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At Strada Cafe, Berkeley – had a steaming hot cup of this. I remember liking this one the last time I had it, but it’s been a while so I wasn’t really sure how it would measure up today. Turns out it was quite tasty! I liked the blend of bergamot with more of a citrus accent, without being overdone. Some natural sweetness to it, unobtrusive black tea base. A very good back-up tea for a cafe setting.

Staying at a cabin in Big Bear Lake, California, where this tea was on offer. My, it’s been a long time since I’ve had it! I remember it being so different from “normal” tea, almost like it was something I should save for special occasions. Jaded, jaded, jaded. Now it tastes flat but still carries with it the associations from the good old days. Suppose I should be honest and rate it how it tastes to me know rather than how I remember it tasting to me…

I like the idea of seeing what is in other people’s tea cupboards and being able to try something new at random! Staying with friends in Pasadena, who have a big Mason jar full of assorted tea bags. This one was interesting to me, as it was from a company I hadn’t heard of before, and something with berries in it sounded nice as a summertime drink. It brewed up a deep, rich red color, much like Red Zinger, with a similar fruity aroma.

Wow, talk about tart! Looking at the ingredients, I see that they could have hardly picked a more sour blend – rose hip, hibiscus, blackberries…all seemingly picked before their prime. The flavors were strong and fruity though, so I think this would probably make a very good iced tea, just far too sour for my taste to have straight as hot tea.

I ran out of the black tea variety of this one long ago, but still have a little of their red. It hasn’t got anything recognizable besides rooibos in the dry leaf, but my does it have the scent and flavor of a master blend! The rooibos does give it that distinctive flavor as a base, so those who aren’t fond of it should probably steer clear. Wrapped all around the rooibos though is the Marco Polo profile – naturally sweet and featuring just the right amounts of citrus and floral notes. Yummy yummy.

Off on a three-week road trip tomorrow! I’m not taking any of my teas with me and will rely on chance encounters with newly discovered denizens of the world of tea while I’m gone…

I wanted a fresh, light, yet complex green tea this morning, and reached for this one. Good choice! It still amazes me how much flavor can come out of a briefly steeped green tea, and how much the flavor can change from the first steep to the second. This stuff tastes good and somehow it just feels healthy, too.

Wow, quite an aroma when you open up the packet! Pungent – it’s the bergamot without a doubt, but the lavender is really prominent, making the whole thing much more aromatic. The leaves look nice; it’s gratifying that they seem to be using good quality tea as their black base.

After five minutes, the liquor is medium-dark brown, and is just about as fragrant as the dry leaf. Lavender is still muscling its way to the front of the room, with bergamot trying to get a word in edgewise. Taste, I’m getting the same dynamic – I’d probably call it lavender tea with the addition of bergamot rather than the other way around. Not sure if I’m a huge fant of lavender tea however – it’s an aroma I associate with perfumes and potpourris rather than consumable items, so this one is probably a bit too much for my taste. Interesting to try, though.

I’m in the mood for a chai, but I’m not sure if that’s because I knew this was one of my last two Golden Moon sampler packets. The dry leaf smells really good, plenty of warm spice – and with temps here now in the low 70’s compared to the high 90’s of just a few days ago, it almost feels like I need some inner warming.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a chai without milk or cream and sugar, but for the sake of being anal about these tasting notes, I’ll have at least a sip of it as is. Good thing! After five minutes in just-boiled water, it’s not near strong enough for my taste. Back in the pot with you! A few minutes later I check on it again and it’s much better, though still somewhat meek. Time for the additives.

Now I’m feeling sorry for this tea! I really think it has the potential to be good, but I don’t think I handled the steep very well. Next time I’ll stick to simmering the tea in milk for a good long time to get all the flavors out, as I’m finding this just too weak. I’ll leave off rating it until we meet again.

I feel like I can finally have another little bit of the small sample packet I originally ordered, now that I’ve placed a “real” order because of today’s special and know that more will be on the way.

Postscript before the note – as I made my way through multiple steepings, it still amazes me how distinct yet interrelated each one is. I will betray my roots in US pop culture of the 70’s here and say that it reminded me of the Brady Bunch, with each steeping taking on a personality of its own:

1st steep: 190 degrees, 45 seconds. Peter. Quite possibly the sweetest of the bunch, warm-hearted and ready to make you smile. Yet there are hints of hidden depths! Ah well, when it’s time to change, you’ve got to rearrange…

2nd steep: 190 degrees, 45 seconds. Marcia. Still sweet, but now becoming oh-so-sure of itself. Could it be too perfect for its own good?

3rd steep: 190 degrees, 45 seconds. Bobby. Now the sweetness is getting balanced with some earthiness. This one’s been skinning his knees in the grass.

4th steep: 190 degrees, 60 seconds. Cindy. Is there such a thing as too much sweetness? Probably not. It just happens to be snack time, and we’re having apple juice with Mrs. Beasley.

5th steep: 190 degrees, 60 seconds. Greg. Things are really maturing now. This one wants to go off and be in a mug on its own so it can be the rock star it knows it really is.

6th steep: 190 degrees, 90 seconds. Jan. Despite her protestations of “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!”, this one should drop the insecurities and simply revel in being Jan. Relax sweetheart, you’re perfect just the way you are!

I have a feeling that with future steeps I’d get around to Mike and Carol too, and probably even Alice. Wouldn’t want to take it too far though and end up at Tiger or, heaven forbid, cousin Oliver.

What a great tea.

Two of my favorite flavors – how well do they go together? I decided to try really hard not to steep the H-E-double hockey sticks out of this one, so that I could catch as much as possible out of both flavors without succumbing to bitterness. The dry leaf smells super!

Mmmm, came out just right. The aroma has both vanilla and jasmine, individually discernible but also combining to form one yummy whole. The tea itself is naturally very sweet, and I’m getting absolutely no bitterness. The liquor is medium brown with a hint of green. I actually got out my cream and sugar and have it waiting on the side, since I usually prefer vanilla teas with those additives, but this tastes so nice the way it is I’ll think I’ll leave well enough alone. The only thing that niggles at me is a slight, unusual aftertaste that I can’t quite identify. Guess I’ll just have to try more again sometime to try and suss it out…

After my strong cup of French Breakfast this morning (the caffeine in there had me buzzing for quite a while!), I wanted something a little more mellow for this afternoon. I’m down to my last few Golden Moon samples, so this seemed like the right one. I had a feeling the tightly compacted chunklets would do a good job of expanding, and that was definitely the case. After two minutes of steeping, they looked to be about halfway undone, i.e. a good place to stop and take a first taste.

1st steep: 2.5 minutes, 190 degrees: There’s a pleasant buttered vegetables aroma, which is partially but not fully realized in the flavor. I also have some subtle floral and toasty notes, but they’re pretty far in the background.

2nd steep: 3 minutes, 190 degrees: I’m not getting as much toastiness this time, but a little more general vegetal flavor. Buttery notes have toned down too. Aroma is milder but still grassy and pleasant.

Overall not a bad Oolong, but I probably wouldn’t seek it out especially.