Featured & New Tasting Notes
So I totally meant to drink Sugar Cookie and not Sugar Plum, as I rummaged through the tea bags that VariaTEA was nice enough to send me, but whoops?
This was actually ok. I was worried it’d be a little too tart so I added a little bit of sugar and it was pretty great. I drank a mason jar of! Awesome. :D
Wow.
I opened up the packet and cantaloupes fell out. Or at least, that’s what it smelled like.
This is what other sweet flavored white teas aspire to and fail to achieve in my view.
I decided to steep in the gaiwan per the comment from yyz on my last white tea endeavor, however, I didn’t have the note in front of me and steeped a bit shorter. 30 seconds, then going up to 45.
The aroma is also of cantaloupe, though mellower. The liquor is pale yellow.
The flavor is pure cantaloupe, without any adjustments. There is no winy-ness to speak of, like some other melon flavored teas I’ve had. There’s no bitterness.
The tea isn’t planty or overpowering, nor is it non-existent, but I don’t get a strong flavor, more like a dark undercurrent that lets me know I’m drinking tea rather than hot cantaloupe juice.
The aftertaste is sweet and gently melon-y.
It’s the best flavored white I have had thus far that doesn’t rely on a tart citrus to cut an unpleasant mustiness, and I’ve rated it accordingly. The good news is I have a fair amount of this and I can play with the time and temp until I get it as close to perfect as possible.
Flavors: Melon
Preparation
Sounds great! Makes me wonder how it compares to Butiki’s Cantaloupe and Cream.
Fjellrev – I did a melon-off last year, with this, Lupicia’s Melon Oolong and Butiki’s C&C. They were so different I felt there was a place for all of them in my cupboard, but if I had to pick a single one, it would be the oolong. (Because oolong.)
Anna, I’m with you about the magic of that oolong. It’s like, desert island worthy as far as I’m concerned. I’ve been dreaming about it ever since I tried it. It’s changed my life. I’m a better person (ok well not really-that’d require less general rage LOL) because of it.
Hahaha, keychange, you sound exactly like my top tasting note for Lupicia’s Ripe Mango Oolong.
It’s what they do to us!
Oooh, now I need to try the melon oolong!
Yes, you really do. All the oolongs.
This isn’t have the same blow-me-away quality that it had the first time I tried it, but I knew what I was expecting this time. It’s still really good and a bit like cake and cookies for breakfast or cinnamon sugar donut holes (and who could complain about that really?)
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
Preparation
This tea is so good. It deserves a better rating.
I’m having it with honey, and …roasted fennel I haven’t put away yet. It’s for a beet-fennel-orange salad, probably with cranberry honey.
Can you get the munchies from tea? It’s ridiculous, the way I’ve been nibbling on veggies all evening. I haven’t even had dinner – just more and more vegetables! The idea was to cook them all and then eat them with lunch for the next few days, but then I ate, umm, most of them.
Preparation
First note on this despite the fact that I’ve had it several times before. I love genmaicha. And I love LB. And I love chocolate. So I figured this would be the greatest thing EVAR. But it isn’t. I mean, it’s really good, but to cut to the chase, I think the oolong in this is throwing things off kilter, at least for my tastebuds. I’m not crazy over that mineral note, especially here. It detracts from the maltiness of the LB and the extra shot of cocoa from the cacao nibs.
The smell of the dry leaf reminds me of puffed wheat squares. But oddly enough, when I left the wet leaves in my strainer while I stepped out for a few hours, when I got back and went to dump them, I wondered, “What is this supposed to be? It kind of smells roasted, but meaty. But roasted chicken.” Weirdest thing ever. But hey, at least roasted chicken didn’t show up in the flavour.
Too bad because apparently roasted chicken is an option in the flavour profile list underneath. Good times.
So yeah, this is nice but I would have preferred it without the oolong, ultimately. I’d also rather have plain LB. But it’s still pleasant and can easily be polished off.
I will try this one day. I have it on my wish list! :)
Have you been stacking up the points on their site? :D
Can we talk about ‘mineral’ notes in tea? Are they like mineral notes in wine, i.e. anything from, say, granite to chalk, or is it more of a metallic taste?
I typically get an almost metallic-like rocky note in oolongs such as the one in this blend.
Is it red wines that tend to have more mineral notes? I’m allergic, so I never thought of it in that way. :)
No, they are present in both whites and reds. I find them far more often in whites, but that’s probably more of a personal thing. =)
Okay, metallic-like AND rocky. Good, thank you!
This is pretty illustrative of why I find the term ‘minerality’ a little hard to pin down when it comes to wine (towards the end of the page). It’s so random! http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/style/tmagazine/06tdirt.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0
Oh interesting, I wonder if mineral notes are more present in the drier wines then. I prefer off-dry.
That’s a really interesting article! I’ll have to try to pay attention to these subtleties next time I have wine, which is rarely.
No, I don’t know anything about points on their site.
Seriously? You sign up and every day when you log in, you accumulate points. Then you can use them for rewards like coupons and infusers and stuff. Plus I recently found out that they still offer sample sizes. So ultimately, they make ordering really easy. :)
Even if you haven’t bought? Really? Huh, might have to look that up.
Yep! You just create an account with an email address and you’re set. Plus if you have Twitter, or link it up to your FB, you can accumulate extra by tweeting and liking their page.
Nice!
I’m tired.
Little league baseball season has started. With two kids on two different teams, this means we will have three games and two practices each week for the next few months. Last year around this time we pretty much lost control of our entire schedule because of the baseball situation and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Not that it wasn’t fun watching the kids play. No. 1 in particular is quite talented. He has an amazing arm and is a pretty reliable batter as well. But still. On top of everything else the kids have going on it’s quite a hellacious couple of months. Not to mention what we, the adults, have going on. All of which basically gets put on the back burner. At least this time I have a folding chair to take with me to the games (I asked for one for Mother’s Day last year because my butt hurt from having to sit on the concrete at the parks where there aren’t bleachers).
All of that is a long winded way of saying that I’m going to put this in a big mug and go lie down with it beside my bed, and I expect I will fall asleep (continuing with the baseball theme) before you can say Jack Robinson.
The pie flavor is coming out even before much cooling goes on tonight, which is comforting. Soon my body will realize that it isn’t getting any sugar out of this despite the taste and I won’t be able to stay awa…
Given my need to try all the genmaichas, I grabbed some of this the last time I was at CaesarsTea. This is not one I will be getting again. The base is not as vegetal as most of the other green teas but there is still something off about this that I just can’t put my finger on. Perhaps Roswell Strange will figure it out as I may have tossed a couple cups worth in a swap since she too wants to try all the genmaichas.
Preparation
Have you tried the Den’s Genmaicha extra green with added matcha?
I have not. Although I have had other genmaichas with matcha added that I enjoyed.
Yeah, those are yummy :)
Camellia Sinensis makes one that has added sencha and matcha. It is one of the first genmaichas, if not THE first, that I tried.
I’m a little worried about how big this package is going to be. Will it be easy to get back under 200 once it arrives?
I don’t think I sent THAT much and what I did send are small samples. I honestly don’t remember what got tossed into the bag tbh though. I think mostly just the teas you requested.
I second the deliciousness of Den’s genmaicha extra green!
Oh cinnamon tea, why did I buy you? I think I found steepster too close to BF. I was so excited to TRY ALL THE TEAS that I decided to really take advantage of the many different sales to buy them all. Unfortunately, after some time realizing what my likes/dislikes are, I was left wondering why I bought half the teas I did when the orders finally came in. This is one of those teas. I find cinnamon to be rather finicky in teas and I really hate when cinnamon gets overly sweet.
This is just on the border of cinnamon sweetness. It is spicy enough that I can manage to drink the cup but I think this will be added to my teas to swap because I don’t particularly want to drink it again.
Flavors: Cinnamon
Preparation
Aw I liked this one. :) But I suppose we can’t love all the teas haha.
Do you want it? I will pass it along. I think I am just super picky about cinnamon.
I hate when that happens!
Its okay. I have learned. Now when I go on sites, I am incredibly picky about what goes into my cart.
I’ve also gotten much pickier, and I’m all about sample sizes. I wouldn’t mind a wee bit, just the next time you’re sending something. :)
It’s all yours :)
It’s kind of nice to read about the more recent Della Terra offerings since I haven’t ordered since last spring. Seems like I’m not missing out on much. But glad Courtney likes it! It all works out in the end.
I don’t really order either Fjellrev haha. Just Lemon Chiffon for J. Cinnamon Crackle is a holiday one I believe, because I had it the Christmas before the one just passed. Were you interested in some? I can certainly share. :)
Oh no, it’s ok! It’s just funny how from time to time, I check their site and nothing seems to really interest me. Then, I come here and read the reviews and it just sort of validates my judgements. Almond Biscotti seems like their only decent-sounding recent offering.
Ah, I totally get this. I’m just in the midst of putting together a swap list as we speak…I have way too much of the teas I don’t like, it would seem.
This one wasn’t exactly what I was expecting either, but good enough to finish the sample pack off.
This tea is a bit of a miss for me today, and the other one I brought was so undrinkably strong that I had to dump it (no milk or sugar here to fix it with). It’s cold here too. And mediocre tea = a SAD Cavo!
Also, I had to laugh at how my friends in BC are freaking out about the 5 cm of snow that fell. :P Ahahahahha. Ok, that’s mean, but I can’t believe how extreme the weather is in Toronto, while I managed to wear sandals for 80% of the year when I was in Vancouver. Granted if you go to SFU it’s a bit different because the mountain is pretty undrinkable, but it’s not a crisis situation all around.
Ok, enough poking fun at my BC people ILU guys, really. I’m just jealous. :P
I’m gonna make myself finish this cup (or not) and then move on to something tastier.
Haha! Are you originally from BC Cavo?
Yup, this one was a miss with me also!
I am! I grew up in Merritt, then went to college in Kamloops (both in the Interior). I went to Northern Alberta for a few years to work, then retreated to Vancouver Island, and then finally Vancouver. So I’ve seen a few different climates!
I never really believed that the Island/Van were an actual rainforest until I got out there, but then Merritt is pretty much a desert (with actualfax tumbleweed!) – I didn’t expect so much variety so close!
Keychange – I had a sample of it before and it was amazing. So I wonder if this one is just really finnicky?
Haha we drive through Merritt every summer when we visit Vancouver. It always amazes me that people live there. :P I lived in Burnaby for 6 months before I had to move to Calgary since J was here. I loved being out there. :)
Hmmm, it’s possible. Definitely wouldn’t be the first time I screwed up a tea haha.
Wow, Cavo, I had no idea you lived in AB or on the Island. I’m going to have to ask you sometime about your thoughts on where you are now, and how it compares to Vancouver. Because as much as I love it here, job prospects-wise, it seems like it would be a smarter move to head to TO eventually. :)
I don’t know why people live in Merritt either! :P Especially before the music fest was a thing. Pretty much everyone I knew that I graduated with moved away.
And fjellrev – it might depend on your personality etc, and what kind of job you are looking for. It was tough to find something on the island, but within a month I was working in Vancouver, and when I was laid off there, it was less than a month before I found another job (making $15+/hour in an office setting).
It took me 4+ months to get a job here in Toronto, and even then I only got this job because my sister-in-law recommended me and got me the interview. Before that I was trying to find something within the same wage that I had back in Vancouver, and wasn’t too far of a commute.
Toronto is far more formal than Vancouver, which is NOT great for me because I am a jeans&t-shirt lady all the way. I do not do formal business wear very comfortably and would have had to buy a full wardrobe if I did get an office job elsewhere… IDK if any of that helps. :P
Wow thanks, that’s very helpful. I keep hearing and reading that it’s next to impossible to find a job in Vancouver, and if you do, it’s usually around minimum wage and/or you’d have to juggle 2+ jobs in order to earn a living. And this is why the younger crowd are getting driven out. But yeah, I’ve been hearing and reading about Victoria being just as bad, if not worse. So I’m so torn on what to do once I graduate. It doesn’t help that my mom wants to retire here, so in a way, if I am on the west coast, I feel like I’d be obligated/stuck staying on the Island.
But the formality part doesn’t surprise me. I’ve never been to Toronto before, but seeing that it’s essentially the corporate centre of Canada, I can see that. I’m shocked it took you that long to find a job though? I don’t know why, but I always had the impression that there are far more job opportunities there than in Vancouver.
Part of the issue was that I needed to make at least $17/hour in order to make paying for daycare/transit etc worthwhile, especially when daycare can start at $700month. If I was willing to work for $15 I might have had a job within a month, or at least made it to the second interview. And these jobs were all for Office Managerial roles, or something like that where I’d be in an office and have some degree of responsibility.
It’s funny but with both jobs I had in Vancouver, I found them both through Craigslist, even though people say it’s all scams etc. And the second job was AMAZING. Until I found my new job I was a little sad we had to move and I had to quit because it paid well and was interesting. What field are you going into? And do you have any experience? I guess that would make a difference as well since I’m 32 and have had several different jobs with a wide-range of experience, making me both more and less hirable. :P
Oh ok yeah, dealing with extra expenses such as daycare can definitely complicate things. Haha I’ve never applied to jobs on Craigslist before but I’m glad it’s worked out for you.
Outside of academia, I have mostly retail and supervisory experience, and within academia, research and teaching assistantship duties. I’m open to trying to get into HR, or some sort of office/government job. Teaching languages. There’s a lot I could do with my degree, like it can be applied to many domains. But it’s always nice to hear from someone who’s lived in different cities what the job market is, or can be, about. :)
Fjellrev, Vancouver is easy, especially if you have any office skills. $14+ an hour to temp reception? Uhh, ok! Can be boring, but it’s easy money, and you can gain experience/work up to longer contracts/permanent stuff. Gov’t jobs, check out the temp agencies. I forget which one has a gov’t contract here, but it’s a good place to start. Once you’re temporary you can apply for inside positions. Which sounds terrible, but whatevs. :)
I have a feeling I’m going to be back in office work by 2015.. I’d just make more money, and that’s sadly really important.
Huh, you know, I never considered temp agencies before. You’re making it oh so tempting. My gut says Vancouver would be better than Victoria too. I just keep hearing that it’s super competitive and you need connections.
I also read that the wages you earn in Vancouver support the COL there, whereas in Victoria, they don’t. Gah!
Haha. Cost of living here is just over $19/hour (about $40k). I don’t make anywhere near that, and it’s hard, but it’s do-able. Temp agencies are nice because you can temp while you look for something permanent. Get a feel for different companies and corporate environments.
Maybe check out Victoria, see what’s available. I had a really hard time finding work there because I’m definitely from Vancouver. :)
Although this tea presented a bit thinner than usual this morning, it was still a delightful cup. Got more caramel and a bit less butteriness, which was interesting. I’m trying to actually drink down a lot of my “winter” teas in order to make room for my very own “spring and summer collection”, although I imagine this may be a staple year-round. I was also feeling a bit off this morning, as in I didn’t really feel like eating or drinking anything, and I find that that changes your tea-drinking experience so much.
That’s exactly what I’m doing too: enjoying and drinking up my winter teas and getting ready for the spring assortments. :-) Sorry you weren’t feeling quite up to par this morning…hopefully you’ll be feeling normal again soon so you can more fully enjoy your tea!
Yes! Me too! Time to drink my eggnog teas and really heavy smoky ones that I never crave in the summer!
I also ordered some Laoshan Green because even though I don’t want it today, I will in a month or so! (And I don’t plan to order from Verdant any time in the next 6 months after this)
Alright, guys. Let’s start chugging away the winter!!
Me too! Its time to start thinking of the spring flavors. Sipdowns ahoy.
yes! away with the gingerbread, warm cinnamon types, pumpkin stuff, winter minty christmasy everything…all gone!
I’m working on finishing up my Lapsang Souchong and Orange Spice black teas—definite “winter” faves. Looking ahead to spring (I couldn’t help myself!) I went ahead and bought some Cherry Blossom Sencha, Mao Feng green tea, and Green Snail Spring—all perfect for welcoming in spring, whenever it decides to get here, haha. Mmm Cavocorax that Laoshan Green sounds good! And yeah, I don’t think I’d be craving eggnog in summer, either, lol.
666th post. This kept staring at me, all evil-like, so I figured it would make an appropriate post. Too bad I only ordered a sample because I have one serving left and I didn’t really anticipate liking this enough to want more so soon. Maybe it’s just a phase?
Melted Neapolitan ice cream again. I kept picking up the mug and taking another sip in agony; while each sip is blissful, it’s simultaneously terrifying, because I’m inching my way closer… and closer… to the bottom of the mug.
Perfect thing to drink for this post, I guess. Plus I’m all decked out for the occasion wearing a Metalocalypse t-shirt, and I just watched an episode when I got home too.
LOL! Happy 666!
666 really only reminds me of when I worked on the bear study we had a tagged male 666 who we nicknamed the devil bear. When he was in his young and stupid phase we caught him almost everyday in the live traps we had in the capture recapture study. Lucky for him he spent most of his time in the wildlife reserve part of the study otherwise I don’t know if he would have made it to 5. Despite that he would sometimes wander into our field camp, but never really caused any problems.
I hate it when you end up loving the one you bought the least of. Especially now as I have restricted my buying.
Woo, 666! :D
>:B
It’s the Baptist Sunday School teacher gene (runs deep in the DNA) in me, but I had to write 667 really fast after I wrote 666 so I didn’t land there :)
\m/
Also, Metalocalypse, YAY!
Oh yeah – Metalocalypse!!!
Happy 666th note!!!
yyz, that sounds like an interesting study. And I agree, I bought samples just for the time being so it’s kind of annoying when this happens, especially when you’re trying to watch your money.
Nice to see Metalocalypse fans here!
The name of this cracks me up. (What happened to the first 1236 herbals?) It’s like the guy who named his boat “Lucky 2.”
I am excited, however, to be drinking an ingredient called Moldavian dragonhead. I feel tough just thinking about it.
My first note on this recorded surprise that I liked it as much as I did, and I agree with what I said before. It isn’t an overly lemony lemon tisane, and the vanilla isn’t enough to push it into the cream or chiffon camp. It’s got an herbally lightness to it that is more grassy sweet than sweet-sweet and the vanilla supplies more mellowness than actual flavor. It’s not a fruity lemon, but it’s a pleasant one nevertheless.
Moldavian dragonhead sounds like something out of Harry Potter. Very cool.
Apparently it is a blue flower that looks a little like a Texas bluebonnet, but what a sexy name!
So excited! This one is coming my way. I think I got it 50/50 for the lemon description and the moldavian dragonhead. :)
Next time I try this I’m really going to look for the Moldavian dragonhead in the mixture. Apparently it tastes like lemon, though I mostly taste the lemon myrtle in this and lemongrass to a lesser extent. It would be interesting to isolate some dragonhead and see what it tastes like by itself.
Snortlol at notes!
LOL. What if it had actually been 1236 less stellar, retired herbals… I like companies that this, though, since I have good recall when it comes to numbers (easier to remember than names). With Mariage Frères, I started out just memorizing the numbers of the blends I wanted to try.
In other OCD news, TG’s number 1236 appears to have been cut, but number 1238 is a very evil-looking hibiscus tea!
Oooooh, there’s actually a 1238, and there was actually a 1236? The plot thickens….
Sipdown no. 101 of the year 2014.
Today it was a little on the too much side, really dense. Almost like an oil slick, really.
I attribute this to the descent of the chocolate pieces to the bottom of the sample packet and their concentration there much more intensely than its blenders intended.
I had some nicer cups out of this and the bottom of the barrel experience doesn’t ruin it for me.
This concludes the sipdowns of my SpecialTeas samples, though I still have part of a tin of Rooibos Lemon Chiffon. I’ve been enjoying it in the evening, when it has been populating the mug beside my bed. Though it hasn’t aged particularly well, it is far more enjoyable than the last tisane to fill that role, Tazo’s Sweet Cinnamon Spice.
I try to remember to shake all teas with big pieces of something or the other, but it’s so easy to forget.
I know! I need to put a post it note on my counter that says “remember to shake.”
Oil slick hah. How appetizing. :P
Haha, well at least it was cocoa oil. ;-)
Oil slick…
Duhn duhn DUHN! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2YjyharfZ0
Oh dang it: “This video is not available in your country.” I’ll have to search for it.
It is! Creepshow 2, ‘The Raft’, an adaptation of a short story by Stephen King.
(I guess it says a lot that it’s the first thing that comes to mind whenever I hear ‘oil slick’, haha.)
Hahahaha!
It’s sad when you discover a tea you really like and then the company discontinues it, or in this case the company goes out of business!
I haven’t had this in a while because I’ve been hoarding it a bit. The sweetness of the golden yunnan mixes so well with the natural jasmine. I really don’t like jasmine teas that are overly perfume-y and drying. This hits the sweet spot for me. A nice, gentle way to wake up!
Preparation
This does sound really great.
I may need to try this one to see how it compares: http://www.silkroadteas.com/servlet/the-661/Jasmine-Jewel/Detail
You should! I’d love to read the comparison. I’m going to try as many new jasmines as I can this year.
I’d already committed to this one before realizing it was one of those nightmare samples.
1. It’s not in the database.
2. It’s barely googlable and not available to purchase online.
3. It turns out it’s an in-house (but possibly sourced) blend at this three-locations-in-the-entire-US coffee chain.
4. If I love it, there’s no way in hell I’m ever going to be able to score any more.
So let’s steep this sucker and hope for the worst!
In the bag, it smells really, really delicious. It’s strongly coconutty, but also a full-on, really gorgeous pistachio. I know it’s supposed to be almond, but this smells exactly like Sicilian pastry filled with pistachio cream. Sorry, almond flavouring – you and pistachio were switched at birth. In addition, this is a really, really beautiful tea – long strips of coconut, lovely shades of green. I’m sold.
In the cup, incomprehensibly, this just gets better. Coconut wise, this is as fresh as it comes. David’s Tea’s coconut always has a slight oiliness to it – I’m not saying it’s stale, but it’s mature coconut. Lupicia’s coconut is all coconut cream, a complete piña colada experience. But this? This is all fresh, crisp, pale, natural coconut.
Flavour wise, it’s not over the top, but definitely present. It’s a complete mouthfeel experience – I love how some teas are there, unapologetic, throughout the entire sip. This is definitely one of those – tongue tip-to-aftertaste delicious. It might just be the natural sweetness of the coconut, but I also get a vanilla-esque smoothness right at the end of the sip.
Well, this was completely awful. Who has an uncle in Blowing Rock, NC?
I would have loved to hold on to the remains of this, but since it seems so rare, I’ll drop it back into the box – I’d say the sample is good for about three more cups. Thanks a lot for sharing this one, KittyLovesTea!
[Sample from the second round of the EU Travelling Box, spring 2014.]
Preparation
I think I have a decent amount of this tea left. I swore this already had a review page :/ I got it from Chuckieroy last year and I hadn’t realised how un-sourceable this tea was.
Oh no, maybe I missed it was already in the DB! The search is so weird lately (also I have the attention span of a strung-out guppy, but really, let’s blame the search).
Also the review was really in good jest, loved the tea, and I’m sure I can find a way to get my greedy little hands on some more. You put so much good stuff in the box!
Oooh, I hope I get to try this one! Sounds delicious
Yeah, I’ll drop in samples of the other two coconuts I’m referencing, if anyone else wants to make a comparison. =)
Sounds great, thanks! I love coconut (:
“nightmare samples” lol—or packets! Yes, I find that sometimes my tea choices for the day are altered by whether or not it will require a fact-finding mission in order to post a tasting note! It does not take that much time, but it does take some…
I went to Blowing Rock a few times. Lovely place! If I am ever there again I will look for the tea shop.
Haha, yeah – for me it was more the issue of possibly drinking an awesome tea and not having any clue where it came from or how to get more.
A-hah! ashmanra, I hereby name you our uncle in Blowing Rock!
Family 20 miles away from there. I will have to look closer the next time I visit.
This all sounds very promising, keep me updated. =)
I can’t believe it has been two years since I had this last. A lot has changed in that time. This is a very old sample, and when we last drank it, my husband was still partial to cheap black tea with lots of sugar and some milk. Now he prefers green, white, and oolong tea taken plain, and enjoys having puerh with me.
This is definitely weaker and that is my fault. It was a wonderful tea and I have let my samples and swaps build up to embarrassing levels. I don’t include them in my cupboard, so I have no idea how many I actually have but I have been trying to knock the numbers down for a while now. Ridiculously, there is tea I want to order and that is part of my incentive to make headway on sip downs.
The fruity aroma is still here. The tea was a medium light golden color. There was little to no astringency. We made five steeps using one teaspoon of leaf per eight ounces water. I steeped for about three minutes each time. The fifth steep was weak enough that I felt it futile to try for a sixth, but I did enjoy the ones we had.
Thanks for the sample!! Either from Lala or Starfevre… so sorry, your packets got mixed up when Mum went through my cupboard looking for some tea! Not that I mind, it means she was looking for tea!!! This is a big deal…
But the tea itself was quite amazing as well. I kinda wish it was a black base.
The cider taste really punches through, creating the sensation of apple spiced liquor warming your throat! Phenomenal. I am so impressed. In fact I’d order some today if I was able to :)
Oh, you missed our ridiculous group order. You can buy the teas – they’re available for Feb on the Butiki site!
Ack that is so tempting. But I promised household people, and my wallet that I wouldn’t make an order until my bday next month :(
Actually, that I wouldn’t bring any more tea into the house!
Aww. :( I’ve kinda made that promise to myself, actually. I even went tea shopping yesterday and only bought tea for other people.
I like this one a lot, and am happy for the honeybush base. I like it because it is good hot and cold and also had good body.
This wasn’t from me :)
Amariel, I agree!! It has a great depth to it that I really enjoyed.
Lala, thanks for letting me know! :)
This morning I made fresh peanut butter to have with my toasts. It was warm and so creamy, I ate a big spoonful before spreading it!
Not all teas make the peanut butter list. (K S already know that) I usually have my regular straight Assam, Yunnan and Keemun to pair with it. Don’t like any flavoured tea with it.
You have to understand that I’m picky cause peanut butter is considered heaven food in my household.
K S mentioned in a recent post that earl grey came highly recommended on his PBJ tea list so I made a mental note of that (I personally am more of a purist, I prefer classic unaltered PB on my toasts, I ditched the J a long time ago).
So, I chose this favourite Earl of mine. I usually prefer this version cause the creamy part mellows the bergamot I sometimes find offensive in blends. The reason I like it so much is that unlike other EGC, this one doesn’t scream vanilla. I don’t mind vanilla when it’s done right, but it can be heavy and a little sickening to me. Here, it just rounds the edges of Miss Bergamot. It’s a perfect cup! And yes, it complimented wonderfully my PB toasts this morning.
So K S, thank you, earl grey officially makes THE PB list!!!
Wow, making fresh peanut butter! That’s ambition.
Mmm, this one is wonderful.
Lol, no merits here, it’s actually super easy when you have the tools. I have a high power blender (vitamix). I just buy a jar of roasted peanuts, and in 30 seconds I have fresh warm peanut butter! I make a one week provision every week end, it’s not really cheaper but it tastes so good, once you start you can’t stop!!
Nice! I read those vitamix blenders are very powerful. Maybe if I ever get a blender I’ll get that one. :)
Lol, I think I should just work for them, I’ve been such an ambassador since I got mine, I’ve convinced many people to buy one. It’s just a life changer, it makes hot soup within 10 minutes, it actually cooks by friction! So yes, hope you get to have one someday, much more than just a blender…
Wow, they’re expensive! Just looked it up. I had no idea they cook by friction. I was wondering why the peanut butter was warm haha.
When I have PB I like it on a Ritz. I do this often as PB is definitely heaven food. I often toast PBJ sandwiches in a skillet. Yumm. This is making me hungry. lol I have never made PB. The ‘natural’ ones I have bought seem to separate really bad. Maybe they have been on the shelf too long?
Oh, and if PB is heaven food (and it is), then EG is heaven drink. Sorry Sil, deal with it. ha
Heaven food: buttermilk donuts, lemon meringue pie, meat loaf (well, that’s soul food).
Fjellrev, yes it’s quite an investment and I first thought you had to be nuts to pay that kind of money for a blender, lol! Turns out it is worth every penny, as it replaces so many appliances…
K S, agreed that earl grey is also heaven drink, just like jasmine tea, it’s been part of my life since childhood…
I am so going to try a grilled PB sandwich now! Think it works without the jam??
Yes, can’t stand store bought natural peanut butter, they’re so hard to mix with all that oil on top. But when you do it yourself, you don’t have that problem, it doesn’t separate cause you put it in the fridge right away. So good!
Lol, gmathis, thank god it’s dinner time, so hungry!!!
You “ditched the j a long time ago” ? You ditched the j ?!!!? Why did you ditch the j ? Poor j ….. It’s ok j I still love you. I’ll take the j – you can have the icky bergamot stuff ;))
Hahaha! Oh Dexter, aren’t you the funny one…yeah, thanks for taking care of poor J.
(Bergamott hater!!!)
I probably need to retry with Fresh PB because olala this food is kind of mystery …why does my daughter love that…(skippy brand)
Haha, Ysaurella, just saw your comment, we also have the infamous Skippy here, that stuff is so sweet, I call it peanut jam! I can’t stand it and don’t like the natural PB found in stores, nothing like making your own with fresh roasted arachides, I highly recommend but don’t take Skippy away from your daughter, she will hate me :-)
This is one of the teas I got in my latest Nina’s Tea order. (To tell the story again, I was in Florida, and Laurent and Sophie from Nina’s Paris USA shipped my order to my hotel. This saved me a whole lot on shipping. Laurent stayed in contact with me the whole time until I received and was satisfied with my order). I had been wanting to try this one for a long time. It was only available in a tin but the tin is beautiful.
The dry tea is beautiful. The black tea leaves look nice, dried orange peel and bright blue and red flower petals are mixed in with the tea leaves. It smells super delicious. Like sweet candied orange peel. Almost has a bubble gum quality to the smell.
The smell of the brewed tea smells a little bit flat. Still candied orange but not as strong or as sweet and with a bit more pepper.
The brewed tea, like I find most Nina’s Paris Teas, is delicious. The tea base is just bordering on bold. There is a sweet, candied orange peel flavour, it is delicate and not overpowering. There is a slight pepper from the orange rind but it is very light. It almost tastes like there is a bit of orange juice in this tea. There is a slight sweetness, I would maybe add a bit of sweetener next time I have this tea. The flower petals give a thickness to the tea with a bit of a bread-y flavour.
The sweet orange flavours become much more prominent and bright as the tea starts to cool.
I am really glad I picked this up. I would like to know if there is a story behind the flavour of this tea and the name.
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I think my next order of Japon I will go for the tin. They really are beautiful.
I think the tins would not be so great for stacking, but they look beautiful. The one I have has the name of the tea on the front (It is a white tin with a design on it, not the red one). And the lid appears to fit tightly but not so tight that I can’t get it off :) And they are so cute.
I agree. I think eventually I will collect some of the basic H&S tins for stacking, but sometimes pretty tins are nice for a few teas. :)
I believe this was a special tea they brought in for Christmas and so it has a specialty tin. I saw it when I went to their office and I think it is so pretty but I don’t like citrusy teas.
I think I might pick up the Marie Antoinette in a tin because I like the pretty pink tin. Plus I have one of their baby tins and it is so cute but actually fits a fair amount of tea.
By the way Lala, I LOVE your profile picture/avatar change.
Thanks Courtney. I figured I could use a yearly avatar change. And who doesn’t love the chesire cat. Even when he is creepily portrayed.
That’s the best part about it haha. The Cheshire cat is awesome.
That’s such wonderful customer service.
This was my 3rd order from Nina’s Paris USA and I have to say I have had excellent customer service with all 3 orders.
They truly set the bar for customer service in my opinion. I went to their office in Florida and had such an amazing experience with them. It helps that their teas are delicious as well.
Great customer service tales from tea companies warm my heart, and make me wanna order all the tea LOL
I splurged on 50g of japon in a tin…because, if nothing else it goes with my black MF tin :)
Well it is official, aside from Brioche, I am not an American Tea Room fan. I find their coconut a touch like sunscreen. It is not as bad as it sounds but not anything I want to have again. Oh well, can’t like them all!
Flavors: Coconut
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’aint that the truth.
Also, and completely off topic, but where in this fine gigantic country did you find those tiny very adoreable ziplock bags? Anna sent me her tea in them also, and I think they’re very cute and it made me love you guys even more. So much better than those massive clunky and bulky ziplocks I use. So yeah, where where where can I find them?
I got mine on Amazon US. Among vendors I’ve used in the past are Epacknship and Collecting Warehouse, both have been great, but quality varies substantially. Then again, they’re super cheap and only used for tea samples!
Also, I don’t think anyone has ever loved me for my ziploc bags before. It feels pretty special. This is so romantic. <3
Omg, you had to buy them online? that’s so odd. Like buying cue-tips or floss online or something…except that when I think about it, most mainstream stores probably don’t have these. But variaTea, did you find yours online also? because after seeing how you and anna package tea, I need to step up my packaging game and join the craze. Do you just type “baby miniature adoreable ziplocks” in amazon’s search field? <333!
Hehehe, ‘had to.’ To be honest, I generally buy everything that isn’t viscerally pleasurable to shop for online. Also cheap ziploc bags in Sweden? Forget it.
Haha. I bought mine at Dollarama. And it does feel quite nice to be loved for my ziploc bags :P
Ok, I was just on amazon, and there are like five thousand different possible measurements for little zip lock bags. A few other google searches yield online forums where people are talking about ideal packaging for weed….? did you look for a specific measurement?
PS: I love how we just hijacked variaTea’s tasting note…but she also has these little bags so I feel it’s ultimately all relevant.
Yes, the dollar store keychange.
really? I never would have figured!
I know, being able to pick EXACTLY the measurements I wanted made my OCD hug itself, hum gently, and rock from side to side.
Calculating exactly how big the small bags should be to fit exactly one 1.5-2 teaspoon cup sample, and how big the bigger bag should be to fit exactly two filled small bags… that was serious quality time for me. I might have drooled slightly.
You guys are so funny! And thanks for this discussion, for the past few days I’ve been wondering where to get decent non-sandwich-sized baggies for tea-swapping. It seems like the Collecting Warehouse Anna mentioned has a great variety on Amazon.
Anna, that’s great! :D I love the idea for packaging as well… I might have to copy you.
I can tell you my measurements (uh, you know what I mean)! Or just send some of my bags, because I sort of got a little too excited and ordered something like 8000 bags. Steepster SwapFest 2078 FTW!
Anna, you must have some serious packaging skills. People really seem to rave about it. You are like an expert tea swapper.
Anna, yes, please, indulge me with your measurements :D
And that is a lot of bags. If you can fit several in the swap, feel free to do so. I can’t wait to learn from the expert tea swapper in practice!
Anna, we are all waiting to learn of your measurements!! please do share, I’m getting excited! and yes guys, anna is a hardcore packager, I tell you, hardcore. even better, do you have links to your measurements?…I mean, of the amazon variety? And I’ll spare you the five million dollr shipping cost to mail me bags when you’ve pretty much mailed me my shopping list, but yeah, bags ftw!!
LOL. You guys seriously crack me up. Right, I got 4K 1.5″ × 2″, 2 Mil bags, and then 2K 2″ × 3″ 4 Mil bags.
The smaller ones are a little flimsier to fit inside the bigger ones more easily.
If you want to package large-leaf teas, such as needle teas or certain oolongs, though, you might want to go bigger.
I use a little specialty scoop (I cook a lot and use them for spices) that is sleek and angled and just fits inside the smaller bags so I never have to touch the tea, but I’m sure a tiny teaspoon or a folded piece of paper would also do the trick.
…and I’m still laughing so hard at this thread.
(‘Mil’ refers to the thickness of the plastic.)
Note to other Canadians (seeing as I didn’t know where else to put this) the Mo%5#$$f&##ckers don’t ship to Canada!! I’m determined, though. It’s on! LOL
Go, keychange, go! :D I’m trusting you to find something and update us. :)
That’s why you go to Dollarama :P
The vendors in question will henceforth be known as Collecting Whorehouse & Epacknshit. (At least until they agree to ship to Canada.)
Soooo good. Had a large cup of this to kick of vacation! Plane is officially going out today after yesterday’s fiasco. Sitting at the airport now, trying not to fall asleep :)
Final count: 139 (yay!)
Woot! I hope you have a great flight and vacation!
You deserve all the fun in the world, have a safe flight and a great vacation!!!
Have a safe flight and a great vacation!
Have a wonderful vacation!
Have fun!
Vacay!
Yay! Have fun!
Have a lot of fun! :)
Yay! Have fun. :)
I’ve never seen your cupboard number so low! Have a great trip :D
Drank while watching Princess Jellyfish (I’m very, very tempted to rewatch the whole series again tonight; I’d say it’s tied with Blood+ right now as my favourite anime). It was the perfect light, kind of nutty, buttery counterpart with just enough sweetness from the apple!
Very gentle.
I haven’t watched those yet. I’m glued to my Fairy Tail manga and I am currently watching Magi, Log Horizon and rewatching Sword Art Online as the new season is coming :D LONG LIVE ANIME!
My roommate likes Sword Art Online, but I’ve been putting off watching it specifically because he likes it, heh…
if you like .hack//sign or Log Horizon than you will like Sword Art Online. It’s very good and popular. Well you could always watch Attack on Titan it’s popular… I don’t really like it that much though. Dusk Madien Amnesia is good, 11 eyes was okay, Another was AWESOME and creepy as hell. Watch out for the umbrella! (watch Another and you will understand)
I have a friend who really wants me to watch Attack on Titan, but the art style bothers me a lot… Right now I seem to be on a bit of a Bishounen/Shoujo kick, though often I lean towards more fantasy type stuff.
Black Butler (kuroshitsuji) has a very nice art style and the manga just flat out rocks! Kamisama Kiss is good the manga is Kamisama Hajimemeashita. Also I recommend Ouran High School Host Club, Vampire Knight, Fruits Basket, My Bride is a Mermaid is funny, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (FMA doesn’t count) Fairy Tail of course, and umm.. dang it I’m drawing a slight blank right now but give me time and I can list more…
I’ve seen Ouran (albeit a while back) and Fruits Basket (also one of my favourites). I watched the first episode of My Bride is a Mermaid but it didn’t really do much to sell itself. Too many angry shouting Yukuza, and I got the sense that’d be a regular thing. My brother is watching FMA Brotherhood right now, and I’m waiting to hear his verdict. Fairy Tale is on my list of stuff to watch, but not totally sure I’m in the right headspace for it atm. I also really like Soul Eater, Digimon (up until Frontier), One Piece (I watch occasionally with my roommate, so what I’ve seen is sporadic), and Free! Iwatobi Swimming Club. I also very recently finished B Gata H Kei and thought that was decent enough, though I was disappointed in the ending.
I love Ouran and Fruits Basket, and just finished a long weekend Hell Girl marathon. I’m debating what to watch next – either Sekaiichi Hatsukoi again (cute boys!) Or something new. B gata h kei did end a little soon – apparently the manga goes on a good bit yet, buf the anime just didn’t get renewed??
well of course Digimon rocks, Black Butler is on Netflix season 1 rocks but the manga is better and still going, season 2 is weird and doesn’t count. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is awesome and I’m sure you’ll like it. I can’t stand One Piece but than I can never get past episode 1, or in the manga chapter 1 because the animation style bothers me.. it looks so childish… and I’ve only seen the first two episodes of Naruto before deciding it was stupid. Soul Eater is pretty interesting but I’ve only got to Death Junior I think his name was.. the weird kid with the obsession with being perfect. Angel Beats is a good show. Magi is really good!! It is kind of addicting to watch Magi so I warn you now. I’ve seen an episode of Free! Iwatobi Swimming Club and it’s in my Crunchyroll que but between Magi and Log Horizon it hasn’t got much attention… poor thing I’ll watch it tomorrow so it stops feeling left out.
@ AnnaEA unfortunately a lot of animes get cancelled but the manga continues. Oh D Gray Man is really good but the anime and manga are both kindof in limbo at the moment but still worth it. I haven’t seen Hell Girl yet. Trinity Blood was good, Black Blood Brothers was also good if I remember correctly. GUNDAM WING rocked but then anything Gundam is usually good, Escaflowne the manga was deliberately done differently than the show and the show actually came first both were awesome though.
@AnnaEA, B Gata H Kei was supposed to have a second season but because of complaints/content and what not it didn’t happen initially. Supposedly it’ll be released sometime this summer. Supposedly. @Helena, Death The Kidd! He’s awesome. Definitely one of my favourites. The problem I have with Soul Eater is that I only like half the characters; I can’t stand Liz, Patty, and Black Star. I have a friend who likes Angel Beats and I watched the first episode with her, but I just didn’t enjoy it a whole lot.
They need to release the volumes of Princess Jellyfish faster. There are only 13. The sooner they make more of it, the sooner the anime can have a second season.
well it got better after the first episode when you figure out everything it can be quite sad. Not nearly as sad as Clannad After Story even if it did have a happy ending.
Inuyasha is always a must :D
I thought I was the only person who LOVES Blood +. #latetotheparty
Blood+ is my favourite anime (tied with Princess Jellyfish)!
yep.. i like this one better than adagio’s but mostly because this one gives the sense of “cream” rather than being an artificial like tea + cream…if that makes sense? I also like the cream flavour in this one a little more since it doesn’t remind me of vanilla. I think this would probably be a lot of fun to add to other….oh man maybe i should combine this + orange lapacho… hmmmmm that could work..
yep.. i like this one better than adagio’s but mostly because this one gives the sense of “cream” rather than being an artificial like tea + cream…if that makes sense? I also like the cream flavour in this one a little more since it doesn’t remind me of vanilla. I think this would probably be a lot of fun to add to other….oh man maybe i should combine this + orange lapacho… hmmmmm that could work..anyway…i also really love smelling this one.. up under my nose and i’m good… a happy little heffalump.
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Mm cream!
Did you… just copy and paste the same paragraph?
weird.. nope.. steepster being weird..
and if i edit the tasting note… only the second paragraph is there.
Now I have a chuckly picture in my head of a happy little heffalump sipping tea with an extended pinky…
Oh, Steepster. Sometimes you are very weird.
nicole – hahaha love it!
anna – yep… it’s weird
How bizarre. It’s glitching on me, too. I can’t add an image to a tea in my cupboard. It just makes an X, no matter what I do. :/
Go home, Steepster. You’re tea drunk.
A glitch in the Matrix. This doesn’t end well unless you’re Neo.
Oh, okay, wow. So I’m having quite the The O Dor sample party today, courtesy of Ysaurella, cteresa and the EU swap box. Before yesterday, I was a The O Dor virgin, but things are getting pretty depraved pretty fast over here.
All these preconceived notions of what I’m going to like are so often completely turned on their heads when I try out a brand new company. I thought Lupicia’s blacks would be insufferable (but it turns out they’re just as amazing as their greens and oolongs) and I thought Butiki’s flavoured teas would be right up my alley (turns out I prefer the plain ones) and I thought I’d like Damman Frères far more than Comptoir des Thés et des Epices (a million times no).
And here I was, convinced this tea would be just average, and that Celebration would have to be the most desirable in the entire The O Dor kingdom.
As it turns out, I realized chocolate teas don’t really do it for me, even if there’s hazelnut and vanilla involved… and that this tea is gorgeous. Seriously, the last time I had a tea experience like this was with Lupicia’s Cookie. (And you all know how I feel about Cookie.)
I did a double take smelling the sample, because it was so rich and lovely. I always talk about the wild card, that inexplicable something, and there it was, in the dry tea already. And this teal is solid and reliable, because that something stays there all the way, both scent wise and flavour wise. There’s a perfect, creamy intermingling of coconut and pistachio, with an aftertaste that is all smooth vanilla with this slight floral hint that literally makes me smile.
My mnemonic analogy (there always seems to be one hard-wired into some part of my brain, after all) emanates from memories of love, suitably. When you’ve been in love, and you’ve loved, and you think you’ve got it all figured out, and then you meet that goddamn person who just turns everything upside down and shows you what all those stupid songs and books and movies were really about.
Je T’aime – the evolution of love, in a tea cup.
(You will be my special coconut and pistachio tea forever.)
[Sample from the second round of the EU Travelling Box, spring 2014.]
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I have a bunch of The O Dor and this is making me want to break them out.
this makes me miss the du loup…
Do it, Morgana, I want to read your notes.
Oh, Sil, you and your wolfbrew. Cherchez le loup!
I had a sample of this one thanks to cteresa. Unfortunately I didn’t love it as such as I thought but need to give a second try.You brew it hoter than I did and it may do the difference
Then again, you get more mileage out of Celebration. I brewed them more or less the same, but this one seems less sensitive, somehow.
I don’t think I’ve tried any, or very many, or The O Dor’s teas. Now I want to.
we can arrange this easily Terri, just let me know
..uh i think you should send teas to terri…through me…yeaaaah..that’s it. ;)
It sucks that Canada doesn’t get these holiday blends.
Canada does get these! I’ve found them at Bulk Barn every year and stocked up.
I remember them being easier to find though! I think I used to buy them at safeway but I had trouble finding them this year. I didn’t realize I had a Bulk Barn so close, or I might have done that!
I couldn’t find any in my town :( Luckily, VariaTEA sent me a bunch.
Ummm….you might be getting more Roswell Strange :S. I know you said no but I won’t drink it so I figured this was it has the chance to be enjoyed.
Hah, that’s ok :) At least it wont increase my cupboard number ;)
I had no idea Bulk Barn carries them! Even the cookie one?
I saw them at Superstore (but they’re long gone now), but they all have gluten in them so I just pretended they didn’t exist. :)
I don’t know about the cookie, but I’ve got 3-4 boxes of Candy Cane Lane and Sugar Plum Spice stocked up to get me through the year!