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I had a small sample of this when I ordered from Teavivre. Oh… my… gosh… the warm inviting scent of roasted chestnuts hit me when I peeled the packaging open. It brought back memories of me in medical school really getting into teas and trying them! This one was so memorable because I remember watching the leaves become bigger, and it was the first time I saw a large leafed tea! The taste was amazing too! This is a dark oolong and smokey like chestnuts NOT like lapsang souchong.

I used my yixing teapot set for this and shared it with my husband. This teapot is surprisingly big! 16oz! The two 4oz yixing teacups could be filled twice. The leaves expanded to a medium size leaf. I wish I didn’t put them in the tea strainer as to let them expand and dance in the water. However, I thought it would have been necessary since I didn’t have another vessel to place the steeped tea. I can see this tea becoming very bitter if left unattended!

The result was a nice dark brown tea with a toasted aroma. It became sweeter as it cooled more. This reminds me of autumn and the leaves that fell from the trees and dried up. The taste was smooth but at the end of a sip was slightly astringent. There was some cocoa and roasted nuts mixed with honey. Perhaps there were some mild raisin or fruit tones mixed with very mild florals. I love the complexity of this tea. Its as if it holds a secret! There was a hint of earthiness to it, not in the same sense as pu-erh though. I love the warmth to it like a big blanket on a snowy cold day. I absolutely love this tea. It just reaffirms my love for oolong teas… and especially non-flavored teas. This is a wonderful tea. And it is so pure yet so complex.

This was the last of my sample from Teavivre! Thank you! My husband and I enjoyed this tea this morning. As usual, I rinsed it then gave the first steeping to my husband and I took the second steep. The second steep was delicious and more like chocolate. This is a nice tuocha! :)

I received this sample with my Kusmi Teas order. I thought the packaging was pretty with the mint green label and the cloth-like teabag. The scent wasn’t overpowering, but I managed to see a piece of popcorn and some rice mixed in with the dark green tea leaves. This is a VERY light genmaicha. It was unexpected. One of the first teas I got into was genmaicha because they would serve it at all the Japanese restaurants around me. This one was very watered down. The liquid was a light yellow. I really had to stick my nose in my cup and swish the tea in my mouth to really get the scent and flavor. This is nice and sweet and there is no astringency there. I like the light nutty and rice flavors. I imagine that this would be refreshing and nice iced or cold brewed.

I am not a fan, unfortunately. Light, barely detectable genmaichas are not my thing.

I received a sample of this from Lady 0f Spaydes. Delicious blend! I was worried because I didn’t know what the blue/purple or “blurple” flower petals were in this tisane. I decided to just go for it. I love the sugar bits in there that looked like a green-white ornament! Very cute. There is a mix of the pine-like rooibos and the thicker woody honeybush in there. It smelled like orange cream to me! This tastes great! The orange that is so prominent in scent isn’t translated as strongly in the taste. It is there though and sweet. The cream along with the woody, nutty, roasted taste of the rooibos and honeybush is a nice mix, especially with the orange. This doesn’t need sugar at all. This is a nice healthy beverage!

I drank this all up today! I liked the bits of dried apple in the mix. The caramel was a soft background that mixed well with the sweet woody nature of honeybush. Delicious tea!

Sweet fruits! This sample is delightful, and strawberry has been my theme this entire pregnancy! This is a nice dessert for breakfast type of tea. The base is stronger than the strawberry flavor, which is nice and different than the other strawberry teas I’ve had. This one is good. It is not astringent and the brew was a nice brown color. It smells like strawberries and the taste of it was light and mildly sweet. I love how it tastes like WILD strawberries and not artificial at all. I felt like I was picking them from the strawberry bush and eating it… though the flavor is more subtle than actually doing that! I wasn’t able to obtain any of the vanilla flavors, but it may have been there more as a creamy tone. Very subtle indeed, but very good tea! This tea is well blended!