639 Tasting Notes

47
drank Mint Medley by Bigelow
639 tasting notes

Hmm, this is pretty mediocre at best. I’m not a fan of spearmint in anything other than gum. So, this basically just tastes like liquid gum to me. The good news? I can’t detect any hibiscus!

It isn’t horrible for a bagged tea, but it’s not something that I really want to drink either. Oh well. I didn’t have high expectations for this one anyway.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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76
drank I Love Lemon by Bigelow
639 tasting notes

Why is there peppermint in a tea that’s called “I Love Lemon”? Shouldn’t it just be a bunch of lemon flavors? Well, despite my confusion for the ingredients included, it tastes all right I guess. The lemon is more potent than the mint, for which I’m grateful. This is pretty good for a “tea” that doesn’t actually have any tea in it. Color me impressed!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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51
drank Pomegranate Pizzazz by Bigelow
639 tasting notes

I agree with Erin Hurley on this one. It tastes more like apple than pomegranate. It’s sweet and tart from the hibiscus but at a tolerable level. Overall, it’s nothing exceedingly special. But it’s not bad either. It’s just
so-so.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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93
drank Tazo Chai by Tazo
639 tasting notes

This isn’t as good as my Tazo concentrated chai tea latte mix, but it’s pretty darn tasty for a teabag. Mmm mmm! This is a very satisfying cup with a little skim milk and Truvia added. Yummy!!

I’ve made this at work a couple times, and it was nowhere near as tasty as this cup. I think it’s because the hot water tap at work isn’t quite hot enough. I enjoy this significantly more at home, and I suspect that’s why. My advice is to be sure to use boiling water to get the most flavor out of this one!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 15 sec

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81
drank Orange & Spice by Bigelow
639 tasting notes

It’s time for Orange & Spice ‘cause I need something nice! I’m not sure why I’m rhyming so much tonight. All this caffeine free tea is just putting me in that kind of mood.

The dry leaf aroma smells sooo good! There’s a lot more spice in this than I anticipated. The brewed tea aroma is equally as enticing. Ohhhhh yeaaaahh!!! The taste isn’t quite as great as the flavor, but that’s a common characteristic with many teas. It’s still very delicious and really hitting the spot. Yum!

Thanks to my mother-in-law for buying this for me! I’ll have to tell her how much I like it next time we visit. :)

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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69
drank Calm by Tazo
639 tasting notes

I’m finally making headway with all these teabag samples I’ve had since forever. So since I’m kind of on a chamomile roll…here’s my last chamomile tea!

Oh, P.U.! This is not going to be a good one. It is stinky! Yuck. Well, it surprisingly doesn’t taste NEARLY as bad as it smells. I still don’t really want to drink it though. Who wants to hold their nose when they drink a cup of tea? Not me.

Ah, at long last! My cupboard is finally chamomile free! :P

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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75
drank Citrus Dream by Butiki Teas
639 tasting notes

Big thanks to Stacy from Butiki Teas for providing this sample with my last order! I accidently let this one sit in my cupboard for a while. Shame on me. But it’s night time and I’m sleepy. This sounds like the perfect tea for right now!

The dry leaf aroma is really surprising to me. I expected it to smell like chamomile, but instead it smells like fruit. The brewed tea aroma has more of a chamomile fragrance to it. Wow. So this is what chamomile tastes like. Hmm, it’s tasty but I’m not sure it’s the flavor for me. I enjoyed the chance to try it though!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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78
drank Sweet Dreams by Bigelow
639 tasting notes

I’m not sure if I like chamomile. So before I try the Citrus Dream sample from Butiki Teas, I’ll try this bagged tea first. This mostly smells like mint when dry. Once brewed, it has a slight chamomile aroma underneath the more obvious mint.

The flavor is a similar sensory experience. I can taste a lot of mint with a hint of chamomile underneath. Mmm, I don’t know if I’m sleep deprived or what. But this isn’t bad. This is a relaxing blend indeed. *content sigh

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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92
drank Laoshan Black by Verdant Tea
639 tasting notes

You know you haven’t drunk enough tea when you have goosebumps and it’s 72 degrees in your apartment. What’s wrong with me? Well, it’s time to make more tea! After trying the Laoshan Black Chocolate Genmaicha sample from JustJames, I wanted to compare it to plain Laoshan black. And lucky for me, JustJames provided a sample of that too!! I feel so lucky. :)

Mmmm!! I like this much better than the aforementioned blend. This is malty and grainy and delicious! It’s also a tad woodsy, which explains why I was tasting so much of that flavor in the oolong/black blend. I am thoroughly enjoying this cup (and its second infusion). Thanks JustJames!!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 15 sec

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60

Ooooh, I am super excited for this one! Big thanks to JustJames for sending me a sample!

The dry leaf aroma sure smells chocolaty, mmm! The brewed tea aroma is salty and toasty and completely different. I can really smell the Wuyi oolong in this. The first thing to hit my palate is a salty nuttiness from the oolong. Yet as I swallow, there’s a lovely honey sweetness that appears. That’s a surprise!

This is a yummy cup of tea! But I’m a bit confused with its name as I’m not getting much in the way of chocolate or genmaicha. I also think the oolong is a LOT stronger in this than the Laoshan black. I am getting something toasty, but it’s not the popped rice flavor I’m accustomed to in genmaicha. And when it comes to chocolate, I want IN YOUR FACE chocolate. This is like a quiet whisper of wind through the branches of a cacao tree.

As it cooled, all I could taste was the Wuyi oolong and I found it fairly bitter. Yuck. I didn’t want to give up on this tea just yet though, so I tried a second steep for 4 minutes. The resultant brew was much toastier but also less robust and rich. I think I actually prefer this second infusion. There’s still a nice, natural sweetness and it’s appearing more at the front end of the sip now. But what really makes this second cup a winner is that there’s definitely no bitterness!

I’m surprised that Verdant felt compelled to add oolong to this. I think it would have been just fine as an all Laoshan black base. I’ve never been much of a fan of these dark, rock oolongs. So although I enjoyed the sample, I don’t think I’ll stock this tea myself. I guess I’ll be the only one on here to not rave about this blend! Oh well. You never know till you try! Thanks again to JustJames for making this tasting experience possible.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec
JustJames

i got different flavours with every steep. and you’re right, it’s not an in your face chocolate— it’s an uber dark chocolate on the side with a main course of honey and oolong.

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Bio

Entering the sweet blissful world of tea aromas!

Having discovered this website at the end of July 2011, I’m so excited to share my tea adventures with all of you! I grew up with my grandmother serving Twining’s English Breakfast with cream and sugar.

But on a trip to Seattle in 2010, I stumbled into a Chinese teashop and tried my first oolong tea. I was forever changed! I embarked on a startling new love for green and white teas.

With a world of teas to discover, I was inspired to keep a tea journal to record my thoughts and new favorites. Let’s get brewing!

My ratings are completely subjective and 100% my opinion. All ratings are given in relation to each other (ie. teas are rated in the order of my enjoyment of them). Therefore, my ratings will constantly change as I try more teas.

I love swapping!!! If you see something in my cupboard you’d like to try, just send me a message. If you’d like to trade, anything on my shopping list will do or feel free to send something else entirely. I’m willing to try almost anything (although I’m not really a fan of honeybush, red rooibos, pu’erh, Lapsang Souchong, & banana-flavored teas).

Location

Maryland, USA

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