MadHatterTeaReview Send Message

Decided to bust this out whilst playing some Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. I wanted to sip on something casual and unique. I threw one of these into the Ingenuitea and let it sit for 3-5ish minutes. It’s a flower, so it tastes like a flower; a sweet flower. It doesn’t seem to open up into anything amazing; slightly mushy. Ha-Ha.

I always get sleepy when sipping this flower. I know that the properties can cause drowsiness and the possibility of hallucinations (per Google, only if smoked, so I’m safe). I have one last flower left, so I’ll save it for another day this week or whenever I need a restock/wait for more CBD tea.

Side Note: This does pretty well gongfu’d, too.

Backlog 1/28/2022

The texture of the dry leaf is so odd. It’s loosely compressed, but the leaf is bendable, so it’s difficult to break apart. I’m guessing it’s the fact it was aged in a rye barrel for 6 months.

The aroma definitely smells like whiskey. Flavor wise, it’s sweet, tastes like whiskey without the burn, and smooth. The immediate hit is burnt sugar, pepper, and has a lingering caramel flavor on the tongue.

I drink this every Friday after work, so that I may have the pleasure of having the liquor experience without the hangover. I kicked the habit of drinking spirits after going remote in 2020. Tea is much better for me anyway. :)

Gongfu’d

This is my current cup/ shou yixing pot. I looked outside and saw 2-3 inches of snow on the road. I know I had this last night, but it was so pleasant, I wanted to have more to warm up with.

The shou brews up dark right out the gate. There’s a sweet, earthy, chocolate note lingering on the tongue. The mouthfeel is full and a coating is left behind. I want to keep sipping it. I want to brew it endlessly right now. I weighed the remaining bit of the cake and I only have 80g left. I may try to conquer for the next week.

Side note: last night, I noted 13 steeps before throwing it in the waste pile.

Edit: I’m not sure if this is the shou version or not. I forgot that there’s a sheng version, too.

Backlog 1/25/2022

Sticky note-note: Molasses and ginger. Tastes like gingerbread in liquid form. It’s cold, so it’s only natural I chose a chai today. 7.5/10

Tea Company: Asami
Tea Name: Ashanti Cocoa
Backlog 1/24/2022

Ingredients: Kenyan black tea, cacao shell, cinnamon, ginger root, clove, cardamom, black peppercorn, chili flake

Sticky Note-Note: Very spicy and sweet. Used two teabags and nearly coughed with so much chili. Very warming for the cold day. I want more of this when I run out. 9/10."

Tea Company: Asami
Tea: Zambia Untamed

I was offered a gift to try a few teas after reviewing another blend from Asami. I happened to be on their website at the time that they sent the message, so I told them which teas I had purchased; however, they wanted me to list four more blends to add to the order. This was one of the four blends they offered.

Ingredients: Cinnamon, ginger, red rooibos, cardamom

I forgot the ingredients after a few seconds. While this was steeping, I got distracted with work emails. I started to sip the tea and I tasted ‘lemon ginger.’ I was a bit confused on the account there was zero lemon in the blend. After a few moments, I realized that the reason my brain tasted lemon was due to lemon ginger chewable candies I eat for migraines or an upset stomach. I’m totally going to get some more of this when I run out.

8/10

I’ve had some doubts on CBD for sometime, but my doctor told me it was good for sleep. I wasn’t sure on the best way to ingest it, and gummy bears cost a fortune (if it didn’t work). As I was on Tealyra’s site, I stumbled upon Calm CBD. Quite inexpensive, too! I snagged 50g, sipped it an hour before bed, started reading a book, and woke up a few hours later on the couch. I thought that maybe I was already tired, so it couldn’t have been the 16oz mug of this stuff.

I tried it a second night (fell asleep after 45 mins, slept a solid 7 hours before the dogs woke me up).
And a third night (about the same time, but woke up at 5 hours to let the dogs out).
And a fourth night (slept like a baby for 7+ hours).
And now I’m on night five (TBD).

I’m only a few sips in, but I figured while I wind down after work, I might as well catch up on reviews. I may not make it too far.

Anyway, the blend is really lovely. I taste strawberries, chamomile, and the rose petals offer a hint of perfume sweetness. I really find the tea quite lovely, and I’m considering getting 200g for the nightly sleep aid. I hardly sleep a full night, but with a cup prior to bed the past four nights, I’ve managed more deep sleep than usual.

Edit: Night five 7+ hours. This tea is magic!

I had a big mug of this earlier in the morning. I woke up craving green tea, but I hardly keep any green teas around. I enjoy them whenever I have some in my inventory, however, that’s not too often.

It was slightly warmer today. The snow’s melting a bit and it’s currently 25 F. I wanted to take a walk before work, and have a cup of tea prior to heading outside. I brewed this at 170 F and let it steep for 3 minutes. I’d say that this is more friendly than some green teas, and with a teaspoon of honey added, it was prefect for the early cuppa. Nice notes of umami and grass. The honey sweetened the tea a bit and gave the tea a little something extra.

I’ve one cup left, so I may go ahead and make it a sipdown.

Sipdown
Backlog 1/22/22

I had a longish tea session with a friend yesterday. They were drinking Lao ManE, so I wanted to drink something special, too. I meant to drink this one sooner, but I like to hold onto the last bit of tea for as long as possible. Someone sent me a sample of the Aiyana after boasting on the quality of Mei Leaf teas. They told me that this tea would make me a follower and permanent customer of Mei Leaf. Sure, they have a lot of hype, but I had my doubts about a few things (I don’t feel like getting into here).

The dry leaf didn’t have much of an aroma. I like to compare my notes to theirs on their site because their notes are waaaaaaaay out there.
They noted, “Bayberry syrup, fennel seeds and toffee licorice.”
I noted, “Youngish sheng/hay.”

Even their tasting notes were well beyond what I tasted. I tasted floral (nothing specific) and a touch of strawberry.

Their notes: “Strawberry jam, Victoria sponge, vanilla cream, flint and mountain flowers.”

Yeah, if I read their notes and purchased the cake at their incredibly high price, I may have been heavily disappointed. Was it good? Yeah, I thought so. Was it as good and complex as Mei Leaf said it was? No, not really.

PS. The leaf died after 9 infusions. Is this typical for gushu?

I’m a lover of peppermint and spearmint. My parents planted it within it’s own ‘garden’ on the side of our house. It grew rapidly, so they have to trim it down every year. My mother still dries the leaf out and sips on it during the summer. I grew up sipping and loving peppermint hot or iced. My parents loved it as a sun tea.

Any peppermint tea reminds me of those early days. It was quite lovely; sweet, minty, and refreshing. I make sure to always have some around the house and this is one of those that’ll be good to get more of.