37 Tasting Notes

70
drank Origins Chai by Twinings
37 tasting notes

This is a really beautiful Chai that has all the right proportions – black tea with high notes of ginger and cinnamon and low notes of cloves and star anise. The tea itself is really lovely no bitterness at all and although the packet says it’s a light strength I’d say it’s at the high end of light and probably more of a medium strength brew.

I made this by infusing the tea bag in half a mug of boiling water for 4 minutes whilst I heated milk with a teaspoon of runny honey and half a teaspoon of sugar, I added this to the tea and hey-presto a truly decadent drop of chai – the honey and sugar highlight the ginger and cinnamon. Made this way it makes for a cup of desert and is a very good satisfying replacement to a cafe store late and much nicer also.

Compared to other chais that seem to focus on the spices at the expense of the tea Twinings do a brilliant job of keeping the black tea as centre and enhancing the taste of the tea rather than replacing it with an overload of spice. The focus on ginger and cinnamon is perfect allowing you to enjoy the other spices without feeling like they’re taking over the tea.

Very impressed with this and highly recommend to Chai lovers and to those who have tried chai and felt overwhelmed by spice.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

1
drank French Earl Grey by T2
37 tasting notes

Floral and peachy overtones guide you into this tea and leave you with a distinctly peachy after taste. This is a more fragrant and more fruity version of the standard Earl Grey and could easily be described as a step up if you want more of a similar type of flavour. Alternatively you may like this if you’re not a fan of Earl of Grey but are a fan of peach as it strongly resonates in this tea far more than any of the familiar Earl Grey tones.

I found this tea very off-putting as the smell is extremely overpowering and although I like peaches it turns out I don’t like peach flavoured tea – the smell is overpowering and the taste is even more so leaving a very strong after-taste.

If you’re more English Breakfast and less Earl Grey then I’d steer clear of this tea. Vice versa than this is the one for you.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

80
drank Vanilla Mint by T2
37 tasting notes

This is an invigorating sweet herbal tissane that makes for a great ‘pick-me-up’ in the afternoon. If you find your mind tiring and want to get back on track than this really is the perfect tea.

The smell is overwhelmingly mint with a nice hint of the vanilla to come. The first thing you will taste is the mint and then you will be left with a delicately sweet vanilla aftertaste. It is a light tea and not overpowering in any way, it makes for a very nice treat by itself. However, I do find that something about it makes me hungry, most likely the vanilla – I’ve found gingerbread accompanies this beautifully.

It is quite addictive, I usually have a good two mugfulls at a time and with each day I have this I increase the infusing time to get the most flavour out of this as possible.

I wouldn’t recommend having this if you are trying to substitute a snack for tea as it will make you want more.

The smell of the tissane in the packet is a very good indication of what it will taste like so if you like the smell when you pick it up you’ll most likely love the tea if however it puts you off then it’s a good indication you won’t like it.

If you love vanilla like me then this is definitely for you – it makes a great caffeine-free vanilla hit and reminds me of vanilla cupcakes (with a shot of mint).

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

87
drank Milky Oolong by T2
37 tasting notes

This is a truly beautiful Oolong – it tastes creamy and indulgent while being very light. The aroma reminds me of a light caramel and is very strong – you will find it will make your whole room smell of caramel which I love. The tea itself is closer to black than green, there is no hint to ‘gassiness’ whatsoever and has a satisfyingly medium strength flavour to it. It will provide you with a nice milky/ caramel aftertaste.

Great before bed, very calming and relaxing like velvet caramel in a cup. Makes for a beautiful desert tea without being overpowering.

You can re-use the leaves up to three times by increasing the brewing time by a minute teach time. By the third re-use you’ll find the beautiful aroma has faded but the taste is still divine.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

30
drank Just Peppermint by T2
37 tasting notes

This is like the name says ‘just peppermint.’

I find that it leaves me with a very ‘toothpaste’ aftertaste that I can’t get over, and that sort of aftertaste is usually associated with spearmint but is unavoidable with this tissane.

I have tried it warm and iced and would recommend having it hot rather than serving it as an iced tea or mixing it with other tissanes/ teas because the “toothpaste” aftertaste becomes very pronounced when iced and will overwhelm whatever else you pair it with.

I’ve tried it with T2’s Strawberry Sensation and found that it completely voided the sweet berry taste and left you with a very strong mint aftertaste. However when had hot it is quite invigorating.

Preparation
Boiling

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

78

This is a deliciously sweet tissane that accompanies food very well especially savoy to add a bit of sweetness to your palette. When had warm it is intensely sweet and quite overpowering – it will definitely make you want to have something savoury or plain to balance out the taste. Some will find this sweetness too much or sickly sweet so be careful with how much you use. When had iced the tang of the apple is balanced very nicely with the sweetness of the cinnamon, proving it really is a delightful combination of the two. If you want to temper the sweetness than having it iced is a great way to achieve that affect.

I highly recommend pairing this with T2’s Strawberries & Cream for a really delicious iced tea – makes for a nice special occasion iced tea to have at birthdays and Christmas. Be warned though it can be very addictive!

Preparation
Boiling

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

34
drank Red Green Vanilla by T2
37 tasting notes

This is my first rooibos and as a huge vanilla fan I thought this would be a good place to start. I was looking forward to a caffeine-free vanilla tea to have at night and was told it was similar to black vanilla tea.

Having not tried other rooibos teas I am unsure if this is an indication of the range or simply reflective of this one tea.

I did not enjoy the tea – I found it tasted like weak, bitter black tea with a very slight vanilla scent, not taste. To have something that was both weak and bitter at the same time was quite odd and the fact that I couldn’t taste the vanilla certainly didn’t help matters. There was no vanilla after-taste at all rather I was left with a very bitter taste in my mouth.

I would not recommend this tea as it stands and would suggest if you’re interested in trying it to get a sample of it first to see if the taste suits your palate.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

20
drank Chai by T2
37 tasting notes

This Chai is flooded with cloves and as a result the remaining spices and tea itself are drowned out. It tastes more like an undefined assault of cloves and generic spice than a black tea that has been mixed with different spices. It could do with less cloves and more cinnamon and ginger.

I have made this with milk and honey and also tried it with vanilla soy milk and honey (by warming the milk on the stove and having half milk half boiling water) I would recommend the vanilla soy milk and honey as it seems to allow more of the spices to shine through.

After trying this several times it has left me wanting to mix my own Chai as the proportions of spices really do seem off.

I would recommend this to coffee drinkers wanting to ease off the coffee and have a go at tea as it certainly doesn’t taste like ‘tea’ and can be made nice and milky.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

85
drank Sleep Tight by T2
37 tasting notes

This is the best remedy to sleeplessness I have tried so far and I have tried many most remedies even herbal leave you with restless and disturbed sleep and a feeling of a hangover the next morning.

But this is very effective at slowing down thinking – allowing for a feeling of restfulness and I’ve found sleep generally follows about 1 – 1 1/2 hours later.

I also find this tea very effective at giving you a short burst of feeling full which can be useful if you get an attack of the munchies before tea-time or just before going to bed. But it is a very short burst and so wouldn’t recommend as a main reason to drink this.

The lemonbalm provides a minty after-taste and the initial taste is an undefined sweet warmth. I highly recommend trying this herbal tea.

FYI: T2 says not to be taken remedially on the box.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

71
drank Liquorice Legs by T2
37 tasting notes

Confusing, that’s Liquorice Legs for you.

It is a calming tea, and could settle even the most upset stomach, but after it’s done that it will leave you with a very, very, sweet after-taste – which is of course the liquorice.

When had hot it is a nice after – lunch tea, perhaps after an over indulgence to help get rid of any bloaty feelings. Wouldn’t recommend eating anything with it as it is a very strong tea.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

I love tea, I love trying new teas, start the day with a cup of black, end with a herbal and enjoy everything in between.

I’m from Melbourne, Australia.

Tea… the perfect accompaniment for a soulful journey through life.

“tea… a religion of the art of life.” – Okakura.

Location

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Website

http://twitter.com/wintersalo

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer