Cozee Teas

When I brewed this the first time, I used boiling water (212 degrees) for the black tea, expecting full-bodied black tea behavior. A little disappointed in the bitterness, I dropped the temp for a fresh pot the second time around and was rewarded with a red cognac color and a smooth, tasty cup. Figs and apple are as promised, which I raised with a squirt of stevia liquid. A little sweetness is all that was needed, however. Overall, a rewarding cup of tea. Very drinkable. The color is my favorite attribute in this tea, however. I’ve taken to drinking it in a wine glass, just so I can fully appreciate it!

I got a cup of this to go at a tea shop near where I live. They told me they source their black teas from a wholesaler, and this tea on Steepster was the one whose manufacturer/vendor most closely matches the name of the wholesaler the tea shop mentioned.

Anyway, assuming this is the right tea, I quite enjoyed it. The blend was very mild and there was no astringency. The apple and fig notes were distinct, but well blended, with the depth and body of the fig giving way to the brightness and sparkle of the apple at the end of the sip. Nice clear amber liquor as well.

The next time I go back to that tea shop (Jazzberry Tea House), I’ll buy some of this, as well as some of their other loose-leaf blends.

I usually drink this straight, no milk or sweetener, because the fruit and the stevia leaves make it plenty sweet on its own. This is a white tea blended with green tea, which I’m sure is what gives the smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel. There is ginger and cinnamon in the ingredients list, but they are not overpowering, instead they give a lovely flavor depth and pleasing aftertaste. The strawberry flavoring is barely perceptible, but is clearly present in the aroma of the brewed tea. Overall, a very comforting, pressing cuppa.

I found Cozee Teas by accident when I was in the area for a Saturday. I walked in, because how do you not at least walk into a tea shop?

I found this tea on sale, and after smelling it, I knew I had to add it to my collection. I love fruity teas, especially black teas. I did love that I could differentiate both the fig and apple taste. Both were an excellent complement for the mild black tea.

This is a comforting tea I drink in the middle of the day.

I received a few ounces of this from the lovely Tabby, and after nearly a week with no earl grey in my house it was one of the best packages I’ve ever opened.

Hah, Admittedly bergamot withdrawal might of skewed my opinion of that first cup, so I’m reviewing my second, freshly steeped at boiling and five, sweetened with a very light agave nectar.

I normally try to refrain from comparing directly to other tea’s, in such cases if you’ve never had the other tea you’ve no idea what I’m talking about, but… This reminds me alot of Harny and Sons Paris, it has that same gounding in the vanilla with the bergamot ontop, there errily similar, although without a cup of harny next to this I couldn’t render an opinion on which was better, if you’ve had Paris by H&S you have a very good idea of this tea.

If you havn’t though… I’ll do my best to describe, the black tea itself is very good, if you focus past the citrus and vanilla there’s this warm base of fine European style black tea, earthy and warm and in the background, the bass guitar of this tea if you will, the main event or…center stage if you will is the bergamot and the vanilla and its interesting how they work together, the bergamot is immediate like any good earl grey but instead of it lingering its almost washed away by a wave of warm sweet vanilla, and lingers for a while just above the last notes of the tea itself. I love the one two, the three piece band thing this tea has going for it.

My only concern is actually the vanilla, its a little too powerful, and this is of course my preference, but I love bergamot in my earl grey (LOTS of it), I can’t tell if there’s just too little, or if the vanilla is so powerful that it drowns the citrus notes out, but again preference there.

When it comes down to it one of the better Earl Grey’s I’ve had, certainly surprising, and while if I had free choice of anything I might pick something from H&S, This tea gave me a very pleasant morning at work, and a more pleasant hour before bed writing this, and I love it for that.

Finally got around to trying this flavored Keemun.

The tea itself is lovely. Dark brown leaves mixed with red and pink chunks of lychee and whole dried raspberries. There also appears to be some kind of red flower petal mixed in. It smells incredibly strongly of lychee. Like perfume, roses, and red fruit. I can kind of smell the raspberry as well, but the lychee buries it.

The flavor is similar. Lychee, lychee, lychee like a punch to the face. The rose flavor, which I believe is coming from the lychee also, is very present. Peppery almost, but not as strong as a plain black rose tea. The raspberry is there, but you have to really feel for it. Same with the flavors of the Keemun. I think next time I’ll give it another minute to see if the black tea will make more of an appearance. Either way, this is interesting, and STRONG.

A few days ago I went back to Cozee Teas because they seem to have the best selection of bulk loose leaf teas in my area. (And bubble tea!) The place was looking nicer, more organized, and was beginning to get that Decatur feel with local art for sale on the walls. I hadn’t planned on buying anything when I went in, as I mainly wanted to take a peek at what black and bubble teas were available. But two of the teas caught my eye and at a very reasonable price, and I had to have them. So I picked this and a Raspberry Litchi black. And I’ve got my eye on their Vanilla Chai Spice.

When I opened the package to sniff, I was reminded instantly of Adagio’s Earl Grey Moonlight. It smelled like a strong Earl Grey with an equally strong scent of vanilla. That vanilla was not hiding in the background. The taste is very much similar. Lemony vanilla with a black tea that stands up for itself. Ceylon, I think, but it’s hard to tell over the vanilla. Anyway, I’m having it iced and lightly sweetened and I’m really looking forward to trying it hot.

Hey, Steepster, been a while! I’m back with a post I wrote a few days ago on my iPod.

I’m having this iced and unsweetened at a new cafe in Decatur, Cozee Teas. It’s so new that I can’t even check in on Facebook and frankly, though the place is cute, it’s seemingly very low budget, and I worry that it won’t be here long. It’s almost empty of customers, and a bit cluttered, decorated with some new and some vintage furniture. Plus, a glass of iced tea cost me more than four dollars, and that disappointed me a bit.

Anyway, the tea tastes like a Ceylon blend. It’s very fruity, and pleasantly sweet on its own. The fig flavor is stronger than the apple, which sort of rests in the background. Something about it also reminds me of black cherry. It’s refreshing, but I feel like it needs something. After a little agave nectar, the fruit flavors are even more bright, but the black tea is more muted. So I’m not sure if that was a good choice or not. But all around, this is a nice, tasty fruit tea… but not really worth what I paid for it…