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Another green tea provided by Teavivre. Like I’ve mentioned before, I feel like this is part of a green tea education I’ve needed for a while.

The leaves are very dark green and rolled very thin. Like dried moss. They’re thinner and more delicate in texture than any tea I’ve ever had. They became a brilliant spinach green when brewed, though the tea itself was very lightly colored. A faint yellowy green. It smells like the sea and vegetables and honey all at once.

The taste reminds me a little of nori, but my senses are not very refined for this sort of thing. I’m also reminded of okra for some reason. Something about it just makes me think of summer and fresh veggies from my grandparents’ garden. Despite the short steep time, this tea is very flavorful. I think I’m starting to develop a liking for green tea.

Still on vacation, but taking a moment with Steepster. A moment away from reading and savoring the fact that my cell phone is turned off. Yes, I’m one of those people that Christmas makes miserable.

Anyway, I went through the entirety of my sample pouch in one night. We stayed up talking and getting drunk, sipping tea in between. As usual, when I serve this tea to groups, it’s always a big hit. And it was. I had three cups, myself, at least. Though by the end, I’m not sure how much it was. It’s all a bit hazy. But now my boyfriend’s mom, who we’re visiting, has ordered the pound bag.

If you haven’t given guanabana a chance, and you like fruit teas, this is something one should have at least once.

Mmm, this is just what I needed on this wet, cold day.

As far as Earl Grey teas go, this is a very good one. They don’t go overboard on the bergamot, and the black tea they used is nice, if not a little muted. But that’s to be expected with any flavor. It’s not bitter at all, just very tasty. Lemony, but not mouth-numbingly so. There’s also something malty in the aftertaste, which leads me to believe that this is the first Earl Grey I’ve ever had that I could taste anything besides the bitterness of the black tea and bergamot oil. Its actual flavors shine through. Kinda awesome, if you ask me.

And if it makes any difference, I’m drinking the pyramid bagged version.

Made this as the communal pot last night. The instant I opened the pouch, I could tell that this is yet another Adagio tea that has been enhanced since I last ordered it. The caramel scent was almost overwhelming, and sweet like you wouldn’t believe. I admit, I had to sniff it again. And then again.

This tea might have to stand as my staple caramel tea. I like to have one around, as caramel is one of my favorite flavors and if it’s in tea form, I don’t have to feel bad about having a lot of it. It’s a mellow Ceylon with a very realistic buttery caramel taste. It doesn’t come across as artificial, and it even has a sort of creamy aftertaste. Sort of like a caramel square you’d get from your grandma.

Sadly though, this just makes me miss Sweet Caramel O’ Mine. It doesn’t have that nice hint of smokiness that I liked.

So, I logged back into Adagio the other day and realized I had wracked up enough points there to get some free tea! Like a kid in a candy shop, I picked four sample sizes and paid $1.75 total for it. Love! And this was the first tea I selected.

The first time I reviewed this tea, I was talking about the bagged sample version. Now I’m trying the loose leaf and it does taste a little different. The mouthfeel is much heavier, but otherwise, it seems about the same. Still can’t really taste the cinnamon. Hmm. Also, the apples taste like baked apples, not fresh. I don’t believe I mentioned that before.

Guanabana! ♥ Again, I haven’t ordered this tea in 2 years, and it looks like another blend Adagio has stepped up a bit. Last I saw it, the Ceylon leaf was lower quality, and there were much fewer sunflower petals. Plus, I don’t remember there being actual chunks of dried guanabana in it at all. But I could be remembering that wrong.

This was one of my absolute favorite teas for a long time. I used to make it for friends all the time in the summer of 2009. Tasting it again now, I still feel very strongly about it. It’s fruity in a serious way, but it also has a sort of toasted sugar taste and scent, like someone caramelizing it in a pan. But mostly, since I’ve still never tasted real guanabana, I compare it to starfruit. It has that sort of tart floral/citrusness that really appeals to me.

Happy to have this in the cupboard again. Might go for a 4oz again once I get low.

I feel like I tried this a few years ago, but didn’t like it. I most likely oversteeped it then, which I was prone to doing. (And still am, occasionally.)

But this time, having a little more basis for what a yunnan should taste like, I like it. The leaves smell bright and sweet, but satisfyingly malty. They aren’t smoky, just smooth and very flavorful. It’s strong enough to be good with breakfast. The description mentions a peppery taste, but I’m not getting it. I guess that comes out if you give it the full 5 minutes.

This would be a good yunnan to have around, but I still prefer Teavivre’s Yun Nan Dian Hong Golden Tips.

So, my favorite lunch place on Peachtree has Harney & Sons tea now! They have a few different teas there, so I picked two to go in my purse for later. This one intrigued me because I haven’t had many flavored oolongs in the past. Also, the package said it was a tie guan yin (Iron Goddess), and I’ve had a few of those that I really liked.

Anyway, the fruit flavor is very powerful in the scent. It burst out as soon as I opened the packet. At first glance, I thought the balled up leaves were a little small, and not as glossy. However, they expanded enormously in the pyramid bag, filling it completely. I gave the tea 3 minutes to steep, and it became a pale straw-like yellow. Upon tasting it, I think it could have benefited from steeping longer.

The fruit is in the forefront, as one would expect. It does taste a bit like tart pomegranate, but also sort of like strawberries. Real ones, not the artificial strawberry candy taste. The actual oolong flavor is hardly present. It’s more present in the scent of the tea. Still, I like it. I would probably grab another and try again.

Our evening pot of tea tonight. I went with a longer steep time this batch, with a stronger result. The muscatel flavor is more potent this way, but it gets a sort of aftertaste that I’m not sure about. I also want to note that the leaves themselves are a lot darker than other darjeelings I’ve had in the past.

Another great but subtle white tea from Teavivre.

The leaves for this tea are beautiful — narrow and complete, silver and fuzzy, with just a bit of green. They look very fresh, and there is practically no leaf dust in the bottom. The taste is very clean and satisfying, light and springlike. Something reminds me of the way grass seems after the frost melts. Fragrant and fragile. I don’t know why I hesitated to try this tea. I should have expected excellence before I cut open the pretty white pouch.

That said, I think I prefer the Bai Mu Dan over this. It seemed like it had more going on…