985 Tasting Notes

Surprise tea of the day…..

I was running to the grocer for a few things…fresh spinach, cake mix, English muffins, and I ran into this! Of course it just jumped into my cart.

The tea flavor in this is plenty strong. There are hints of citrus and honey, too, but they are light. I should have realized there would be some sweetness involved (20 calories per 8 oz., 40 in the whole bottle), and I usually take my iced tea plain. My initial thoughts were that the tea was too strong, but by the end, I found it refreshingly good, a good strong black iced tea. It won’t be a normal staple in my cupboard as I like fresh brewed much better, but for a bottled tea it is good!~

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drank Moroccan Mint by Harney & Sons
985 tasting notes

Iced tea of the day…..

With all of the references on Steepster about how good Moroccan Mint teas are iced, I had to give it a go. I know this is traditionally a sweetened tea, but I had to try it neat.

Mmmm. Very refreshing. I get a bite of smokiness from the gunpowder green, and a hint of refreshing mint. Man, I think this would be the ideal iced tea for a very, very hot day. (I might add some more comments after I get farther into the pitcher.)

I used my usual hot brewing method for iced tea. The water was a little cooler than boiling, I only steeped 3 minutes, and I used 4 perfect tsp of tea for my teapot, then transferred to my pitcher with ice. Added water up to about a 60 oz. volume.

ashmanra

I haven’t tried the H&S Moroccan Mint yet. I love the ones with spearmint so I just don’t know if I would like this one.

SimplyJenW

Ohhh. Spearmint sounds good!

ashmanra

Why don’t I send you some of the Tin Roof Teas one? It is my favorite! I think I still have your address. If I don’t, I will PM you!

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90
drank Golden Monkey by Harney & Sons
985 tasting notes

Tea of the morning….. and (SRP #49)

It has been almost a whole month since I destashed something. Schedules have been weird, as they are over Summer break, and it has just been easier to grab favorites. This is a sample I received from JacquelineM quite some time ago. (Thank you!) Now it goes out with a bang….a whole decadent pot of this tea. It is probably my favorite Golden Monkey by taste, but the frugal gal in me also pays some attention to price, and this one is pricey for my pocketbook. However, it is worth it, too. Once I cut down on the amount of general China black tea in my cupboard, I will probably buy this one. I also like that for me, it requires less sweetener than others!

Usual teapot method. Resteep coming up!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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92

Tea of the afternoon…..

….along with a big dose of the London Olympic Games. The tea is a solid Earl Grey with an exquisite tea base. Life is good.

Usual teapot method.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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90

Iced tea of the day, and second steep…..

I stored the once used bag in the refrigerator overnight, and brewed this up again today for 6 minutes in about 2 cups of freshly boiled water. Then I added it to my pitcher with water and ice up to about 60 ounces. Yes, it is just as good as day number one! Yummy! Love these!

ashmanra

Excited to hear it! I just ordered two pouches of the Razzleberry and one of Radioactivitea.

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85

Tea of the evening….

I did my own version of this tonight. My teapot requires three perfect teaspoons for the perfect pot of tea, so I added 2 Decaf Paris and 1 Vanilla Comoro. I guess I was looking for a more berried version of a decaf tea. Somehow, I do think I need to go the other way and do 2 of the Vanilla Comoro and 1 of the Decaf Paris. The way it is now, it is just a slightly more creamy and vanilla version of Decaf Paris itself, because the flavors in the Decaf Paris are generally the stronger of the two. Black Currant, Vanilla, Caramelly-creaminess, and the bergamot notes add just a hint of brightness. I am not sad I tried it this way and will thoroughly enjoy this pot. More testing on another evening!

Usual teapot method with above ratio for 3 minutes. Slightly sweetened.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
IllBeMother221B

Odd how you need more of the Vanilla Comora isn’t it?

SimplyJenW

It is! I am in a phase where vanilla does not appeal all that much, so I thought heavier on the Paris made sense…. What I had last night was really good, but I will try a 1:1 ratio next…then a 1:2.

IllBeMother221B

Let me know what you think.

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90

Iced tea of the day……

Yum! I mostly smell strawberries and creaminess. Once I get a taste of the brew, it definitely has all three flavors going on, Strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate. I am sure the flavors would come out even more if I sweetened it, but this is good as it is, and that is how I usually drink iced tea. Definitely a winner. Not sure which one I like better….this or Rainbow Sherbet, but I am glad I have some of both. Bubblegum and Cotton Candy are still in the bag to try.

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Tea of the morning…..

I am down 100 grams of this in a month and a half. Right now I am glad I bought a tin and a 100g refill and am calculating how soon I will have to order again! I am not particularly fond of the shipping cost from France, but the exchange rate has been such to make it a fairly good deal if you purchase a bunch. There are a few more teas from Dammann I’d like to try. My first small order arrived without a hitch in about a week and a half, so a bigger order will be in my near future! This tea makes me happy!

Usual teapot method. All sipped up in record time.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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86

Iced tea of the day….

This is the last of the goodies sent to me by Russel at the Harney Shop in Millerton, NY. Thank you for the wonderful treat! I was excited to try this one, because on occasion I have a need for a decaffeinated iced tea. As I get older, I have become more sensitive to having caffeine too late in the day. It affects my ability to sleep well. Since this has been such a brutally hot Summer, iced tea is always a welcomed beverage for me into the evening.

For decaf, this is really good. I can usually detect a hint that a tea is decaf, but not so in this version. I get light notes of passion fruit that I am sure would come out a little more with the addition of something sweet. I take my iced tea unsweetened, though. The tea base is smooth, but not quite a smooth as the Peach Iced Tea I had earlier this week. I do prefer the Peach and need to do another run of Midsummer’s Peach (decaf) iced to see which of the two decaf versions I prefer. The pouches are pretty handy, so Decaf Passion Fruit might win just for convenience.

Thanks again, Russel, for my introduction to Harney iced tea pouches. There will be some iced tea pouches in a future order for myself, of that I can be sure! The next time I brew up the Peach, I am going to save the pouch in the refrigerator for a second brew the next day. Something tells me that they will do well on a second steep.

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85

It is a Bohea morning!

Loving the smokey notes in this one. I still can’t get over how big some of the leaves are. I did end up transferring to a tin, just because I have my doubts about the packaging over the long haul. Definitely an enjoyable tea, even if it is from a touristy source. I feel so colonial!

Usual teapot method.

I did find a downside for me and smokey teas….I am sitting here with a little general morning congestion and I keep getting a whiff of something smokey. Then I have the sudden urge to figure out what is burning when it is just my tea!

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
IllBeMother221B

Seems to be going around…I just brewed up a cup from Upton!

TeaBrat

I’m having Bohea this morning too!

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Profile

Bio

My motto: Drink the good tea!

Tea enthusiast, trying to keep up my cardio for the zombie apocalypse. I have come to accept that I am a western brewing black tea drinker as that is where my ‘tea heart’ lies. I started on loose leaf as a way to have my dessert and not suffer the caloric issues. Once I tried it, I was hooked.

I drink what I like, which is mostly China blacks, a few traditionally scented blacks and Earl Greys, plus a flavored tea here and there. I don’t mind spending a bit on premium varieties on occasion, but an expensive tea has to deliver. My favorite places to order are Harney & Sons and Upton Tea Imports. TeaVivre is great for Chinese tea.

My ratings are pretty subjective. If it falls under 70, I may not take the time to post about it unless I had something specific to say. If it is 70-80 I like it, but I will probably not rebuy. Favorites are over 80 and up, but sometimes the less expensive or more easily obtainable version of a similar taste will win out for my cupboard space.

Usual teapot steeping method: 24 oz teapot, 3 perfect scoops of tea (4 1/2 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Usual mug steeping method: 15 oz mug, 1.5 perfect scoops of tea (just over 2 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Usual pan method: 1 1/2 cups water, 2 perfect tsp chai (3 actual tsp). Simmer for 3 minutes. Add 2/3 cup skim milk. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Strain and sweeten.

Usual pitcher method:
5 or 6 Perfect Spoons of tea (this means about 7-9 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, brewed essentially double-strong in my 24 oz teapot for 4 minutes. Fill my Fiestaware Disc pitcher (about 60 oz.) halfway with ice. Add brewed double-strong tea to the pitcher. Stir it a little and enjoy. No additions.

(*SRP is my Sample/Stash Reduction Plan starting on April 12, 2012. I got so far, but just decided it was too fussy to keep track.)

Location

Ohio

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