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Today has been a good day. My very jealous dog seems to have finally decided that she was going to get along with my new puppy! After a week of continuous supervision dealing with outbursts of nipping and growling, today, finally, they started playing as if nothing had ever happened. They played and played and I smiled and smiled as my boyfriend giggled with me as if we were kids. So happy!

To celebrate this happy turn on events, I had the 6th of the 12 days of Christmas teas! This particular one I had been curious about for a long time. I am not a fan of Genmaicha , so I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t like it just because it would remind me of it. On the other hand, I really love rice crispy treats… So I was thrilled to get to try it!

As soon as I opened the packet I smelled sweet, not quite marshmallow but yummy and promising. I was expecting to see real marshmallows, not marshmallow root. Sad but not terrible.

The brew was a very light golden green that smell like marshmallow treats with a suspicious hint of cupcake. All in all I was still very excited about it. I sweetened it with generous amounts of brown sugar.

All of my high expectations were sadly not exceeded by the flavor. I sipped and sipped and all I got was sweet genmaicha with a hint of marshmallow. It still smelled amazing, enough so that anyone who walked into the room asked what smelled so great, but the taste just wasn’t as spectacular as the smell.

I really thought that this was going to be one of my favorites, but I guess my disliking genmaicha got in the way. I did enjoy it, but it didn’t live up to what I had prepared myself for. It was enjoyable and a good companion to my happy, warm, fuzzy joy of seeing my two doggy girls get along! : )

Finally caught up on the 12 teas of Christmas! I have been drinking down my whole package of this, though I haven’t been writing tasting notes every time I drink it. It is really just as good every time I brew it.

I was really happy to see this be included! I hope a bunch of people will get to try it out and pounce on what is left of the stock of it so Frank will decide to add it to the permanent collection! ; )

I have learned through trial and error that this is best when really sweet, much like pancakes are best smothered in maple syrup! (I feel like I have mentioned this previously).

Happy with my 5th day of 52teas Christmas!

One day late on this tea from the 12 days of Christmas…

This tea is wow… Yep… This tea is wow… I find no other way to accurately put it. Most definitely Sherbet. 100% of the way. So much so that my brother smelled, sipped, looked puzzled and asked how Frank does it! His exact question was: “Does this actually has Sherbet melted in it?” I was very tempted to just say yes, I can’t imagine how else black tea could be urged to taste so similar to Sherbet…

When I opened and sniffed and looked at the leaves I smelled fruity and vaguely familiar. I looked at the label and I knew that the familiarity I was getting was because it was reminding me of Sherbet! I haven’t had Sherbet in years (I have never seen it in Ecuador…) and it was neat to me that the memory of the taste/smell was so familiar still. The pieces of berry and orange peal made the tea leaves just as fun to look at as real sherbet. So colorful!

I was weary of what I would think of HOT sherbet. I was pretty sure that this would end up being a tea that needed to be iced. As I brewed it and the smell spread through the kitchen, I couldn’t help getting excited about it. It smelled more and more just like Sherbet.

As with all teas that taste like something sweet, I decided to go ahead and add sugar. Stirred until it all dissolved, crossed my fingers and sipped… and… success! Sherbet in tea form has been a great idea! Even hot it is delicious! I get orange, berry and lime taste (if I think about each of the flavors separately) and a smooth vanilla finish with a dash of astringency to remind you it is a black tea. The aftertaste is pure “I just had a mouthful of sherbet!” Wow… I haven’t tried it iced yet, but I am sure that it will be just as good.

Rarely a tea comes along that even non tea lovers are surprised by it in a good way. This is one of those few occasions!

The third tea from the twelve teas of Christmas! I am opening each tea on the correct day, but I decided that for this particular tea, it was better to wait and try it iced before I gave my final verdict on this tea. The time has come… : )

When I opened this tea, fruitiness exploded from the packet. I did guess the strawberry part, but completely missed the lemon. I also smelled white tea (yay for me!) The leaves where pretty to look at, with small bright red strawberry pieces decorating the delicate Bai Mu Dan. The scent kept reminding me of something I could’t quite place, until it hit me… Fruity Pebbles! It smelled exactly like Fruity Pebbles!

I first had it hot. It was enjoyable. Once brewed I got mostly lemon and no strawberry with an aftertaste of Fruity Pebbles and an afterthought of tart tingling on the back of my tongue. I enjoyed the cup, but felt that it was meant to be iced.

I used up the rest of the leaves to make some iced. Yum! Liquid Fruity Pebbles! I even hyper sweetened it to make it more similar! I loved it! To me there was little none of Strawberry Lemonade, but the idea of a Fruity Pebbles flavored tea was brilliant to me! : )

Another great experience with 52teas! Counting down to Christmas taking care of a new puppy has never been more delicious.

Backlogging from the first day of Christmas of 52teas…

So, after a few incredibly stressful days of trying to make sure my dog and the new puppy played nice, came the time to open my first of the 12 Christmas teas! I was a wreck, a bundle of nerves, stress and worries making sure that the doggy situation would work out OK for my Sencha and new little Mona.

I was really excited when I saw that it was buttered popcorn. I had always been really curious about this blend. I love kettle corn, and figured that sweetened it must taste just like it!

When I first opened it and sniffed it, I had no idea what it was. It smelled sweet and almost fruity. I am glad to see that I am not the only one who got this from this tea. When I finally looked at the label it suddenly smelled just like popcorn! Interesting indeed.

While I brewed it, the smell continued to be popcorn. I was excited to try it! So, first sip, no sweetener, very popcorn. It tasted just like unsalted movie theater popcorn, or rather it tasted like movie theaters smell! My boyfriend works in the administrative department of a movie theater so this smell is very familiar to me. I liked it, not loved it.

Then I sweetened it. Surely enough, it resembled Kettle Corn. Strangely, this wasn’t a good thing for me. It was this that made me realize that popcorn is definitely meant to be eaten, not drunk. I believe that it is the saltiness factor of popcorn that makes this not a good tea flavor for me.

To sum it up, this really does taste like popcorn, but I don’t like flavors that should be salty (in my opinion) in my tea. Many people really like it, and I can understand why! I am really happy I got to try it, but I will definitely not be ordering it! It was a fun little adventure! : )

2nd Day of 12 teas!

Puppies are exhausting, especially when you have to keep an eye on both the puppy and your adult dog to make sure they are being nice to each other… and work a full work day. Due to this, I have been getting around to opening and brewing my teas a little late. But better late than never! It gives me a great way to unwind at the end of long long days.

When I opened this tea I was hit with caramel smell. Thick and gooey. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the label. Not only did I guess the caramel right, but it sounded and smelled delicious! The leaves had little cashew pieces that made me smile.

Steeped it gave off a wonderful nutty caramel smell. I tried it unsweetened first, and as I expected, the flavor didn’t quite pop out. Added sugar and POOF! burst of flavor. I didn’t get chocolate, but definitely a smooth nutty caramel taste. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Now, finally, laying in bed as the rain softly hits my window, with an empty tea cup on my night table, a sleeping beautiful doggy at the foot of my bed and a snoring puppy in her kennel, all is bound to work out all right.

Happiness is a warm dog and puppy and a hot cup of tea! : )

Wow… Today was one of those days that come to and end and you have to pause and think to make sure that everything that happened was for real. I am so hyped up right now, that hopefully typing this up with settle down my hyper mind so that I can get some sleep.

First off, my Dad accidentally broke my favorite tea cup last night. I actually shed a tear for it. It was a gift from my best friend when I left the US, and I can’t buy another one here in Ecuador, so I am going to have to order one and have someone eventually bring it to me. So, my morning cup of tea, had to be prepared in a different cup… : (

To start off my day, hopefully on a more positive note, I had some of this tea. I purchased it from a lady that was selling it at a Christmas fair here in Ecuador. It was random enough to find someone in Ecuador selling loose leaf tea in Ecuador at a Christmas fair that I had to buy it…

The leaves were pretty to look at. I feel that rose petals add a ice delicate touch to almost anything that they are added to. In this case, the only role they played in the blend was visual. I could smell rose at all. It was pretty much all cinnamon with a touch of vanilla/cake smell. Weird, because it doesn’t mention having vanilla in it at all.

The brewed tea smelled like a plastic cinnamon. Yep. If cinnamon were made of plastic, it would smell like this… It wasn’t terrible, just not quite natural. The flavor, thankfully, was a lot better. It reminded me of red hots, and the plastic smell somehow turned into a creamy taste. So, in the end, it turned out to taste like creamy red hots… I like it enough that I had a second cup of it, sweetened with Splenda. Sweet it was pretty good! : )

I wouldn’t buy this again, but I am happy I gave it a chance!

So, after I finished the tea, I went with my boyfriend to buy ice cream, and we randomly ran in to an English Bulldog breeder! So, one thing led to another, and I am now laying in bed with my beautiful French Bulldog (Sencha) and tiny little baby Mona Lisa!!!! So surreal… Sencha is very jealous at the moment, but I really hope that the company will suit her well!

…and that wraps up my surreal day… : )

I am very confused… So, I received a small sample of this Tie Guan Yin quite a while back. It was hiding in my cabinet until I discovered it’s hiding place and dragged it out to be steeped. I love Tie Guan Yins and Oolongs in general, so I was pretty sure I was going to love this one.

As soon as I opened the bag I got a punch in the face of smokiness. I took a step back, and shyly opened it again. Once again, BOOM, smokiness. Hmm… I wasn’t expecting this… I am not a huge fan of Lapsang Souchong, and this smelled just like it.

The brewed tea was better than I expected, after all, one can’t expect too much after having been punched in the face by a tea… There was definitely a smokey smell which stood up in the taste, but once I got over it, the usual Tie Guan Yin flavor I am used to showed up and waved its hands wildly as if to say “Hey! I’m still here! Don’t give up on meeeee!”. I finished my cup happily. It was a nice new experience for me.

Since it was only a sample, I almost out of it, and I can’t see myself ordering again. I have to admit that it was a pleasant experience. Smokey may just be growing on me, especially when Tie Guan Yin is playing hide and seek with the smokey flavor! If you like smokey, then you should give this a try! : )

Play-Doh… Great fun when you are 5 or 25! And the smell is so memorable, that even though I haven’t played with this soft as can be dough in years, that I still remember it! This tea made my childhood memory area of my brain light up and scream out “Play-Doh, PLAAAAY-DOOH…” Not quite what I was expecting from a Cinnamon-Vanilla tea, but definitely an interesting experience!

The dry tea smelled like plastic and cinnamon. It was, by no means, a good smell. The only reason I decided to purchase it is because the sales person told me it was her favorite, and I was excited with the tea shop being in Ecuador… When I opened the bag of tea at home, it still smelled just like it did in the store. Silly me thinking that it would magically smell better once I was going to brew it…

I steeped 2 teaspoons to 12oz of water and ended up with a pretty generic looking black tea. But… it smelled just like Play-Doh!!! I sniffed at it multiple times, and every single whiff vividly reminded me of Play-Do!

Did you ever taste Play-Doh? I did… It smelled sooo good that it was bound to taste delicious right? Except, it tasted awful… One taste was enough to make me never want to taste Play-Doh again. So, this is where this tea is very different than Play-Doh! It tasted like what I wanted Play-Doh to taste like! With a little sugar added it was pretty good! Sweet Play-Doh flavor in a tea cup!

I know I will never buy this again, but I did enjoy getting the chance to enjoy Play-Doh in a palatable fashion!

Second tea in my second 52teas order! The novelty of being able to receive tea in Ecuador is far from wearing off. I love getting a call from the receptionist at my office letting me know that a package from the US has arrived for me! : )

I opened this tea immediately just to sniff it. Yum… Strawberryish! Very strawberry and little everything else. Not what I was expecting, but still yummy.

I brewed 2 tsp to 12oz of water. As it brewed I smelled something doughy and if I really thought about it, some lingering maple. All in all it the scent was very pleasant. The liquor was golden green and shimmered nicely in my glass teacup.

I sweetened it generously with brown sugar, as I mentioned in my other pancake tea review, pancakes and maple syrup have to be sweet. Delicious! The strawberry played in nicely with the dough taste and a slight maple flavor that was more of an aftertaste. I basically gulped down this entire cup. Next time I want to sip it slower… Hopefully I will be able to! : )