Just Organic Tea

This is a really nice EG!

It’s a no frills EG, but that’s definitely not a bad thing when it’s done well.

Spoiler: This is really well-done.

There’s the same strong black base I’ve come to know and really like — with no bitterness or astringency — that actually holds up to the bergamot in this cup. I didn’t really find the bergamot strong or overdone, but with no additional frills it really becomes the costar of the cup (paired with the tea itself of course). And it really is the perfect pairing for the maltiness in the base.

What a nice brisk cup.

Just a reminder that they are in the final week of their kickstarter, which can be found here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/justorganictea/just-organic-tea-the-very-best-tea-delivered

Second snow day in a row! I’m resting up now because tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and if anybody else here is in the service industry, you know what that means. Non-stop crazy busy all day!

Anyway, this is a lovely tea. Calendula petals mixed into short, dark brown tea leaves with little green flecks of lemon myrtle. It smells more like apricot than peach to me, but that’s not a bad thing. I love apricot things! The scent mixes well with the bright, clean lemon myrtle aroma. It’s like sweet lemonade or lemon candy.

The flavor is very fruity and juicy. It reminds me of jam, especially after some sweetener. This would be a great tea to have with buttered toast. While I can taste peaches, I still mostly notice apricots. The black tea base is very mild with zero bitterness and very mild astringency. Nothing about this tastes artificial, which is a problem I encounter a lot with peach teas. No, it tastes real, and I’m really enjoying it.

Edit — Also, signal boosting Just Organic Tea’s Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/justorganictea/just-organic-tea-the-very-best-tea-delivered

This is the second I’ve tried of the samples provided to me, and I’m enjoying it quite a bit.

As I said in my previous review, I really like the base they use. It’s a bit malty and is smooth and not a bit bitter if you follow the listed steeping parameters.

Cinnamon is the strongest flavor in this cup, with clove being the second most dominating. It’s almost to a point where without knowing there was orange in the blend, I’d guess otherwise. In the grand scheme of spicing, though, it’s not terribly strong at all. The orange itself doesn’t really kick in until the tail end/aftertaste of the sip. The base is still present with all the mingling flavors.

I think this tea suffers from the same thing as the previous tea I tried in that while the flavors are good, the balance is off. I wanted more peach/apricot and less lemon in the peach apricot tea and I want more orange in my orange spice tea here.

As you may have seen already, Just Organic Tea is doing a Kickstarter to raise money for this really promising company. You can find that here : https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/justorganictea/just-organic-tea-the-very-best-tea-delivered

Snow day!! I went from working a double today to laying around playing Minecraft and drinking tea.

Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve had a straight up black tea with no flavorings. I’ve been drinking Earl Grey and such for like six months. This is a nice change. The flavor reminds me of an Assam. It’s malty with a touch of molasses and stone fruit. It’s not bitter, but it is a little astringent. Dries my mouth somewhat. As far as black teas go, this one is pretty straightforward without much complexity. Would be a good tea to start the day with.

If you haven’t already, check out Just Organic Tea’s Kickstarter here: (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/justorganictea/just-organic-tea-the-very-best-tea-delivered)

I’ve been meaning to review this tea for days! I am stereotypically drawn to anything pumpkin spice, and when you add that to another one of my favorite things, which is chai, I get excited.

Anyway, this smells delightful. Bright ginger, warm cinnamon, spicy clove and something very sweet like a dessert. I can see large pieces of cinnamon bark mixed into the black tea, whole cloves, and something round and seed-like that I can’t identify. Neat! As it steeps, the clove scent really comes out and combines with the cinnamon. It smells a lot like Constant Comment! (I mean that affectionately.)

Once it was ready, I added a tiny splash of 1% milk and some of the organic sugar Just Organic Tea provided in my sampler. Now, I generally use zero-calorie monk fruit sweetener. So having real sugar in my chai is a bit of a treat for me. As I sip it, I find it a little mild for my taste. I can taste a hint of the pumpkin flavor, and it’s nice, but not as much in the forefront as I would have liked. Same with the spices. Overall, I like it, but I would need to double or triple-up on the amount of leaf I’d use.

This is actually an enjoyable cup. But it wasn’t what I was really expecting.

First, I’m really digging the base they use. It’s smooth, with a full body, and just a little malt. It’s not bitter, and just a bit astringent as the tea cools to room temperature.

The flavoring is where it was more unexpected. The first flavor I pick up isn’t peach or apricot, it’s lemon myrtle. It adds a pleasant amount of creamy and sweet lemon notes, but seems to dominate the peach and apricot on the whole. The stone fruits are relativly easy to differentiate from each other and don’t taste candy-like or cloying (or like peach gummies), and are pretty natural tasting, but don’t seem to set in until midtaste. These flavors blossom in your mouth and linger through the sip, though. I just wish they occurred sooner.

While I did like the tea well enough, and would drink it again if it was offered to me, I really just think it’s not quite a peach/apricot tea.

I got my wish, several hours of Minecraft later and I feel quite happy. My castle is coming along nicely, all the external infrastructure is complete and all I have left is decorating and landscaping. So far my favorite thing about my build is the huge vaulted ceiling about the throne room, the massive arched road to the castle, and of course, the inside arboretum and waterfall. I think my next build should be a conservatory inside a hollowed out mountain, I just wish Minecraft on the Xbox had all the plant varieties that the PC did, maybe with the next update?

Today’s tea is the last of the set of samples that Just Organic Tea sent me to review, the Pumpkin Spice Chai! A blend of Black Tea, Ginger, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, and Allspice. The aroma is quite yummy and evocative of autumn. The allspice and ginger are the most prominent aroma with the cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg dancing around in the background, and there is a nice malty undertone. It blends the spices with bright black tea aroma that is nothing short of mouthwatering.

Brewing the tea brings all the spices into a perfect balance, I always like when my teas are balanced in their spice aromas, it reminds me of a good piece of classical music. Besides the spice blend there is the aroma of malt and gentle sweetness. The liquid is warm and spicy, well balanced but the allspice stands out a little stronger than the rest, there is also a mild sweetness in the aroma from the spices.

Tasting time! As per tradition this chai is made with cream and sugar giving it an extra richness and sweetness, I found I only needed a little sugar since it is sweet already from the spices. Speaking of spices they are wonderful, being both strong and mellow. Allspice and cinnamon are the dominant spices with the others not far behind, they cause the tea to have a warm and slightly tingly mouthfeel so it is like being hugged on the inside. The base tea is smooth and malty with a slight hint of woodiness that blends well with the spices. This is an exquisite chai and certainly my favorite tea that I tried from Just Organic Tea.

For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/02/just-organic-tea-pumpkin-spice-chai-tea.html

I found this Earl Grey to be a little different than other earl greys I’ve had. This one is heavy on the bergamont, probably the most bergamonty earl I’ve drank.
The bergamont here also has more of an orange edge to it that I haven’t had in an earl grey before. All this made with oil – this tea has no frills such as blue cornflowers or citrus pieces.
Really nice Earl Grey if you love lots of bergamont!

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/just-organic-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/

WAHH! My sample of Pumpkin Chai spice had 5 whole cloves in it! A whole lump of all spice too. All this in one serving of tea. I predicted I was in for a spice ride and turned out to be so.

Super clovey! Cinnamon, ginger too! Very spicy. This chai is at that level of really spicy line before stepping into firey kind of spicy.

Other than the mega spice, the end of sip there is a smooth pumpkin flavor, similar to the pie, which is nice. The aftertaste is pumpkin pie (with generous spices). The pumpkin here is very nice.

I could see this tea being a great latte which would tone down the spice.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/just-organic-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/

I felt this tea was promising – the scent was delicious orange with cinnamon. However, steeped up the orange is pretty light, with the spice being the main focus (or it took over). The orange has a navel orange kind of taste and at first sip, but as the sip goes on, the spice kicks in, like a cinnamon heart candy ramping up.

Overall, I’d say this tea is closer to a moderate spiced chai and would be fun for chai lovers. I was hoping for more orange.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/just-organic-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/

Yum, this tea is tasty! One of the best peach apricot blends I’ve had!
Often, peach apricot flavor just blends into one taste, but this tea you can easily distinguish both stone fruits! Quite natural tasting too, with the fruit flavor on the heavy side.
This heavy on flavor quality is a running theme in all the Just Organic teas I’ve tried.
The base here is okay – a little bitter, but is rounded out with the fruity. With sugar, this tea tastes like juice, with a hint of malty black at the end to remind me it’s tea.

Wish I had more as I could see this being a great iced tea!

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/just-organic-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/

Oothu black is a lovely, tobacco raisin malty kind of black. Out of all the samples I got from Just Organic Tea, this was tied for first place. The balance between the flavor notes was great. It’s not too tobaccoy or raisiny, with the combination working well. Full flavor too!
There is a great creamy mouth feel. No bitterness, great for a new black tea drinker looking for a straight black that is organic and fair trade.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/just-organic-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/

Sipdown is that even the right word for sugar? (202/204)!

I finished the last of this up sprinkled onto some canned peaches. This time around it did completely dissolve, it just took a little while. Pretty good, though.

Our water was finally turned back on at 10 PM last night, and to celebrate both Tre and I made ourselves some tea. For his tea, I suggested that he use some of the organic sugar given to me along with some samples. I personally don’t use sugar in my tea at all, so I thought I’d take advantage of the fact Tre adds sugar to all his tea without hesitation or exception and get him to review it.

I asked him to be specific and detailed in his review, and this is what he came back with: It tastes diluted but does its job, I guess…

So there you have it.

Just Organic Tea was very kind and sent me some sugar along with my tea samples – however, I unfortunately do not add sugar or typically any sweeteners to my tea so I tried to be creative in finding a way to use this.

What I settled on, was adding about half the amount sent to me to some canned halved pears. Usually sugar added to pears or other canned fruits kinda dissolves into a sort of “glaze”, and this sugar didn’t really dissolve too well – but it did taste delicious, and I have confidence it would be a good sweetener for those who choose to add sugar into their tea.

I’m going to leave it unrated though, because that’s not really what I used it for at all.

Sipdown (199/203)!

Ha! Finally under 200 teas – let’s see how long that lasts. My guess? Not even three days. Of course, I do hope I’m wrong.

I must say, I had mixed feelings on this one because while I do like apricot – peach is a flavour I’m very fussy about, and neither are flavours I immediately turn to or reach for the same way I do with pears or bananas or pineapple. That’s why I was really surprised when I brewed this one up.

The black base here is really nice. Very smooth and I’ve found kinda malty, and it doesn’t get bitter or astringent very easily. All of those are things I can get behind, and I don’t think it’s premature of me to be saying that I’m really a fan of the black base used by Just Organic Tea.

The flavouring in this one was an interesting experience in and of itself. Where I was expecting peach/apricot I was immediately sucker punched with the lemon myrtle/calendula which was very tasty and creamy and just delicious. However, I found that they were the dominant flavour in this tea and the apricot very heavily sat in the background. I couldn’t even taste the peach in this at all.

So, I have to rate this accordingly because it was incredibly delicious as a black lemon tea, but it fell really short on its name because it was not a Peach/Apricot tea at all.

I am going through some serious withdraw, I haven’t been able to play Minecraft in a while because a combination of everyone in the house being sick and snow days has meant no access to the Xbox 360. I have a castle that needs completion and a world that needs perfecting. If everything goes my way I will have the house to myself tomorrow and I plan on using a large chunk of it indulging in one of my favorite past times.

Today’s tea has nothing to do with gaming, in fact it has to do with summer fruits and nostalgia. Peach Apricot Essence by Just Organic Tea is a blend of Black Teas with Apricot and Peach essence, Calendula Flowers and Lemon Myrtle. The aroma is very sweet and fruity blending peach and apricot, but unlike most the peach flavored teas I have encountered it smells like the fruit and not fake peach. I grew up in the South, Georgia to be exact, and we know out peaches (I mean we name everything after them, so that makes us experts, right?) and the aroma of this tea smells just like a sun warmed fresh peach straight from the plethora of roadside stands. There is milder note of apricot, and a touch of lemon myrtle.

After giving the tea leaves a steeping the leaves become much more lemony and bright, the warm, sweet peach aroma is more of an afterthought as the lemon myrtle takes center stage. The liquid’s aroma is smooth and creamy blending the peach and lemon myrtle evenly. I admit I find the blending of those two quite intriguing.

The taste is initially sweet with strong notes of lemon myrtle. For those who have never had lemon myrtle it tastes like a blend of vegetation and lemon, similar to lemon balm but more sweet than green. There is also an initial taste of floral that is very faint and fades quickly. The midtaste is sweet and warm peach that stays until the aftertaste. The tea itself is just a bit astringent which I think blended well with the other flavors present and gives it a good bold quality. I wish it had been a little peachier, and that the apricot would have been present at all, this was the most realistic smelling peach teas and the taste was not at all artificial so it makes sense that I would crave more.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/02/just-organic-tea-peach-apricot-essence.html

Sipdown (208/211)!

Slowly making my way back under 200 – but as soon as I get something in the mail, my dreams of accomplishing that any time soon will be squelched.

Thank you Just Organic tea for the samples! An EG sounded like a good way to start my morning today, so I picked out this one. Dry, it smells very strongly of Bergamot. I was also very happy to see that there’s no lavender in this blend. That’s an ingredient I don’t tend to be on good terms with.

Because I drastically oversteeped the first JOT sample I tried, I was very careful and diligent with my steeping of this one, and made sure to pull out the basket at precisely four minutes. Since I was sent samples specifically for reviewing, I feel very obligated to do a really good job. Steeped up, is smells like it could be a tad astringent, and has a very strong bergamot smell too.

Taste wise, I’m a very happy person. There actually isn’t any astringency which is awesome. The liquor has a thick, weighty mouthfeel to it and the black base is present (not completely masked by the bergamot) and tastes a little earthy and malty. The bergamot itself is somewhere balanced between weak and strong; for me, I’m finding it’s at a very nice middle ground. It’s also very rich and fresh tasting – and leaves an incredibly pleasant aftertaste in the mouth.

I am super impressed by this EG, and actually really sad this is a sipdown. I have lots of TARDIS and Cream of Earl Grey left, but once I’m out of both I would very seriously consider stocking this one above the other two.

Also, in other news I might have another roommate soon. My friend who was over yesterday is in a very awkward and inconvenient living situation right now (she’s in a one bedroom apartment living with her ex – and they’re actually sharing a bed right now because the place is too small for them not to). So Tre and I are very much considering the possibility of her coming and living with us.

It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch because there was originally going to be three people living here initially – and seeing as I sleep in the living room anyway, all I’d have to do is move my stuff from my bedroom and officially make the living room “my room” for her to have a place to stay. It’d help a lot with rent – and it’s not like she’s a ‘new’ friend. She’s from Tre’s graduating class, but was a very good friend to us both all throughout highschool.

So, I guess we’ll see what happens…

Captain’s Log, stardate 1417.5. Our destination is the past, the search is on for the origin and understanding of an archaic drink that warms the body and clears the mind. The first stop is Prime Minister Earl Grey’s office to look for evidence, legend says he is responsible in a roundabout way for this beverage, and since it wears his name it seems the best place to start. The Earl is out and all that was found was a mostly empty tea tin smelling faintly of citrus. Clearly I should take this back and have the Science Division analyse it, scientifically.

Taking the leaves to the Science Officer proved fruitless since he was out, so I asked the doctor to describe the aroma in detail (I took a shot of alien pheromones to the face and my nose is not as sharp) and here is his report. ’I am a Doctor not a Botanist, but I know the smell of citrus anywhere, it is potent and bright, smelling like a mixture of bergamot and lemon with a touch of sweetness. I can detect a hint of malt under the intensity of the citrus. Perhaps I should keep some of this to wake up the Captain next time he gets knocked unconscious.

Brewing the tea in the manner described in historical notes, I notice the aroma is more of a citrus melange, blending notes of orange, bergamot, and lemon. The aroma is mostly citrus and bright with a mild brisk black tea aroma at the end. The steeped liquid is lemony and bright, more balanced than the leaves. You can smell the malty and slightly sweet black tea along with balanced citrus tones. End report’

There is only one Captain who can accurately describe this prestigious tea, back into the time machine for a brief jaunt to the future to receive his report. ‘The taste is lemony and brisk, there is a bit of astrigency at first that fades to a boldness and then sweetness. This tea knows how to boldly go. I am pleased with this tea’s journey from astringent to sweet, though the citrus taste is much more lemon like than bergamot.’

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/02/just-organic-tea-earl-grey-tea-review.html

I’d like to thank the folks at the startup company Just Organic Tea for this sample! (Check out their Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/justorganictea/just-organic-tea-the-very-best-tea-delivered) The’ve got some very tempting stuff!

First of all, this smells great. Very fragrant cinnamon aroma with a hint of dried citrus. Perfect for a cold, windy night at home. Mixed into the dark brown leaves are bits of orange peel and generous chunks of cinnamon bark. The moment they hit the water, I found myself going “Mmm” at the spicy scent. The water darkened quickly, making me think this is going to be nice and strong.

When it’s done, the tea is a lovely reddish amber. The resulting flavor is much smoother than I anticipated. The black tea base is gentle with zero bitterness and hardly any noticeable astringency. Cinnamon is the strongest flavor, while the orange rests in the aftertaste. I’m reminded of cinnamon candy, almost like RedHots. Unlike many spiced tea blends I’ve tried in the past, this one does not completely mute the actual tea aspects. I think if I had another chance, I’d go with a longer steep time. Altogether this is a very nice cup – not too strong, not too heavily spiced.

before the sip!

i have just received a bunch of samples from the very generous Just Organic Tea (thank you so much!) and the package is positively aromatic! wow!

since the sample included 5 different teas & organic sugar, i’m getting an array of sweet spices & fruits. it’s really quite a perfumista’s dream.

i’m almost tempted to mix all of them up into one steeping vessel for an ‘everything but the kitchen sink!’ sangria-like tea extravaganza. i think perhaps i’m going overboard here….but what a lovely smell.

anyway…the Earl Grey. bergamot indeed! the exhale is wonderful! i haven’t sat face-to-face with bergamot on very many occasions, whether in tea or in perfume, but this one here is quite nice. and i’m not even an Earl Grey drinker. perhaps this can change that!

the tea itself (a nice dark black base that smells brisk & robust) should stand up very nicely to the citrus-y bergamot oil with which it is infused. the inhale is a lively, eye-opening, somewhat bitter lemony-lime….but i do love citrus fruits on their own…especially in water or a nice pometini! i could almost swear there is some orange in the exhale and even a sweetness. (but that may have to do with the fact that this was included with an Orange Spice black tea sample and a Pumpkin Spice Chai…hence the thought of mixing everything together for an unforgettable kaleidoscopic experience involving all five taste sensations: sweet, sour, salty, bitter & umami… lol)..

definitely a perfumey tea….but i think any Earl Grey enthusiast will love this one. it smells pleasant even to my nose.

PS- no lavender in this Earl. just bergamot & a black tea base.

Sipdown (213/216)!

I received my Just Organic Tea samples for review today, and I felt obligated to try at least one of them today and get a review up because the company was very kind and sent me their whole Kickstarter line up to try out, as well as the organic sugar they sell (I’m going to have my company try that though, since I don’t add sugar to tea).

This best fit what I was in the mood for (fruit teas), so it was the first one I tried. I’m sad to say, it was also from the round of tea that I grossly oversteeped, so this steeped more than double the time it should have. I feel bad about that – when reviewing samples for companies anticipating reviews, I should really be much more diligent in my steeping.

That said, I was actually quite pleasantly surprised because this was hardly even bitter/astringent at all and actually held up really well to the oversteep it got. It’s hard to comment on the black base because of my reckless steeping, but I feel like it’d probably be really good if it lasted a 10 min. steep without bitterness. The spices were pretty tasty – more gentle than I thought they would have been, for which I was grateful. I tasted cinnamon/cloves most prominently. I will say that the orange could have been more powerful – I felt that it really sat in the background, which is not what you want when that ingredient is in the title of the tea.

Overall, I felt satisfied with the cup and I’m really excited to try the rest of the samples I received. I feel hopeful that at the minimum they will all be average cups, but anticipate finding one or two which are truly extraordinary.

You should all check out the company’s Kickstarter, as well if you already haven’t. I’m really hoping they make their goal.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/justorganictea/just-organic-tea-the-very-best-tea-delivered

Sipdown! This is the last of the Just Organic Tea samples, and sadly the one I like the least. I think I might just dislike orange peel, so it’s not only the tea’s fault.

What is the tea’s fault is the lack of spice. I definitely get orange and the base, but there’s not enough spice to really satisfy me. Maybe it’s just me, but when I reach for a spice tea I really want to be wowed by spice. I smell the spice, but all I get in the taste is a little cinnamon and a woodiness in the background. The description is vague so I’m not sure what else I should be tasting.

Joy! Happiness! Celebration! After months of hearing my friends and family on the East Coast (even the ones who dwell in the South) getting lots and lots of snow (and me with only frigid, dry, weather) we finally got snow! I stayed up all night to watch it start with the sunrise, and when I awoke in the afternoon there was a lovely coating of about five inches with more to come. If I feel bold I am going to go out into the white paradise and build a Snow Creeper. A day full of snow calls for drastic measures, specifically warm, spicy, tea!

Today’s warming brew is Orange Spice by Just Organic Tea (who is having a fancy Kickstarter) a blend of Black Tea, Valencia Oranges, and Exotic Spices. Orange spiced teas are the tea my mind goes to when I think of cold days and winter, because my mother always had orange spice pomanders and made me orange spice tea on cold days. The aroma is sweet and spicy with nice tangy orange note. It blends citrus and spice in a non-overwhelming dance in my olfactory glands. A well balanced pomander tea.

Once the tea takes a steep the sweet cinnamon spice takes the front while orange plays second fiddle. Hiding behind the boisterous aromas of spices and oranges is an oak wood note that gives the tea a brisk quality. The liquid is a blend of cinnamon, bright oranges, and rich, molasses and oak wood.

The taste is quite bright, like a bit of sunlight in my cup. Sweet cinnamon and warming spice with a finish of oak wood. The orange quality is there throughout the sipping experience, from the initial sweet orange at the first sip to the slightly tangy aftertaste. A perfect tea for a day when you are cold and need warming up both in body and spirit.

For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/02/just-organic-tea-orange-spice-tea-review.html