421 Tasting Notes

82

I thought I had reviewed this AGES ago…seeing as it’s almost gone. I love this one as a morning latte. The lavender isn’t overpowering, but it does add a little something extra to the earl grey and that something is awesome. All the flavors mix so nicely together. Hmm, maybe I’ll go make myself a latte right now…

Flavors: Bergamot, Fruity, Lavender

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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73

Wow no one has logged this yet? This was the tea of the morning here in my house. I loved the cute little heart shape of the tuo cha. As with most pu-erh’s this one smelled really earthy, with hints of sticky rice. I employed my handy little mouse yixing pot for the honors. I also managed to spill some of it all over the place as I tried to record pouring my tea…it’s harder than it looks!

The tea itself smells and tastes like the yummy rice used in sushi making and I am in heaven. My only complaint is the directions call for a steep type of 6 minutes…which I thought was pretty long for a pu-erh. So I opted for 2 minutes and I thought it came out perfect.

Flavors: Dirt, Earth, Mushrooms, Rice

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec
gmathis

My husband says rice pu-erh smells like stinky socks. Can’t seem to get that imagery out of my head when I taste one.

IllBeMother221B

This one did not give me that impression and trust me my sniffer is in full working order. :)

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88

One of my favorite H&S teas! Reminds me of a liquid fire ball. Full of spice/flavor! I love drinking this one fist thing in the morning as it really gets me moving.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Spices

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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75

Ordered this one from Upton as I needed a decaf night time tea. I was a little nervous seeing other’s reviews of the tea. But I kept an open mind here. The dry leaf smells like vanilla and very yummy. While the steeped leaves (in a natural tea bag) smelled a bit like a drink with booze in it (then I remembered there’s bourbon vanilla in it). But I liked it. Very soothing and slightly sweet, perfect for an evening cuppa.

Flavors: Alcohol, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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72

Tea of the morning. This was a sample in my recent H&S order. It smells super malty and just full of flavor. The steeped leaves smell of more malt and hints of honey. There’s a nice little kick on the finish to get you moving for the day. Might have to pick some up next time I place an order.

Flavors: Honey, Hops, Malt

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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62

Tea from yesterday morning: I want to like it, I do I do. But the smell of the dry leaf never lives up to what’s steeped in my cup! This is the second time I’ve tried this one as I thought maybe I had a bad batch the first time around….nope, still not good and nothing resembling either chocolate or earl grey. Bummer!

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74

I didn’t forget I had this one to sample. I’m still trying to get over the allergy/cold that won’t quit. I opened the packet and found that I could smell the vegetal goodness of the dry leaf and figured now was as good a time as any to try it out! The green leaves smell very much like fresh veggies to me. Thought I can’t place which veggies. Not a problem, as I think I’m going to like this one!

I will admit the first sip was like buttah! If you get the reference I’m very proud of you! In fact it reminded me more of a Gyokuro and less like a Sencha. Yup that’s how smooth this tea is. Yes, the steeped leaves smell good enough to eat. Though I’m not quite brave enough for that one! The flavors profile on this tea are SPOT ON. It certainly does taste very savory with a lovely buttery finish. I paired it with eggs and sausage this morning because, well why not. I must say this was not a bad choice at all. The flavors play so well together.

The short of it is this is a VERY good Sencha. As you know I’ve very picky about by green teas. But I would buy this one again…once I sip down at least twenty teas in my cabinet. I’m almost out of room and I have NO idea how that happened. Ok I totally know how that happened.

Flavors: Butter, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 1 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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95

I have so little of this left. :( The tea they added to replace it…chocolate salted caramel is no bueno. Not at all! I’ve had this tea close to three years now and I probably should toss it, but I refuse. Plus it still tastes amazing. The salt is there in little hints, but the caramel shines through and is simply delicious! I will be very sad when this is gone as I cannot find a substitute for it!

Flavors: Caramel, Salt, Sugar, Sweet

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Evol Ving Ness

I suggest trying Salted Caramel by David’s Tea.

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62

I really want to like this tea. It has two of my favorite things in it….chocolate and earl grey. What could go wrong? Well, it smells like chocolate when I opened the sample pouch. I even smelled the bergamot in the dry leaves. But once the tea is steeped it smells/tastes like one of those chocolate orange things you slam into the wall to break it into slices. Which isn’t horrible, but it isn’t what I was expecting the tea to taste like. Like I said it’s isn’t bad, just not what I expected when I started sipping on my tea.

Flavors: Bergamot, Chocolate, Orange

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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62

This earl grey tastes a little funky. I’m not sure if it’s the decaf or what, but there’s something off about it. Or maybe I’m coming down with a cold….great. I picked some of this up b/c I was missing my grandma and this was one of the teas she would give me when I asked for tea when I was little. Adding cream and sugar seemed to help it out a little bit, but not much. Boo.

Flavors: Bergamot

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Tea, Earl Grey, hot.

It’s not just you. Bigelow’s Earl Grey is my first-cup-of-the-morning tea, and you’re right, the decaf tastes weird compared to the regular version.

IllBeMother221B

Weird right?

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Profile

Bio

I am a tea lover, a wife, mom of one, and servant to three cats (all rescues). I love to read and write. I’m also a BIG fan of the following shows: BBC Sherlock, Doctor Who, Law and Order, Supernatural, Bones, and more – bless Netflix.

I started drinking and enjoying tea when I was 7 (sure it was bagged Lipton, but it got me started) with my grandmother. As I said it was Lipton with milk and sugar (and peanut butter and jelly on toast) and my love just grew from there. I was brought to loose leaf through a trip to Teavana. But my taste has expanded to many different types of tea since then. I review teas at the link provided, check it out!

You can also find me on twitter and instagram – @IllBeMother221b

Location

Upstate New York

Website

https://illbemother221btalkst...

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