902 Tasting Notes
Happy New Year! Here’s to good things happening in 2011.
I’m starting off 2011 with my favorite breakfast blend. I’ve managed to get a fair amount of this in my stash (thanks to LiberTEAS and Meghann!), but I know that all too soon it will be gone. It’s easily a tea I could drink every day and never get tired of. Smooth, gentle, slightly astringent and just the right amount of vanilla. Perfect for gently waking me up and welcoming in the new year.
Preparation
So, I’m on my second pot of this, and I’m really not sure what to think. I taste spice, cinnamon mainly, but there’s a hint of cardamom as well. I also taste plum, and there’s just a hint of the hibiscus in the background. I think the fruit flavors would come out more with a longer steep, and I’m tempted to try a 10 minute steep on this, but at 5 minutes the spices are quite strong enough, thank you, and I really don’t want to find out how much stronger they could be. So I’ll hold off on giving a rating for now.
On side note, I think my sickness is coming back. Joy of joys, my nose has been running so much it’s ready for a half marathon.
Preparation
Hopefully it is the spices making your nose run and not a repeat cold:( Hope it goes away soon!
Sadly, it’s not. I had to cut short a day of shopping with my mom to go pick up some meds and crash at home. I don’t feel bad, really, so I’m hoping it’s limited to the nose and stays there. Thanks, though!
So I’ve actually been drinking this tea a lot over the break…so much so that this is my last pot. I will say that it has improved for me, but not to the point where I’ll be getting more of it. And it’s not been terribly exciting to drink, but does deliver a good caffeine-get-me-awake feeling.
Preparation
LiberTEAS sent me a couple of different rooibos blends from this company a while back. I’m just now getting around to having it.
I’m not sure how I feel about the smell of this. I smell apple pie spice, and rooibos. Taste-wise, it’s definitely not a rooibos that I’d recommend. There’s just something that doesn’tsekt well with the other spices. I brewed it for my standard 10 minute steep, it potentially would be better at a lower steep, but can’t say that I’d actually want to try it again.
Preparation
Extended family Christmas fail: my uncle gave my mom (his sister) a tea-for-one set, and gave me a bathrobe. My mom doesn’t drink hot tea. I already have 4 bathrobes (2 of which were presents from said uncle).
So, anyway, Mom and I split the tea (for her to make and have iced), and she’s keeping the tea-for-one pot/cup to display. The tea itself is…well, not as delightful as I would like for a lemon tea to be. The black tea itself isn’t bad, but the lemon flavoring is a bit reminiscent of lemon scented dish soap. Now saying that, it’s more enjoyable than you’d think. Not something that I’d ever pick up again, but I’ll be able to drink it and finish off my half. It’s kind of comforting in a way I can’t describe. I’ll probably drink it when I’m simply thirsty or don’t want to have something that I’ll have to pay attention to.
Preparation
My mother loves having lit candles and she thinks that a tealight holder with a lit tealight in the window is all sorts of pretty and cozy and whatnot. I’m sure it is. But I never light candles at home, I don’t have any suitable windows to light them and frankly would be likely to forget I had lit them if I had. At last count I possess 14 tealight holders… I totally understand about the bathrobes. When the time comes to do my birthday wishlist it will have the information of the amount of tealight holders in my possession and a request to not add to the collection on it, I think. I did that with towels once, since it seemed everybody who couldn’t come up with anything got me towels. I’ve still got some that I haven’t even unpacked yet. They’ll come out when it’s time to throw out some old ones.
I’ve actually had a number of pots of this whilst being here at my parents’s place (snow has thawed slightly and I’ll get to go back home tomorrow). I think I’ve finally got this working right. I took the bags out of the cellophane bag, and then left the lid off the container overnight. That strange, musty taste is now gone for the most part, and I can enjoy it much better now. It’s definitely not my favorite Earl, but at least I’ve figured out a way to brew it!
Preparation
This is one of the Numi teas that I picked up at my conference earlier this month. I had several cups of this during it, and really enjoyed it.
It’s very nicely spiced; I can taste the cinnamon and the cloves primarily, and the orange is absolutely delicious. Not much of a white tea taste, but I don’t mind that in this blend. This is a blend that is very forgiving on time/temp, as I had no control over either at the conference and it still turned out delicious. This is a blend that I would definitely invest in…and will keep drinking at conferences.
Preparation
I just moved by a grocery store that has an amazing tea selection (compared to anything where I used to live) and they actually carry some Numi teas AND they had this one! May have to pick it up! Have you ever had Bigelow’s Constant Comment tea? Is this one similar to that minus the black tea base?
I have had Constant Comment, but only once or twice and I don’t think I made it right. I highly, highly recommend trying this one though…if I see it at the store, I’ll be picking it up for myself. It’s great!
