Featured & New Tasting Notes
A friend of mine fell in love with Red Leaf Matcha and so we decided to split an order. We went with the buy 5, get two free package and went with the following options:
Size: Small (30g)
Matcha Quality: Classic (Basic Grade)
Matcha Type: Regular
Flavor Level: Delicate
When my package finally arrived, I opened it up to find this matcha was slightly open. Consequently, I decided to try this first. I used half a teaspoon of matcha mixed with 8 oz. of milk. Even at the delicate flavor level, it is pretty accurate to the real thing. Immediately I noticed a vanilla creaminess that was delicious but not exactly reminiscent of a cookie. However, as I continue the sip, the baked goods flavor creeps in and I am left with the aftertaste that is 100 percent cookie. Moreover, the more I drink, the more I notice that it is not simply a vanilla creaminess but rather the sip starts off tasting of butter. This is definitely a matcha I would consider getting again because what I first wrote off as just another creamy vanilla matcha turned out to be a flavorful cup of liquefied French Butter Cookies. It takes me back to the time when I was younger and reminds me of the excitement I felt when I opened the tin of butter cookies to actually find cookies inside and not the sewing equipment my grandmother liked to store in them.
This delicious treat can be found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/french-butter-cookie-matcha.html
Flavors: Butter, Vanilla
This is delicious cup of mostly creamy caramel, with a tiny hint of chocolate at the end. It’s really quite lovely both hot and cold, although I do prefer it warm-ish.
I think (?) I bought this from Starfevre in her tea sale, and I feel badly that I bought it at a time when I’d yet to think of marking each sample with the handle of the person who sent it to me. :$ Silly MissB. So, to whomever sold this to me at a greatly discounted price because it was in a different tea’s bad – thank you!
Flavors: Caramel, Cocoa, Cream
Preparation
I adore this tea as well… so delicious!
Where do you get yours, Tuscanteal?
Nope! Not from me.
I haven’t had a tea sale.
When The Urban Tea Merchant carried MF, that’s where I got it… now I am SOL
Dean and Deluca has it. Not sure if it is a good price or if they ship to Canada.
So Dexter3657 drank this yesterday and got me thinking about it, and since they don’t need me at work today it is TOTALLY the right choice to drink this one today while I can enjoy it. (Aside from the sick hubby and toddler who need attention. :P)
I’m taking a Special Dark break!
The first time I had this I followed the instructions and steeped it for 30 seconds, but this time I went right for 4. Maybe next time I will go for 8. I didn’t realize this one couldn’t be oversteeped but you can’t blame me for being hesitant! If I did this to one of my favourite blacks it would likely be too bitter and strong at the end.
This, on the other hand, at 4 minutes is quite rich and dark. And yes, very chocolatey. I almost want to rip open my 85% emergency-use-only chocolate bar just to compare the different types of chocolate, but I’d better save that for an emotional pick-me-up. This cuppa has made me happy enough already!
Yes. This is complete proof that Puerh ISN’T something to be afraid of! I can do it! I can enjoy it! Also, this makes me want to put in an order at Mandala to see what else they can do with Puerh!
Flavors: Cocoa, Earth
Preparation
:D Love this one
Crazy right? But it totally works, and it’s yummy.
I placed a Mandala order this morning…. Garret is so nice, and the teas are amazing. I already have shipping confirmation with tracking number. Can’t beat the customer service. :))
That’s pretty awesome. Shipping is generally around $10 too, right? Maybe at the beginning of March I’ll be able to place an order! (Unless they have a sale which lets me break any resistance I have! :P)
And my second steep of this at 10 minutes is pretty awesome too. I was going to drink Laoshan Black today but now I don’t want to….
They charge actual shipping cost. I order A LOT today. I ordered 9 oz of tea, plus 2 × 100g pu’erh cakes, plus 6 oz of their tea soak stain remover. So that’s 15 oz + 200g of product and shipping was about $15.00. I’ve placed smaller orders with shipping in the 10-12.00 range, and I once ordered tea and a yixing teapot and it was 17.00. It depends on what you order. It’s a bit expensive if you consider lots of places do free shipping over 50.00 etc. BUT there are lots of US companies that try to charge us 30-35.00 for a couple of oz of tea. I consider Mandala “medium” when it comes to shipping costs, but the tea is AMAZING. I’ve ordered a few times and will continue to do so….
Wow I wish I had your tea budget, Dex! :D Can’t wait to read all your Mandala reviews!
Cavo…also it’s 5$ through sharon for shipping….just saying
LOL Sil – keep encouraging….
Stephanie – I think I’m doing good – 175.00 ish since Cyber Monday and the vast majority of that was Mandala today. Less than 200 in two months… not bad – for me at least :))
Sil – lemme know next time you want an order!
cavo – march sounds good to me unless you need it earlier lol that will give me time to sip some down OR you can come shop at my house for samples so you can narrow your choices down haha
March works for me too!
An incredibly caring Steepster friend is concerned that all I’m drinking are samples from other people, and that I should take some time and enjoy some of my favorite teas. I’m searching for the great teas, but not enjoying the one’s I’ve found. I’ve decided to “sort of” take that advice.
I have sent samples of this out to several people, and assume that it is going to be amazing, but I’ve never actually drank it. So tonight I’m taking a ME tea night to explore the dark side.
I threw about 2.5 tsp of this into my gravity steeper, gave it a quick wash and then let it steep – I’ve read lots of review that say that this is AMAZING if steeped for a long time. I’m watching and waiting, and it’s getting darker, and darker, and I chicken out at about 4 minutes. OK 4 minutes is a LONG steep for pu’erh – at least for me…
Wow this is crazy – unlike any other pu’erh I’ve tried. There really isn’t any of the musty/earthy typical pu’erh taste – it is just deep dark chocolate – maybe a hint of “pu’erh” in the back but it’s just adding depth to the chocolate. OK I’m a believer.
I add another couple of tsp of new leaf to the old leaf (I don’t care it’s my tea night I can do what I like) – gave it another quick rinse and let it steep for NINE minutes.
OMG – this is unsweetened cocoa from a fine chocolatier. I add about a tsp of sweetener and just a splash of milk – just enough to change the color. This is my new favorite chocolate tea. I love this.
Now what do I do? I think I’m going to take the leaves and toss them in the fridge to cold steep. If anyone hasn’t tried it – cold steep pu’erh is crazy good.
As always, thank you Mandala for another amazing tea experience.
i’m so happy you enjoyed this one. i love this puerh a lot.
It’s your part-tea and you can steep how you want to, steep how you want to!!
Yay for ME tea nights, so proud of you :-)
Dark and choco, yum, yum!!
Wow, I tried this the other night and got it wrong. I’ll definitely try it again with longer steep parameters.
Darn right you can do what you want! :D
Cold steeping pu’erh, ah? I have to try that.
That sounds really amazing.
I will TRY to steep mine that long but I gotta say 4 minutes, and NINE minutes makes me a little nervous. I’m a “followe the vendors instructions, you noob” sorat gal. Especially with this. It’s my FIRST/ONLY Mandala tea!
It’s my par-tea and I did what I wanted. :)) It turned out great.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it MissB – it doesn’t get nasty as you steep it longer, it just gets deeper and more chocolate. I highly recommend a long steep. I was VERY nervous too, but after trying the 4 minute steep, I knew you could not hurt it. I will do 8 or 9 minutes first steep next time.
Kamyria I didn’t believe the cold steep pu’erh either, and then I tried it. I quite often western steep leaves a couple of times, then toss them in the fridge for 16ish hours. Can’t explain it, it’s a different experience – very refreshing, you should try it once….
Cavocorax – if you want to follow vendors instructions, then you go right ahead. It’s your tea, don’t let me talk you out of your comfort zone. First/only Mandala? You are starting with a good one….
I twisted her rubber arm into ordering SOMETHING, ANYTHING from mandala when I placed my order lol
omg yay!! u just put the seal of approval on this one for me…it’s on my to-try list from Mandala…it sounded delicious to begin with, although i was worried it might have a damp,earthy pu’erh quality. but if this is anything like you say, i simply must give it a go!
Good job Sil – “something – anything” is pretty much correct when it comes to Mandala – it’s all good.
pyarkaaloo – but I like the “damp,earthy pu’erh quality” This has a little of that – it is a pu’erh, but it’s more in the background adding depth to the chocolate rather than hitting you in the face. I love all Mandala pu’erh. Their Silver Buds are really mild – more of a white tea with a hint of pu’erh. Noble Mark is just fantastic, but more traditional pu’erh. Wild Monk is the best sheng I’ve ever drank – pretty much what Sil said – anything from Mandala is a good choice….
Does restocking favorites count as breaking hiatus?
thanks for the clarification…this sounds like a nice pu’erh! i think i’ll be happy with this as long as it isn’t a predominantly ‘mossy/earth’ kind of flavor, although one never knows…if i try enough pu’erh cakes i may find one that i love! or i may develop my palate.. the cold steeping sounds delicious!
Yeah, I’m really happy Sil was able to do talk me into it! It was difficult because it was Black Friday and I’d already allocated most of my budget to Butiki and DTT. But ONE tea from Mandala… OK YES.
There will be more from them in the future. I still have to get past them being fancy in my head and just start drinking!
And I can experiment now! It’s just the first steep that I don’t like to mess with on the assumption that the vender knows what’s best. :P
Does.not.count.
Cavocorax This is a video of Garret giving you permission to play with your tea. He has a very open, whatever you like is correct for you attitude…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUt6kt00mpo&feature=youtube_gdata
I love steeping Special Dark for extreme amounts of time. Unlike with most teas, this one improves on a longer steep. The last time I had Special Dark I steeped it for 15 minutes and added a touch of cream. Heaven.
Garret does have a very laissez-faire approach to tea. Which I really appreciate. It eliminates the guilt when I, inevitably, break the rules.
Do as you like :) Whenever I do tea classes, I give people basic parameters for brewing and leave the rest up to them. I let people know that if they dig a green tea with boiling water, that’s cool, that’s how they should have it. I do use a little disclaimer here, though, and tell them that if they are serving tea to guests that it might be a good idea to go to more “traditional” way of brewing it :)
Yay! I love this one. And I love that someone was awesome and reminded you you should not get overwhelmed with sampling and take some time out for whatever you want to drink. Definitely.
And so agree, it’s the most intensely chocolate tea I’ve tasted.
Omg omg omg….ok. This is SO GOOD RIGHT NOW. Like wow. At first I was like hmm strong bergamot..but then it was all like BAM MARSHMALLOW. And fluffy. And creamy. And toned down just enough by the bergamot and black tea. Very good base for this tea too, not overpowering or too weak. I am just enjoying this to the max on this Monday afternoon at work. Not even sure how long I steeped it for lol, probably around 2 minutes. Yes, I really like this, not even filtered water used! Rating now added, although if I come to my senses and this one isn’t as epic, it might go down haha.
Flavors: Cream, Vanilla
Preparation
All the reviews for this one were so intriguing, but bergamot is a deal breaker. Sigh.
Courtney, if you want to try it I can send you a sample in one of our swaps. I am not a huge EG fan but I love this.
Hmm. Alright, maybe just one cup VariaTEA. :)
Haha. Remind me next time we swap and I will throw in a sample.
You have to try it @Courtney! The marshmallow is truly perfect in it, just like a pillow :)
Haha a pillow. :P That is awesome. Perhaps that will help with disguise/drown out the bergamot.
I think it did, it helps a lot when the tea is a bit cooler, I noticed the bergamot the most when it was pretty hot
Excellent, thanks for the heads up. :)
No problem :)
Kamyria’s review yesterday about the forest inspired me to go have a long walk today and write this review.
By now, you probably know that the forest is my backyard. I’ve written many times here on Steepster about my little adventures and how lucky and privileged I feel when I look outside my window or go for a walk, it never gets old.
This lifestyle is Nature’s gift to me, and that gift keeps on giving as long as I care for it in return. It’s pretty simple and yet, I wish more people could fully grasp that concept. The tea I’m reviewing today also keeps on giving…
I tell you, my snow shoes really get a run for their money this winter. I made my own trail and I try to go as often as possible. There’s a spot that we always stop at. It’s on top of a small hill and a huge rock stands there, under the trees. it is shaped as a loveseat, I call it my rocky chair.
I take a break as I watch my dog Dexter chase squirrels, his favourite sport. They like to tease him and sometimes, I think they’re playing with him, knowing full well he’ll never catch one of them!
The day is magnificent, sunshine coming at me from all directions, immaculate snow everywhere you look at, pine trees with heavy arms from all the snow weighing on them…
When I got back inside, I was freezing and seeking warmth, I love that feeling. My head still felt clear and peaceful from all the beauty I had just laid eyes on, and of course, the right tea amplified that feeling and made it linger a while longer.
I was waiting for a special moment to choose this sheng pu’erh, sent to me by the generous and wonderful Dexter3657. She read on a post that I wanted to experience more with shengs, and offered to send me this one. She wrote that this tea is the highest rated on Steepster, so I read nothing about it, not wanting to be influenced by other reviews.
I used 7g, 5oz yixing pot. The piece of cake is tight and compressed. Quick rinse. Already the aroma brings me somewhere, but I don’t want to go there yet, I want to take my time with it.
I pour the very light coloured liquor, close my eyes and smell, have my first sip.
Instant Nirvana!
Sweet sugarcane is what I notice first. Then, a feast for the senses. The smell that comes out of the pot can’t be ignored. I can describe it easily, cause it’s leading me there. If you’ve done camping in your life (most of us did), you have to think about the next morning, when you get out of the tent.
The smokey scent from the firecamp is still in the air, but it’s just a shadow of what is was the day before. It mixes with fresh morning dew, humid grass and moss. Earthy and smokey tones, fresh menthol. Take all these “ingredients”, gather them in a cake, and later, when you hit it with hot water, the memory trap is released and you experience that moment again.
I choose not to describe more. As it happens when I drink something really special, I give in to the tea, not wanting to think anymore but just be in the moment and feel the pure energy. Cha qi. The best thing that can happen. I’ve had these moments before, but not often enough. I plan on having a lot more in the future…
Thank you so much Dexter3657 for wanting me to discover how special your beloved Mandala truly is. You were right :-)
(Cough, Implacinganorderscrewthehiatus, cough, cough)
Preparation
Lovely note.
So lovely!
cough waituntilyou’vetriedsomeoftheothersbeforeordering cough
Thanks Morgana and Caile!
Dexter, cough, okbutitwillbereallyhardtowait, cough.
Wow.. that was a beautiful note! I’m honoured to have a mention in it too! :) I have to have this sheng… I hear too many good things about it to ignore it for much longer. I feel it… the order will be happening soon.
Beautiful note!
I’m really happy that you liked it. Mandala teas are special to me, and it makes me happy that you are experiencing some of that.
I’m not saying to wait until you’ve tried ALL the tea I sent you, but IMHO you will like the Milk Oolong. As much as I love this one, I think Noble Mark is better – different but better. :))
Kamyria, thanks, I loved your review of yesterday:-) and yes i hear you about the order happening real soon, lol!
Keychange, thank you:-)
Dexter, yes, I will refrain just a bit longer!! ( gee, I wonder if I can handle better than this one, lol)
That’s so awesome that you have snow shoes! I always wanted to try them out.
that sounds really nice I’ve always been curious about Mandala teas. I’m so jealous of your forest backyard…Y-a-t-il un plus joli jardin ? certainement pas.
Fjellrev, snow boots are awesome, and very useful around here!!
Ysaurella, I’m lucky to have other samples to try, I have a feeling an order will be placed very soon once I got to try a few more… Shipping seems to be very reasonable too. And yes, to me it is “le plus beau des jardins”, you got this right missy:-)
(I meant snow shoes)
I wish we got more snow here. That sounds so awesome! Man, I need to skip out of work early one day this week and go for a trail run. :)
So excited that you enjoyed this tea! I had a lengthy gong fu cha session with it on Sunday afternoon and I was more enamored with it than ever before. Always interesting when I find myself wanting to keep the rest of a stash rather than sell it :)
I loved your review of this. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it.
I have a new pressing of this tea happening right now in China. I got the leaf from the same farmer but it’s autumn 2013 versus spring 2012. I’m looking forward to trying the new one, too. The mao cha itself is darned good and already going through changes since it arrived in the pu’er vault. Yahooooo!!!!!
Listen Garrett, please don’t make it even more tempting than it already is, lol!
Thanks for sharing it, but wait for me, please don,t lock it in the vault all to yourself!! I’m browsing your website and will be placing an order soon, how can I resist???
Sipdown!!
I decided to finish what was left of this tonight. I might grab more in the future as it is definitely a delicious blend however I have a lot of the chiffons left and I think I would need to get through those before I can justify buying some of this. Thank you MissB for sending me this to try. It is lemony and creamy and just a very pleasant cup.
On another note, why is “cannabis”, “green bell peppers”, “asparagus”, etc. flavor options but there is no “lemon”, “mint”, etc.? I find this very, very strange.
Preparation
With those options, one might as well start reviewing frozen stir-fries and special brownies.
Haha. i just don’t understand why such common flavors are not available but those made it on the list. Apple is another missing one.
Me neither. Someone was clearly out to lunch.
Must have been a very interesting salad… ;)
There is no “pineapple” or “mango” either… Many flavours common to tea are missing… lol so strange.. but I found “fish broth” :o
roasted chicken is in there
Who came up with this list?!?
Maybe they were just really very hungry… :)
I was just looking for mint last night and thought precisely that. Cannabis but no mint?
My favourite is “autumn leaf pile”!
But… don’t you guys have cannabis fish broth asparagus tea? With some iodine and yam flavouring?
I took this one out of the GCTTB when I had it last month.
Banana, walnut bread? Really? That’s what this is suppose to be? To me this is chocolate coconut. I actually quite like it, but I’m not getting any banana, not getting any walnut, not getting any bread.
That’s why I’m not filling in the “flavors” at the top of the tea page – I don’t want to give anyone bad info because of my OPINION – they see that first and have to scroll WAY down to get the official discription. I don’t want anyone to think this is a chocolate coconut tea, because I’m nuts…. :))
Haha! Patience Dexter, patience…I’m sure they will hear ya on this one :-)
I know, I need to let it go….. maybe being a little to vocal about it.
Nah, I don,t think you are… I spent more time this morning after a good night sleep looking at everything and I also posted on certain things that I feel need to be reviewed and corrected. That’s how it goes when new stuff is being implemented, they need our feedback to make it work better :-)
Oh my, this is decadent and dripping with luxury. TGY, why do you have to be so tempting and appealing to me?
Why do you have to be such a tease and so cruel by being so delicious and knowing full well that you are a sipdown and that I have no longer access to your splendour?
Oh, I do know what you are, and I can tell you what you are not: modest! No you’re not. You’re such a Diva, wanting to show me all your nuances and complexity at once…
Giving me sweet vanilla bean, enchanting orchid flowers, a rich buttery mouthfeel, wrapping it all in an almost minty fresh breath in the background, you possess all the attributes to exude such confidence, you are absolutely fabulous and luxuriant.
Wish I had a better vocabulary to describe you…
I must admit that despite your obnoxiousness, you are good to me this morning in your last attempt to seduce me, you are giving me many re-steeps by being so potent. I will cherish every moment I have left with you on this quiet Sunday, and tell you this:
Until we meet again! Cause we will TGY, yes we will.
Love this review!
will Stacy restock it ?
Thanks Terri, Glad I could entertain :-)
Ysaurella, what do you mean exactly, it’s available at the moment. I don’t think its one of the tea she plans on departing from…we’ll let her answer that if she sees this. But I will have to get heads up on that cause I definitely need to keep some of it around :-)
i’m just not ready to order now (well I’m always ready to order more tea, but I’m trying not too!)
Sounds fabulous.
I too am always ready to order more, but I’m really really trying to be good, at least for awhile…
I thought it was not available anymore because you were so sad to have finished it :)
Yes, me too Terri, though it seems I can’t be a good girl for very long when it comes to tea:-)
Haha! ysaurella, yes I am sad, but just because i must wait and refrain myself from placing another massive order with butiki!!
This tea is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon. :) Someone once described our TGY as mint ice cream, now that is all I can think about when I drink it.
sounds like you had a love affair with this Anxi TGY, LOL. very poetic
I hate overnight testing. It took my forever to fall asleep earlier, and then my other halfs stupid friend started texting him just after i fell asleep..which wouldn’t normally be a problem but his phone sound was on so i got woken up. Just waiting for the go ahead so that i can test and then head back to bed for a few more hours of sleep. One of these weekends i’ll get to actually sleep in both days.
Made a cup of this because my throat wanted tea but i wanted something light that i didn’t have to think to about while brewing. Love the creamy good ness of this one even after several bags :)
Preparation
A sipdown, only because I’ve packed up the rest of what I had for a fellow Steepsterite that LOVES this. I can always order more!
I did however want to try it, because gosh darn it, I should try a tea before sending some out, right? Was a in a bit of a rush making this, and I did have to overleaf ever so slightly (2 1/4 tsp) just because there was a tiny bit left over. This smelled really strong as I brewed it, and I was a touch concerned. I added sweetener before tasting it – I could just tell this was going to be strong. And, while lovely (I definitely got the caramel and vanilla out of it) the base was too strong for me, and it ended up drowning out everything else. I ended up dumping about half of the cup, because as it cooled, the base only got stronger. :(
Flavors: Caramel, Vanilla, Wood
Preparation
i love this tea….. happy sigh.
hen did steepster change over? where have i been?
It changed over earlier today, you’re okay. :) When you do your first tasting note you’ll see a link to a message from the Steepster team about it. As for this tea, well who do you think I packed it up for? ;)
The Irish Cream Cheesecake does the same thing and gets stronger and a little bitter as it cools. Best drunk hot!
spoilererer. =0X
This is another tea MissB dropped off tonight (yay!!!), and is the only reason I have not fallen asleep in my chair yet. Oh, it was so good. I just steeped it in water and had it plain. Yes, it’s quite thin, but I really liked the flavours. I made my BFF try it, and she liked it too. Might have to give her the rest of MissB’s sample, since I do have a reblend coming my way (again, through MissB. She’s amazing, yet SUCH an enabler.).
Thank you!
Flavors: Chocolate
Preparation
I used 1.5 tsp. Not 1.
Argh. I love the new features, however I can’t like?
So glad you’re getting use out of all of them! I knew you loved this, so I wanted to get you some while (I assumed) you were waiting for more in the reblend order. ;)
It’s so funny that my last note popped up and my rating was ‘:(’. :) This smells so good and is so delightfully caffeinated that I don’t mind the thin texture!
You have to click the teensy weensy heart. It’s working in my phone , haven’t tried a computer yet.
yeah heart clicking is harder now
Got it. Heart the click. Too tired for this precision work! ;)
ugh…tell me about it. just. want. to.sleep.
Attempting at a sip down. Attempting being the key word here. This as a cold brew fooled the pants off of me.
When I went to take the first sip, I initially thought that this worked way better as a cold brew. The questionable underlying floral note is virtually invisible, and I get mostly cherry. But give it just a few seconds.
Then the aftertaste hit me. COUGH SYRUP. I took a bit of a break and just poured my second glass—because I’m a masochist and all—and it’s now cough syrup through and through. I feel guilty for being wasteful, but I think I’m just going to dump the rest of the 1.5 litres I have left. Why force myself to drink that when I have 2984205845 others to try.
Lowered the rating, too.
Oh, ick :(
Cherry seems to be so hard to capture properly, it turns out icky easily I find…I’m still on the hunt to find the perfect one cause I love cherries so much…
Cough syrup usually doesn’t bother me if it is sweet enough but I’m not sure how I’d like it as tea in large quantities. Cherry flavour is really difficult apparently.
That’s just it. I actually don’t mind cough syrup either, but to drink two litres of tea that tastes like it? No thanks.
Theoretically, you would think if blends had actual dried cherries in it, the tea would have really good cherry flavour…
The perfect cherry tea…it’s got to be out there somewhere…
My wife had some of her cold brew of this today, we added a touch of vanilla agave and she seems to like it! I’ll poke her into posting a tasting note.
You too, gmatis? Let’s make sure we let each other know when one of us finds it!!!
A work friend gave me a bag of “Cherry Blossom Tea” from a visit to Washington DC; it was repackaged/relabeled from Eastern Shore Tea Co. Wasn’t entirely natural, but it wasn’t cough syrupy either. I can’t find my own review here on Steepster—I’m sure I did, but K S posted on his blog: http://theeverdayteablog.blogspot.com/2013/10/eastern-shore-tea-company-cherry-blossom.html Still isn’t the cherry nirvana I’m looking for.
Oh, gross! I think I’ll avoid making this as a cold brew then..
That’s it, I want cherry nirvana, don’t we deserve that? And so true Fjellrev, why aren’t there cherries in most cherry blends? All I seem to find is rose petals!!!
Glad your wife likes it, aisling of tea!
A friend of mine swears by a sencha-based sour cherry tea a local store here blends. I haven’t tried it yet since I keep spending my money on e-tailers, but it too only has cherry flavouring. When I get around to it, I’ll let everyone know the verdict, and if it’s good, I can send some to the Steepsterites on the hunt for that perfect cherry tea. :)
What kind of cherry tea are you guys looking for? Cherry Tisane? Cherry green? Chocolate Cherry Black?
Some of RLT’s cherry matchas are nice. I liked Black Cherry.
I’m personally open to any of the above options with cherry, but particularly a chocolate cherry black sounds good. I know of the Tea Spot’s Chocolate Cherry Bomb but shipping is ridiculous.
I’ve heard mixed reviews about RLT’s cherry matchas but Black Cherry does sound tempting.
I love both, sweet black cherries and sour. I too love to pair black cherries with chocolate, but it’s never really done right. Rivertea is not bad though I must say, but not overly cherry the way I’d want it to be.
The sour cherry teas/tisanes I’ve had always end up being overwhelmed by evil hibiscus. I love tart , but somehow hibiscus takes over everything else. But that’s just me :-)
Chocolate cherry bomb??? Don’t I wish, that’s what I’m looking for, but in a non deceptive way…
My favorite Cherry Tisane is Cherry Goddess from Tealux – I think it’s really tart – but I like that. The other one that’s really good is Pondi Cherry from NMTC – it has hibisus too but it’s not quite as in your face as the Tealux one. I add cherry tisane – which ever one I happen to have in the house to all kinds of things – straight black, green, white teas – I’ve added it too cherry chocolate teas – Cherry Cordial from Culinary Teas wasn’t cherry enough for me, but it was a decent cherry chocolate – then I added a bit more cherry and was pretty good….
Sipdown (203)!
Somehow this one keeps finding its way back to me, despite my not wanting to have it in my cupboard. this was one of the three free samples from the DAVIDsTEA order sent to me, so yet another time it’s wound up in my cupboard without my actually picking it out – the other being as a Christmas gift.
It’s heavy and weak in flavour, and just all around costly. Plus side? It’s easy enough to sipdown, so it never really sticks around long. This one has that going for it.
EDIT: I just checked out the DT site to see the new tea of the month, and am admittedly relieved that it’s not something I feel compelled to go buy. It’s another green…
I have lots of Hot Lips which sounds similar enough to me for me to pass (but I’ll try it once I’m out of Hot Lips). Although, the lack of ginger in the new one is a little compelling – also because I really like cloves.
The plus side of it being so heavy is that it got out of my cupboard quickly!
I also am not really interested in the new tea which is awesome because I don’t need more tea.
I’ve been trying to cut back as well…although, hypocritically, I just bought $65 worth of tea…but to be fair the ones I have never had before I only bought 25 grams worth so in case I don’t care for them they won’t stick around my cupboard long!
@Kristal – when it comes to teas I have not tried before, I now only get 10 g. That way it is enough for 2-3 cups so I can try it out but am not stuck with it if I don’t enjoy it.
When I get DT samples I get between 15g to 30g amounts depending on weight/price. That way I can do several hot cups to see if I can perfect a bad cup (if I have a bad cup) or do a cold brew to try that way.
If I am really skeptical I will get less but I went for 25 grams just in case I liked the teas. Luckily I didn’t HATE any of the teas I just bought!
I tried the new tea in store today, and I don’t think you’re missing out. it just tastes like a cinnamon heart, and that’s honestly all-I don’t get too much of anything else at all—cloves, orange peel, base—just lots an dlots of cinnamon. I only had it in their shot glass thing though, so I only had a few small gulps.
Thank you, VariaTEA. :)
Tea of my childhood. I can’t believe I used to steep this forever and put in heaping spoons of honey. Holy moley. It is SO sweet. Cinnamon-vanilla-spice tea.
Definitely off my shopping list at this point, but I’m so glad I had an opportunity to try it again! :)
Preparation
Glad you got to relive your fond memories! :)
I used to drink all the Celestial Seasonings teas, but some of them I can’t revisit. Maybe next I’ll manage to try Mandarin Spice or whatever it’s called.
I used to feel addicted to this one as well. Lately, not so much.
I haven’t had it since I was a teenager, MissB. :) It’s been a while.
Heh. Wasn’t that just a few years back? ;)
=0)
:P
That probably doesn’t say anything for my maturity level. :)
Tony took me out for my Birthday dinner tonight. We went to the same fancy restaurant as last year, the kind of place where if you order a steak, you get a fillet that is roughly 2 inches in each direction, with a velvety sauce, & the side of veggies are really more like a garnish. It’s not a great amount of food, just enough so that I’m hungrier when I get home than I was when we got to the restaurant, but every bite is the best tasting, most succulent, tender meal you’ve ever had.
Earlier this evening, while I was waiting for Tony to come pick me up to go to dinner, I enjoyed this tea, steeping 1 TB + 8oz X 3min/resteep 5min.
This tea is so satisfying, really just perfect.
Sipdown no. 47 for the year 2014. 50 is in sight! I should definitely make it over the weekend, maybe even by the end of the day.
Under the light of my desk lamp, where I ordinarily sit when on the computer, the liquor today is redder than it looked in sunlight yesterday, closer to the way I described the liquor of the Double Bergamot. I think there must have been a steeping fluke on my first tasting that resulted in a lighter, yellower liquor.
In any case, though my Earl Grey pantheon is full, I will enjoy this while it lasts.
You have a pantheon? Is there a single favorite or maybe a top three? I’d love to be an Earl Grey monogamist but haven’t started looking for ‘the one’ just yet.
Haha. Yeah. My top EGs are Samovar’s EG and EG Lavender (which I don’t think they make anymore so I will be substituting the American Tea Room lavender) and then I have a vanilla, a rose, a chocolate, etc. and some runners up as well in those categories. Also like the ATR Lady Grey. The one thing I don’t have is a decaf but I’m not sure I need one. I don’t ever feel like drinking EG except in the morning.
what’s your favourite vanilla EG/EGC?
Thank you! Those are vanilla, rose, and chocolate EGs? That sounds terrific too. So much for monogamy.
I’ll jump in with a suggestion too, since I have found “the one” for me: Zen Tea Earl Grey Cream. So good. But then again, I’ve never had a pantheon of Earls in the house, so what do I know, lol!
I see that my current favorite by rating is the Upton Vanilla.
But now I want to try the Zen!
But of course you do…
Jumping in to second the Zen Tea EGC! Two of my favorite blends are Harney & Sons’ Tower of London and Diamond Jubilee as far as fruit EGs go, but Zen’s is my favorite cream that I’ve tried. I’m still looking for “the one” myself, though, so I’m taking notes on these suggestions!
Oh, my dear, dear queen.
Until we meet again. Let me never forget your perfect, lithe balance. Your game of clever contradictions. Your maple but maybe not maple finish, and your tantalizing smoke and bracing power. Until we meet again. It will be soon.
This tea note is great. :)
Haha, so is the queen! :)
Love it! I think I saw this flavour at my local Chapters – I gotta get me some. :)
Yvonne – chapters is sometimes on the expensive side, so just watch for that :)
Interesting that they have this one at Chapters, I shall check. Would be nice to try it first before buying a whole bucketload!
Thanks for the heads up :) Yup, Chapters isn’t cheap…never has been. Seems to be the only place I know of that sells very limited types of Harney and Sons though. :( Wish they had Florence – I love that tea.
Weird. I’m happy I got a sample of this from VariaTEA instead of buying it because I am not a fan. Nope, nope nooooooo.
I thought I would be too, but it’s just too … huh. I’m not even sure how to describe it. It’s like rotten banana – with that sort of liquorish odor, and it’s thick and woodsy and not chocolate. I’m just going to dump this. (155)
And now to pass the sample on to someone else in hopes this will find a nice home. Either that or it will get passed along until it gets dumped cup by cup.
Yes. If someone (Canadian) wants the last bit of it (2 cups?) they can have it! If no one claims it it will just… disappear!
That sounds terrible. Please disappear it! Please. (Well, unless someone is REALLY curious!)
Gross, I think BPAL makes a perfume that smells like how you describe the taste of this: Banana Peel in a Graveyard. Personally, I wouldn’t want to know what that would taste like.
And thanks for taking one for the team and trying it/going through that experience. Now you’ve spared me.
BPAL comes up with some interesting perfumes, that’s for sure.
Rotten banana tea sounds pretty awful.
I was not a fan of this either
Ok, I’m glad I’m not the only one who wasn’t a fan.
And yes, I think I’ll do everyone a favour and just disappear it. I wouldn’t want to inflict this on my worst enemy, nevermind one of you guys!!!
If you go to the tea’s page, people rated it fairly highly. Perhaps it was just this sample that I inflicted on the both of us?
That’s a possibility!
In that case, I am very sorry to have subjected you to this nightmare.
Hahah. Well it’s not like you made it bad! It could have just been another tea that I like which you don’t. (i.e., those Teavana ones I was able to drink)
For some reason I had it in my head that green rooibos would not be as rooibosy as red. This cup is proving that not to be the case. Though it is not immediately recognizable as rooibos it is definitely there. And there is a tint of caramel but it is not sweet like I anticipated it would have been. Honestly, I am not sure what I am tasting. It is like really weirdly artificial. Mostly it just tastes like something is missing. This won’t be a restock and I think I will send the last 1-2 tsps to Roswell Strange so she can try it out.
Preparation
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this. :( I actually liked it when I got it to go with a bit of agave.
I think sweetener would help but I don’t sweeten my teas.
I hardly do unless it’s a bit of honey when my throat is sore. In any case I was thinking of picking this up but maybe I won’t now because I can’t be bothered adding things.
Haha. I think I wanted more sweetness so it would definitely be an easy remedy for someone willing to sweeten their teas. But if you don’t want to add anything, I don’t recommend it.
I may go for the chocolate mint rooibos instead. ;D
I was not a huge fan of that either (in fact I am selling mine now because I stupidly bought 50 g) but I think that is more because I am not a huge lover of chocolate and mint.
I handle green rooibos better than red, but yeah, this one doesn’t benefit that, iirc.
I actually kind of like this one! The odd person out. :) It’s good with a bit of coconut cream. Mmm.
Green rooibos is awesome, but it kind of defeats the purpose if they’re going to mix it with the red variety.
I like this one with a bit of milk… hmmm… never tried coconut milk, I think that would be quite delicious too
Taiwan Ginseng oolong! I love you I love you I love you. You are delicious. You are addictive. When I make you, I make a lot of you, and I drink and drink and drink.
Tonight I served you with homemade lomein.
Now I asked if there is licorice root powder in this and was told no, and I am sure whoever it was doesn’t know it is there, but it HAS to be there. I taste it, and I have never seen a ginseng oolong that didn’t have at least a bit. I don’t care. I love it.
I tried another ginseng oolong and it was nothing compared to this one. I scoff at it. Buy this one.
I’ve never tried a ginseng oolong…I don’t even know what ginseng would taste like!
I have heard it said that it tastes like a dirty potato, lol! But this doesn’t, I think there must be licorice root making it so sweet. A couple of my friends have just gotten addicted to this tea. There are two main types of ginseng and this is American rather than Siberian. There is a distinct difference, so maybe that is why the flavor of this is so good.
Nice, I’ll pick up a sample with my next Teavivre order :)
OK call me crazy – it’s ok, I don’t mind….
This is Neapolitan ice cream. When it’s melted and all the flavors are mixed in the bottom of your bowl – that’s what this is. It’s more Neapolitan than the big name one that’s out there. This is good – it’s really good. Chocolate, strawberry, creamy – awesome. Maybe a hint thin on the mouth feel, but I can over look that.
Thank you so much VariaTEA for sending this sample my way.
Yay! I am glad you liked it. I want so much for my cacao aversion to subside so I can have a tasty cup of this. It just smells soo awesome.
The more I hear about this tea the more divine it sounds!
Mmmm Neapolitan!!
If it wasn’t so cold outside, I’d be temped to ice the rest of this sample – I think it would be amazing cold.
Or be inventive and make tea pops…lol
I need to look into doing that this summer – and this tea would be a good one to do it with – Moose Tracks would be another…hmmmm I see more HI orders in my future.
Mm yes I see reviews on moose tracks, is possible for you to send me a link to HI, please?
Oh wow! I wonder if anyone has tried these cacao-based ones iced or cold brewed then.
Abby Noelle here you go….lots of fun stuff on their site..
http://herbalinfusions.ca/
http://herbalinfusions.ca/collections/cacao-tea
http://herbalinfusions.ca/collections/black-tea/products/moose-tracks
My tea shop also sells organic cocoa shells from Tisano and has a few blends besides bulk sales. One favorite is a chocolate puerh with several other natural ingredients. I keep the hulls at home yo mix in my own puerh blending.
You know I don’t mean mine literally, my shop here in town.
Moose Tracks tea pops sound awesome!
So does that chocolate puerh, Bonnie!
So very glad that I’m having more of this tonight! Holy moly, what a different steep does to this tea.
I’m getting maple, I’m getting creamy, I’m getting pecan, I’m getting sweet. It’s really fantastic – so much so that my 6-year-old took a sip, and asked if he could “have as many sips as I want”. I said no, because it is caffeinated, and made him some of Tea Desire’s Sweet Toffee (rooibos) instead. He says it’s “ahhh.. makes me feel better – tea”.
Anyway. This is delicious! Upping the rating significantly.
Preparation
Sounds delish!
That’s so cute!
OMG I suck! I forgot to thank Dexter3657 for this, as she sent it to me in a swap a while back. Bad me!
Also, it makes me want to peruse Design a Tea more; the concept of creating my own tea blends just plain rocks.
As soon as I see “design a tea” I think Dexter. :)
I haven’t loved all the teas I got from them, but it’s hard to blame them when you choose what’s in it. Brian is just amazing, helpful, funny – great guy to work with. If you are at all interested in playing “mad scientist” this is a fun company to do it with. (It’s also really inexpensive – bonus!!)
That’s awesome Dexter – have you ordered full size blends, or just the sample?
I’ve ordered from them twice, both times I got full sized blends (and some samples the first time). The first time I stayed pretty conservative – regular base plus two flavors -off the main design page. The second time I dug way deep into the site and choose some of the specialty bases and added all kinds of stuff. Brian is great – just because your “dream” doesn’t fit into the drop down boxes doesn’t mean you can’t get it. I wrote almost a full page of “special instructions” and I got everything I asked for – no problems at all – fun emails from Brian to clarify. Great experience.
Sad, sad sipdown!! (205)
Thank you Roswell Strange for this one. It is a rare rooibos that doesn’t rooibosy. It beautifully captures the flavor of a homemade apple strudel. I am sad to see it go.
Preparation
I need this tea in my life…shopping list.
Those are the best rooibos teas – the ones that don’t taste like rooibos. :P
Heh, unless you’ve received more tea in the last 24(ish) hours you now have less tea than I do :P But I’ll remember you like this one (I hoped you would because of the pistachio).
I just bought 15 new teas!!
With your 52Teas order? They don’t count yet – not in your cupboard atm ;)
No. I was not including that. I went to DAVIDs and CaesarsTea today and bought 15 teas in person. I have a problem.
If I include the 52 teas than you need to add an additional 19 on top of that.
My hiatus has been going pretty well, I must say :) Though, there may be 19 in total on the way to me, heh… RiverTea + Keychange + Cavo + Moraiwe + “Take It Away” thread.
I grabbed 10 g so I will cold brew that and see if I am left with anything to try it hot. I also grabbed Guava Cadabra and intend to cold brew it.
I like Guava Cadabra too, though I’m surprised you got it because of the hibiscus.
I tried Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait as a cold brew and enjoyed it so I decided to give Guava Cadabra a try that way just to see what happens. I figured if I grabbed 10 g that wsas probably just enough for one bottle cold brewed and so its nbd if I am not a fan.
So I just realized I commented here the response I meant to put on my Countess of Seville post. I was wondering where that went. Haha.
I didn’t even notice it was on the wrong tasting note! :C
That’s because our conversations transend boundaries :P
Nice! I was wondering if this would be too similar to one of the vanilla flavours.
It does taste very strongly of vanilla but there are other components as well.
That really good to know since I’ve been going back on forth on what to get next time I order, but was worried that most of the bakery stuff would taste the same (since Caramel and English Toffee were too similar for me).
I have some English Toffee as well. Hopefully it tastes different from the Caramel for me. I also have Creme Brulee which I hope is not the same as those two. So far my favorite by far is the Caramel Popcorn.
Caramel Popcorn is one I should definitely try out next time since I like the Caramel and English Toffee anyway. Actually, I’m sure if you tasted Caramel and ET side by side, there would be a noticeable difference, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t start one until I finished another, and they were ultimately too similar to have both around. Creme Brulee sounds like another one that may be too similar.
Once you inevitably drink up your matcha, we should split an order – it seems like a lot of the matcha on your wishlist is the same as what’s on mine.
taaaakkkkeee miiiinnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Noooo… I don’t want to receive stuff from people when I’m not in a position right now where I can share back as freely D: I feel guilty getting so much free stuff.
Haha Sil. And Roswell Strange, I already split my order with a friend but I am sure we can figure something out. Like something tells me I will go through it faster than she will and I will have to get more sooner.
Plus she is neither a cherry or banana fan so I need to find someone who is willing to try either or both of those flavors.
i think i have banana and cream in my cupboard. i’ll look..there’s ONE package i have that’s not in my cupboard lol
Well obviously not this order – this one is all yours. But once you’re ready to place another order. Banana sounds great. I’ve had Black Cherry and really disliked it…
NOOO!!! I had such high hopes for Black Cherry. And Sil, is bananas and cream good? That is one I wanted to try. It will probably be ordered eventually.
i liked black cherry..but i think i used to cut it with cheesecake.. as for banana..no idea, it’s one of my unopened..i’ll try it this weekend haha
Oh, Sil have you tried Ten or Captain Jack yet from your Doctor Who sampler? I don’t remember seeing reviews for them – but I’m definitely curious :)
neither yet..but they’re on my list of teas to try and get through this week/weekend. I really wanted to try a few more tonight but i can barely manage to drink much of anything tonight other than the rye and coke. almost done work stuff and it’s nearly bed time. so annoying.