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Earth Fare, our regional Whole Foods-style grocery, had a sale on Mighty Leaf Teas so I brought their Vanilla Bean since I’m running low on blacks. I’ve never tried Mighty Leaf Teas before. This is the first bagged tea that I can remember having visibly whole leaves. After steeping, when I pulled the bagged out, it was plumped to the maximum by the leaves. The tea had a strong black tea smell with a hint of floral vanilla and was dark in color. The taste was not so good. It was strongly astringent black with barely a vanilla hint, very dry and bitter to drink. I am hoping the brewing for less time will improve it.

This bag of Passion is the last one of sampler box I had from Tazo. It brews to a deep purple-red color and smells like cherries and other berries. The taste is tart and floral with a moderate pucker.

Last night’s cup has spurned a kick to drink up some of the bagged tea so I can buy more loose. I’ll probably always keep some bagged teas on hand, but I’m drinking mostly loose tea now. The Sugar Plum Spice has a nice cinnamon and spicy flavor without being too sharp. The undertones and aftertaste are floral.

White ceramic Mepkin Abbey mug (I have two of these.). 1 bag.

Last night the husband was tired and went to bed a bit early so I took the newspaper into bed to read a bit. I wanted a cup of tea to take with me and it was cold in the apartment so I wanted tea quickly so I could get under the covers. So I made this bagged Orange, Passionfruit, and Jasmine Green. It was a decent enough cup, though slightly bitter. I could taste a bit of orange, jasmine, and green tea but not the passionfruit.

White ceramic Mepkin Abbey mug. 1 bag.

I brought this tea from a vendor at my local farmer’s market. Either I don’t remember the brand or the vendor blended it herself. After the first few tries, I decided I didn’t like it much so I haven’t drank it in awhile. It tastes mostly of chamomile with something else that is not distinctly citrus-y.

I made my husband a cup tonight since he has been drink teas in the evening with me when I offer to make him some and I’m trying out different kinds of tea to figure out what he likes, which is so far everything – he did particularly like a spicy holiday bagged tea last year though I can’t remember the name now. He rarely drinks a second cup unless I make a pot which he will keep drinking, even more than his fair share sometimes. So I brewed it again for myself. In a lighter version, it’s actually not bad but I’m not sure I actually like it still.

2nd brewing: 1.5 tsp.

I brewed my Rooibos Chai a second time earlier this evening. After 6 min, the color was very weak so I tasted it before adding milk. There was little flavor. I continued to steep and taste and steep and taste. I finally just drank it rather weak without milk. It was still pleasant but I probably won’t brew this multiple times again.

2nd brewing: 1.5 tsp. Over 12 min.

After watching Inspector Lewis being given cups of tea for over an hour, I was longing for a cup. I enjoyed Rishi’s Masala Chai quite a bit the other day so I was thinking a Chai sounded good. I went with the Rooibos Chai because it’s late and it has no caffeine in it. It’s yummy but less strong, in both spices and the taste of the rooibos.

Striped pottery mug. 1.5 tsp. Milk.

Another tea that I have but haven’t Tealogged yet. I made my husband a cup of this this morning when I had my first cup of the Orange Rooibos. I made myself a cup from the same leaves as a break from the Orange Rooibos. I find this tea so-so and am just using up the last of it. The green rooibos in it isn’t really noticable but you can taste the green cardamon and lemon grass as well as the floraly tones. I brewed it a bit weak because I think the taste is rather strong.

Dark blue pottery mug. 2nd brewing: 1 tsp.

Today has been a drink-lots-of-tea day for me, tired and worn out. So I started off early this morning with a cup of Orange Rooibos because I knew I wanted a nap and didn’t want any caffeine in my tea. I’ve been enjoying the Orange Rooibos for awhile now, this is just my first Tealog of it. Now that it’s cold out, my tea consumption should increase. On the whole, I love rooiboses and prefer red rooiboses to green ones. The Orange Rooibos tastes smooth and red-Earthy/twiggy like a red rooibos and the orange is noticeable with a nice hint of bitter.

I had a second brewing before I had lunch, which was leftovers from dinner last night – salt&pepper-crusted roast salmon, winter squash with nutmeg and brown sugar, and asparagus with pecorino and lemon. It was just as strong and good as the first.

Deep blue pottery mug. 1.5 tsp.
2nd brewing: 6 min.

This morning was my last cup of Blood Orange black tea. I thought I had enough for two more cups but I only had a little more tea left after measuring out the first cup so I put it all in. I enjoyed the first cup, then decided to try brewing it a second time even though I usually only brew black teas once. The second brewing came out fine if a bit weak.

Deep blue ceramic mug. 1.5 tsp. 1 tbsp milk.
2nd brewing: 5 min.