool.

Well, this is one of the last bags of tea in the box, definitely getting a thinner flavor. Having it with a drop of whole milk (all that we had at the time, and I had to cool it down and fast). Still a good groggy tea for when I have to get some in the body quickly, especially when I haven’t taken the time to clean my french press (oops!)

This tea deserves more attention that I have currently given it today, and so this “note” will updated with a proper response. As of now I have this twice, both only up to two steeps. This tea was given to me by my Godmother, and she got it from her Husband upon his return from teaching in Taiwan. It’s two years old, but was vacuum sealed, and the vacuum sealed bag was in a lined and sealed container.

The tea (so far) is woody, slightly vegetal, pleasantly bitter, and perhaps it has some of that malty flavor I’m learning to identify. It also has some other surprising elements that are hard to describe accurately, but I will do my best. If you’ve ever eaten sorrel leaves, plucked fresh from the ground, they cause a tingle along the sides of your tongue, and have a berry-like flavor. This tea has that sort of quality, but in a very less citrus/berry way. It happens more to the back and underside of the tongue. The sensation/flavor increases as the tea cools, and (so far) if allowed to cool (say while typing your wholly inadequate note) can become almost unpleasant.

This tea should follow the traditional Oolong steeping parameters. Short and frequent. My first steeping I tried my usual three minutes, and it was overpoweringly astringent, bitter, and mouth-drying (you know what I mean).

The first time it was served to me my host literally poured water over the leaves, brought the teapot to the table, and poured it. It was almost sweet. I think it barely steeped for twenty seconds. Anyway, I’ll write more on this soon.

Stay tuned for a link to a photo essay of the tea shortly.

This is a bagged tea that I bought this summer on a lark.

I brewed this according to the manufacturer’s instruction: boiling water, steep for four minutes. Both of which seem reasonable to me.

The tea brews with a pleasant aroma of cinnamon, anise, and that “chai spice” smell that reminds me of ginger and cardamon.

While this is described as a roasted green tea, I couldn’t discern any flavor of green tea, or roasted green tea. I would describe the flavor as being a thin form of the aroma with a hint of mild black tea.

The flavor was enhanced with a small amount of sweetener, but milk (2% in this case) did nothing to hurt or improve the taste.

For a bagged tea with “chai spices” I would say that it was mildly enjoyable, but nothing I would ever crave to buy again. It had a nice Christmas/Thanksgiving flavor, so I might suggest that with a bit of sweetener it would go best with a dessert, say carrot cake or shortbread.