1500 Tasting Notes
I love this tea, I have a huge amount of it (I think more than anything else in my cupboard)… it’s the one I’m a bit surprised no one grabbed it in my free-for-all when I let go of (almost) everything. So obviously, this was meant to be, me sipping this tea, on a glorious day. (Fooled ya! No rhyme there).
Preparation
A quick rinse and a five minute steep (no lecturing Tea Friends, I’m getting over the stomach flu – oh yeah, and this is normal for me).
Watching Leap Year, a movie (supposedly) about a woman going to Ireland on Feb 29th to propose to her boyfriend, because he’s got to accept. Old Irish folklore, supposedly.
So, I want to love this movie right from the start. Obviously, whomever wrote it has never been to Ireland, or Dingle – one of my favorite places on this planet. How do you fly to Dublin from Boston, end up in Wales because of a horrible storm (plausible, sort of), and then TAKE A BOAT to CORK, which gets diverted to DINGLE?! Seriously. Then, of course, the shore she washes up upon cannot on any planet be Dingle, or Ireland… until the shot pans, and then, I believe it, sort of, kind of. The writing however, takes me right back to Dingle, and all the oddities of a super small Irish town – including the way people call each other names (eediot, crackpaught), the pace of life, that’s it’s almost all men you encounter, that the landscape stuns beyond words, that North American’s preoccupation with labels and formalities means little elsewhere.
Gosh, I miss Dingle. Funny, considering I was deathly ill there, too… went for a walk, got stuck in a storm and nearly swept out to sea, ended up staying a week instead of a few days just to recover.
Thanks to OMGsrsly for sharing some of this with me! “May the rowd rise up ta meet cha”.
Flavors: Honey, Moss, Tobacco, Wet Wood
Preparation
That is a cute movie
“Always kiss like it’s the first time, and the last time”. Holy moly, my fellow Italians showed us how! I so wish this movie was accurate geographically, it keeps throwing me off and taking me out of the story.
I’ve never been to Ireland, so that wasn’t a concern for me.
I had to laugh at that too. You’d have to miss the Ivergh Peninsula first and Dingle has a nice neat harbour. ( It is a fishing village after all). I’m pretty sure the beach the have her dropped off on is Inch beach made famous in several movies such as Far and Away. It is on the Dingle Peninsula but not really an easy walking distance. That part of the movie always bothers me but I still like watching it for the memories it brings back to me as well.
I’m a Leap Year baby. :-)
Oh, fun. I remember when my brother was turning four, one of the teacher’s assistant’s at his preschool was having her fourth actual birthday. We all thought that was really cool.
I like this one. I still have some and I’m just leave it alone so I can treat myself on days that I need it.
I thought this tea would undersell when I bought it, but surprisingly, I love it. It’s definitely got the cake/bread thing going on, with a bit of sweetness, and definitely the cardamom. Not normally a flavor I’d reach for, and yet, this is strangely and wonderfully comforting. It’s nothing that I’ll HAVE to have, but it’s lovely while it’s here.
Flavors: Cardamom, Sweet, Toast
Preparation
I really like this one with bailey’s irish cream…adds that sumpin, sumpin…. although straight up is good too
Mmm…Bailey’s. I’ll have to try that!
yum. I love cardamom but trying to resist the urge to buy more tea!
I agree. This was an unexpected hit with me as well.
Any chocolate tea, I will try. If you read any of my reviews, you’ll see I often put this into practice… in the hopes of one day finding that “perfect” chocolate tea. I’ve come close.
This tea, sadly, isn’t it. I grabbed it immediately upon seeing the ingredients – chocolate and.. gasp.. blueberries? Really? Okay, I’m in. The staffer helping me at DAVIDs didn’t believe me when I pointed it out in both the marketing materials and on the label, and then one of her colleagues was all, “Yea, there’s blueberries in it, but it’s not my favorite. Try Hot Chocolate”. (I did, and that’s.. ohgoshdon’tgetmestartedgood).
This… this is a weird tea. I over steeped it accidentally on purpose. The first time I had it, the blueberries were lost in the brew and the whole tea fell flat. So this time I really wanted it to pop and shine, or, at least get a better idea of what this tea is all about. Plus, I had another good-sized cup of tea left.
Over steeped, it’s… ew. Artificial blueberry with a hint of chocolate weirdness. It’s.. um.. barely palatable. So yea, don’t over steep this teafrienz. Maybe just pass on it altogether?
Flavors: Artificial, Astringent, Blueberry, Cocoa, Tart
Preparation
If you’re looking for a chocolate blueberry tea to try, I like this one: http://thaytea.com/products/chocolate-blueberry-biotea/
Nope, just thought it was a weird combo. :) I’m not in the position where I can accept packages right now anyway. Good to know!
I haven’t found many chocolate blends that impress me. I actually make my own now. I’ve found that throwing in a little bit (like a quarter teaspoon) of mugicha/roasted barley often makes chocolate flavors taste much richer.
Ooohh, this has aged well. The strangest combination of flavors ever, and yet, it still works. I love the base tea as well, it just makes it all that much more flavorful, pretty and fun. Anyway. Steeped this twice, the flavors actually came out more in the second steep. I’m glad I have a bunch of this left (am a bit surprised I do, actually).
Flavors: Caramel
Preparation
I really like this tea, surprisingly so. It’s a black with some sort of “gingerbread spice” in it. No idea what it is, but I can see how it would be so divine as a latte. I’ve had it the past few times I’ve visited the Blenz by my house. As long as I take the teabag out after a few minutes… really lovely. A bit better with some sweetener.
Preparation
This is one of the more unusual teas I’ve ever tried, and when the staff told me they hand-blend all the teas themselves, that explained it. Almonds and goji, cocoa nibs and licorice, encompassed in a white tea base.
The smell is absolutely to die for, and hard to explain. Light and fruity, mostly. Depth of something. It’s the kind of tea that needs sweetener to pop though, and I had none to try it with (that I can actually use). So.. it’s pretty flavorless on its own, a touch buttery, very light.
Flavors: Almond, Fruity, Smooth
Preparation
Drank most of the whole bag of this, and will likely buy more again someday. It’ll forever remind me of Galway, Ireland… alas, it’s done, and so it’s time to say goodbye and drink my other teas.
Not that spicy at all, more of a light chocolate warmth than anything. Nothing Kapha-esque about this (TeaGschwender).
Flavors: Cardamom, Cocoa, Spices
Preparation
Ah yes, my comforting cup of goodness most nights. Yes… I must get more. Even though there’s a DAVIDs right by me. It’s not THAT good, it’s just…. comforting. Minty. Chocolate.
Flavors: Chocolate, Mint
Preparation
This was the tea of the day, or the sample tea of the day, when I stopped in today. I am not much of a mint fan, but I like this one. I liked it also the last time I tried it in store as a sample. If I could only be sure that it would taste the same when I steep it up at home…
Maybe I’m confused… this is a cheap tea, it’s an herbal (hard to screw up), and it’s available in-store in ridiculously small amounts (like 2tsp if you want it). Why not just grab a tiny bit to see if you can steep it in the same way, at home?
I may have been rambling. Stream of consciousness rambling. Sorry. I did buy a small amount to make at home and managed to put it somewhere before it made it to my tea cupboard. It’ll turn up.
No idea why I can never find this in the database; I have to look at my cupboard every time.
I love this tea. It’s a bit metallic for me today (likely more to do with my dental work healing than anything), but it’s so comforting… so earthy… so chocolately.. I love it.
Flavors: Chocolate, Earth
