3224 Tasting Notes

drank Green Tango by Tea Forte
3224 tasting notes

I had one bag of this and I blew it. First I got impatient and didn’t wait for the water to cool enough. Then I forgot about it and let it steep for too long, but not by much. Plus, I have had this for a long time and I was only going to drink it to get rid of it since I am doing a bit of decluttering, shifting, and repurposing for the holidays.

Even oversteeped this isn’t bitter, but it also isn’t very good. I seem to only like really REALLY good greens. I am not getting much mango, and that is probably because of the age of this bag.

I will just have to look forward to my upcoming pot (pots) of black tea with Sandy later today.

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drank Chai by Harney & Sons
3224 tasting notes

This is from a side by side tasting comparing this tea with Organic Rabbit Hole Chai.

Yes, I like this. When prepared chai style it really tastes like liquid pumpkin pie. The dry tea is made up of small particles, typical of what my Indian acquaintances use, with some cardamom seeds. Having had one or two other chais, I felt that I was cheating and not really drinking chai but rather a spiced or flavored tea.

Today we are drinking it made like any black tea and adding a bit of milk and sugar. The spices are much more subtle than Rabbit Hole. If you are looking for a good, fall tea that tastes like pumpkin pie spices, this is very good. Sandy says it would taste really good mixed with maple sugar or a touch of maple sugar. I’ll keep that in mind!

If you are looking for a chai that is as much a visual treat as an olfactory one, go with Rabbit Hole. It is 52% organic spices, and even though I did not increase the number of teaspoons in the pot the 48% that is tea base came through loud and clear, smooth and tasty.

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The kids said, “This smells like Christmas!”. And it does!

Sandy brought lots of tea back from Australia and New Zealand and we are sipping our way through all these teas we reserved to try with each other.

This is a nicely spiced chai and not too peppery for me. I had some authentic chai made from the personal recipe of a friend from India and really didn’t like it, then someone else from India who had a recipe more like this one and found the other one horrifying.

At first I thought it was very similar to Harney and Sons Indian Spice, so we decided to do a side by side comparison. These are VERY different. Rabbit Hole Chai is organic, a giant plus. There are whole cardamom pods, whole cloves, and large pieces of cinnamon bark, as well as chunks of ginger and star anise. I agree with Bliss, there is something sweet and good in the base that does remind you of bubblegum, but in the best way possible, perhaps like the old fashioned gum you can hardly find anymore like Teaberry, Blackjack, and Clove. It is probably the anise and clove!

While spices, this isn’t a tea that burns, it is just warming and bracing. This is a very good chai! Another home run by Rabbit Hole!

ashmanra

I should add that this tea is 52% organic spices, mostly whole spices, and even though I didn’t increase the amount of leaf the tea base still came through loud and clear and was very smooth and tasty! Steeped four minutes or a bit longer.

The Rabbit Hole

Wow Ashmanra, thank you. We’re thrilled that you like our chai and honoured that you (and our other Steepster friends) take the time to write about it.

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drank Coconut Truffle by Tea Guys
3224 tasting notes

I have had this tea a few times before, but today it was sandwiched between Chocolate Delight and Organic Tropical Paradise. Though it is a very good tea, that was an unfair position for it to be in. To bring it up to the level of body and flavor the other teas had today, I had to add milk and a bit of sugar. Still, a very good tea, especially if you like coconut and a hint of chocolate. Milk and sugar make it a strong hint.

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It is hard to say enough about how good this tea is. I didn’t have my glasses on and couldn’t even see it, so I didn’t know it was a oolong. Even though I used nearly boiling water and steeped four and a half minutes it is perfect. As soon as I lifted the lid on the tea pot to take out the basket, I saw the huge, full leaves and knew it was oolong tea. And the taste is that of some of the very best dark oolong tea I have tasted. It is smooth and the added flavors are natural and subdued, adding just what they should and nothing more. They are a lovely complement to the tea but they don’t attract attention to themselves.

The Rabbit Hole

Glad you like our Tropical Paradise Ashmanra. It’s great cold too and we muddle it with fresh peach, mango and passionfruit.

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drank Cinnamon Roll Honeybush by 52teas
3224 tasting notes

Whee! Another tea from Jenn to try with Sandy! I will try not to drool on the keypad. No promises.

Oh. Oh. OH! BOY! Cinnamon, yes yes yes! But the frosting on top is there, and the warm, soft, almost gooey bread! It’s all here in this cup. Please remember that I am that one human being in America who doesn’t like Harney and Sons number one selling tea, Hot Cinnamon Spice. This is the perfect level of cinnamon, with the perfect additions to taste just like a fresh, warm cinnamon roll.
Bravo, Frank! And thank you, Jenn!

TeaBrat

I really liked this one too! It was delicious…

Ninavampi

It was revived! : ) Just ordered! So excited that I am going to get to try it!

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drank Fabulous Feijoa by t Leaf T
3224 tasting notes

Sandy was practically daring me to try this, so I made a tiny cup of it. She really, really, REALLY did not like this tea! I thought I was smelling menthol or camphor when I sniffed the dry leaves, but upon making the tea I find that I am tasting only green tea and wintergreen. In fact, I could easily believe that I made a cup of green tea and stirred in a teaspoonful of Ben-Gay. Good thing I like the smell of Ben-Gay!

I have never had (or until Sandy bought this, HEARD of) Feijoa so I looked at her link to the Wiki article. It mentions hints of guava, strawberries, etc. but all I get is wintergreen. The wintergreen taste is high in the nose and softly fills your mouth but it isn’t as strong as peppermint can sometimes be in tea. Overall, I like this pretty well, and Sandy says, “You can HAVE it!”. Thank you! I shall enjoy it!

Edited to add: Since Sandy cautioned me that this tea frightened her horribly, I steeped it very conservatively, using about 175 degree water for three minutes.

Sandy

I cannot believe you like it, but I am glad someone does.

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It is finally time to drink the teas Jenn sent me! I have been saving out of these honeybush delights to drink with Sandy in the evenings and now she is back from Australia. I saved these so we could enjoy tea at night and not having caffeine keeping me awake.

This is Sandy’s first time having honey bush and she was pleased with it. It is great to find an alternative when you are not a fan of rooibos. This tisane smells wonderful in the package and wonderful when steeped. The dominant flavor is the coconut. Like many others, I didn’t taste much cheesecake. I think the honey bush itself has a wee minty flavor to me.

Final verdict, this is a great choice for have a cuppa after supper and still being able to get some shut eye! Thank you, Jenn! You are a sweetie!

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Celebrating the return of both Sandy and the white throated sparrows! Now, Sandy we will only have for a few weeks before she is off again, but the sparrows will stick around until May-ish, and my happy meter goes up by fifty points if I can hear their sweet title voices before I even get up in the mornings! So to celebrate all this fall goodness, I drank tea with caffeine even though it was late! (Paid for it, too!)

This was the first time Sandy had Hunan Golden Twist and she seemed to really enjoy it. In fact, she took one sip and averred, “This is GOOD tea!” I think is planning to put it other order.

The leaves have a very powerful aroma but it is all natural, no flavorings. The steeped tea has a pretty strong aroma, too. Deep, dark honey and thick raisin-y sweetness, but yes, with that sweet bacon bite. (Is that maple bacon? I have never had it.).

I don’t recall ever resteeping this one, but I may give that a try this morning.

And tonight, Sandy and I will stick to those delightful samples of honey bush teas that Jenn sent! Sandy hasn’t tried any honey bush yet, so I am happy to introduce them to her, since she is the one who got us hooked on loose leaf!

Dinosara

Our white throated sparrows have returned as well! I was happy to see them scratching around underneath our feeder.

JacquelineM

I’ll have to look for these! I looked them up on google images – do they all have that bit of yellow on their head?

ashmanra

Yes, though they can have white or tan head stripes. They are adorable little ground feeders and their voice makes me all happy inside! They sing, “oh, sweet Canada, Canada, Canada!” in a reedy trill that penetrates but still seems soft and sweet. I love love love them!

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drank Vanilla Black by Harney & Sons
3224 tasting notes

This is one I have to buy by the pound! It is one of the few teas that nearly everyone in the house loves, and guests love it, too. The tea base is very smooth, there is plenty of tea taste, and the vanilla isn’t artificial tasting. There is a nice balance of flavor here. This is not as sweet as Vanilla Comoro, also just called Decaf Vanilla at Harney and Sons, but the tea base comes out more. I love Vanilla Comoro but even the voice of love must confess that there is less flavor in the decaf tea base, though you can get around that by increasing the amount of leaf used.

TeaBrat

yum yum!

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Bio

I am a music teacher, tutor, and former homeschool mom (25 years!) who started drinking loose leaf tea about fourteen years ago! My daughters and I have tea every day, and we are frequently joined by my students or friends for “tea time.” Now my hubby joins us, too. His tastes have evolved from Tetley with milk and sugar to mostly unadorned greens and oolongs.

We have learned so much history, geography, and culture in this journey.

My avatar is a mole in a teacup! Long story…

Location

North Carolina

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