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light, liquid maple in a cup! i get a slight, nutty pecan aroma from the gorgeous honey-colored, marigold-citrine infusion. definitely an orange topaz (my birthstone!) liquor that is very similar in color to Nina’s Japon genmaicha.

i’m surprised that Darjeeling is referred to as the champagne of tea, because if anything conveys delicacy (in terms of body & flavor) it is an oolong. not sure what type is used in this blend so i don’t know what notes to look for, but i’m definitely willing to concede inexperienced taste buds and lack of exposure to the oolong variety. there is perhaps a faint nuance of dried oats? can’t tell if that’s coming from the pecans in the blend or the tea itself. the rich maple syrup that was so decadent and thick in the aroma is barely detectable in the flavor. i wish it were stronger, but i can appreciate that having an essence translate from olfaction to taste must be a difficult task, especially without the help of artificial flavoring. (should i perhaps concede anosmia?)

overall the experience was enjoyable, but not exciting. maybe i’ll get more out of a second steep..

ETA: i just checked up on the description, and the type of oolong used in this blend is a Nilgiri Frost, which has notes of pecan and oak. i agree that it is gentle with more of a watery feel than a buttery one. perhaps any mention of butter comes from the flavor itself and not from the texture. i will, however, look for it the next time around!

why does a cup of this always seem to finish itself so quickly??

is it laced with something nefarious?

i steep it for 6-8 minutes (never taking the teabags out), add 2 and 1/2 tsps of brown sugar & a fair amount of Silk to give the dark maple colored brew a creamy-looking appearance of chai (sufficiently opaque and a perfect shade of # B48064 (hexadecimal color code). i referred to some charts on google but they weren’t yielding the correct shade of brown so alas, i was forced to open up Photoshop and toggle the color coordinates to my own liking.

sometimes words fall short (at least for this philistine), so it’s always good to have a hex color chart on hand, or a good neutral color palette when elaborating on different shades of beige:
http://tommybeautypro.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/sw_neutral_04.gif

personally, i like mine at Camelback SW 6122 though sometimes it goes to whole wheat, other times baguette.

wow, took quite a while for the tightly curled leaves to unfurl. definitely 8+ minutes!! although it was past the recommended steeping time i wasn’t worried since this is an organic tea, and in my experience, they tend to have a very clean flavor & aren’t dramatically altered by oversteeping.

the aroma of the infused leaves reminds me somehow of corn. not really getting seaweed, grassy or vegetal notes, although this has a ‘green tea feel’ for sure but not a typical one, at least not for me. if i’m not mistaken, this tea tastes an awful lot like Stash’s Organic Premium Green (one of my favorites!)….the liquor is even the same color. in my cup it’s a light yellow/peridot, but in the tea maker it looked like more of a jade for some reason. the leaves are a rich dark olive green.

ultimately, the flavor is light and clean with an astringent bite, and i feel like there is a predominant corn note, but not a sweet corn. i will say, this tea got increasingly bitter (almost tart) as it cooled down, but i blame my steeping parameters. perhaps it wasn’t necessary for the leaves to unfurl quite so lavishly? 5-6 minutes might have done the trick. but it’s nothing that ruined this experience for me as i quite enjoyed it, and interestingly enough, as i said before, it reminded me of Stash’s Organic, a green tea i am thoroughly impressed with!

my first experience with Indonesian tea. cool!

thank you so much, Tea At Sea for your generosity in sending out free samples for everyone to try!!

i may have many other teas to work my way through, but i will always come back to you.

this is the cinnamon bark potpourri sachet your grandmother warned you about;
a fiery tisane with stentorian sinus-clearing capabilities, and a rabble-rouser at that.
i wouldn’t be surprised if Celestial Seasonings started bagging wasabi powder (the new matcha?)
okay, this is not that bad, but it is strong and packs quite a punch, though it’s not a problem for me considering i love spice. if you’re in the mood for something extreme and enjoy cinnamon, you’ll love this.

to stave off a cold, i brew 2 sachets in one cup, and add the juice of half a lemon, a few slices of fresh ginger, as much cayenne pepper as i can stand, and plenty of honey. well, you might want to go easy on the honey since this tea is already naturally sweet but really, do what you like because it’s your tea. i mean, assuming you decide to follow this recipe for chasing away an upper respiratory infection. it may not work in time, but i think it’s worth a try.

actually, 2 bags of this stuff on its own will probably do the trick.

but i’m not even sick (or on the verge…knock on wood), yet somehow this makes me think of medicinal home remedies. the flavor is pretty nice too…it’s sweet, spicy, and has an apple note that no doubt gets overpowered by the Vietnamese (Saigon?) cinnamon, but i’d say this is good for what it is. if you’re hoping for warm, comforting apple pie, this may shake you! ;) try Teavana’s Caramel Almond Amaretti, instead.

life hack: if you ever find yourself in the throes of a struggle and are short on mace, throw a hot cuppa this on your assailant! come to think of it, i might keep a box of this in my purse…

i’m snowed in!

this is definitely the tea to be snowed in with.

a romantic red fruit (somewhat heart-shaped) on valentine’s day.
in your tea. while you’re snowed in.

satisfaite.

tealightful!

is this the same as Ahmad’s Strawberry Sensation? i think it’s just been renamed/repackaged.

i like Ahmad’s of London, they seem to offer such a nice variety of flavored teas, mainly fruit-flavored ones. i was craving strawberry in a black tea for some reason, probably because i never got to try Teavana’s Strawberry Slender Pu-erh & Weight-to-go (these names are atrocious!) both of which contain strawberry & the loose leaf just looks so darned good. also perhaps because i’m already oversteeped in gourmand, vanillary creme caramel dessert-type teas (not that i’ll ever forsake them) ;p so i am looking for a black with sweetness, but from that imparted by fruit this time.

i think this is perfect for what it is. the strawberry is dead on. nothing artificial about the strawberry flavor (unless of course any artificiality is masterfully concealed). it’s just delicious! from the aroma to the flavor, strawberry never leaves your side. it’s a pleasant companion and a most juicy additive to this delicate infusion. the black tea base is quite nice but does get a little bitter though, but maybe i’m at fault for oversteeping. (i went a little over 5 minutes and i think they recommend 4, tops.)

i’m sure a spot of milk (in my case- almond, soy, coconut or rice) will camouflage this & round out the flavor a bit more, and make—yes, you guessed it—-a nice, creamy strawberry muffin or strawberry shortcake parfait. i had to go there (dessert territory).

tangential: i googled Piccadilly trifle, because i love trifle and wondered if Piccadilly was a flavor. as it turns out, it’s a circus! anyway, there was a nice link to a Pinterest page in the search results titled ‘Pretty Parfaits for Tea’…. have a look-see! http://www.pinterest.com/jinab/pretty-parfaits-for-tea/

as for this tea, i’d recommend it. it’s freakin’ yummy!

very yummy for a medicinal, herbal blend. tastes pretty much like mint! well today i’ve just been on a sipping rampage, and am apparently mortified of the idea of getting sick since i picked up a bunch of teas today, 2 of which were echinacea-based. the other one was Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Echinacea Complete Care (which tastes a bit of a disaster). are the claims of immune support true? who knows….most things are shooed away unless empirically tested/validated. not that i’d have it any other way, for we need such a rigorous vetting process in order to confirm a substance’s efficacy (or lack thereof). anyways…

i liked this one a lot. i don’t really get much in the way of elderberry, just mint with a slightly herbaceous edge.

the main ingredients are Echinacea purpurea & European elder flower, including their extracts/concentrates. the proprietary blend is comprised of organic ginger rhizome, chamomile flower, yarrow flower & peppermint leaf.

this had damn well better work.

delicious! first off, the name is endearing….so unapologetic about what it is, but you know what? it’s helpful, because that ‘chinese restaurant’ or even ‘japanese restaurant’ flavor tea is something i enjoy & sometimes actively seek out. i find it very comforting. plus, i think there is something to be said for the fact that it has earned a spot in the hearts of restaurant-goers. anyway..

when i saw this today at Fairway, next to the Yamamotoyama Jasmine tea & Brown Rice green teas, i sincerely wanted to try it. i don’t know that i’ve had distinctly or even ‘stereotypically-tasting’ Chinese tea, so i was almost worried about this one. but worry not. it is a soothing & surprisingly, refreshing! blend of oolong and green tea scented with jasmine. yes, the jasmine is refreshing! no, it does not overpower the taste. this is not what i’d call a ‘floral tea’ per se.

come to think of it, this is actually the second jasmine-scented tea i’ve tried and thoroughly enjoyed. the first was Teavana’s Jasmine Silver Needle, which, much like this tea, seemed like more of an oolong than a white in terms of body & flavor. also, like this tea, there was that slight ‘nutty’ quality with a rice note.

as for this, oft picked upon ‘generic’ Chinese Restaurant infusion, this smells more like white rice than it does brown. steamed white rice (perhaps on the verge of being toasted), with a definite oolong quality moreso than green & might i add the jasmine is lovely! and i’m so surprised i’m saying that! i appreciate that its scent is present, but not overpowering. it is fresh, young, tender jasmine whose fragrance sits lightly over the ‘steamed rice’ toasted-ness. and here’s the even stranger part (at least to me): it tastes great! not perfumey, soapy or bitter; it is what it is but it’s good.

i’m giving a bagged restaurant tea a serious review. i’m a charlatan!

i regret nothing.

PS- definitely great with food, as someone else has said. it’s subtle, soothing and light. i had mine with lunch. it complements whatever you’re eating (IMO). i’m sure this would be great after a meal too, as i was craving another cup!