61 Tasting Notes
So today was quite an adventurous day for me and my husband. Among the adventures, we went to a British Marketplace in South Florida and I bought several new teas to add to my cupboard. I looked like quite the rugged American laying on the floor sniffing tea boxes on the bottom shelves in their store. Oddly enough, I couldn’t smell this one through the wrapper. I’m quite certain that was for good reason.
I had seen this one on the Twinings website and was going to order it if I didn’t see it at their shop. I was intrigued by the use of “smokey” to describe a tea. Now I understand. I understand completely.
It smells like burning wood. It was the first tea that I was unsure about even steeping once I caught a whiff of it. It doesn’t taste as strong as it smells and is actually enjoyable after a few sips. But this is a tea I’ve come across yet that I could personally compare it with. I ended up removing the bags and tossing the box and putting the bags in a big ziplock bag because after about ten minutes it was starting to drift throughout the cabinet like a plague.
Oh, and apparently Oprah mentioned this tea on her show and it was flying of the shelves at the British Marketplace according to the owner.
This is a tea that all women should have in their collection! It was given to me by a fellow witch friend when I was cramping on my period and it caused them to go away! She recommended that I drink the tea once everyday for the 3 days before it comes on and I won’t have any cramping or other typical period problems. Smells and tastes very cinnamony and fruity.
I’m a pretty firm believer in the healing powers of tea and this is my digestive tea. That being said, I’m not a fan of peppermint. This tea doesn’t taste extremely strongly of mint, but it does seem to help with why I drink it. I’ll enjoy a cup of it after eating a big meal or a meal I think might upset my stomach, and it usually seems to do its job. I’m keepig my rating right, smack-dab in the middle because taste is eh’ but medicinally it is great.
So I don’t follow directions because I like to experiment on how much to put in my strainer to fit my tastes. I put about double what’s in the tea bags and it tasted very yummy….. until I got to the bottom and swallowed a mouthful of tea mud. I’m going to try using less next time and hope for the best.
This is another one of my Epcot finds at the Twinings store in England (DisneyWorld England) and I had never even heard of it until I spotted it in that amazing little shop. I find that it tastes just like English Breakfast, only weaker. That makes it perfect for an afternoon tea, just as it advertises itself to be. Very yummy!
At the end of October I was at Epcot in Orlando wandering around the World Showcase and found a Twinings store in England. I bought this one with so many expectations and deep rooted excitement. Not sure if that is what would later ruin the experience for me. I put in my cupboard and forced myself to wait until after Thanksgiving when the Christmas tree and all the decorations were out so I could get the full experience. I brewed a pot and sat in the living room by the tree with my husband (we even put the Yule log thing on the tv that we found on Netflix for the full effect). First sip….. complete disappointment. Bland tea that just seemed to be a weaker version of Chai. That whole month of eyeballing it every time I got a tea out of my cupboard and THAT is what I get? It was a sad day. :(
What sold me on this tea is what sold me on most teas: I held the box to my nose and lightly squeezed it to smell the aroma seeping out. And this one smelled of yummy desserts. Sold! It’s simple as teas are concerned, but is an excellent dessert tea. I even brewed a couple bags in a cup of water and used it for my oatmeal instead of plain water or milk and it was delightful.
I bought this tea in a Jordan market for $7 and really got a whole lot of bang for my buck. It seems the package was NASA approved shrink sealed because as soon as I opened it and air got in the loose tea seemed to be spilling out at an alarming pace and I ended up filling 1 huge glad container and a smaller one that I kept at my office. I was offering ceylon tea to coworkers more than I was working it seemed. As for taste, I love a nice strong tea in the morning and I packed my strainer full of this and got a really good caffeine fix every morning. (Side note: still haven’t finished this in two years…. not even close)
