Art of Tea
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Decided to take a break in my Oolong infusions (I’ll return to them in a bit) so that I could enjoy a chawan of Matcha. Two days in a row – not like me at all – Steepster is having an influence on me (not saying a bad or a good influence yet… LOL)
This is the first time I’ve tasted this ginger matcha from Art of Tea. This is not a matcha that I would recommend sifting because there are little itty bitty bits of ginger mixed into the matcha. The first time I saw one as I was whisking, I thought it was a bit of the bamboo that had come off of my whisk and I was disheartened… but, then I realized that it was ginger.
A very smooth, sweet flavor to the matcha, with just a bit of bitterness that reaches the tongue at the end of a sip. The ginger is not as pronounced as I might have expected it to be, and it is not a sharp, snappy ginger but, more of a warm, gentle ginger. I like it though. It offers an interesting taste along with the vegetative quality of the matcha.
As I near the bottom of the chawan, the ginger flavor becomes a bit stronger AND I can notice the matcha doing that familiar coating of the palate as the liquid gets a little thicker toward the end. And it’s a pleasant taste when you get a little bitty bit of the ginger and bite into it… YUM!
Preparation
I didn’t really like this tea the first time I had it but it was much better today. I steeped it for 4 minutes using steep.it and I added a little bit of milk. I think the milk really helped mellow out the spices and it was quite enjoyable. I swear it had a slight scent of rum which I thought was a little odd, but overall it was good. I am gonna bump up the rating a bit.
Preparation
I have recently been trying to add milk to some black teas to expirement how I like it. This tea was a pretty good breakfat tea. It smelled kind sweet maybe it is the cocoa or honey. I didn’t really get the sweetness in the taste. I think it would have been a little bitter without the milk nut I definitely enjoyed it.
Steep Information:
Amount: 1.5 tsp
Additives: none
Water: filtered, boiling, 6 oz
Tool: Mesh basket strainer in cup
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vanilla, chocolate, sweet-woody (rooibos)
Steeped Tea Smell: berry, hint of vanilla
Flavor: smack me in the face berry! no vanilla, no chocolate, no rooibos (WTH?)
Body: Full
Aftertaste: berry
Liquor: cloudy dark reddish-brown
Swap thanks to Meghann M!
Well, luckily I didn’t buy it, because although it is a nice berry rooibos, in fact I can barely taste the rooibos, I would be disappointed at the missing vanilla and chocolate flavors. Mind you I enjoy the flavor of rooibos so it might be slight but not noticeable to me.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Resteep: 10 min, sad and weak, dumped out
Rating: 2/4 leaves
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/art-of-tea-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea_31.html
Preparation
My classes got canceled this morning so I got to sleep in til 10:30 (yay). I decided to have a cup of this to celebrate seeing as its one of my favorites. I have found that the creme flavors comes out more in this if I prepare it at green tea like temps and steep it for 6 minutes. Unfortunately I got distracted and steeped it for 7 minutes so its a little bitter but I salvaged it with a splash of milk.
Backlogging from the weekend
I had some sugar sprinkles in my apartment from baking a cake and I figure I would try them in this tea as I never have sugar in my tea and never have sugar in my house. Ick, bleh, yuck…. Still hate sugar in my tea! It tastes flat and sweet and tasteless. Maybe I am doing it wrong, but than again I don’t like soda, or really sweet juices so probably just personal preference.
Amen Caitlin!=D
I too hate putting sugars in my tea and don’t drink juice at all and can very much live without pop. I just need tea, water, and coffee (mostly tea). Ratio 90% Tea and 10% Coffee.
RachanaC, I can only drink juice if I either A.) add matcha to it or B.) have it in a mixed drink.
when I see “coffee” I cringe. I simply can’t drink the stuff anymore. There is a part of me that actually misses it, but an even bigger part of me is kind of repulsed by it because of the after effects (ill after effects) that I experience from it.
LiberTEAS have you tried any coffee flavored teas?
No, but I have tried some of the mocha flavored ones. In fact, I made a mocha flavored yerba mate which is one that I came up with a few years ago to get me over my cravings for coffee… it was a nice transition.
It is so weird that I can drink coffee but have a reaction every time I drink mate. My heart beats rapidly every time. I actually feel like it will pop out of my chest. I have decided not to drink it anymore or if I do maybe a shot glass for a serving. I know mate is not supposed to do that but it does. I must be the rare exception.
Rachel: that is weird… Mate has become my “substitute” for coffee when I need that sort of WAKE UP… rather than tea’s wake up. It really gets me going, and in fact I noticed that I talk a little faster and I’m a little “high” I guess when I drink Mate, but not uncomfortably so. Just me… on fast forward… know what I mean? I am sorry it affects you so badly! Coffee doesn’t really affect me that way, it just makes me terribly sick to my stomach after about 2 or 3 hours of consuming it. Like I’m going to hurl kind of sick. Not pleasant.
LiberTEAS, it could be the acidity in the coffee. I cold brew mine, it takes 67% of both the caffeine and acidity out.
LiberTEAS you are right it is weird and it does effect me the same as you but much faster and harder and uncomfortably so like a bad anxiety attack with rapid everything then nausea and dizziness. Super weird. I joke with the hubby and tell him I will have some mate today and he just laughs and says I’ll have 911 on speed dial.
Mmmm… I love this tea so much!!! I had 2 cups today one for breakfast and then one when I got home because I was craving it all day!!
It is so delicious and creamy, with a citrusy flavor and a strong black base. I just love it! Plus I just want to eat the dry leaves they smell so good!
My boyfriend got 4oz as an early anniversary present and I am so excited to drink every bit of it!!!!
I really enjoyed this tea today. I am going to up my rating. I decided that it smells like a freshly baked cheese danish. I look the flavor of the black tea mellowed by the vanilla-y, carmel-y flavor. And with a dash of milk the creaminess really comes through. Sadly this was from an art of tea Eco pyramid sampler pack and this was 2 of 2. I think I may just order some more of this tea because it is delicious.
Another tea from my art of tea sampler. I am usually not the biggest Earl grey fan but the creme intrigued me. It smells strongly but not overwhelmingly of vanilla. I was worried that the creme wouldn’t come through but it was definitely there. I think it was enhanced by the addition of milk. It was a good cup of tea.
I got this tea today as part of a gift set that was featured on steepster. I decided to try this tea first because I definitly needed something relaxing after a day that involved a broken tea cup, an exam, a broken computer and getting locked out. Luckily this tea did it’s job. It was really delicious and smelled very relaxing. It also looked beautiful in the glass cup it came with.
P.S. Due to the aforementioned broken computer I am typing this on my iPod touch and therefore cannot include a rating until a later date.
Steep Information:
Amount: 5 tsp
Additives: none
Water: filtered boiling 1 cast iron teapot full
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 7 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell:
AmazonV: Wood and chocolate
MilitiaJim: Cake
Steeped Tea Smell: Rooibos, Mint
Flavor: mint
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: sweet, woody
Liquor: Cloudy dark reddish-orange-brown
Swap from Meghann M
Hmm
Mint, rooibos, none of the chocolate
Luckily I wasn’t expecting much from you tea, because your just managing minty. I mean if i wanted mint tea with a sweet undertone to keep it from being 100% mint, I’d want you. Just not in the mood. Not really impressive.
However very drinkable.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Resteep: 7 min, weak, still tingly mint
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/art-of-tea-loose-leaf-rooibos-tea_26.html
Preparation
I’m bumping the rating of this one up a bit because apparently I find this decently tasty when made in a big ole cup. Very pear-ish in a canned-but-not-as-sweet way. I only get hints of caramel but it adds a different sweetness to it that is nice. I get a bit of the sweetness from the rooibos but none of the wood. It doesn’t hold a candle to last night’s Coconut Custard from Teas Etc but, in the big cup, I’m finding it very drinkable.
4.7g/12oz
Preparation
I’m glad to hear that it’s not as good as the coconut custard. Maybe that will keep me from buying it. This has been on my shopping list for a long time because it has such high ratings.
I am a much bigger fan of coconut flavoring in general compared to pear so that might make a difference. Maybe if you were a big pear fan you’d like this tons? Not that I am encouraging you in buying more tea or anything… Though Jade Teapot carries this one so you could always request a free sample of it from them. (http://www.jadeteapot.com/shop/pages.php?pageid=8)
Do you think the Jade Teapot one is the same? I tried that one and found it to be meh.
Yes, it is. They source their teas from Art of Tea. (I think they posted that in the discussion board somewhere.)
Oh. ok. Cool. The pic looks different from the JT actual tea (if I remember correctly). Does your Art of Tea version actually look like that pic?
Sorta? There were some fruit pieces in it but not near as many as the AoT pic makes it look. And they were rooibos coated (like the lump in the back of the JT pic) so it just looked like rooibos with chunks until it had steeped. I’d vote for the AoT pic being the artistic, attractive glamor shot of the tea and JT pic being the causal, informal snapshot. Hehe.
Trying to figure out how to rate this one. Even though I’ve had it twice, I just don’t know where I stand on it. I like the flavorings, but that stupid rooibos is throwing me off. This time I’ve gone a little heavy on the not-leaf, made a larger cup, steeped it at boiling and added no sugar.
Yeah, all I really get out of this is sweet, rich rooibos. If I slurp, I get a weird pear thing – canned pear (which I love) and rooibos (not so much) – which almost works but ends up being too rooibos for me. The caramel isn’t overly strong for me but I think that’s because the rooibos is so strong.
I’ve finally made a decision for this one. Ultimately I think this one is really just for those that like rooibos, which just isn’t me. That being said, it’s actually pretty good for being so obviously rooibos. But I’m still going to be the lone voice with a not-that-green number. Ah well.
5g/12oz
Preparation
lol! Yes, rooibos = not-leaf! :)
I really liked this tea but since I last had it, I’ve gone off rooibos in a major way. I’ll have to see if it stands up. I thought that the pear was better than canned.
I really liked canned pears so that wasn’t a bad thing. It seemed sweeter to me than a fresh pear, thus the comparison. But yeah, I think I’m kind of an anomaly when it comes to this tea. I’m probably missing something.
Tried this at boiling and (thanks to a suggestion by wombatgirl) a bit of sugar. The sugar (about half a teaspoon) did make a big difference in how much the potentially sour/woody of the rooibos showed up. Things were much better blended. But I am at the odd place in that I’ve finished my cup and have no idea what exactly I tasted. Sweet and a hint of tart and desserty but nothing specific. Weird. I liked it though. I just have no idea why.
2.7g/7oz
Preparation
I’m simultaneously excited and apprehensive to try this tea that has so much love here on Steepster… but it also has rooibos. The dry leaf smells sweet and tart. Like a pear tart with devon or heavy cream on it. Yummy. Decadent. But when I pour the tea into the cup, I can smell the rooibos. I smell sweet and tart underneath it but I might have to relearn that rooibos is not evil before I can enjoy this cup.
Yeah, this one is going to have a learning curve (tasting curve?) for me. I taste a little something sweet on the front end – honey and pear intermingled I think – but it is quickly replaced by rooibos. And this isn’t just a straight woody rooibos. This one makes me think a bit of moldy wood. No, it’s not quite that strong – freshly dampened wood. I am getting a little light caramel hint at the end so that gives me hope that after a few cups, this tea and I might come to a non-rooibos-focused understanding.
Holding off rating for now to see how this relationship develops
2.5g/6oz
Preparation
I feel the same way about rooibos. The whole cigar-like taste and smell really turns me off. But I’m trying to slowly get used to it, because there are a lot of flavored teas out there (like this one!) that sound really good but have a rooibos base. I want to try them without a bias, and I want to like them!
I don’t know if you sweeten or not, but if you don’t, try this sweetened. It took that to make it less rooibos, more nom for me.
Erin, Yep, I’m doing my best to enjoy rooibos just for the lack of caffeine. Samovar’s Ocean of Wisdom was a full rooibos blend that I eventually enjoyed but it was more spice, not sweet so that might have had something to do with it. Nonetheless, I will keep trying!
Wombatgirl, Thanks for the suggestion – I will give that a try perhaps tonight!
The dry leaf smells creamy. I can occasionally catch a whiff of pouching greenness. But the foremost smell is creamy… something. Vanilla, a hint of dreamsicle-like citrus and something that reminds me of calendula. A tingle or something. Hard to describe so I’m really just stuck with calendula.
And duh, I just read the tasting notes and it says it has marigold. Which I think is the same (or similar?) to calendula. So whew, not crazy.
Brewed up, there is more of a pouching smell and that makes my mouth water. Then I get vanilla and calendula spikes with a little dreamsicle sweetness. So pretty much exactly what the dry leaves smell like but in different proportions.
The taste literally made me go ‘wow’. Very creamy on the front end. Very. Then it mixes with a soft calendula and citrus/dreamsicle, then the pouchong buttery green freshness at the end and then, after the sip, a little tingle on the tip of my tongue from the calendula.
Honestly, I’ve gotten to the point that I’m not a huge fan of calendula in my teas, but I can totally work with this. The tea is unrepentantly creamy and thick tasting, – like the thickness that differentiates whole milk from skim – it is thick and it coats my mouth.
It’s a pretty distinct tea so it’s going to take a few times for me to figure out exactly how much I will enjoy this – crave-ability, addiction level, etc – so this score is a bit soft, but I’m pretty sure it will only go up once I better get to know this tea.
ETA: Second steep @ 2:30 and 195°. Pretty similar to the first steep, sweeter once it cooled a little. Third steep @ 3:30 and 195° poured into a cup then into the pot – I’m tempted to dub this the money steep. The sweetness pops a bit more and the calendula tingle is almost non-existent but the flavor of it is still there and blends well with the very faint dreamsicle thing that’s going on.
3g/6oz
As you get to the bottom, there are several bits of ginger… it’s sort of like a “surprise” treat. Oh… and yum – peppery heat from biting into the bitty bits of ginger. I’m loving it!
you make me want to try some, darn you and you delicious tasting note, no more tea for me! (well not for a while)
YUMMY IN THE TUMMY! I’ve made my own ginger matcha by adding matcha to ginger water (ginger tisane, but I call it ginger water since it has no liquor).