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what finesse, what splendor…. this is a very fine tea. exquisitely delicate, nuanced & perfect without needing any additives. the sense of calm imparted by the infusion is so striking i imagine this would be the tea of choice in a Buddhist monastery. it is that serene.

the aroma of the tea liquor is of steamed brown rice & a very trace amount of the toasted coconut flavor that was extremely apparent (and wonderfully intoxicating) in the dry leaf.

i’m getting a slight fruit note! not really an orchid or floral note, but a fruit note. a teeny hint of fruit is detectable, though i have no idea what it is. if it is a floral note i’m picking up on, it’s how shall i say, fruity. but that is only a modicum of the taste here.

it’s primarily a buttery oolong with the brown rice flavor and aroma being most dominant. i wholeheartedly appreciate such a quality, as i love hojicha and genmaicha, yet this is not that…..but a very subtle variation on the ‘toasted’ or ‘brown rice’ theme. this is so delicate but as i said nuanced (and with a perfect flavor!), that i feel like raving about it! the delicacy in this tea is precious. i find it stunning.

there is a buttery mouthfeel and aftertaste from what i can detect, which i love. this is most definitely a toasty tea, but in a sylphlike sense. it is undoubtedly a swan.

beautiful.

ugh, this beauty! i think this might have been the tea to turn me on to loose leaf. in fact, of all teas i had smelled during one of my first trips to Teavana, i was so enamored of the smell & so mortified that this was (at the time) a seasonal tea (!!!!) that i simply had to get as much of this as i could because when i love something, it is pretty much for life. i was all hopes that it would make a comeback the following holiday season, but as it turns out, it never really went away!

to me, this is the legitimate smell of the holidays. absolutely Christmas-y without being an intrusively pungent cinnamon oil spill. not that i begrudge cinnamon anything as i love the spice, but sometimes it is added to blends in a way that overwhelms them, eclipsing every other flavor. here it is used artfully, in a way that creates this perfectly balanced, friendly and scrumptious caramel almond apple pie. each ingredient is in accord with one another and it is difficult to pull oneself away from inhaling the mixture! if i did a blind sniff of this, i’d imagine a potpourri sachet of cinnamon bark & dried apple imbued with the fragrance of caramel. make no mistake, this is not ‘potpourri sachet’ in an alienating sense, but in the most inviting sense. this is decadent, people.

unfortunately, the brew doesn’t quite live up to the fragrance, which is why i have to deduct 10 points, but i’m still thankful for the wonderful olfactory experience it provides. as they say, olfaction is a big part of taste. and in this case, who could complain?

despite the not-so-nice things that have happened to me at Teavana over the past 2 years, i will say this: their pound tins are time capsules. this tea has kept perfectly since November of 2012! of course, i don’t wish to test my luck and have my precious turn on me, so better to hurry and finish it up! but here’s a thumbs-down: this flavor has either been recently discontinued, or they are reworking the blend to take out all the allergens (read: nuts! NO!!!) as (i have been informed) they are doing with 2 of my other favorites: Cha Yen Thai & Zingiber Ginger Coconut. you know, go figure: just when i find something i really like. i mean really, really like (after trying a few cups) it is swiftly pulled from the shelves. And recently, Caramel Almond Amaretti has done a disappearing act from their website!! Un ceremonious Teavana, unceremonious.

side note: i do believe this tisane would make for a wild sort of chai (prepared stove top), or even kheer (Indian rice pudding). of course, the color might be a shocking magenta, but then you could always tell people dragon fruit is an ingredient ;)

another thing, too: with milk added to this, it looks like Strawberry Quik! ;p fun for kids (and i’m a big one) but also there is a Malaysian drink, of which the name escapes me, that I had long ago back when my Malaysian/Bruneian friends lived in the States (we’re talking 15 years ago!) it is essentially milk mixed with a dark pink flavored syrup. i can’t remember it as having any distinct flavor, except for the fact that it was very sweet! i do remember enjoying it greatly, though.

well, i went ahead and googled ‘Malaysian milk with pink syrup’ and this came up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandung_(drink) – the syrup is supposedly flavored with coconut & rosewater. a delicious memory! (and a sad one, too: i miss the times i spent with them! they were quite literally my foray into Malaysian culture, which is fascinating ethnically, culinarily, musically & linguistically! among so many other great qualities.)

as you can see, i’ve really wandered off the beaten path with my thought process.. go home, tasting note: you’re drunk!

delicious! this is a lively yet relaxing green tea blend with a base that is not too vegetal…only subtly so. come to think of it, it’s almost buttery. i think? i’m not sure, so don’t take me up on that, but whatever it is about this Chinese green, it is very lovely. in fact, if i’m not mistaken….it reminds me of Stash’s Organic Green Tea!! even beneath the citrus and ginkgo here, the tea itself reminds me of that crystal clear & clean taste that never gets bitter.. i really think there’s something to be said for organic tea as it greatly impacts the flavor- in that it’s smoother, cleaner & less astringent than its non-organic counterpart.

anyway, the flavoring in this is wonderful & refreshing. the citrus here is like a lemony-lime and i imagine the ginkgo is imparting a somewhat ‘minty’ impression. altogether, it’s along the lines of a ‘lemongrass’ kind of taste, but not sharp like lemongrass. maybe it’s lemon myrtle! i’m liking this one a lot.

and there’s that nice lemon aftertaste. the liquor is a pale yellow, although it has a bunch of particles floating around. an observation really, not so much a complaint.

well, i’m at the end of my cup and i’m sad to see this one go. it was a pleasant, soothing green tea experience. this came as 1 of 4 free samples included with my order from Harney & Sons. thank you!

the smell of the dry leaf is a decadent cocoa-caramel enhanced coffee flavor…just my definition of comfort. if ever a lion wanted to lure me into his den, this aroma would do the trick.

steeps up a nice, gorgeous golden-orange ‘marigold’ color….how enchanting! Japon smells like a sumptuous genmaicha/hojicha with slight caramel & chocolate notes reminiscent of a comforting Café Francais instant coffee.

there’s a rich, buttery caramel finish on the crispy toasted rice and the teeny popcorn bits, which are so cute!

the unmistakable toasty brown rice quality is very evident in the aroma & the sip. yay! this is the real deal, and any genmaicha enthusiast would love this.

having drank a significant portion of this unadulterated, it must come as no surprise that i’m wondering what this would be like with just a dusting of sugar! ;p

surely enough, it pops the caramel beautifully….wow! this is one special genmaicha….

this is so decadent (and yet, calorie-free!) that i’m going to brew up another cup. i regret nothing.

Nina’s Paris….you have a fan in me.

vanilla? bergamot? really?? i would have never guessed….but this tea smells outrageous!!!

my initial impression was of a fruit crème black tea with maybe some peach, possibly something lemon….and definitely blueberry. i’m reminded somehow of Teavana’s Blueberry Kona Pop…which is blueberry Heaven, but that’s another story..

on the inhale i get a sweet and tart grapefruit-like piquancy which morphs into a scrumptious iteration of blueberry on the exhale… tangy and creamy at the same time. just mouthwatering. what a lovely black tea! the flavoring is masterful.

the mix of ingredients here have given me the impression of a peach/grapefruit/blueberry-esque dessert that is made creamy by the semblance of vanilla. oh my.

i also get a feeling of tart lemony custard! but again, there are subtleties and nuances which seem to pull this tea in all kinds of directions, fragrance-wise. it is positively indulgent. blueberry meringue… oh that this were a perfume!!

now to steep this magnificent jewel, i am so giddy from the aroma!

the verdict:

since i am a fan of over-steeping (especially of flavored blacks), i’ve decided to steep this longer than the recommended 4-5 minutes, and i’m so glad i did. i also put 2 teaspoonfuls of leaf into a mesh filter (didn’t use my PerfecTea Maker this time). the longer this one steeps & the more it cools down, the closer the aroma is to the smell of the dry leaf. in other words….still outrageous!

i’m getting a creamy blueberry pudding with a faint zest from the bergamot. having added sugar to this (to bring out the flavor), i wish i didn’t add as much because it actually weighs the tea down and eclipses the slight tang. otherwise it’s perfect. will use maybe only a tsp of sugar as opposed to two next time! also…this tea is SO good, i didn’t add milk. i didn’t even need to. while halfway through the cup, i’m tempted to because i think this would make a creamy dreamy blueberry muffin!

well let’s see… yup. it worked! exceeded expectations, in fact! literal blueberry muffin i am gobsmacked!! i can see myself craving this one daily….onto the shopping list it goes! it’s only $21.50/lb- what a steal! but a pound of Paris? is that couth? i don’t care! ;p

this is a fruity, creamy, tart and tangy gourmand delicacy that the city of lights should be flattered to have named in its honor. une friandise véritable!

excellent! a beautiful, delicate, fresh lightly floral aroma. i think the melon is giving me this impression. not at all what i expected melon to smell like in a tea! i think a white base is quite smart. the leaves are lovely….

the flavor is pretty much what you smell. and if i had to venture a guess, i’d say the melon in question is honeydew (green) as opposed to the sweeter cantaloupe. the tea itself is not at all bitter and has a smooth finish. but my experience with white teas has been that they are so subtle you feel as though you are drinking water.

this comes off as a lightly-flavored water reminiscent of champagne. actually, i think it’s more like beer (from what i remember…i don’t care for the taste). someone else here mentioned that this reminds them of beer and baking bread. i agree that there is a certain raw dough/yeasty flavor to this, which the melon-infused tea interestingly enough, conveys.

others have said wine. maybe a fermented melon white wine that’s been watered down by a pitcher of ice cubes. that’s pretty much my impression of this. i don’t find it particularly exciting, but it could perhaps work as a palate cleanser.

while swamped in a stash of samples and purchases, i feel terribly indecisive about what to try. all but lost on an island of tea.. i am pleasantly marooned!

since it is early morning, i am very thirsty and craving a full-bodied black that i can add milk & sugar to, for extra decadence. but somehow, this one keeps calling my name.
the aroma alone is a rich, spongy, cake-y blueberry muffin! blue blue blue. i am getting blueberries all around!

WOW, what an aroma! and i’m a blueberry enthusiast. i love blueberry-flavored things: from muffins to pies to tea! real or artificial. sometimes i’ll put an entire pint of blueberries into a smoothie. they are very high in antioxidants, by the way.

i also like blueberry-flavored coffee from Dunkin Donuts, and that ‘blueberry muffin’ flavor reminds me somewhat of the smell of this tea: scrumptious, comforting and straight up delicious. when brewing, i’ll try to behave & sip this straight (at first) but may add some brown sugar & perhaps a spot of milk for a blueberry muffin creme experience.

the verdict: i am sad to report that the flavor was very weak. it was but a trace of the compelling aroma which seemed to promise so much. i felt like i was drinking faintly-flavored water. i am truly left wanting more…BUT i wholeheartedly loved the smell & think a heaping dose of this tea (much more than the 1/2 tsp recommended amount) steeped in less water will yield a much better, fuller taste.

since this was a sample, i’d actually like to order an ounce or 2 of this to see if my experiment holds up. i am determined to get my blueberry fix, one way or another! but for what it’s worth, i’m very happy i got to try my first purple tea which i’d never even heard of before!….it is rare, unique & apparently high in antioxidants as per the Butiki website: http://www.butikiteas.com/Exploring%20Kenya.html

before the sip!

i have just received a bunch of samples from the very generous Just Organic Tea (thank you so much!) and the package is positively aromatic! wow!

since the sample included 5 different teas & organic sugar, i’m getting an array of sweet spices & fruits. it’s really quite a perfumista’s dream.

i’m almost tempted to mix all of them up into one steeping vessel for an ‘everything but the kitchen sink!’ sangria-like tea extravaganza. i think perhaps i’m going overboard here….but what a lovely smell.

anyway…the Earl Grey. bergamot indeed! the exhale is wonderful! i haven’t sat face-to-face with bergamot on very many occasions, whether in tea or in perfume, but this one here is quite nice. and i’m not even an Earl Grey drinker. perhaps this can change that!

the tea itself (a nice dark black base that smells brisk & robust) should stand up very nicely to the citrus-y bergamot oil with which it is infused. the inhale is a lively, eye-opening, somewhat bitter lemony-lime….but i do love citrus fruits on their own…especially in water or a nice pometini! i could almost swear there is some orange in the exhale and even a sweetness. (but that may have to do with the fact that this was included with an Orange Spice black tea sample and a Pumpkin Spice Chai…hence the thought of mixing everything together for an unforgettable kaleidoscopic experience involving all five taste sensations: sweet, sour, salty, bitter & umami… lol)..

definitely a perfumey tea….but i think any Earl Grey enthusiast will love this one. it smells pleasant even to my nose.

PS- no lavender in this Earl. just bergamot & a black tea base.