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Scheherazade drank Comfort Me by English Tea Shop

2238 tasting notes

232/365

I’m continuing with my challenge (or trying to…) while I’m away, which means I’m writing these up as and when I can. I simplified things for myself as much as I could by buying a Varieteas box before I left – they’re a curated selection of 30 different teas, but all of them bagged. Not my usual thing, but useful in this particular set of circumstances.

My first pick was English Tea Shop’s Comfort Me. I felt in need of comfort this evening, after a long, trying day of travelling. It’s a blend of chamomile, spearmint, ginger, basil, vanilla, marjoram, amalaki and guduchi. No idea about the last two, but otherwise I’m on board.

It’s surprisingly heavy on the vanilla, with an edge of spiciness, and a background of chamomile. There’s just a touch of spearmint, which works really nicely with the vanilla to create a kind of butter mint effect. If butter mints were spicy, that is. I don’t immediately recognise the spiciness as ginger, although I suppose that’s what it is. I feel like I’m particularly sensitive to ginger and it doesn’t really bother me here, so that’s a bonus.

I’m intrigued by this one. I like it more than I thought I would, although I’m going to have to research amalaki and guduchi a little to find out what they are. Not tonight, though! Otherwise, glad to have tried this one.

Preparation

Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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Hi :) I’m Sarah, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I’ve been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRY ALL THE TEAS. Or most of them, anyway.

I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter.

I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they’re the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer — their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day.

I’m still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don’t think they’ll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don’t hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I’m also beginning to explore pu’erh, both ripened and raw. That’s my latest challenge!

I’m still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

You’ve probably had enough of me now, so I’m going to shut up. Needless to say, though, I really love tea. Long may the journey continue!

My rating system:

91-100: The Holy Grail. Flawless teas I will never forget.

81-90: Outstanding. Pretty much perfection, and happiness in a cup.

71-80: Amazing. A tea to savour, and one I’ll keep coming back to.

61-70: Very good. The majority of things are as they should be. A pleasing cup.

51-60: Good. Not outstanding, but has merit.

41-50: Average. It’s not horrible, but I’ve definitely had better. There’s probably still something about it I’m not keen on.

31-40: Almost enjoyable, but something about it is not for me.

11-30: Pretty bad. It probably makes me screw my face up when I take a sip, but it’s not completely undrinkable.

0-10: Ugh. No. Never again. To me, undrinkable.