212 Tasting Notes
This was provided for review by Angel and Teavivre. Thanks guys!
This is smooth and sweet. I think the jasmine is done well enough it doesn’t hit my “I hate floral” button. I feel like I’m missing out on that apple-y taste the premium jasmine pearls have. I think they might be a bit more subtle on the jasmine as well. If you like jasmine, I think one will definitely fix that craving nicely.
Preparation
This is another sample provided by Angel and Teavivre for my review. Thanks.
So this is much like the other green I tried today. Butter and spinach-y notes with maybe a nutty quality. I didn’t think it had the floral quality that the Organic Hangzhou Tian Mu Qing Ding Green Tea had. I think of the two, I would purchase the Organic Hangzhou Tian Mu Qing Ding Green Tea. It seems to be more complex. This one might be good for a comfortable cup of tea.
Preparation
This is another sample sent to me by Angel and Teavire for review.
I’m not sure I enjoy green tea as much as blacks or oolongs, but this is pretty good. If I was a green tea lover, this is one I’d keep stocked up on. It’s creamy and smooth in texture. The strongest flavor I get is butter and some thing much like spinach. A floral sweetness shows up next. It’s not perfume-y or soapy. It reminds me of smelling fresh flowers growing in the neighbor’s yard. I guess it’s not powerfully floral. It really has a quite a sweet after taste. Not a bad cup at all. :D
Preparation
I really wanted to try this one after the lapsang I had tried from Upton. For a while, I thought that I liked smokey flavors in tea but not a tea based on the smoke. This is really good and has corrected my opinion.
When I take a sip, I think dainty and light. The smoke seems to be middle of road. It’s not super strong, but there will be no mistaking it either. This really seems to be on the sweeter side as well. I think it makes a good balance for the smoke. I can see keeping a small bit of this around for some thing different to drink. This was quite enjoyable.
Preparation
This is seriously one awesome tea. I’ve been looking for a rooibos chai just like this for a while. Frank had to go and make exactly what I wanted. He must be psychic.
I’ve had a few times before I reviewed it just to make sure this isn’t a tea crush. I still love it just as much as when I first tried it. It’s spiced perfectly. The cardamom is strong with out over powering the cinnamon and clove. Love, love love this one!
Preparation
This is one of the teas we got in that evil grab bag promotion. I think Frank is out to get us! It is such a conundrum to see all those interesting teas and know there is a good chance that one bag is it.
For me, maple and brown sugar are present in equal portions. The oatmeal comes in right after and seems to add some texture to the tea. It’s quite interesting. This comes from some one who refuses to eat cooked oatmeal. It just looks gross. Dry/raw I can eat it by the handful. The tea feels bold or robust, like some thing I would drink if I wanted a wake up tea. I feel like I’m having dressed up oatmeal with a cup of tea. I’m glad we got a grab bag this was an interesting experience.
Preparation
I don’t like most oatmeal, but I love steel cut oatmeal. That’s the only kind I’ll buy now. It is so good.
I don’t believe I’ve ever tried it. Can you describe the difference in taste?
It tastes like oatmeal, only it’s not mushy like oatmeal… so the real difference is in texture. The steel cut oats have a heartier texture, you can taste and feel the difference in the whole grain. It has a nuttier flavor, it’s just more satisfying.
Indeed! It is my favorite, and I think gmathis found it tolerable and she didn’t like oatmeal! I use McCann’s. Big Red Mill is supposed to be good, too. It is much thicker. We also roll our own oats, and that is pretty good, not as mushy. I use a Swedish appliance called the Electrolux Kitchen Assistent. (That is how they spell it.)
Thanks for the clarification guys!
haha love that spelling. I shall have to check into steel cut oatmeal. I like the taste but the texture is really hard for me to get over. I generally eat granola or just have it raw in some oj.
I guess I’m weird ’cause I like the mushy stuff. :P
lol I always thought I was the weird one for not liking it. I remember being the odd one out in school breakfast, since I wouldn’t eat it.
No worries Miss, I just made some oatmeal no bake cookies and they are HEAVEN, but give me a bowl of the mushy stuff and I would rather eat dust on the floor haha
Can I ask a culture sort of question? When you guys say ‘oatmeal’ do you mean rolled oats cooked into a porridge and served warm, or do you mean rolled oats served raw with cold milk and perhaps some sugar on top? I strongly dislike the former, but enjoy the latter.
Also Ashmanra, the spelling is correct in Swedish. :) And Danish, actually. I had to consult the beloved Advanced Learner’s to see what was wrong with it from your point of view. :p Word means the same thing, though.
I was referring to rolled oats cooked into a porridge. That sounds pretty good other than the milk. I wonder what it would be like with a milk substitute. I shall have to try that some time too. :D
If by “cooked into a porridge” you mean I throw hot water on top, then yes. It’s that one. :)
This was provided by Angel and Teavivre for review. Thank you! I am grateful I got the chance to try it.
This is such a beautiful tea. Rich and robust with malt and light grain notes. Sweet potato and a light fruity flavor finish this cup. I’m totally keeping this one around.
Preparation
This is a sample from Sandy by way of Azzrian. Thanks guys!
I don’t have many fruity teas but this is one really good strawberry tea. I taste strawberries and cream and/or custard. The flavoring is done well with out being too heavy and fake feeling. I think the base plays nice, seems to be a brisk but not sharp or bitter. A very nice cup.
Preparation
This is another sample from Sandy. Thanks!
I love the level of chocolate in here. The raspberry seems to come in right behind it and feels quite natural. I’d swear there is some sort of nut in here as well. The nutty flavor is faint enough I am having a hard time identifying it. I’m also getting a cream flavor as well. This is spot on for a raspberry truffle. The base is smooth and well behaved.
Preparation
Hmmm, well to me the Organic Kundaly base tea has roasted walnut notes. That might be the nutty flavor you are tasting. I wonder if the cream flavor is from the chocolate.
I can see walnut fitting the bill. I thought it was done purposefully! I thought it really tasted like a raspberry truffle for those reasons. An excellent job. :D
Actually, the walnut was not intentional. I really liked how the chocolate and Organic Kundaly were working together so that’s why I chose that base. I was going for those decadent buttery truffles. Sort of like a Lindt truffle, though I haven’t tasted one of those in many many years so my idea of what they are like might be off. Originally I was going to add hazelnut to the mix but hazelnut is just so overpowering.
This is a sample from Sandy. Thanks!
So this is no bueno. Berry flavors are up front and aggressive. It’s very much like what I’d expect a berry perfume to be. Maybe just a little too much artificial stuff going on here. The base seems to be particularly finicky as my normal flavored tea brewing parameters turned out a bitter tea. Most of the time those parameters work well on flavored teas. I don’t think I’ll revisit this one any time soon.
Thanks for the shot at Sandy.
