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Trying this one again after getting advice from the lovely Boychik. The first time, I followed the instruction on Kusmi’s site and I felt like I didn’t get any flavor other than bergamot. She recommended that I raise the water temperature and slightly lower the steeping time, so this time I did 3 minutes at about 205 degrees.

Since I forgot the first time, the dry leaf smells overpoweringly of bergamot, maybe with a touch of sweetness from the caramel. My nose had to keep its distance unless it wanted its sinuses cleared.

The liquid smells like a combination of bergamot, sweetness, and a touch of fruitiness – I would categorize it as fresh cherry. However, when the brew is freshly made and hot, I can mostly just taste bergamot with some sweetness. Yet again, I took Boychik’s advice and let it cool so that the flavors would be more prominent. I took a sip every few minutes or so as it cooled to see how it compared. I could definitely taste it getting sweeter from the caramel (I also added a little sugar so this may have interfered with the caramel flavor). I think it may be a case of an underdeveloped tea-tasting palate, but even when I let it cool to just slightly warmer than room temperature, I was getting at most a hint of cherry or “red fruit” taste.

I still really enjoy this tea, and I liked it much better this time around, since the bergamot was less overpowering. Thanks again Boychik!

This tea is the first of the three free samples I got with my Kusmi Tea order (thanks for the freebies!). First, I must say that I am slightly disappointed that their sample tea bags are not the fancy linen bags that they generally package their bagged teas in. They’re that synthetic material that most pyramid tea bags are made of but they’re in a standard rectangular shape. This seems a little cheap to me, but hey, I guess that’s what you get for free. :P

Smelling the dry tea, I immediately knew that I most likely wouldn’t enjoy this blend. It smells very strongly of licorice root, of which I am not a fan. Being a good sport, I elected to try it anyway. I steeped it for 4 minutes and added a small amount of sugar.

The brew also smells strongly of licorice root, with a slightly milder scent of spice, similar to chai. I find that I barely even taste the black tea base – it’s overpowered by the licorice root immediately. There is also a fainter taste of chai spice. The two flavors do meld together well, and I’m sure that someone who enjoys licorice teas would love this one. I hardly think it fair to give this one a rating since I was bound to dislike it. :P

May I start by saying this tea has the most adorable tin of the bunch (especially since it’s mini!). It’s a bright, cheery red that makes me happy and excited to drink it. Opening the tin, the dry leaves have the most amazing strawberry fragrance. I would describe it as a mix of natural and artificial – it’s a nice, natural strawberry smell that’s been pumped up and given more juiciness by that touch of artificial. This is the best of both worlds in my opinion.

Once again, the tin did not list instructions because it’s a mini, so I looked it up and the website recommends a 3-4 minute steep at 175 degrees. I decided to try 3 minutes 30 seconds.

The brew itself has a lovely (but less punchy) strawberry aroma. I added a very small amount of sugar just to bring out the fruity flavor. I must say, I really enjoy this tea. I’ve never had Sencha green tea before but I suspect that I would like it because the green tea side of this brew is very tasty. The strawberry flavor is not overbearing but it is definitely there and it lingers on the back of the tongue long after you take a sip. My brew has just a little bit of bitterness but I’m sure this would not be the case if I just shortened the steep time a little bit. Very delicious, I will be sure to give it a rating once I try it with a slightly shorter steep time!

The first tea to try from my Kusmi order! The tin does not have instructions so I looked on their website. They recommend a 3-4 minute steep at 185 degrees. This seems like a low temperature for a black tea, no? I split the difference on the steep time and did 3 minutes 30 seconds. There was no recommendation for the amount of tea to use so I went with 1.5 tsp (seems like a standard).

While I do enjoy the brew, it mostly tastes like an Earl Grey to me – I’m not really picking up on the fruit flavor or much of vanilla or caramel. I think I’ll try this one later with maybe a 4 minute steep time and hotter water? Maybe more tea? Any suggestions would be welcome! :)

I must say, I am very impressed with this tea. This is my third steeping and I can’t believe the jasmine flavor is still there! It has definitely become milder with each time, but I think I may actually like this brew the best. I can taste more of the green tea and it’s becoming a little less mellow, which is a good thing in my book. Starting to get more vegetal and hay notes too. Delicious with just a small amount of sugar! Big thanks to Yezi Tea for giving me the chance to try this tea for free. :)

I need my caffeine this morning! It took me a little while to fall asleep last night so I didn’t quite get as much as I would’ve liked. Taking it straight up with just a little bit of sugar. I really do love this tea, and it’s still really delicious after it’s cooled down a bit, which is a plus.

Good morning, everyone!

This is my third and final free sample from Yezi Tea, and it is also my first ever straight oolong. The dry leaves had a surprisingly strong peach smell, which made me very excited to try this tea. Since the packet did not include brewing directions, I looked around on various websites and found a lot of conflicting instructions. XD

I ended up brewing it for 4 minutes, which I think may have been just a little too long. Next time I would go for about 3 or so. The brew has a very strong floral smell with just a touch of fruitiness. The tea itself also tastes very floral (a little bit too floral for me, but I attribute this to the overbrewing) and there is also a very noticeable peach flavor, which I love. The tea itself tastes like a strong green tea to me, but it was a little bit bitter since I let it brew too long. I added a very small amount of sugar to help bring out that yummy peach flavor.

Overall, I really enjoyed this tea, and I feel I will love it when I steep it again for a shorter duration (I will most likely try 3 minutes). I will most likely give it a rating after trying it a few more times. I really appreciate the opportunity to try some awesome teas for free. Thanks, Yezi Tea! :D

It’s amazing how the flavor of this tea gains depth with each steeping. This is my third time around and I have enjoyed it each time. This brew has a strong and very deep straw flavor with just a touch of sweetness. There is still a hint of floral in the aftertaste. Thanks again to Yezi Tea for the free sample of this tasty tea!

Trying the second steeping of this one now. It tastes surprisingly similar to the first, although the green tea taste is somewhat stronger (a welcome change in my opinion). I unfortunately overdid it a tiny bit on the sugar, so I think the jasmine flavor is coming through more than it otherwise would have. I steeped this in the same manner as the first time but added another 30 seconds to the time. Tasty! :D

I thought I would try this lovely tea with sugar and a bit of milk this morning (okay, so it’s not really morning anymore, but it’s Sunday, okay?). The creaminess really helps the vanilla to stand out, and I love vanilla. So comforting and relaxing – perfect for a lazy “morning”!