Friday Afternoon

Over steep this tea and you may cry..
This is very comparable to coffee actually
Not a fan of the taste so I am not going to offer a review, but it does have a nice aroma :)

This is another tea I received from Friday and it represents the Doctor in a Sci-Fi series that ended before its time, unfortunately. Here’s to you, Simon!

This blend includes Darjeeling, lime peel, and blue cornflower for a unique aroma and flavor. A lightly creamy, citrus-y smell dominates the aroma and leads nicely into the tea itself.

The lime peel adds a strong note to the liquor and joins the mild floral flavor of the Darjeeling for a slightly astringent, yet enjoyable flavor.

As I drink this tea, it takes me to a beach house on the sea side, enjoying this nice cup of tea with a book on the porch as the waves crash in the background. It’s a relaxing blend with a touch of luxury, but retains a few hard edges to keep it interesting.

I’m definitely enjoying the Doctor’s Blend, but it is not something I’d probably add to my permanent cupboard because it’s not quite suited to my taste exactly. Though I’d be curious what flavor profiles would come forward were it blended with something milder than the lime peel.

I received this tea along with a wide selections of others from Friday Afternoon to review (and decide what to order more of!). I met Friday (yes, that’s her real name) at a Harry Potter con and it took a lot of willpower to walk out of her booth, I’ll tell you what. My favorite thing about her shop is the fact that she has an entire array of nerdy tea blends that she creates herself.

But I’m here to talk about this tea! This is Audrey’s Spring Tea. There’s also an Audrey’s Cozy Blend, and I’m a bit ashamed to say I’m not sure what the Audrey reference is. The only thing I can think of is Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. But that’s neither here nor there!

Since I can’t drink caffeine past a certain point in the day, I picked this option as my first to sample. Plus, I love lemongrass in things and had never tried a tea blend with it, so that was a huge plus to me!

I brewed with just below boiling water for about 5 minutes. The hibiscus is in larger chunks than I normally see, so its color and flavor is more subtle and complex than I’m used to, which I love. When dry, the chamomile aroma rules, but once steeped, the lemongrass really plays up.

The flavor is slightly sweet from the hibiscus, but smoothed by the chamomile, and rounded out with the lemongrass. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure which flavor I’m picking up is the marigold, as I’ve never had a tea with it before and I can’t quite tell where it fits in the mix.

All I know is this is absolutely delicious and a perfect option for me of an evening when I’d like a nice cuppa, but know I can’t have anything caffeinated. Definitely ordering more than just a sample when all is said and done!

This tea confused me. With its chocolate chunks, hazelnut and cinnamon, I was expecting a round, warm, spicy, mildly sweet dessert tea. And dry, it smelled as though that’s what it would be. Oddly, when I brewed it, it tasted like a fruit tea—chocolate with apples? I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Thinking I’d accidentally steeped the wrong sample and got a fruit tea instead, I looked through my stash and verified that this was the one labeled “Snow Day.” The ingredients looked right. So I took it to a friend, wondering if my palette was a little funny. Also a non-smoker, foodie and tea-drinker, he smelled it, tasted, and replied, “Apricot? But you don’t like fruit teas.”

No, I don’t generally care for fruit tea, and, for whatever reason, since this comes across as one, I didn’t care for it. I imagine it was a combination of the sugar in the chocolate and the hazelnut that made it seem that way. I like my hazelnut toastier, nuttier, and my chocolate darker or unsweetened. I also am discovering that I don’t care for candy in my tea (chocolate, caramel, peppermints). I prefer the impressions of sweetness left by cocao husks, peppermint leaves or vanilla, to which I can add my own sweetener should I so choose.

However, I would expect people who do like sweets, candies, fruit teas, etc, to enjoy this as it was balanced and interesting.

Hibiscus – I just don’t like it. And unfortunately, if it’s in there, I can’t taste much else. I’ll have to try this tea again later when I’ve recovered from the Hibiscus ambush!

Hmm. Well, I love Earl Grey teas, so I was looking forward to this in a big way. However, the overwhelming Bergamot flavor masked any subtlties (floral aromas, the warm nuttiness of rooibos). This tea tasted like orange oil. I thought perhaps a touch of milk would make it seem like a creamsicle, but it just tasted like dilluted orange oil. Not for me, I fear.

A lot of faux-Earls can either be on the generous end of “Suck”, or the receiving end of “Superb”. This falls squarely in the latter category. From sniff to sip, bergamot is the frontrunner, as it should be with any Earl. However, it’s more citrus than dry, which compliments the nut-sweet rooibos base. (And it does show up somewhere in the palate.) An awesome evening “h-Earl-bal”.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/04/20/review-friday-afternoon-red-earl-grey-3/

I like rooibos. I like chamomile. I…uh…have to be in the mood for peppermint. These don’t quite mesh here. Rooibos and chamomile “could” work well together, but only if the former was the green/un-fermented form. Peppermint…is un-blendable. Nothing goes with it. Perhaps that’s just my subjective palate talking, but the only things I’ve found that work with it are other mints and (maybe) lemony herbs; none of which were on display here. I approved of this for the most part, but it’s not something I would devote my sleepy time to on a regular basis.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/03/14/review-friday-afternoon-murray-creek-blend-2/

Not a whole lot to say about this one. It’s a Ceylon with vanilla flavoring. The dry scent is all vanilla bean, the wet…same. Taste-wise, it’s like liking a French vanilla-creamed carnation. Not that appetizing an analogy? Well, it’s the only one I’ve got. A very decent desserty black blend.

Full review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/13/review-friday-afternoon-vanilla-ceylon-black-2/

Still new to the world of Assam teas. Aside from “MALT!”, I usually fail to find nuances. Although, some have varied in their floral or astringent leans. This one reminded me of a Yunnan black in its caramel and honey-like taste. Sure, it was robust, malty, earthy…yadda-yadda…but there was something more to it. A bit of character beyond its caricature. Third best Assam I’ve tried to date.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/11/review-friday-afternoon-rembeng-estate-assam-3/

This has the look and smell of a guilty pleasure tea. It had actual dark chocolate chunks in it. I know, I ate one. I knew I should’ve expected more on delivery given that it had a Ceylon for a base. This brewed up a light amber-to-brown with a tangy, tiramisu-like nose. The taste was creamy and floral on initial sip, somewhat spicy in the middle, and chocolate sort of rounded out the middle. Not sure where the hazelnut went, it probably contributed to the tang on the forefront. Lighter than most cocoa cups I’ve had, but still quite pleasurable – whatever the weather.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/01/review-friday-afternoon-teas-snow-day-blend-2/