Nature's Tea Leaf

Mmmm.

No sweet clue where this came from, but it’s another one I’ve had for ages, and some kind soul sent it to me when I first joined Steepster. If I had to guess, I’d put money on Sil but don’t quote me on that :)

Anyway, I’m trying really hard to go through my teas to make room for the massive quantity I’ve got coming from my relatives in the states when they visit in July (so far got orders from 3 different companies shipped to them, with plans for three more within the next month)….

I’ve never heard of a “milk tea” before now!

I had the kettle boiled and on hold at 98 degrees C, so I decided to just go with that since this is a black tea.

It’s a bit astringent….next time I will go with the recommended 195 degrees. (F)

But, it’s really creamy and tasty! A nice black tea. Brewed up very rich and dark and clearly I had to add milk.

Not disappointed with this one! I’d probably want to own some!
AND….now I need recommendations for other milk teas to try….tea monster has been created.

Thanks to whoever sent me this back in the day!

I accidentally steeped this for a long time. Six minutes maybe? I’m not sure, it went way over my timer, as Mum had asked me to help her with something and it slipped my mind. Oops!
No matter, the tea was great. Really!!! I love cherry, and I love tart cherries even more! And boy was this tart. Not overwhelmingly so mind you, and I could definitely taste the puerh. Like one of those sour cherry candies. Mmmm. No sugar required.
Also, it’s a really nice change to have a flavour besides orange, chocolate, or toffee associated with puerh. Thanks TeaBrat for the sample!!

I feel bad that I’ve had this sample for a long time now and I’ve never reviewed it. I don’t know why, I have no excuse, but that’s just how it is. It has been sealed in an airtight bag this entire time, so I’m hoping it won’t have suffered.

So, interestingly, I assumed that these were jasmine and was shocked that there was no jasmine scent or flavor in the tea. Good thing I glanced at some reviews before posting because I learned that no, these were not jasmine pearls at all, but rather just pearled green tea.

Well, in that case, my review is different. I’m still not going to rate this because it is pretty old and I don’t know how the flavor may have change over time. This is an interesting tea, but I’m not a huge fan of the flavor. Green tea, but with almost a sour note. Not really one I will reach for again, so it will go up for sale if someone wants it.

Thanks Sil for another interesting tea.
This one is a bit odd to me. It’s really sweet and bit fruity – but not mellow and mild – more big and bold. That’s unusual to me. Anyway, I liked it, didn’t love it – but was fun to try.

Mmm this is a nice oolong. A little more butter flavor in my cup today. See previous notes :]

Took this from the Traveling Teabox B. The dry leaf is sweet, buttery, and slightly floral. The flavor is vegetal with sweet, light floral notes. There is a slight buttery flavor going on, too. There is a bright note of something. I want to say a really mellow citrus flavor. Like a sweet orange mixed in with the light floral flavors. Mmm this was a nice first cup :]

very good tea for loosing weight

Any tea that is milky: milk-scented, milk-flavored, naturally milky is a must-have for me. I’m not sure what it is, but I do like creamy/milky teas more than anything. What’s strange is that I rarely have milk in my tea unless it’s an English Breakfast or I’m having afternoon tea. The scent of the dry leaf reminds me of a milk oolong. Once water has been added, I do smell more of the black tea combined with the milk. It reminds me of milk-flavored candies, not milk from a carton.

Sipping… oooh, this tea has a bit of a thick mouthfeel that I really like. I taste a bit of an astringent black tea with a bit of powdered milk. It’s not really creamy, but has that very distinct artificial milk flavor. Overall, I’d say that this is a relatively tasty cup, but is a bit too fake for my tastebuds.

Tea #4 from the HHTTB

tasty. finally. And, of course, a tea that I like would be one that is not one of the steepster big hits. Yep, that’s me, always a rebel. ٩(^ᴗ^)۶

The mint in this isn’t very loud, but that’s ok. I selected it because I like mint teas and I like this one, so that’s the important thing. I like that none of the flavors are offensive. Absolutely nothing leaving a questionable aftertaste (really big deal for me). It’s cozy and herbal with a dash of pepper. Strange sounding health-herbs? sign me up! I don’t act as crazy new-agy as I did when I was younger, but those traits still reside in me nonetheless. I can’t help but think myself something like Topanga from boy meets world. She admits that she was the strangest girl ever before ‘growing up.’ Incidentally, for a very brief period of time at a school I only attended for a few months, several kids did refer to me by that name. I really was a weird kid, for sure. :)

I’m not sure that i’ve had any fujian teas so i’m happy that dinosara sent this one along for me to try. This is a delicious cup of cocoa goodness with a few honey notes in the background..maybe a bit of “wheat” taste! I wish i could say more but i totally gulped this down it was so tasty!

I found this in the bottom of a box I had received from Sil absolutely AGES ago. There was paper in the box, and I guess this slipped between the folds and I never noticed it.

This is really nice. Sweet honey and hay, some starchiness. I realize this isn’t going to be as amazing anymore since it’s been in a random box for so long, but it’s good. I’m enjoying it.

Thank you, Sil.

This was a lot better the last time I had it, I think. Not nearly flavourful enough for me today. To me, a yunnan tea is rich honey and roasted squash or sweet potatoes. This wasn’t.

Yet another from Sil. I decided to go ahead and start drinking samples even though I can’t rely on my sense of smell. The weekend is too short to not drink as much tea as possible!

Weirdly, this one smells minty to me in the baggie. Once water hits the leaves, it morphs into a really bright honey smell.

Mmm. This one is really nice. A little stronger than the Bamboo Temple Yunnan I had picked up from Winston’s, and a little less floral. This one has a bit of a bite to it which would make it a really nice morning tea.

Thanks, Sil! This one is going on my future “potential buy” list. :)

From the HH teabox! Many odd ingredients here! Brewed, the steep color is light and the flavor is a bit tart and minty. I didn’t love the tart berries that I’ve had before. Not for me but seems healthy!

you can realy taste the honey is this!!! i love it!

Backlog:

A really wonderful, flowery Pu-erh! A visually stunning blend too with lots of rose buds, jasmine, and lavender tossed in with the leaves of Pu-erh. I found myself enjoying the way the earthy notes of the pu-erh meld with the sweet, exotic notes of the flowers.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/05/24/natures-bloom-puerh-tea-blend-from-natures-tea-leaf/

Yet another one from Teabox B… I have tried a few other Nature’s Tea Leaf blends and I usually love them. This one is nice too!

First steep // low temp // 3 min
The color of this cup was very light. The temp may have been TOO low but Nature’s suggests 185 degrees. The lavender both dried and in the cup is lovely! I can taste the lavender more than the pu-erh.

Second steep // just boiled // 4-5 min
This cup is much darker! The lavender is still very strong and the pu-erh should be, but it is so mild flavored, I can hardly tell it is more than just lavender. But I like it – so lavendery!

Here’s a tea from the BBB Box, shared by Sil.
All I can really say about this is it’s interesting.
Most of the time, cherry flavor in teas translates to ‘cough syrup’, but in this rare instance, it doesn’t! This cherry really has a more natural kind of flavor to it, & the cup is dark, slightly earthy, & sweet. Not bad!

This is the final sample from the BBBB, sent by Sil.
The Badaxx B*t@hs Black Box
The Bodacious Babes Black Box
Call it what you like, LOL
Honestly, I took one look & said…“Cherry” :p
yeah, I really did stick my tongue out.
But actually, it’s not bad! The cherry is fairly laid back, so it doesn’t go all medicinal on me. The Puerh is kind of a bland one, but oh well, after it’s not bitter! So I guess it wasn’t me! Or maybe I addressed my bitterness, & the super tasting went away?
Want to know what my bitterness was? My kitchen floor was a disgusting filthy mess. I’m not a great housekeeper, & with all the gardening & cooking & tea drinking that goes on in my awesome kitchen, the floor is rarely pretty. So I steeped this tea while I swept. The I let it cool to taste while I mopped (it only took 5 minutes? Why do I always think it’s going to take so long?) Then I drank my tea while the floor dried, which actually took longer than the mopping. Go figure.

Here’s a Sipdown from the HHTTB. I figured there wasn’t much left in the package, so I might as well give it a try. It’s ok. I’m not really getting much from the Shu, it’s mostly just flowery. I do like some florals, roses & jasmine included. I love lavender, but NOT in tea or food, just bubble bath or the essential oil aroma. Luckily, the lavender isn’t particularly prominent in this blend. Anyway, it’s a pretty blend, but not something I’d ever purchase.

Such lovely leaves! Fluffy, golden and long. The liquid is very light. Much lighter than I associate with a Yunnan. So light that I probably oversteeped a bit (okay, a lot) expecting a darker color. That said, there was still much less bitterness than I’d expect from a steep this long. Still a light flavor with a bit of sweet in the background. Not much malt in the flavor but a good amount in the steep.

The sample from Sil was generous enough that I will be able to give this another shot and steep for less time to compare. :) Thanks, Sil!

This tea is from the “here’s hoping” teabox.

Peppermint3root seems a tea I wouldn’t order, but upon smelling, ehh smells good, why not try? The peppermint smells nice and there’s kinda a marshmallow root smell going on too.

Taste? Wahhh! It’s minty, slightly tart mix of hibiscus and berries, with an unusual medicinal dirt earthy flavor – finishing off slightly sweet. I can drink medicinal like flavors, but that rooty dirt flavor mixed with fruity isn’t for me. Back in the teabox it goes! But either way, happy to of tried it.

I have too much tea. I mean, tins-and-jars-gathering-dust-much. Surely this describes none of you; you promptly drink all you have and none ever gets shoved to the back corner of a cabinet and forgotten.

Like this one.

But even after six years, according to my notes, this has retained its character. Heavy in texture, light in taste, tea first, then the hint of mint at the end. Since Nature’s Tea Leaf has disappeared, I’m glad to have stumbled onto this little cup of nostalgia for one of my (formerly) favorite purveyors.

This is a warm, sweet, gentle white tea that hints of mint. Just what I need at this moment as I gather my thoughts and begin the process of saying goodbye to my mom. She went Home for Christmas this afternoon. She is well and whole now, and if earthly life is any indication, chattering a mile a minute with the dear ones that have been waiting for her to arrive. Prayers appreciated for my family as we adjust to her absence.