Missy Send Message

So this lost the tea face off today. I did enjoy it, but the other version shall have the spot in my cupboard.

This is still malty grains and caramel/chocolate but stronger with less finesse. If you’d like a more assertive bailin gongfu this is your tea.

We got our shipment from Teavivre yesterday. This means we have tea face offs to do today. Yay!

So I’m upping the rating one this one because I found I can truly enjoy it more than I had previously thought. Smooth malty grains with sweet caramel/dark chocolate like notes. I think my previous association with beer almost ruined this tea. While it still has the same grain notes I remember, I’ve picked up other flavors that I enjoy. This is rather good, especially since I can enjoy it plain.

Today we had organic vs regular bailin gongfu. Regular wins out for me. It just seems to finesse me where the organic is more bold. Bold is good, but I really enjoy the way the flavors sneak up on me in the regular.

Yay Steepster is back up!

Tonight we are trying another sample from the generous Azzrian. Thank you!

Chocolate and mint are mixed pretty well here. The mint is a tad bit pushy but not enough to hide the chocolate. The base is smooth and quite mellow. This was a good dessert tea.

I’ve been drinking this all morning while watching the small dog that showed up on my porch. The little guy/girl seems to be quite friendly and socialized pretty well. It’s an older dog but looks like it has been well taken care of previously. I believe it’s a she, and she likes kids. She got rather excited when my daughter joined me on the porch. I really wonder why is she meandering around the neighborhood looking lost. Did someone just drop her off and leave her here? Perhaps she is a beloved pet and got away on a walk about. Any who on to the tea.

Cinnamon, clove and cardamom are well represented with a spicy kick of pepper to top it off. It’s very well behaved. I didn’t find it to be bitter or particularly astringent. I found a sweet flavor that I’m going to blame on the ginger, orange peels or nutmeg. Maybe all three are responsible. This a well balanced chai and made for a comfortable cup.

This is one of the better teas I’ve tried from Tropical Tea Company. Cinnamon and clove are the first to catch my attention. The orange flavor is sweet like those tiny little oranges you catch in the supermarket once a while. Those are so hit and miss for me, but this is like the good batch. The flavoring seems to be pretty well balanced and feels more on the natural side. Ceylon compliments the spices well, seeming to be on the brighter side. There is a bit of astringency but it’s not unbearable. Not a bad cup in the morning.

Lovely malty tea with chocolate notes. I also get a strong honey association. So smooth with out astringency or bitterness. It’s too bad they no longer sell this one. It’s one I would probably go back for.

I got this in a swap from Azzrian. Thanks!

Basically this breaks down to a chocolate, coconut tea. They seem to be balanced pretty well. They show up holding hands instead of brawling for my attention. I remain unimpressed with the actual tea here. It’s gotten lost. It must be a pretty mellow tea. I did use an extra scoop in the pot. I tend to do that because I have a funny sized pot. It’s 42 ounces instead of 40 ounces.

The real problem with this tea for me is I have a tea that is much like it but better in my opinion. I get more tea taste and support flavors with the Buccaneer from SerendipiTea. I’m glad I got a chance to try it though. So, thanks again Azzrian.

This is a sample from Sandy. She painted the coolest little tin up too to convey it. Thank you!

I’m one of those people who have a hard time with almond smelling like cherry. Almond flavoring always reminds me of cherries. This tastes like almonds and a dark oolong. The roasted quality compliments the almond flavor well. It’s very smooth and ends with a light mineral note. Very nice cup of tea.

This is a super chocolate tea. It almost looks like I’ve brewed tea then added some hot cocoa. For the most part, I taste chocolate, chocolate and chocolate. I see the description says deep and earthy. I agree with these descriptors. I’ve struggled with a way to describe the flavor underneath the chocolate but I’ve not come up with some thing that fits it better than those two words. It does feel very smooth and mellow but they aren’t quite right. Now I just have to get Dylan to give it a go. Cookie bribes are in the near future.

I had this one last night right before bed time. I really like this one. totally deserves a spot in the cupboard. Soon I’m thinking I shall have to upgrade to a tea room instead of a tea cupboard. ;)

Mint is decently strong as it’s the first thing I notice. I feel it’s a completely natural flavoring and I see quite a bit of mint in the dry leaf. The spices (cinnamon, cardamom and clove) chase the mint and are pretty well balanced. The ginger and orange peel seem to be a bit more mild than the other three spices but not by much. The tea is a bit hidden here. It really just adds a bit of depth to the over all flavor.