New Mexico Tea Company

Out of the bag this smells like … bubblegum. It wasn’t what I expected, but I figured, hell, I’ll try it! I brewed it up and still got the heavy bubblegum scent. I took a sip and thought, “It’s like bubblegum, Flintstones vitamins, and rooibos had a baby.”

The fruity flavors tasted artificial and somewhat medicinal (like Flintstones vitamins & cherry Benadryl syrup.) I got no hint of the florals because the other notes overpowered them. I’ve loved everything I’ve gotten from NM Tea Co. thusfar, but this tea was just … not at all for me. :’(

This is the last tea for me to try from November’s Steepster Select box … representative of the “Twigs” of the box’s Migration theme.

I’m loving the aroma of the dry leaf… very toasty! Not so much a smoky scent but a roasty-toasty scent.

It’s a really nice Kukicha, lightly sweet, and very lightly roasted flavor, much lighter roasty-toasty taste than the dry leaf scent would lead me to believe. A delicious Kukicha, one of the nicest I’ve tasted.

I have been playing with the flavors found in this Kukicha. Since it is my last infusion, I wanted to stretch it further. I brew half of teaspoon with full cup of water; not boiled but mild. While it was a lightly steamed cup of tea I found it to be a richer brew with sweet mellow notes.

I took the remainder of what was left and decided to brew it fully and just let the steam rise from the pot-filled water. With more water and less tea, it is milder in taste and at the same time richer in the scented steam rising upward out of the cup.

I am trying to say with what was left for me to brew and play with I ended with a lightly steamed fine cup of tea.

Thank you Steepster for allowing to become familiar with this tea. I am saddened that I have finished it. I have added it to my wish list.

I am learning as I go, finding that there are some very good teas out there.

Review of Roasted Kukicha (2nd steep)

I have decided to make this Roasted Kukicha my day drink in order to better appreciates its nuances and because I like the taste.

Kukicha is described as twig tea, which is a Japanese blend of green tea, made of stems, stalks, and twigs and has a nutty, slightly creamy flavor.

I boiled the water much hotter, closer to full boiled. I place one heaping teaspoon of the twigs in the strainer and poured the water over the leaves into the cup. I left it to steep for five minutes. I am thinking longer steeping time will result with more aroma and nuttier in flavor.

When I removed the saucer, used as lid, from teacup I find that the tea color is a dark red and the twigs are fuller with a greenish color. The stalks/twigs were darker prior to brewing.

The longer infusion make the tea nuttier when tasting it and the air smells of the roasted aroma that I have come to associate with this Kukicha. I am thinking of a large oven baked cookie slightly on the burnt side; the longer steeps made the tea in fact sweeter and nuttier. It seems nicer somehow with the longer brew; the smokiness is not so contained in the cup or the pot of tea.

This is another tea that I received from the November Steepster Sampler pack.
My review of the Roasted Kukicha:

Brewing Instruction:
Bring spring or filtered drinking water to 160 Fahrenheit. Add 1 tsp of tea leafs to a cup. Always pour boiling water over tea leafs and let steep 2 minutes.

Kukicha is described as twig tea, which is a Japanese blend of green tea, made of stems, stalks, and twigs and has a nutty, slightly creamy flavor.

What I noticed right away from opening the package of tea is the smokiness likened to burnt wood out doors; that expression wait until the smokes clear come to mind. It is a lovely scent for those who smoke or savor the smell of smoke. I am saying that at times the smell is like cigarettes piled in an ashtray. This is not as bad; I am just saying it smells of smoke.

Tea color: dark reddish-brown
Tea is full in body, malty, with a dry palette feel to it and full of smoky aroma. The nose can fully appreciate this tea.

I find that I have enjoyed this tea. It is rich and conveys a presence not to be discerning from first sip to last. I have been able to get three infusions and each time they are the same with the third infusion not as smoky in the flavoring.

I am thinking this would be a good tea to put next to China’s Dà Hóng Páo (Big Red Robe) and that Vintage Oolong tea I so enjoyed, which is similar in aroma and character.

I was asked to describe what I liked about tea and I said its warmth and this tea is certainly that; like chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

I was running out the door to get to an audio session and realized I would need some tea (audio work is thirsty work) to lubricate my words. I grabbed this with faith that anything the Steepster guys had picked out for me must be good. I wasn’t sure that it would tolerate the extra hot water, but I figured it was worth a chance.

Happily for me it tolerated the water well and was a perfect companion in the audio booth. At once soothing and clearing it enabled me to do my work in a minimum of takes. I love the mild roasted taste and the soothing tea that is neither bitter nor drying even when brewed under difficult conditions. I don’t have any more audio sessions scheduled for quite a while. If I did this tea would be my go-to tea. However it can still be my go-to tea for calming winter evenings.

This smells like orange juice! Super sweet citrus. I sniffed it once and knew drinking this straight would NOT go well — I love citrus in moderation, but this blend would have been too much for me! I mixed it with some floral Tie Guan Yin and … sigh it was perfect.

The tea carried a nice fresh orange flavor into the vegetal qualities of the Tie Guan Yin. Almost candyish, but not quite! The aroma was subtly sweet and not overly cloying or artificial.

Lovely tea for me to mix into my other oolongs when I need a little bit of a pick-me-up, but certainly not for me to drink straight. I’m certain my citrus-loving friends would enjoy this one unaltered though!

This is a wonderful green chai! I brewed some up last night and was surprised by the almond flavor. It is a strong note in this blend, and it plays well with the spices. I’m not really accustomed to drinking green chais (I prefer mine strong and dark) but this was enjoyable! Light on the tongue with a good snap of spice at the end. I added some raw honey which really highlighted the almond flavors. Good for cool nights where you don’t want the heartiness of a black chai, but want a good spicy blend.

I brewed this completely wrong and it was still delicious. I never ever did get a handle on green teas, they just don’t suit my palate. So I wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but gentle roasted sweetness is really a good descriptor. Despite reading “6 oz” as “6 min” on the package as I struggled to get my morning going, the tea didn’t get bitter, and was truly a delicious treat. I may actually even use this to start a “tea time” tradition with my kids – low temperature for impatient kiddos and pleasantly sweet on its own, right out of the pot.

Next time, I’ll try brewing it properly and maybe some of the more complex flavors will be salvaged, but quite frankly I’m already sold.

I have been drinking this more lately,and my Steepster pack is very low. I will probably be getting more of this very soon. Going to have to up my rating on this..

Hmmm…I like it. The wet stems smell like a camp fire about to die out. I don’t drink a lot of green because some are too vegetal for me, but this is nice. Creamy and smooth tasting. It hits the back of the mouth nicely. I’m not sure I would buy more but it would mix well with juice or be a great night time tea before bed since it is low in caffeine.

Would love to try this iced…:)

This is green and creamy. I like it, there is also a very, very light roasted taste. Barely there. The slightly sweet creaminess is the main flavor.

I’ll have to try it a few times, but this may be a buyer.

I got 1oz because I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this tea — I’ve got a love-hate relationship with jasmine. I tend to find it bitter, astringent, too perfumey, etc. I’m just getting over a chest cold and my sense of taste & smell has JUST returned, so I decided to try this blend with a fairly open mind and clean palette. The jasmine is gentle and not at all bitter or harsh, and it leads into a more mellow & soft vanilla flavor on a fine base of black & green tea. I sweetened it with raw echinacea honey and am drinking it from a small teacup which cools it down perfectly. The small amount in the cup doesn’t have an overwhelming jasmine aroma before you sip, as I found my heftier mug did.

It certainly has enough jasmine to please the people I know who are floral-fanatics, but it is gentle enough for people who AREN’T jasmine-connoisseurs to enjoy. :D

This one has been a favorite the past few weeks. I almost always drink it with two sugar cubes and half and half.

I am having this for a mid morning tea snack. Made with about a tea spoon of tea in a small cup. Really hit the spot.

When I am in the mood for a wonderful clean bright fresh green tea, I always come to this one. I first really started to appreciate Long Jing (Lung Ching, Dragon well) when I visited Hangzhou. This tea is grown in that area. Xi Hu means West Lake, which is a famous lake in Hangzhou.

When I got back from china I was so disappointed with all the Long Jings that I tried, that we had to start importing this one directly!

A friend gave some of this a while back, and I have to say I find it to be an aquired taste. It’s not my favourite tea, but it seems to grow more and more on me each time I taste it.

I had it clear this last time, and I think I prefer it that way, which is somewhat odd as I’m normally a milk and honey/sugar kind of tea drinker. However, each tea has its own character, and this one appears to be best left to its own devices.

Today I decided to make a sort-of chai latte with this. I don’t own a milk steamer and I find that steamed milk will sometimes give me a stomachache, so I improvised! I brewed some of the Kama Sutra Chai and added the last of my meadowfoam raw honey (which has a taste of marshmallows — goes VERY well with this tea) and let that sit while I prepared milk. I poured some 2% milk and added to it a few drops of vanilla extract. I put it in a lidded container and shook it until it was rather foamy. I then added the tea, stirred thoroughly, and had a perfect little easy “latte” to enjoy. I think it would work BEAUTIFULLY with almond milk or vanilla soy as well!

This is a malty dark chai, but with something sweet lingering in the background. It brews a deep reddish amber cup and is somewhat bitter if over-steeped. I sweetened it with a rosewater sugar cube. Smooth flavor and highly enjoyable. At the bottom of each teacup I found a thin layer of powdery spices. Very interesting.

The tea is a dark brown with deep red undertones. It smells like the dried leaves did. It is like someone stuck a campfire in the tea cup. Breathing it in it is as though you are sitting right in front of a fire. The tea is warm, not heat warm or spice warm. It has a flavor profile that is warm and makes you feel warm from the inside out. This would not be a tea that would make a lot of sense to try to make into an iced tea because of this warm flavor. It does sort of taste like drinking smoke. All the flavor of campfire or barbecue smoke is mixed up in the flavors of this drink. It’s not a sweet taste, although the start of it could be considered a little sweet, moving down into the a nutty and light flavor. This is a very thick tea, it sits heavy in your stomach. At the same time, it is surprisingly smooth.

For more information and pictures see below.

http://teasnobbery.com/2010/10/29/tea-review-russian-caravan-from-nm-tea-co/

This tea is a dark amber. It smells like roses, light and floral. There is no smell of berries like in the dry leaves. Tasting it, the primary taste is just like the smell. It tastes very strongly of roses, almost as if they were actually in the tea itself, although I have seen no parts of it. At the end of the tea, after I have let it sit for a while there is a sweet raspberry aftertaste that slowly overrides the other tones in the first brew. I brewed it a little too hot for the first brew, for a little too long, so it is a little extra bitter.

For more notes on this tea see the review on my blog.
http://teasnobbery.com/2010/10/08/tea-review-ontario-icewine-from-nmteaco/

Backlog. I drank this once this week, but when I went for the tin today, it was empty. I’m guessing he really loved this one!

Backlog. Had this yesterday.