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I’m slowly migrating the majority of my bagged teas to my work stash. Yes, I could do loose-leaf here, but fully admit that I’m too lazy to either a) pre-bag into tsacs or b) deal with the cleaning of brew baskets. I like bags for work. It’s less thought-process involved, and I really like that.

So, on to this tea! Rachel tucked this into that lovely sampler box she sent me. It’s definitely got the ginger going on. So much so that I can see it settling out of the tea and gathering at the bottom of my mug. There’s a slight lemon taste that does ease the ginger a bit, but I’m not getting any green tea taste at all. Just ginger, and that savory aftertaste that goes along with that.

Now, if you’re in the mood or really like ginger, this tea would be a must-have for you. For me, it’s good right now because I was slightly stuffed up and now I’m not. I couldn’t drink it on a regular basis, though, because to me it kinda tastes like liquid Duck Curry.

I have no idea how old this bag is. Whilst helping Mom make candy, I found it at the back of her cupboard. I’m sure that I bought it and took a few bags there to keep on hand when I visited. I vaguely remember picking up this tea, and I know that it was purchased between 2-4 years ago. Yay for my memory :-P

It tastes more herbal than tea. There’s a hint of fruit, but nothing you could put your finger on. Can’t really taste any white tea at all. Just herbs, but they’re not bitter or medicinal tasting. It’s not bad, but rather unremarkable.

Sometimes I love driving 2 hours from my parents’ place and coming straight into work. Other times, like today, it just makes me sad and want to go straight home instead of working.

But there’s this little gas station on the way that makes the best sausage biscuits…and they let me fill up my travel mug with hot water at no charge. I had quite a few teas with me, but needed something bagged. This was the one that fit the bill. I quite like it, and it made me very happy this morning. Was a great compliment to a sausage biscuit!!

Finishing up the last of this sample from LiberTEAS. It’s a great early morning, get-me-going cup.

Another sample from Rachel! Such a fantastic box of samples!!

This one is sweet and creamy. Definitely a great tea to cuddle up with on a chilly morning!

With Thanksgiving weekend coming to a close, the Christmas season can officially commence. Rachel sent me some of this to try (thank you!!!).

I’m not sure it says “Christmas” to me. There’s a hint of spice, but nothing that you’d be able to point at and say “this is xx spice”. The white tea is nice, and there’s also notes of vanilla and almond. And the chamomile is there as well…but its kind of unsure of its role in the blend. Its okay, but it’s not really anything to write home about. And it certainly doesn’t live up to its name.

When Meghann posted about this tea a while back, I knew I had to try it. On my next visit to Cuppa, I mentioned it to the owner. Lisa ordered some, and it came with her most recent delivery. I was going to buy an ounce, since I like playing with the steeping parameters on puerhs, but then I smelled it. I got two ounces, because I know this is going to be grand once I find that magical time/temp combination.

Seriously, this is one of those teas that has to be sniffed to be believed. Smells awesome dry, and the scent of the brewed cup is just as good. It smells like something baking…chocolate and coconut and sweet. No hint of that rather distinct puerh scent.

Still need to work on getting the time/temp right. This cup seems a bit watered down to me. Very sweet, and coconut is in the fore. The cacao is more in the background and aftertaste, and I’m not really getting any puerh taste. Will steep for 5 minutes next time around…not sure if I’ll resteep these leaves or not. But I can tell from this cup that it really is going to be mind-blowing once I find the time/temp that’s just right! For now, I’ll give it an 80…but that very well may change.

Another sample from Rachel!! Yet another one of Frank’s blends that I missed the first time around.

It tastes just like the blueberry filling that’s in danishes. The cream cheese flavor is really prominent when I add milk…and I found that I actually prefer this one with milk! It’s decadent and full-bodied, definitely a special morning treat. This is another one that should be made permanent so that I don’t have to be without it…especially since the entire pot is now in my belly.

Oh, and Frank…any chance a peanut butter fudge tea could be in the works? Maybe with a honeybush base?

Rachel sent this to me (can you tell which swap box I grabbed when I left town?). I still can’t believe how many of Frank’s great blends I missed before I found out about 52teas!

Okay, let’s just get this out in the open: eggnog is disgusting. Disgusting. Regardless of the amount of liquor that you put in one, it’s gross. I mean, seriously, who drinks raw eggs? But nutmeg, cinnamon, and rooibos are so very intriguing…

Thank heavens this doesn’t taste like eggnog. Instead, it’s a cinnamony, spiced rooibos that’s creamy and not too woodsy. I do think that it’d be good with a bit of milk, but I’m really enjoying it like this and am afraid the milk might ruin the cup.

Okay, I sucked it up and added some milk. It’s very nice this way, more eggnog-like, but not to the point of yuck.

Thanks, Rachel, for sending this my way! I really like it and am a little sad that this is my only pot. Yummy!!

Rachel sent me a pot’s worth of this. Thanks, darling! I’ve been wanting to try it for a while now. I’m always looking for new Earl blends to try, and cheesecake? Anything with cheesecake is better (just found a recipe for red velvet cheesecake…that’s definitely going to be made soon!).

This is definitely a great Earl blend. Smooth, creamy, strong on the bergamot. Yum!!