Sakura Sushi Send Message

They were having a special at T2, so I got a 3.5 oz. package of Terrific Toffee for free when I purchased their Jade Mountain. Pretty nice giveaway, I’d say. Dry leaf smells sweet, not quite like pastry, not quite the caramel I expected, but more like cake. Yep, cake. How can you not love that? Brewed, and with milk, I get more of the creamy vanilla with a slight buttery taste. Butter cake! Or maybe yellow cake batter. The aroma is definitely like a vanilla cupcake. Quite yum. I have been known to oversteep my flavored blacks, and this one was no exception, but it was all good, no bitterness or bite at all. I even overleafed just a little bit (1.5 tsp per cup). I get the feeling if I played by the rules and brewed it according to the instructions, it would have been too weak. A very nice dessert tea (but I had this one with breakfast).

This has been staring at me accusingly for months now. I open my cupboard to figure out what kind of tea I’d like to have, and this bag that I bought on impulse ages ago is just pouting at me, asking me why I never drink it. Every time I open that cupboard. Ugh. I almost threw it out I was so sick of seeing it. But this afternoon I needed a little pick-me-up, and I finally decided to give it a try.

I mean, it’s definitely a chai, so it’s got that spiciness you’d expect. But it’s a white chai, and a very gentle, mild one at that. Which is absolutely OK, since it makes it a bit more versatile (I like to drink most chai teas in the autumn and winter only – it’s a thing). I like the lightness of it. Very fragrant, but in a refreshing way, with a bit of sweetness. Maybe iced next time? I have enough of it, and that bag ain’t goin’ away any time soon.

Had a cup this morning, from a sample I got when I purchased some tea at the relatively new T2 retail down in SoHo. I brewed it in the infuser I purchased from them, so it was all very easy, but weird for me as I usually make a pot of tea at a time, not a cup. It’s a very nice black tea, with cinnamon and vanilla notes as well as something earthy going on. I can’t quite determine that component, but on the whole, it was a nice complement to my breakfast. Maybe the earthy thing was supposed to be the pancake flavor they describe, but it didn’t seem like pancakes to me. That would have been wonderful, because I just looooove pancakes. Especially for dinner.

It is once again sakura season in Japan. Not that I will be there to witness it in person this year as I did last year, which makes me unspeakably melancholy. So, in honor of the lovely cherry blossoms, the perfect color of optimistic, beautiful, feminine pink, and a sure sign that the warmer weather is coming, I’m sipping on Harney’s cherry blossom.

I’ve had it before and neglected to review it, so this review is long overdue. By now this tea’s a bit old (maybe a year and half), but the cherry blossom flavor is still very much there, although it never was very overwhelming, making this a bit of a sophisticated cup. I keep forgetting how pleasant it is. There’s just one weird note that always threw me and still does. There’s a funkiness going on, like musty? Moldy? Not quite sure how to describe it. Maybe it’s from the green tea. If you don’t overbrew it, this strange note will hardly come through so I’d recommend sticking to steeps lasting no longer than 3 minutes.

Nice hot, but next time I’ll try it iced. And once I finish it, I’ll most likely want to try another type of cherry blossom tea. Sakura wa utsukushii desu!

Roasted chestnut goodness! I love this tea, and when I couldn’t find it available on the Lupicia website, I was really disappointed. I even tried to buy it during a trip to California, but the salesperson at the San Jose store looked at me like I had three heads when I asked for it. Are they discontinuing it permanently? Is it just a seasonal thing? Not sure, but when whatshesaid mentioned that she wasn’t all that thrilled with it, I was happy to take it off her hands! Yaaaaaaay, and welcome back to my tastebuds, Chaud Les Marrons! I love chestnuts, I roast them every year, and winter just doesn’t feel the same without them, so this tea is a lovely way to enjoy that taste whenever I want. Even though it’s early spring right now, I’ll drink this tea until the weather gets truly warm. Hot. With milk. Always, always with milk. Don’t oversteep, don’t overleaf, and all will be well.

OK, take number two for this one. I tried using more leaves to see if the weak flavor improved at all without being over the top. It did taste better, less weak, the coconut came through much better, although it was the kind of coconut that almost felt more like it belonged in a sunscreen than in tea. And the chocolate? Yeah, not so much. It’s just not there. As I said when I first tried it, the aroma of the dry leaf and the brew is really awesome, but the taste doesn’t come close to living up to my expectations, although it’s a pleasant enough drink. That being said, my best friend’s husband LOVES the stuff. So, to each his own, I guess. I won’t be getting more of it.

After reading the initial reviews of this tea (I believe there were only four at the time), I decided to visit my local David’s to find out for myself if it would work for me. I had them make me a hot tea with 2% milk and a tiny amount of sweetener. Not bad, but the flavor in general wasn’t strong enough for me to decide. I took home an ounce. I wanted to try this iced, and decided to add more of the tea than I would normally to try to get more flavor. I also tried it hot the following day. My takeaway was this: if you are looking for a strawberry flavor that is reminiscent of a ripe, juicy, sweet fruit, then this is not going to work for you. The dry leaf aroma reminded me of strawberry chewing gum (like Bubblicious – do they even make that anymore or am I dating myself? – or maybe Frankenberry or Crunchberry cereal). Iced or hot, that fake strawberry still comes through if you give it enough leaf. I personally don’t mind it, if I know that’s what I’m getting into, but if I’m expecting a true fruit flavor and get this? Well, I can understand why some people would be put off. That being said, it’s DavidsTea, which usually has more fun, trendy flavors rather than serious, fine teas, so I get it. And I like this, although I don’t think I’ll be getting more of it.

The dry leaf scent of this is amazing! Super buttery, sweet, nutty, it definitely appeals to the dessert tea fanatic that I am. The brewed aroma was almost as nice, very much like a baked good. The brew was cloudy, which I never really like, but that’s not a deal breaker. The flavor was very weak, however, and considering how intense the aroma was, I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t enough of a flavor payoff. I may be able to resolve this by using more leaves next time. What flavor WAS there was very nice, nutty and sweet, although not a whole lot of chocolate was coming through. Still, I’ve got very high hopes for this and I’m looking forward to the next brew, when I’ll probably try something like 2 tsps per 8 oz.

Since Steepster decided yet AGAIN to eat my tasting note comments on this tea, I have to recreate them yet AGAIN from memory. Kind of missing the days of pen and paper. I write down the note, it’s there. Ah well, technology giveth and technology taketh away.

Let’s see how my memory fares:
50th tasting note, psyched to write about Lishan Winter Sprout from Song Tea & Ceramics. This was a sample they threw in when I purchased a couple of teas during a San Fran visit back in January. Love that place, it is gorgeous. Increases my existing adoration of San Fran and makes me want to move there, like, tomorrow. Also, this was my very first use of the gaiwan and I am happy to report I didn’t burn myself or break the gaiwan. Yay!
The tea: dry leaf aroma was light, slightly sweet, slightly spinachy. First infusion aroma and taste was mostly spinachy, very vegetal, although mild in general. Second infusion was a little sweeter, the spinach and vegetable notes faded to the background and it became more balanced. My favorite infusion of this tea, as it was the most “tea-like” as opposed to drinking something like a green veggie broth. The color darkened, but the flavor became lighter. Go figure. Third infusion was darker in color, but very light flavor. Spinach returned. Really, really light. Overall this was an interesting tea, it felt very cleansing and calming. But not my favorite, as I’m a sugar junky and tend to like less vegetal-tasting teas.

Sipdown, so bye-bye White Christmas, it’s been great! Despite the atrocious amount of white stuff on the ground (and apparently more to come – ugh!), it IS March and Christmas is indeed very much over, so I feel OK about saying goodbye to this one until the holidays come round again. Excellent tea – now please can Spring get started already???